[DreamSword]

Episode #12: Versus Road

In a fight to the death, what kind of idiot thinks about anything other than victory?

Kuon is that idiot. And as far as Garo is concerned, that's what makes him worthy to wear the golden armor.

There are certainly many parallels between Kuon and Shosetsu. Both are, at their core, doing their best to stick to their core values while standing in a world of ugliness. The key difference, however, is what they do when faced with the end.

Shosetsu gave into despair and temptation. And soon would become the very type of monster that he swore to rid the world of. But Kuon? His heart has been wounded in a way that might never fully heal, certainly. But even then, he still tries to value the sanctity of life. Shosetsu no longer does.

It speaks volumes of Kuon's' character development that, in the end, he outright denies Azami any sort of satisfaction. Sure, she claims the Veil for herself, and she's yet to pay for her crimes. But Kuon outright giving her a non-answer when she's looking for even more fuel to make him suffer? That interaction is one that'll nag at her mind for the rest of her life.

The battle was long and difficult in more ways than one, and while Kuon is now Garo, he just doesn't want anything to do with that life. Atleast not now. Maybe in the future he'll find reason to leap into action again. Heck, given what we see of him, that's almost a certainty. But after all that's happened, having a constant reminder of all of the bloodshed isn't going to help anything, and he leavs the Garoken in the frozen wastes.

And speaking of that fight, the climax is our first Makai Knight duel, and I really dug how unique it was in comparison to literally every other fight in the GARO franchise. Garo's' sword is certainly mighty, but Kuon is no trained swordsman. But you know what he's always been good at? Throwing hands. Seeing a Garo who simply results to brute force was certainly a sight, and it's the sort of throwdown that alot of people who dislike the ending of Kamen Rider Kuuga were likely hoping for.

It's such a shame that this show is likely to never get a follow up. While I am overall satisfied with the ending, it's the sort of thing where I for sure would love to see more of this particular universe. Heck, I'd even settle for figuarts of VR Garo and Veil. And hey, maybe me, as The Only Versus Road Fan, will be lucky enough to see something come out of the 20th Anniversary of GARO come next year.

In the end, I really like this show. It's not perfect, but I had a great time watching it. And that's frankly all that matters.