[DreadBringer]

Kamen Rider Gaim watch

The Helheim Saga

Episode 20: The Invasion Begins with the End of the World

Written by: Gen Urobuchi, Directed by: Hidenori Ishida

As Kouta is following Takatora, he clarifies that he's looking for his missing friend Yuuya Sumii, of which Takatora is going to tell, but is (...again) interrupted by a nearby Inves, who both Riders henshin to take care of them, with Gaim running first and Zangetsu walking slowly before following suit, likely showing how Gaim is eager to get this over with while Zangetsu is someone disillusioned with this. Meanwhile Sid warns Ryoma that he can expose their secrets, but Ryoma is at ease knowing that Kaito doesn't fight for what's right. After Gaim and Zangetsu's fight, the exposition begins, which is done in the 1 dialogue through 2 screens, as both Kouta and Kaito receives mostly similar information; Takatora goes on to ramble about how it's not known yet if Helheim is another planet or parallel world, which got continued by Ryoma clarifying that Yggdrasill is established to solve those mysteries, putting a megacorp front behind their research foundation basis due to their growth. As Kaito questions him to take over the city, he explains about how the cracks appear mostly in Zawame City. Kaito also notices about the tree from the shrine being the one used as the artificial crack, which Ryoma explains as an anomaly for Helheim seed to grow as a single tree, where the tree became an object for worship, but takes over the tree anyway for their research benefit, and further enrages Kaito to remind them about the lives that got ruined for it (tsundere move right there, to be concerned about those screwed over, which would equal "the weak" in his eyes). Ryoma takes Kaito to chat somewhere else, and maintains his politeness, but him nonchalantly taking the sacred tree away shows that like Yggdrasill, his politeness is a front to cover up his rotten nature.

Despite the threat from Kaito, Ryoma remains unflappable and polite, as he's confident that Kaito attacking him won't get him closer to take revenge on Yggdrasill, and he turns back Kaito's declaration of not knowing anything about him as Kaito not knowing anything about Yggdrasill either, and persuades him to re-evaluate his hatred as he reveals Yggdrasill's true aim. Returning back to Kouta and Takatora, receiving the same information about Yggdrasill taking over the city, however Takatora explains the reason differently that the reason is the fate of humanity depends on it, and shows Kouta the ruins of a civilization he previously showed to Micchy. Kouta receives the awful truth that, not only Hase, Inves are the result of any humans or animals who had eaten the Helheim fruit. From the 2 differing exposition here, it's shown that Takatora is a better person than Ryoma, that the former arguably shares the same ideals as Kouta to have humanity's best interests, just that he's ruthless and extreme in his pursuit of his goals, while Ryoma is research-oriented to find a place that would spawn the most cracks.

Going to Ryoma and Kaito again, though with different reasons to take over the city, Ryoma's continuation is the same to explain about the forest that took over the world, comparing it with Yggdrasill's process to take over the city, which is continued by Takatora explaining about how the plants spread very quickly and taint the soil, killing the other plants. Ryoma elaborates further about it introducing a new life form, displacing the native life and converting the ecosystem, almost making dandelion extinct. Ryoma shows a contained Helheim fruit that it'll take over those who eat it to carry on their seeds, and alerts that Earth is the next planet for Helheim to take over. As Kouta is in disbelief of the revelation, walking on the fossilized living room as a result of Helheim actions, Takatora clarifies that this is the evil without reason he's talking about, refering to organism trying to reproduce and survive, estimating that Earth's time is 10 years left.

Meanwhile, as the only Rider available, Knuckle is the one fighting off Inves in the city, though his inexperience gets him overwhelmed (in contrast to his debut before? seems inconsistent), albeit Peko finally uses his catapaulting for good, to attack the Inves, buying time for Knuckle to finish off the Inves with Walnut Sparking, throwing a walnut-shaped blasts at the monster. I'd wish his finisher is related to cracking walnuts though, like the fruit slash in Orange Charge for example. As there's a victim of the Inves attack with infection there, Oren and Jonouchi appears to turn the public against him again with the usual claim of the Beat Riders not using Inves as only propaganda, and true to form, despite the success of previous events, doesn't mean it'll go completely smoothly, as the Inves attacks are simply unforgettable, and mob mentality exists, as they seemingly agree with Oren's words, before being interrupted by more Inves, as he henshins to Bravo and shows off his experience by defeating them in much quicker way than Knuckle did.

Ryugen is fighting some Inves with the Kurokage Troopers, which also shows his improved close combat skills, and after that, he seems to be a part of Yggdrasill for real to have the workers burn the Inves plants like what he saw at ep. 9. As Micchy returns to the Gaim hangout place, there's Mai training dancers, which includes the dancers from other teams albeit only female ones. So with all the leaders of the current team either quitting (randomly for Jonouchi) or killed, Mai acts the leader for the whole Beat Riders teams from now. Seeing this, Micchy further vows to be secretive to "keep them happy", which of course is a misguided and a short-term thinking. Though Mai wants passionate and serious dancers, she won't force Micchy to practice as he looks tired (which Micchy brushes off, likely applying his secretive policy to himself too), and that there are no Inves Game for him to handle anymore.

Speaking of Micchy being secretive, I guess Takatora has that aspect too in him, as Kouta is puzzled of why Yggdrasill is so secretive of their knowledge to the public, which Takatora explains as another part of his realist views, refering to other humans as the information Yggdrasill had will cause mass panic and turn them violent for their own defense, ending civilization without Helheim interference, Yggdrasill (Takatora) fulfilling his own prophecy unwittingly. He believes that people would still hold on their petty grudges even in the face of extinction, which is continued by Ryoma talking about how humans have caused something like war and racial tension, and thinks it's impossible for them to work together against Helheim, which Kaito agrees. And thus Takatora claims Yggdrasill's the only one who got this. Though while all of those did happen, it's still a generalization in general, and the Yggdrasill itself is also run by humans, which shows hypocrisy, as there are no implications that Yggdrasill workers are wiser and less susceptible to evil than normal people are, especially that Takatora has recruited rotten people like Ryoma and sid, and even then Takatora himself believes in the end justifies the means, which is also a dark trait.

Kouta however objects, in his idealism way that if they're going to die humans would do the opposite to prevent that which is not fighting each other and likely come together, of which Takatora explains further about how a rotten individual can ruin hundreds of noble efforts, like what he thinks will happen if government gets their hand on Yggdrasill's research. While Kouta is naive here to rule out the possibilities of humans doing evil stuff, and that Takatora makes a good point here for the potential danger...does he realize that even in Yggdrasill, there's exactly that moment too, in his co-workers? As pointed out by Yoko that Sid hardly shows loyalty to Takatora, when they talk about the possible future that Yggdrasill's rest in Takatora's hands like how the world's rest in Yggdrasill's hand. Sid is only concerned about who plucks the forbidden fruit, with the power of Genesis Driver. For the one that is similar to Micchy's Takatora also argues that it's pointless for others to know about the truth, as they'd be powerless to do anything against it, and only cower in despair, robbing their happiness, like how Micchy wants for his friends (and himself) to keep being happy. As other Inves come in the ruins, from the revelation of their origins, Gaim can't bring himself to hurt any of them, while Zangetsu detonates the rest.

After Kaito hears the explanation from Ryoma, he persuades him to help Yggdrasill's cause. Kaito however, kicks a chair away and reveals a disturbing side of his own, that the information only serves to fuel his social darwinism more, continuing from how he sees lies and deception before as weak, that means he'd content for that kind of world to be destroyed, including treating the invasion as even a good thing to divide who is strong enough to fight and who is weak enough to be exterminated, while crushing the Helheim fruit Ryoma contained. Not only Kaito, but Ryoma, Yoko, and Sid reveal that all of them think in the same way as Kaito, and are even more excited to work together with Kaito and fulfill their ambitions, confirming about how each of them are insane (and more similarity between Yoko and Kaito), and the ones that Takatora should actually watch out for...