Recap: Kamen Rider Build, Episode 43 – Another Build

Even with Satou Taro’s face, Papa Katsu knows Sento is his son Takumi. Evolto applauds the family reunion. Sento says he thought Papa Katsu created the Rider System to defeat Evolto. But Evolto says all of this was part of Papa Katsu’s plan.

Ryuga and Kazumin arrive as Papa Katsu admits that once the Lost Bottles are all collected, he will have accomplished his goal.

Evolto takes Nariaki and leaves.

Papa Katsu, Ryuga, Kazumi and Gentoku all henshin as Sento watches in horror and confusion.

Papa Katsu uses a Duplication Technique to multiply himself and take on the three. He first forces Kazumin to dehenshin and says the Build Driver was originally designed for him. He Builds up to Kaizoku Densha and forces Gentoku to dehenshin next.

Papa Katsu goes Hawk Gatling to take on Ryuga. Suddenly, Ryuga gets the Mars flashback and that causes him to rage once again. He beats Papa Katsu who says Ryuga is acting this way because Evolto creating the black hole stimulated his genes. That causes Ryuga to hunger for battle even more than the Sclash Driver ever did.

Ryuga refuses to believe this. He continues beating up Papa Katsu and prepares a finisher. Sento asks him to stop before he henshins to Genius and delivers a kick at Ryuga. Ryuga dehenshins and loses consciousness.

Papa Katsu flies away.

They take Ryuga back to the lab. Misora tries to use Vernage’s power to heal Ryuga, but nothing happens. Kazumin is upset with Sento, questioning why he would defend Papa Katsu who is their enemy.

Sento says his father is not their enemy. Kazumi grabs Sento and says they all saw Papa Katsu and Evolto working together. What more proof does he need?

Kazumin says he cannot trust Sento in battle anymore and leaves. Gentoku says Sento’s hope to believe his father has blinded him and that he can’t trust to fight alongside him either.

Gentoku turns to leave as well. Sawa tries to stop him, but he shows her his new shirt that says “Bye!”

Later, Sawa shows Misora a huge body pillow with Miitan on it that would certainly make Kazumin come back. Just then, Misora gets a call.

Downstairs, Sento unsuccessfully tries to find any information in the data he has. He knocks the computer monitor off the table in frustration. Katsuragi pops in and says of course their father would join Evolto after getting exposed to Pandora’s light. But he should’ve come back to his senses after henshining. So why didn’t he?

Sento thinks it’s because he is the creator of the Rider System and thus can’t turn back. “You understand after all,” Katsuragi says.

Sento regrets defending Papa Katsu now. Misora comes in and says he shouldn’t blame himself. She probably would’ve done the same. Sento says thanks, but he’s had enough. He accepts his father is their enemy. But now Sento questions what he has been fighting for all this time.

Misora reminds him that it was for “love and peace.” They’ve gone through a lot of hard times, but Sento always overcame all of it to fight for a world of “love and peace.” Sento says it is different now because he originally thought the Rider System was created for justice. Now it has been proven otherwise,

Down by the ocean, Kazumi says they must defeat Evolto and Papa Katsu might come to his senses. Gentoku unzips his jacket to reveal an “I approve” shirt.

Later, Misora meets with Evolto with the hopes of helping Sento.

Back at the lab, Sento apologizes to Ryuga for being wrong about his father. Sawa hurries down to tell him Misora has not returned.

That is because Misora is being infused with Nebula Gas. Evolto and Papa Katsu hope this will revitalize Vernage’s power inside Misora. But if Vernage’s power is already fading away, then Misora will die.

Evolto says Papa Katsu is as cold as ever. Papa Katsu says it is all to create a new world.

Sento runs out to look for Misora and gets a call from her. He hurries to the Toei warehouse where Misora stumbles toward him before Vernage takes over her body and jabs the Lost Bottle into her neck. Misora becomes a Lost Smash.

Sento henshins to Tank Tank and they battle. He then gets ready to go Genius, but Papa Katsu shows up and warns that Misora will die if Sento defeats Vernage.

Papa Katsu henshins and he tag-teams with the Lost Smash Vernage against Sento. Sento holds back, unsure how to handle the situation. Papa Katsu says he will complete the Black Panel and pave the way to a new world that defies current laws of physics.

Papa Katsu delivers a Vortec Finish at Sento and it forces him to dehenshin.

Sento struggles to understand. How could his father have deceived him and his mother for something like that? Papa Katsu says turning Sento into a hero was a means to an end. That’s all. And Sento couldn’t possibly defeat Evolto as he is now.

Ryuga suddenly walks in and asks why Sento is being pathetic by crying. He says there’s nothing wrong with being turned into a hero. He reminds Sento that they fight for the justice that they believe in. And that justice means saving Misora now.

Sento remembers Misora’s words to him earlier. He grabs Ryuga’s hand and Ryuga helps him up. They both henshin.

Ryuga says he will take care of Papa Katsu while Sento saves Misora. Ryuga rampages again. Sento tries to think quick and he seems to have something.

Sento delivers an All Side kick at Vernage. Ryuga fashions a black hole to attack Papa Katsu, but Sento pushes Vernage toward Ryuga with a Genius Finish. They explode.

Misora is released from the Lost Smash.

Papa Katsu says he can’t believe Sento would sacrifice both Vernage and Ryuga just for Misora. But Ryuga emerges from the fire. Sento explains that he transferred Vernage’s power to Ryuga. Vernage and Evolto’s powers interfere with each other. So Sento used it to neutralize Ryuga’s genes.

Papa Katsu tries a Vortec Finish, but Sento and Ryuga both counter with a Volcanic Attack and Genius Finish. Sento uses the Lost Bottle from earlier which turns yellow to punch his father into the wall. Sento says he is resolved to surpass his father and defeat Evolto.

Papa Katsu flies back to Evolto’s lair lab, obviously injured. Evolto says this is the first time Papa Katsu’s calculations were wrong, unless this was part of his plan after all. Papa Katsu says no, this was beyond his expectations. He really was defeated by Sento.

Nariaki runs in to show them that Gentoku and Kazumin are trying to sneak in.

Episode Thoughts

I felt really good about this episode. Things came to a head with regards to Papa Katsuragi and Sento.

Not 100% sure, but I got from Sento and Katsuragi’s conversation that they’ve accepted Papa Katsu is too far gone. Whether it’s because of Pandora’s Light or he was already a wacko before that. (Or both.) That allows for the very awesome use (once again) of Sento and Ryuga’s bromance to power them up and strengthen their resolve.

It refocuses Sento after the obvious mental struggle he has to go through trying to understand his father’s true role in all of this. Of course, that comes after the whole Sento/Takumi identity switch/memory mix phase that certainly confused me. What more for Sento himself? lol

I really enjoyed Sento knocking the computer monitor off the table. Like Ouch! That’s not cheap. lol But then it was a good way to really demonstrate his frustration and anger and all the different emotions running through him at that moment.

I also appreciated Kazumi’s anger at Sento. I think it came from a good place, especially as we remember the hell he has gone through and his own struggle to come to terms with what they are fighting for. Gentoku’s shirts also provided quick moments of levity in the midst of the tension everywhere else.

Misora going off on her own, risking her life basically for Sento was very much in character for her. The situation is growing more hopeless by the minute. And her wanting to do something, even if it meant having to trust Evolto showed just how desperate the situation is becoming.

The bromance again saves the day of course. Sento’s plan with the DNA resequencing stuff or whatever is happening there plus Vernage’s quick end all makes sense actually. I accept it. Though maybe because some of it goes way over my head. lol

But my biggest takeway from that whole sequence was Papa Katsu talking about how Build was made for him. And Sento and Ryuga were just pawns in the grand scheme of things, unable to ever beat the original Build. But on the contrary, I think we will eventually see that Sento and Ryuga are truly more suited for the Rider System than the one who created it. And of course that will lead to Papa Katsu’s final miscalculation.

I actually still don’t think I know what to expect as we approach the final endgame. But I do feel much better about the direction these last few weeks than I had been. And that’s good.