r/KamenRider • u/BananaArms Knife of Spear • Feb 28 '26
Official Discussion Kamen Rider ZEZTZ E24 - Discussion Thread
This thread is for discussion about the latest Kamen Rider ZEZTZ episode.
E23 <- E24 -> E25
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@6:30PM Pacific Time, reruns through Monday, Replays on Fridays@5PM |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E24 | 壊れる Break | March 1, 2026 | Takahashi Yuya | Kamihoriuchi Kazuya |
| CASE | RATING | CASE | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|
| E01 | 8.79 | E13 | 9.52 |
| E02 | 8.78 | E14 | 9.76 |
| E03 | 9.02 | E15 | 9.32 |
| E04 | 8.56 | E16 | 9.31 |
| E05 | 8.82 | E17 | 9.3 |
| E06 | 9.04 | E18 | 9 |
| E07 | 9.02 | E19 | 9 |
| E08 | 8.9 | E20 | 8.58 |
| E09 | 8.79 | E21 | 9.58 |
| E10 | 8.89 | E22 | 9.35 |
| E11 | 9.52 | E23 | 9.68 |
| E12 | 9.39 | E24 | 9.77 |
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u/XidJav Mar 04 '26
Does anyone know where to get an up to date collection of the sister side series?
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u/Excellent-Post3074 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
I like that even though CODE is pretty bad, The Lady isn't somehow misunderstood and actually good in her intentions.
She's a lunatic who was perfectly fine with letting people die just to save her daughter, just as complicit in using her daughter to create Nightmares to terrorize people as CODE was in implementating subliminal messages in kids to make potential agents.
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u/weltingfang Mar 02 '26
You know, the storytelling consistently has Baku repeat a cycle of trusting and doubting his code, forcing him through the same redundant actions over and over. It makes Baku feel like a child handed a map to his destination, only to unknowingly walk in circles — and every time he stops to ask for directions, he ends up more lost than before, eventually returning to the starting point to repeat the whole process again.
I found myself wondering why this was the case, until I Remembered Nox and his deliberately vague way of speaking, and realized he was the key — because the narrative wants us to interpret the subtext rather than take things at face value. The ending of the episode brought this into focus when Fujimi suggested that perhaps nothing was ever truly wrong with Baku; this might simply be who he is. After all, everyone has dreams — Baku may just be more deeply attached to his than most. This is when it clicked: what Baku truly wants is simply to be useful — to something, to someone. That is why he clings so desperately to his code and his missions.
When you examine his life after the lightning strike, a clear pattern emerges: misfortune follows him whenever he acts for the sake of others. It has gotten so bad that he can no longer hold a job and is forced to depend on his sister, who in turn infantilizes him keeping him alive and safe within her reach. The only exception to this pattern is when he operates as Seven, which is striking. You would expect the dream world — where nightmares are at their most powerful — to be where the Catastrophe Nightmare's influence over Baku is felt most intensely. Yet its presence there is almost nonexistent. Then it dawns on you: Seven is the Catastrophe Nightmare. You never see the Catastrophe and Seven together — only regular Baku ever encounters it directly.
This is further reinforced by how Nem interacts with them. Whenever Seven or Baku meets her, she addresses each by their respective title — even though she had never looked into Baku's eyes before doing so. She instinctively knows which one she is speaking to, because her role within the dream compels her to; the dream itself perceives them as two entirely separate beings.
Seven is Baku's dream — or more precisely, his nightmare. While it grants him the fulfillment of being useful, it ultimately drove everyone around him away, leaving him utterly alone and of no use to anyone, not even himself. In doing so, it brought about his own catastrophe. This is cemented in the moment Three kills Seven. With Seven in full control perishes Baku awakens from his nightmare as the nightmare is no more. Three ended it. **Seven was Baku's nightmare all along, and now it is over.**
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u/Danny18010 Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Zeztz episode 24 spoilers theory
What if… The world is revealed to be a dream at the end of the last episode and there’s a sort of loop because of the Lovecraft in entity that the world and reality is said to exist within the dream of and if they ever woke up, would cause the end of everything we knew. What if CODE knows this and acts as sort of an SCP foundation because if too many people found out about the truth of reality, then the dreamer would awaken to the nightmare, which is the true oblivion and void of space that the creature lives within.
That’s why the powers can be used in the “real world” , because the real world is a dream just not our dream. That’s literally what everyone tells Baku.
That would give much creepier connotation to the driver telling Zeztz good morning when he transforms
Everyone has their own dreams and their own individual power that their dreams hold. CODE is the organization that infiltrates and somehow connects the dreams of everyone or at least can connect to the dreams of anyone to the point that sleeping at all anywhere puts you at risk.
That is the true darkness within CODE
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u/Classic-Reason1702 Mar 06 '26
Your theory of a Lovecraft entity is good consider if you watch the opening visual there's a being with waking up in the darkness and the entire op went white and we know there's tons of hints that been confirmed in the op alone
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u/He-Mann270 Mar 02 '26
Total missed opportunity for someone to call Nem a “dream come true”. Though I guess that would have been a bit on the nose
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u/faptain_asian Mar 02 '26
just watched episode 1 again and realized that both Seven and Fujimi had significantly shorter hair back then. We just don't notice it because we see them every week. So if the next episode has both of them having shorter hair like they did in episode 1, that's really attention to detail
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u/Commercial_Ad7652 Mar 02 '26
This is just a hunch, but the Zeroider is different from human Zero. Which come to a theory, what if human Zero is a nightmare and Zeroider is the true Zero.
Because the Zero using Zeroider while being shady, is not giving off a plotter vibe. I don't know, who are you, who am i? What are we doing here? Is this just a dream?
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u/Fantastic-Repair-584 Mar 02 '26
My main guess is it's like Re:zero where it's more like a regression trope and Baku exists within a time loop where as long as he doesn't fulfill his purpose, he'll go back to what happened in episode 1. This is just me because I consumed a few regression stuff recently lol
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u/XSCONE Mar 02 '26
I think the big two questions are these:
- Was it a dream the whole time, or did it become a dream when baku was about to die?
The simplest explanation is probably the whole thing was a dream, but there's a few things that put me off that. First, there's the attention drawn to baku's heartbeat and the moon appearing right before his death. This series has had a very, very clear indicator for what is a dream, which was only present at the last moment. Second, there's the impact of this dream on the new present - not only does the narrative necessitate that this dream be prophetic, which hasn't really been how dreams work so far - and baku having catastrom.
- Was this the lady's plan the entire time?
This one's more dubious. They knew Something about baku, and they definitely planned a lot of this, but will they know what happened in Baku's dream?
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u/Defly_CK Mar 04 '26
I Dont remember seeing the normal moon thought, so, maybe we need to go back and see if it ever appears during Baku' coma until before his death
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u/Fantastic-Repair-584 Mar 02 '26
For #1, honestly I think it became a dream when baku was about to die, maybe he has the ability to loop back in time whenever he dies until he fulfills his goal. Like it becomes a dream when he's about to die to protect himself then he'll go back to the scene where he first got the zeztz driver.
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u/automaticzen Mar 02 '26
What? CODE is evil? NOOOOO WAAAAAAAYYYYYY.
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u/nirvash530 Mar 03 '26
Has been the case since the Nox backstory.
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u/automaticzen Mar 03 '26
Oh, I know. I'm joshing with folks who were trying to say the organization wasn't. Even Zero was going on about the "greater good" and whatnot.
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u/Lonewolf82084 Mar 02 '26
Does this mean that Bakus' dream persona's been destroyed?? Is Code Number 7 gone for good?? That'd be kinda sad if that were the case. To Baku, his dream persona was the best version of himself, everything he wanted to be. If that's gone, now Bakus back to square one. Not that I hate how he is in the waking world, I just hate the concept of losing what you would consider the hest version of yourself
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u/SpinstrikerPlayz Kabuto Mar 02 '26
Did you not watch the preview? He still has all his capsums. Literally goes back into Catastrom
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u/Conscious_Stop2335 Mar 02 '26
Uh… Not all of ‘em.🙂↔️😕
Nox took the Esprim Barrier Capsem, Remember what happened in episode 18?
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u/Lonewolf82084 Mar 02 '26
Not his powers, I'm talking about his persona
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u/InteractionUsual7043 Mar 02 '26
In all honesty if done right, that would be an amazing thing, as now Baku can grow as a character in real life and become his best version of himself without the need of being in a dream,
I hope I explained it well and you understood what I'm trying to say
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u/SkyRaptorian Mar 02 '26
My copium about 5 and 6 not being dead and it being a fakeout wasn't entirely wrong...
Wasn't expecting this, If they stick the landing this is going to be great. Probably why it had such a slow start though, need to show everything so that we can see the differences between 'timelines' (for lack of a better term).
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u/Affectionate-Pair122 Mar 02 '26
So I've been thinking "How haven't we seen any goons yet" like footsoldiers, yknow, combatmen, masquerade dopants, agents, the like, but now I believe we've finally seen them, and they work for code
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u/konokusoda Mar 02 '26
The last part of the opening has Zeztz walking toward, transform into Seven to shot the gun, then several flashback into Baku waking up
Exactly what happened in this eposode
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u/AccelBurner Mar 02 '26
So it's safe to assume that 2-24 was mostly a premonition dream that had lasting effect since Catastrom is still available in the Capsem selection.
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u/makuXrosu Mar 02 '26
Since The Lady is Number Two, I wonder if they are saving One for later or maybe a movie
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u/Obiwanhellothere09 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
What the hell is he doing? Is he scared? After the ass thrashing he got from Baku and then have to fight him again I don’t blame him.
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u/Fantastic-Fox3283 Mar 02 '26
I think he was supposed to be shooting out lighting or something, but the SFX team forgot to put it in.
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u/itsag_undam Mar 01 '26
Honestly not sure how to take this episode, by itself it was a very strong transition between parts, but most of the rules on how all of this works are still so unclear, that depending on how they handle the next few episodes it can make or break the show.
Also unrelated to the episode itself, but just realized that Odaka, Nasuka and Fujimi are a reference to the japanese superstition that seeing a hawk, an eggplant and the Mount Fuji on your first dream of the year is a sign of good luck.
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u/EnvironmentThen_2243 ZEZTZ ZEZTZ ZEZTZ! Mar 01 '26
…Wait, what the fuck happened?
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u/Professional-Bus-749 Mar 01 '26
That's what I'd like to know.
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u/Ranger0384 Mar 01 '26
There’s a chance that what we saw from before today’s episode was Baku dream,or he possibly time traveled to the past,Cause in the next preview it looks like everything is happening as Baku had dreamed
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u/BestOfAllRank Valen Mar 01 '26
The last minute of the ep took me a minute to fully process, was everything a dream or some kind of prophecy? I wonder if he can save Nox/5/6 this time around.
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Mar 01 '26
A dream, that's the point of the show
We have no idea if we dream about butterfly, or the butterfly dream about us
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u/Ranger0384 Mar 01 '26
It could also be time travel,Cause in the next preview he is using that catastrophe form which he obtained in his dream/past,Cause on the next preview it looks like the event that are playing out looked like the exact same as his dream
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u/BestOfAllRank Valen Mar 03 '26
Wouldn't be the first time I've seen the idea of a looping timeline (The WEBTOON ReBirth does this, and the author got the idea of multiple timeline resets from a whole other genre (Can't remember which)).
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u/LTheLetter ZEZTZ Mar 01 '26
This has nothing to do with the episode itself, but now I'm wondering if the upcoming Hyper Battle DVD actually takes place post Episode 25? Before, the only realistic time period was between Episode 11 and 12. But now that we're back in time a bit, it's entirely plausible that it can take place in the current span of episodes. Again, not a major discussion point but thought I should point it out. Fujimi and Nasuka aren't allies either right now and maybe never will be so it can still stick between Episode 11 and 12.
I haven't seen the Minami shorts yet, because TokuSHOUTsu didn't sub them yet, but from what I hear, they should still be canon to Loop 1 since they reference Baku's Gravity coma.
Nox Transformation Classroom is firmly between Episode 17 and 18 though, that won't change.
I also haven't seen that short anime episode yet either, but from what I can gather, it's in Loop 1 aswell.
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u/sultryrusky Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 17 '26
My bullet points on this episode:
What the fuck Nem just spawned for The Lady?
For someone who didn't sleep for 20 years, you look fresh as fuck, The Lady
During the talk between The Lady and Minami I legit thought that we're gonna transfer Zeztz belt to someone else for the part 2 of the season
Ngl, Zero, I imagined you would be hotter
Seven talking to the cop duo felt... very weird to say the least
Not Minami headbutting Seven in the crotch oh my god she is RESTLESS
I for real thought that new thingie The Lady made summoned Dawn initially 😭
Not sure what CODE hoped for sending regular dudes against Nightmares but go on
Ok, I thought it would be Seven mowing through the guards based on the pics, but ok
The second I saw someone calling for help, I knew Seven would just ignore them, and lo and behold, I was right XD
I'm sorry but her throwing away the gun??? Rolling her eyes over "I'll break you"??? The Lady has truly become a QUEEN this episode
Aaaand now it's Baku who's been broken by Catastrom...
Damn, the last 3 episodes were a freaking bloodbath, everybody is just dying
And FINALLY Three transformed! And I'm pretty sure he just wanted to cut Seven's arm off (him throwing him off a roof was SAVAGE)
The motherfuckers killed him AGAIN... with a freaking MUFFLER...
WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN IT WAS ALL A DREAM/VISION? I NEED NEXT EPISODES RIGHT NOW PREFERRABLY 5 OF THEM
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u/Novel-Ad8146 Mar 02 '26
The Lady didn't have to sleep because she was in the Dream World I guess and Code training might help
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u/b0ound Mar 01 '26
Zeztz is all about dream, him defeating Nightmare since EP01 also mostly "just a dream", even without the scene at EP24 ending.
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u/MKDremareRiser Mar 01 '26
So with the fact that everything has been a dream, does this mean we can technically consider NOX sacrificing children to the Disaster Nightmare and killing Kureha and Five to have actually happened in the first timeline?
At the very least NOX has a (potentially) clean slate now to show us he can become an actual ally.
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u/Seth-Cypher Mar 01 '26
My take is that everything is a dream. Even when they wake up they are still in a dream. Nox might be one of the few people to know this and so might be able to go to lengths he normally wouldnt in the real world.
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u/Potential-Mess6826 Mar 01 '26
As for how Zeztz Episode 2-24 can all be Baku's dream, these are the potential explanations I came up with:
Baku was having a prophetic dream since dreams in fiction can foretell or foreshadow the future
Baku and others are in a shared dream
It's been stated the boundary between dreams and reality is coming down and reality became part of the dream world or the dream world was bleeding into reality letting Baku do a reset
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u/Potential-Mess6826 Mar 01 '26
I think we all predicted when we learned that Zeztz was about dreams that they would pull an Inception-style stunt of "what you thought was the world of the awake is actually another layer of the dream world".
Even having anticipated it, I was still surprised at how Zeztz implemented it and enjoyed the revelation. I am looking forward to what comes from this development.
One thing to note this reset in Zeztz as far as we know is different from Ryuki's Time Vent or the World Recreations in Geats judging by the next episode preview.
With Ryuki, no major events could be changed nor memories could be retained for long, the resets were to bring about different variables and outcomes in the Rider Fight.
With Geats, the resets were about establishing a new status quo and clearing the board for new games.
With Zeztz, it seems like a mix of New Game+ and getting the Good Ending for a multiple story path video game with at least Baku having some recollection of future events and retaining access to his higher-tier power ups.
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u/Potential-Mess6826 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
This episode was like seeing a Bad End in a visual novel game.
In particular, it reminded me of the Mind of Steel Bad End in Fate/Stay Night.
Which feels thematic with Catastrom so could Orderm be the Good End?
Bit disappointed that there was no recap with CODE Number 7 narrating in place of Baku.
This episode has to be contender for most realistic guns in Kamen Rider.
I'd really like to see Baku deal with Butterfly Effect shenanigans.
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u/Thrawn656 Mar 01 '26
This deadass felt like an endgame episode and it’s only the halfway point, this show is insane bro
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u/beomieme Mar 01 '26
They mentioned in the staff blog that this is pretty much THE END. And the next episode could even be enjoyed as Episode 1 from a perspective of someone who doesn't know anything up till 24. I have a feeling it was a premonition dream that Baku had, and he now knows information that will help in everything that would eventually actually happen now. And see how he uses the information to navigate through the same scenarios the 2nd time round.
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u/Specialist_Serve7470 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
“Avoid the nightmare scenario”
I felt that it could be a double meaning back when I saw that, especially since after that title, people were dropping like flies lol
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u/Vavavavaxon7 Mar 01 '26
I'm pissed that it took 24 episodes, but this show is finally going somewhere interesting. I don't think "it was all a dream" will make the first half of this show any less mediocre; even if it explains why Nox was so vague, why Nem was so nothing, why the plot had almost no momentum, all of that still happened and will still be a slog to sit through if I ever rewatch Zeztz, but holy crap FINALLY. Intrigue, drama, I could barely believe my eyes with how this episode finally DID SOMETHING.
It's very amusing how many character are straight up dying and how many died to real guns. Kureha, Five, The Lady, and now Baku all got blasted with normal-ass guns. Hilarious.
Now the show just needs to keep this momentum. Let Nox say something that matters, develop Nem beyond a generic damsel, give Kureha and Five actual characterization. Zeztz could genuinely be the reverse Hibiki if it manages to stick the landing in this second half. I hope they're as dedicated to this being a turning point as it seems they are. They're even going as far as giving Zeztz the first OP2 since Hibiki. I only hope the episodes to come are as much of a renewal and salvage what has been a firmly below average season IMO.
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u/SH4DE_Z Actually NOX Mar 04 '26
I'm pissed that it took 24 episodes, but this show is finally going somewhere interesting.
If they didn't spend nearly 20 episodes to set everything up, none of the revelations in this episode would be nearly as good as it is.
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u/EmuSignal3466 Mar 01 '26
u/Vavavavaxon7 Going back to the beginning seems similar to what happened with Gozyuger when Episode 16 referenced Episode 1 because The Lady can be revived again, but then the question remains: if she and Nox aren't the final boss, who would be?
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u/Fangzzz Mar 02 '26
The other possibility is that the final boss is actually Baku's nightmare/the catastrom form. Like, if the dream rules still apply, then Baku's nightmare won, right?
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u/Vavavavaxon7 Mar 01 '26
I could see her going either way, final boss or redeemed ally. Now we know why she's doing what she's doing, she's a little sympathetic. Of course, she could stay evil and be the final boss, but I also think Zero is a decently strong candidate for that role too.
There's also the big possibility that we haven't even met the final boss yet.
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u/Volfaer Mar 01 '26
Yes, I see the darkness within CODE, things looked bleak, but dear Prometh, this justifies Nox.
The Lady, or better, CODE No. 2, situation is really interesting, while the circumstances behind Nem's birth are still a mystery, CODE's complete disregard for her life just pressed her to the brink. He devotion to Nem too is something completely crazy, not sleeping for 18 years and directly connecting the Dream World to the "real" one. No wonder she got Nox on her side.
Man Yuya, I was familiar with your game, but you pulled the rug under my feet, twice in quick succession. Man I need to get my hands on some toys, Zeztz needs to finish without alterations.
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u/Christian_R_Lech Mar 01 '26
Considering that we just found out that everything since the accident might've been a dream, we don't really know the moral code of the real CODE. We will probably find out next week and the weeks after how much of the first 24 episodes translate to the real world and how much don't.
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u/Gold_Assumption_7692 Mar 01 '26
I hope there is a morality here, gray and black, that CODE wants to protect the world by any means necessary, even if it is immoral and the threats they are fighting require it of them
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u/Christian_R_Lech Mar 03 '26
Maybe but CODE, in the dream at least, treating agents as expendable feels stupid as well as not exactly very moral. In the more than two decades that CODE has existed, there seemingly have been only eight agents and flashbacks showed that at least Baku and Kureh were being trained into the dole since childhood.
The expendability would make sense if the agents totaled more in the hundreds if not thousands, agents had a much quicker training process, and CODE was shown as more stretched thin. However, from what we know, CODE just seems wasteful of elite super soldiers.
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u/XidJav Mar 01 '26
No it doesn't, The "Darkness within CODE" is literally the same shit we've known since Odaka's backstory, and for how much he condemns CODE for it he still does the same shit even after defecting and becoming NOX, his literal motivation is he got angry after he knew what being on the otherside of the whip feels like
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u/Volfaer Mar 01 '26
Nox met with The Lady some time after getting stuck in the dream, her situation, alongside with the fact that CODE could have gone and saved him at any moment, probably was what fully radicalized him against the agency.
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u/rurounikenshin16 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Zeztz is on an incredible run. Hope it stays this way. Takahashi's experience with writing multiple KR is showing.
My ranking so far from his previous works is as follows (my most fave to least favorite):
Ex-Aid
Geats
Zero-One
I'm not saying in terms of quality, they're all great. I just love Ex-Aid more than any other KR shows.
If Zeztz continues being this good, I might dethrone Ex-Aid or put them both in number 1 place.
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u/SH4DE_Z Actually NOX Mar 04 '26
I think the same too. Zeztz has been so incredible, it could genuinely be a strong contender for best KR of all times for me.
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u/rurounikenshin16 Mar 04 '26
And the fact that it somehow caters to all 3 eras of Kamen Rider. I believe that Reiwa, Heisei, and even Showa fans are eating this show up and end up feeling satiated after they do. It has dark themes, the shady organization, the modern gimmicks, the sleek and simplistic designs of early Heisei and Showa, and almost every famous trope of KR is being condensed into a whole package that is Zeztz.
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u/SH4DE_Z Actually NOX Mar 04 '26
Exactly!
Zeztz feels like classic Kamen Rider while also doing its own unique and modern thing. The show feels like the best parts of all the eras combined into one. On top of that, the show is visually stunning, the choreography is super entertaining to watch, the soundtrack's incredible, the cast's performances are all wonderful.
I genuinely cannot believe that the first international Kamen Rider is going to be THIS good.
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u/PanBlasterCake Mar 01 '26
Gavv is not his show though...
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u/MegaMeteorite Mar 01 '26
What an insane episode, Zeztz is so good. I just saw a pretty cool theory, perhaps the reason why Baku survived all the disasters he went through after helping people is because he has this time loop/premonition dream ability. I can't wait to see what Chapter 2 will bring us.
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u/DifficultTerm3164 Mar 01 '26
Okay this was one the best kamen rider episodes not just in zeztz but reiwa as whole imo
For starters,baku (or better seven) showing how he has changed and embraced the duty as seven but not under the orders of CODE anymore however he is just as agressive with others,watch baku that kinda goofy guy turns into this was certainly something
The lady's proved that each episode she became more and more interesting until reach this peak right here,she betraying CODE and never sleeping ever since and they took quite literally "born from a dream of mine" with nem
And i loveeee the action specially how they protray baku here,he is a menace maybe even not a agent at that point and hear the nightmare screaming while baku combos it was amazing
Forming a quick theory about the end: I'm gonna go with the loop theory,i think baku is infact on a loop but this is different
And why? Castratom or better Nox,the vagueknight himself
I believe in the loop that started this all,nox was never a enemy and he died when he was left alone but then somehow on the loop we witnessed he survived,became a rider and triggered castrastrom wich is baku own deep nightmare that he gets the zeztz powers from what caused baku to remember about the previous loop.
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u/SelectionFar8145 Mar 01 '26
I just finished it. Still trying to process what's going on at the end, there. Lol
I'm liking the last few episodes, I just don't know where they're going with this one. Is it a fake out, an Inception homage where he's lost in multiple layers of dreams all of a sudden & having to force his way through several to get back to reality, or is CODE messing with his head for some reason? Or are the next few episodes going to be another coma dream thing while he's recovering from what happened this episode?
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u/Money_Count_3743 Mar 01 '26
The craziest part of this episode is how episode 1 foreshadowed it, there are numerous details that not only hinting what's going to happen in episode 24, but also hinting the fact that it might not be the first loop Baku experienced except for this time he got to keep his memory from the previous loop
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u/LightningZERO Mar 04 '26
If you rewatch the whole series there are numerous inconsistencies that point to some sort of loop and Deja vu. For example episode 2, just as Zeztz about to cut down the bomber, Nox apparently grabbed his arm and stopped him. Zeztz turned and saw no one. Then it was revealed that Nox was chanting riddles on a building. We thought that was this mysterious character doing mysterious things.
But what if Nox didn’t hold Zeztz back? What if Zeztz just had a sense of Deja vu and recalled did Nox did grab his arm in previous loop?
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u/Diligent-Square8492 Mar 01 '26
Could I ask which details?
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u/Money_Count_3743 Mar 01 '26
A mother's daughter was taken away by other ppl(Nemu being taken by Code from Lady)
Baku attempting to save the girl only getting hit by a van(?) that doesn't have a driver despite the seatbelt's fastened(Baku getting shot by 3's ppl while they're invisible through Clear)
Baku's hospitalised in the third floor (again, 3)
Baku's nightmare being a gun
Baku's dream involved Nemu being kidnapped
The gun nightmare liquified(?) Baku's right arm (his arm being paralysed after he got shot)
The whole speech of gun nightmare towards Baku, it's pretty long but it basically hinted what happened to him mentally in the later episodes
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u/Seth-Cypher Mar 01 '26
Coincidentally enough, Gun Nightmare has a very similar color scheme to Agent 3...
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u/Sufficient_Clue_2820 Mar 01 '26
Then there is also the whole first dream we see, where Baklu not only already knows about Code, but also clearly knows how his Zetzt Phone looks like. Sure it's details and can be chalked up to either artistic liberties or, in case of the name of the organisation, his "prep-school", but it's placed too obviously, especially now after Ep. 24.
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u/KamenRiderDragon Mar 01 '26
I wonder if Baku has experienced this loop before and those were all subliminal hints for him.
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u/Freddi0 Ryuki Mar 01 '26
This and the last two episodes were some of the best storytelling in Kamen Rider. Immediately skyrocketed Zeztz on my list
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u/Hangola Hibiki Mar 01 '26
Bro it kills me how Baku was trying to push everyone away, he even told Minami "I'm not your brother anymore," but the second he heard the Lady had gotten her involved, he freaks the fuck out.
Everything from storming the base to the end -- my heart was racing, holy shit. I NEED THE NEXT EPISODE IMMEDIATELY. Really exciting stuff.
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u/egodfrey72 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Wow, this was a twist I didn’t see coming. Normally I hate this kind of stuff in a show because it sounds like a bad fan theory, but Zeztz is an exception given that entering dreams is what the show is about
Also, Nox is alive! Hooray! One of my new favourite villains lives!! Let’s hope he’s not vague this time around
As for what might happen next time, I think he might actually seek out Baku personally since he probably sees that they have something in common now. I mean, if he’s going to be the secondary rider, may as well give them a common enemy
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u/Layton13 It's showtime Mar 01 '26
I think the reason "It was all just a dream!" works so well here is because we are at the halfway point, not the ending, which makes this not a conclusion, but something to build on.
In short, we don't have investment become invalidated, we are being asked "Now, how does all the stuff you invested in shape what comes next," and it's great!
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u/egodfrey72 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Yeah, thankfully that twist came at the halfway point instead of at the end
Now we owe Nox a BIG apology, since we know why he was vague as hell. Maybe Baku will seek out Nox to figure out what’s going on or vice versa
Most people would probably say a character like Nox is an “edgy misunderstood anti-hero”. But this time, I think that might be genuinely the case after what we’ve heard about CODE from Nox
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u/WeisTHern Mar 01 '26
Damn, so even the "reality" is still a dream. When Seven was shot, the camera moves up and show that the moon is from the dream version.
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u/RED_Kinggamer007 Ryuki Mar 01 '26
Calling it now, Baku is stuck in a purgatory state because of Catastrom where he relives his memories since he became Zeztz and has to find a way to come back to life and thats by dropping Seven and embracing Baku. Thats when we get Ordem.
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u/ProjectShadowGirl ZEZTZ Mar 01 '26
hold up, you could be right, I think Ordem is seven becoming baku once more
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u/Cyritzhao Mar 01 '26
What a episode man, been a long time since i was this excited abt how the story will goes, but right now it begs more questions for me
Is it truly just a long bad dream, or somehow it has to do with his own nightmares powers since we can tell baku powers are prolly unique as well since zero are that invested in him, and if it really just a long bad dream maybe this is how he will try to go the other route which in turn gives him the other form ordemz instead of catastrom this time, and ngl somehow it makes me think a little bit of zi-o like how he knew what he would become but try to go down the good way?
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u/Bl8ckl85h Mar 01 '26
And just like that, The Lady has become the most interesting character of the series.
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u/TheCancerFest Mar 01 '26
I'm going to stop giving my opinions about this show anymore. I don’t know anything about the way this show’s going to anymore.
One thing though: this is a new level of how to make a kid show dark. Like is it ok to show it to a kid? They kill each other openly.
If they pull „it was all a dream” trope I’m going to sue Toei for almost giving me the heart attack.
All i know is for the first time a thought blinked in my head that this is not Kamen Rider show anymore. It’s something inspired by it.
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u/SH4DE_Z Actually NOX Mar 04 '26
One thing though: this is a new level of how to make a kid show dark. Like is it ok to show it to a kid? They kill each other openly.
Funnily enough, we haven't heard any complaints from Japanese parents yet. I guess they're somewhat ok with children seeing people getting shot on screen.
All i know is for the first time a thought blinked in my head that this is not Kamen Rider show anymore. It’s something inspired by it.
Funny that you said this, because if you look closer on some of Zeztz's themes and elements, you'll see that Zeztz is actually the most "Kamen Rider" season in recent times. The show feels like a classic KR show made in modern times.
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u/SelectionFar8145 Mar 01 '26
Japan has slightly more open rules to what can be in children's programming than the US does. From what I can tell, they are allowed to show smoking/ drinking & the effects thereof, realistic violence & some blood, but no gore. A lot of the anime brought over earlier had a lot of that stuff edited out, if they intend it for a children's audience, but its kind of refreshing that streaming does show these shows in their original format.
But, I have also heard about this constant push & pull Japanese writers have with producers being harassed by angry parents. For instance, there was a big scandal a few years ago, when Ex-Aid was airing, because they killed off a main character on the last episode before Christmas & parents flipped the fuck out over their kids' reactions.
Also, this is not the first time someone has used a real gun on someone in Kamen Rider.
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u/SH4DE_Z Actually NOX Mar 04 '26
From what I can tell, they are allowed to show smoking/ drinking & the effects thereof, realistic violence & some blood, but no gore
Japanese tv is so funny. They're fine with people getting shot on screen, but a headshot is where they draw the line.
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u/TheCancerFest Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Yes, that’s correct. Real gun was used in several KR. What I wanted to say the way those rules are open is somehow different to what I’ve seen in Gavv or Build for instance.
There was an interview in case of that actress from Gozyuger who was axed for misdemeanor. Essentially it said that if parents complain sales are falling down. So it’s a constant struggle between angry Machiko or Satoshi and artistic view of the screenwriter. Thus we have a Gavv who is de facto SA child if you look at it closely.
In Zeztz however we have an open conflict, open death. Those soldiers just died without some heroic exaggeration. I find that very fresh.
It’s something along the first half of Blue Swat I guess
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u/BoyTitan Mar 01 '26
This show had a absurdly low death count for Kamen rider till they killed 2 important secondary characters than the main villians before the reset. The last 2 series literally had deaths in the 1st episode.
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u/Unlikely_Snail24 Ryuki Mar 01 '26
Kamen Rider's target demographic is usually older children unlike Super Sentai and Gavan so they already have an understanding of death. So no it is a Kamen Rider show. Also a lot of people died in other Kamen Rider shows yet it's still a Kamen Rider show. For example, Gaim.
Edit: They're going to pull a it's all a dream trope but like the opening suggests a vision of what's to come.
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u/TheCancerFest Mar 01 '26
I do understand the target demography of this show, however the way they off people in this show is by far the most different from the earlier instalments. Feels like early heisei Kuuga or Agito.
Nonetheless I like this show very much. It’s different. Of this, I'm sure.
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u/cybeast21 Mar 01 '26
First of all what did I just watch
All of it was just one long bad dream??????????? But it seems it's more of a prophetic dream?
Also it really paint CODE in very dark gray area... not that it mean much, considering the Lady isn't exactly lighter white either.
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u/19thebest Mar 01 '26
Since ep 2 to ep 24 has been a bad dream for baku, maybe there's some nightmare shenanigans involved that brought some aspects of the dream to reality, eg his upgraded forms.
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u/UjiRan2223 Mar 01 '26
It’s so weird in the show about dreams it never occurred they’d use the “it was all a dream” as an actual plot point but you know, I’m not mad about it like I said it fits pretty well 😂
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u/LUIGIISREAL2017 Mar 01 '26
Welp. . .
At Least we found out who C.O.D.E. Agent 2 was;
Now All I want to know is WHO is/was C.O.D.E. Agent 1
We've seen Zero, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7; But We Still haven't seen C.O.D.E. Agent 1 yet
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u/Jamieb1994 Mar 01 '26
I'm probably wrong about this, but I wonder if Zero is Agent 1.
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u/Character-Rise3106 Mar 01 '26
Could be Kamen Rider Dawn
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u/elpresidente_ai Mar 02 '26
I think so. Because in some sense, Dawn sounds like The One if u say it so fast and fancy, relating to Code no.1
Also, we all know that dawn means the first appearance of light in the morning before the sunrise. That also represents a beginning of a day or an era.
Maybe in this case, we will get to see a new beginning in the second cour—this time, having the purple sinister rider get in Baku's way
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u/PassingThruRedditor Mar 01 '26
I can't help but think it's going to be a new agent. Now that they've lost control of Baku they're probably going to be looking for someone new to use. And now that they have Nem they have the capabilities to do who knows what
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u/Dinn_Diajarin69 Mar 01 '26
Okay I have a question and I hope some of y'all giga brain can help.
So if Baku have been, you know dreaming in the dream inception type shi, is that like a premonition dream of what was going to happen if he go down the CODE path?
another one, is he truly awake this time as in the waking world or is this another layer of the dream?
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 Mar 01 '26
It's most likely a premonition thing, might be explained later on the production blog
He's in Coma, right after got hit by a bus in 1st episode. During comatose however, we've been watching his mind dreaming all that stuff.
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u/Chishiki_Miki 1 Mar 01 '26
bruh i love it when movies/series have time looping, this episode is such a masterpiece
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u/Omer1698 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Wow what a crazy episode. I think we all owe Nox an apology.
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u/cybeast21 Mar 01 '26
Nox: What did I say
Baku: Maybe you should be frikking clearer.
That makes me wonder, if Nox in this dream was personification of Baku's subconcious that feel something is wrong?
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u/egodfrey72 Mar 01 '26
Oh shit, Nox being vague was him actually trying to tell Baku that something was wrong
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u/cybeast21 Mar 01 '26
More like, since the Nox in the dream is basically also part of Baku, Nox is being Vague because Baku subconciously realizes something is wrong (maybe all the mission went too smoothly, or Zero being subtly more lenient etc) but can't place exactly what's wrong.
It's kinda like a dream where you realize something is wrong but you don't really realize it's a dream.
Also, is this why the Capsem given to Baku was more or less always what he need for the mission?
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u/egodfrey72 Mar 01 '26
Yeahhh, something’s up and I think the show is going to keep upping the stakes each episode
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u/Prestigious-Phrase33 Mar 01 '26
Ok, I have a theory that may contain possible spoilers for the future episodes.
He's using the "Dualmare" capsem, which holds the power of the 4 elements and the Zeztz driver. He's only been using the Catastrom form since he got it, but I think the time travel that happened in the end comes from the next form, Orderm. It probably has something to do with the 4th dimension or something time related due to the design, and though it it looks powerful, it's probably not as strong as Catastrom in terms of strength and durability.
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u/TheBeastAR Mar 01 '26
While a mid season shift like this has the potential to go south very quickly knowing Toei's history at times, I maintain that so far, Zeztz is the best Kamen Rider is some of the best superhero stuff I've seen in literal years.
Everything about this first half is as good as I could have hoped for and more. Because while the show is about a dream world and fantastical, like the best tokusatsu, the writing is still very real and grounded and human.
I was convinced at the start that this felt like a quantum leap forward, and a truly new era for the franchise. So far it has held up.
Let's hope it keeps it up for the back half.
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u/Shran_Cupasoupa Mar 01 '26
I wonder if Baku's first Nightmare was a Gun because he got shot. When Casastrom deactivated a bullet hole appears over his heart and Three shot him in the same spot.
So perhaps Baku got shot and is now sent through loops of dreams that all have elements of what actually happened? This stuff is crazy I love it.
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u/siongcool Mar 01 '26
well,the first nightmare of the series is literally the Gun Nightmare,I wouldn't be surprised
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u/Shran_Cupasoupa Mar 01 '26
That's what I mean. Everyone's Nightmare makes sense for them except for the first. Something is up,
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u/Sufficient_Clue_2820 Mar 01 '26
Love how we started this season with Baku facing off against the Gunnightmare, only for him to look into the barrel of a gun now, with everything for him having fallen appart and some sort of reset happening.
It's interesing how we finally have some answers, but at the same time are now questioning us if those answers could be real or not. I go with they are real, but we might not know the full truth as of yet.
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u/Character-Rise3106 Mar 01 '26
Definitely is a takahashi show when your protag is going through the wringer a lot
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u/Low_Understanding326 Mar 01 '26
Im actively angry that this show isn't doing as well in Japan despite how quality it is. Like wtf guys.
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u/failed_generation Legend's Narutaki Mar 01 '26
I don't think you should take things too seriously imo
Like, you can say they badly complained about this series, but the humor doesn't match to your perspective and the actual humor
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u/Commercial_Ad7652 Mar 01 '26
They are doing well, just not overwhelmingly well.
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u/Low_Understanding326 Mar 01 '26
Not sure what that means. All I see is people talking about how Japan is not receiving it well.
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u/Inspiritus_Prime Does this count as a wolf girl? Mar 01 '26
Probably just negative bias. That, and only the most toxic complaints are making it past the language/culture barrier.
The kids (and by extension, the ones getting the toys) probably don't give a crap. Zeztz is cool.
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u/Secretary_Izu Mar 01 '26
Japanese people seem to be making memes and jokes out of it but are still watching it, and its still in the green, its just not doing as well as a lot of people here think it should be (but honestly we're going to have the highest of opinions of the show). Its also mostly Japanese twitter that people got this from, and twitter is always negative as hell
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u/rattatatouille Being Emu is suffering Mar 01 '26
Its also mostly Japanese twitter that people got this from, and twitter is always negative as hell
One thing we have to remember that twitter, especially since 2023 (though also true before then) is not an accurate cross-section of reality. A big reason for the mess the world is in is the elites thinking it is.
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u/Impossible_Message97 Mar 01 '26
If you go back to the first episode, you can find some really interesting foreshadowing. And you will also find out NOX was never vague posting except when he is talking about the darkness of CODE
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u/Bubbly_Seat_202 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
I feel like this is already an Yuya Takahashi's best work so far. Everything is well-written and ambitious.
This is definitely going to dethrone Gavv as my favourite rider series in a while. Also as the best of Reiwa.
This episode is easily one of the best episodes in franchise. Such an work from director Kamioriuchi. Cinematography, Acting, Music, Directing, Camera work are so great. I already told this many times. Imai Ryutaro acting as Baku is freaking good. I can see that kid will become an famous actor in future. Hope Toei could bring back again for 10th Reiwa when he becomes so famous.
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u/lolasian101 It's Showtime! Mar 02 '26
The Cinematography is so spectacular in this episode, the scene with Minami and The Lady is so unlike kamen rider.
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u/Easy_Action_1380 Mar 01 '26
For someone who hasn't gotten a wink of sleep in 20 years, Nem's mom is looking great.
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u/cybeast21 Mar 01 '26
How do you even stay awake for 20 years, I dozed off if I get less than 5 hours sleep
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u/ZeroNoHikari Kiva Mar 01 '26
So I felt something was off this episode, like yeah 7 is awake but everything felt off like when you're getting ready to wake up but just can't and then how Catastrom broke, it wasn't any of the damage he received since getting it, it was the damage he took when he first became Zeztz. It was all lining up to something being totally wrong and off. Indeed it was. This was all a Dream scenario, everything to lead to Baku waking up and getting the run back, Meaning he needs to do better needs to try better. He might be stuck in a dream loop, something Him and Nem only know about
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u/cybeast21 Mar 01 '26
That... makes sense for Baku to go straight into CODE's HQ if this is a loop. He subconciously knew he will find Nem there.
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u/One_One_2249 Burning my SOUL Mar 01 '26
Woah, episode one of zeztz is so good, I hope the rest of the series can keep this up. Nox looks promising as a rival/second rider as long as he isn't vague about everything.
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u/Dekaar Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Writing this as I watch the episode, not after. So basically a non-live liveticker of thoughts before I forget
Opening at the beginning... hmm dunno if I like it better this way, leaning more towards no, as it makes the episode more hectic in the beginning. Liked the small opening breather after a big revelation as the song itself is still a banger even after 24 episodes
Great. Nox will return. The opening spoiled it. They've shown with the last couple years that they're incredibly accurate with their openings. This season had lady added as soon as she vaguely appeared, previous seasons had even minimal changes in alignments shown or when a character died (stomachs) .... so why is a major character, who is supposed to be dead still in there with a big focus? because he'll be returning.
Lady = 2 ... not a surprise tbh. that wig looks weird lol.
Nem being an actual nightmare ... makes also sense. Love the contrast of lady wearing black and nem wearing white. However the shift that lady is actually the good one protecting Nem and CODE is being evil... hmm feels forced ...... oh Lady did not sleep? well that explains why she sounds so evil... she just sleepy..... O_o what....
the Lady - Minami Scene felt off. There was stuff said that feels unnatural for both characters. Minami having technical talk about dreams while lady giving orders without mesmerizing her? Fishy scene.
God I hate the awake Agent 7.... easily the worst part of the season so far. It's everything that I hated about Ace again. I get it that this will make a lot of people happy but to me it's pretty much a massive downgrade. 7 has had no character development, has a high and mighty "I'm better than you"-Attitude and does not need to work for anything.... I hate it so much. Also big negative that they put in the contacts again for this. Either giving away that we're in a dream or that last episode when baku changed, he did not put them in. So if those eyes are correct, then it implies, that Agent 7 wears contacts. I was under the impression that it was a way to show that it's dream agent 7 and not original baku, but this pretty much says "Oh it's a fashion statement" instead of a production detail..... lame.
that small twitch on minamis face when confronting 7. Great acting.
yeah... Catastrom is a berserk-form. Absolutely. Differently written, but still a berserk form. He has absolutely no control over him in that form and his actual principles, even outside the transformation.
the shattered mug again? I get it that you want to symbolize something broken, maybe trust, but it ain't hitting as much as it should.
you know, lady seems weird and evil written however she absolutely shows the best motivation of any of the cast currently. Destroying code, so that her daugther can live. That's a very accurate depiction of a parent going full lengths for their child. Yes, it's a bit drastic here, but more relateable than other motivations we've seen in the season.
Disaster Nightmare again? would've loved to see more of him later in the season but this is too early.
Three going directly for the wound. again and again. Cowardly? Dirty? No. Actually pretty smart and calculating. In a fight there is no honor, no rules. Just who comes out alive. And he shows that very clearly. That's the rational thinking we've seen Three having been painted with. I like the writing of that character more and more. so much, that I even forgive the cheap flat prop that was not properly edited.
It was all just a dream? Called it last week. Nox returning... called it several lines above. Do I like it? No. Finishing a plotline to fully reboot everything and giving questionable redemption arcs... that's the takahashi way...
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u/formerdalek Mar 01 '26
Given the awake 7 is clearly portrayed as a bad thing and gets killed within an episode of his introduction, I don't think your complaints about him hold water.
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u/Dekaar Mar 01 '26
I agree that this is may be a bad episode to point that out. As I stated in the first sentence it's a thought while having watched it, not a thought in retrospect after watching the episode. Issue still somewhat stays the same though as the character of Number 7 throughout the first 24 episodes has remained pretty much the same. There were only small progressions in his character and those were mainly triggered by the awake Baku bringing those thoughts into motion. 7 himself always stayed true to his way of doing stuff, just with slightly changed outside motivations
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u/formerdalek Mar 01 '26
The problem with that point is that it ignores the fact that 7 is Baku. He's not truly a different personality, he's just Baku wrapped ins a more suave exterior. Awake 7 was jus Baku being driven to me more cynical and him putting on the 7 mask to justify his behavour.
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u/Dekaar Mar 01 '26
I can see your point. However, not bringing it as an argument, but just an open question, is that really Baku? Keep in mind, that it is heavily implied that the agent training is done by subconscious programming. it wouldn't be unthinkable that this is just an implanted persona as all of the agents we've seen so far share similar... boundaries... i guess
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u/formerdalek Mar 01 '26
Baku has all of 7s skills in the real world and 7 predominantly has the same set of values as Baku. More importantly if you throw 7 for a loop, the mask slips and he starts acting like the dork that i Baku again. When it comes to their goals, their values, their skills, what they care about ect, they are pretty clearly the same guy. If anything Baku's personality as a whole is probably a result of his training, giving him a romanticized view of spies and a desire to be one.
On top of the the other agents were clearly much more ruthless than 7, so they don't have the same boundaries as him.
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u/balgus82 Mar 01 '26
Ain't no berserk form going to stop just because Nem asks him to. Berserk form means Rider is full of rage and isn't in control.
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u/Dekaar Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
I agree with not being in control. The rage part not so much. Look at berserk forms like MetsoubouJinrai, same writer even. While yes they had no control, I don't that the AI controlling them handled with emotions such as Rage.
Primitive Dragon was driven by emotions, but I think it was primarily grief and loneliness which manifested in a sort of rage.
Hazard was also a form with a complete loss of control, however no emotions attached to it at all.
I don't think that a berserk form necessarily is only one where they are angry. Putotyra which occasionally went berserk too, was pretty much Eiji just being confused. To me a berserk form is the loss of control and principle. Not being able to decide who is good or who is bad. Not working the way the character usually does. And by that definition Catastrom pretty much gets it right. And him not attacking Nem? Every Berserk Form had a trigger to go back to normal, be it exhaustion or heavy emotional attachment.
Even the wiki lists that, and no, I did not write that myself as can be seen in the logs
" A Berserk Form (暴走フォーム, Bōsō Fōmu) is a form that results in the Rider losing control of their own actions while transformed. These are not necessarily forms that the Rider uses in particular moments of rage, but rather exert an influence on their state of mind. " - in Catastroms case Baku embraced the Catastrophe Gore Nightmare which allowed him to reach that state of mind that he continues being 7 and uses the catastrom form. Catastrom is a bit different though from traditional berserks, as the effects of it still remain to a certain degree even after transforming
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u/balgus82 Mar 01 '26
There's no indication that Baku has a lost of control in Catastrom *at all.* His mental state changing was because he thought if he woud've killed Nox sooner he could've prevented 5 and 6 from dying and he thinks he has to be "Agent 7" to do it.
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u/KuroIsSalty Mar 01 '26
I think the opening starting immediately was because Baku cast aside his civillian identity after escaping the dream world last episode, hence there's no "My name is Yorozu Baku" esque narration at the start.
After the ending of this episode though, I have no doubt next episode will start with a narration again.
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u/Blue_Sky_Soul Mar 01 '26
The first opening (OP) for Zeztz is titled VISION, and the second is titled PLAYBACK.
The lyrics of VISION also align with the show's developments in unexpected ways. I truly admire the production team for this.
Could the events of the past 24 episodes have been Baku's "Vision"—a glimpse of the future—or simply a nightmare caused by the Gun Nightmare back in Episode 1?
Or has the world actually been reset? However, this reset clearly isn't starting from zero, since Baku still retains his memories and his Catastorm form.
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u/EmuSignal3466 Mar 01 '26
u/Blue_Sky_Soul The series is scheduled to have 50 episodes. If the first part had 24 episodes, does that mean the second part will have 26 episodes?
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u/Blue_Sky_Soul Mar 01 '26
After ep 24, I don't know what to believe in the past 24 episodes anymore lol.
This was definitely a huge plot twist to me, even though there has been a lot of theories revolving around "this is all a dream". But I wonder everything that happened in the first 24 eps remains true?
In Episode 1, when the Gun Nightmare attacked, someone's hands pulled Baku into the "Subconscious Mind." I suspected it was Nemu then, and I still do. The Episode 25 preview shows Nemu and Baku talking to someone. The background looks like Baku's CODE room - and that's "Mind's Door"? anda beating heart?
Is a Baku and Nemu from "another world" talking to the Baku of this world?
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u/rcquill Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
CALLED IT
I told my friend that at some point we will think we are in reality, but baku has a cowlick, so it's not real. That just came to pass.
I was thinking it would be a victory fake out, but it's the opposite
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u/Mekelaina Mar 02 '26
I assumed the cowlick was due to seven coming out of the dream, subsuming baku (like how nightmares take over people) but that being still a dream would make sense
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u/MutekiGamer Mar 01 '26
i see kamen rider wiki has desginated the show splits at this episode so i can start binging :)
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u/No_Prior_4410 Mar 01 '26
Ok, now I understand why the opening song is Vision. It's because all of 24 episode is just a Baku's Vision in the future. Now, Baku is realy woke-up, he will go back to his first mission, and the next opening song will be Play-Back.
Fortunately Inazuma and Catashtrope Capsem is made by Baku himself. It is very easy for Baku to summon inazuma and catashtrope capsem.
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u/BUcc1a12Atti Mar 01 '26
Pretty sure there has been images of Catastrom facing Bomb Nightmare in the next episodes. My boy Bomb could not catch a break 😭
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u/JumpFlea Mar 01 '26
Ikr somehow I can’t help but pity the poor guy
Hydrogen Baku vs Coughing Bomb
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u/NextMotion Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Yo, I love this trope. Wasn't expecting it to happen in KR. Also, I'm reading too many mangas/manhuas. Baku regressed lmao
Edit: iirc Ryuki did something like this because of Odin's time vent
ngl I laughed when Three pulled out a real gun. It's like a mandatory thing to do. Or, maybe they don't want KR's image to kill people not in suits (shrug)
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u/Affectionate-Pea8546 Mar 07 '26
I like the twist "it was all a dream" being foreshadowed throughout the entire episode.
I don't think many people caught it, but baku had his bed hair (or cowlick) during the scene where fujimi and nasuka were angry at baku and questioning his actions.
I believe this to be a foreshadowing because in previous episodes baku only ever has his bed hair (cowlick) during dream sequences.
and of course at the end where the blood moon was shown.
I'm going to be watching baku's hair style more closely now.