[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 42 - “REIGN OF THE ARCHER”

It’s a declaration followed by a classic Kengo flip-out, where he cannot seriously believe that Gentarou would show up for a second afterschool training session with a Horoscope who likely murdered at least two of their friends, and has been manipulating them on multiple axes for almost a year by now. But, again, of course Gentarou would do that. There’s the logic to his belief – Virgo is up to something that he doesn’t want the other Horoscopes to know about, their missing friends likely aren’t dead, and backing Meteor clearly isn’t something that’d help the Horoscopes – but there’s also just the belief of Gentarou. Gen is sure there’s someone in there he can befriend, and he won’t discount the possibility just because it seems outlandish. If there’s a chance you can befriend someone, you’ve got to take it.

Gentaro later declares that he'd befriend Tachibana, but previously, after he sent Meteor to Dark Nebula, he understandably was enraged and rushed to attack him. I wonder though how long a hero (particularly Kamen Rider sensibility ones) would hold on into that rage after a villain severely harmed them, as for those who hopes they don't forgive villains, maybe them showing rage is viewed as a hope spot for them to have the hero rightfully hate said villain forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

This is a whole episode that’s about that belief, and the way friendship as a concept is a multiplier to the friendships themselves. Gen gains things from JK, Miu, Shun, and Yuuki being around, but he can still be their friend by supporting them when they’re not around, and they’re no less his friends – and their friendship is no less valuable – for a lack of constancy to their appearances. Gen cheering them on from afar boosts his spirits in the same way having them in his life on a daily basis boosts his spirits, giving a new understanding to Cosmic States. As long as he believes in his friends and wants them to be happy, the friendship has power, and so does Cosmic States.

I guess Gentaro also has things to learn, where mostly he's static (not a bad thing) protagonist who's generally about influencing the people around him, where though as a real friend should, he accepts them leaving the KRC and encourages them to be happy and focusing on their dreams, but he also felt that the KRC should be better to always stick together and fight off threats, but by being separated from them, he had doubt at first which was the real reason he can't use Cosmic States. Technically, Gentaro benefits from Tachibana attacking and kidnapping the KRC, but Gentaro is also proving Tachibana wrong about friendship being weakness, so I'd wonder if Tachibana's mindset should be enabled or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

First, Emoto/Tachibana/Virgo can append “/Corpse” to that long list of appellations, because no sooner than we get a beaming smile from Professor Alias to signify a turned leaf and a heartfelt embrace of Gen’s philosophy towards friendship, then we also get him being IMMEDIATELY ATTACKED by Sagittarius, giving us our first out-and-out fight between the fully-powered Riders and the main Horoscope, which naturally goes incredibly and combustibly terrible for the heroes. It’s the point in the story where the heroes need to know exactly how outmatched they are, which is Utterly. The fight itself is fiery, but kind of standard: Sagittarius no-sells, every attack is blocked or negated, and the villain leaves with an insulting and dismissive air. It’s not what the episode’s built around (that’d be Gen’s speech and Emoto’s change of heart) so it doesn’t really detract, but I found it a little formulaic. Useful to the narrative, but not especially dramatic.

Continuing with Cosmic States' showings, yeah, Gamou's debut as Sagitarius isn't really something special in fighting, as usual where fighting is often weaker part to me, for KR. There's a good part of Sagitarius raining arrows to finally defeat Fourze, but that's it. Sagitarius is clearly stronger than the rest, as expected of a big bad, but it's underwhelming to have Cosmic States, as usual, just attacking him with his sword, rather than trying various abilities with Switch combinations. Also wonder if even Meteor Storm can also use his Switches as well, albeit they may be weaker than his Meteor Storm Shaft.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Elsewhere, we got Emoto’s brief escape to implore Kengo to keep on Kengoin’ on, without imparting any new information that’d help the team combat the Horoscopes – who Sagittarius or Libra are, for example, seems like that could’ve been quick and come in handy – before getting murdered by an enraged Leo and a taunting Libra. Emoto got a nice little arc of all of this, getting redeemed by Gen’s unwavering faith in the power of friendship, and then he needed to shuffle off the stage before he could speed up the story. It’s the Fourze way!

Emoto fully turned good at the end, but yeah he still has committed crimes before, in how he murdered Rokuto, and that him choosing power over friendship was him straight up being evil due to jealousy over being behind Rokuto's shadow (wanting to be the Earth, not the Moon). Emoto accepting Gentaro's friendship seems to indirectly prove Emoto's view right though as, previously as a scientist, he operates with his brain, including being really secretive, but when turning a new leaf, he operates with his heart to have a heart-to-heart with the others, which just makes him vulnerable to the Horoscopes' attack, even though he was glad to make friends upon death.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Except in this setting though, murder can and has been undone and atoned for, as we saw with Ryusei's murder of Gentarou. It's also important to point out that murder isn't the only crime that's virtually impossible to undo. Like I said about Tomoko, it would've turned out badly for her if Emoto hadn't saved her, as her mental health is tied to how she expresses herself to others. You can undo brainwashing, but you can't undo trauma like turning off a Switch.

People do acknowledge how bad and traumatizing something bad can be, if it's something close to home, like abusive parents/guardians, people in positions of power trying to oppress minorities for the status quo they benefit from, those who bully others mercilessly, which'd be what's also seen as pure irredeemable monsters for how trauma from those moments can't be undone. But perhaps many people may tolerate cruelty far beyond normal experience like brainwashing, as they can't relate to them (and not being affected by them as well) unlike the mundane evil actions from those bullies they face in everyday lives, so villains like Sugiura (has no bodycount, doing outlandish crimes) may have dissociation from real life that is only meant for their entertainment, thus to them, what zero-kill villains do aren't that bad and is comparable to minor offenses.