Recap: Kamen Rider Zi-O, Episode 17 – Happy New Woz 2019

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Uncle Junichiro has made special bento for the New Year’s holiday.

New Year’s 2022, that is. Sougo heads outside and it is indeed 2022. He is suddenly attacked by ninja-like foot soldiers until Takigawa Kinji Kagura Rentarou appears to save him.

Rentarou introduces himself as someone who fights in the shadows to protect the helpless from those who misuse the power given to them.

Rentarou pours his belt out of a bottle and henshins to…

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Kamen Rider Shinobi!

Rentarou easily fights off the food soldiers using different types of ninpou. Sougo thinks he’s pretty cool. But he wakes up from the dream back in the present day, New Year’s 2019.

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Later that night, a strange Time Mazine arrives in 2019. The Time Jackers, meanwhile, greet each other on a rooftop. Schwartz hands Heure a strange Ride Watch.

The next day, Rentarou tries saving his friend from a bunch of goons, but gets beat up instead. Heure pops up and appears to force the Ride Watch into Rentarou.

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Back at the shop, Sougo tells Geiz and Tsukuyomi about his dream. But Geiz tells Sougo about how all Riders ceased to exist on Oma Day when Sougo becomes Oma Zi-O.

Just then, Woz appears and Uncle Junichiro happily serves him a bento expecting another time piece to be repaired. Geiz can’t believe Woz would have the nerve to show his face here again after what he’s done. But Tsukuyomi says Woz must have a good reason.

Woz explains that Another Rider has appeared, but his book mentions nothing about it or the original Rider. They all leave to investigate.

Three of the goons that attacked Rentarou’s friend have already been attacked by the Another Rider. And the fourth one is about to be killed. Heure watches and is pleased by the progress.

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Suddenly, a voice comes out of nowhere announcing Heure will find himself in a sudden traffic accident. The car with the fourth goon starts to careen towards him. Heure freezes time to stop the car from hitting him. He turns and finds a strangely dressed Woz behind him.

Woz wants Heure to tell him all about the Another Rider, but Heure refuses. Woz then writes in his tablet-style, touchscreen book that Heure’s time becomes unfrozen.

The frozen car quickly continues careening toward him. Heure tries freezing time again, but time just starts right back up. Over and over. Until Woz finally freezes time himself, having made his point to Heure.

Woz repeats his demand for Heure to tell him all about the Another Rider. Heure says all he knows is Schwartz gave him the watch.

Woz spares him for today.

On the other side of town, Sougo, Geiz and Tsukuyomi are at the site where one of the goons was burned alive. But other than the park bench, there’s no sign of fire. That’s when Geiz spots something bubbling out of Sougo’s shadow.

Sougo and Geiz henshin and the Another Rider pops out of the shadows. They battle, but Another Shinobi is able to get away after spraying them with water ninpou.

Geiz hops on his bike to chase after him. Sougo tries to catch up, but Woz writes in his digital book that he won’t. And he doesn’t. Sougo manages to catch his bike Watch.

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But Sougo and Tsukuyomi are surprised to see this different Woz appear.

Woz speech-to-texts that Sougo will get caught up in a whirlwind and it happens immediately. He says he doesn’t control the future, but merely guides it.

Before Woz can write Sougo’s demise, presentWoz appears and wraps Another Woz’s wrist with his long scarf. Woz than wraps Sougo and Tsukuyomi in his scarf and whisks them away.

They call Geiz over, but Another Shinobi quickly finds them. Sougo and Geiz henshin and they battle.

Another Woz appears and explains that he can write the future in his book and can guide their actions. He wants to take Another Shinobi’s Watch and they don’t know anything about him because Kamen Rider Shinobi does not exist in this timeline.

Sougo goes Decade and delivers a Dual Time Break at Another Shinobi. But Another Shinobi sucks Sougo and Geiz in a fiery whirlwind.

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Geiz is spit out of the whirlwind in front of Another Woz who bows and kneels to him, his “savior.” Another Woz says Geiz will destroy Oma Zi-O on Oma Day when he becomes Geiz Revive. That’s why Another Woz has come to 2019 to help his savior Geiz.

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Another Woz pulls the Beyondriver out and henshins to Kamen Rider Woz.

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Another Woz summons his spear and takes on Another Shinobi. He writes in his book that Another Shinobi explodes from his attack and it happens. Another Woz delivers a Time Explosion and Rentarou is released from Another Shinobi.

Another Woz says he comes from a future in a different timeline, a future without Oma Zi-O. And that timeline was created when Geiz destroyed Oma Zi-O.

Episode Thoughts

Wow! What an interesting episode. Very exciting and lots going on of course.

First, YAY Hideya Tawada! I guess he’s the guest for these two eps, but I was hoping he’d be a permanent secondary Rider this season. He was pretty badass this episode in what little we saw of him. And it brings back nice memories and seeing him go from being the StarNinger with a hamburger cell phone to a kick ass Kamen Rider Shinobi. Let’s hope we’re in the timeline where Kamen Rider Shinobi really happens in 2022. Hehe.

But the biggest development was definitely the introduction of Kamen Rider Woz. Woz has been great so far as has Keisuke Watanabe. So having the two Wozeses will definitely give him more opportunity to be awesome. But it also presents the interesting plot twists.

Geiz being the savior in the new timeline will certainly bring back his wanting to kill Sougo, one would assume. But I will expect that this somehow gets Geiz a nice new power up and he again reverts to his tsundere ways to believe in Sougo. Thus, I guess, creating ANOTHER new timeline, right?

The season has played around with the different timelines. Starting back even to Build‘s finale of course. So to introduce Another Woz presents a whole range of interesting possibilities as well. They can play around with the idea of parallel universes/timelines. Though in both good and bad ways. We’ll see.

There was a lot of great action this episode as well. First from Kamen Rider Shinobi and then Kamen Rider Woz. Some nice, neat fight choreography for their big fight sequences. And Kamen Rider Woz’s henshin sequence, music and sound effects are all so awesomely over-the-top. I love it!

Overall, a great, enjoyable episode and a nice start to this next arc of the season!

One thought on “Recap: Kamen Rider Zi-O, Episode 17 – Happy New Woz 2019

  1. Indeed, very good beginning of the New Year. I’m glad Kinji’s actor is back and now I’m curious, because it’s revealed it’ll be special episode devoted to Kamen Rider Shinobi. And, of course, clash of two Wozes! I wonder what Another Woz is planning?

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