Best and Worst Kamen Rider Finales

[Solo the Wingman]

I don't think Philip coming back really hurt the ending. He and Shotaro are meant to be together, they're partners, 2 in 1 and all that - it is the point of the show. I think a lot of the complaints about it are just because so many people think character deaths are cool or somehow make the show better

Personally, and I assume that this is the way that most people think, it's not that character deaths are cool, it's that character resurrections cheapens the sacrifice of that death.

Most of the time when a character 'dies' in a show, that impending death is built up and given great importance-- especially when that character is making the ultimate sacrifice to further the goal of saving the world or protecting someone else. When that death is undone in the wrong way, it negates our emotional investment in the scene/series and cheapens what was supposed to be a great sign of heroism and selflessness.

Take Date's 'death' in OOOs. The first time you see that scene, it's a powerfully emotional experience that causes us to resonate with Goto's grief and resolve. It's that impact that sets up the awesomeness of Birth's rebirth.

When Goto pops up and goes 'Just kidding!' later on, the emotional impact of that scene is forever lost. On repeat viewings, you're never going to get quite the same sense out of Date's death because you know he's just faking it.

Imagine what Gurren Lagann would have been like if Kamina had reappeared halfway through the second arc. A literal ton of character development and emotional investment would have been completely undone and the core of the series would have been destroyed.

Now, I have to confess that I never saw the final episode of W. I was moving at the time and never quite got around to downloading that episode. But if Philippe died in one episode and was resurrected in the next, I could see others' frustration. It really does make cheapen what was supposed to be the defining moment of a character arc.

Edit: ninja'd.

 

[Hell Kaiser Andy]

That's true. It made the fight against the Utopia Dopant quite strong, because it felt like this was really it. Their last time as W. Their goodbye.

 

[Burkion]

Kamen Rider Black may have one of the most solid finales of all.

IgaDevil kind of touched on it, but I think Black's ending (and Kuuga's though I had some issues with it) truly ended his series.

The day is saved, evil is destroyed, the hero victorious...

But his brother is slain, by his own hand no less, his home is destroyed and his family is gone.

Everything that once made him happy is but a memory.

Life goes on, his family will return, he will continue.

But it's over.


It's a very unique and bitter sweet ending, if not out right tragic. The world is saved, but the hero failed. He failed to do the one thing he wanted, the one thing he truly wished for, the only thing that mattered to him.

He went through hell, was killed and brought back, suffered and was tormented...for a broken down shop and family that is lost to the winds.

It could have used a sequel.

Shame it never got one.




Kuuga on the flip side was great purely for the characters. Well, great is the wrong word to use. It was fulfilling. It matched the themes and showed Kuuga as he truly should be-a man who will fight to protect others, even though the mere idea of it sickens him to tears.

The imagery was even perfect. Kuuga, sobbing, fighting Daguba, who is joyful, laughing, having the time of his life-a peaceful warrior VS a vicious monster.

 

[Ryuutaros]

Best from the Heisei Era:

Kuuga and Blade.

Worst of the Heisei Era:

Decade, Kiva, Faiz

 

[lazycoconut]

Most of the time when a character 'dies' in a show, that impending death is built up and given great importance-- especially when that character is making the ultimate sacrifice to further the goal of saving the world or protecting someone else. When that death is undone in the wrong way, it negates our emotional investment in the scene/series and cheapens what was supposed to be a great sign of heroism and selflessness.

Take Date's 'death' in OOOs. The first time you see that scene, it's a powerfully emotional experience that causes us to resonate with Goto's grief and resolve. It's that impact that sets up the awesomeness of Birth's rebirth.

When Goto pops up and goes 'Just kidding!' later on, the emotional impact of that scene is forever lost. On repeat viewings, you're never going to get quite the same sense out of Date's death because you know he's just faking it.

Now I'm wondering:

It was confirmed a while ago that the show went through substantial re-writes and changes in the plot, and one of the original plans was that Date would die and be revived as an evil homunculus. They got rid of that (seemingly because of the character's popularity.) It appears that would have set him up as a villain character to be killed off properly later, but it means that either way, Date was going to be brought back after dying. So what would have been worse: The original plot, or what we got?

 

[NateRiver]

I don't think Philip coming back really hurt the ending. He and Shotaro are meant to be together, they're partners, 2 in 1 and all that - it is the point of the show. I think a lot of the complaints about it are just because so many people think character deaths are cool or somehow make the show better

It's not that character deaths are "cool"

In fact, I really dislike them at times.Take a few deaths from Faiz like Takumi's "supposed" death.I've really tried to convince myself that he didn't die with things like the Orphnoch King lived and that he just watches too much TV.I certainly dislike Kaidou and Yuka's death in Paradise Lost.Kiba should've lived.For Kabuto, I really would've liked if Sasword lived.He was a great character.In Ryuki, I really didn't want to see Zolda die, but it was really inevitable.

But when you pull that off, and then try to revive the character in the last 5 minutes of a show, it really comes off as rushed.Ankh is the perfect example of this.You allow him to make his return over a movie.It provided enough time to make it seem a little better and gave the overall movie another reason to watch it.I forgive Date's death because that was just a planned prank, but Phillip died for real.Making the final episode about Shotaro having to deal with being alone or even just taking it out would've made more sense.Energy Dopant was really misplaced as well, making him a boss that's taken after the main boss yet he's weaker than the average MOTW.

All these things make Phillip's revival really cheap and I'm not just unsatisfied with it just because I like character deaths.

 

[lazycoconut]

I can't really see any other way W could have gone. I think there was too much build-up to Philip vanishing for it not to happen, but I also think that it would have been a huge downer to end on that would have been at odds with the tone of the rest of the show. And it would completely go against the theme of them being the ultimate partners and all that. I guess the best possible outcome would have been to have got an extra episode to wrap everything up so it wouldn't be quite as rushed ...

 

[Igadevil]

I would be very curious to see if there was anyone who'd be willing to argue that any Rider show's ending was worse than Decade's.

I was thinking of talking about Decade 30~31 in a podcast soon, so I'll bite: Do you mean "the ending" in the sense of all the episodes that make up the final story, or just the last episode itself? (i.e. V3 #51 & 52 as opposed to just V3 #52, Agito #47~51 as opposed to just Agito #51, and so on.)

 

[jinscriba]

Most of the time when a character 'dies' in a show, that impending death is built up and given great importance-- especially when that character is making the ultimate sacrifice to further the goal of saving the world or protecting someone else. When that death is undone in the wrong way, it negates our emotional investment in the scene/series and cheapens what was supposed to be a great sign of heroism and selflessness.

Ryuki's ending.

As far as W is concerned, I would have preferred an additional episode on how Shotaro copes with being alone. Philip's revival was somewhat impending but well done. Of course, there's more character development on Wakana's end with her attempt to redeem herself after what the family has put Philip through throughout the show.

 

[KingRanger]

I loved that Philip came back. I don't see how anyone can wish that he had stayed dead.:redface2: