[Zolda]

Yep. The rumor is confirmed to be true:
The (main) writer is indeed Yuuya Takahashi. It seems like he's having quite a hard time finding jobs outside of this franchise.

I see a 99,999% probability that KR Zeztz's story is gonna be super-duper-hyper-mega-ultra-uber absurd and convoluted with a gazillion of asspull and convenient stupidity. Like I've hypothesized since post my very 1st post way back in late March 2025 here, the absurdity would mainly come from the characters' ability to change (or even manipulate) reality by changing things in the dream realms, which means that at some point reality and dreams would blur into one mess of absurdity. As usual, by combining make-a-wish and reality-altering/-bending/-manipulation premises, Yuuya Takahashi is basically giving himself a gazillion of blank cheques.
KR Zeztz = KR (God forbid) Geats v2.0.0build2025.09.07 x 1 trillion???

I have several new hypotheses:
- That Nox guy who is said to be a mysterious man wandering aimlessly in the dream realms could be a combination of Alain/KR Necrom, Chase/KR Chaser, and Spanner Kurogane/KR Valvarad. He could be the rumored 2nd Rider (KR Yezz) or the 3rd Rider. Although he's said to be the one who is commanding the Nightmares, could he also be the rogue agent I hypothesized in my post here? Or he could be a former agent who is trapped in the limbo due to his recklessness and or an accident in one of his past missions, similar to the characters in Inception who had a serious possibility of being trapped in the limbo (a formless, boundless world of pure dreams/ideas) if they penetrate the dream world(s) too deep and or stay there for too long, making it hard for him to be able to tell the difference between dreams and reality. His character arc could involve him trying to wake up, which means that he's not actually wandering in the dream realms, but trapped there. Perhaps he made a pact with the true leader of the Nightmares where his goal is to finally escape the dream realms back into reality, or he just went totally insane and decided to collude with the Nightmares. His actual body could be somewhere sleeping inside his nice apartment/house, albeit in a vegetative state, haha. I've also liked the actor (Yuuki Furukawa) since he co-starred with Honoka Yahagi (who played Mezool's human form in KR OOO) in Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo in 2013, so it's really nice to see him in the KR franchise. I'm stoked about his character.
- My hypothesis about the heroine in my post here was quite correct. The heroine's name does have something to do with sleep or dream. Her name's Nemu aka sleepy. Although she's said to work as a tarento, she could likely be a non-human, very likely the same species as the enemies (Nightmares), and she's some kind of a (secret) liaison between the protagonist/agents and the organization (CODE) (or even the enemies!), hinted by her name which is a state between wakefulness and sleep. Oh, and it seems like she's changing costumes to suit the dream realms that she and Baku are entering, similar to Tsukasa Kadoya/KR Decade who always changed costumes every time he entered a new alternate world. This could be a hint that my hypotheses here, here, and here about the dream realms (and the ones stored inside Capsems) being alternate/parallel universes could be correct.
- Unlike the uber-dumb police in KR (God forbid) Gavv, it's nice to see 2(!) police detectives (Tetsuya Fujimi and Nasuka Nagumo) among the main characters. They look like the slightly more serious, more competent version of Mikio Jinno and Shun Makura/Makki. Nasuka is giving me the Rinko Daimon vibe from KR Wizard. Heck, even their attires and hairstyles are very similar, haha. At least the Tokyo police department is doing their job properly in this story. Also, at least one of them, or one of their close friends or immediate family members would likely be a victim of the Nightmares in earlier episodes.
- Minami (Baku's younger sister) is said to work as a talent manager. Perhaps Baku would get acquainted to Nemu through her job as a talent manager.
- The robot-bike (Zero) is likely used for traversing between reality and dream realms, similar to the Lock Vehicles (Sakura Hurricane, Rose Attacker, etc) in KR Gaim that allowed the Riders to enter and exit the Helheim forest.
- The plot twist that could later appear is:
The supposed top-level reality that the protagonists are said to be living in is actually just also another layer of dream, and Nemu has been looking for Baku there. It means that the one who is trapped inside the dream realms is not only Nox, but also Baku.
- All the other people (Minami, Tetsuya, Nasuka, etc) inside the supposed top-level reality could actually be just projections created by Baku's mind, and their names/personalities/connections to Baku/jobs/etc may or may not match the real ones, similar to Inception on how the dreams of human minds can create projections of real people, including dead ones, and even recreated places from the distant past. Minami is said to be Baku's younger sister, but in reality, she could be his neighbor. Tetsuya is said to be a police detective, but in reality, he could be Baku's uncle. Nemu is said to be a national tarento who Baku is a fan of, but in reality, she could be his girlfriend. Heck, the name "Baku Yorozu" itself could be just a nickname he gave to himself, not his real name, as many people have mentioned that "baku" is the name of a mythological chimerical beast that devours nightmares. "Baku Yorozu" could be a pseudonym, a nickname, a palindrome, or even the acronym of a group of people, which means that "Baku Yorozu" could be a composite character.
- This kind of existential plot twist is also similar to the ones during the last several minutes of eXistenZ (1999), where a group of virtual-reality video game beta testers who were supposed to have exited from the game couldn't tell the difference between reality and simulation; The Thirteenth Floor (1999), where the top-level reality that the female protagonist was supposed to come from could also be just another layer of computer simulation; SSSS.Gridman (2018), where it was revealed during the last 2 episodes that the protagonists were actually saving the villainess from her own dream world; or Inception itself, where it was hinted at during the ending that the protagonist himself (Dom Cobb) could be dreaming during the entire story.
- This "the real world is actually just another layer of dream realms" trope could potentially explain the hypothesis I mentioned in the 2nd paragraph above. The characters (especially Baku and Nox/the Nightmares) could manipulate the real world by changing the dream realms, because, well, the real world is just another layer of dream realms, not the actual real world. How many layers of dream realms are there? Is it turtles all the way down (aka the infinite regress)? Don't know!

Mmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyybbbbbbbbbbeeeeeeeeee...

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

Meh.

Yeah, I feel that way too. Very very very mediocre Rider designs paired with the most atrocious writer in toku/anime right now. The only thing that makes me interested in this series is because Yuuki Furukawa is starring as Nox.

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Originally Posted by GuardianAngel87

And Toei once again showcases blatant favoritism towards a very certain writer.

I've read some fans in several Japanese KR fandom forums rumoring that the reason why Takahashi is the most often preferred one by Toei/Bandai is because he's a yes man who will do pretty much anything to appease Bandai's whim, at the expense of his own scripts (and career).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byg42

I'm not going to lie, Takahashi being the main writer was a bit of a make or break factor for my interest in Zeztz. I don't entirely dislike most of Takahashi's work, but I've come to realize that his writing style and quirks just doesn't really appeal to what I'm personally looking for in a toku show nowadays. Similarly, this is partly why I never managed to stick with Kingohger, since Takano was Takahashi's understudy and thus Kingohger had a lot of the same writing quirks.

Yes, Takano was Takahashi's padawan. The atrocities in King-Ohger were basically the Diet Coke version of the ones in KR (God forbid) Geats. Narrative chaos and absurdity (and shock factor, especially in Takahashi's works) is the name of their game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Well, while Geats is definitely my least favorite Kamen Rider, I seem to be more sympathetic to Takahashi's nomination. Partially because at least a third of my complaints about Geats are definitely not Takahashi's fault, so I'm sure even if he uses the same script with the names changed, it will be better. Hopefully.

Takahashi will be better? Seriously, bruh? He's getting worse and worse and worse and worse and worse with each of his series/films. KR Ex-Aid was ironically his least atrocious work, despite being his first try in this franchise and written during his 5th or 6th year as a writer. KR (God forbid) Geats was the ultimate evidence that that guy is a talentless hack. The atrocity that was KR (God forbid) Geats' script was 100% Takahashi's fault and 100% Naomi Takebe's fault.

At this point, I better hope that my dogs will suddenly grow wings tomorrow morning and fly to the sun than hope that Takahashi will write stories that are not convoluted, not absurd, and not atrocious.

[GoldenXtreme]

I know I already said I was almost certain that Yuuya Takahashi was writing just based on the setting and character descriptions but AAAAAAAARGH. I have zero confidence in this dang show, it looks generic and has the most controvertial and overrepresented writer of the modern era back at it. I think they are seriously misjudging the international fanbase if this is what they are trying to use to get everyone excited for a simulcast.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

Takahashi will be better? Seriously, bruh? He's getting worse and worse and worse and worse and worse with each of his series/films. KR Ex-Aid was ironically his least atrocious work, despite being his first try in this franchise and written during his 5th or 6th year as a writer. KR (God forbid) Geats was the ultimate evidence that that guy is a talentless hack. The atrocity that was KR (God forbid) Geats' script was 100% Takahashi's fault and 100% Naomi Takebe's fault.

Well, while I like both Ex-Aid and Zero-One much more than Geats, I have to admit that from a purely technical standpoint of story writing, Geats is better. If only because the story itself fits within the show, rather than ended up in a summer movie that some viewers will watch six months later, and some will skip altogether. So Takahashi is clearly improving.
But I must add to my previous post that I share the fear that Takahashi may confuse the already not very simple topic of the connection between dreams and reality, making a contradictory tangle out of it. Still, I hope that we will get at least a dozen episodes of fun adventures in the world of dreams before the show turns into endless intrigue, betrayal and tragedy.

[Byg42]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

snip

Since you're quoting me, I just want to clarify that my feelings on Takahashi and by extension Takano's work is more indifference than anything else. I get why their works are popular and not for nothing, they do resonate with a lot of people. However, after over 10 years of watching toku, I've come to understand the type of show that I like to watch, and Takahashi shows doesn't really fall into that ballpark for me anymore.

[Enchilada645]

I wasn't going to comment, other than I'm willing to give Takahashi a chance here because I don't mind his shows that much and he's saddled with a different production crew this time around alongside a new filming process.

But I do want to address one thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

If only because the story itself fits within the show, rather than ended up in a summer movie that some viewers will watch six months later, and some will skip altogether. So Takahashi is clearly improving.

And that's what I feel is the slight ignorance that this statement produces. If only because I didn't know Takahashi wrote Decade, the only Rider series so far to have a cliffhanger ending.

Listen, dislike how Ex-Aid and Zero-One ended all you want, they ended. I get it, True Ending seems like a confusing title, but it really isn't when you think about it. It's just a post-series chapter like a post-game extra story in a video game. And don't try and point towards the Eden cameo in the credits for Zero-One's final episode. That is not on the level of "We're starting a fight and now our Secondary is aiming a gun at our Protagonist's head to end the episode before we cut to a trailer full of fake scenes that advertises itself as the conclusion" that Decade did. They had a story arc they started in Episode 42 that ended in Episode 45.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

And that's what I feel is the slight ignorance that this statement produces. If only because I didn't know Takahashi wrote Decade, the only Rider series so far to have a cliffhanger ending.

Listen, dislike how Ex-Aid and Zero-One ended all you want, they ended. I get it, True Ending seems like a confusing title, but it really isn't when you think about it. It's just a post-series chapter like a post-game extra story in a video game. And don't try and point towards the Eden cameo in the credits for Zero-One's final episode. That is not on the level of "We're starting a fight and now our Secondary is aiming a gun at our Protagonist's head to end the episode before we cut to a trailer full of fake scenes that advertises itself as the conclusion" that Decade did. They had a story arc they started in Episode 42 that ended in Episode 45.

For me, Johnny Makishimа's frequent appearances in the show justify the name "True Ending." We know he's a villain and he did his share of villainy in the show, but he wasn't punished. For a kids' show, that's enough to give the show an unfinished feel. With Zero One, yes, you can admit that Eden's cameo is forced, but it didn't have to be there. In the end, Geats didn't have a Geats X cameo in the finale, so Takahashi did make some conclusions.
As for Decade, even though I consider it objectively the worst show in the franchise, its ending irritates me less, because:
A) A show without a plot can do without an ending;
B) Tsukasa being beaten up by all Heisei riders and then shot in the head by Diend is quite satisfying to me as a finale. The trailer you mentioned was either cut from my version, or I just didn't remember it.

[Enchilada645]

So for Eden, like, you're aware Rider likes to promo their upcoming movies right? I'm pretty sure that's why they included him, to promote a summer film that got pushed back because of Covid.

Also checking, Johnny had two appearances in Ex-Aid. One that was just an image of him, and the other I'm pretty sure was him saying "No" to Masamune in terms of a business deal and he probably postured in an evil manner to promote the upcoming summer film.

Which you know... is pretty much the X Geats and Melo cameo in Geats, in which they're watching the Geats vs. Tycoon fight and are all like "This doesn't matter, their world's fate is sealed" which is alluding to their movie which people have agreed takes place after the series ending.

So if we go by your logic, it's pretty much the same thing.

[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Frontier

She looks cute!

Agreed!

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Originally Posted by Eclipyon

Kamen Rider Lopo is the female investigator!!!

Hell yeah!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byg42

Similarly, this is partly why I never managed to stick with Kingohger, since Takano was Takahashi's understudy and thus Kingohger had a lot of the same writing quirks.

I think it's a little unfair to dismiss Takano for his past work as Takahashi's understudy, as he's made a good career for himself outside of Tokusatsu since the end of EX-Aid. Regarding your problem with King-Ohger, it's worth pointing out that the producer was Ohmori, who's notorious for being a meddlesome man and a dinosaur fanatic, which should explain at least one part of the show that wasn't Takano's fault.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Well, while I like both Ex-Aid and Zero-One much more than Geats, I have to admit that from a purely technical standpoint of story writing, Geats is better. If only because the story itself fits within the show, rather than ended up in a summer movie that some viewers will watch six months later, and some will skip altogether. So Takahashi is clearly improving.

Yeah, I can see improvements, however slow and mild. Feels like Geats, in contrast to previous Takahashi shows, actually finishes when Geats IX defeats Suel for the first time and everything after that is like V-Cinema, the main reason being that Ace's story is essentially over and the focus changes to the other main Riders, other than Win. I hope for Zeztz that Takahashi can find a better balance between the mess of EX-Aid and Zero One and the haste of Geats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

But I must add to my previous post that I share the fear that Takahashi may confuse the already not very simple topic of the connection between dreams and reality, making a contradictory tangle out of it. Still, I hope that we will get at least a dozen episodes of fun adventures in the world of dreams before the show turns into endless intrigue, betrayal and tragedy.

Now that I think about it, the concept of Zeztz being an agent in a dream world reminds me of Akibaranger's delusion world, which also bled in to reality but in a way that was generally consistent. I think Takahashi should take inspiration from this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Listen, dislike how Ex-Aid and Zero-One ended all you want, they ended.

Fair point. They still had loose ends of course, but yeah, that's not the same as what happened in Decade. If Yonemura returned as often as Takahashi, I think the complaints would be even louder. Personally, I think all of these endings were pretty disappointing and yet, Inoue (Toshiki) usually gets the criticism for this.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

So if we go by your logic, it's pretty much the same thing.

Logic yes, but taste no. There are such things as key points on which attention will be focused in any case, and the ending is one of the most important. This is the very reason why the next rider is shown in the last episode, or even dedicated to him this very episode. For advertising, you can just insert Eden at the beginning or middle of the last episode, and at the very end he literally screams:
"After this, watch the movie!"
But I don't even remember the cameo in Geats. Decide for yourself whether it's a plus or a minus, but personally I can't be angry about something I don't remember.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Now that I think about it, the concept of Zeztz being an agent in a dream world reminds me of Akibaranger's delusion world, which also bled in to reality but in a way that was generally consistent. I think Takahashi should take inspiration from this.

I'm afraid that the concept of dream actions could lead to impunity or a twisted morality, which was in Geats due to the world reset. When people are sacrificed or the person who led the gang can become a police officer. To be honest, at first this device seemed promising to me, but in the end it turned out to be more of a hindrance to the plot and character development. Like how Neon fought back against her mother, but then they had plot-justified amnesia several times and it stretched out the family drama throughout the entire show.
But again, it's too early to criticize Zeztz. First we'll have to see how the nightmare-fighting rider spies are implemented.