Recap: Kamen Rider Gaim, Episode 42 – Mitsuzane's Last Transformation!

Kota hurries to where Minato and Zack have evacuated the people who had been held inside Yggdrasill. He rushes to his sister and is also happy to see Rat and Rica are fine as well.

Kota thanks Minato, Zack, Oren and Jonouchi for all they’ve done. But Oren says it is not over yet. They need to get these people out of Zawame. Akira, however, wants to stay and help her brother.

A group of Inves appear and Oren and Jonouchi quickly usher the evacuees away. Kota and Kaito henshin and take on the swarm.

Meanwhile at the Garage, Chucky and Peco are looking over Mai who has just come to.

Suddenly, Mitchi barges in, calling for Mai who gets up, but suddenly feels a surge of pain and glowing eye. Peco unsuccessfully tries to keep Mitchi away from Mai, only to get pushed to the floor.

The Golden Fruit in Mai’s chest glows and Mai collapses back onto the cot.

Ryoma suddnely pops in and checks Mai’s vitals. He suggests they take her to the hospital, even if there are no longer any doctors left in the city. Ryoma says he will take care of it.

Kota and Kaito have taken care of all the Inves as Akira, Minato and Zack join them.

The Overlords are gone, but Helheim’s infection is still spreading, Kota says. “I have to stop Helheim myself.”

Why? Kaito asks. He says they should stop concentrating on the current world and let Helheim absorb it so it will be forced to evolve. The Overlords were weak, that’s why they lost to Helheim. That’s why them humans must avoid the same fate.

Kaito didn’t fight next to Kota to save the world, he merely disliked the tyranny of the Overlords.

Minato goes after Kaito as he leaves. Zack asks Kota where Mai is and then suggests that she may be at the Garage. Kota asks Zack to take his sister to safety and they agree to meet at Drupers later.

Ryoma leads Mitchi, Chucky and Peco as they carry Mai into an abandoned hospital.

Kota gets to the Garage to find it empty.

Kaito and Minato come across some Inves, but Kaito’s arm suddenly acts up. They hide and Minato is shocked to see Kaito’s Helheim wound.

At the hospital, Chucky and Peco find they have locked into a room, away from wherever Ryoma and Mitchi have taken Mai.

Ryoma does a scan of Mai’s body to confirm that the Golden Fruit is indeed inside of her. Neither Mitchi nor Ryoma understand why Roshuo would so such a thing.

“Because she’s going to become the Woman of the Beginning,” Sagara says as he pops in. “The one the Woman of the Beginning chooses becomes the hero who obtains the Golden Fruit.”

Sagara says the Fruit should be given according to that race’s myths. And giving the Woman of the Beginning that fruit is his job.

Just who are you? Mitchi asks.

Sagara says they have spread endlessly, surpassed the skies and prospered. They’ve stimulated revolution in ancient tribes. Or perhaps he’s just the snake that he’s been called.

They can also call him by the name they’ve given him… Helheim.

Sagara is the personification of Helheim itself?! He enters Mai’s head to tell her that Roshuo wanted her to see this end and beginning through. “For a new era to start, the old world needs to be destroyed.”

Mai does not want to see the end of the world, but Sagara says no one can change a fate that is already in motion.

“Bulls—t,” Mitchi exclaims. If Sagara is Helheim, then why is he trying to destroy humanity? Sagara says it is up to them to evolve and avoid destruction. He’s traveled through space and changed countless worlds.

Mitchi says he only wanted to save Mai. But Sagara it is too late now, he has already chosen his fate just like Kota and Kaito have. They must continue down their chosen paths until they reach their final destination. Sagara will follow to the end.

Bando-san gets Zack, Oren and Jonouchi to stop being down and to eat up and gain strength. But Akira is worried about Kota and the others.

Minato is lecturing Kaito on not having told anyone about his injury. But Kaito says if he does die soon enough, that will be his limit as a man. Minato asks if Kaito meant what he said about not wanting to save the world.

Yes, Kaito says, not even a little part of him wants to. He wanted nothing in peacetime. His place lies in the future after the end of the world. “Which will end first? The world? Or me?”

Minato cannot believe this. She is not sure if Kaito’s belief is correct, but she has decided to watch over him until the end.

Ryoma says there’s a good chance the Golden Fruit will turn her into an Overlord. The only way to save her is to the remove it from her body. But Kota will be a problem as he would like Mai to become the Woman of the Beginning so he can have the Golden Fruit to save the world.

Mitchi doesn’t think Kota would sacrifice Mai to save the world, but Ryoma says crazy Kota would. He would even become an Overlord himself, what more to let Mai?

Ryoma gets into Mitchi’s head and says even his Genesis Driver is no match for Kota’s power. He takes a Lock Seed out of the drawer. It is very dangerous as it drains the user’s life energy to create an even bigger energy; the Yomotsuheguri, or Hell Fruit Lock Seed.

Ryoma warns that he cannot promise Mitsuzane would survive using it. So he would be giving up his life to save the woman he loves.

Does Mitsuzane-kun have that kind of resolve?

Mitchi picks the Lock Seed up and goes to Mai.

“Mai-san, don’t make that face! Look like how you did in the past!”

Mitchi falls to his knees. “Why can’t I remember the expression on your face you used to have?! What am I protecting?! Why am I fighting?!”

HeadTakatora pops in. “Keep that image in your mind. This is the result of your actions. You have deceived so many people all this time, no one will forgive you now.”

“Despite that, you are still my ray of light,” Mitchi says to Mai. “For you, I would give up this life.”
“You life isn’t worth anything! Don’t even try comparing it to her life! You will die without accomplishing a single thing!”
“Please be quiet.”

It is now morning. Back at the hospital, Chucky and Peco have tied together the bed sheets to allow Peco to escape through the window to get help.

Kota is by the water when Mitchi approaches. “I will stop you,” Mitchi says.

“Please stop Mitchi! We have no reason to hurt each other.”
“In the end, I haven’t won anything for myself. But at least for her, for Mai-san alone, I will give everything to protect her! I would even give up my life.”

Mitchi’s words worry Kota. That’s when Mitchi unlocks the Yomotsuheguri Lock Seed. A dark, stormy whirlpool opens up in the sky and Mitchi locks on. The Hell Fruit engulfs Mitchi and begins to drain his life energy.

Mitchi fires at Kota who tries running.

Mitchi tosses Kota into the warehouse and attacks, all while the Lock Seed continues forcibly extracting his life energy. Kota pleads with Mitchi to cancel his henshin.

Kota finally henshins, straight to Kachidoki Arms. They battle.

Kota sees Mitsuzane suffering through the pain and begs him to stop this before he dies. Mitchi says he only has Mai left. He can’t lose her.

Kota sees Mitchi’s resolve and decides to go Kiwami Arms.

Episode Thoughts

OMG seriously.

Okay. So let’s go to Kaito first. It is really interesting to see his belief now, his quest for power and evolution. Many people were debating his personality at the beginning of the season. Is he a megalomaniac? Not necessarily. Does he resent this horribly corrupt world he’s grown up in? Most definitely. He life, his family was ruined. And then he found out why his family and life were thrown aside like trash? You can sure as hell bet that he’d love to see this world end and get an opportunity to create a new one for himself in the way he sees fit.

His worldview is certainly twisted and full of emotional baggage, but it’s half admirable and definitely understandable.

Minato’s fascination with him is definitely something that’s been underdeveloped. And while she’s awesomely kicked plenty of ass, her character has really been shortchanged.

Another thing we got shortchanged with is Kota and Akira’s reunion and then downplaying the weight of having Akira stay behind in Zawame to help her brother. She’s getting lumped in with the rest of the ragtag bunch, when from the beginning her relationship with Kota has been one of the biggest drivers for whatever Kota does (finding a job, keeping her safe, etc.).

Speaking of the ragtag bunch, it at least has been great to see the likes of Rat, Rica, Chucky, Peco and definitely Zack get a good amount of screentime to help continue building this current state of affairs.

Now to the big stuff.

The biblical themes have been sprinkled throughout the season and could probably be an amazing thesis paper!

Sagara being the snake in the Garden of Eden, which would in turn be the devil. The Golden Fruit that empowers the holder and with godlike abilities to create a new world. This episode still didn’t really lay everything out on the table, but it still did play into the whole idea of temptation and evil. Sagara or Helheim or whatever his name is, if we are to believe his story on its face, he has traveled time and space to tempt worlds with an immense all-knowing power. Dangling the Golden Fruit in front of the people and watching them self-destruct, in essence, watching worlds go to hell. Bringing about their own pain and suffering and eventually their end. Sagara aka the devil would take great pleasure in such suffering, now wouldn’t he? (I’ve watched enough Supernatural to know how twisted Lucy can be.)

In the process of tempting the gullible people, they also get their brains turned to mush. And there’s no better example than Mitsuzane-kun.

Now first of all, we know he’s been doing all this for Mai, the love of his life. While I think they definitely could have done a better job of establishing that than just using stolen glances and the like, they were still able to show Mitchi’s main ambition and effectively depicted his descent into madness.

The scenes with headTakatora have definitely helped shore up Mitchi’s unbelievable emotional journey. That outward and “physical” manifestation of his inner struggle has really illustrated everything we’ve seen Mitchi go through this entire season.

That’s why I think Kureshima Mitsuzane is one of the best and most fascinating characters I’ve seen on television in a long time. This sonuvabitch is absolutely amazing.

I know everyone has seen the feather scene in the preview for Episode 43. I’ve definitely been waiting for a tragic ending with Mitchi dying in Kota’s arms, entrusting the love of his life to Kota-san and saying “I know you can’t ever forgive me” and Kota saying “Mitchi, why!?!?” and both of them crying and, as it turns out, beautiful white feathers flying around them.

But I also would not mind seeing Mitchi survive. Have him actually live through whatever hell will emerge after all is said and done. That would be the biggest punishment for him, wouldn’t it? And also leave it open to future Super Hero Taisens (lol).

Just another amazing episode. Really. Kamen Rider Driver better be all imagination and rainbow cars because it’s gonna take an entire year to get over Gaim‘s emotional roller coaster. Yeah?