[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

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

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.

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.

Seeing a person give up on their dream, no matter how absurd, is just extremely depressing. Even if Sougo giving up on being a king did benefit the people of 2068, that still invalidates Sougo's existence. Wanting to do good for the world, only to be shown that it makes the world worse, yeah, that sucks. It sucks even more that either way, Sougo is left alone. Either he rules the world as Oma Zi-O all alone, or he gives it up and Geiz is just like "problem solved" and has no more incentive to hang around. Not that I can blame Geiz, since he would have a family to be with in a less dystopian version of his future, but it sucks for Sougo to have such an inordinately great yet potentially destructive dream. Like Kaido from Faiz said, it's a curse.

Sougo's problem, at least one of his problems, is that he has too much faith in himself. This can be seen in his interaction with 3 Days Ago Sougo. They get along way too easily, more than a normal human should. Also in that arc, his desire to save Geiz instead of letting him save himself. All this makes Sougo seem narcissistic and like he has difficulty to understand his own faults, even when people like Geiz point them out. This trait is still present in his 2068 self, where Oma Zi-O regards him with a sense of nostalgia and pride, for a version of himself from 50 years ago. I think it's a big deal that the first time Sougo shows any hatred towards himself is when he finally meets Oma Zi-O, who implausibly claims to be the same greatest kindest demon king, despite murdering half of the planet. Oma Zi-O has a ridiculous amount of faith in his younger self, to the point where even being temporarily erased from existence is merely a small inconvenience. But maybe there's a desire for his younger self to surpass him as well, which might be the case now that Geiz is having such a constructive impact on Sougo's mental welfare whenever he's not trying to murder him.

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

Okay, but imagine if the title character of one of these shows really did just leave half-way through.

Not halfway, but literally the first Kamen Rider, Hongo, who left Japan to fight Shocker abroad.

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

The scene where Geiz convinces Sougo to take the driver is just iconic. Or at least I think it should be considered an all-time great! Technically speaking, the status quo is actually not that different. Sougo wants to be a king, and Geiz says he's ready to take him down if it goes bad. I love that with this episode though, both characters now have a completely new, stronger resolve behind them. Not only is Sougo choosing to commit to his dream no matter how much he fears the future and how much the whole world is telling him it's a bad decision, he'll do it because he's putting his trust in Geiz to stop him. It's so good...

For sure! Coming after the heartwarming and shippable dynamic of Sento/Ryuuga in the previous season, I feel like Sougo and Geiz needed a scene like this one in the dumpster, where they really get to shout at each other with sincere emotions. It's especially great character development for Geiz. After trying to (try and) stop the rise of Zi-O, now he's here facilitating it instead. It makes sense, pragmatically, as stopping Zi-O just makes it easier for the Time Jackers to appoint their own king. And so far, Sougo's the best candidate for the job. If "greatest kindest demon king" is a relative title, then that's still more applicable to him than to any of the Another Riders. It's not quite at the point where Geiz is willing to call Sougo a friend, but they've definitely reached an important point of mutual understanding.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

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.

Just like the Hyper Zecter. As long as the Zikuu Driver exists in the future, Woz can always bring it back to the present, good as new. Causality works both ways, so even if Sougo tries not to become a king, destiny will find a way to guide him back on that path. All Sougo can do is keep trying to become the greatest kindest demon king in the present, with the help of Geiz as his figurative Sword of Damocles, in hope of making a better future than the one he saw.

Anyway, I have a lot of thoughts about the next arc, so look forward to that in 2019! .... Or is it 2022?