Ah, Kamen Rider Zi-O. Or as I like to call it Kamen Rider Rolex. :lolol

These two episodes made for a very average two-parter of Decade. Take that however you wish.

And hey, I don't even have to write a new bit because I kinda already did it a year ago.

I really enjoyed this set of episodes tbh. Tsukasa as an antagonistic force works so well, and it's a good roadblock for our heroes to try and get around. Plus just his flaunting around demeanor and the additional perks to the Aurora Curtains he has now are absolutely great and opened up a ton of story potential when it came to writing a fanfic based on Zi-O!

But yeah, loved the Ghost stuff, especially with the finding the way to save the guard. And also just all the interactions with Takeru and Ghost Sougo. Real good stuff!

That being said, Decade Armor! I think it's really cool and despite it's bulk and people disliking it... I love it! I just like the idea of the face being based off of Ganbarider in how it's a screen. The bulky armor is neat and really shows it as a more hefty and powerful form. Also the Heisaber (great name) is a cool weapon to boot. Heisaber Forever! Also just the idea that Decade's powers end up translating as a boost to other Ridewatches to bring out Upgrade/Super Forms works better than if it was just an ordinary Ridewatch that gave normal armor.

Of all the Riders to get a different looking Ridewatch, Decade makes the most sense since he is the 10th Anniversary Rider who could turn into prior Riders. Anyway, given the nature of who we have where, the BGM Swaps continue. Only this time the user has started to add the character songs into them as well. While not too bad... I much prefer the second BGM choice in this video.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 15 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF47Xq8O7KM

This arc very fun. Tsukasa as an antagonist brings level of direct threat the show needed at this point and I gotta say the Triple Ghost fight might be one of my favorite fights in Rider it such fun little thing.

Also this arc hasthat the returning actors only showing up in one episode. Last episode Shibuya was here but this episode completely gone vice versa Makoto was completely absent from last episode but was present here. It seem very strange espeically for an actual Rider they would get them back for at least two episodes. But still I can't resit these suits man. So I'm glad both of them got to return. Also when Takeru gets his powers back we have the belt activate by saying "Ghost Driver" which never happened in the show and was only in the toy until this moment.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

I don't love it? I'm honestly not a fan of any of the Form Changes on this show, and Decade Armor is no exception. Too bulky, too busy, and the chest armor seems to inhibit the suit actor. The Heiseiber is the best name, but the rest of it gets filed under an aesthetic that'll never be to my taste. (Bonus: gonna save some money on Figuarts!)

Tsukasa brings characterization to the Time Jackers, which helps a lot! Him and Woz on the villain side of things made this a more fulfilling plot-heavy story than I'd've expected.

These shows got budgets! It would not surprise me if they could afford Takeru + 2 for this story, so they had Makoto in the second part instead of Shibuya. I ... I don't know why Narita got to be in two episodes?

Yeah, I mostly agree with you here. Heck, I agree with both sides of the fence when it comes to Ghost, which is why I came out of the show just kinda being dead neutral on it.

I didn't really like that movie, but man, that really was a fun aspect of it.

So fun fact, the writers intended for Decade to be a consistent presence, but they only made him an antagonist because otherwise, he would just solve everything in 5 minutes. The decision to do this was made one day before Inoue showed up to film his scenes.

This time, there are 5 Ghosts in action throughout the two-parter, Zi-O GhostArmour, Geiz GhostArmour, Another Ghost, Decade as Ghost and Zi-O DecadeArmour Final Form Time: Ghost. Of the 5, I’d have to say the first one is my favourite.

And speaking of Decade, beyond his new belt having become more like a Korean pop band (BLACKPINK), there’s also been some changes to the transformation sounds compared to the old model. I’ll let TV Tropes fill in the details.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0_jjzEwd7Bk

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qYgCMPj3Fwo

https://youtube.com/watch?v=2e_AYAII64k

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XxQ6Lc6EzAc

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP14)

I once again find myself lacking anything in particular to say about these episodes, which is hilarious, because as The Ghost Ones, they were one of the sets I explicitly put on my list back when Die was planning to do this thread the same way he did Decade. I mean, I'm sure it'd be different if I had just rewatched them, of course; there's definitely a lot going on here. Between Ghosts galore, Zi-O's greatest weapon, and Tsukasa being himself, I recall this being an extremely satisfying outing for this show.

Using Decade as a straight up antagonist really was the best, dare I say only, possible choice for his role in Zi-O. One of the things about Tsukasa that makes him so special is that, of the 20 main protagonists of Heisei Kamen Rider, he's literally the only one who you can treat as a villain and have it make complete sense with little extra effort required. There's a part of a me that sort of misses the genuine emotional vulnerability Tsukasa got to display on occasion when he was a younger hero on a quest to find his identity (he literally cries in his show's opening every episode), but at the same time, there's just no denying how much this sort of role works for the guy. I mean, he's not the protagonist here, right? We're seeing things from the perspective of the Zi-O crew, and this is probably just how Tsukasa always comes off to all the other Riders he meets.

Although, despite the usual attitude problems, Tsukasa is already giving off those major stealth mentor vibes handing out powerups to the heroes. The Decade Armor is another one I'm legitimately pretty fond of, by the way. It's sheer clunk factor is something I can't help but find endearing, and it has a really inspired gimmick to it. Again, it's sort of the obvious thing to do, but I'm really glad they didn't pass up the chance to make Decade just a tiny bit more special to Zi-O than the other Riders are.

That makes sense!

And it also fits in with this whole two-parter's feel of being a recalibration after Act 1. The introduction of Tsukasa as an antagonist with a more fleshed-out character, the usage of Legend Rider Henshins, back-burnering the Time Jackers in favor of Woz and Decade, giving Sougo a bit more fire at the end... this is one of those stories where you can see the production team reacting to some of the complaints/deficiencies of the first Act. Not so much a shift as a slight tweak, but it's there.

There are six: Takeru! Takeru as Ghost! You forgot Actual Ghost!

(Also, boy, I gotta get those extra cards for the original CSM Decadriver...)

I think there's a lot to read into Tsukasa's role on this show, in a way that makes up for his lack of demonstrativeness. Like, it's that theme of generational change, how we risk losing the hopeful parts of ourselves by disconnecting with our past, and finding ways to reactivate them again is kind of crucial to being a happy adult. (The basic Legend Rider Holding Onto A RideWatch For Sougo plot of every story.) Tsukasa sort of inevitably became a jaded, sullen adult, and it's his interaction with a Kamen Rider narrative -- for good or ill -- that is maybe going to open him up again. In the meantime, it's just sort of sad to see Tsukasa as another judgmental and obstructive adult, incurious and dismissive. He's not protecting journeys, he's standing in people's way. As a Tsukasa fan, as much as I'm excited to see him back, there's a sadness to him being so hollowed out.

I... have thoughts about Tsukasa!

The world of Episode 14, huh...

-I actually enjoyed this two-parter quite a bit, on both the inital and the rewatch! It's really just a fun time.

-Utterly delighted that Makoto made a appearance, even if was just the briefest of cameos. Love that guy, even if the show he comes from seems to hate him.

-Takeru's little "I know, right??" at Sougo's newfound ghosthood, it's so good. The plan to revive our MOTW is a fun idea, but I think it's probably one of the bigger alterations they've done to time?

-Tsukasa kicking Geiz a bit after dropping the Decade Ridewatch in front of him, and eat Sougo's dinner before leaving.....Never change, Tsukasa. (I'd like to think Tsukasa doesn't lose his Rider memories n all once the Ridewatch is used because he's too much of an exception for Time Nonsense to work at all, lol!)

-14.5 is my one of my all-time .5 episodes? I love how everyone slowly adds pink to their ensemble as it goes on.

It is, and I like that it's exactly what Woz was afraid of. He doesn't mind Sougo having unexpected motivations for obtaining power, but changing history -- even a little bit -- is completely out-of-bounds. Little changes like a guard being alive when he should've died could lead to massive changes to the future, and Woz'z inability to gently guide Sougo away from those decisions is a great motivation for a ramped-up villain group.

Yeah, the Decade RideWatch seems to have completely different principles behind it than the other RideWatches. Nothing in Tsukasa's arc says that he's not the same guy we knew in the Decade series, down to his power set and (enhanced) Driver. I definitely took him as having all his old memories.

I should point out that it's the existence of the Another Rider that removes their memories, not the presence of a RideWatch. There is no Another Decade here, so he is never replaced. There's a bit more than that, but I can't say at this point, but the lack of an Another Decade is enough to explain the lack of memory loss.

Good point! Thanks!

Let me say this to start: as someone who loves a good portmanteau, the Heisaber is possibly the single most delightfully named doodad in all of Kamen Rider. The fact that I don't really remember what it looks like or what it does (specifically; obviously, it shoots CGI at things like most other Rider weapons) cannot detract from that.

Second, I want to talk a little bit about Zi-O's Decade armor. I generally like it. Decade's design is an all-time favorite, of course, so there's so automatic predisposition, but I think it avoids the big problem that I have with with the other Rider Armors. This is kind of related to my big problem with Rider weapons in general, but I'm rarely a big fan of armor power-ups. I think that Gaim is the only show that pulled it off well. With Zi-O and Ex-Aid, in particular, it often comes off looking like a mess of giant floppy foam and plastic pieces hanging off of the suit. The Decade armor, in contrast, is relatively clean and it brings back a lot of the lines from the original suit that I enjoyed so much.

It does, yeah. I guess it's not a spoiler to say that the show did start changing how it handled a lot of these elements now, but I will say that, in hindsight, it began earlier than I remembered.

I think Build will always be my favorite usage of both form changes and power-ups. The form changes in particular were neat palette swaps and weird accessories, rather than bulky pauldrons and crazy headdresses.

Zi-O's really leaned into a Maximalist aesthetic for the suits and monsters, so I can't pretend that Decade Armor isn't very much an expression of the story's reality, but I still don't dig it.

That said, I like how they slipped 2009 into the big barcode on the chest. That's cute.

I've actually never seen Zi-O(I saw that it was being written by the guys who made Ninninger(the show that killed Sentai for me) and butchered Hibiki(other than Inoue) and decided I was staying the f--k away)(funnily enough I'm told the Hibiki episodes are the best ones) but I'm told a reoccurring problem with it isn't that the main cast is poorly written per say but the recurring characters steal the spotlight from them 90% of the time

I didn't talk about those other people but me (actually would feel more alone here), I was more talking about the inconsistency part or such, not about his "the worst" traits. Him being instrumental in the defeat of those menaces are due to him being OP, you only need to be powerful (or genius) enough to be instrumental of anything (not that being a gigantic pain in the ass makes one being powerful). For favoritism was talking not about Zi-O but in general for any other franchise aspect.

From what I said before, the similarity between Sougo and Tsukasa are both of them being manipulative and that it can cause tensions to the allies (like Woz against him changing time here I guess), but other than that, both are also anniversary Riders who deal with threats to all of the Kamen Rider multiverse that stems from their own actions from their time as nearly all-powerful villains (Destroyer of the World, Ohma Zi-O). And other contrast is that, Tsukasa's villainy was in the past whereas Sougo's is in the future (2068). Tsukasa met alternate versions of the other Riders, while Sougo meets the actual legend Riders (y'know, the returning actors even Takumi Inui). Tsukasa was portrayed in his show as the most powerful Kamen Rider of all, and acted as a mentor who imparts lessons to the AR Riders that he meets, while Sougo is outclassed as a fighter and a hero by most of the other Riders that he encounters, and spends the show learning and growing from what they have to teach him.

Regarding Sougo and Takeru here, Sougo is being calculating and smart again, though the plan is quite simple to go back in time so Makimura won't die. It still won't prevent the threat as Heure still shoved the Ghost Watch, but Heure's mind games are solved here as previously it was relying on the heroes still letting Makimura died if they beat Another Ghost, but now if Another Ghost is beaten, then it's the usual the host is reverted back. Takeru also saw through Geiz's denial with him fighting for Sougo of which his tsundere tendencies are becoming more and more obvious. Now Zi-O got a mid-season upgrade in Decade Ridewatch that also allows him to access other mid-season upgrades, but this is the part where I draw a line at bulkiness, as I said before I'm not into the overly boxy design here or also the "plastered" Rider face/other parts.

This tribute is executed well yeah, compared to like, OOO tribute before of which it was more of a Kuroto tribute. And Heiseiber is a nice name! Like a well-played word play.

Don't know how to feel on this with the misguided view of masculinity that pink makes them more sissy or something here (including Tsukasa correcting it as magenta ofc, but it's not about him but about overall directing here).

The Time Jackers removing Decade's powers would require an understanding of just what the fuck happened in the Decade Movie Wars, that's why he's fine. As a certain Dhampir said, "Decade has no story".

But yeah, Ghost 2-parter! Always fun to see Takeru back, as others have said, everyone of his post-show appearances, but also more of the gang makes this feel like an extended outing for the Ghost cast. And, let's be real, if any secondary could just jump in for five minutes for a fight scene with no other explanation than "I've got your back", it would be Makoto.

I don't remember the details, but it's something how well this works as a Ghost plot when it also has to be the introduction of everyone's favourite destroyer of worlds, Tsukasa Kadoya. There were a lot of jokes before Zi-O aired that they should just do Decade 2, and in a way, him being here almost makes that a reality. Of course, now we're on the flipside, with Decade actively assisting the villains because it probably amuses him. All that's missing is Narutaki showing up to warn the time orphans.

I mean, not really my experience, but it's worth finding out for yourself.

I don't think any of that is true?

For one, every tokusatsu hero eventually becomes powerful enough to defeat the Final Boss; that's just this genre's storytelling model. Every hero is eventually "OP", at least until the next hero's Winter Movie. It's a weirdly pejorative way of describing the central pillar of toy-driven storytelling.

For another, Tsukasa's problems can't ever be solved by being More Powerful, just like every other Kamen Rider doesn't resolve their central emotional conflicts with a power-up or role-play item. The stuff that Tsukasa has to fix inside himself... that struggle runs parallel to the monsters and supervillains and apocalypses. Him overcoming the things that are broken inside of him, that's the power he needs to defeat some giant CG monster or whatever. The point of all these shows is that the power is pointless without emotional growth.

The fact that the derided hero from the derided anniversary show could arrive to such breathless acclaim as a fix to this series is maybe the most perfect History Is Open To Interpretation metaphor I can think of. Tsukasa is just so many of this show's themes (Good Intentions Fade With Time, for example) wrapped up in a magenta shirt. It's so good!

Once again, as someone who's yet to see Ghost, I enjoyed this arc?

It's funny, since I have no real context about Ghost (except for "Ore wa Tenkuuji Takeru!" memes, and lots of dying), but I genuinely think I liked these episodes. It was rather fun to see Takeru and Sougo interact, especially for episode 14, it was an entertaining setup with them being invisible and working together to solve the arc's problem-of-the-week.

And of course, the return of our favorite Destroyer of Worlds whose always to blame for everything, (Onore) Decade, Tsukasa Kadoya! While he doesn't do much here, I like how his upgrade is simply "now he can use all the Heisei Riders," though funny enough, I wouldn't have minded seeing Tsukasa have a Jikuu Driver, or new belt. I don't know, maybe it's because I find it fun to see a returning character use the new season's gimmicks, which is seen in recent Ultra Seasons, but I'm happy to see this jerk back at it again.

And of course, I am a stupidly huge fan of Decade Armor. Its jingle is wonderful, having the stutter when activated, then bursts with energy once Zi-O dons the armor, the design fits the criteria of Decade Complete levels of absurd, featuring a card face mask (that changes between Riders to boot), a bar code with Katakana for "Kamen Rider Zi-O Decade Armor 2009." But a detail I find most interesting is that his eyes, that read "Decade," are green instead of Magenta/Pink (at this point, I'm convinced Zi-O is Pink, since Tsukasa insists Decade's Magenta, which is something he himself still stands by outside of Decade), almost making it seem like Decade's power is truly not his to control, considering how he obtains it.

Also, Woz and Tsukasa's interactions when Decade Armor debuted was glorious. And The Heiseiber is legitimately one of my favorite Rider weapons of all time. I just love the design, the sounds, the aesthetic, and that name. That wonderful name.

The .5 with Ghost was amusing in how Sougo and Geiz rip on Takeru for being the most Shounen Anime Rider, even bringing Dragon Ball, another property Toei owns which they jokingly bleep out (like with the BLEACH Movie they also did). And the one with Tsukasa... They said the thing! Gosh, I love how self-aware these things are.

The thing I like best about Tsukasa retaining the Decadriver, but it being Neo -slash- a new DX toy you can buy, is that it makes it seem like he's had another ten years of adventures. I like thinking about Tsukasa going to the World of Drive and immediately undercutting the mystery of the week by just saying I've Got The Gist Of It and blurting out the solution. I like thinking about Kaitou and Tsukasa running some dumb scam on Sento and Banjou in the World of Build, before Tsukasa inevitably gives a speech decrying the loss of humanity during wartime.

Just... I like the implication that he's had a journey, you know? The story of Decade continued.

When did we last see Tsukasa before this, anyway? World of Wizard?

In person? Kamen Rider Taisen. In terms of suit? Chou Super Hero Taisen.

Ah! That reminds me! This is slightly outside my particular area of Rider meme study, so I don't really know why this is the case, but apparently Makoto saying "Fu! Ha! Takeru, why aren't you transforming!?" became a very memorable thing from episode 14, for some reason. I think it might be because of how comically abrupt an introduction that line is for Makoto into the story, and/or because the closed captions specifically included him going "Fu! Ha!", but again, I can't say that with any authority!

Yeah, this was apparently the thinking with beefy Rider #1 back in his movie with Ghost, too, and in both cases, I like the idea of deliberately leaving that implication that things happen to these characters even when we're not seeing them. Plus, in Decade's particular case, he's defying the purpose of his own series again by having the powers of 20 Riders despite being named after the number 10, and that utter disregard for logic and rules is so very, very Decade.

You know, if we get some kind of anniversary for the 10th year of Reiwa Rider, I'm going to be really bummed if Zi-O doesn't show up and get a Reisaber, ideally from a Saber character.

I don't remember that line. But when you say "Fu! Ha!" All I think about is that guy from Black Clover.

I agree! I love this detail. I didn't give it too much thought when I initially watched this, but I can perfectly imagine this.

Also, agree with Die on some of these outrageous scenarios of AR Heisei Phase 2 worlds. I'm now picturing Tsukasa starting out as a street dancer or waiter before, through pure Decade shenanigans, rises the ranks and becomes head of Yggdrasil in AR Gaim world. Or putting AR Shotarou and Phillip out of the job, while Phillip takes interest in him.

He never said which decade!

If it's not the Reiwakizashi, I'm burning this whole place down.

Tsukasa totally learned those sweet Episode 14.5 moves from Kaito in the World of Gaim. It was a clue!

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 15 - “BACK TO 2068”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio15a.png

Sougo’s optimism was always going to be his Achilles heel.

His entire goal – to be a Good Despot – is one that’s laughably disconnected from the grim history of mankind. Civilization was built by people, and people aren’t always great. Very few countries (if any) have flourished without regrettable-to-inhumane actions, and very few of those countries’ rulers are seen as beacons of morality. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, no matter the amount of caring friends you surround yourself with, or the good intentions you might have. (In fact, there’s another expression, about which path is paved with good intentions…)

It’s also a goal that relies on a willful dismissal of things like evidence and testimony. It’s Sougo hearing people say he’s done something, and countering them with a vow to not do it. He think he’s keeping himself honest by letting people tell him when he’s on the wrong path, but he also disregards their feedback with a smile. He’s not offering much in defense of his growing power and confidence.

Because he doesn’t see that he’s got a problem. Oma Zi-O’s a bad guy, and Sougo just won’t become a bad guy. Sougo believes he’ll find a way to gain all the power and abilities of Oma Zi-O, just as he’s destined to, but he just Won’t Be Evil Somehow. The end. What’s for breakfast?

The stakes of the series can’t ever increase until Sougo directly confronts the claims of the Time Orphans, so we are on a soul-crushing trip to the orange-tinged Misery Fields of 2068, where Sougo can scream at Oma Zi-O, and Oma Zi-O can humiliate Sougo.

As an episode, it’s solid enough. I liked the show setting the big Geiz/Zi-O/Decade/Kasshin fight in the same warehouse as the Build Hazard episodes. There’s a kind of emotional memory to that set, where it just feels like the show is getting bleaker and more serious. It’s a location that strips away the hopeful naivete of youth, and replaces it with terror and consequences.

Beyond that, though, it’s a little one-note? It’s Sougo just screaming No at things a lot, which is both the point of the episode (Sougo’s constant self-deception is making his worst future more likely), and kind of a drag. Sougo needs to hit rock-bottom, emotionally, but he’s starting so so high above that, which means it’s going to take a lot longer than we’d maybe like for him to be in a place to deal with his future.

The part of the episode I liked the best is the recurring entreaty – by friend and foe alike – for Sougo to stop Oma Zi-O once and for all by abandoning his Driver. Just, quit. Beyond being a nicely archetypal Can You Use An Evil Power To Do Good thematic note (real top-line Kamen Rider stuff), I like how obviously wrong it is. Sougo can’t avoid the future by refusing to go there; literally, in this episode. It’s no victory to lay down his sword. Time keeps moving onward, even into a future we don’t particularly look forward to. The solution can’t ever be to deny it exists, nor can it be to stay in the past.

This was a lot of set-up and backstory in the front of the episode (That dumb Time Nonsense dream of Sougo’s! Jesus! I need another Sakurai in my life like I need a hole in my head!), with a very engaging fight scene that took up the middle section, but I’m most interested in where Sougo goes after this. His dilemma is a universal one, even though it's being acted out by a fourth-dimensional warlord in the Misery Fields of the future: How do we grow as people, without becoming someone we despise?

Very interested in what his answer is.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio15b.png

—

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O COMPLEMENTATION PROJECT EPISODE 15.5 - “BE FOREVER COMPLEMENTATION PROJECT (PART ONE)”

I would watch both of those proposed spin-offs, honestly. I know Geiz gets a movie after the show, and I’ve heard enough people on the Figuarts thread mention “Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi” to say that neither option presented here wouldn’t work. These are all fun actors, and I like all of their characters. You wanna hand the show over to Tsukuyomi or Geiz? Be my guest!

But that’s all just a prelude to the big Winter Movie that’s about to open in theaters! With a big SURPRISE! Just like the special surprise this thread will have to celebrate Heisei Generations Forever! You won’t want to miss it!*

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/ziocp15a.png

*: I mean, you might want to miss it. I don’t know your life! But I think it could be fun for folks.

This is the episode that changed everything (everything Zi-O anyway) for me. Up until this point of the show, I had gotten accustomed to the status quo of the show doing these arcs where they reference an older show, Sougo acts like a weirdo, Geiz is wary of Sougo, Woz says the line, rinse and repeat. It was entertaining for the most part, and I don't mean to sound like there wasn't interesting character stuff that happened in those episodes, but for the most part I kinda just don't register any of those events beyond the episode that happened in? But of course, they had to have happened of course. Because a lot of the events in episode 15 only hit because we've spent time watching these characters.

To get one particular nitpick aside, the dream. As far as this episode is concerned, it's the 'explanation' for why Sougo wants to be a king. It's... not really? Why wouldn't he have just assumed it was only a dream? And even if he decided to believe it at face value for whatever reason, it still makes no sense and doesn't go towards explaining anything about the way he acts in episode 1 and so on.

But you know what? That's all in the past! I'm fine with focusing on the present and just the important fact that he has this unshakable goal of wanting to rule the world but be a good guy about it. It's an insane, kinda inherently evil ambition to have, but I'm willing to just believe and accept that Sougo believes in it so strongly that he simply has to try and do his best to accomplish it, no matter what the rest of the world says. And this is the episode where the world really seems set out to punish him for it.

I want to draw special attention to the scene in the middle, where Geiz declares once and for all that he's going to eliminate Zi-O. The framing and the music of the scene, along with that shot of Kamen Rider Geiz slowly walking up towards Sougo, I think it's really good! For the first time, Geiz saying he's going to kill Sougo isn't just part of his schtick, but it feels like this tragic decision because he feels like his hopes that things would turn out okay have been dashed.

Granted, Geiz's cool points here gets kinda dampened by the fact that he's about to get absolutely wrecked by Kasshin, and the conflict shifts from 'oh no geiz is attacking zi-o' to 'oh geiz is gonna get killed'. Oh well!

I'll add that I also really like Decade here acting as the antagonist. I don't really have much attachment to him or his show, but just the fact that he's an iconic Kamen Rider from a previous show, outright calling out Zi-O as being the villain here. Combined with Woz's words about how the tyrannical Oma Zi-O is the Zi-O he knows, it just feels more and more like the universe is out to smite Sougo for his dreams.

Speaking of! I really like Oma Zi-O, by the way? Just right off, his design is absolutely sick. On his own, he's kinda just a generic evil overlord, right? Ruler of the world with overwhelming power and what not, you've probably played an RPG with someone like him in it. But at the same time, that's also all he needs to be, because he's Sougo's future, and I feel like that fact alone gives his story so much more intrigue and dimension than a lot of other similar villains in the franchise. You (or maybe just me!) can't help but be fascinated by everything he says to his past self!

I guess since the very first episode, I've been waiting for the show to dig in to its premise about someone fighting their seemingly inevitable terrible destiny, and this episode really delivered all at once. It's all set-up to part two, but I think I spent that whole week until the next episode waiting in excitement. I hope you'll like the answers you see in the next episode!

But anyway, movie time for now : P Hope Build is still somewhat fresh in your mind because it's crossover time! ...Like, actual proper crossover time instead of what we got in the first two episodes : )

Oh hi Seto Kaiba (I mean Kasshine).

Kasshine's such an interesting entity to bring out at the moment because up until now we've only dealt with Another Riders. So seeing him as a thing that Oma Zi-O just owns is an interesting pace breaker. As is the rest of this episode!

Oma Zi-O and Sougo's confrontation... I can't say much other than a fun fact. Because while I have my own interpretations of Oma Zi-O. I feel he is way more than just big bad evil Overlord for one. We're not far enough in to get why I think that yet. So fun fact time is! You know how he redirects the CGI Bats against Sougo? It's hard to tell, and hell I didn't even tell at first. But Oma Zi-O is playing a violin to do that, Bloody Rose in fact! I only found this out by looking up Bloody Rose on the Rider Wiki!

Anyway, we're continuing with our BGM Swaps where I'll continue to say that the Decade BGM Swap is the best still.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 16 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuD0G90LZxU

It not just the fact he has this dream that tells him he going to become king. It's the fact that he keeps having the dream over and over again. The dreams only stopped when he was at 9 years old was convinced to become king.

But yeah this episode was great. It felt like real turning point in the show Sougo finally sees for himself Ohma ZI-O and the blunt truth of what happening. I love how Tsukasa is both an antagonost and as well a stealth mentor torwards Sougo. Also Sougo calling him the guy who ate his dinner was great. Also seeing Build vs Sparkling and the logical victory going torwards ZI-O was a neat thing.

And finally there Kasshine who stands out as the non Legend Rider based monater in this season. And I gotta say for a footsoldier he's really dang tough and seem more like a commander.

Episode 15!

-Man, really love the appearance of Geiz the Teenager this episode in the opening. After flinging himself at Another Ghost once Sougo went down last arc, it's really nice to see him open up a bit, and (kinda) admit that he likes Sougo and wants to find a way to stop Oma Zi-O without murdering the kid.

-.......Of course, all that doesn't matter when it seems the world's suddenly under seige from Oma-Zio, causing Geiz to reaffirm that leaving Sougo alive is actually a terrible mistake and that being soft on him is what led to this destruction. And so, Geiz the Future Warrior comes crashing back in.....

-I don't know how to describe it, but I love Woz's energy in this one? He's super thrilled to see his overlord's work in action, and a chance to finally steer Sougo back on the path of Oma-Zio.

-........Oh my god I forgot we got Sougo's Dream this early. I'll save my proper thoughts on it for another time but like. I hate it so much. Just feels very....weird, as a motive.

-Anyway! Sougo and Oma-Zio! I really enjoy Oma-Zio's face is hidden, almost like his godlike power is blinding. Him counterattacking with the same Riders Sougo was using (Was that a vilon I spy during him using the Kiva Ridewatch?) On my inital watch, I think one of my main complaints was that I could never actually see this Sougo turning into the ridiclously evil Oma-Zio, but now....I get it? Intentions lost to the sands of time and all that, and no people like Geiz/Tsukuyomi to steer him back into the right direction, etc, etc, etc.

-Really looking forward to next episode, I think it was a favorite of mine on the inital watch.

I just hate the obvious Time Nonsense of it. It's clearly someone from the future (or past, or whatever) who will give Sougo this crucial foreshadowing, and they'll be revealed in a later story. (Sougo? Geiz? Sougo's heretofore unmentioned dad? A resurgent Yurusen? A lot of options as of Episode 15.) It's a mystery I'm zero percent invested in.

Yeah, it's not a great episode for Geiz'z optimism, either! He's been trying to duck the inevitability of Oma Zi-O by believing in Sougo's Good Despot pitch, but it all came crashing down around him. There's a real sadness to Geiz telling Tsukuyomi that he feels like an idiot for thinking he could be anything other than a soldier. He's throwing away all of his character growth, and it's really heartbreaking.

That Zi-O/Oma Zi-O duel is suitably epic. All of those redirected finishes! Zi-O's increasingly rushed attacks! The way Zi-O eventually just starts spamming whatever instead of trying to work tactically! It's great!

I guess the DX Decadriver didn't come with upgrade form Kamen Rides?

He's so sick babysitting Kamen Rider Puppy Dog! He's ready for some History to be made! Apocalypses are more fun to narrate than Geiz running away from home, I'd assume.

Those are coming later. With what, I'll try to keep quiet on. It may also have something to do with Build being the only thing the action figure can transform into. (The So-do can do Ghost, Ex-Aid, OOO, Ryuki, Faiz and Saber as well)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=2HQ22OyD4as

And as for Rider Tsukuyomi… that was something people discovered early on by hacking the belt to create different lights and sounds (as you may or may not have noticed from the videos I've been sharing, when a Ridewatch is inserted, it generates the name of the show, followed by the year it premiered, with a few exceptions (Geiz's says Geiz 2068, the final forms are (name of form) Fin., and the Ryusoulger watch is SS {short for Super Sentai} 1975 {the year the first Super Sentai aired}.) Which is why, in lieu of any new watches this episode, I'll be presenting a list of graphics that can't be accessed with any available toy.

* "Zi-O" (Dated 2058)
* "Zi-O" (Dated 2038)
* "Zi-O" (Dated 2000)
* "Zi-O" (Dated 1989)
* "Zi-O" (Dated 1971)
* "Zi-O" (Dated "Rider" (ライダー))
* "Zi-O" (Dated with 4 clock symbols)
* "Zi-O" (Dated XXXX)
* "Zi-O" (Dated ****)
* "Geiz" (Dated 2058)
* "Geiz" (Dated 2038)
* "Geiz" (Dated 2020)
* "Geiz" (Dated 1989)
* "Geiz" (Dated 1971)
* "Geiz" (Dated "Rider" (ライダー))
* "Geiz" (Dated XXXX)
* "Rider 1" (Dated 1971)
* "Rider 2" (Dated 1971)
* "V3" (Dated 1973)
* "Riderman" (Dated 1973)
* "X" (Dated 1974)
* "Amazon" (Dated 1974)
* "Stronger" (Dated 1975)
* "Skyrider" (Dated 1979)
* "Super-1" (Dated 1980)
* "ZX" (Dated 1984)
* "Black" (Dated 1987)
* "Next" (Dated 0000)
* "Rider" (Dated XXXX)
* "Rider" (Dated "Rider" (ライダー))
* "Heisei" (Dated "--HR--")
* "Showa" (Dated "--SR--")
* "Kamen Rider" (Dated "Rider" (ライダー))
* "Shocker" (Dated 1971)
* "Special" (Dated "--SP--")
* "Millennium " (Dated 2000)
* "All Riders" (Dated "Rider" (ライダー))
* "Ancient" (Dated 0000)

But, an enterprising modder by the name of Hiroji Hidaka (whose other innovations include a Smash Bros Gashat, light up Fullbottles, a Diend version of the Decade watch, a Hazard Gaia Memory and a device that uses Cell Medals or Fullbottles to print Progrisekeys) did give us this from some of these lights.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tQf80mwVI9c

All I'll say with the episode is that I liked the Zi-O vs Ohma fight (I'll hold off on who's actually portraying Ohma physically, since the producers did likewise), but I know someone pointed out Sougo's lack of fashion sense has devolved into Ohma Zi-O having a garish supervillain costume.

As for etymology, Kasshine simply means "servant".

Very cool! Thanks!

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP15)

This episode was such a great turning point for the series, to a level that reading even as minor a criticism as "a little one-note" has me defensively thinking "IT'S A REALLY GOOD NOTE THOUGH!!!"

Definitely an episode that does a lot to start refocusing Sougo's character, retroactively justifying his early attitude in the show by making it intensely clear how much him not taking his future seriously was always the point. The whole prophetic dream thing, by the way, is something I think ended up adding a fair bit to the themes of the show, but I suppose that's all I should say for now.

And speaking of Sougo's character, one of the coolest things about this one is just that it was a great way to bring Oma Zi-O into the spotlight as a proper character. Everything about him is just great here. I love how his response to Sougo saying he thought he'd become the bestest goodest king ever is just to go "I am that", which really exemplifies the whole problem with Sougo's dream job. If you're the ultimate authority in the world, then you know, as long as you think you're doing alright... Basically, Oma Zi-O is just a really neat idea in general? That design already seemed cool before the show even started airing, but then you hear Koyama's imposing voice for him, and they find space like this to loop him into an episode plot in a interesting way, and he starts to genuinely feel like as big a deal as the other characters make him out to be.

And while Geiz's "Zi-O" is a favorite of mine, and Woz's "waga maou" is iconic, I also love how Oma Zi-O always refers to Sougo as "wakaki hi no watashi", which rubs in that, yes, they really are the same person, no matter how much Sougo doesn't want to believe it, but on top of that, it has this affectionate tone to it that really enhances their whole dynamic. Just that one bit of word choice implies so much about how Oma Zi-O views the Sougo of the present.

Honestly, I liked the dream development and really wish it had been included earlier, possibly from the first episode. It fixed what was always my biggest problem with Sougo, which is how inane the whole "I wanna be a king!" thing is. Without the context of a prophetic dream it makes him look like a moron who doesn't understand how monarchies work and is making about as much sense as a four-year-old saying they want to be a rocket ship when they grow up. Knowing that there's a legitimate foundation for this makes him still look like a moron who doesn't understand how monarchies work, but at least there's a rationale behind it now.

Hmm... it's not that optimism is bad (not me though), but Sougo displays one of the most disastrous depiction of optimism, he's the type of optimist that due to how he always views things as always going well, and looking only at the good side, it's means he completely overlooks what's bad to look at the good side, thus making himself oblivious to the surroundings and the bad things that surrounds them (unless when it's undeniable like Another Rider attack or the people's suffering in the future in front of his eyes, but then again he did try to think they're still alive). By this Sougo can even appear insensitive at times despite wanting the best for others, like him not recognizing other's anger at him such as Geiz screaming him off. Yeah, likely his optimism is the one that made him, for example, not notice the feelings of people surrounding him. Though actually Sougo had faith in Geiz and Tsukuyomi that, if Sougo strays from his path, they'd stop him.

Even his rule as Ohma Zi-O can be also attributed at his optimism - obliviousness, he thought he had become kind overlord even when he wiped out half of humanity and rules the rest with an oppressive iron fist. A̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶r̶a̶c̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶I̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶y̶p̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶m̶i̶s̶m̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶S̶p̶o̶n̶g̶e̶B̶o̶b̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶a̶s̶i̶c̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶e̶q̶u̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶.̶ Otherwise, those civilizations aren't built to better whole mankind, but it can be done to fuel tribalism or only benefit their own groups (even for survival), so the inhumane actions or not being beacons of morality is kinda expected, if those aren't fighting for general good at the first place.

Though power can corrupt, likely it's plausible to assume that if Sougo would be a bad guy, he likely would be someone that did dirty things if pushed to accomplish what he wants, not someone who rules over the world in a totalitarian dictatorship, not a hyper-drastic turn in someone with Kamen Rider sensibility becomes someone with a morality (or lack of) of Evolt, that's going from an absolute one end of a moral spectrum to the absolute another end of a moral spectrum. Even becoming a mere bad guy would still mostly have them far from being as evil as Evolt, still had to go long way. As Ohma Zi-O is also an opposite to Evolt in some ways, that Evolt controls space, wants to destroy Earth for fun, and is a primordial alien. But Ohma Zi-O controls time, wants to rule Earth as an overlord, and is a human from future.

I think there are more than screaming no, there are actually some good build up (other than Sougo and Tsukasa's fight), though there's exposure involved, with how it starts with Dai Mazines attacking the city of which it's informed as Ohma Zi-O's mechas, then if Dai Mazines are mere killer robots, there's a more sentient underling in Kasshiin, who'd want to help Ohma Zi-O by eliminating resistance, which is Geiz and Tsukuyomi for now, as well as clearly 'protecting' present Sougo from them. The nice part was especially about how present Sougo did act to try to stop Kasshiin, but it denies present Sougo's order with the claim of he himself ordering the execution, of which this'd be something further up regarding Sougo, more of the contradicting reality of him exposed. There's a clear reason on why Sougo is denial like would not ordering to destroy world or assassinating Geiz. It's even more in the future when more proof is exposed on Sougo with the monument of his first henshin, the shock of seeing people's suffering, making it harder to deny Tsukuyomi's exposition now.

After all of that Sougo finally had a mental breakdown of realizing all of his denials claims before are real truth and even shoves Tsukuyomi away, he's moping over how his hopes and dreams have just come crashing down around him, the only thing he can do is lash out at his own reflection. Obviously, a total opposite of the 2 Sougos reunion in ep. 11-12 before where both are the most supportive to each other (albeit Ohma Zi-O is technically 'supportive' of urging Sougo to become like him). Regarding what I said above, I'd think Sougo recognizing what his future self did as evil is really important to counteract his optimism - obliviousness. Though for the fight between Sougos, I'd think Ohma Zi-O's showing here isn't terribly impressive, like using finisher still to deal with present Sougo's attacks.

It'd be understandably hard, but Geiz is likely learning something new here, to try to reason with what you think is a threat first in asking for Sougo to throw away his belt, instead of instantly resorting into murder or annihilation. Geiz also now tried to kill Sougo out of desperation here instead of being purely fueled by hate and vengeance as Sougo still won't quit being Kamen Rider and the situation is more dire. But actually, the reason that abandoning Driver is hard is more than what you're talking about here, and it lies on one of the major casts, but it'd be shown soon so not now. Tsukasa being a wild card is even more affecting here that other than the Time Jackers, Geiz (Time Jacker's enemy) also tried to ask for Tsukasa's help to eliminate Ohma Zi-O, as well as Woz thinking that Tsukasa would help him by sending Sougo to the future to give his reality check, of which Woz had fatalist view of Sougo (well, full faith of his boss, but utilized in bad way) that Sougo would become evil by that thus fulfills Woz's goals.

Though Geiz is already a Rider, there's also a moment where Tsukuyomi slides into Kasshiin to save Geiz.

Yeah, I don't mean for that criticism to sound like a failing of the episode, really. It's more that once I saw where the episode was going, I was ready for it to get there. Once Tsukasa shoves Sougo into the future, there's not much to knock this episode on. Chalk it up to my impatience!

"Oh, I thought he was stupid, but he's just crazy. That's more like it!" - reluctant Zi-O viewers after Episode 15

I mean, that was never the safeguard that Sougo made it out to be. While he said that he'd know if he was on the right track by Geiz and Tsukuyomi's approval, he tended to meet their disapproval with dismissals and subterfuge. He was not great at listening to their warnings! Anyone's warnings!

Fifty years is a long time! You're thinking of it in Sougo's terms, where he can't see the Time Orphans' claims as legitimate because he'd never ever do those things. But that's Tsukasa's whole point: here's the future where you absolutely became that guy. Why did he become Oma Zi-O? That's the story of this show going forward. But, like, it's pretty indisputable now.

KAMEN RIDER HEISEI GENERATIONS FOREVER

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/hgfa.png

Being a fan is a blessing and a curse.

I don’t know if it’s healthy for me to be a grown American adult who cares this much about Kamen Rider. I don’t know if I should be devoting hours each day to scrutinizing a show designed to sell toys to Japanese children. I don’t know if I should be spending possibly thousands of dollars a year on merch. I don’t know if all of this is good for me, psychologically.

I do know that Kamen Rider has been there for me during times of hardship. I do know that being a Kamen Rider fan has connected me with people I’d’ve never encountered otherwise; made friends with people all over the globe. I do know that the last few years have been richer for this community’s place in my life.

Being a fan of something is so complicated. There’s always going to be a push and pull to it. Those times when you find something that speaks to a part of you that you never knew was there, versus the times where you’re let down by some show, some toy, some performer.

The idea of making an entire Kamen Rider movie about the ways the franchise acts as both a respite and an anchor, that’s kind of lovely. There’s an ambivalence to this movie, in its best stretch, that I found really compelling. It’s not the usual Kamen Riders Always Make Things Worse gimmick, like in the Be The One movie, where it's some villain trying to deflect suspicion and blame. It’s more subtle than that. It’s asking if Ataru’s okay.

I think that’s a fair question? He seems happy. He’s well-adjusted, more or less. His amount of Kamen Rider stuff isn’t out of hand. (Especially considering he’s been collecting for 18 years.) But his love for Kamen Rider, the excitement of its worlds, goes hand-in-hand with him preferring the simplicity of tokusatsu to the complexity of life. He was raised by Kamen Rider to be a good person, but a good person who looks to Kamen Rider for the solutions to his problems.

You can’t do a 20-year anniversary film that interrogates the franchise and not come down on Kamen Rider Is Awesome, so the answer’s never really in doubt. Ataru had been looking to Kamen Riders to fix his life, and eventually they did. Their fictional nature doesn’t really matter, because stories are how we make sense of our world; they’re how we process our hardships. Drawing strength from stories about empathy and kindness can be valuable at any age, to any viewer. Well-curated collections are okay to own.

There’s a bunch of plot stuff that didn’t work for me. I think the scene to scene storytelling, especially in the back half, was unnecessarily difficult to follow. Certain elements in the movie felt like they were waiting for a guest appearance that never materialized. (Another Double is nobody, and there’s an awful lot of Kuuga talk for a movie where Kuuga never talks.) If I never see two dozen Riders do finishing moves and pose in Kamen Rider Quarry again, I’ll’ve still seen it too many times in my life.

But that’s all largely irrelevant. It’s not really a movie about plot machinations or ticking off a Legend Rider Return checklist. (Great to see Ryotaro, though.) It’s a movie that wants to talk about what the Kamen Rider franchise means to its fans: the good and the bad. But like the best Kamen Rider stories, it knows that good can come from bad.

We aren’t hiding from reality, or victims of a toy company. We’re people who discovered something that spoke to us – stories of hope and sadness and empathy and loss and humor and fear – and we discovered something else alongside it: a community of fans who wanted to share that discovery with others. The sad version of Ataru’s life is him being a Kamen Rider fan, alone and hoping for a different world than his own. The happy version of Ataru’s life is him and his brother as Kamen Rider fans through the decades; a fandom, instead of a fan.

Kamen Rider will never die, and neither will Kamen Rider fandom.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/hgfb.png

—

SPECIAL RYOTARO-LEVEL SURPRISE BONUS FEATURE!

KAMEN RIDER HEISEI GENERATIONS FOREVER.5 - “LET’S WATCH HEISEI GENERATIONS FOREVER!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/hgfc.png

…and what better way is there to celebrate the permanence of Kamen Rider fandom than by reuniting the folks behind the definitely-existed project “TN's first LP! Let's Play Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez”!

Yep, a whole bunch of us got together to record a horribly digressive and mostly unhelpful commentary track for Heisei Generations Forever! Join me, DreamSword, Androzani84, Enchiladas645, Name, and Kousan for a live recording of thoughts, jokes, and mild analysis of this film. You can grab the mp3 here. Hope you have as much fun listening to it as we did recording it!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/hgfd.png