[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 14 - ?WE?RE THE ASTRONAUT BROTHERS!?

And it?s? that?s sort of what?s interesting about the narrative?s reluctance to either judge or impede Fuwa?s self-destructive insanity. MetsubouJinrai did cause a disaster when he was a kid. They are responsible for acts of terror. Yua?s worried about him, but Gai?s willing to keep him out in the field as long as he continues to channel his rage in useful ways, which he has. People are generally worried about him (Aruto?s whole Are You Okay thing as Fuwa?s crawling on the ground, coughing up blood, sort of undersells the required dismay at Fuwa?s recent antics), but no one?s acting like he?s crossed any real lines. The universe seems to have given him the green light to get his revenge.

That idea is the most interesting part of Fuwa?s continuing story, because the lack of roadblocks or judgments puts the onus on Fuwa to realize his choice: just because you?re owed vengeance, it doesn?t mean you have to take revenge. If Fuwa?s vengeance comes at the cost of his happiness, his sanity, his relationships, his career, his health, his life? what?s the point? And, if it only cost him his happiness, was even that too much to pay?

I guess this is an example where Isamu embodies the tragic parts of Showa Rider. His admirable dedication to his mission, even at the cost of all those things. He's an unstoppable force and there's no object he cannot move, no Progrise Key he cannot pry open, so if he feels like he wants to pursue the revenge and justice that he's owed, then nobody is going to be able to talk him out of it. Even coughing up blood is something he can overcome with his pure determination, similar to Geiz Revive. That's just the kind of man he is, a Rider first, a human second, which unfortunately doesn't leave much to enjoy in his life, but he's definitely authentic in his strong beliefs and prepared to act on them.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE SO-DO AI 04: KAMEN RIDER VULCAN - ASSAULT WOLF

This is a form that I don?t like aesthetically ? it?s not a Figuart I?m aching to get, assuming they produced it ? but I appreciate narratively. It?s not fun to look at, but, like, neither is self-destructive mania! Everything about Assault Wolf should be slightly unpleasant, bordering on scary.

And it is! We already touched on my favorite element, the furious reactor where a heart should be, but the rest of it is equally gross: red lights and lines everywhere, aggressive shoulderpads, basically zero humanity. It looks like the kind of form an evil anti-human satellite would produce, and the kind of form Fuwa would not learn any lessons from.

I think the navy and black darkness with malicious red lines creates a pretty cool and imposing appearance, which is totally appropriate for a suit that was designed by the hateful edgy Ark. Even the white base suit beneath changes to a darker grey color. Easily my favorite Vulcan form so far, but without a doubt the least heroic-looking.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The SO-DO version is remarkably accurate, even giving him Zero-One?s brand-new gun to carry.

Oh yeah, haha, the Authorise Buster. Humorous story about that. I kind of like this weapon in the show, but Bandai's DX merchandise version has such a laughable flaw. Guess where they put the button to change between gun and axe mode?

In the muzzle! Literally the most dangerous part of a gun, they put the button there!

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Originally Posted by Frontier

I always like to assume that after realizing how much of a hassle it is for Arutor to summon the bike and then have them drag it back into space (man, that's got to be a lot of work just for a bike), he decided to stop using it less. Not that he had really been using it much anyways.

It's a great meta excuse for the staff to limit bike scenes. In universe though, storing the bike in Zea is totally impractical.

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Originally Posted by Frontier

I liked Raiden's energy and bro vibe, especially with his little bro. Like an old school Humagear who really felt like a human. Which added the sense of tragedy when it turns out he was, unbeknownst to himself, a secret spy for Metsuboujinrai as Ikazuchi. Like, the dude just wanted to mentor his little brother and get him ready for the future! Don't do him like that! I feel like they didn't quite grapple with the emotional tragedy going on.

I enjoyed seeing Isamu and Raiden butt heads, due to how similar they are on the surface with their inclination towards yelling and confrontations. It's the first time we've seen a HumaGear show their singularity in a prideful way, with Raiden actually standing up for himself and not just taking Isamu's rudeness. Unfortunately, this ambitious HumaGear suddenly goes all My Name Is Viktor Reznov on everybody by turning in to his original Ikazuchi identity, leaving his little brother Subaru alone to figure out what he should do and whether or not his familial relationship was even real.

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Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

Bit of a rough day, let's hope Zero One can punch up my spirits! It's Episode 14~

Gotta ask for the folks who were watching this live at the time, the Dodo Rider not being Lil Assassin, did that hurt?

I recall there was speculation at the time that Ansatsu-chan was going to become Kamen Rider Ikazuchi, since we didn't know there was an actual dude called Ikazuchi. It was a little sad to see Ansatsu-chan reach his peak so soon, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 15 - ?EACH ONE?S END?

I like Aruto?s view of Humagears as his family. In a way, it?s nothing more than the idea of a found family ? a staple of Kamen Rider shows for decades ? blown up to a societal degree. It?s Aruto taking his responsibilities as both a Kamen Rider and a CEO, combining them, and amplifying them with his own unique backstory. Sort of no surprise that this episode ends with him getting a hybrid upgrade form, is it?

Technically, if you consider that HumaGears were all manufactured by Korenosuke, "born" from him, then it makes sense why Aruto would see them as family. They're all his aunts and uncles, basically, even Horobi and Jin. I mean, some people will say something trite like, "blood is thicker than water", but oil is even thicker, you know? Like how Seiji commissioned Seine to be his replacement daughter, yeah, that example is a little messed up, but it's better than treating someone as a disposable tool. HumaGears were invented to help humanity, therefore, humanity should engage emotionally with HumaGears to bring out the best in them. Any healthy relationship depends on symbiosis, mutual gain and respect, or else it will eventually stagnate or fall apart.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE SO-DO AI 04: KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - SHINING ASSAULT HOPPER

I don?t love it? My favorite things about Zero-One suits have been cleanliness, tight color schemes, and aerodynamics, so here?s a multicolor suit with spiked shoulderpads. It?s the busiest suit on this show yet, and it?s the exact opposite of what I enjoy in Zero-One suit design. No thanks!

I think the yellow and blue work as polar opposite colors, with Zero One representing the rift between humans and HumaGears, Zea and Ark. It has more details to look at anyway, with all the new attachments over Shining and introducing the Shine System. A neat detail is the chest reactor, which changes from Assault Wolf's malicious red to a compassionate blue, which is also the brand color of Hiden Intelligence.