[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 41 - “2019 - WORLD RESET”



Inevitably, we’ve reached the Darkest Timeline story. Pretty much expected of any series about time travel, you know? Hard to avoid the fun flip of a dystopia.

It makes sense to do it now. Some of it's because we went right from the high of Grand Zi-O’s 45-minute debut scene (rough estimate) to fighting Oma Zi-O in the Misery Fields of 2068. We had a hero who thought he was ready to claim victory, so he needs a taste of ultimate defeat. We can’t have Sougo thinking he’s wrapped everything up just because he’s collected enough roleplay items to access the endgame content, can we? We gotta humble him a bit.

The bigger reason to do it now, though, is because we need to have a final statement on Sougo’s dedication to being Kamen Rider Zi-O, and how his friendships are a part of that. We need a final But Why Heroism from him that encompasses all of Team Zi-O.

Thankfully, we’ve got Tsukasa here in his Tough Love -slash- Complete Asshole mode, to help Sougo navigate this strange new world of everyone hating him and wanting to kill him because they’re convinced he’s a world-destroying Kamen Rider. Can’t– can’t really explain why Tsukasa seems like the Legend Rider you want for this one, but I think I’ve got the gist.

There’s not a ton of stuff to dissect from this episode, since it’s a Darkest Timeline story. (It’s mostly just everyone forgetting Sougo, except for the part where they think he’s a villain.) Hiryuu’s back as Another Zi-O, and he’s just as laughably forgettable as last time. He ruined the world because he hates Sougo and can’t get over his anger, which is… I guess it’s a motivation? It lacks a sense of scale, which has always been my problem with Hiryuu. He’s mad about some accident Sougo survived from when they were both on a bus together a decade ago, and that’s all the show ever seems to come up with for him? It should read as intensely personal yet universal – the loss of both parents for reasons that are impossible to define – but there’s so little specificity to Hiryuu, so little sense of what he’s like when he’s not sneering at Sougo’s existence, that it’s difficult to feel any emotions about him besides Apathy. You might as well have a melon with a frowny-face drawn on it plunged onto the end of a broom, and had the Time Jackers make that thing Another Zi-O. Just waving some scowling melon-broom at Sougo while Woz cheers it on. Might work better for me!

I liked Tsukasa being here, though. He has a way of cutting through Sougo’s (very understandable!) self-pity and trying to get that kid to realize that his friendships can’t be taken from him by weird time magic, because he’s still the kid that made those friends. (Tsukasa is living proof of how valuable friendships can be while the universe is trying to undo your existence!) Also, boy, real sad to see him think that him losing all his friends is because he didn’t take on Oma Zi-O even more solo. Sougo! Your powers are not the Time Overlord stuff! They’re your innate empathy and boundless optimism! That is what drew these people to you in the first place! It’s the thing that Hiryuu could never replicate, because he is just a one-dimensional obstacle with a very weird headband!

This one’s a total Part 1 of ? episode, with a lot of time spent upending the status quo while backgrounding the more compelling (to me) emotional elements. But! That just means the next part can hit even harder for me. Looking forward to it!