[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KIKAI SENTAI ZENKAIGER EPISODE 20 - “THE SWORDSMAN AND THE PIRATE’S BROTHERLY OATHS”

I mean, a lot of that is the way it subverts the Damsels In Distress schtick that the Specter special sadly leaned into for its finale. When Magine and Reika showed up to the big battle at the pier, having already broken themselves out – because they are both superheroes, of course they could break themselves out – I was so goddamn happy. I like that this episode of a completely different show addressed the weird way these guys seem to, like, take ownership of women in the name of protection, instead of treating them with a modicum of respect and dignity. Zenkaiser (I don’t know any of their names except Vroom and Magine) helps center Ryoga by getting him to have faith in his sister, rather than succumb to fear and anger out of a lack of control. It’s very smart, and incredibly appreciated.

It's a great one, though I'd still also wish that people like Kanon, the original one (not Reika-esque fake Kanons) also can get this treatment. Though logically it wouldn't make sense that a Rider beginner wouldn't fare as well (albeit there's a kinda bizzare part of Kanon pushing away grunts with bare hands late in Ghost). Actually Sentais mandatorily featuring the girls as another fighter in the core team (though I didn't know how overshadowed they're compared to others, though it can apply to likely non-red Sentais), thus iirc there can be more varied type of personalities of girls who became superheroes, of which Magine is the mostly shy and meek type but can exhibit rare creepiness (from what I read).

But Kamen Rider has many of the females having supporting roles, and the ones who are made prominent Riders (as in, not one time only) are mostly the ones more cold and ruthless type (this one's a superhero who is a former supervillain but still not fully tamed now), like how the seemingly quite wide theory of Mei becoming next Espada never happened. And thus among the Riders it's more expected that Reika would be the one they gave better treatment, in fights (as she's seen as shafted for being reduced to fawning for Ryoga). Though so far Reika has never been shafted in fights, she had a spectacular debut as Sabela after all and did good job to Solomon in last Saber episode talked about here. Though KR still also can shaft these type of girls as Riders too like Yua.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And also: I like that Reika has a new friend at the end of the episode? It’s such a cute, sad moment. I don’t think Reika ever had a friend before. Her brother was up on a pedestal, and I definitely got the impression that everyone at work hated her. With, y’know, good cause, but still. So it was nice to see her make a friend (or more, your call) of her fellow superheroine hostage, and for her to have absolutely no idea how to communicate that to Magine. It was adorable, and one of my Top 10 favorite Saber things, even if it didn’t actually happen in a Saber episode.

I feel that it's not an unfortunate situation or something (if you'd frame it as a sad situation) that Reika has no friend before. She was a bad person before (and as fellow superheroine here, Magine looks to be the one to be more concerned about the other victims when she reported that to others), and also the type to views relationship as weakness, like when she forces Ogami to sacrifice his family to follow SoL's cause, or badmouthing Daishinji for his decision to join Touma and mocking Ogami for standing up for him. Thus it's on her to not make friends. I guess her defrosting by more openly fawning to Ryoga isn't entirely about being less quite but still rude, but on a few occassions she can make actual friends too in at least Magine.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Still, a very fun little team-up of some outgoing Sentai guys I don’t know super well, and the two most unfriendly and taciturn swordsmen that Saber had to offer. Very clever to build the two-parter around Orihime and Hikoboshi, since it gives you two similar enemies to fight across two different shows. It’s honestly set a pretty high bar for Super Hero Senki to clear, but this episode’s deft handling of mismatched teamwork has me feeling fairly confident in its chances.

I do think that Ryoga has more highlights in this episode, as previously I saw him mostly as male Reika who is introduced to reduce Reika into his simp (and I feel that she can do fine without him being introduced in story). Ryoga seems to start gaining his comically taciturn traits here with his disguises as well as his introductory scene. Also perhaps a more unusual take where Ryoga doesn't fit pretty boy type like many of the character subjected to crossdressing like Philip in W (but also doesn't get seen as hideous in-universe). Otherwise, other than being unfriendly, they also had the ruthlessness to attack people just because they're allies of Zox, but there are no cases of them talking about Zox's good qualities to ally with them (like Ren among Saber's cast)... I've known about the explanation before, but now the villain's schemes is more clear, to kidnap women who might look like Orihime.

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Originally Posted by r4bbitdragon

Oh, misunderstanding. Zox is not a more heroic character in the main show. He's a pirate, first and foremost, and they only barely got him to stop robbing people (in this world) and he will still endanger civilians without direct Zenkaiger intervention. Part of the theme of Zenkaiger is adjusting and dealing with alternate world views, so Zox plays into that by giving them someone with no respect for the general social mores of their world that they have to try and corral and work with/around anyways.

While Zox very much fits the definition of pirate, I guess I'd have to say that occupations alone don't determine their morality. Like, people aren't inherently bad (or mostly bad if they have good traits) for being a part of an evil like having mafia or cult ties, or having criminal reputation, and that for the reverse, people aren't inherently good (or mostly good if they have bad traits) for being a part of 'heroic' occupations such as cops, soldiers, doctors, etc. It's not that Zox has bad traits solely because he's a pirate but as you said, his action is robbing people and reaching his goals without care.