[DreadBringer]

Kamen Rider Gaim watch

The Forbidden Fruit Saga

Episode 42: Mitsuzane! The Final Transformation!

Written by: Gen Urobuchi/Jin Haganeya, Directed by: Satoshi Morota

Zack accomplishes his wants to evacuate the Overlord's captives, with Yoko going along with this to give supplies. For this Kouta reunites with Akira, Rat, and Rica. The reunite and hardship also probably changes Akira's decision to stay and help her brother. Kouta thanked all the alliance for this, but Oren knows the work has not been done, can't get too ahead of themselves. Kouta assigns Charmant workers to evacuate the people as hordes of Inves come, with the rest henshin into their Rider forms to fight them off. Meanwhile Mai is looked over by Chucky and the recovered Peko. What Redyue claimed before against Micchy for others to prevent Micchy getting into Mai appears here with Peko keeping him out, but Peko is pushed down for Micchy to check on her. The power upgrade Mai receives seems to be a deadly one, with her collapsing again, and Ryoma who suddenly comes, informing that she can't take that long and needs a proper place to treat her, despite that there are no doctors left in Zawame... this'd mean disaster actually, due to freaking Ryoma being involved, more than about no doctors.

After the Riders fight Inves hordes, Kouta noticed that Helheim doesn't stop even after the extinction of Overlords, realizing that he had to stop Helheim himself. Kaito however, still wants to let Helheim consume the world as per his social darwinist belief, to prove humanity's strength to evolve around it unlike the Overlords who are consumed by the world. For now, this is a nobler take of his social darwinism, albeit used as an extreme way to improve humanity, by forcing them into the deep end, instantly putting them into critical situation regardless of their success or not. This is a reason for him to oppose Yggdrasill, that they would deny human's efforts to evolve against the invasion, as they would kill majority of humanity via Project Ark. There's an indication that while Kaito does view the world under survival of the fittest mindset, doesn't mean he revels in it. He actually hates about the fact that social darwinism is real in his eyes, including his backstory for his life ruined due to him being weak; the strong can do anything as they please unopposed by the weak, and him still viewing himself as weak too now, which is the reason for him to fight off Overlords who brutalize others by their strength (and ruined Femushinmu by that as well). So far, Kaito would use his mindset to fight off villains, as their actions with their power represent what he hates about the nature of this world, albeit he'd have apathy for the weak, not interested in protecting; an anti-hero that focuses on defeating villains instead of protecting people. As Kaito leaves, Yoko chases after him, while Kouta informs Zack that Mai's in garage, going after her while asking Zack to take care of Akira. However Mai's already taken to the hospital as Kouta returns, with nobody on the garage.

As Kaito struggles against his injuries in a face of another Inves, Yoko hides him and herself, and like Mai before to Kaito, forcefully takes a look at Kaito's (Helheim) wounds on his arm. Later at night, Yoko calls him out for not telling anyone about his injury, which he dismisses as using Genesis Driver can hold back the infection, but acknowledges his limits if he'd die, despite Yoko pointing out that what he does with the Driver won't last forever. Though Kouta is the one that got called out on this, another similarity between them, but unpleasant one here is that Kaito also never tries to seek out help from others, like not asking help for his wounds, or tips, etc. Kaito's even hardheaded enough to not acknowledge camaderie as a key to survival and strength despite getting through many hard times due to that, like the "fight" against Roshuo before. Loner approach can hinder someone's efficiency like Kaito's here, despite him can coming off as more rational to the audience, like how he has rolled for 70 times in the whole series, and there are people who notices that too for Baron's losses. He actually views himself as one of the weak, but fails to properly help himself. As Yoko asks about Kaito's decision to let Helheim invade, he explains about it being related to his hatred of the current world above, about how survival of the fittest exist in the current world, that he'd rather see this world end, not valuing anything in the world with flashbacks of his past. Yoko decides to stick to Kaito, but even she actually had doubts of Kaito's choice and explanation, despite being another social darwinist. For now, this seems to be a positive effect a love someone had, opposite to what Micchy has for his yandere love to Mai, this is a case of terrible people helping each other to become less terrible, with Kaito humanizing Yoko in their interactions to show that she's more than a violent psychotic girl. Though I feel that if this is the supposed character direction that the writers want to do with Yoko, then it's not utilized enough that there's more of Yoko being a kingmaker before.

Something fishy already befalls Chucky and Peko, who is stuck on a room away from Ryoma and Micchy, with Peko already knowing that the creep isn't trustworthy. Eventually Chucky and Peko was able to escape from the locked hospital by the window with Peko tying bed sheets. For other Rider alliance people, believing that he has important position to keep the Rider alliances full, Bando forces Jonouchi, Oren, and Zack to eat when they feel down at Drupers, with Akira somehow working there as waitress, too. I wonder if she knows that's the 'job' Kouta got now.

Ryoma confirms that there's golden fruit on Mai's body. As they don't understand the reason for Roshuo to give it to her, Sagara confirms it that Roshuo did, and reveals that she's going to be Woman of the Beginning, confirming Mai and "Alternative Mai" as the same, that her role is to choose a champion to receive the goldn fruit. After Sagara's role escalation, between DJ, Yggdrasill worker, etc., as Micchy asks him, he finally reveals that his actual identity, which is the personification of Helheim itself. The snake that Redyue said before at ep. 40 refers to Sagara, as one of the terms to refer to him, also him making a snake projection before. Like Project Ark, this is another Biblical reference in Gaim to put Sagara in the role of the snake in Garden of Eden that tempted Adam and Eve to eat the Forbidden Fruit, which means he's literally Satan here. He's doing the snake's job in the series to tempt worlds with the immense power and knowledge that the golden fruit holds. And the reason that he refers to the golden fruit holders as Man/Woman of the Beginning is that, they act as Adam and Eve respectively, being the first male/female being in the new world that they'll create after overwriting the old one. In the series, Woman of the Beginning is the first to receive the fruit to give to the Man of the Beginning as Eve was the first to be tempted and eat the fruit, and then tempts Adam to eat the fruit too.

He tells the unconscious Mai in her head as well about her role, also claiming that the old world will be destroyed, but Mai wouldn't want to see the end of the current world. Worlds cannot be sacrificed for that end, such trade isn't right to be done. Sagara however insists for her to cope as the future is already set into motion. Even Micchy calls him out to destroy humanity. Rather than doing it as incarnation of evil though, albeit of course he still causes a lot of damage in nature way, he's doing it to test their true characters, and due to hating status quo, enforcing the cycle of death and rebirth that drives evolution in any world he visits, putting his duty above morality like good or evil, just that destruction can be a tool that he uses too. Micchy protests against him also for his personal motivation to save Mai too, seeing him as getting in his way despite refering to humanity right before. With newfound information, Ryoma claims that the only way to save Mai is to extract the fruit from her body, but deems Kouta as a problem as he'd likely want Mai as Woman of the Beginning if he needs the fruit to save the world. Micchy apparently still puts Kouta higher than Ryoma does, he thinks Kouta wouldn't sacrifice Mai to save the world, though Ryoma convinces Micchy otherwise, based on the fact that Kouta is willing to sacrifice his humanity as Overlord. Well of course sacrificing themselves and sacrificing others is vastly different, the former is altruism, the latter can be morally bankrupt approach to see no value in other's lives. However, due to Kouta's great power, Ryoma presents Hell Fruit Lockseed to Micchy for him to stop Kouta, a Lockseed that drains the user's life for power and is too dangerous, thus sealed away, but wants to know Micchy's resolve to undergo that... Kouta has done it before for resolve test, now it's Micchy's turn. Micchy got his deserved emotional breakdown after that, which he begs for Mai to smile again for him, not even remembering how her smile looks like, or what he's fighting for so far. Micchy has been tempting his dark side for so much, been involved in villainy too long, he's so far gone that everything about him deteriorates aside from the desire to 'save' Mai, about it possibly failing. Even when Takatora hallucination harasses him, pointing out about his actions to only betray people and that his life has no value, Micchy still shuts him up, but quietly, instead of going apeshit, but is ready to give up his life for Mai. He's also dumb enough here to trust Ryoma to save her, blinded by his love for Mai, or to consider the fact that Ryoma is also obsessed in obtaining the golden fruit, like what Kouta needs, which proves that he's the one used as pawn by others despite him claiming otherwise.

Micchy confronts Kouta, for Mai's sake, despite Kouta trying to convince him that there's no point of hurting each other. Kouta's right about Micchy being wronged by the lies he told, just for this once, in this case, about Ryoma's claim that Kouta will endanger Mai due to likely needing her as Woman of the Beginning, where Micchy has to save Mai by finishing off Kouta, so Mai no longer needs to hold the golden fruit anymore. Of course, Micchy is still evil at this stage, despite him putting Mai's life above his own, he'd still view other's lives as no value, will finish off others like the self-harm he did for Mai's sake, other than being dumb enough to trust Ryoma. He henshins with Hell Fruit Lockseed, with the Yomotsuheguri Armor Part coming from a black mist instead of a Helheim crack, giving him a new standalone upgrade in Ryugen Yomi, who looks like regular Ryugen, but painted mostly in red and black, giving grim reaper motif, as "yomi" means "underworld". True to what Ryoma said, the form is painful that it collapses him to his knees, making Kouta concerned. Seems that both Mai and Micchy receive deadly upgrades. Kouta tries to reason with Ryugen Yomi, but without a henshin yet. This can be either a stupid move to leave himself unprotected, or an awesome move to dodge his attacks despite of him being a normal human, particularly the Kiwi Gekirin; Ryugen Yomi can use both Budou Ryuhou and Kiwi Gekirin, the weapons of Ryugen Budou Arms and Kiwi Arms. The agony Micchy suffered as Ryugen Yomi proves to be a drawback though, as he can be left vulnerable mid fight from the pain. Kouta eventually henshins into Kachidoki Arms, and after a while, he took a Ryugen Kyaku rider kick from Ryugen Yomi, but again Ryugen Yomi pains Micchy that he cannot continue his assault to Gaim, turning himself into a not quite dangerous opponent despite the power it holds. Gaim tries to warn Ryugen Yomi about how the Lockseed is dangerous and his body can't handle it. However, Micchy has lost the meaning of his life, the previous events have turned him into a nihilist now, utterly suicidal. Due to Micchy's resolve though, Gaim is forced to use Kiwami Arms. Ryugen Yomi is the one I'd like to be used as Micchy's upgrade in ep. 38 before against Gaim Kiwami Arms and Baron Lemon Energy Arms before, particularly that Ryugen Yomi also revolves around Micchy's resolve, in which ep. 38 is about him not having doubts anymore.