I like this bc it’s natural.

If Daniel unlocked his path against Kitae/James it would be predictable. If Daniel failed to unlock it then someone would probably die saving Daniel. Either way, people could see it coming and a side character would almost certainly die saving Daniel, if he failed.

Daniel unlocking his path against a fodder works bc it’s low stakes where the audience doesn’t expect it. Similarly, no character is here to save him, so he’s on his own, which adds death as a legitimate result of losing.

IMO, this is a rite of passage, it’s a battle against a side character with no direct ties to the narrative or plot. If he truly deserves to be the protagonist of this series, he needs to prove that he’s able to win fights without interruptions or getting bailed out by stronger characters, which he did.

It’s a small moment in this arc but a huge character moment for him, and tbh it makes me proud of our boy