There's still several episodes left, anything could happen!

But yeah, don't think I'm trying to begrudge people hyping up Fuwa, he is very cool and his pivot here, finally trying to give himself some direction instead of wandering aimlessly and shouting in the hopes that maybe the answer to his Humagear terrosism problem will drop into his lap, is also very good! It's a good episode for both our main boys!

(A less good episode for Gai, who it turns out is not the best at long-term Rider planning. Maybe he should stick to the number crunching.)

I don't appreciate your dismissal of Fuwa's crime-solving skillset, which consists entirely of Shouting and Randomly Being In Places. It's been 1000% effective! CHECK THE TAPE!

The Crime-solving equivalent to the Heart of the Cards - if you wander aimlessly, eventually the laws of plot will draw you to a problem you can Rampage Bullet.

I honestly like to think of Fuwa as Kamen Rider Columbo, where villains can't see past his hopeless demeanor and then eventually incriminate themselves. I'm pretty sure Fuwa just totally Columbo'd Gai in Episode 29? Dude flat out explained his entire plan to Fuwa, then got roasted because of it.

Yeah, it's still my belief that the writing team only made Gai be the one to give Aruto Metal Cluster purely because they wanted to push him as "The Next Kaixa", which uh... I'll be real in hindsight, he's honestly more laughable and hilarious than threatening or scummy.

Cause see, my reasoning comes from this. The Thousand Jacker, at least for Zero-One, usually stabbed the Driver's scan point. Likewise, what does Metal Cluster completely cover up with the clamp that really doesn't need to be there if it's just meant for Aruto to go berserk. It covers up the scan point. Now you could argue "Oh it's to make it harder to get off" but like, both times it's done it doesn't seem that hard to get off.

Especially with just the whole "Secret Material: Hiden Metal" part of the jingle. It really feels like Metal Cluster was meant to be a direct counter to Thouser made by Hiden instead of what we got. It might've even entirely circumvented the Metal Cluster Arc, which while having a great ending with the Progrise Hopper Blade, was completely unnecessary.

But this leads into what I wanted to say about the Arc in general and... I feel like they tried to make Gai too "in control" when it came to everything. Okay so he made the Ark go crazy and basically caused all the problems because of his own grievances with how Hiden was heading, that's fine. That's a good setup for him as a villain and him wanting to take back Hiden, absolutely fine.

The issue is aside from Aruto and Fuwa, he sorta just takes away from everything else when it could make for interesting content. Yua's just sorta static and doesn't get much until Episode 29. Horobi was admittedly fine, dude needed a vacation if I'm being honest. Oh, Zaia's Keys were stolen? By seemingly the mysterious fourth member of Metsubojinrai? That seems like an interesting plot-oh it was Gai just controlling Naki inside Fuwa the entire time and distributing the Raid Riser was his entire idea and it wasn't this unknown element that could shake Gai up a bit, no he had to be perfectly under control of the situation at all times.

Like the only thing he's seemingly not in control of is Jin, but Jin enters so late and doesn't do much that it doesn't really matter in the end.

Add in the monotony of having the same Jacking sequences over and over again as well as a similar pattern, and this arc nearly made me burn out if I'm being quite frank. Sure the stories were nice, but there's a tedium that really shows in how they implement the pattern (where even the crew admitted that they were struggling on how to put in fights) and you can implement the pattern in a good way, and despite little change ups here and there, it was not implemented in a good way.

But overall it was at least a strong finish and we're into new and frankly more interesting territory what with Aruto basically on his own for this new Arc and Gai in this seeming position of unstoppable power now that he's gotten what he believes will grant him victory.

Yeah, I... the show really wants to sell Gai as some omniscient, Machiavellian schemer, but he's mostly just What If Kuroto Was Swartz. (Thouser even jacks things!!!) The actor has an irresistibly smarmy presence, which keeps the character appealing to me, but his plans are alternately impossibly complex and ridiculously clumsy. He's thought of everything, while missing what's right in front of him. Which, yeah, there's some interesting character stuff to that type of antagonist, but it doesn't make for the most intriguing supervillain plots.

So having watched the ryoma/space eps of ghost right after reading about Fuwa's dream, and it made realize Fuwa and Takeru share a dream. Where's fish? I need him to analyze this.

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - “A MIRACULOUS REMATCH!? ARUTO VS GUT-BUSTING TAROU: FATEFUL GAG BATTLE!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...utbusting1.png

I really love the detail that Gut-Busting Tarou, the comedian Humagear, is the one Humagear that Aruto doesn’t like.

In the aftermath of the Job Battle arc, with a somber, chastened Aruto vowing to continue working towards his dream of human/Humagear coexistence, it’s nice to be reminded that this dream of Aruto’s is maybe six months old. He used to have a completely different dream, to be a successful comedian. He still tells jokes in the show – Gotta Have Aruto – but it’s more of a side hustle. There’s no sense that Aruto’s actively pursuing it. Mostly, it just feels like an involuntary reflex from an inveterate joker. But for the longest time, it was his sole identity and only income.

So, like, Gut-Busting Tarou as a successful Humagear comedian is the Aruto version of all of those Job Battle stories. This is a robot that renders him obsolete, and he hates it. HATES it. All of Aruto’s high-minded talk of harmony and cooperative dreams vanishes in the white hot rage of jealousy whenever Tarou's around. Aruto’s petty and combative and nervous, a far cry from the excitable optimist of the regular series. Which I love? I love that he’s kind of a needy jerk in this one? It’s nice to see him as someone who fears for the loss of his identity in the march of technological progress, even if the special mostly treats it as a gag.

There’s some interesting subversions of the Job Battle template, though. I liked how the crux of the story was the human having to prove themselves to the Humagear. That’s not something that factored into the Job Battle stuff, beyond a sliver of the firefighter story, so it’s nice to see it happen here. And even Aruto’s victory is this sort of thematically appropriate thing of Tarou noting that while Aruto isn’t funny, he makes the people around him funnier, which is a helpful trait. It’s this backhanded compliment that Aruto has to sort of endure, and it’s a really funny conclusion to this plot.

Speaking of funny! Oh man, Fuwa! Tarou picking Fuwa to judge because of his staunch No Jokes demeanor -slash- they go to the same gym (PRICELESS) was the best decision this special could’ve made. I’m not sure what was better: Fuwa losing his mind at every single one of Aruto’s mostly-lame gags, or Fuwa’s insistence on always siding with the Vulcan gag because it’s stronger. Both were real good! No wrong answers!

This special was a blast, both as a goofy riff on the Job Battle template, and a breather between 29 and 30. I needed a laugh after the emotional roller-coaster of last episode, and this thing completely delivered. Bonus points for taking shots at Bandai’s hyper-focus on showcasing toys! Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go look at the new info on the DX Desire Driver...

Aruto was legit funnier than Taro. His jokes were a true work of art by comparison.

Tarou's a prop comic -- the lowest form of comedy, not counting improv -- and a one-note prop comic, at that.

The irony that the one time, and on the one person, that Aruto's comedy could actually succeed with...and he doesn't.

Well, dem's the breaks.

Honestly a very humorous one-off short. If there's something the show is good at, it's comedy with Fuwa as a character. Also I think this was the time where we learned that our gut buster friend was getting the P-Bandai treatment... in that they were selling pieces of his abs on P-Bandai...

Potentially a better usage of money than the P-Bandai ZAIA Spec, I'll at least say that.

Also here, have this picture of Fuwa just stanced up and concerned. Prime reaction image material.

http://www.tokunation.com/attachment...1&d=1659066842

Aruto's used to striving for an impossible dream, and there's nothing more impossible than Fuwa admitting that he's driven by something other than rage and confusion.

It's a clever gag gift (I think this special aired right before April Fool's Day?), but I can't say I'd want a robot ab in my home. But I appreciate Bandai having fun with the premise!

Well, it’s time I show one of these (not sure how I’ll go about sharing the other 6 that exist, but whatever)

Progrise: I make people happy by laughter. Comedian: Fukkinhoukai Taro.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UkNTAW7Clhs

Anyway, this was a fun little special, even if the gags were a bit too manzai for my taste.

It's strange to have a comedic special right after a very serious episode, but that's how Kamen Rider goes. I do like these comedic specials though, not that there's much I can really say about this little 10 minute special, but it was enjoyable.

I haven't watched Gag Battle yet, but I just RealEyezed that Tarou is an anagram of Aruto. That's clever!

"I know that I'll find a dream someday, something I define for myself. Until then, I'll keep fighting. (manly screaming) And I'll do it however the hell I want!"

Isamu's a master of epic speeches, but this is my favorite epic speech from the whole show, followed by my favorite fight scene from the whole show, from my favorite episode of the whole show. Not only is the Job Competition finally over, but the resolution is exactly what I was hoping for, my reward for crossing that desert and making it back to civilization. It was never about Aruto and Gai, but the people caught in the middle of their conflict, the normal people just trying to make the best out of their lives.

Autonomy. That's more important than any company or career. Isamu's way too hotheaded to be a normal person, but he wants to live authentically and he wants that for others as well, whether they're human or HumaGear, friend or enemy. He pities Yua for accepting her existence as Gai's tool and wants her to snap out of it. The only time Isamu has interfered in the competition was when a man's freedom was at stake, but otherwise, he doesn't care. He knows it's a sham, a publicity stunt and he's totally right. Gai winning isn't going to stop Aruto from fighting for his dream and nothing is ever going to stop a man as strong-willed as Isamu from doing whatever the hell he wants either!

I mean, couldn't you have just reviewed Jackal in Episode 28, if there was nothing else you wanted to talk about?

Rampage Vulcan is one of those suits where I thought it looked bad in the magazine, but turned out to be much better in action and ended up becoming my favorite Vulcan suit. I love how it utilizes all those Rider Models, with Shooting Wolf as the pack leader.

That's not a fair comparison, Switchblade. There was way too much furniture in the selling houses round of the competition. :p

Anyway, time for more of my critical analysis of the Job Competition arc. I appreciate that Gai won. After all that frivolity, there needed to be a change in the status quo to make it matter even a little. It's also his consolation prize for his recent losing streak in fights.

However, it does make the fireman round completely pointless. I get that Ohmori mandated the Job Competition arc, but it's on Takahashi for making it a best out of 5 and stretching it to all 5. I like the moral about conceding victory, it's important for self-improvement, which Gai lacks. But it wasn't Homura's victory to concede, he was acting on behalf of Gai, so his concession shouldn't have been legally acknowledged. All he did was drag out the competition for another fortnight. It's not like the lawyer round, where the stakes demanded that Aruto win for the sake of justice. Aruto winning the fireman round does nothing for the narrative.

Oh well, at least it's over. Zero One can only go up from here-

(sees 6 week hiatus)

For a few episodes anyway.

I think Fuwa's interest in the Job Battle arc has always been as a bystander, literally during one pivotal scene in 29. What Hiden and ZAIA are doing are real Above His Paygrade stuff, but there's a fascination with Aruto's commitment to his principles, and how that gives solace even during failure. Fuwa's entire psychology has been built around Rage and Results, so it's helpful for him to see a path where things like Hope and Self-Respect could enter into it.

??? I don't recall this series having an Episode 28?

Ah so we're doing the sasword gag again I see.

As this isn't an episode discussion, sorry but for the missed break reply, do you have thoughts on this?

I sort of vaguely remember the episodes you're talking about (the firefighter ones, and I guess Jin's return?), but I don't think I have any specific responses to those thoughts. If I did, I'd've probably mentioned them way back when! Jin's views on humanity are still evolving enough that I'm mostly just waiting for the show to give him more dialogue, while the idea of moderating heroism with self-preservation is, I think, a fairly self-evident concept that this story wasn't really trying to explore. It's more just one of my pet peeves in superheroic storytelling.

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 30 - “I’M PRESIDENT KAMEN RIDER AFTER ALL”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...zeroone30a.png

Oh, this was a cute little epilogue to the Job Battle arc.

I don’t know that it felt like it was saying anything new or shocking. The Jin stuff had the most interesting facets to it, but everything else was just folks establishing their roles and boundaries and goals. It’s more of an episode about reminding you of the show’s core values, than it is some bold new direction.

But that’s nice? I thought it was a nice episode. Aruto only became Zero-One to protect people, and now he’s becoming Zero-One again to protect all types of people: human and Humagear alike. ZAIA’s a clear threat, with their plan to scrub the Earth of Humagears, so Zero-One’s protection has to expand beyond emotional support and advocacy, and into the Armed Resistance phase of societal change. Aruto’s always going to want to reach hearts and minds, but his current campaign is a lot more superheroic than it used to be.

It’s a campaign that’s going to require more than just him, and it looks like his support system is growing to include both Fuwa and Jin. This is, by far, the most Ex-Aid move this show could make, and I love it. Ex-Aid was a show about, amongst other things, how to work alongside people you don’t like; how to separate teamwork from friendship. So here are Fuwa and Jin, two characters that are desperate to take down ZAIA, but absolutely not for the same reasons. Jin is a freedom fighter who wants to liberate Humagears from human oppression, while Fuwa’s aimed (too soon?) his limitless rage at the company that ruined his life and views people as tools. These are two characters aligned in their targeting, but not in their intentions. That sort of team, with Aruto as angel and Horobi as devil, is incredibly fertile storytelling terrain.

And then there’s Izu, naturally.

There’s a reaffirmation here to the Izu/Aruto partnership that was as thrilling and warm as it was sort of redundant. I love these characters! I love their energy! But this story was… I don’t think it said anything new? There’s a ton of cleverness to Izu’s standard Beat The Enemy By Doing Paperwork problem-solving, but I already knew that Aruto and Izu supported each other at all times. (Honestly, I’m mostly just shocked that Aruto quit Hiden, knowing that there was a very real chance that Izu would be killed. Good thing Jin thought to rescue her! No wonder he was so skeptical about Aruto’s claims of benevolence…) Of the entire episode, this was the part that felt the most perfunctory, coasting on the electric connection of the actors to elevate an already-established dynamic. Crowd-pleasing scene-work, but sort of hollow in the aftermath.

Still, it’s a terrific epilogue to the last arc. The weird corporate rivalry has evolved into open conflict, Fuwa’s committed to taking down his old teammate, Jin’s working alongside Aruto (however briefly), and Aruto’s starting from the ground floor (in Snipe’s old clinic?!) to create a future for Humagears and humanity alike. No big surprises, but a very enjoyable episode nonetheless.

—

KAMEN RIDER SABER SO-DO BOOK 01: FIGHTING JACKAL RAIDER

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...zeroone30b.jpg

I dislike the Fighting Jackal suit for a few reasons, but the main one is that it’s emblematic of everything I dislike about Yua’s character by this point in the show. It’s a suit that very specifically says she’s Evil now, a bad guy lieutenant in spirit and in form. But, like, why is she wearing it in Episode 30, beyond the weird narrative protection of her previous Good suits? Before, it was clear that Gai wanted to publicly demonstrate the effectiveness of the consumer-grade Raidriser. She’s back in charge of AIMS now, though; are all the Valkyrie keys busted or something? Rushing Cheetah and Lightning Hornet have proven effectiveness against both Humagears and Vulcan, while Fighting Jackal is 0 for 2 – and they were not close fights. Everything Yua does and says seems to be driven by plot demands and thematic coherence, not because there’s any recognizable psychology to her character, and this suit is the exact same thing.

Not really a great toy, either? The head extends so far that it clips against her torso armor, limiting posability. The only two black hands she comes with are these gigantic oven mitts to grip her sickle, so it’s either two monstrous gripping hands, two off-model white hands that can’t hold anything, or a mixture of the two. (Because of the reuse of previous Valkyrie hand runners, she also comes with the blank Shotriser holster, despite this suit’s Driver not being detachable!) The stickers are decent, and the weapon’s cool, but it’s a little too kitbashed to be worth praising as a complete item.

So, yeah, a suit I sort of resent is also a toy I shake my head at. YUA! Why do you always disappoint me?!

Overall yeah, I'd agree that this is a nice epilogue, but it's also a good restart point and intro to our new Arc. It's very much showing where our characters are in terms of their allegiances and goals, sorta reorient the audience after just sticking to a formula for a good several months.

Nothing too incredibly groundbreaking but I love the clever usage of past events. Like I didn't even think the Humagear Keys were going to be brought up again, but nope! They have it be a backup that Aruto clearly thought about, both backing up the Humagear Data to preserve it from ZAIA and protecting himself from being shot! That was definitely a standout scene for me in the episode.

Also this fight, really enjoyed seeing Rising Hopper just bounce around his opponents again. And then the finish with Metal Cluster was nice, it was creative that Thouser disrupts it but it just turns into a drill that Zero-One enters before drilling into Gai and sending him smack against a wall with a satisfying explosion to boot. Overall fairly nice episode.

Also to answer your question on Yua choosing Fighting Jackal though. It's because Gai's clearly trying to push the Raider Pseudo-Rider tech and having Fighting Jackal lead the Horseshoe Crab Squad, is 1000% aesthetically fitting than Valkyrie doing it. It's also the shows way of just clearly saying, "This is Yua on the wrong side in many different ways".

Also I really like Fighting Jackal as a design and it's concept art might be the best I've seen yet. Though I'm not sure if I should talk about the particulars of that concept art... or even when I should talk about it come to think about it... eh I'll figure something out, after all there are major changes coming soon whether the show likes it or not.


*stares at the impending pandemic from back in 2020*

That was neat, yeah. And, now that I think about it, it also explains why Aruto wasn't so busted up about Gai potentially scrapping Izu: Aruto already had her backup, along with every other Humagear's. I guess all Jin was doing was speeding up their reunion?

But like I said, that all made more sense when Yua was on TV promoting ZAIA's Humagear-killing protection gear. Here, she's leading AIMS on a strike team on a bridge, with zero witnesses. There's no one to show off to, and even if there was, ZAIA owns AIMS and built the Shotrisers. Why not utilize the most effective, proven technology that you'd previously designed and field-tested?

(The answer, of course, is that Yua Needs To Look Evil, but that's a writer's decision, not a character's decision.)

To argue a tad, and while this isn't the strongest argument so excuse me but I did feel like responding. But reminder that Yua basically relinquished her Key to Gai so that he could get the final data needed for Rampage. I sorta saw that as like, Yua metaphorically giving up her title as Valkyrie and becoming the Fighting Jackal Raider. And while I'm sure Gai probably let her keep/gave back her equipment, she sort of see's being a Raider as the next step, that she doesn't need to be a Kamen Rider anymore, that she just needs to keep following ZAIA no questions asked, etc.

Also want to mention how I suppose this is wordplay at least from how I hear it. How we've got Wolf and Jackal, and how Gai see's them as tools, and I think the word he uses is like "Dogu" so like... ha ha word play! Just felt like mentioning it. She is a Dogu through and through while working under Gai. IDK, I thought that was kind of amusing.

I really like how their developing Aruto and Jin's relationship. Like with Aruto and Fuwa to a certain extent you've got two characters who've butted heads (well, more like trying to kill each other) and clashed in their ideals but are now (at least on Aruto's side) trying to come together and work with each other for a better future. And despite Jin's distrust of humans his growing fondness and slow willingness to believe in Aruto shines through even if he says otherwise to Horobi.

I just like the idea of Aruto starting his own, small scale, company from the ground up and picking up any scrapped Humagears he sees in the trash or just laying there uselessly. Which is also kind of sad, in a way. But at least it's clear things aren't over.

Mamoru does it again!

It's just really nice to see Rising Hopper again after, like, a bunch of episodes. I know we're at the point where the Main Rider (for understandable in-universe reasons) keeps spamming the mid-season upgrade, but it's appreciated when they get to bust out their Base Form again.

Is' season long character development has finally culminated in her Singularity! Now she is truly a person and dedicated herself to Aruto's ideals and helping him see them through.

Even though Thouser's been getting beaten up practically every episode at this point, it's still satisfying seeing him get trounced by Zero-One in his base form and Metal Cluster Hopper. And seeing Gai all tattered and bruised. That Finisher must have hurt.
Well, the AIMS team is kind of witnesses, and Gai is probably monitoring her, so...

Yeah, okay, that makes sense. I'd forgotten that she handed over that key to make Rampage! It's probably Jackal or nothing.

(And, yeah, I would never for a second argue against the thematic or metaphorical reasoning of Yua's actions. My problem is that that's frequently the ONLY way to explain her actions, as opposed to anything in the text.)

It's a fun way of recontextualizing the hardships of the first arc -- running a company, when he'd never wanted to do that -- as an effort he's making, a conscious choice. Nothing's accidental or incidental anymore.

Sure, but I'm not saying she'd be doing anything underhanded or forbidden. I saw the Fighting Jackal debut as theater, something for the uninformed masses to be impressed by. That showmanship is over, and now anything goes in pursuit of 1000% success.

Oh yeah no I absolutely get that. It's very frustrating and while I get what they're going for with Yua and while I consider her not as bad as everyone says she is, I can understand why people are frustrated with her. Especially at this point in the story.

Also, Aruto riding a peddle bike to find Humagears is probably the most bike action we've gotten in a dozen episodes.

I would give anything for a scene of an apoplectic Gai going over the Hiden spreadsheets and screaming about the enormous budget for satellite-fired dirt bikes.

Another great episode, and an end to an arc that I don't exactly have fond memories of, this is one of the best episodes in Zero-One to me. I really like the characters in this one, with Aruto reaffirming that he sees HumaGears as equal to humans, and Jin, who isn't really an enemy anymore as he and Aruto share pretty similar beliefs at this point and him even getting Izu back, even if it was for his own reasons. Gai also tries to delete the data on HumaGears from Zea, but Aruto already has it, which I guess shows that the Taro special was actually a bit plot important if you look at it that way.

Aruto sorta sacrifices himself for Izu but is saved by the data of Mamoru, which is a nice fit, though it does make you wonder how strong those data packs are, since apparently they can stop bullets without breaking. Aruto tries to become Zero-One but is unable to, but at the last second he manages to do it, and at first you think it's from some convoluted reason, but apparently Izu just set up a new business with Aruto as president, which I guess is good enough for Zea. I do like this episode, along with this next arc, and I think this episode is one of the best in the series, though there's still one I like more, but we'll get to that.

And here’s the solution for the “Only the president can become Zero-One” problem. It’s… fairly iffy. As is the fact that Hiden are building and selling a product that’s revealed to not even belong to them, as this meme puts it.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...10AEFAA63.jpeg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...961921B3E.jpeg

And here we come to what probably my new favourite Progrisekey jingle (thought the chances of me owning it are slim to none).

Progrise: The Stern, Military Soldier! Invading Horseshoe Crab! Heavily produced battle armor equipped with extra battle specifications.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...620187D75.jpeg

https://youtube.com/watch?v=HDUhb1b6aPg

I mean, he did jump in front of her to protect her. And remember, Izu can't be backed up. For the same reason Waz was never revived.

To be specific, liberate Humagears from what he deems as human oppression, not that humans actually oppress them. He's closer to Drive's Heart now as someone caring for his own species but sees humans as threats, including breaking off Humagear's relationships to humans. And even someone aligned in targeting a threat also doesn't necessarily mean they're good guys, like, for greater example than Jin, there's Horobi himself, who fights off Gai, because Horobi served the Ark in its crusade against humanity while Gai wanted the Ark to serve him in advancing mankind against artificial intelligence, so the two are constantly at odds with each other, it's another example of evil vs evil in KR.

And regarding Fuwa's crusade against actually rightful target, ZAIA (instead of Humagears), there's a difference in how Fuwa and Yua are handled, shown in Fuwa immediately reaffirming his decision to change for the better by fighting the right target to Yua, while Yua before, never gave proper answer other than her not being a tool (not literally, but still following ZAIA's orders without good reason). I guess this'd be an actual writing difference, instead of Yua having different views and priorities to him.

Reiwa First Generation may soured your view of him, but Korenosuke deserved credit here for keeping Hiden (family) afloat, he had great insight regarding the upcoming events when building Hiden Intelligence. When Gai argues that all Humagear and AI technology are patented to Hiden Intelligence, Izu reveals that they are patented to Korenosuke and he passed it on to Aruto, meaning they are not Hiden Intelligence property. This not only allows Aruto to own and manage the Humagear technologies without violating the patent law, it also ensures that the technology will not fall into the wrong hands should Hiden Intelligence fall. Meaning Gai's move of buying out Hiden Intelligence izu completely moot, as not even Zea will obey him. Zea declared Gai as not a rightful Hiden Intelligence president in how Aruto can still henshin.

I'd say too that Aruto never cared about being a President, he just accepted it because it was the only way he could become Zero-One and fulfill his wants to protect all types of people. If he's no longer president, then he'd do it another way in creating Hiden Manufacturing, whose purpose is to rebuild and defend all Humagears after Hiden Intelligence recalls the robots. Though it's also Aruto's development after his experiences and the Humagears he's met, which culminates in him starting his own path. And the Humagears Keys protecting him here of course, with Mamoru still being great as a security guard even as a key! Tbh, Jin has no place to be skeptical about Aruto's claims or be praised for it, as while Aruto may be neglectful to you here for once, Jin was someone who previously controlled his "friends", much worse offense, and only changed to properly taking care of Humagears due to Aruto.

Her Fighting Jackal suit is a foil to Valkyrie in how both forms give access to fast movement and both use belts made by ZAIA, her Raider form is based on a jackal, a dog, uses the RaidRiser to transform, a belt associated with the villainous Raiders, and uses a scythe as her main weapon, while her Kamen Rider form is based on a cheetah, a cat, uses the ShotRiser to transform, a belt used by AIMS and shared with Fuwa, and uses its Gun Mode as her main weapon. And it being based on jackal, unfortunately, is emblematic, in how the form name and the suit evoke a dog, which is phonetically similar to dōgu (道具), the Japanese word for "tool". Yua's been a "loyal dog/tool" to ZAIA the whole time.

I mean, probably still a bit of an enemy? Aruto's a proponent of human/Humagear collaboration, while Jin's fighting for a future for Humagears that's seperate for humanity. Jin's still navigating his guilt over past actions against Humagears, and humanity's violence, so he's not really able to understand why someone like Izu would spend her freedom assisting Aruto. There's probably going to be a point where Jin's not going to care too much about Aruto's middle ground.

What is the deal with these non-show Progrise Keys? I've seen them on Mandarake, generally for exorbitant sums, and I don't get it? Why is a Key that was never on a show so weirdly expensive?

I assumed he jumped in front of her to protect her out of normal I Don't Want To Watch A Friend Violently Murdered compassion, but it's weird he'd do that while leaving her in ZAIA's clutches for weeks with no plan to rescue her.

And, the whole backup situation, I just figured that Izu couldn't be backed up to the satellite, since it could be hacked. A physical backup is a different situation. Aruto clearly backed her up to a Progrise Key; that's how he was able to reactivate her!

It's also, as Androzani's meme pointed out, sort of completely not how publicly-traded companies behave? Humagears are, from everything we've seen on the show, a core asset of Hiden Intelligence, and their most visible product line. If the president of the company can unilaterally bestoy the patents and manufacturing rights to another person, then Hiden's stock is worthless. Imagine if, in Steve Jobs's will, he left the patents to the iPhone to his widow. Apple would've never let him do that in a million years, because it means that the massive amount of money spent developing and promoting the iPhone is now someone else's property. No shareholders would ever allow valuable intellectual property to be owned by a single corporate officer. That is ridiculous.

Oh, for sure. Jin's very much in a Principled Teenager phase of his development, where he's trying to redeem his earlier naivete by being righteous and confrontational in his role as The One True Defender Of Humagears. He's a bit of a judgmental hypocrite, and making rude assumptions, but: teenager.

Man, you say that, but I have NEVER had a good time tracking down an Armada Airazor for a good price

Furthermore, Aruto is starting from zero as the president of his own company, Hiden Manufacturing. Without having to worry about meddling shareholders anymore, he can focus on delivering the product and service he believes in, which is rebooting all the HumaGears that humans were depending on. I feel like he was taking inspiration from Isamu before, that can Find A New Life and keep fighting for his dream in his own way. This is a much cooler and independent version of Aruto now, coming back from his defeat even stronger than before.

Back in Episode 25, we got Aruto, Isamu and Jin declaring what their Kamen Rider identities stood for. By contrast, Yua doesn't identify as Kamen Rider Valkyrie, since a tool doesn't need an identity. Fighting Jackal Raider is symbolic of that void, how she's resigned to being whatever Gai needs her to be, nothing more. She's the opposite of Isamu in that way.

I call this move the Silver Smash!

But I want real bike action. :(

Exactly! Now that Izu has reached Singularity, she's officially a person with her own identity. And since she can't be backed up for security reasons, her life is as important as any human's.

I'm pretty sure Zea doesn't care who's president of Hiden Intelligence specifically, as Korenosuke simply programmed it to obey any company president in possession of the Zero One Driver. Thanks to Izu starting Hiden Manufacturing, the president who meets that criteria is still Aruto.

Gai also refers to Isamu as a stray dog, so he has to be doing this on purpose.

Yeah, this is - as discussed previously - a show that sort of barely understands the difference between privately-owned and publicly-traded companies, despite the distinctions being incredibly pertinent to the show's discussion. Hiden Manufacturing can act more directly in the public good, and according to the desires of its president, than Hiden Intelligence ever could. About 90% of this show's problems would've never happened if Hiden Intelligence was privately-owned. Glad to see Izu is setting Aruto up for more success than his grandfather had!

Well Horseshoe Crab does show up on the show, in fact all of them do show up in some fashion even if it's a background shot or whatever.

But basically, a lot of items in Rider nowadays are sometimes Candy Toy/Gashapon/Lotto/Movie Ticket/Toysrus Exclusive, so there's a much more limited stock when they're released that way and thus people are able to bring up the price due to the demand for wanting to own one.

With the Raider's and their keys specifically, they're P-Bandai releases aside from a few that got some Candytoy/Gashapon releases I believe. Invading Horseshoe Crab is one of them. And P-Bandai only makes toys to order, so basically however many toys were ordered is how many they'll make. It's basically a safety net and it's gotten slightly stupid in more recent years.

Whoops, been busy and almost forgot! It's Episode 30!

-Aruto and Jin, now that's a fun dynamic to check up on, considering Aruto kickstarted this new stage of Jin's! I think it's a great one dynamic to look on, since I think they're the more idealistic members of their respective groups?

-I think I asked a question awhile back. "What will happen when one group-Humans and Humagears-outgrows the other?" I think this a solid answer to that question: if the human soicety rejects the Humagears, their existence as a product to heighten the human quality of life being denied, then why not let the remaining Humagears themselves decide what they want to do for themselves? Even if the answer is a simple "I want to keep doing the same thing I always have!", isn't that better than forcibly shutting down something that has sentience?

-........Not saying what it is of course, but I'm making a personal note that there's a line in particular that I want to look back on later.

-Aruto starting from stratch after the Job Arc is one of my favorite story beats in 01? Like, besides the actual battles themselves, the Job arc also served to give light to the role of CEO and what it entails, through Aruto and Gai. (like any ol ep of 01 gives a spotlight to the Career of the Week, just spread out) Gai is technically the "best CEO" here: his company is massively successful due to his guidance, and he does everything he can to protect and polish the company's image, and they're growing and popular as a result. But...A career bulit off a throne of exploitation, lies and manipluation is not anyone should strive for, even if you end up becoming a multi-billionaire? (And while they're probably far less..Blantantly Evil than ZAIA, I imagine the seat Aruto inherited from Korenosuke as its own set of not-so-pleasant baggage!) It's honestly for the best to cast all that aside a start from scratch, becoming a President that truly matches the dreams and ideals Aruto wants to reach?

-The number is never exactly mentioned, but I wonder how many Humagears are in circulation if Aruto can cleanly wrap all their data around him?

I see what you did there.
I'm right there with you.