[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

No, I think Otoya did change. It's not as big and obvious as Wataru, but look at his motivations. At the start of the show he was 100% involved in all of this for selfish reasons: he thought Yuri was hot and wanted to bang her. Stalking her, getting in with the WBSO, his rivalry with Jiro, it was all tied into him wanting Yuri for himself (and to probably discard quickly thereafter, based on previous behavior). I think the big change was when he helped Yuri take down Rook. That was something that he did because it mattered to Yuri, not just as a way to get into her pants. From that point on he could still be a selfish jerk (see his immediate blowing off of Yuri for Maya), but his final acts as Dark Kiva, that was all for other people. He wanted to save Jiro and the others because they were friends. He wanted to save Taiga for Maya's benefit. He fought alongside Wataru to save his present and future family. Even his goodbyes were done for the benefit of others: to give Yuri some peace, to give Jiro a duty, and to give Maya something to remember. There's a selflessness in Otoya by the end that would never have happened with the dude that was scamming people out of money and womanizing his way through Tokyo.

The thing is, though... I sort of feel like he was always the guy in 46, we just couldn't see it yet? His aggressive flirting/stalking/harassment of Yuri isn't a million miles from his courtship of Maya, it's just that Maya finds it funny and curious instead of infuriating and unwanted. In, like, Episode 2 he jumps out to attack a Fangire who wanted to use music to hurt people. His rivalry with Jiro doesn't really end because Otoya alters his behavior or anything; it ends because Jiro loses and leaves. Their friendship (or mutual respect) is more from Jiro recognizing Otoya's positive qualities and helping him protect Yuri than it is Otoya becoming a new man.

Like, I think there's a completeness to Otoya that exists from Episode 1, and a lot of the series is about people seeing past his aggravating qualities to find something worth emulating. Jiro, Yuri, Maya, Wataru, Nago... the whole series is about folks drawing strength from Otoya, but not really the other way around? Because he's already strong?