Wandance Episode 8 took the dance club at school and made it a battlefield where dancers turned rhythm into their weapon, and how they danced communicated to their opponent what they were feeling. Episode 8 threw out traditional dance routines and just demonstrated how street dance is all about competition for pride through the multiple 1-on-1 battles that comprised the entire runtime of the episode.For the first time in Wandance, we see what happens when the dancers aren’t being judged by a panel but rather compete against each other for bragging rights. The entirety of Wandance Episode 8 is made up of dancers battling each other freestyle for 20 minutes, starting with seasoned dancers and finishing with Kaboku going up against the best dancer in the club.An Hour-Long Battle Opens the EpisodeFirst dance battle between On and Kaboku (Image Source: Studio Madhouse)At the beginning of the episode, the main character, Kaboku, arrives at the dance club to discover that Iori and On-chan have been competing against each other for an hour in a heated dance-off. The lengthy battle showcased several different types of dancing, and we get to see how Iori has spent the last five years perfecting his moves using house techniques, while On-chan has spent 10 years mastering popping.Many of the other club members speculated on why this battle was happening. Some guess that they are trying to get Iori back to the club, while others think there may be a romantic aspect to it. In Wandance Episode 8, the show cleverly reveals that not only were several of these theories correct, but that the stakes of this battle had several purposes: Iori's return to the club, involvement in dance battles, and potential dating between the two.Kaboku Steps Up to the Challenge in Wandance Episode 8On dancing style talent (Image Source: Studio Madhouse)After the first showdown had finished, Wandance Episode 8 focused on how Kaboku grew as a dancer. He only started dancing three months before this battle, but he took on the challenge of battling On-chan right after his tiring match with Iori. This was huge for Kaboku as it showed that he was beginning to believe in himself.While Kaboku was dancing, he felt like he was on the same level as On-chan. He was just concentrating on the music and the connection between them. He wasn't thinking about the audience that was watching him at all, which is a great step forward for Kaboku, considering how he used to have a lot of self-doubt and stutter when he spoke.Emotional Impact and Character RelationshipsDance battle between On and Iori (Image Source: Studio Madhouse)So, the most emotional moment from Wandance Episode 8 was when Wanda saw Kaboku's performance and started crying. She was really emotional because she saw how far he’d come in such a short amount of time. That was a really strong illustration of their relationship, connection, and their love of dance.After that battle, Wanda told Kaboku that she could go anywhere with him, which was basically her way of asking him to be her partner for life in dance. That moment defined their relationship as the main characters in the series, and it also created a path for them to compete in future battles.Setting Up Future ConflictsWandance Episode 8 also added new characters who will affect the story moving forward. A masked dancer named Kabeya has noticed Kaboku's performance based on some footage from their competition, and it looks like Kabeya is interested in battling with Kaboku.At first, On-Chan was not on board with the idea of getting the club involved in dance battles, but after seeing how well Kaboku performed, she changed her mind. Having the club enter the world of dance battles opens up many opportunities for ensemble battles as well as individual bouts between competitors in future episodes.