Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 13 – “When I shine, darkness fades.”

Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 13 – I Work as the President’s Secretary

Aruto uses Shining Hopper, but Assassin-chan is able to analyze the attacks and easily counter. Izu realizes there’s something wrong as Shining Hopper should be much more powerful.

Assassin-chan fires at Izu, but Aruto jumps in front and absorbs the attack, forcing him to dehenshin. Wazu shimmies over and locks in Breaking Mammoth to whisk them all away.

Isamu allows them the use of the A.I.M.S. van to hide in while they figure out their next move. Izu apologizes for Aruto having to risk his life to save her as well as providing him with an incomplete Shining Hopper key. She says she will take responsibility for this and resign as his assistant.

Aruto says she doesn’t have to apologize since it is thanks to her that he can fulfill his duties as president even if he’s a goof-off. He gets up to go search for Number 5 since he is sure Assassin-chan will be looking for him. Isamu follows to make sure he’ll be okay in his injured state.

Izu analyzes the Shining Hopper Key and finds what is missing. She asks Wazu how he knew earlier that the Shining Hopper Key was not ready for use. Wazu says it was just his instinct.

Izu doesn’t understand what that means and wonders if it has to do with Singularity. Wazu says it must have something to do with Grandpa Hiden’s influence on him.

Izu apologizes to Wazu for her rude behavior to him earlier. He asks if she will call him Onii-sama now, but she refuses.

Just then, Yua arrives and points her gun at them for being inside her van.

Aruto and Isamu find Number Five being attacked by Assassin-chan’s minions, so they henshin to save him. Number Five runs off.

Horobi and Jin appear and say Assassin-chan has gone rogue. Horobi proposes they work together to get rid of this rogue Number Four, but Aruto refuses as does Isamu.

Yua arrives and says they never negotiate with terrorists. Horobi says to suit themselves because they will never be able to defeat Number Four.

They return to the van. Yua says she will work with them if it is to obtain the Zetsumerise Key. Aruto says she’s probably doing it for ZAIA and Isamu is surprised he knows about that.

Yua is surprised to see Isamu has warmed up to Aruto.

All Aruto wants is to defeat Dodo Number Four-chan and protect Number Five. Izu says she has discovered how to perfect Shining Hopper and asks to borrow all of Aruto’s extra Keys. Using his detective skills, Wazu knows where Number Five may be going to next. Aruto, Isamu and Yua head over.

Izu asks Wazu if he has a backup of his memory, but he says just like her, their memories related to Project Zero-One and the Humagears are not backed up, for security reasons.

So if they’re destroyed, it’s all gone.

Number Five is at the last stage he performed at with his four brothers, reminiscing their good times together. Dodo-chan Number Four arrives and says they can continue those good times together by killing as many humans as they can.

Number Five does not want that and he tries to run. Dodo-chan shoots at him, but Aruto, Isamu and Yua arrive just in time. Aruto tells Number Five to run to safety.

Aruto, Isamu and Yua henshin. Back at the lab, Izu has found that ZEA’s calculations can’t keep up with Aruto’s own growth and experience in fighting. So she must upload the battle data from the Keys for ZEA to properly recalculate the amount of power needed for the new Key.

But ZEA says there is still not enough data. Izu says ZEA can extract the Zero-One data from her memory to fulfill the need. ZEA warns that since the data is directly connected to her main system, extracting that data will destroy her.

Izu says there is no time for an alternative. She is the president’s assistant, so she must do anything she can to help him, otherwise what use is she to him.

Plus, Izu says, Wazu can take her place anyway.

Izu prepares for ZEA to extract the data from her. She asks ZEA to deliver the Shining Hopper Key to Aruto when it is completed. Izu closes her eyes and her memories with Aruto flash before her.

Suddenly, right before ZEA connects to Izu’s memory, Wazu pushes Izu out of the way and the cable connects to him instead.

Izu is shocked. But Wazu says he also has battle data in his memory. Besides, there is no better assistant than Izu to bring out the best in Aruto. He asks that, as his sempai, she allow him to take her place in this mission to provide the data. This is the task Grandpa President asked of him.

The data transfer is complete and ZEA disconnects. Wazu collapses to the floor.

Just then, a memory from Wazu materializes in front of Izu. She watches Grandpa President Hiden tasking Wazu with resting until he can awaken to help his grandson Aruto and Wazu’s little sister.

Grandpa President says in the future, Izu will also reach the point of Singularity and awaken. That may cause suffering, but Grandpa President believes in the potential of Humagears.

The memory fades away. Izu runs over to Wazu.

Wazu asks if memories also flash before Humagear eyes before their death as he feels like he just saw Grandpa President.

Izu says she also saw him.

Izu bids farewell and calls Wazu her Onii-sama for the first time. Wazu wishes she had called him that earlier. He hands her his pocketwatch before he shuts down for good.

Izu thanks Wazu and says she must now do her duty. The Shining Hopper Key is completed.

Dodo-chan has forced Aruto to dehenshin. But Aruto refuses to give up. He says he will continue to grow and adapt.

Dodo-chan tries to finish Aruto off, but the Izu tosses him the Shining Hopper Key to help. She tells Aruto that the Key contains her brother’s life that he sacrificed to complete it. It also contains all Aruto’s wishes for Humagears.

Aruto gets on his feet and asks both Izu and Wazu to watch over him. He locks the key in and henshins to Shining Hopper.

Dodo-chan Number Four thinks he can easily take on the new Zero-One. But the fully developed Shining Hopper is able to correctly and instantaneously calculate the best attack pattern.

Aruto delivers a Shining Mega Impact at Dodo-chan to finish him off for good.

The Zetsumerise Key plops down on the ground, but Horobi is able to swipe it.

Gai watches from afar, marveling at the immense power Aruto has obtained. But he is also looking forward to Aruto eventually battling someone called Thouser.

Episode Thoughts

I very much enjoyed this episode. I think it was a great episode for Izu and it definitely helped grow her character and help to set up her path to Singularity. I’m definitely looking forward to the episode when that happens. I hope it’ll be a big one.

Helping Izu’s focus really hit the mark was Wazu of course. That Wazu’s “death” was so affecting is a testament to how great his character was. He made such a great, positive impact in such a short amount of time.

So as a character on his own and for his part in moving the story forward (and shedding some light on the past), Wazu was definitely awesome.

It was also nice seeing Isamu continue to warm up to Aruto, even if just a little. Last episode when they had that short face off on the rooftop, it felt like such a filler-type of scene and it felt like they were going backwards. But this episode fixed that and the relationship moves forward instead. I would like to see more tension and conflict between Aruto and Yua and especially Isamu and Yua as well, especially when Gai and ZAIA become bigger parts of the story.

Aruto was also awesome this episode. Like I’ve mentioned before, I don’t mind Aruto’s lighter, comedy-driven stuff. But I do prefer serious, bad ass Aruto more. That he can be both and also have a big heart, especially for good Humagears, makes him a great character you can really root for and care about.

Overall, a great episode.