[DISCUSSION] Kamen Rider Zi-O, Episode 38

[SamuraiEchidna]

Even if the Kabuto TV show said that the Gatack Zector was the strongest, I still have my doubts. They really have to prove it me through action/visual representation. Tokusatsu hero shows have a habit of introducing a character/device/power-up, calling it the strongest, but then making its overall presence on the show equal to any other hero. The same can be said for Gatack. That kind of Rider power was definitely suited for Kagami's rough and tumble style, but at the end of the day, Gatack isn't much different than any of the other Zect Riders. His arsenal was amazing, but it's not like he was one-shotting monsters and other Riders. If the movie is canon, he couldn't even beat the gold rider Caucasus.

To me, when Kagami met Sougo, he seemed older. Not just his actor, but the actual character himself. If Kagami has been fighting Worms for a long time even after the Kabuto TV show, then maybe he is a slightly different person now. Maybe he's not as wild and rough as he use to be. Maybe now he's ready to be a bit more focused and fight a bit more elegantly, like Kabuto. All he needed to do was believe in himself and stop waiting for Tendou to help save the day, and that's why the Kabuto Zector was willing to acknolledge him for once. And it probably is just this once. If Sougo returns all the Rider powers to their owners by the end of the series, chances are Tendou could easy regain his Kabuto Zector again. Just because he's worthy, I doubt Kagami would want to keep it anyways.

 

[Hangyakuno]

Well, my problem with plot is not "Why Kagami get acknowledged by Kabuto Zecter?" but "Why Kagami must get acknowledged by Kabuto Zecter?".
He hadn't any desire to be Kabuto because his desire was only to become Kamen Rider or get hold of power to prove his justice. He got TheBee when he put his faith to ZECT's justice and finally Gattack came to him after he found his own justice. He want Kabuto Zecter in earlier episode was because he believe that Zecter was only solution to defeat Worm until he learn about existence of other Zecter, and after that he never show any intent to become Kabuto until this show (um, he want to be as strong as Kabuto in HBV, though).

It is true that to defeat Another Kabuto, we need Kabuto power. But did Kagami really need to say Kabuto Zecter acknowledged him? He was already lost that desire since he get his first Zecter and Kabuto Zecter was not designed to choose anyway. I mean, in next arc, will Momotaros have to say to his Den-O Pass that Ryotaro acknowledged him to become Den-O? No, because Momotaros was already his own Den-O apart from Ryotaro's Den-O and Rider Pass have no authority to choose.

 

[Japaneseseriesfan]

Tendou was mean to be unique character, always did everything perfectly minus heart to felt empathy to anyone outside his family, even though he declare he will do justice to something as small as amoeba.

But I think extremely unrealistic levels of luck is a plot armor, even though I still count his perfect calculation to dodge every attack with clock up speed from blind spot as his own skill. Something like how Perfect Zecter show up from nowhere is truly plot armor, still cool though.

I think this is inaccurate. Tendou does have empathy. The biggest scene I can cite for this is his fight with Tsurugi. He could have killed Tsurugi really fast in that fight, but you can tell he was clearly pulling a lot of his punches, and even before he pressed the trigger to unleash his Maximum Hyper Typhoon, he hesitated, mostly because he knows how much having a human life means to Tsurugi. Heck, Tsurugi's the one who has to remind him of their promise to defeat all worms.

Tendou is a jerk with a heart of gold. There are just moments where he clearly overplays his jerkiness for the sake of keeping his heart of gold hidden from others. I just see him as someone who has trouble opening up to others due to what he went through, seeing his own parents be killed by worms must have really soured his view on the world, and when the two people in the world who you're meant to be able to tell anything to is killed, you're bound to close yourself up and push people away for your own sake so you don't risk getting hurt any further. Tendou is just pretty good at it. Compared to Dark Kabuto, whom I'm pretty sure has Tendou's memories, he's a reflection of how much Tendou needs human connection, plus add what he's been through, that intense need is amplified which is why he's so childlike and becomes even more so to the point of being childish with Hiyori.

The point is, Tendou is a lone wolf. He's strong enough to not need others. It's pretty obvious when you take into consideration that he's the one who gets the Hyper Zector. He's the only one who can be there for himself in a sense, although having Kagami and Hiyori around occasionally grounds him and reminds him that he doesn't always have to be on guard.

 

[Japaneseseriesfan]

Also, Tendou talks a lot with his eyes. I think this is just Hiro's great acting ability at work here, but he says a lot but just giving you a stare and a gaze.

 

[Hangyakuno]

Of course Tendou get development throughout series. I agree he keep hiding his own kindness. But, he still see himself above others, he never include anyone in his plan. Maybe it is because he know noone can keep up with his plan.
His mercy toward Tsurugi, more like because he respected Tsurugi butler and Tsurugi small relationship with his sister, Jyuka. It is just part of Tendou policy to take good care anyone who involved with his family. He even say thanks to Kagami who fight alone against horde of Worm while give Tendou time to save Hiyori.
But still, he write out everyone involvement from his plan. Like if they did good, then is good, if they did not, he never trust them anyway.

And back to this episode, Kagami was deserve more respect than just become inferior to Tendou like this. He was first person outside Tendou family who see Tendou weak side and get relied by him. Even though he to was back to his jerk personality after they get through those battle, Kagami still want to help him and most of time become his shield.
He is not just inferior person to Tendou, he already become his own, Kamen Rider Gattack.

 

[Japaneseseriesfan]

Of course Tendou get development throughout series. I agree he keep hiding his own kindness. But, he still see himself above others, he never include anyone in his plan. Maybe it is because he know noone can keep up with his plan.
His mercy toward Tsurugi, more like because he respected Tsurugi butler and Tsurugi small relationship with his sister, Jyuka. It is just part of Tendou policy to take good care anyone who involved with his family. He even say thanks to Kagami who fight alone against horde of Worm while give Tendou time to save Hiyori.
But still, he write out everyone involvement from his plan. Like if they did good, then is good, if they did not, he never trust them anyway.

And back to this episode, Kagami was deserve more respect than just become inferior to Tendou like this. He was first person outside Tendou family who see Tendou weak side and get relied by him. Even though he to was back to his jerk personality after they get through those battle, Kagami still want to help him and most of time become his shield.
He is not just inferior person to Tendou, he already become his own, Kamen Rider Gattack.

Well, if you were capable of more than other people, and you know full well they'd try to get in on the plan, even if it means you understand that if they did, it'll be a huge demerit in terms of it's guaranteed success rate, would you still even bother telling them? That's how Tendou views things, and it's literally in his name. He IS above everyone else, not in the sense that he views himself as superior, but in the sense that the world has bent all kinds of logic and causality to cater to him, and he is self-aware of this fact. Life has proved time and time again, outside of his origin and backstory, that it will support him through any hurdle, that's why he is the man he is today.

It's not like he doesn't trust people intentionally. The way they lived their lives and how life has treated them, it'll become a distraction in what he views as the bigger picture. In this sense, you can't really view Tendou as a "realistic" person, but he's pretty much the concept of the law of attraction as a person. Things gravitate towards him because... he willed it. His confidence in himself and how he carries himself is a good proof of this, as opposed to someone like Sougo being Zi-O is completely ridiculous. There is no ounce of confidence in that actor's posture and nature as a human being nor the way he goes around carrying himself either to justify that kind of belief either. But with Tendou, it's believable that that's a belief system he truly commits to just based on acting ability alone.

I think this episode missed the point of the Kabuto show, if I'm being completely honest. Like I said before, it felt like they pretty much said "if Tendou didn't exist, Kagami should have become Kabuto therefore it's fine to undo all the development for Kagami and reduce him to a Tendou-wannabe" Heck, they even made Kagami fight in a similar style to Tendou when he was in the Kabuto suit. Kagami was never written to feel forever doomed to be inferior than Tendou. He outgrew that already within the series itself. But here, it's like they completely missed the point.

 

[Japaneseseriesfan]

Also, I'm pretty sure the Gatack Zector IS the strongest Zector. It even has it's own voice augmentation that's different from other the other Zector's robotic announcements. What was that all about, if not for establishing him as being a Rider completely in his own league? It's not just aesthetic piece they thought would be fun, there WAS a reason it was made that way.