[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I hope not! That's definitely not what I meant! Tsukuyomi is someone who has a more robust emotional toolkit than someone like Geiz, who only has a hammer in the shape of a martyr complex. Tsukuyomi's goal is to prevent a horrific future, but she's able to view Sougo as more than just the thing to kill to prevent a horrific future. Originally, she wanted to stick close to him for warning signs, and maybe help him avoid the ethical compromises that might turn him into a genocidal despot. Here, she sees him as way to defeat the more immediate threat of Hiryuu, and then something to deal with down the line.

No, I didn't refer to you either for this one, I'm just making a statement of my own regarding both character's approach based on how not immediately finishing off the enemy or approaching them gently is frequently seen as the stupid or naive move that would have them getting backstabbed, and that for Zi-O, maybe it can be applied to the main trio if there isn't an enough context watching that scene.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 43 - ?2019 - TSUKUYOMI CONFIDENTIAL?

It?s a smart move for the episode, but a dumb move for the series. The only thing that really matters in this episode is that Team Zi-O needs to defeat Hiryuu to get the world back to normal, and then take on Swartz. The why/what/how of Swartz?z plans and backstory are, in the moment, completely irrelevant. He?s just one more obstacle, the end. Spending even a single solitary second trying to understand anything Swartz tells Tsukuyomi is time that?s better spent on defeating their immediate foe.

Regardless if Swartz is terrible (written/performed), the reveal actually already happened in 28 back ago. It actually matters, because Tsukasa himself got his power stolen by Swartz for his own needs and creating Decade Ridewatch. Actually Swartz would be someone that is an evil version of Tsukasa soon. The other Time Jackers, due to realizing about how they're abused by Swartz, would also try to seek help to the main cast, well for Heure he had some leaning towards this before, but he's still doing villainous stuff before, but now Ora had to put her gigantic ego down for now, after believing that she's equal to Swartz when they're nowhere close. Now she's forced to grovel at the people she abused. Other than that, to dismiss Swartz as one more obstacle without taking into account of why/what/how is low-key similar to insisting any Kamen Riders to be like Geiz in their approach to enemy? Just kill off anyone who's "bad", regardless of context. Sure, Swartz is an irredeemable bastard, but so was Sougo in Geiz's eyes (and Ohma Zi-O too, in the future) to justify killing him.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But it?s all so dumb. It doesn?t make sense for Swartz to share his power with Heure and Ora, since he was always going to need it back and they contribute nothing of value to his schemes. It doesn?t make sense to leave a fully-powered Tsukuyomi alive in an alternate timeline, when he wanted her dead and needed her power. It doesn?t make sense to do all of the Another Rider schemes, since Swartz wanted the throne for himself this whole time. The idea that Swartz wants to be king is fine. The thought that he?d make his move now is reasonable. The reveal that this is all proceeding according to his design is a massive distraction, and a really disappointing plot development.

Don't know about Heure and Ora contributing nothing to his schemes. But to sum it up, for the Another Rider schemes (or Swartz being the one to actually try turning Sougo into Ohma Zi-O), Swartz wanting the throne is only, position. What a person should possess in that position also matters; Ohma Zi-O is known for his overwhelming power of why he can be a dictatorian ruler that is unbeatable by everyone. Without that the king would be easily overthrown by those who oppose them. Dunno though for him leaving Tsukuyomi, may be dumb at first glance here but probably is something that is explainable in the future.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

?Which only really matters if you care about the plot, and literally no one in this story does. It?s incredibly weird to have a dumb plot development - that?s going to make me less enthusiastic about this series in my memory going forward - occur in an episode that still manages to be entertaining. Such is the magic of Heisei Kamen Rider! It?s an episode that colossally bungles its series arc, but still concludes this three-parter with an enthusiastic focus on meat-and-potatoes tokusatsu storytelling and exhilarating character reunions. As dumb as the Swartz stuff is, the scene of Woz trying to make Geiz think that he worked under Woz as Zi-O?s servant was worth a hundred of those idiot reveals. Stuff like that is what I look for in a Kamen Rider series, not some tightly-woven series plot. That would be nice! But it?s not ruining my day if ain?t here.

Something someone's looking for in a series is a subjective stuff though, like those who hate Sougo and bash him as terrible (outside of his debut too) for not being someone like Tsukasa. The bitter and spiteful Hiryu, other than only acting as Swartz's pawn, here loses sympathy from even Sougo, now only criticizing him for being stuck in the past (which Hiryu takes as further insults ofc). Junichiro (with amnesia) attempts to rescue Tsukuyomi here, but of course he'd be ineffectual doing that, other than using kitchen appliances as 'armor', Tsukuyomi herself is also far more capable in fighting than him too, would get worse treatment, but it shows him caring for her. And for here yeah, Woz was being undercover under Swartz, and Sougo would obviously believe in him as he never got angry to people who are in his way like Woz or the murderous Geiz before.