[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The way the show plays with Ren's stock character archetype of "cool bad boy" by gradually revealing him to be a self-destructive, extremely unhealthy mess of a human being is fascinating.

I think it's exciting, how the show peels back Ren's layers specifically to say This Guy Is A Psychological Wreck. It's, like, a repudiation of the way fans idolize Dark Heroes. There's a way of doing that where it might feel off-putting, as a viewer, to have a show deconstruct a main character in that manner. I think the choice to have the critique come from Tezuka, and through his empathy, that saves it. If it was just Shinji and Yui feeling frustrated with Ren's acting out, that'd wear thin. By having it come from someone who, like, is ignoring the actions to examine the cause, that feels way more kind to Ren's character.