r/KamenRider • u/BananaArms Knife of Spear • 18d ago
Official Discussion Kamen Rider ZEZTZ E42 - Discussion Thread
This thread is for discussion about the latest Kamen Rider ZEZTZ episode.
E41 <- E42 -> E43
The subreddit will be set to post-approval mode for the first 12 hours to prevent low-effort posts. Please keep your thoughts on this week's episode in the discussion thread!
Discussion about previous episodes is permitted in the thread below, discussion about episodes after this is NOT.
Proceed at your own risk: Spoilers for this episode do not need to be tagged inside this thread.
HOW TO WATCH
| COUNTRY | URL | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| US,CA,PR,UK,AU,NZ | TokuSHOUTsu YouTube Channel (English) | Saturdays@7:30PM Pacific Time, Replays on Sunday |
| JP | TV Asahi, ABC (Japanese) | Sundays@9:00AM Japan Time |
| JP | TELASA, Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club (Japanese) | Sundays@10:00AM Japan Time |
| CN | Bilibili, Tencent Video, iQIYI (Mandarin) | Sundays@10:00AM China Standard Time |
| TW | CHT MOD, Hami Video (Mandarin) | Mondays@8:00AM Taiwan Time |
| TW | EBC YOYO (Mandarin) | The following Saturday@5PM |
| HK | ViuTV (Cantonese) | The following Sunday@11AM |
| Latin America | TokuSato YouTube Channel (Spanish, Portuguese) | Saturdays@11:30PM Brasilia Time |
Posting or mentioning unapproved streaming sites in the comments is prohibited.
| CASE | TITLE | RELEASE DATE | SCREENPLAY BY | DIRECTED BY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E42 | 喰う Devour | July 5, 2026 | Takahashi Yuya | Kamihoriuchi Kazuya |
| CASE | RATING | CASE | RATING | CASE | RATING | CASE | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E01 | 8.79 | E13 | 9.52 | E25 | 9.79 | E37 | 8.67 |
| E02 | 8.78 | E14 | 9.76 | E26 | 8.68 | E38 | 9 |
| E03 | 9.02 | E15 | 9.32 | E27 | 9.47 | E39 | 9.13 |
| E04 | 8.56 | E16 | 9.31 | E28 | 9.53 | E40 | 9.08 |
| E05 | 8.82 | E17 | 9.3 | E29 | 9.45 | E41 | 8.25 |
| E06 | 9.04 | E18 | 9 | E30 | 9.66 | E42 | 9.22 |
| E07 | 9.02 | E19 | 9 | E31 | 9.59 | ||
| E08 | 8.9 | E20 | 8.58 | E32 | 9.53 | ||
| E09 | 8.79 | E21 | 9.58 | E33 | 9.67 | ||
| E10 | 8.89 | E22 | 9.35 | E34 | 9.72 | ||
| E11 | 9.52 | E23 | 9.68 | E35 | 6.2 | ||
| E12 | 9.39 | E24 | 9.77 | E36 | 8.36 | ||
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u/albattun 15d ago
Why did Exdream keep hurting after doing his power - restart or rewind idk? Didnt happen when he fight Sieg
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u/Lost_Page_2030 15d ago
Damn I wasn’t expecting much resolution for Nasuka discovering Kureha’s death, but somehow it was even worse than I was expecting lmao. Why did they even bother.
There’s some very interesting camera work here, such as the distorted angles when Nem and The Lady are together, and Baku and Nox being out of focus/never onscreen during their conversation.
I doubt we’ve seen the last of Nox’s Rider form. It’s gonna come back by the finale at the latest.
The fight between Exdream and Catastrophe was very unique, with them going deeper and deeper into the dream until the former is falling apart. That was very well executed.
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u/DeathMetalCheddar 16d ago edited 16d ago
Lots of talking talking talking and talking but finally some action. Nox apparently served a split zero because the nightmare destroyed his henshin belt without any problem whatsoever...also thank you so much Nasuka for caring for my own waifu Rita Kaniska so much, but I don't get how you care so much a character that, in lore, was an artificial being. I got it for the lady who was adopted in Geats, I got it for the last villain that he was a clay statue in Dairanger (he was the father of the white Ranger and his brother), here I don't get it. 7/10 because of the barrier of 1 minutes and ten seconds of action finally being broken, Winner of the week: Gavan Infinity, there was more action in that one than in this or the last Meitantei Precure episode. Now I can get onto Dynaman!
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u/Dizzy__Dragon 16d ago
Just kind of werid Nox is acting like a bitch. He literally knows the nightmares are gonna fuck everything up. Why would he be so okay with it lol
3
u/whatam_i_doin 16d ago
I rewatched this episode again, and I definitely do agree with what I saw other people saying. This episode feels like it's from a movie. Visually it's amazing. I also love how Baku takes out Catastrophe by himself. That's something I've enjoyed from Zeztz is that he's been fighting most of the battles alone. This has been a great introduction to Kamen Rider for me.
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u/Ok_Hospital4928 17d ago edited 17d ago
Baku gave Catastrophe so much power that he couldn't handle it anymore and crumbled to dust. Pretty damn cool way to take care of him. Still, I don't believe that Catastrophe is gone for sure. They've teased him way too much to have him killed in just two episodes. Either way, his final words seemed more like a warning to Baku. "You've devoured too much". Baku is named after mythological dream eaters. We saw some kind of side effect occur with Exdream during the battle. This is gonna come back around later for sure.
Insane fight scene though. First time since its debut that we've seen Exdream's powers showcased to this level - just proves how strong Catastrophe Gore truly was. Really well-done.
The direction of this episode was extremely strong, continuing on from last week. The cinematography felt visually distinct. I especially liked the scenes with Odaka and Fujimi, felt very grounded and unlike the usual Tokusatsu style.
Catastrophe was an awesome villain. I guess Punish is next and then we'll see who the final boss ends up being. Oblivion poofing Catastrophe's throne out of existence was interesting, but I still want that character to do more than just laugh annoyingly every time they're on screen.
VFX work was impeccable. No complaints there. This two-parter felt very high-budget.
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u/-_ShadowSJG-_ 17d ago
Catastrophe was pretty one note but cool fight
Also we got the most of Nox so far....so late....
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u/VioletSwan25 ZEZTZ 17d ago edited 17d ago
Rough bullet points on the episode:
- Welp, Nasuka finally find out, but that resolution was way too short T_T
- Also Tetsuya trying to pull Kensei back from the brink so to speak was nice (and that bar scene was nice, goes to show just how much trouble Kensei has trying to fit back into "normal" life after being alone for so long, poor guy)
- Rip Baku's and Minami's apartment :( Now they're both homeless and probably jobless also...hopefully they can figure things out quickly. I am glad they are both alive and safe, though.
- The fight between Baku and Catastrophe was fire, though rip Baku, seems spamming ExDream probably wasn't a good idea...
Next two-parter will be interesting. Sieg vs Dawn, and something seems to be happening between Baku and Nem...probably?
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u/NextMotion 17d ago edited 17d ago
wait Nox was about to throw his driver away? Is he stupid? Does he not care about the other incoming nightmares?
the glorious real world henshin
I'm kinda mixed on Catastrophe's end here. He was reintroduced not long ago, had one ep to show his powers, and then is gone now. Don't get me wrong that fight was intense, but that was so early.
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u/BestOfAllRank Valen 17d ago
I think Fujimi had a p good proposal to Odaka there in terms of answering his "What now?" after destroying CODE (Technically not much different from Baku's route after leaving CODE).
I thought Kureha/Six's wall art was only in a dream and her physical body turned into liquid? I'm trying to figure out how Nasuka was able to come across it.
Ah, Fujimi and Nasuka being goofy as usual in Baku's room.
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u/VioletSwan25 ZEZTZ 17d ago
Regarding Kureha's wall art, I think it was a Black Case sort of thing – since the image got burned on the wall in the dream world, it appeared in the real world also, kinda like how when Catastrophe blew up Baku's base in the dream world, the apartment complex suffered a similar explosion in the real world as well. Essentially, things from the dream world can carry over into the real world.
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u/VinixTKOC Joker 16d ago
There’s a problem. Three wasn’t a Nightmare, so this wasn’t supposed to happen.
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u/BestOfAllRank Valen 17d ago
Ah yes, thanks for explaining, it was the straw I was grasping for since I also recalled the dream world affecting the real world before (Nightmares), I think what tripped me up was the assumption that Six's wall art should have disappeared when the dreamer woke up (Now that I think of it, I wonder how Black Cases work when the dream's location isn't based on a real place, such as the RPG mass-dream).
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u/HourIndication4963 17d ago
Riders are usually determined, but I think Baku may have taken the top position.
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u/sultryrusky 17d ago
My bullet points on the episode:
So CODE is fully gone? Fun...
Wtf you mean "didn't understand his intentions" you gotta be a freaking telepath to do it with Nox XD
To the peeps hating on Nox this episode... I geniunely don't understand this, like he never gave a single flying fuck about Nightmares, he has locked in on getting CODE down XD
But btw the angle of Nox feeling empty after taking down CODE was something I saw as possible
Finally, Fujimi and Nox getting drunk!!!
Nox getting flung around and his driver getting blocked KARMA IS REALLLL
Also Minami survived because she got into Knight 17??? What if it gets shown in the show?
This fight of Catastrophe and Baku was SOMETHING ELSE...
Well, the stakes are still high... Let's see what the next episode has for us!
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u/Yanmega9 17d ago
So, is anyone else surprised Oblivion is a guy? I assumed the host/dreamer gender matched the gender of the Gore Nightmares (The other three all do) and his VA is a woman lol
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 17d ago edited 17d ago
At this point;
If he Struggled as Much against Catty in his Most Overpowered Final Form;
HOW THE HECK IS ZEZTZ GOING TO STAND A CHANCE AGAINST EITHER PHANTOM OR THE TRUE FINAL BOSS; OBLIVION GORE NIGHTMARE?!!!
It took BOTH Midnight Nox AND Zetztz Exdream to put down Punny the First time; and THAT was undone by the Baby Nightmare who became the Oblivion Gore Nightmare
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u/Omer1698 17d ago
One gore nightmare down, three more to go. It was kinda cool seeing how Baku's "nah ha" power works, but I feel like overusing it wont end well for him.
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 17d ago
So Where are Baku & Minami going to live now that Catastrophe Destroyed their Apartment?!
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u/rurounikenshin16 17d ago
I did the ABSOLUTE CINEMA pose during that scene of "Dreams surpass Nightmares"
Our boi Baku is aura farming to the MAX!
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u/TheRainy24 17d ago
I genuinely feel like the only way Nox is coming back to fight is if Fujimi dies. And that's like what will happen I feel like. Maybe not in the next few episodes but later down the line.
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 17d ago
I Mean;
We've seen the negative effects of overusing Exdream;
HE CAN'T WIN AGAINST PHANTOM IF HE STRUGGLED THAT MUCH AGAINST CATTY!!
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u/aaa1e2r3 17d ago
Catastrom really should have been an arc long villain or something. They had an interesting idea going in the episode, with Catastrom being a product of Baku's will in the same way Baku is product of Zero's will, and the idea of Baku effectively repeating that cycle with his own child in Catastrom, but it's just really under explored. This is effectively what Takahashi did with Parado in Ex-Aid, but just abridged down to one episode, rather than a whole arc exploring them.
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u/krona1325 17d ago
Do you think it will be
43+44 punish
45+46 Phantom
47+48 oblivion
49+50 some kind of fusion
Or
43+44 punish
45+46+47 phantom
48+49+50 oblivion
?
1
u/Megasonic150 17d ago
Just PEAK.
- I like how Baku accepts he overreacted with Nox, and in general the character work. Baku feeling confused, and while mourning Zero's death, not crying over him.
- He and Minami have so many great moments in this.
-I like Nem and the Lady moment, and that she seems to be our final villain. Out of all the final Villains we've had, I think The Lady might be the best in the sense that her motives have been consistent and relatable, but shows how it consumes and hurts the one she seeks to protect, which she can't understand fully due to her obsessions with Nem and her fear of losing her, unlike Zero who eventually realized his son had grown beyond his 'protections' and that his attempts to protect him hurt Baku the most in the end.
- I like the PSB unit gets alot more focus, with Nausea mourning Kuerha's death, while Fujimi has a moment with Odaka.
-And I really like Nox here. His whole thing has been trying to destroy CODE and while he's grown, that still remains his core. Now that he's done it, even with the nightmares as a threat, there isn't much for him to do. One they're dealt with. What then. I like Odaka being forced to think outside that more, even if he's took a step out when he got Midnight Shadow. He brought CODE to the light, instead of falling into that darkness. But now what?
-I really like Catasphoe and Exdream's fight. How Baku pushes the form Dream-rewriting ability, to get one over on his own nightmare. It was such a cool fight, really using that dream for intresting visuals, and I like how Baku managed to eventually overcome his bad dream with the power he created out of a good one. And Gore didn't turn into a butterfly, but Zeztz was fine. Mostly. There was that odd gliching effect the more Baku used Rise, so I wonder if there was some sort of side effect we'll see in future episodes. But according to Oblivion, Catastophe is gone. For now.
Next week, Punish Gore returns to exact punishment and Sieg files for divorce papers finally!
God I love Zeztz
1
u/BoyTitan 17d ago
Much better than last episode which I felt was a step down. Didn't think they could top Ex dream introduction but Baku sheer determination was great. When he spoke in English while awake I got so hyped.
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u/john098657 Riderman 17d ago
Man i really like when they cast popular voice actors as villains in kamen rider. Last year suga was my favourite, and now the whole final villains are all played by popular voice actors/actress 🙏
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 18d ago
So Now that C.O.D.E. is gone; What's Odaka going to do now if he'll neither Help The Lady/Phantom anymore; nor will he help Baku. . .
What will be his purpose moving forward?!
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u/Volfaer 18d ago
This episode was packed with emotion. I thought it would effectively serve as a bridge to the final arc by wrapping up the relationship between Odaka and Fujimi, showing Nasuka facing Kureha's death, and delivering a massive scare at the end.
The battle between Catastrophe and ExDream was simply sensational. Baku pulled out all the stops and then some to finish off Nightmare, pushing the dream world to its absolute limits to accommodate the fight. Talk about a top-tier battle, folks.
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u/Nivelacker_rtx_off 18d ago
6.5/10, ex-dream-ly close to a 7/10. Might even change it to a 7/10 the more I think about it.
WAY better than last episode, yet i still have my problems that's making me debate whether this is a 6.5 or 7. Let me just get my main issue aside so i can praise this episode.
Nox. Fucking Nox. Oh my good god this character is definitely my personal least favourite character in the entirety of Zeztz. Granted, he is way better in this episode than the last. He actually admits he did something terrible and is willing to go to jail for it. He is planning to retire after finishing his goal. Yet at the same time its SO annoying seeing him this stubborn when the stakes are that high (and partly because he knows the stakes considering Punish alongside what happened to the nightmare garden). I completely understand the logic behind how he had finally reached his goal and is currently goalless, but GOSH was it so unsatisfying to see on screen. Just because there's a good concept/character setting behind Nox doesn't mean its good when it's presented that briefly. A small pet peeve i have with Nox is that he has not developed at all since both the precognitive dream and the current timeline despite having more than several moments where he could've finally developed as a character. But there is one good thing out of this and it is how Nox had not became ooc for the entirety of it. He is locked in from the start and by god has he not betrayed his base setting once. I can still see where he can develop after this episode as well, and as much as he annoys me, I do kinda understand him more. Just hoping he gets better starting from this episode.
Another problem i have with this episode is how swiftly they just brushed the Kureha and Nasuka situation away. Like bro. You could've stayed in this segment longer. Kureha was built up to be so important to Nasuka yet a single line from Fujimi was enough to convince her? Come on, i was expecting more. I do understand if Baku didn't have a clue to say what to Nasuka and Fujimi is most likely the better person to break this conflict, but again, it feels rather meh to just see this end so quickly.
The goods of this episode tho? They are extremely good, mostly stating Baku. Baku not feeling that sad for Zero is actually very realistic. Zero wasn't really a father to Baku for his entire life, and even tho Baku does care for him, he couldn't see him as family unlike Minami who has stayed by his side since forever. Its rather sad, yet very realistic and understandable for Baku to feel like that. Mentioning Minami, i really appreciate her role in the story and the impact she has on Baku since the Orderm episodes. The amount of support she has on him is especially noticeable and her existance can be said to be a key aspect of why Baku continues to do what he does. I really love their bond and its sweet seeing them interact on screen whenever Baku has no one else. Also she's absolutely adorable.
Also a bit more stuff that I'm going to brush through swiftly because I'm relatively tired, I really like Fujimi's role in this episode, and the fight is extremely cool. Overall not bad, could be better but still pretty ok.
1
u/Bigbadbackstab 14d ago
there is one good thing out of this and it is how Nox had not became ooc for the entirety of it
I would like to at least see that on Nox/Odaka's character but I can't. Since his motives where first started be revealed I have felt he is just the writter's puppet, doing whatever is neccesarry for plot to move forward or force conflict. Didn't he join CODE because he wanted to destroy nightmares? didn't he have such a great sense of justice? when did destroying CODE become so important as to ignore world ending threats? How did he end up as Dream Learning instructor? Why did he keep talking to The Lady when she is already possesed by Phantom? Why did he chose to help Nem and Baku from time to time?
Sorry for the rant, its just that I sometimes feel I'm missing something about Odaka because I can barely understand any of his choices. Can you explain to me what is Nox's character?
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u/Nivelacker_rtx_off 14d ago
Imma be for real it took me a long time to even understand Nox as well. But after this episode i can at least summarise it like this:
The one who wants to protect the world and is a caring teacher is Odaka. That was when he didn't change and is what everyone think Nox is considering the plot is heavily building up on that. Then there's Nox who's just a revenge hungry bastard that will stop at nothing for revenge against Code because Code betrayed him. And... that's really it. Its safe to say Odaka is dead and all that's left is Nox who places "revenge" as a priority. That's basically how i understand Nox anyways, and the Odaka screentime and development is most likely just there to show us how Nox was in the past and how he can't return to that phase. Why does he hate Code that much he'll prioritise that over the world? Honestly I think he's just stupidly stubborn and his hatred blinded him or something. Think of early stage Hanto's views towards granutes, i think that's where they're trying to go with Nox.
As to some of your other questions like "why does he help Baku and Nem", i believe its because he believes they are going AGAINST Code when Baku is going against anything that threatens earth, not just Code. For "why does he keep interacting with The Lady when she's fused with Phantom", i personally believe he wanted to leave, but when Phantom teased him with the whole "haha destroy code" thing he was dragged back into his goals. Also to give him some credits, he did state he'll not work with Phantom again considering Code is dead. "Why is he an instructor?" I'm also asking myself this question everytime i think about Nox
...yea he's easily the worst character in Zeztz. I think i hate him, he has SO MANY chances to change and be good again but no, he stayed to his ideals after all this time and that's not a good thing. He has so much potential to be a very deep character yet gave it all up and became a simple character. Fucking Sieg has more depth than Nox and Sieg is consistently saying "haha me only like nightmare"
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u/Bigbadbackstab 14d ago
I see. Thanks for the thorough response. I guess I can kinda see the concept if he really is supposed to act completely different to the Odaka/Agent 4 shown in flashbacks. Still, as you said in your original commenjt, its very unsatisfying to watch.
Agreed about Sieg too. Even though he is not the deepest character, I feel he is better written and would have loved if he was the secondary/rival rider from the start instead of Nox.
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u/burajira Beyond Biology! 18d ago
So now can Baku still use Orderm (Dualmare) to separate Nem's moms? Without Catastrophe, I mean?
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u/burajira Beyond Biology! 18d ago
I love the fact that the amount of Dream power/ resilience that Baku mustered was so high that even Catastrophe couldn't cope with the amount of corresponding Nightmare power created.. It's like the finale of Magiranger but in a really cool inverse way.
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u/SH4DE_Z Actually NOX 18d ago
Every week, they're somehow able to put so much into 20 minutes, it's incredible.
Nox is finished with his crusade, and now he doesn't have anything else. I like how the show is exploring what the KRs will so after their mission is over. Baku will still be hero, Sieg is doing whatever, and now we get to explore where Nox is headed. The scene where Fujimi tries to encourage Nox to be a hero was great. It's really funny how they're both holding on to the Nox Driver with so much emotional weight, but from our perspective they're just holding on to a fancy toy lmao
Fujimi is literally me fr fr, i'm not a huge fan of alcohol but i do have an unhealthy addiction to cafeine. Also i'm surprised that they can still show people drinking on screen, i thought they can't do that anymore.
The scene with Nasuka talking about Kureha's death was not as intense as i thought it would be. Btw huge props to Fujimi's actor for taking that hit to the face with breaking character at all.
Zeztz Exdream vs Catastrophe was awesome. Baku rewriting the dream over and over until he wins is pretty freaking badass. But ngl i'm not a huge fan of some small directoral choices in that scene, i would prefer if the fight didn't have that strange shriek in the middle of, and maybe Catastrophe's death could've been slightly bit more dramatic.
To my surprise, Catastrophe didn't come back! Looks like Oblivion isn't as reliable as the other Nightmares have thought. Next time, Sieg is fighting Punish for some reason, curious as to what that's gonna be about.
3
u/Skitty_The_Kitty3225 🗡️ "I will Decide how the Story Ends!" 📖 18d ago edited 18d ago
I like the episode, Baku's Own Resolve and the fight with the Nightmare was pretty cool, but that's about it. The explination on Baby Baku giving birth to the Nightmare because he somehow "Insticly Knew" Zero's plans for him was dumb, I'm sorry, what kind of reason was that 😭
Edit: Oh yeah, there were some cool cinematic shots too. The Scene with the Sake in the Bar between Odaka and Fujimi was very nice visually and was giving BL Drama Aesthetic, lmao. I liked it, I'm not an avid shipper, but I like the idea of those two for some reason.
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u/FAshcraft 18d ago
The more he use his power against a part of himself the more distorted he becomes.
if killing catastrophe has an effect on Baku i will applaud the writer.
Phantom and Punish is definitely seeing something wrong with Oblivion.
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u/nirvash530 18d ago
Holy fuck the Zeztz vs Catastrophe fight scene was cinema!
Legit a "Dormammu, I've come to bargain." moment.
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u/entertainmentlord ZEZTZ Wake up rider! 18d ago
SO please correct me if wrong, but Baku kept using full rise to point it started to hurt him, was he doing that to kinda make Catastrophe gain too much energy? cause it seems like the more he used it the stronger Catastrophe got.
Also, why you gotta hurt me with Nasuka reacting to Kureha's final resting place? I don't want to cry dang it!
Really love how Nox looked hollow after getting his revenge, it feels natural. Him realizing that despite everything he did the world keeps spinning just feels natural. Like his revenge has hollowed him out. I do like that Fujimi tries to keep offering him a chance to come back to who he was. I think it will work slowly because the way he smiled after seeing him unable to handle Sake. Feels like the old Odaka was peaking through.
Love how complicated Baku's feels around Zero's death are, they feel realistic in how he admits he feels like he should cry but cant, how he blames himself etc. Also like that Minami said Zero was complicated. We see the self doubt again, and it hurts to see Baku talk bad about him self
Also show. DO NOT DO THE FAKE OUT WITH MINAMI AGAIN! I don't think I could handle Baku losing his sister
Also Its hot where I'm at, but the moment I heard Baku speak English? Chills
Baku saying Mission complete and it cutting to Zero's desk just, my heart
Now for discussion, What do you think of Nox destroying CODE"S tech? you think its justified or not?
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u/FancyXemon 18d ago
Disappointing fight ngl.
All that hype about the Gore Nightmares being this big bad threat that supposedly puts the balance of the world in a hanging thread is reduced to Exdream being able to brute force one of them away. The same one who allegedly has the power to collapse anything (body, mind, civilization, dimensions, all that jazz) but didn't collapse a single thing and ended up perishing to Exdream's basic ability anyway.
What's the point of setting up the Gore Nightmares and all that hype if Exdream just ends up being the only thing that can eventually get rid of them anyway? It kinda numbs down all that hype and suspense if one of their strongest literally just got taken down by a single Rider. And with Sieg facing off against Puny, it's likely Puny will meet the same fate too. So then again...
What's really the point? Are there really stakes and glooming threats if they're all can be solved by brute forcing them really hard with sheer willpower? It undermines the whole thing.
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u/Bigbadbackstab 14d ago
ngl I did not doubt Baku could win a fight against any of the Gore nightmares (at least in a 1v1) because exdream ability is so busted. What I thought was impossible was the full destruction of a nightmare. I'm still unsure if Catastrophe is gone for good, and if its is, I'm not sure HOW. Because Oblivion poofing the throne seems to imply it had some role in it?
What I'm trying to say is that, while I believe Baku's current power is enough to defeat every of the final villains, I don't think its able to actually solve the problem. I suppose things could return to normal if he at least manages to steal back the Somnia capsule.
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u/asianmandan555 18d ago
"Dormamu I've come to bargain." ass episode.
I appreciate that Baku doesn't feel intense emotional grief for Zero. Instead that his sorrow for the loss comes from their professional relationship, and that his reaction at the end of the last episode is just a general response to a person dying. It's sort of been played with for the past few arcs, but Zero having the more emotionally driven connection to Baku rather than the other way around as is standard for these kinds of shows is a nice change of pace.
Nox is really getting on my nerves. First of all, you did barely anything in destroying CODE. That was all Catastrophe. You like, ran spell check on the group project before anyone else in the team could and the teacher gave you full credit. Fuck off. Second, you don't get to just walk away from this. Code Somnia is still intact, your work isn't over yet. There's still a piece of CODE technology you need to destroy. And also, THE WORLD IS IN DANGER! You destroyed CODE because you disagreed with their methods, not their mission. People will die, and that blood will be on your hands. "Clean up this mess, yourself." BITCH! The playroom's a mess and you're the one who dumped the legos on the floor. Maybe Baku knocked the finger paint over, but this is your mess too! Clean up, clean up everybody do your share! Kindergartners are taught this! Y'know what, until you can learn this lesson, give back your teaching degree.
The Catastrophe fight was cool. It was giving Persona 4 fight your shadow. It's been really subtly built in the background, but something interesting they explained here was that Baku does kind of have destructive tendencies. When he first got Catastrom, he just spammed the form and neglected everything else. At the time, I wrote that off as showing off the new toy—which I'm sure was still part of it—but he does really like to brute force his way through things. Why work smarter when you can just hit harder? Even in this fight with his own Nightmare, the answer he chose was to keep bashing his head into this road block. And it worked. This was also giving vibes of OOO spoilers Eiji's desire to help others being something even stronger than the purple Core Medals could handle. I like that this was also an argument against nihilism. No, things don't have to end up terribly. So long as you keep trying, you can build a better future.
That said, I do wish the solution to this had been Orderm. The glitching Exdream was going through felt like it was the show saying that giving into the brute force tendencies was incorrect. That you need to counteract destruction with construction. It instead being that the endless pursuit of power can hurt yourself would have been an interesting idea, but the fact that it wasn't really a detriment undermines that. Like yeah Baku writhed in pain for a few seconds, but that was the extent of it. There were no other repercussions. Kinda lame.
It's disappointing that Catastrophe just goes out after one fight though. This is Baku's Nightmare, his inner demon. I dunno, it just feels like something that should've been more personal, with effects on Baku's character development, and taken longer to resolve. Instead he goes out like any other MotW. This ultimately reinforces my fear that pivoting to the Gore Nightmares over CODE as the final arc villains was a mistake. We don't have many episodes left, and instead of building up one of the final 4 antagonists we just kill him off.
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u/iMistelteinn Zero-One | Hai, Aruto ja naito! 18d ago
A great episode but I have my issues with it.
We finally got the resolution with Nasuka and Kureha but it was…a bit too short imo. Still feels like that plot thread is lacking, and Baku and Nasuka need to actually have at least a conversation about it.
Nox’s revenge is finally complete and now he’s just purposeless. Of course, his lack of forethought and tunnel vision has put humanity in a terrible position with only 1 person (2 if we count Knight 17) to fight the nightmares now and no chance to arm said person’s allies with weaponry to fight back.
Genuinely, I was hoping Baku would at least punch Nox for the events of last episode. He shouldn’t be blaming himself for Zero’s death.
The fight, as most fights in the post-premonition half of the show, was one hell of a spectacle. Savescumming until he defeated Catastrophe was peak. Every retry, a minor improvement until Baku proved dreams surpass nightmares.
Genuine plot hole or maybe something left unexplained: Catastrophe and the other gore nightmares are primordial, right? How was he born in Baku? Is this one of those weird situations where they existed as an aspect of something but didn’t get an actual body until they manifested in someone’s nightmare? I hope that gets explained.
Next week, the Divorce Proceedings commence! Punish faces his ex, and it looks like Baku and Nem get to play marriage counselor!
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u/Potential-Mess6826 17d ago
Punish Gore Nightmare is primordial but Catastrophe Gore Nightmare specifically was born in Baku as response to Baku subconsciously knowing that he would protect the world and save people as an agent & Zeztz
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u/caren_psuedo_when 17d ago
Genuine plot hole or maybe something left unexplained: Catastrophe and the other gore nightmares are primordial, right? How was he born in Baku? Is this one of those weird situations where they existed as an aspect of something but didn’t get an actual body until they manifested in someone’s nightmare? I hope that gets explained
Considering a few episodes ago where it was revealed that Nightmares have existed since the universe was born, but only gained those forms when CODE was established; it's likely that Catastrophe Gore was still existent, but only became what he is now because of baby Baku dreaming up the destruction, and then present Baku fusing with him in the premonition (since he still didn't seem that sentient on his debut, he didn't even speak).
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u/iMistelteinn Zero-One | Hai, Aruto ja naito! 17d ago
I like this assessment, honestly, and it does make sense. We did get to see Oblivion be “born”. Maybe in a similar sense, Catastrophe was born.
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u/According_Fan4696 Gotchard fan until the end of time! 18d ago
Yeah I even thought I liked the fight scene it would be so satisfying for Baku or literally anyone to punch Nox fr! I’m also just really confused with the catastrophe nightmare? Like what do you mean Baku Instinctively knew his fate regarding his father’s plans for him. Unless Baku is a supernatural baby, there is no way he would’ve know that because he hasn’t developed that cognitive ability to be that aware.
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u/iMistelteinn Zero-One | Hai, Aruto ja naito! 18d ago
Baku may be a supernatural baby in some regard that we have no clue about. Either that or maybe Catty was watching Zero and decided “yeah, I’ll make his son my vessel”. Who knows, honestly?
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u/According_Fan4696 Gotchard fan until the end of time! 18d ago
I really think Baku’s birth should’ve been really expanded on because I’m finding this a lil bit confusing lol.
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u/Bigbadbackstab 14d ago
I'm still holding out for some explanation about Baku's birth becuase I feel there a lot of clues through the story that points out to him having a different body from a normal human. I don't think having such a vivid premonition is too normal, even for the show's standards.
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u/iMistelteinn Zero-One | Hai, Aruto ja naito! 18d ago
Maybe it was Phantom interfering again lol attacked Zero’s pregnant wife and ended up with baby Baku instinctively calling for Catastrophe via lucid dreaming when he was born.
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u/KC_popipa ZEZTZ 18d ago
Always like it when Baku physically crosses over to the dream world
And LOVED IT WHEN BAKU SAID “CATASTROPHE IVE COME TO BARGAIN”
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u/IronFather11 18d ago
RIP Catastrophe, he was really cool. I like how he was tied to Baku/Zeztz, unlike Zero’s Nightmare Zeztz, this felt more personal. Though I’m wondering what drawback Baku will get from over exerting ExDream, he was glitching out in earlier episodes with it. It feels like he might hit a point of no return. Happy that Minami was ok and survived that bombing, though knowing that’s she’s ’Lord 17’ now she might’ve used that power to escape. Nox needs to lock in soon. Poor Kureha’s death was discovered, but again was quickly pushed aside in episode. Crazy that CODE is apparently fully destroyed now
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
We've only had Catastrophe proper for two episodes and he sure made the most of them.
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u/jnf005 18d ago
I wonder if Catastrom is truly gone forever, the Catastrom/Orderm capsem still exist and we've seen nightmare relase from their capsem before.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Either Oblivion revives the Nightmare Lords for the final battle or takes in their essences.
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u/konokusoda 18d ago
Baku save-scumming to the max in order to defeat Catastrophe. He is gonna be the 2nd undefeated form (after hyper muteki). Kudos to Catastrophe though, it really managed to push Exdream to the limit
Also I saw people really hate Nox for trying to leave. His whole purpose from the start is to destroy CODE, even partner with the nightmare to spread more nightmare worldwide (it is a dream but it would have happened if Baku failed to stop Bomb nightmare anyway). He never cared about casualties and such (and he knew it, he considered himself a criminal and was fine with getting arrested). And since he dedicated his all for that purpose, it is normal to just feel like having no purpose afterwards. It is actually consistent with how he acted before
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u/caren_psuedo_when 17d ago
He is gonna be the 2nd undefeated form (after hyper muteki
Zero-Two: Address me
Kudos to Catastrophe though, it really managed to push Exdream to the limit
It was gaining power from Baku's drive and willpower after all. That's basically like if Gamedeus Cronus gained more power the more Emu became determined. Catastrophe Gore probably even surpassed the other Gore Nightmares at some point near the end
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u/VinixTKOC Joker 16d ago
It is likely being considered that Zero-Two was indeed defeated in the movie.
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u/caren_psuedo_when 16d ago edited 16d ago
I mean, if movies count then Geats IX getting split into fours off-screen by Mela should also count. Actually, even better example, Hyper Muteki being unable to kill Gamedeus and got Time Jacked in ZI-O
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u/serenade-of-the-seas 18d ago
He never cared about casualties
I mean Baku straight up points out that he avoided any casualties the previous episode. I think people are making a mistake in trying to put him in a singular box.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Honestly it just felt like he'd captured a bit of his idealism and good nature during the Midnight Shadow arc and was more willing to help Baku, like in their fight against Punish, but now it felt like it didn't matter.
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u/konokusoda 18d ago
Imo, he indeed got back some of his good nature back (considering he decided not to kill Zero in previous episode and avoid causing more casualties), but it is not possible to completely throw away the "MUST DESTROY CODE" (considering that is the only thing he can hang on while being stuck in a dream). And once it is over, it cause conflict inside him (like "do I even have the qualification to help considering I cause this mess").
He was a morally gray person (even borderlike evil at times), never a heroic one like Baku (like Baku feels lost at times but still decides to fight) so this suit his action more tbh
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u/dreaderking 18d ago
The thing is, Nox never really stopped and thought about what the real problem was. Besides the CODE Somnia arc - which was really just Three's power trip - CODE was never the main villain. The ones hurting innocent people were the Nightmares. The group fighting them off was CODE. Look past all of Nox's gaslighting from the start of the season, and it becomes apparent that this was a very black-and-white situation.
It doesn't matter how much idealism or good nature Nox had; his objective was fundamentally flawed from the start. But that's fine for his character, as long as you understand that no matter how he dressed it up, his motive was always revenge, not justice.
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u/dreaderking 18d ago
Oh, Nox's attitude is totally consistent; it just makes him a massive asshole. Makes all the cope by fans that he was a good guy and had a good reason for what he did hilarious, though.
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u/singular_fork 18d ago
The fight with Catty and Baku glitching out really convinced me Baku's not gonna have a necessarily happy ending. He's going too deep into dreams to force a win, also the mention of him getting too greedy and "overeating" really sold me on it along with the Baku mythology.
Just a quick search on wikipedia and I noticed:
"However, calling to the baku must be done sparingly, because if he remains hungry after eating one's nightmare, he may also devour their hopes and desires as well, leaving them to live an empty life."
So I can see them doing some parallels and making it so he ends up stuck in dreams "eating" (fighting) nightmares of he keeps pushing Exdream's limits and starts to spiral again. At least unless Nox/Sieg/Nem really pull him back out of his self-destructive dream spiral like he went down in the premonition, which is probably gonna happen. No way they make Zeztz THAT Heisei coded with a bittersweet ending, right?
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
I think he's eventually going to his his limit against an opponent he can't outlast (Oblivion?).
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u/mewfour123412 18d ago
$20 he’s going to use impact in some dream meaning to over come Oblivion
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u/caren_psuedo_when 17d ago
He gives up ExDream to cancel out the CODE:Somnia Capsem in Oblivion, then goes down from Catasrom/Orderm to Impact, and then Full Impact right after
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u/mewfour123412 17d ago
It’s probably going to end with one final timeline where Baku just goes new game plus and solves all of the problems in the post series movies
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u/nightshroud96 18d ago
Looks like Catastrom is down.
Unless he gets revived later.
Seeing how Nox's Driver is disabled.
He's definitely gonna get a emergency power-up to regain his ability to henshin again.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
I feel like Oblivion may try to absorb all the Nightmare Lords' powers into himself. He clearly doesn't think he needs them once they've been defeated.
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u/ArcBounds 18d ago
I love Zeztz and how he earns his victories. I love that earlier forms in terms of absolute power might have been stronger, but Baku dark souls his battles until he plays flawlessly allowing him to overcome arguably more powerful opponents.
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u/Obiwanhellothere09 18d ago
Not gonna lie the fight between Baku and Castastrophe might be my favorite so far. Next week Sieg and Punish finalized their divorce.
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u/nightshroud96 18d ago
Either divorce or Sieg just renews it after beating Punish.
"Gonna make me a new power-up, Punny"
"wut"1
u/BUcc1a12Atti 18d ago
This might be another Mutsuki vs Spider Undead situation, seeing that Sieg will be using Exdream Rise Capsem against Punish next week
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u/Seth-Cypher 18d ago
Hmmmmm, not gonna lie, the conflict was really nice but wished there was more interaction between Baku and Catastrophe. The Nightmare's only been with Baku his entire life, you'd think there'd be some emotional moment or attachment of some sort. Honestly was hoping Catastrophe woulda been an outlier, a Nightmare who may have grown to hate his job and decides to lend Baku his powers. And honestly, outside of the whole incarnate of ruin thing, Catastrophe seems kinda chill?
Also they still havent really explained how Catastrophe got inside Baku as a child. We're told the Gore Nightmares are basically primordial and have existed since forever, so how does Catty-chan grow up in Baku?
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u/nightshroud96 18d ago
It might be possible either Catastrophe was indeed created by babi Baku wanting to make his dad proud.
Or babi Baku wanting to make his dad proud ended up "restoring" Catastroph. Since it seems like the Gore Nightmares lay dormant after each sapient race is wiped out and then wait for something to "restore" them by whatever the new dominant race is doing.12
u/ZeroNoHikari Dream On Soldier 18d ago
So the basic rundown, Gore Nightmares exist but need a vessel to come into our world. Think Fate Servants. Gore Catastrophe felt the deep desire for power from Baku as a infant since he could feel Zero's dream of Zeztz would be through him.
Catastrophe only seeing the darkness of one's soul had assumed Baku would be more than happy with fusing and destroying everything Zero had built. Not realizing Baku had spent 20 years making sure that Dream would come true.
In the end it became a battle of ideals. Catastrophe seeking destruction, ruin and the end of everything VS Baku's Dream of saving others. In the end the power of Baku's Dream overpowered the amount of power Gore could contain. His own greed at wanting to Absorb Baku became his undoing as Baku was now strong enough to overcome a primal nightmare with his own grit.
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u/serenade-of-the-seas 18d ago
Yeah this is exactly how I read it. Gore Nightmares are based on primordial fears that manifest across different vessels. Same way Phantom was manifested by the Lady and Punish by Sieg
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Yeah, I'm kind of confused. It seems like the Gore Nightmares have existed for a while but Oblivion only just pops out and Baku apparently wholly created Catastrophe himself?
Then who wiped out the dinosaurs and other civilizations?
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u/Potential-Mess6826 17d ago
I think it's like u/ZeroNoHikari said:
"So the basic rundown, Gore Nightmares exist but need a vessel to come into our world.
Think Fate Servants.
Gore Catastrophe felt the deep desire for power from Baku as a infant since he could feel Zero's dream of Zeztz would be through him.
Catastrophe only seeing the darkness of one's soul had assumed Baku would be more than happy with fusing and destroying everything Zero had built.
Not realizing Baku had spent 20 years making sure that Dream would come true. In the end it became a battle of ideals.
Catastrophe seeking destruction, ruin and the end of everything VS Baku's Dream of saving others.
In the end the power of Baku's Dream overpowered the amount of power Gore could contain.
His own greed at wanting to Absorb Baku became his undoing as Baku was now strong enough to overcome a primal nightmare with his own grit."
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u/konokusoda 18d ago
It was said that the nightmare destroyed several past civilization before, naturally it means they can change host and continue to live if the host is dead. Once they found a host with dream suitable for them (Baku/Sieg), they manifest in that dream
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u/BUcc1a12Atti 18d ago
I’m a bit biased for Catas, but ig you could call this a decent end?
We’re seeing that Oblivion is still very much a child with broken powers, and this time it just decides not to revive Catas like it did w Puni, and erases Catas’s throne entirely (damn, you barely did anything to the kid and it just wipe your existence clean off)
Phantom’s little plan might backfire, plus whatever Lady might be plotting before letting Phantom absorb her
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u/Potential-Mess6826 17d ago
I think it works fine even if my own expectations or desires were different.
If Oblivion is the Final Boss then they need to step up to be deserving of that. Hopefully by fusing with Nem or something.
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u/BUcc1a12Atti 17d ago
Yeah swallowing Somnia and erasing a Gore Nightmare on a whim is pretty up there for me 😭😭
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
I kind of love how Catastrophe was fine with being destroyed so long as he got to destroy Zeztz too. Too bad he broke first.
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u/Tetsuo9999 18d ago
Baku kept resetting the fight. When he saves the world and can finally relax, he has a great future as a speedrunning streamer.
I'm glad they gave us some uncle yaoi after 40 episodes of buildup.
The arc of Odaka not wanting to fight anymore feels forced, especially as he's the only other rider left. I hope it doesn't drag on too long. He has at least one friend now, maybe two if he fully accepts Baku.
It's cool to see how broken ExDream is, but as usual being a low budget toku series means its full potential is never seen. I hope it gets a good showcase in the summer movie. The fight was definitely hard to follow and kind of adds fuel to the rumor that Japanese kids aren't able to understand what's going on. I guess they wanted to go all out for the first simulcast series in franchise history, but it seems like that may have come at the cost of more older fans instead of the target audience. Given that we're the ones that buy all the premium Bandai toys, Figuarts and belts, maybe that's what they want, haha. I would not be surprised if My-Th is a bit simpler to follow as a result.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
I love how he did it enough time that even Catastrophe was like "bro, are you rewriting the dream!?"
I really thought Catastrophe was going to be able to break the Great Rise and overpower it somehow instead of just tanking it.
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u/mewfour123412 18d ago
I thought Zeztz glitch was meant to show he can’t just spam the redo button in fights. Like these are powerful dream creatures of cause they have more power in the dream realm
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u/MGSEAL 18d ago
Baku out here moving like Lakers LeBron with all the help he's not getting.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Baku: "Odaka-san, would it hurt you to act more like a Secondary Rider?"
Odaka: "Yes."
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u/Frontier246 18d ago edited 17d ago
Well, I hope NOX is happy that he destroyed all of CODE's data and thus took away some chance for humanity to oppose the Nightmare Lords outside the Kamen Riders. He doesn't really seem to feel much of a sense of catharsis from it.
Oh yeah, the Kureha death wall art is still there? Poor Nasuka.
Glad Oblivion is having fun, though Catastrophe knows that his work isn't done until he's faced his vessel: Baku.
The Yorozu siblings hold a private memorial for Zero. Baku lost a father but he's also a Bond that's lost his M and he's got a lot of complicated feelings to sort through. Though, honestly, Odaka's vagueposting didn't help so don't blame yourself Baku.
Fujimi and Nasuka continuing to make people question whether they're functional adults whenever they're in Baku's room, but Baku probably should have apologized for no telling her about Kureha's death. It's not his fault, but she had a right to know before this.
Wow, Odaka was so done he was staight up going to chuck his driver into the river if not for Fujimi. Just when he thought he was out, Fujimi tries to drag him back in to the PIB because they need him and his Kamen Rider power.
Honestly there was some sense of satisfaction watching Odaka get one-shotted by Catastrophe from out of nowhere so Catty could get Baku all to himself.
I thought Catastrophe existed before Baku but it turns out baby Baku's subconscious desire to fulfill his fathers' dream made him dream up a Nightmare strong enough to give him the power to become a Kamen Rider...and now it's loose and only cares about fulfilling his purpose of destroying everything.
I guess it's nice that Catastrophe at least offered to fuse into Baku...if only so he had an excuse to blow more stuff up, like the Zeztz Base.
Is that the Lady or Phantom talking to Nem? How much of a difference is there at this point?
Don't worry, we're not killing the sister off in this Yuya Takahashi show! At least not yet!
Zeztz vs Catastrophe! The fight that had been building up in the second OP all this time! The power of an absolute dream versus the power of absolute destruction. Which is stronger? Which can outlast the other?
Dang, Zeztz really overusing the Full Dive power to the point where even Catastrophe could register it...and it was only doing so much good because Catastrophe is just THAT powerful. But I guess Baku whittled him down enough that he could finish him off with his Rider Kick before Catastrophe could finish him off.
Oblivion isn't in the mood for reviving Catastrophe, huh? Which means Punish is not going to come back either. Just in time for Sieg/Dawn to get his arc!
0
u/-_ShadowSJG-_ 17d ago
the nasuka/kureha stuff felt forced and rushed
did they even interact in chap 2 at all? and she wasn't even there
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u/Dry-Plankton274 17d ago
They did interact during when Kureha was first introduced. During the death game nightmare both in the dream and real world
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u/caren_psuedo_when 17d ago
Honestly there was some sense of satisfaction watching Odaka get one-shotted by Catastrophe from out of nowhere so Catty could get Baku all to himself.
Nox: Not my problem anymore. You're on your own
Catastrophe Gore: I guess this ain't your problem either! Dropkicks him
I thought Catastrophe existed before Baku but it turns out baby Baku's subconscious desire to fulfill his fathers' dream made him dream up a Nightmare strong enough to give him the power to become a Kamen Rider...and now it's loose and only cares about fulfilling his purpose of destroying everything.
I guess it's nice that Catastrophe at least offered to fuse into Baku...if only so he had an excuse to blow more stuff up, like the Zeztz Base.
With the current information we have, I feel like Catastrophe was just a regular Nightmare before and only became a Gore through Baku
although I guess that puts an end to my personal small theory of him and Kilbus fusing together to destroy his world and planetIs that the Lady or Phantom talking to Nem? How much of a difference is there at this point?
Considering Sieg and Punish Gore's relationship up until separation; probably almost no difference
Dang, Zeztz really overusing the Full Dive power to the point where even Catastrophe could register it...and it was only doing so much good because Catastrophe is just THAT powerful.
But I guess Baku whittled him down enough that he could finish him off with his Rider Kick before Catastrophe could finish him off.
Don't forget, Baku was making Catastrophe Gore stronger the more he wanted to defeat him. Which means at some point Catastrophe Gore was completely destroying ExDream while ExDream was only getting a few hits off before resetting. This fight essentially a battle of attrition where it was either Catastrophe Gore's body breaks down from the onslaught of hits ZEZTZ was dealing, or Baku's will breaks before getting there.
Oblivion isn't in the mood for reviving Catastrophe, huh? Which means Oblivion's not going to come back either. Just in time for Sieg/Dawn to get his arc!
Evil intimidating Catastrom Capsem: I'm seni-sentient, which means I'm part of Catastrophe Gore
Also, I think you mean Punish
1
u/Crowburst953 Double 18d ago
I was sorta expecting Baku to fight Catastrophe untransformed, but the way the fight went was so good. Can’t wait for couples counselling with Sieg and Punny next week!
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u/According_Fan4696 Gotchard fan until the end of time! 18d ago edited 18d ago
Honestly the only thing I really liked about this episode was the fight scene. I don’t like how Baku is blaming himself for what happened to Zero when once again Nox can’t fucking communicate! Also don’t like how once again Natsuka finding out what happened to Kureha is being sidelined once again! Fujimi seriously asking if Nox was involved in the destruction of code? Dude are you serious? Ofc he was! Nox not even apologizing for knocking out Fujimi possess me off as well! I just can’t stand Nox lol. Finally, I think it’s confusing that the catastrophe nightmare was born when Baku was a baby. Overall, I really just liked the fight scene and the Baku and Minami moment.
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u/Potential-Mess6826 17d ago
I think Baku blaming himself is just his grief rather than Baku assessing himself objectively
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Honestly if I were Baku I would be so pissed at Odaka. I feel like the major threat hanging above their heads is partially why he's not more mad.
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u/According_Fan4696 Gotchard fan until the end of time! 18d ago
That definitely could be it! I just hate seeing Baku feel guilty for something that wasn’t his fault!
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u/DragonRiderCVL 18d ago
Lots of modern writing feels like this. An """"anti-hero"""" or a villain does some Horrible Thing, refuses to apologize or even acknowledge that it was fucked up, and then the hero beats themself instead of said Horrible Thing Doer up over it and both the writer and the fandom bend over their backs to protect the Horrible Thing Doer's dignity
1
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u/ZeroNoHikari Dream On Soldier 18d ago
Baku really pushed his driver, his soul, and his dream beyond even what the literal incarnation of destruction and ruin could handle. I think Gore Catastrophe misunderstood what Baku was doing. He wasn't using Full Rise to steal his power, he was using it to become better to improve himself one punch, one kick, one attack at a time till he would no longer need his power. He cleansed Zeztz of relying solely on Nightmare power and now will run on his own Dreams. What cost will have on him later? We do not know,
What we do know, Oblivion cares not for the others and only brought back Punish due to timing. Dude now has to face his Ex and see which Bad Dream comes out on top. Humanities manufactured Bad Dream or a Nightmare's Bad Dream. My Money is on the human, but who knows.
Nox for his part is gone, unless they can make Phantom bend the knee, he no longer is a Rider
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u/nightshroud96 18d ago
Nox is definitely gonna come back.
He's not killed off and he's the Secondary.
Phantom being his final boss probably.12
u/ZeroNoHikari Dream On Soldier 18d ago
I think it'll be if Nox even feels like he has the drive to fight back. He knows his victory was hollow and now humanity has nothing to fight back with because he doesn't care.
He will need someone to restart his Rider Soul
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u/rightokayyeahalright 18d ago
It really doesn't change much of my feelings for Nox at this point even if he does get his mojo back. It took him way long enough and caused enough trouble with the way he handled things
I really wish Baku wasn't alone but at this point i am rooting for Baku to finish it alone.
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u/caren_psuedo_when 17d ago
Sieg: No worries, he has me!
Baku: I think I'd rather be alone then
Sieg: Sounds like this might be a bad dream for ya then, eh?
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u/nightshroud96 18d ago
Maybe a Booster to jumpstart his soul.
inb4 the Lord Booster he took back(since it was made from his stolen power) turns into his own form of Booster to represent his regained spirit and/or maybe thinking of Zero or something.
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u/caren_psuedo_when 17d ago
I somehow thought of this as Zeroider dropkicking Odaka, taking the Booster Capsem, and then giving him a pep talk
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u/nightshroud96 17d ago
I can see them making Zero come back as his robo form.
Afterall, his actor got flowers but pretty sure they can still have him be VA for the robo-form. He's just done with his human self performing.6
u/Frontier246 18d ago
If Baku's own power made Catastrophe stronger than he had to surpass his own power and alter the dream until he became strong enough to win through sheer dream power and belief.
I feel like Oblivion is definitely shaping up to be the biggest Nightmare threat. He basically holds their lives in his hands, only cares for what amuses him, and has CODE Somnia in him so he might be the strongest Nightmare. Punish knows he's only got one last chance left now.
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u/Owenashi 18d ago
Good episode but Nox was really leaving me frustrated. He wrecks CODE's Nightmare research and then, likely realizing he didn't get ANY satisfaction from that one bit of pointless revenge-fueled destruction, decides to throw away his Driver and walk away from the fight.
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u/skylight03 18d ago
I saw it as seeing his mission (or purpose in life) is over. He just doesn't seem to care about fighting the Nightmares. That's why Fujimi was trying to convince him to come back.
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u/VinixTKOC Joker 16d ago
That’s strange for someone who started out as a police officer and even initially agreed to work for Code to protect the world. If he holds the end of the world in such disdain, then even his revenge against Code was pointless.
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u/Owenashi 18d ago
The thing is that Nox got involved with all of this in the first place BECAUSE of the Nightmares. CODE was his present agenda because they backstabbed him which was fair. The problem started though when he heard Catty was wrecking CODE and he decided to go take out the research data first because Catty was gonna take out CODE before he could. Was the data dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands? Yeah, but Catty was wrecking the whole place so it would have likely gotten taken out anyway.
Then it continued this week where he got his slice of revenge-pie and then decided to nope out of doing anything else which is just DUMB this late into the series. Especially after his moment with getting Midnight Shadow and becoming 'the light in the darkness'. Oh wait, CODE's not around anymore to beat up. Welp, time to chuck one of the few things left to fight the eldritch beings planning to wreck the world into the nearest canal!
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u/skylight03 18d ago
I just think Nox isn't really in his world saving phase yet (or back to it). Interestingly enough the summer movie is where he says it's his turn to do it though.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
It's been a big problem with both versions of Odaka where he was more focused on his beef with CODE than the consequences of his actions and, y'know, the fact that the Nightmares are evil.
It's like no matter how many times Baku and Fujimi try to make him relearn it his old sense of justice just can't fully come back.
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u/grandguestauto78 18d ago
The divorce proceedings between Punny and Sieg are very much real next week
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u/shujInsomnia 18d ago
this was such a beautiful episode, so many great shots and great jobs framing, good acting too
like 15 minutes in i was like "wait, no fights? I'm not even mad"
and then the fighting went so hard. such a great fight, making him work even with his cheat mode. the nightmares are realllly, reallly powerful
is Exdream not even going to be his real final form? how are they going to overcome the breaking down it's already exhibiting - just dreaming harder? I wouldn't mind it getting some further refinement
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u/nirvash530 18d ago
is Exdream not even going to be his real final form? how are they going to overcome the breaking down it's already exhibiting - just dreaming harder? I wouldn't mind it getting some further refinement
It is his Final Form.
It just shows that the undo move he spams has it's limits. Baku can still be beaten even with that cheat, ExDream is not an omnipotent all-powerful form like we thought it is.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
is Exdream not even going to be his real final form? how are they going to overcome the breaking down it's already exhibiting - just dreaming harder? I wouldn't mind it getting some further refinement
I feel like the big fight is going to be ExDream vs Somnia powered Oblivion.
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u/caren_psuedo_when 18d ago
ExDream is probably going to do its dream dive and Oblivion is going to chase him into it
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u/Dazzling_Mechanic_98 OOO-Got Underwear ??? 18d ago edited 15d ago
ABSOLUTE CINEMA👋😤👋, Cant Wait To See What Next Week Brings(Along With My-th Soon Aswell)
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u/Archer_Sol 18d ago
WOOOOO! That’s gotta be the best episode yet. Also, can we agree that this episode’s Exdream Henshin was the coldest one yet?
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u/Currymango 18d ago
Baku just brute forcing this fight now. It's making me worry about how it's gonna end.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
I feel like he's going to go up against a Nightmare (Oblivion?) that he can't outlast by altering the dream, unlike catastrophe.
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u/omegazx9 18d ago
Baku really went "Catastrophe I've come to bargain" except his bargain was beating his face in
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u/garfe 18d ago
The scene with Nox walking the streets and him and Fujimi going to get drinks looked like a completely different show. Like a full on j-drama
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Him about to throw his belt into the water gave me some strong Heisei Rider vibes.
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u/Shipuujin 18d ago
Did anyone feel this episode was a bit more movie-like? The pacing is a bit slower and more nuanced. It feels incredibly cinematic. Especially the Sake scene with Fujimi and Odaka.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
I love how Odaka was clearly uncomfortable being around a lot of people in a public area because he's so used to being in dreams, hanging out with the Lady, and vagueposting.
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u/skylight03 18d ago
Yeah, this is definitely one of their well written episodes. This episode is probably one of my favourites.
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u/Grimm_Stereo 18d ago
ALSO BAKU FINALLY SPEAKING ENGLISH OUTSIDE OF THE DREAM WORLD IS SO GOOD
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u/Grimm_Stereo 18d ago
Being in the world of Zeztz is straight up bullshit. Wdym you could be minding your own business and suddenly your life is turned upside down by some invisible force from the world of dreams.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
Odaka: "These Nightmare Lords aren't my problem---" (Proceeds to get bodied by them)
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u/Destron81 Double 18d ago
At that moment, Odaka deserved it. Dude really was going to just sit back and let the world burn.
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 17d ago
Yup;
At this point; I Predict that He WILL Join forces with the main antagonist of the Movie. . .
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u/Destron81 Double 17d ago
Of course he will. Because he's Nox lol. Then he'll have a change of heart and we get that scene from the screenshots of all the CODE Agents finally working together.
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u/Pure-Jeweler-6351 Genm 18d ago
is that it? for catastrophe gore nightmare?
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u/rurounikenshin16 17d ago
We really don't know since it's Takahashi we're talking about. He found a loophole for Parado of Ex-Aid and I believe that if he wants to, he can find one for Cata-chan.
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u/Rdasher123 17d ago
The Dualmare Capsem is still around, so he could theoretically manifest through that if it ever gets compromised.
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u/WeisTHern 18d ago edited 17d ago
I think this is it for Catastrophe, unless -Phantom- Ob decides to go "Oh, that's nice." and revive him like -s-he did with Punish.
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u/Putrid-Case-4207 18d ago
Yeah nah that's obvilion ability, but that kid just deleted my goat out of existence
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u/Superimposable-image Ore Wa CODE 67 18d ago
Baku is the definition of patience and resilience 🔥
Took 20 years to create a brand new driver and capsem. And now he took idk how many rounds to figure out a way to completely defeat Catastrophe.
Seems like Oblivion is the real deal, with Punny getting dealed with in the next 2 episodes, and Phantom being more of a "support". Unless they find a way to make Catastrophe back.
Still excited for the next episode of Zeztz, despite the release of My-Th teasers which I am equally excited for.
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u/Frontier246 18d ago
He surpassed his fathers' version of Zeztz. He surpassed the student Odaka taught. He surpassed his own Nightmare. He is the Absolute Agent.
I feel like Phantom is tougher than she looks. She's got that Nightmare kunoichi look going for her and she also has Lady's ability to summon Nightmare's.
But Oblivion is shaping up to be the Final Boss at this rate.
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 17d ago
Of Course Oblivion's the Final Boss;
It ATE the Code Somnia Capsem; the only way to seperate everyone's dreams is to Defeat the Nightmare that ate it!!
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u/BeTheOne0 18d ago
Reminder that the movie was also have a fifth gore nightmare. I feel we will see a reference to it soon. Maybe Phantom talking to it or something
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u/Legitimate-Damage472 18d ago
She has the lady abilities to summon nightmare? On the contrary. Its supposed to be phantom abilities tho, but we know through the lady all this time. If so how scary she's will be.
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u/nightshroud96 18d ago
And Lady might just pull a Rider form.
Phantom: Oh, kicking my ass? Time to shill *flips middle fingers while Rider form* TWO CAN PLAY IT THAT GAME!
Nox: not if I outshill you first!
Oblivion: What a weird plotline4
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u/caren_psuedo_when 18d ago
Dawn: And I'm here too!
Catastrom Driver: they do not know that I am still here and waiting to respawn
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u/burajira Beyond Biology! 18d ago
Also, for those watching the Minami special, payoff this week, finally!! THE GIRL HAS HENSHINED, I repeat, THE GIRL HAS HENSHINED! This is not a drill anymore!!
Rest in absolute piss, Bomb Nightmare, atleast you were good cannon fodder.
Minami best girl.
That is all.
→ More replies (3)
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u/KamenRiderLegend Legend 15d ago
That hologram in the control center is technically the Knight Invoker’s first appearance in 25 episodes. The blog post says Nox uses the Erase Capsem here, even though it’s not visible and he hasn’t had it on the Capsem chart since he was still using Nox Knight.
Nasuka found Kureha’s remains… I guess because of Code: Somnia, her afterimage was left in the real-world version of that warehouse.
The Lady does that gesture when she’s using her powers, right? Did she do something to Odaka? All of his actions in this episode seem plausibly in-character.
The flowers Minami leaves for Zero are Gerbera. They mean “hope” and “always going forward,” with pink ones specifically meaning “thanks.” Zero left the same kind of flowers at the grave of Baku and Minami’s parents.
Don’t blame yourself for not undestanding Nox’s vagueposting, Baku!
Nox is really giving up now that CODE’s gone. He has nothing left to do with his life, and doesn’t even want to rejoin the police.
Fujimi makes up an undercover investigation just to get Odaka back. Aww! I’m not sure what he’s doing with his phone.
Catastrophe pulls down a Door, despite having simply jumped into one floating in midair last episode.
The Nox Driver was destroyed by Catastrophe in the dream, causing it to display “Driver disabled.”
So Catastrophe was born from Baku. How does that work? I thought all of the Gore Nightmares were ancient, plus Punish seems to have been acquainted with him. The TV Asahi bio describes all of them as primordial except Catastrophe, but including the more obviously newborn Oblivion.
Why’s Fujimi coming from the direction Odaka was walking towards?
Apparently all of the characters have their own custom cellphone ringtones. I can only remember that Nasuka’s is heavy metal.
Minami’s so tough she managed to survive the Zeztz Room exploding while she was inside it!
This is the most extensive view we’ve gotten of Zeztz Exdream’s dream-rewriting ability from his perspective.
I forgot that Exdream’s abilities had a drawback and thought that Catastrophe had some sort of counter to it because of when he noticed what Baku was doing.
Catastrophe is gone just like that, huh. Oblivion’s abilities manifest as simply deleting things from existence, which makes sense for the Nightmare of such a concept.
There’s no new stats to translate this week.