I'm kind of surprised you're confused about this, because one of the things I found so great about these first two episodes is how easy it is to infer so much about why Aruto has the outlook on AI he does just based on the quick couple of flashbacks we get. And then of course, what makes the second episode so great is also how easy it is to tell why Fuwa has the exact opposite stance, and--

You know, it's just occurring to me there's like, WAY too much I want to say about Zero-One? I completely forgot to mention something pretty significant earlier, even, which is that I recently finished a rewatch of the whole thing I started when Shout released the show. So I've already had the show on the brain for a while now, and there's not a layer to it I don't have things to say about. Like:

- The standby noise for the Shotriser! The whole "Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider." thing is cool and memorable, but beyond that, it's a really purposeful way to communicate something meaningful about the setting. Die won't have full context for this yet, but when you consider where the Shotrisers actually come from, it becomes very clear why the branding is shoved in your face so heavily. I'm sorry I'm talking about the future a little more than usual, Die, but I'm definitely going to forget to bring this up later, and it's a smart enough detail I don't want to risk that. This show did so much in its designs and everything to get across both the high-tech nature and sort of corporate feeling of all that gear. The difference in Zero-One and Vulcan's suits is just great, for example, and they even consciously highlighted that in the transformations. Zero-One is this super slick hero suit Hiden made that zaps itself onto the user to give them superpowers, but Vulcan is a lot rougher than that. Fuwa is much more of a warrior than a hero, so his suit is this clunky assemblage of armor that attaches itself to him bit by bit to enhance his combat capabilities, because AIMS is not concerned with the kinds of things Hiden is, and Fuwa himself most certainly doesn't care about the same things Aruto does.

- I really love the Shooting Wolf suit, by the way. Asymmetry is always appealing to me, and Vulcan is that plus being blue, and a dog, which are two of my favorite things in general. It was kind of an easy sell, but at the same time, I still remember being impressed by how much more I liked the AIMS suits once we started seeing them in action. From the initial scans and whatnot, I wasn't too sure how those designs would really come together, but the actual suits really make every part pop to exactly the degree it needs to. That blue is real pretty!

- Ooh, ooh, and then there's the guy *in* the suit, and I ain't even talking about Fuwa yet! Nawata does a great job as Zero-One and all, bringing a liveliness and spunk to that character we probably couldn't have gotten from Takaiwa, but Vulcan is played by Kousuke Asai, and there's anyone in this show with the talent to match Takaiwa's expressiveness, it might just be him. I first took note of Asai back when he had one of the lead roles in Lupinranger VS Patranger, and he really delivers here as well. Vulcan always comes off so tense and aggressive in how he carries himself, and the way Asai continues to match Fuwa's strong emotions throughout the series is always loads of fun to watch out for.

- And speaking of people who made Lupinranger VS Patranger so amazing, do I even to need to tell you Sugihara's direction is still absolutely incredible here? The choice to contrast Vulcan's first transformation against an equally climactic moment for Zero-One was an insanely smart choice from Takahashi as a writer, but it only works as well as it does because of how smoothly it's cut together on top of that. There's a transition I've never forgotten since I originally watched the episode, right after those transformations finish, where a close-up of Zero-One rushing into battle towards the left of the frame cuts pefectly to a shot of Vulcan rushing into battle, towards the left of the frame, keeping the motion consistent and selling it all as one scene across two locations. It's a trick I caught Sugihara using a few times after this, as well, and I think it perfectly highlights what I love most about his style. "Kinetic" is always the word I use to describe it, and it's because of stuff exactly like this, where you can tell a ton of thought went into how the motion of the camera dictates where the viewer's attention is.

- Then there's the other big reason that's one of my favorite scenes in Zero-One, which is Gou Sakabe's soundtrack. He's the guy who did Ghost, a show that had great defined musical motifs for all its main Riders, as well as just slapping in general, and that continues with this show. Zero-One's upbeat heroic sound is amazing in its own right, but that climax makes excellent use of the appropriately intense music associated with Vulcan. Like, I could immediately tell at the time that was Vulcan's music, despite it being used just as much for Aruto here. If you recall how glowingly I praised Ixa's theme for how much it fit Nago, well then this is the Reiwa version of that. Vulcan's got one of my favorite bits of music in the entire franchise.

...And uh, let's see, what else is there? I guess I haven't explicitly mentioned that Fuwa made a great first impression and I really like him, but, uh, everyone thinks that, so there's probably not much need to elaborate. But again, it's the choice to contrast that with Aruto's own character development that makes this episode such a winner, and I really loved everything they do with him in this one. Plus, it's always nice to have an elaborate action sequence involving Kamen Rider on a bike. Don't get too used to those! ...But they definitely made much more of an effort upfront than Zi-O did to make you associate Kamen Rider Zero-One with his ride.

I think the Rise Phones are a great bit of this show's world-building, honestly. You see everyone using them, and it lets you know how big of a company Hiden is in this universe. If they didn't look so distinctive, that would absolutely not come across nearly as well. A Hiden logo on a generic smartphone doesn't really pop on the camera the same way, you know? It's the same way Humagears all have really big headphones on. It's a much stronger visual.

I could have sword this started sooner, but for the Reiwa era at least, the first episode at least never has the opening sequence. Sometimes the first couple.

It's pretty fun imagining/seeing what would happen if the Main and the Secondary Rider exchanged forms. It actually looks pretty cool here.
Speaking of music, every time "Find a New Life" plays it's so epic.

Actually, Fuwa's someone really goddamn tryhard in playing it straight, because he tries so hard to keep a professional and stoic front, but in reality, he's a tickling time bomb that would easily lash out (hot-tempered; really emotional), and of course, he's someone who has extremely lame sense of humor to laugh at Aruto's jokes (while holding it in ofc, as a tryhard), so he's not as serious as he's making himself out to be. Fuwa's quirk of ripping open Progrise Keys is both funny and displays his rage, also about how he kinda has abnormal human strength, filling 2 tasks at once, but it's clear that Fuwa's the over-the-top and theatrical character too. Though I'd say that I'm a bit surprised that you actually deem Fuwa as psychotic here, as those characters being funny and entertaining (oh, blatantly for Fuwa in his sense of humor) can make them being seen as something more lighthearted, and thus have their actual dark qualities being downplayed (including actual villains). In the Kiva novel, as there's probably no/less restraint for TV writing, actually Nago would turn into full-blown villain.

She'd be inherently more competent as someone situationed as a cop, but... are aloofness, coldness, 'professional' attitude that discourages any form of emotions (except anger) must-requirements for competency and efficiency? Because her and other examples of females you mention all share a form of this, like Ozawa, and it seems that females are only deemed as competent and tough when their demeanor is like that, which no offense, seems to push the agenda that femininity is bad and inherently weak, and women should shed them completely to become 'strong'. Other than that, while Yua does make a good first impression, as well as it for some part of the beginning part in the series, there'd be big disappointment regarding her handlement later, though a few would still admit her and Fuwa are good 'couple'. Also, it's a shame that this scene is the only part in the series where Yua physically attacks in human form (on Fuwa to get him out of the way).

Probably it did start in episode 2, but yeah as seen here, Aruto is like the Deneb to Yuuto's Humagear, he's constantly telling humans to get along with Humagears. I refer to those who doesn't have full faith in Humagear and deemed them as tools (Yua) or killing machines (Fuwa). Here there are a lot of Aruto's challenges as president too, opposing forces like AIMS, jealous co-workers like Vice President Jun (also ageism as Aruto is promoted young), the reality about Humagears turning into Magia and that, they can't be turned back, etc. But other than Fuwa, probably Aruto also deserves appreciation here to make use his president position for something that matters, to try solving the problem by making a public reveal about MetsubouJinrai.net as the perpetrators thus also proving Hiden's innocence.

The suit fits Fuwa's characterization about how he's less of a composed professional, but more of an attack dog on leash. If you appreciate Vulcan's suit, wait for something much later, a suit that I really appreciate. This is only a beginning (though I'm not super into Vulcan's suit). Actually Fuwa would save people, even if by chance due to him fighting Humagears, but as per usual secondary Riders (bar Kusaka), he has many dark and brutal traits but overall isn't a bad person.... in fact Fuwa laughing at Aruto's joke is an indicator that they can be quick friends!

Actually, hero complex would be about someone addicted into heroic traits to the point that it's a detriment to themselves, like never being able to leave someone in trouble in any situation, so it'd fit more for majority of the primary Riders. Of course, Taiga had the "I am the only Kamen Rider needed" sthick, but transforming into one is still not a guaranteed heroism (only getting the power) and it's quite also about removing the competition. While those are truly diverse, still, a reminder that not only those melodramatic secondary Riders are diverse, other character types are also diverse, but some of them can be dismissed as generic without actually looking deeper.

To virtually nobody's surprise, my favorite character from Kamen Rider Zero One is the wolf-themed Tokusatsu hero called Isamu (no, I'm not referring to Wolzard, but he's cool as well). He has the best development, an explosive personality, he often feels like more of a protagonist than Aruto, he gives a lot of epic speeches and his actor, Okada Ryoutarou, does a great job portraying his extremeness.

You'd be surprised how many times Isamu can strain to break open a Progrise Key without it ever getting old. There's something inherently cool and manly about watching him do that while shouting words of determination through the pain. It's completely impractical, since he could just insert the Key like Yua does, which I recall a few people complained about. But who cares, right? It looks bad*ss and it totally fits his anti-technology personality.

"Why the hell would I trust a goddamn machine to do my job when I can do it myself!", that sounds like something I imagine he would say.

Comparing him to Nago is very apt, since they both have a prejudice against their respective shows' races. Same goes for Gou. These are all very flawed characters, but I think that's what makes it so fascinating to watch, as they learn to overcome that prejudice and see the world in a better light. However, Nago is self-righteous in general, while Isamu and Gou have more personal justifications for their hatred.

There's also the endearing trait that Isamu is the only person who finds Aruto's jokes humorous, but he tries desperately to hide his reaction from others out of embarrassment, since he wants to maintain a reputation of strength and intimidation. He also probably resents that the president of the company that created the robots that ruined his middle school life can somehow make him feel an emotion other than anger. While it may not be quite as great as Sento/Ryuuga, I think Aruto/Isamu is a solid ship with a similar foundation.

My favorite scene is after Vulcan performs his finisher, where he and Zero One meet each other's gaze. There are no lines, but I can feel the emotions in that gaze and their subtle body language. Great work from both suit actors who have succeeded Takaiwa in the Reiwa Era.

I think the AIMS Riders' default forms are deliberately designed to have an incomplete look. While Aruto trusts in technology and dreams of a future where humans and HumaGears can co-exist peacefully, the AIMS duo believe technology is merely a means to an end, a tool for humans to use. Aesthetically, I think the asymmetry makes it look a little off, in contrast to Build which is more fashionable to me. But I do like the general design of Shooting Wolf. Like you said, it really captures Isamu's perpetual anger.

On first thought, storing the Rise Hopper in Zea (the satellite) is a great excuse for the staff to feature it as little as they want. It makes more sense than Sougo riding a bicycle while carrying the Ride Striker in his pocket.

On second thought, why is the Rise Hopper stored in Zea? Why does it need to transform from a cellphone way too big for anybody to use? It feels redundant and impractical!

I totally agree! Zero One has a great soundtrack for insert themes. Find A New Life perfectly captures the show's theme of moving towards the future, while being extremely catchy, upbeat and full of wonderful Engrish goodness. It makes any fight scene 1000% cooler!

RealEyez is a decent OP, but I feel like the lyrics are a little too generic and on the nose, like, "A new era", or, "Cut through fate", they're not really saying anything specific to Zero One, outside of the meta part about it being the first Reiwa Rider show.

Aruto's jokes are pretty cringe-y, for sure, but they're purposefully cringe-y, so I think it works out? Your mileage may vary!

hahaha FUWA

Amazing.

I just couldn't figure out what I'm supposed to take away from that flashback: Was Aruto's "dad" always a Humagear? Or was the Humagear a replacement for Aruto's actual dad? I don't really care right this minute if the Humagear that gets blown up in the flashback was a nanny or a daddy -- it's not super duper relevant to Aruto's emotional connection to Humagears, that specificity -- but I feel like it's not 100% clear? I get that Aruto has always viewed Humagears as worthy of the same treatment as humans, and that's sort of all I care about. But there're details in there that feel a little opaque!

Sure, but there's got to be a middle ground between Visually Distinct and Distractingly Toyetic, you know? The headphones for the Humagears are fine; putting them in gigantic mascot heads would maybe be a little distracting, even if it was easier to tell them apart. I'm just saying, maybe a slightly thinner case on those Rise Phones.

Very true! Thanks to Androzani84 for sharing those designs!

I mean: Nago. These types of characters start real one-note and violent, but then we get to see all of their interlocking traumas and fears and shames and resentments and regrets and then they're so broken and weird that you can't help finding them adorable in their inability to work like a normal human being.

That's one of the hidden joys of Fuwa, after only a couple episodes. He's arguably less of a functional human being than the human-shaped robots?

So, 1) Ozawa always hung out with her team, which is the opposite of aloofness, 2) these ladies all have to juggle incredibly unhelpful men, which is going to wear on anyone's nerves, and 3) I never once thought that characters like Ozawa were less feminine for their ability to navigate workplaces that were occasionally hostile to their frequently-established competency.

Neat! Good to know!

I genuinely thought his veins were going to burst straight out of his neck during that pre-Henshin sequence, but I feel like folks would've told me if Vulcan's actor died during the filming of the second episode. I know I said No Spoilers, but, like, you can tell me if they die in real life.

He certainly didn't die, but Okada - Fuwa's actor - definitely put a huge amount of work into his role! I won't get into it - partly because spoilers, partly because I don't remember all the details of every specific example - but there's a lot of stuff he gave specific input on like small changes to certain lines, adlibbed motions, all the works that he later went into on his Youtube channel (which, by the way, he's a let's player!). Gave me a lot of respect for the guy and it factors in a lot to what makes me like the character so much

I actually love RealxEyes for how meta it is. Like how even Kuuga's Opening was pretty meta when I think back on it.
On his channel, he proves that Progrise Keys aren't the only thing he can open dramatically.

It's when I hear things like this that it only makes me love him even more. I ought to check out his channel.

I am 1000% in on the Fuwa love train. Very fun character who often goes into everything he does way harder than he has to. One of my all-time favorite henshin sequences, too, with that defiant bullet-punch as its climax.