[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 33 - “ARE DREAMS REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?”

It's not that rare for me to feel like Die isn't giving a Rider episode enough credit, but it's a lot less common for me to still feel that way with an episode he already likes. There are a million things about Zero-One I just kinda haven't said in here, but for whatever reason, I'm really fired up to talk about Vulcan and Valkyrie right now, because I want it known how fantastic this episode is, and only talking about whether or not Yua has a dream barely qualifies as scratching the surface. (Not to say that wasn't a thoughtful, well-written post, Die!)

One of the things I have mentioned in here, way back toward the start, is how Fuwa and Yua were both built from the ground up specifically to contrast each other. And "contrast" is always the key word with these two. Their Rider designs, their personalities, so on and so forth. Again, I said a lot of this already.

The contrast also extends to their character arcs, which is maybe critical to understanding why Yua is written the way she is.

Put simply, Fuwa and Yua have completely opposite trajectories for their development. Fuwa is a man imprisoned by his past, who learns to look forward; Yua is a woman trying to create a better future with technology, only to become trapped by every decision she's ever made. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Fighting Jackal Raider and Rampage Vulcan debut in the same two-parter, or that Fuwa's main opponent in that fight is the Jackal Raider. At the same time Fuwa ascends to the highest point he's ever reached, Yua sinks to the lowest depths she ever will. For over half the show, Fuwa has been learning and growing, arguably changing more dynamically than anyone else in the series, and he's rewarded for that effort by becoming the kind of hero he never could've been at first. In that same span of time, however, Yua has done nothing but stagnate. She's arguably changed and developed less than anyone else in the series, and she's punished for that inability to progress by being reduced to a mere monster of the week for the Kamen Riders to take down.

The way Fuwa and Yua's development bounces off each other was a huge part of what made episode 29 so great, and it very directly feeds into what makes episode 33 so great too. It's really the climax for both of their arcs at once? (Which is kinda perfect for two characters made to be a duo!)

Because 29, it wasn't actually the final word on either of them. Fuwa gave a dramatic speech, but it was a speech all about how he'll eventually have a motivation outside of righteous vengeance, and Yua hit rock bottom, but it's like, how content can she really be staying there? They both find their answers here, and the episode does a great job emphasizing how each of them is lifting the other up. Yua finally realizing she doesn't have to chain herself to ZAIA has a ton to do with Fuwa, and the dream Fuwa discovered is one he explicitly credits Yua for giving him the chance to fulfill.





(This is some of my favorite suit acting from Asai ever, by the way. Love how Vulcan's hand is visibly trembling as he's pointing his gun, really selling how intense the emotions Fuwa is going through are. He's trying to look brave, but letting go is probably the hardest thing he's ever done.)

I think Fuwa's memories turning out to be fabricated is a somewhat controversial twist, but honestly, I think it was 1000% the right call to emphasize the growth he's had. The Fuwa from the start of the series could've never handled being told everything that kept him going was a lie, but for the Fuwa in episode 33, it's a chance to cement once and for all that his past isn't what drives him anymore.

And of course, while all that's going on, you have Yua, racked with guilt after realizing just how much she's been complicit in, only for that to ultimately become the push she needs to finally decide a course of action for herself, standing up to a person who has done nothing but try to suppress her free will all this time. Yua's whole way of thinking has a ton to do with the idea that everything should serve its proper purpose, but it's only here that she figures out you're allowed to find a different purpose when the one you're currently serving isn't serving anyone else back.

...But you know, now that I think about it, I guess I'm just kind of scratching the surface here myself. No wonder Die decided to just focus on one thing! I only tried one more than that, and it was still too much! So yeah, there are plenty of things I'd still like to touch on about this episode itself, and these characters in general, and, and well, the show in general, even, but for now, I guess this is the gist of it. Vulcan and Valkyrie are both really great! Great enough to get me to actually say something substantial in here for the first time in a while, even, which is crazy, because this is far from the only episode in this stretch of Zero-One I'm particularly fond of.