Recap / Kamen Rider Outsiders ep. 2: Omen of Destruction and Desast's Resurrection

ep. 2: Omen of Destruction and Desast's Resurrection

Gathering up the power of infinity,
I'll never give up on tomorrow, never give in
Doesn't even matter if comes down to the wire
Overflowing with ultimate power
We are shining in this moment at zero to infinity

^{Click here to see the episode's key visual.}

Original Airdate: April 9, 2023
Written by: Hiroki Uchida
Directed by: Takayuki Shibasaki

It's been already a year, and the world is at peace, Ren Akamichi felt something there was missing ever since journeying and training to improve himself. Just then, Kamen Rider Horobi appears out of nowhere chasing off the attacking Megid. He asks Ren for his aid because Zein predicted in order for it to establish a world of benevolence, it needs to unite all Rider worlds to eradicate malice. Meanwhile, Foundation X's Rando Joseph and Ecole began the early phases of Project Outsiders to stop Zein from destroying humanity. Using the powers of Odin's Advent Deck recovered by Kamen Rider Diend, they revive Desast.

Tropes

• An Aesop: Stories don't necessarily end here and there; from an ending comes the beginning of a new chapter.
• Ambiguous Situation: How Foundation X found the means to revive Horobi remains a complete mystery, given that he and the other three members of MetsubouJinrai.net perished without leaving behind a backup data after being fused into the namesake Kamen Rider.
• And Then What?: Ren discusses this with his darker side, pondering the point of getting stronger in a peaceful world.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: Ren's subconscious battle tendency manifests as a doppelganger he talks to.
• Bittersweet Ending: Desast unlocks his Rider form and singlehandedly beats Ark-Zero, but he and Ren are forced to forfeit their fight and go on their separate ways knowing that they might find themselves in unwarranted scrutiny by the opposing factions (Project Outsiders and Zein) for associating with one another. Desast reassures to Ren that he'll come back alive to fight him again once Zein is gone.
• Black-and-White Morality: Theme of the episode. Both Horobi and The Ark are baffled by the idea of a "heroic" Rider like Ren associating, much less being friends with, an obvious "villain" like Desast. Neither can come to terms with subversion of their moralities and both attack the protagonists over it.
• But Now I Must Go: Both Ren and Desast part ways after the latter's fight against Ark-Zero, as the latter is already marked as "evil" by Zein despite his moment of redemption, and Desast vows to take out Zein by himself. Whereas Ren went on in his warrior's pilgrimage.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Ark did not expect to see Desast transforming into his own Rider form, the fact that his bond with Ren made him to Screw Destiny instead of playing along with Ark's predictions.
• Face–Heel Turn: Both Nico Saiba and Horobi join in Zein's faction in hopes of eradicating Ark.
• Forbidden Friendship: Both Horobi and The Ark see Ren and Desast's friendship as an anomaly and both attack them for it.
• Guy Liner: Ren's subconscious takes the form of a Ren dressed in all black with pale features, muffled hair and eyeshadow.
• Heroic Second Wind: After taking a beating from Ark-Zero, the latter stops to preach about how evil Desast is supposed to be and how he has no reason to protect Ren, which only ends up inspiring Desast to defy it further. This ends up making the Megid a Kamen Rider and throwing Ark off-guard, who promptly receives payback.
• Kick the Dog: Nico tells Desast to forfeit his fight with Ren due to the fact that Zein has already marked him as "evil".
• It's Not You, It's My Enemies: A platonic example. Desast has to part ways with Ren and they can't continue their battle so long as Zein has the world under constant surveillance, lest he unwillingly drags the Wind Swordsman into the conflict as well.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Ark's interference with Ren and Desast's duel served as the catalyst to the Megid's evolution into a swordsman, and transforming into his namesake Rider form.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Desast defeats Ark-Zero in his Rider form, freeing Horobi from the Ark's thrall, only to find himself in Zein's watchlist regardless having redeemed himself.
  Nico: Desast! Zein viewed you as evil, if you care about him [Ren], you should stay away from him!
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Both Ren and Desast promise this to one another, as Ark learns the hard way of getting in the way of their rivalry.
• Properly Paranoid: Ren is immediately skeptical of Horobi when he shows up to gets Ren to join Zein. The moment the latter discovers his connection to Desast, he turns on the swordsman and attacks him.
• Replacement Goldfish: Ren's darker side appears to be this to Desast. Both share the same battle tendency and both are equally dismissive of peace.
• Screw Destiny: The reason Desast rebels against Ark and Foundation X is that he chooses his own path instead of following the one being predetermined to him by Ark. This ultimately led to Desast becoming a Rider in his own right. Ark considered this act of defiance an anomaly beyond its control.
• So Last Season: Villainous example. Ark's reliance on its predictions continues to be its major weakness when it is unable to foresee Desast's transformation into his namesake Rider form, given his defiance against it and Foundation X. Therefore, any irregularities or deviations in Ark's predictions are simply beyond its control.
• We Will Meet Again: Desast promises to Ren that he'll come back alive to see him again for their next rematch, as the two needed to go their separate ways not wanting to risk having targets placed on their backs by Zein.
• With Us or Against Us: Ark and Horobi develop this mentality regarding Desast and Ren's alignment with each other, despite the two wishing to remain neutral. The idea of the two being close to one another had them being labelled as allies of their respective enemy factions.

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"Ren! I would love to continue our fight, but I have to crush this Zein guy first. My new story has just begun."