[Tokumonkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Actar

It's definitely suspicious, since the DGP is premised on defeating "world-ending" threats. Love the mystery, but one of my nitpicks is that the characters don't ask the obvious questions. (^.^')

I think the apparent lack of curiosity on the part of the players is just the writers room playing for time until the show's first Big Reveal, which gives viewers time to try to work it out on their own.

At this point, I'll be very surprised if the people running the DGP aren't the people controlling the Jyamato. Why is DGP gamified rather than being a professional world-protecting organization? Why are the Riders' upgrades - and thus, their likelihood of successfully repelling the invaders - left to chance? Why aren't they selecting for players who know how to fight, rather than seemingly-random people off the street? Why are the players given incentive to compete instead of cooperate? Who is the intended audience for the Desire Grand Prix?

Sure, the DGP is apparently kept hidden from humanity, but who says humanity is the target audience?

Naturally, the answer to all these questions could simply come down to "Toei wanted the next Kamen Rider to ape Squid Game," but making the people who run the Desire Grant Prix the overall villains of the series (or at least their amoral enablers) would make for pretty good television. A structure that pivots away from the game toward defeating the Jyamato's overlords would also explain why our three-four core Riders are getting more character development than everyone else, since the series implies the DGP can have only one winner, and we're already to the final round. (I wouldn't be wholly surprised if Buffa gets eliminated; he's just less interesting than everyone else.) I can see maybe one more DGP happening, in which the players finally start asking the right questions, before the series pivots.

I could be entirely wrong, but even the images in the opening sequence suggest that the DGP isn't to be taken at face value.

I wonder whether Ace even has the option to quit playing, or if he's stuck because he's too popular with the audience.