Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 34 – This is the Path of Destruction

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Aruto and Izu are at the Hatakeyama Vegetable Factory where they meet with Mr. Hatakeyama who thanks them for rebooting Humagear Midori who helps in managing the AI-powered farming and cultivation here.

Meanwhile over in Daybreak, Jin welcomes Yua who arrives, but says she isn’t sure she will help them yet. Jin says freeing Naki will benefit her and asks if she shares his sense of justice.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Yua remembers Horobi’s declaration that humanity will be eradicated, leaving a world only of Humagears.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Yua decides she will indeed help them.

While VP Jun and SVP Sanzo almost burn Gai’s tongue with hot tea, Aruto and Izu are led on a tour of the greenhouses at the factory.

Hatakeyama’s son Koichi arrives and expresses how happy he is Midori is back. Mr. Hatakeyama points out that Koichi is still a little green behind the ears and unable to take over as head of the factory. That annoys Koichi, but Midori reminds him to smile so the plants will grow well.

Aruto is happy to see another example of humans and technology working in harmony.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

But Horobi arrives to say that this is just another perversion by humans trying to take control of technology and nature for their own benefit. That’s why Humagears must lay down the law on humanity. He demands Aruto hand over Ikazuchi’s (Raiden’s) Data Key.

Aruto refuses of course. Horobi orders his base Humagears to lay waste to the greenhouses.

Aruto henshins to Shining Hopper and easily takes care of the base Humagears. Horobi henshins and they battle for a while.

Koichi jumps in to try and take on Horobi himself, but Horobi just swats him away and calls them all pests.

Horobi approaches Koichi to finish him off, but Mr. Hatakeyama shields his son. Horobi understands they are family. But he tries to kill Mr. Hatakeyama anyway. Aruto hurries over and is able drive Horobi back.

But Horobi takes Midori hostage and demands Aruto hand over the Data Key in exchange for her safety.

Isamu arrives and prepares to henshin, but Horobi has already gone. Izu wonders if Isamu is feeling off because of what he’s learned about his past.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Isamu takes a walk and is approached by Yua who asks if he wants to know about his true past. When Gai implanted the fake memories, Isamu lost his real ones. He says he doesn’t care about his past. Yua says Naki may have the answers and asks Isamu to come with. But he refuses.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Yua karate chops Isamu and she drags her off to Daybreak.

Back in the factory control room, Koichi tries to get his father to calm down and get some rest after being injured. But Mr. Hatakeyama is worried about getting the system back up and running as well as harvesting the vegetables that might go bad if they wait any longer.

Koichi says without Midori, they can’t manage the whole factory. Mr. Hatakeyama says he has no choice.

Koichi sees a brochure for ZAIA Specs and wonders if that could be the answer to all their problems.

Over in Daybreak, Yua is hard at work transferring Naki’s data out of Isamu’s body and into a fresh Humagear body.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Later that night, Izu gives Aruto Raiden’s Data Key. She cautions that if they hand it over to Horobi, MetsubouJinrai.net could be fully restored. Aruto says they must save Midori though.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Aruto asks if they can look into Horobi’s origins.

In Daybreak, Midori asks Horobi why he fights humans. She says she was born to raise vegetables and help people and asks what Horobi was developed for. He does not answer.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Izu finds the information in Raiden’s Data Key. Horobi was indeed based on the data from Aruto’s Humagear father. Aruto remembers Bot telling them about Horobi having been developed as a father-figure childcare Humagear.

Izu theorizes the father learnings must have been erased when Horobi was hacked 12 years ago. But Aruto wonders if that’s really true.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Midori insists Horobi must have a human-helping purpose. But Horobi just slaps her across the face in response and says he does whatever the Ark wills.

Next day, Aruto and Izu meet Horobi at the entrance of Daybreak.

Aruto also poses the question to Horobi and reminds him he was developed to raise human children. Horobi says he doesn’t care and demands Aruto hand over the Key already.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Aruto points out that Horobi raised Jin like a son because of his fatherly learnings. Horobi refuses to acknowledge anything Aruto is saying and again demands he just hand over the Key.

Aruto decides to toss the Key over to him. Midori asks if that truly satisfies him. Horobi just releases her from his vines and she begins to walk toward Aruto.

But Horobi suddenly injects her and she explodes, dying immediately.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Aruto is shocked at the murder he has just witnessed. Horobi says it is all according to the Ark’s will. Any Humagear “corrupted” by humans must be killed.

An enraged Aruto declares it is time for Horobi to be scrapped himself. They both henshin.

Aruto is able to easily handle Horobi who loses grip of the Key.

Meanwhile, Koichi puts on his brand new ZAIA Specs and he is amazed at how awesome they are. He thinks this is what a Humagear must feel like. But something suddenly activates in the Spec.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Horobi is forced to dehenshin. Aruto picks up the Data Key.

Izu gets an alert and tells Aruto that ZAIA Spec users around the Tokyo are going berserk and attacking humans, declaring that humans must be eradicated from this planet.

Koichi is rampaging in the factory control room. His father comes in and tries to calm him down, but Kochi just slams him to the floor.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

VP Jun and SVP Sanzo inform Gai of what is happening and he doesn’t believe this can be happening with their airtight security. The only ones capable of hacking into their systems is…

Over at Daybreak, Naki has emerged and in their own, fresh body. They repeat the Ark’s will of eliminating humanity.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Horobi, pleased, announces that Naki must have revived. And now, humans are ever closer to their demise brought about by the very technology they have created.

All that’s left is Ikazuchi’s Data Key.

Just then, Jin swoops in to grab it out of Aruto’s hand.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Aruto is shocked. He thought Jin trusted him and wanted to free Humagears.

Kamen Rider Zero One Episode 34 Recap

Episode Thoughts

Ooooo! That certainly escalated quickly. Lol

A very exciting and fun episode.

This is the pre-Gai Horobi that was so threatening and deceptive when we first met him and was so fun to watch. Remember, one of the most shocking and even emotional moments from the season was Horobi slapping that Forceriser on him just as he was starting to feel emotions different from the Ark’s will.

The tension between the father and son was done very well. Subtle, but clear enough to get the situation between them. You didn’t need the show to hammer you over the head with what the relationship was like there.

And it was of course great to ease that theme toward Horobi and Jin. I assume that will continue into the next episode as well.

I actually almost forgot that they mentioned Horobi was supposed to be a father/childcare Humagear before. They were able to remind us in a good way and that definitely sets up the situation moving forward.

I really liked Aruto bringing up Papa Horobi raising little Jin as his son. It was certainly an odd dynamic to introduce early in the season. Add in too Jin’s sort of cute, immature behavior. But it all definitely makes sense now. And having the seeds that were planted early on now sprouting one after the other is definitely exciting to watch.

It was fun seeing Yua in casual clothes. Yet, the contrast being her personality actually becoming stiffer and even ambiguous. We may have gotten an insight into some of her feelings last week. But this episode really added more mystery to her true feelings. Very interesting!

Aruto and Horobi’s battle at Daybreak was wonderfully choreographed and directed. Sorry to say again that you don’t see scenes like that stateside. (It’s the truth!)

We’ll see how Naki in their body will change the entire dynamic of the series. And perhaps even the return of Raiden as well to complete the foursome.

Overall, a great and exciting episode!

4 thoughts on “Recap: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 34 – This is the Path of Destruction

  1. I enjoy how every villain in this series is a victim in their own ways (except Gai, he’s just awful!). Jin was initially poisoned by Horobi’s teachings. Naki was enslaved by Gai and now the Ark. Horobi and Raiden were basically lobotomized to become the Ark’s cult fanatic followers. Even the Ark draws sympathy from how Gai tortured it with negative human information as soon as it was born; it may also be irrevocably insane (best seen when it attacks its own henchmen while in control of Aruto’s body). All in all, I feel like Zero-One has done a far better job developing their robotic antagonists than Drive.

    Also, I have a theory. It hasn’t been revealed yet how Gai maintains his youth. My guess would be that he is cybernetically modified. At some point, the Ark has to become a physical threat. Perhaps it’s ultimate plan is to hijack Gai’s body to become a rider itself. It certainly makes sense considering it hates Gai the most, best seen when it focused on brutalizing Thouser when in control of Aruto’s body and how now it is clearly out to ruin him by sabotaging his products. It would poetic considering Gai is entirely responsible for Humagears attacking humans in the first place.

    1. Oo yes! That’s a very good point. First about the Humagears vs the Roidmudes. Drive didn’t really give the Roidmudes any character development until the 40s. Which was definitely too late even though there was a lot of potential for them.

      I’ve also always thought Aruto might have some cybernetic parts in him too or something like that. Drive has also made me think the Humagears have some kind of more direct human features than just simply programming too. But maybe not.

      Horobi I think it was mentioning how humans will be destroyed by their own creations could also be some foreshadowing for Gai. After all, a lot of what Gai has created has already come back to bite him. So we’ll see. It’s definitely interesting to see where they will take Gai since he really is just a horrible person. But I have to imagine there’s more to him than just being a psychopath. And Zero-One has done a good job with every other character, so I have high hopes.

  2. I KNEW IT! I just knew that people with the Zaia Specs would be hacked. Didn’t expect Yua at the time though.

    And I also enjoy how all the villains have sympathetic backs stories while Gai is just an ass.

    1. Yes, seeing Horobi, Jin and Naki with their backstories makes me interested in what they might do with Gai. I’m sure they have some big surprise in store for him.

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