[DreadBringer]

Kamen Rider Gaim watch

The Overlord Saga

Episode 31: Whereabouts of the Forbidden Fruit

Written by: Gen Urobuchi, Directed by: Ryuta Tasaki

I guess one of the most action-packed episode as for now.

Takatora learns more about Helheim as he hears Roshuo's (I looked up the character's name in katakana and シュ = 'shu', so Roshuo that is) explanation about Fruit of Knowledge that it can control Helheim's plants (current Overlord ability) and remake the world in the user's image. Takatora concludes that this can save the Earth, but though Roshuo is affable, he still won't give Takatora immediate access as he claims it'll be futile, as Sagara comes and explains that the fruit which is intended for humanity is already kept by Roshuo, and that 1 species keeping 2 fruits is against the rules, surprising Takatora. Ironic... usually planting something like trees are something that can be done to save the planet, but here, saving it can be done by controlling the Helheim plants to, prevent them growing and spreading. Roshuo explains to Sagara about human's destructive nature, and that Roshuo intends to use the fruit for better purpose. Sagara questions Roshuo that he intends to let 7 billion people die for someone he loves, which Roshuo feels worth it, as humans would get inevitably destroyed either way. Another parallel between Roshuo and Takatora, both think lowly of humans due to their destructive nature, which Takatora describes as 'evil without reason', and feels obligated to handle the power they carry alone (including Yggdrasill's secrets for Takatora), despite themselves not being free from the faults they judge humanity for, like Roshuo's former social darwinist view or depraved humans working in Yggdrasill. Roshuo also picks favorites like Takatora, other than Roshuo's previous civilization, he does it again now but it's done in even worse manner, he only picks 1 loved one to Takatora's 1 billion humans (though can be more if Sengoku Driver goes for more quantity).

Gaim and Baron returns to the real world after Demushu visits Zawame City, with Demushu planning to turn the city into ruins, which is done by him raining fireballs at several buildings. Micchy in Zangetsu Shin calls Sigurd over as Redyue arrives, to Sigurd's surprise that there are more than 1 Overlord. After both Riders fight her for a while (yes, it's a she, male VA makes her voice deep), Redyue claims to surrender, and offers them the Forbidden Fruit right away, which after he de-henshins, Sid obliges, while Micchy questions her what she's up to. Demushu continues his rampage to the city as people run away, with cops trying to take him on with predictable results. Disgusted by the human's weakness, Demushu deems their world as unworthy to exist. Gaim interfers to save the civilians, including shielding them from a fireball directed to them, joined by Baron. As Gaim questions Demushu again, he finally explains his reason, that he's simply jealous of humanity due to still enjoying the glory that Femushinmu had lost. Baron knew that Demushu's obsessed with power from their first fight, and rubs it off to Gaim about his plan to try reason with Overlords. Well... Takatora already did, so Gaim's plan is more convincing than Baron thinks, just that both don't know yet.

Sagara tries to convince Roshuo that while the surviving Femushinmu are bloodthirsty, there's still hope for humans, and points out that it's dirty even for Roshuo to not give challengers a chance. Sagara is someone who currently tries to even the playing field at any sides, including the Overlord's side here, and this succeeds as Roshuo conjures the Fruit of Knowledge, plucks a piece of it, which turns into Kiwami Lockseed, to test Sagara's claim of hope in humanity, as if the power is used incorrectly, it'd only lead to a destruction.

Yoko speaks with the Mayor through a phone about Overlord's rampage, claiming that they don't expect Overlords to come to the real world. Surprisingly Yoko is able to talk in affable manner to people like Mayor there, despite her general disinterest to others except Kaito (who she interacts seductively). Ryoma as Duke interferes and claims Yggdrasill will make sure to keep the body count low to the Mayor, activating Master Intelligent System, which is actually a system to shut down all communication systems in Zawame, boasting Yggdrasill's ability to control the city. A civilian fails to get a reception on his phone, and a cop fails to report due to the signal loss. Duke pretends to be polite again to the Mayor while the plan is using another Yggdrasill's facility to keep everything they had secretive, as Duke sends Kurokage Troopers to capture Demushu. Duke laments that with Scalar System, he wouldn't need to deal with this problem, but sees this as a golden (put intended) chance to capture him alive and find out where the Forbidden Fruit is before picking him apart piece by piece, highlighting his sadism. Other than that, Ryoma's actor, Tsunenori Aoki, focuses on filming a musical on that time, which is the real life reason to have Ryoma henshin into Duke despite not fighting, with Aoki providing the voice.

Demushu gains upper hand in his fight against Gaim and Baron, and knocks Gaim out of his transformation. He attempts to attack the grounded Kouta with a fireball, but Baron jumps in the middle of it, saving Kouta, but also knocking Baron out of his transformation. Despite their contrasting world views, they will help each other in need. Kouta tries to ask Demushu again about his hatred of humanity, which he claims that for an ape, humans think highly of themselves... ironic coming from a living being who has even more pride than Kaito. As Kaito tries to reach his Genesis Driver, Demushu continues as he claims it's fun to crush the weak, and feels it's the right as victor; he only lives as a measure of strength. Demushu's claim makes even Kaito, who's a social darwinist himself, disturbed. After that however, finally Kouta realizes that Overlords, at least Demushu, cannot be reasoned with, though he hasn't known the ones like Roshuo yet. This is a harsher lesson that shows sometimes, you can't change other people; they can only change themselves. Though despite he didn't interact with Roshuo (yet), Kouta also makes a nice comeback that he realizes the reason Femushinmu's civilization was destroyed is due to Demushu's violent and bloodthirsty personality, as he henshins into Kachidoki Arms. Gaim continues as Femushinmu's world actually had a future, but they lost to the forest due to people like Demushu, which is true as Demushu wages war to the weak and revels in it. Demushu claims that the humans are also fighting for Fruit of Knowledge by force, which Gaim denies as he's not like that, as he uses his power to fight for those who can't fight, as he tries to use Kachidoki Charge.

The Yggdrasill intervenes, with Marika shooting Kachidoki Arms (and knocks him to the ground). Duke orders Yggdrasill to take out Gaim to prevent him beating the Overlord. As Kachidoki Arms fends off Marika and Kurokage Troopers, Kaito asks Marika about what they're doing, of which Marika urges for Kaito to help her as per Ryoma's orders. Demushu is enraged and turns into a tornado, swinging Kachidoki Arms and several Kurokage Troopers, knocking them on ground and pushes Kaito's Genesis Driver closer to him. Demushu manages to knock Kachidoki Arms out of his transformation by giving him a hard slash twice. For some reason here, I feel that Kachidoki Arms is weaker (defensive wise, which was one of its specialities..), Marika dealt devastating damage to him (it's a sneak attack, but still..), and though this can be Demushu's true prowess instead, Demushu reverts Gaim to Kouta with 2 slashes after tornado. Beating Kachidoki Arms seems to be.. um... kachidoki/triumph moment for those who do it, I'd like if Demushu uses a kind of a finisher attack against Kachidoki to put him down, like Reiji Nogi in Kabuto. Kaito henshins into Baron Lemon Energy Arms to take Kouta away, and shows more of his concern towards Kouta that the Yggdrasill should've gotten Kouta's help, and distracts them with an explosion from his attack and runs away. Duke insists the Yggdrasill to focus on capturing Demushu, as Marika instructs them to use refractive smokescreen, with the Kurokage Troopers open fire on Demushu with Dandeliner.

Redyue leads Sid and Micchy to Roshuo's lair, which Redyue explains that the Forbidden Fruit had to be taken from him by force. Sid's overconfident that Redyue's making it easy for him, and heads on to take on Roshuo alone. Micchy doesn't follow, as he knows that only one can grasp the fruit, which Sid thinks as him fulfilling their deal. As Sid is not seen, Micchy claims that Redyue only sets a trap for them, as Redyue can easily escape before, but instead leads both there, and wants one of them to fight the fruit owner. As Redyue acts skeptical of Micchy's claims, he continues by claiming that Redyue doesn't want to dirty her hands, and plans to take the fruit from Sid after Sid takes it. Exposed, Redyue laughs it off and considers Micchy interesting. Takatora's not the only one with Overlord counterpart in Roshuo, here it's shown that Redyue is Micchy's Overlord counterpart too; both are primarily green, have a Chinese armor themed design, and insane manipulative schemers who prefers to use others to achieve their ends, where Redyue uses Sid here to take the fruit like Micchy using his Kureshima family name to gain Lockseeds from Sid. Other than that, for Sid to easily fell into Redyue's schemes, it's a big irony for Sid, who brags about how easy to bait kids with his Lockseeds unlike 'adults' such as him who is responsible and would be skeptical if given power for free, Sid himself is easily tempted when he's given a chance for greater power, and to rub salt in the wound, the he looks down, the kid here is the one that noticed that Redyue only sets a trap for them. For Sid praising Micchy's coldness before, he gets a taste of it for Micchy not warning Sid for it being a trap.

Kaito brings the injured Kouta into Team Gaim garage, with Mai, Zack, and Peko there, who hurries over to him. Kaito instructs them to patch Kouta up, but before leaving, Kouta tugs Kaito, to ask him about the strength he seek, after hearing Demushu bragging about how the strong makes the weak suffer, if Kaito thinks alike as him. Kaito confirms it that the nature of strength is really like that and the weak are the strong's prey, which enrages Kouta as he accuses Kaito of potentially turning like Demushu. But Kaito aims for both of them to gain strength too so that they can stand up to any foes, as Kouta collapses. But Kaito's true, softer nature is said without Kouta hearing it, that he uses his social darwinism to urge for Kouta to become stronger as his duty. After Kouta collapses, Kaito's words are fully considerate to Kouta, without any additional snark, cementing Kaito as a tsundere. Like Kouta's fear, and between Takatora and Roshuo or Micchy and Redyue, Kaito's Overlord counterpart is Demushu. Both are social darwinists, but while Demushu has turned himself into a omnicidal, monstrous sadist, gleefully enjoying war and making people hurt and kill each other until one last man standing, Kaito is disturbed by this level of social darwinism, and knows his limits, holding into last bit of light within him, here Kaito makes use of social darwinism as defense mechanism, based on how he's powerless to stop Yggdrasill when little and tries to prevent going through that again. Though he'd let Helheim invade to make the distinction clearer, he'd help certain people to achieve power like Kouta or Mai albeit covering it up in harsh behavior, to prevent those people being wiped away people who abuse power, or in Kouta's case, doing good by eliminating the strong that victimizes others like Demushu, which is also a trait that defines Yoko and her attraction to Kaito by doing that to him. Zack follows Kaito who leaves, and both henshin into Zack and Baron respectively against the overwhelming Demushu.

Sid confronts Roshuo, and meets Takatora again. The one that is more surprised here is somehow Takatora just for Sid appearing, rather than Sid watching Takatora still live. Sid henshins into Sigurd to fight Roshuo. However, Roshuo shows why he's the one refered as Overlord King, he doesn't need to lay a hand to beat Sigurd, throwing him around with his shockwaves. Roshuo then blocks Sigurd's Sonic Valley with his force field. Sigurd is eventually cornered by Roshuo's wave, who gives him a chance to leave, but Sigurd persists, likely getting into his true goal, that he doesn't want to take anyone's order again, and that he won't let anyone talk down to him again. That'd indicate Sid likely had some kind of terrible past, but it won't excuse everything he did. Roshuo's wave destroys Sigurd's Genesis Driver and reverts him to Sid. Sid is still defiant, vowing to become more than human. Roshuo had enough and decided to finish him off by tearing a wall behind him, sending Sid inside, and then slams the torn wall, crushing Sid inside, leaving only his hat behind. As Sid got crushed, the camera zooms upwards to spare the audience seeing the horror (despite this, it's still censored on my TV..) as this is one of the most gruesome Rider deaths. Other than that, Sid had an ironic death, other than him being tempted by power just like the kids he looked down, he's the next Rider to die after Hase despite him bragging about causing the first Rider death in Hase. Other than that, Takatora watches the entirety of Sid's death without trying to stop his demise, like how Micchy watches Takatora's apparent death without helping.