You know, I like that Ryūko is doing more times that strategic retreat of hers (Joestar-style), and I'd love for them to take further advantage of that in following showdowns to create for these a different kind of expectations. Not only fits her image as a newcomer, a rookie and also makes her appear as a funny run-of-the-mil villain of sorts taken from a old-school episodic series, but also because it could add a type of sudden uncertainty to her upcoming battles rather than those sure, telegraphed climax ones that feel like a staged path to clear step-by-step, something which is usual to see.
But what's more interesting, it presents Ryūko as a voluble, stubborn fighter that knows her limits, learns from them, and isn't completely stupid about it like other characters. A person that you can't help but cheer on sometimes for her (early) incompetence and that maybe, maybe will give us in the future an opportunity to take solace at the sight of her having grown-up throughout the following episodes of the series.
Difficult not to root for such a lovely underdog! :-D
