[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreshToku

4. THAT THIS ISN'T EVEN THE FINAL BATTLE

Hey, let's talk about What Oma Zi-O Means.

(I actually wanted to goof on the Chase stuff from this episode, but that can wait until later. I thought it was super funny, though!)

Here's the thing about Oma Zi-O: it's not about defeating him. Of all the things I don't want this show to do, and am terrified it'll happen in the finale, the worst would be for Sougo to defeat Oma Zi-O, once and for all.

The beauty of Oma Zi-O as a villain, and the thing that makes him maybe my favorite Heisei villain, is that he can't ever really be defeated. He's Sougo's potential for evil, and Sougo can't ever really extinguish that within himself. He can't ever Finally Defeat his darker impulses, or his self-loathing, or his Imposter Syndrome, or his misplaced guilt, because we can't ever Finally Defeat those things. He exists as a potentiality, as a worst case scenario.

And yet, Sougo can defeat him every single day. Every day that Sougo makes good choices, and cares about his friends, and helps strangers, and doesn't give in to his self-destructive tendencies, is a day that Oma Zi-O never exists. Every day that we support each other, care for ourselves, and work to make a better future is a day that we win, too.

That's the point of him, to never lose the war but always lose the battle.

My favorite metaphor that Oma Zi-O fills is an addiction metaphor. Anyone who's ever struggled with dependency, or had a loved one struggle with it, knows that recovery isn't ever a completed process. It starts with acknowledging that the problem is internal, not external. (Like when Sougo meets Oma Zi-O in the future.) It gets better by accepting that the problem is something you can exercise control over, even if it seems like a part of you won't allow it. (Like when Sougo gets the Zi-O II Ridewatch.) The battle gets easier by depending on other people, by accepting that some things can't be handled alone. (Trinity Form.) And then it just goes on, forever, a series of daily battles to create a future that's better than your past. (I'm sure I don't need to explain this one.)

I don't-- I don't want to say that your issues with this plotline aren't relevant. There's structural stuff that this episode maybe could've done a better job with, even if I'd need to have other people point them out to me. But Oma Zi-O's usage in this series has been an absolute highlight for me, and I thought this episode was a terrific showcase for his value in the narrative.