Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 9 – “Larger than life to crush like a machine.”

Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 9 – I’ll Take Care of Your Life

Humagear surgeon Dr. Omigoto examines Isamu and sees that he needs immediate surgery or he will die.

Horobi and Jin are leading the Giger and an army of Magia to the next hospital, but Aruto arrives to stop them. He says killers like them have no right to set foot in hospitals that are meant to save people.

Horobi says The Ark has concluded that humanity’s end will be brought about by the technology Hiden has created. Horobi and Jin henshin and they battle.

Horobi says once Humagears separate from the control of humans, they will be able to forge their own path. Aruto says Humagears are supposed to help enrich humanity, but Horobi says Humagears exist to end it.

Horobi slams Aruto against a stone block and the MetsubouJinrai army continue making their way to the hospital.

Breaking news is reporting on the attack on National Digital Hospital. A Humagear commentator warns people to avoid any red-eyed Humagears as those have been hacked.

VP Jun and Co. are in Aruto’s office. Izu says she has not found any data on Horobi or Jin in the Hiden database.

Shester and Senior VP Sanzo report on the rising customer complaints and collapsing stock of the company. VP Jun says they must send an order to Zea to shut down all Humagears working in hospitals.

Izu says hospitals are already understaffed so shutting down Humagears may cause more casualties.

Shester says keeping Humagears online will be more dangerous. The two Humagears face off. But Aruto is unsure of what he should do. VP Jun commands Izu to follow his order then since Aruto’s silence means he has no objections.

Izu proceeds to activate the emergency shutdown and all hospital Humagears go offline, including the surgeon meant to operate on Isamu.

Yua tries to figure out what to do next, but she spots a hole in the doctor’s neck from the forced hacking from the Giger.

Jin is upset that his friends have been shut down. But Horobi says this is fine since without the Humagears, more people will die and Hiden won’t be able to keep the shutdown going for much longer.

Aruto sits in the lab thinking about everything. He tells Izu that while MetsubouJinrai are evil, he knows there are many good Humagears and believes not all will turn evil like them.

Izu asks what is Aruto’s basis for thinking that, but Aruto says he doesn’t have any. He just wants to believe that to be the case.

Yua storms in to demand they reactivate the medical Humagears. She tells them there are hacked Humagears who are still trying to save patients. So at this rate, lives that could possibly be saved will end up lost if they don’t flip the switch back on.

Aruto is surprised by Yua’s emotion. Yua explains that this is partly her fault as the Giger was originally an A.I.M.S. weapon. They brought this about because they were over-reliant on technology.

Yua pleads with them to turn the Humagears back on and says she will take responsibility for anything that might happen.

Izu has detected the MetsubouJinrai army has reached the National Mirai Medical Center.

Aruto slaps himself and says he should be more decisive as president. Even if the world hates him, he should be the one that believes in the Humagears. He orders Izu to turn the Humagears back on.

The medical Humagears at the hospital resume helping their patients, including Isamu.

Aruto says he must defeat the Giger, but Yua warns he does not have the capability to defeat it. Aruto says he must try and he hurries out.

Yua asks Izu why she didn’t stop the president from going to his certain death. Izu says the president’s will is absolute.

Yua hands Izu the Mammoth Zetsumerise Key and asks her to analyze it to help counter the Giger. Izu searches the database and says a similar system was built into Satellite Zea.

Yua thinks Hiden was also developing a weapon. But Izu says it was being developed as a large-scale rescue system for major disasters.

Zea begins fashioning a new Key based on the data.

Yua commends Izu for being calm in such a dire situation and says she really is different from humans. Yua asks Izu if she thinks Humagears will act in good will if Singularity occurred. Izu doesn’t immediately answer and Yua assumes she wouldn’t know the answer anyway.

As the hacked Dr. Omigoto begins Isamu’s surgery, Horobi-tachi arrive at the hospital.

Izu, alone in the lab, thinks about Yua’s question and concludes that she really does not know the answer.

The Giger begins to hack the Humagears in this new hospital. Horobi says they are not humanity’s slaves, but the true rulers of the planet.

Izu does, however, declare that she just wants to believe in Aruto even if it causes harm to the company. She is unsure if this is good will or malice.

Aruto arrives at the hospital and henshins to take on the Magia before turning his attention to Horobi and Jin. Jin orders the Giger to kill Aruto.

The Giger slams Aruto into the wall, forcing him to dehenshin. Horobi says Aruto will be the first of many humans who will die.

Aruto says that will never happen. If Horobi and Co. choose to believe in The Ark and its evil, then Aruto will choose to believe in the good will of the Humagears who reject it.

Izu arrives with the new Breaking Mammoth key. Aruto henshins and uses it to summon the Breaking Mammoth robo. They are now able to take on the Giger.

Dr. Omigoto fights the hacking and continues with Isamu’s surgery.

Both Aruto and Horobi assert their respective wills is the correct one.

Aruto delivers a Breaking Impact finisher at the Giger and finishes it off.

Jin is sad. But Horobi is slightly intrigued by Aruto being an unexpected variable.

Back at the hospital, Isamu’s surgery is successful and he is awake as they wheel him out where Yua is waiting. She tells him he is alive thanks to the good will of the doctor.

Isamu is shocked to see the doctor is a Humagear.

Dr. Omigoto introduces himself and says it is his job to save his patients.

Later, the Breaking News airs shocking footage of a blue-eyed Humagear (Assassin-chan) attacking people. The Humagear commentator raises alarm and the anchor directly posits that a Humagear has possibly attacked people of its own volition.

Izu, watching the coverage, analyzes the video of Assassin-chan.

Yua walks into Aruto’s office to tell Izu she’s got an answer to her question. It is possible for Humagears to have good will.

But Izu cuts her off and confronts Yua about the footage of Assassin-chan. Izu has found proof of her taking the video herself. But Yua denies it and leaves.

On the rooftop of the hospital, Aruto approaches Isamu who is looking at Daybreak from afar.

Isamu says he now has two memories. One of a Humagear attacking him (on the Day of Daybreak) and one of a Humagear saving his life.

But Isamu says he has not forgiven Humagears yet. Aruto comes up with a pun on Isamu’s name.

Isamu tries to hold in his laugh, but laughing literally hurts him.

Episode Thoughts

Another strong episode this week. It really drove home the idea of Humagears being able to gain sentience, not just out of their usual learning and adapting to their “jobs,” but even in the face of hacking and control by an outside force. Humagears actually fighting off the hacking by the Giger, as we saw with Dr. Omigoto, really opens up the possibilities about where we go from here.

Humagears are on the road to becoming almost humans basically. (Unless, as I’ve posited before, they already have some humanity in them, one way or another.)

So when Izu says the creation of MetsubouJinrai is not in the Hiden records, we can assume that one possibility is Horobi being one early example of that Singularity; a Humagear gaining sentience and free will somehow. It will certainly be an interesting journey to the truth.

Isamu being the one injured and needing surgery was a pretty great plot device. In using Isamu’s hatred of Humagears, we get a peeling off of one of his tough layers now that he has been saved by one. It’s a good continuation from the episode before last where he was ready to shoot a Humagear in the face because it was on the verge of sentience. A contrast that surely now ever so slightly initiates an inner struggle in Isamu on how to move forward.

Izu had a lot of great moments this episode as well. We finally get to see some of her own character development and growth in this episode. And I don’t doubt that perhaps in the future, she too will gain the same amount of free will as Horobi even.

I was surprised by the final confrontation scene between Izu and Yua. I definitely didn’t expect that scene, but I enjoyed it very much. It’s a step forward for both characters and of course in the plot as well regarding Yua’s secret side actions.

Aruto’s own dilemma this episode was also presented well and helped to also further his character as he becomes more decisive in his belief in Humagears. I definitely hope we get more of his childhood with the Humagear father figure as I think those will be great episodes.

Overall, another good, strong episode of Zero-One.