Welcome back to Super Hero Synopses, where friendship will take on the universe and things are always settled man-to-man!

This week, Kamen Rider Zi-O attempts to up the ante (or perhaps just cover for a lack of returning actors) with a double tribute. As such, our time traveling trio have to infiltrate a certain high school to investigate the cause of multiple missing person cases. It seems that a number of young ladies are attracting the attention of the franchise’s most infamous psychopath. But before we can confront him we must check in with the Kamen Rider Club. *thumps myself twice in the chest before pointing forwards*

Given who is after the victims, is it possible that they’re secretly Orphanochs? Did you feel the absence of Sota Fukushi (Gentaro) or did you think that the episode danced neatly around him? Did this episode capture the youthful spirit of Fourze? Let us in on your thoughts and theories in our forum or over on our Facebook page.

Kamen Rider Zi-O, Episode 05
“Switch On! 2011”

Uhr and Hora meet up, only for Swartz to also arrive. The senior Time Jacker is so powerful that he can even freeze his colleagues in place. He mocks them before reminding them to stay focused on their mission. Sougo (Zi-O) arrives home from school to find that Tsukuyomi and Geiz are headed out in search of an Another Rider. He changes and accompanies them.

Tsukuyomi brings him up to speed on a number of instances of young women who disappeared. They were all 18 and their star signs were all Libra. As the previous Another Riders targeted people in patterns, they believe another one could be at work here. The cases seems to be spreading from high school to high school, so they are going to the school they predict will be affected next – Amanogawa High School, the main location from Kamen Rider Fourze.

The three change into this school’s uniforms – with Tsukuyomi and Geiz customising theirs as before – and attempt to search the school for a potential victim. Getting nowhere, Geiz believes he will have to hack the school’s computer system to access their student data. Sougo devises a more simple plan: He throws himself against a wall and crashes down a staircase before sending the others to fetch the school nurse to check his injuries. Meanwhile a man in a hoodie lurks outside the school gates.

Tsukuyomi and Geiz reach the nurse, who leaves them in her office while she goes to attend her patient. This gives them an opportunity to use the nurse’s PC, which she left logged in, to find the only student that matches their criteria: Karin Yamabuki. Having being attended to by the nurse, Sougo bumps into Karin, who seems close to fainting. When he attempts to steady her she runs away. He follows her only to find Woz instead. He confirms that the Time Jackers are close at hand and tells him to look out for a “shooting star”.

Karin is up on an open rooftop. There is a fence on the edge tall enough to prevent anyone accidentally falling off. She is attacked by the man in the hoodie – Masato Kusaka a.k.a. Kamen Rider Kaixa. Sougo and the others see her fall from the roof and rush towards her. When they arrive they find she is unharmed and crouched beside Another Fourze. Sougo and Geiz transform and rush into battle.

The battle is being watched by Daita “Kong” Kondou and Chikao “Rat” Nezu, two former members of the ‘Monster League’ who appeared in Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum. During the fight Sougo drops his Build Ride Watch, which Geiz then uses. He performs the Build finisher on Another Fourze (correctly, with the floating equations back as they should be) which merely forces him back. Karin then interferes, pushing Another Fourze as if trying to get him to run away.

Geiz notices that Another Fourze is branded with “2011” on his side. The monster flees, with Karin in quick pursuit. The others attempt to follow, but their path is blocked by Kong and Rat, who give the Riders a very distinctive handshake before introducing themselves as members of the Kamen Rider Club and insisting they come visit their club room with them. As they follow, Geiz returns the Build Ride Watch to Sougo.

The two students bring the Riders to the club room uses since the events of Fourze. It’s a step down from the (sadly destroyed) Rabbit Hatch, but contains a number of items from the original club members. Sougo notices a picture of Ryusei (Kamen Rider Meteor), whose name means “shooting star”. He asks Kong and Rat about him, and they tell him that he was a club member seven years ago in 2011.

The teens are then joined by Osugi Chuta, a long-serving teacher and advisor to the Kamen Rider Club. When Rat and Kong tell him that the newcomers are Riders, Osugi notices the Ride Watches on Geiz’s wrist and digs the Fourze Ride Watch out of a locked box (that also contains some other mementos of the series, such as a photo of his beloved Ms Sonoda).

He passes it to Sougo, explaining that a younger teacher that also advises the club told him that they were to give it to an “awesome guy” who would show up one day. That teacher is currently searching for a missing student, though they point to his picture – Gentaro Kisaragi, the original Kamen Rider Fourze. Tsukuyomi looks up the first disappearances and confirms they happened in 2011, so Sougo and Geiz decide to head back seven years.

In 2011 a young man seems to be trying to use some sort of psychic power on an unconscious young woman laid inside an abandoned building. He is unsuccessful and stumbles outside, where he sees Kamen Rider Fourze fighting the Scorpion Zodiarts. At that moment time freezes and Swartz approaches the young man. The young man accepts his offer for more power and becomes Another Fourze, instantly deleting the Zodiart behind him from history and leaving a non-transformed Gentaro wondering what he was doing.

The first victim is chased into a warehouse by Another Fourze, who absorbs her into the Core Switch. Seeing the attack from their Time Mazines, Sougo and Geiz transform and attack. Geiz summons his Drive Armour and Another Fourze tries to prevent Sougo from using the Fourze Ride Watch. His attack is intercepted by Woz, who refuses to allow the monster to prevent Sougo from attaining yet another Rider’s power. Sougo then summons the Fourze Armour.

In 2018, Tsukuyomi traces Karin to the same abandoned building from earlier. She attempts to talk her into leaving when Kusaka also arrives. He tells Tsukuyomi to leave but is then grabbed from behind. In 2011, Sougo uses his Fourze finishing move, which takes him and Another Fourze to orbit and back again. Another Fourze’s armour falls away to reveal that he is really Another Faiz. In 2018, Kusaka’s attacker turns out to be none other than Takumi Inui – the original Kamen Rider Faiz!

 

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