[DreadBringer]

Can't watch Heisei Generations yet, so moving on here first.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 16 - ?FOREVER KING 2018?

We spend a lot of time here dealing with the stuff I sort of wished we?d gotten in the opening story. Namely, a Sougo who feels an intense reluctance to use the power of Zi-O, knowing where it might lead. In the first story of this show, Sougo came off like an oblivious jerk, feigning sympathy in the Time Orphans? hardships, pretty visibly thrilled to become a despot. It was a bizarre choice, and I?m not entirely sure it was the right one, even if this episode concludes that thread with style. Back then, it didn?t feel so much like the show wanted to explain the inconsistencies and illogic of Sougo?s dream, so the show just punted on it until now. There?s a frustrating middle section of this first Act that only really works by ignoring Sougo's motivation, rather than offering up an alternative to Sougo Doesn?t Know What A King Is. It?s a weird delay in the storytelling.

I guess this is a case of Better Late Than Never. Probably this was really done due to how Sougo can be irritating with his dismissive attitude towards the idea of the damage he could cause as Ohma Zi-O, brushing off the fact that he could become a horrible mass-murdering tyrant because he could become a king, and I did talk before about how Sougo had the worst, quite destructive form of optimism (not that optimism is bad or weakening), the oblivious one (for others, while in reverse of stereotype, Geiz is the gullible one due to his mentality), thus the series gave him a reality check in the form of seeing first hand the dystopian world under Ohma Zi-O's rule in the future. But other than that, is it not a delay in storytelling but just a character flaw that had to be worked on? Sougo may be a sweet boy but doesn't mean that kind of people doesn't have flaw of which Sougo's is optimism like you said (obliviousness). Many character flaws are something that delayed the storytelling, like Tachibana-san being dumpster fire or Makoto being highly stubborn that can make things harder overall for others. Sougo may have more annoying kind of flaw but is similar?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It ends up resolving itself smartly, though. We see Sougo actually try to end Oma Zi-O?s reign, instead of just pinky-swearing that he won?t commit even a single genocide, not even on his birthday. There?s actual weight to his decision, not least of which is losing all of his Time Friends. Sougo?s all alone with his eternal guilt and shame, afraid to even think about what being a king could do to the world.

Sougo really changed in this episode as now he had a quite brutal reality check. Like he's usually disturbingly upbeat, but now he wanders around in apathy, musing on what he is going to do with his life by then. But actually, you're wrong on how previously the solution is about denying that the belt exists. Sougo actually destroyed his Ziku Belt here of which actually did erase Ohma Zi-O from existence and shut down the Kasshin and Dai Mazines by this as their lords are no more. Of which there's still Time Jackers and Tsukasa to wreck shit of course (though now Tsukasa disappoints Ora in his wild card tendencies, and Tsukasa's own disappointment in Sougo's earlier decision). And the reason why throwing away the belt is harder than it sounds is not due to prolonged decision, but it's due to Woz. He'd always have a spare Driver to replace the one that is broken, as if the belt has a case of a Groundhog Day (destroy it, Woz has one, destroy it again, Woz has another, and so on). So Woz technically is the other shit-stirrer too here to make sure the tyrant comes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It?s Geiz who motivates Sougo back into becoming Zi-O. A depowered Sougo is still going to risk his life to help people, and that?s enough to convince Geiz that Oma Zi-O is a risk he?s willing to take. Sougo needs to try to make the future he wants to see, instead of accepting a fate he never wanted. There?re risks to everything, and consequences for any decision you make. To live your life convinced that the worst is going to happen? like, man, even Geiz has more optimism than that. Kid stole a Time Mazine and went back fifty years to be a grim executioner and maybe alter history! It?s okay for Sougo to try and save enough people with Time Powers to maybe be a hero instead of a villain. No one knows what the future really holds; not even people in the future.

I guess though Sougo can be insensitive with his optimism, this further proves that present Sougo is genuinely noble and well-meaning, provided he knows the issue well enough. He destroyed his belt, prioritized saving the world over king position thus would give up his ambition if it dooms the world instead, and he also protected a kid which'd risk his life that he doesn't have his belt, while declaring he'd not let his subjects get harmed. And now a new dilemma for Sougo is about damned vs damned, but short term vs long term consequence. Using the belt to fight as Zi-O and Ohma Zi-O can still potentially return (with Ohma Zi-O regaining existence), and not using the belt which can lead into both Sougo and likely some other civilians killed (Tsukuyomi's there too for the kid though).

The long term consequence also involves being manipulated by questionable figures, both Woz and Ohma Zi-O himself (who reappeared in the future), of which mostly characters Sougo would choose to deal with short term consequence that he can't ignore something bad happening in front of him, thus he'd still fight as Ohma Zi-O.... as well as other cases of this in KR like in Gaim, Kouta'd still henshin to defend civilians despite Micchy pestering him to throw away the belt as it'd help Yggdrasill's schemes, or Sagara wanting to use him for his own ends. This kind of decision can have those people being deemed as stupid and gullible (those people actually know they're manipulated there but goes along for the benefit), but the opposite case still won't be good either (if they "act smart" for not going along the manipulators), it's in a series that I can't talk about yet.

Geiz was likely a tsundere since ep. 10, but for now, he's probably not a tsundere anymore as he clearly shows his concern and respect to Sougo here, not hiding his affection to Sougo anymore. This part cements Geiz viewing Sougo as a comrade now, or not hiding it anymore. Despite that Woz presents him a new Driver, actually Geiz gives his own Driver for Sougo to use, which'd mean now Geiz trusts Sougo and his dream to become a good despot without succumbing to villainy. Geiz' vow (read: oath) to kill Sougo now is not out of hatred and vengeance, but to stop Sougo living long enough to become a villain, better had Sougo died a hero like Sougo himself prefered. So now Sougo's belief of the Time Orphans stopping him when his path goes astray is a truth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

This was a great End Of Act 1 episode. It brings back a bunch of little details (Uncle?s story about missing out on a dream becomes a story about dreams never really going away; Sougo still won?t go to college I guess) and puts a pin in some others (Tsukasa taking his honestly-somewhat-tiresome ?Wild Card, Bitches? act on the road for a minute; the Time Jackers get trounced) while promising a bunch of weird things to come. It really felt like we?d come full-circle, resolving a big character flaw in Sougo by strengthening his bonds with the rest of the team. (Well, mostly Geiz. Tsukuyomi is in full Time Mom mode this episode.)

Likely true mostly Geiz, but both Geiz and Tsukuyomi likely had some reluctance to go back to their time with Sougo also surprised that both are still there. So it should strengthen bonds that Tsukuyomi and even now Geiz doesn't see dealing with Sougo as an obligation (of which if the priority is making sure Ohma Zi-O was never born, they can let Sougo be killed by Kasshin). Geiz's newfound companionship is done with him throwing a street sign to protect Sougo, but Tsukuyomi also shoots Kasshin to protect him and getting herself chased by it (of which Geiz blamed Sougo for this back at ep. 6). The one that had parent role is obviously Junichiro with his dream talk to deal with Sougo's apathy that even if a dream is discarded there can still be happiness of Junichiro not living his dream but still fixing clocks. I guess the equivalent would be Sougo (hopefully) not becoming a king but still be able to preserve happiness for others; his subjects (also it's clearly seen that Junichiro puts the college entrance in the trash).