History YMMV / KamenRiderGaim

** The last Second Rider to not have a debut in a movie was also named [[KamenRiderDecade Kaito]].

** The last Second Rider to not have a debut in a movie was also named [[Kamen RiderDecade Kaito]].

** The last SecondRider to not have a debut in a movie was also named [[KamentRiderDecade Kaito]].

* DracoInLeatherPants: Roshuo may be a douchebag, but fans like him due to him being one of the only ''sane'' Overlords out there and is more than willing to actually cooperate. It doesn't help that he [[spoiler:killed the local HateSink]] in the most epic yet gruesome way possible.

** Many fans begin to think of different ways of how [[spoiler:Takatora can survive his fight with Micchy]], not helped with the fact that his actor didn't receive flowers. [[note]]In Japan, an actor receives flowers when they finish their role in a show, usually through having their character killed off. This has been used to confirm many deaths in the past, including [[Series/KamenRiderWizard Phoenix]][[/note]]. The cries of this hushed down when [[spoiler:all his appearances after that fight came in the form of insanity-induced hallucinations from Mitsuzane]], though there are some who haven't gotten their hopes up. [[spoiler: And he's revealed to be alive in episode 46.]]
** People point out that [[spoiler:Zack was only knocked out in the fight against Kaito and not died like Yoko.]] Most of them point to the tried and true flowers method, in which the latter received some while the former did not. [[spoiler: Much like Takatora, he turns up alive in episode 46]].

*** Maybe we'll have another one if Gaim in Strawberry Arms vs Zangetsu, making {{Manga/Bleach}} fans love this possibility.

** The last Second Rider to not have a debut in a movie was also named Kaito.

** Kaito crosses it by siccing Inves on defenseless civilians and by [[spoiler: wanting the helheim invasion to happen despite the fact that it would cause billions of people to die.]]

** If the two haven't crossed the line in some viewer's eyes with those moments, then the revelation in #22 will. Yggdrasill's master plan involves [[spoiler:making as many Sengoku Drivers as they possibly can so people can survive without having to eat Helheim fruit - but they'll only be able to make a belt for one out of every seven people on Earth. The catch is that this isn't merely trying but failing to save everyone, they plan to ''actively kill'' six-sevenths of the world population to bring the numbers down to what they ''can'' save. Ryoma and Sid hit the event horizon by not only being perfectly okay with this, but by also considering it as a small step towards their overall plans; Takatora holds himself back from crossing it since he seems to know how horrible it is, even if he considers it a [[NecessarilyEvil Necessary Evil]].]]

** The main villain of the final episode? [[spoiler:Kougane, the Big Bad of the movie.]]

* WhatAnIdiot: Takatora Kureshima. You work with a trio of ObviouslyEvil individuals and are actually shocked when they betray you. Potentially mitigating (or amplifying) this sentiment is that he has seemingly worked with these people for years prior to the show's start. Slightly justified in that it was Ryouma who hired Sid and Yoko, and Takatora was friends with Ryouma.
** His brother isn't much better. [[spoiler: Sure, Micchy, leave an unconscious Mai who has the Forbidden Fruit inside her alone with Ryoma. I'm sure the amoral MadScientist won't cut her open to get the Fruit or anything... oh. By this point, Micchy has been driven to insanity by desperation, so he has a slight excuse for this massive lapse in judgement.]]

* FriendlyFandoms: Naturally with some of Urobuchi's other series ('Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', ''Psycho-Pass'' and ''Fate/Zero''). For Urobuchi fans, ''Gaim'' is often the GatewaySeries for ''Kamen Rider''.

** IronWoobie: By 26, Kouta. [[spoiler: He find out that the end of the world is coming, that the only company with the power to do so is going to go for the WellIntentionedExtremist route, that he accidentaly killed HIS MENTOR in Team Gaim. His best friend/comrade in arms have been slowly going behind his back and outright shot him, he's alone in his fight against an alien forest, and when he try to communicate with someone that can possibly stop Helhelm he got beat up for his efforts.]] [[TheDeterminator And he]] ''[[TheDeterminator still not break.]]'' He nearly did in #40. [[spoiler: Finding out that he's slowly becoming Overlord-like AND got a healthy dose of MindRape from Redyue wasn't good for his psyche]]. However, it actually managed to make him even ''more'' of an Iron Woobie.

** To put it simply, at around the halfway point, the show is ''Kamen Rider'' meets ''Samurai Sentai Shinkenger'' meets ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica'' meets ''Fate/stay night'' meets PG ''Game of Thrones''. It's just as dark and emotionally draining as it sounds. You will feel like you have nothing to live for by the end.

** To put it simply, at around the halfway point, the show is ''Kamen Rider'' meets ''Samurai Sentai Shinkeger'' meets ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica'' meets ''Fate/stay night'' meets PG ''Game of Thrones''. It's just as dark and emotionally draining as it sounds. You will feel like you have nothing to live for by the end.

** To put it simply, at around the halfway point, the show is ''Kamen Rider'' meets ''Puella Magi Madoka Magica'' meets ''Shin Megami Tensei'' meets ''Saving Private Ryan'' meets ''The Killing'' meets ''The Wire'' meets PG ''Game of Thrones''. It's just as dark and emotionally draining as it sounds. You will feel like you have nothing to live for by the end.

* IAmNotShazam: Fans were often confused by the concept and relationship of [=LockSeeds=] and Helheim Fruits, inaccurately labelling them as ''Mature/Ripe and Immature/Unripe [=LockSeeds=]'' respectively. Properly put, the [=LockSeeds=] are not a natural growth state of the Helheim Fruits, but a man-made product of [[EvilutionaryBiologist Ryoma Sengoku]]'s experiments to harness the Fruits' powers for safe BioAugmentation, whilst the Helheim Fruits usually seen are already mature fruits by themselves.

* IAmNotShazam: Fans were often confused by the concept and relationship of [=LockSeeds=] and Helheim Fruits, inaccurately labelling them as ''Mature and Immature [=LockSeeds=]'' respectively. Properly put, the [=LockSeeds=] are not a natural growth state of the Helheim Fruits, but a man-made product of [[EvilutionaryBiologist Ryoma Sengoku]]'s experiments to harness the Fruits' powers for safe BioAugmentation, whilst the Helheim Fruits usually seen are already mature fruits by themselves.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Bandai Asia's official release of the Lockseeds and Drivers for retail distribution are heavily-modified smaller versions of the original. ''All of the sounds'' come from the Drivers, which use a pushpin-combination system[[note]]Much like those of ''Fourze'' and ''Ghost'''s Drivers[[/note]] to recognise the Lockseed inserted. The Lockseeds on the other hand do not have a lock/unlock function[[note]]The latch is instead meant to be manually pulled open[[/note]], only lights up when the front panel is manually opened, and do not contain any sounds at all. A huge HypeBacklash occured from the Asian fandom who were looking forward to its release as a result due to the much larger ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy difference compared to the original Japanese version.

* EsotericHappyEnding: The finale is presented as a positive conclusion to the story, but requires the viewer to believe that Helheim's avatar is a mindless plant with no responsibility for its actions rather than a KarmaHoudini of epic proportions. Given said avatar's highly intelligent nature and open favoritism towards Kouta, this can be a difficult pill to swallow. Even taking everything at face value can come across as a case of TheBadGuyWins, as Helheim is seen spreading to the next world to be destroyed with none of the characters noticing or caring.

** In ''Sengoku Movie Battle'', Ryugen uses [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Double]] Arms and borrows his catchphrase "Now, count up your crimes!" This has become darkly ironic considering [[spoiler:the list of his own crimes that he's racked up since then.]] Eventually becomes HilariousInHindsight when [[spoiler:he becomes TheAtoner]], and when Zangetsu Gaiden has his father played by the same actor as the BigBad of that season.

*** In addition, Gen was famous for writing a show that looks like a children's show, and now he's writing an actual children's show.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: For many, Yoko Minato falls under this. She was presented as a competent female Rider with her own agenda (which, in Ryoma's eyes, made her as unpredictable as ''Kouta'' of all people). By the end of the final arc, Yoko is still acting as a bodyguard, and her entire motivation is revealed to simply find a worthy “king” to serve. It does not help that she [[spoiler:died in a rather anticlimactic way, by being bomb-blasted off a building instead of meeting her end in an actual Rider fight]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** During TheMovie, Gaim has the Jimber Arms already, Zangetsu Shin is beaten and leaves behind his Melon Energy Lockseed, Kouta picks up and uses all the other Riders' Lockseeds - and ''we still don't get Gaim Jinber Melon.'' The novel for Gaim does feature Jimber Melon Arms, except it's Zangetsu who uses it instead of Kouta[[note]]one possible reason Kouta never gets Jimber Melon in the movie? He got [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Black Jimber Arms]] when brainwashed[[/note]].

* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: While Kiwami Arms is based off of Oda Nobunaga's armor, the color and shape of the helmet is... [[UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan a little unsettling]] to some of its Western audience.

** While it does look odd to a Western Audience, Kiwami Arms (specifically the helmet) is based off of Oba Nobunaga's armor. While he's been portrayed as both good and evil in culture, Nobunaga is considered a powerful warlord and one of Japan's greatest rulers, so with that in mind, basing Gaim, a Samurai's, ultimate form off his armor makes sense when Nobunaga's cultural significance (something western audiences may be less aware of).

*** Zangetsu Melon Arms. For what is considered ''the best'' early suit of Gaim, this form is only used by Takatora for 10 episode before moving on to Zangetsu Shin.

** Many fans begin to think of different ways of how [[spoiler:Takatora can survive his fight with Micchy]], not helped with the fact that his actor didn't receive flowers. [[note]]When an actor finishes his role in a show, usually through having their character killed off, they receive flowers. This has been used to confirm many deaths in the past, including [[Series/KamenRiderWizard Phoenix]][[/note]]. The cries of this hushed down when [[spoiler:all his appearances after that fight came in the form of insanity-induced hallucinations from Mitsuzane]], though there are some who haven't gotten their hopes up. [[spoiler: And he's revealed to be alive in episode 46.]]

* {{HSQ}}: With all the Warring States mentions, it's quite fitting that #44 would become the Honnouji of ''Gaim.'' [[spoiler:Kaito goes postal on all his former allies except Yoko, and Zack betrays them to join him. It's hinted to be equal parts loyalty and ''survival''.]]

** Kaito crosses it by siccing Inves on defenseless civilians and by [[spoiler: wanting the helheim invasion to happen that would cause billions of people to die.]]

* EarWorm: Banana Arms! KNIGHT OF SPEAR!
** Hell, the melody that plays before he transforms could count too.
*** And in different ethnic flavors as well - JidaiGeki-ish for Gaim, Zangetsu, and Kurokage, Knight Herald-ish for Baron and Gridon, Chinese-style for Ryugen, Arabic for Marika, and American Guitar for Bravo.
*** The melody played whenever the Energy Riders transform, you just can't get them out of your ears.
** Also, the opening theme, "JUST LIVE MORE".

* CompleteMonster: In a series that takes the franchise back to its DarkerAndEdgier roots, there are three heinous villains who cross the ultimate lines:
** [[MadScientist Professor Ryoma Sengoku]]/[[TheHeavy Kamen Rider Duke]] is a researcher for the [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimYggdrasillCorporation Yggdrasill Corporation]] who created most of the Armored Rider gears. Unlike his comrade Takatora Kureshima, Ryoma does not care about saving humanity and secretly desires the Helheim Forest to invade so he can [[AGodAmI become a god]] with its Forbidden Fruit, not caring about the billions of deaths it would cause. When Takatora's altruism get in the way of his plans, Ryoma coldly attempts to murder him before [[DirtyCoward abandoning everyone else in Zawame City to die]] when the Overlord Inves invade. Ryoma later makes a deal with Mitsuzane Kureshima to save Mai's life if he kills Kouta Kazuraba, only for him to murder Mai to get the Forbidden Fruit inside of her, which he gleefully admits to Mitsuzane when he accomplishes the task.
** [[DragonInChief Redyue]] is the only female member of the Overlord Inves. As a vile, selfish, and ManipulativeBitch, she corrupts Mitsuzane Kureshima into becoming her puppet and uses him to obtain human subjects for a machine that would revive the dead. She aggravates the humans into launching missiles, thereby forcing her superior Roshuo to redirect the missiles to America and to declare war against humanity. She is also not above MindRape, as seen when she tries to mentally break Kouta Kazuraba by portraying him in a hallucination as an Inves being attacked by his former mentor Yuya. Moreover, Redyue has a sickening obsession over backstabbing and killing those close to her, as seen when she ruthlessly kills [[spoiler:Roshuo]] after the latter defeats Kouta and Kaito Kumon. While the rest of her fellow Overlords, except for [[OnlySaneMan Roshuo]], were definitely evil themselves, Redyue stands out for her willingness to use any means necessary to play mind games with, and to commit genocide against, humanity, simply ForTheEvulz.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim: Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle'': [[FarEastAsianTerrorists Kugai Kudo]]/[[AGodAmI Kamen Rider Saver]] is the former director of the Yggdrasill Corporation Laboratory before Ryoma Sengoku. After having his physical body destroyed during Ryoma's first experiment involving a Lockseed, Kudo became a supernatural entity who proceeded to form his own ApocalypseCult, the Black Bodhi. Mass-producing the Zankuro Lockseeds, Kudo brainwashes innocent civilians with them and forces its users to commit suicide bombings, leaving the man behind Neo Baron to carry out his legacy by activating the Saver System, which would wipe out all of Zawame City except for the "strong". Returning in the TieInNovel, Kudo provides the TheMafiya and a rebel army from a South Asian country with equipment, including the Zankuro Lockseeds. Spreading a wave of crime in Zawame City by giving the Zankuro Lockseeds to a gang leader, Kudo manipulates more people into joining his cult as the only way to salvation and has the Saver System control the minds of countless people in the city, planning on assimilating all of humanity into Overlords.

** In ''Sengoku Movie Battle'', Ryugen uses [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Double]] Arms and borrows his catchphrase "Now, count up your crimes!" This has become darkly ironic considering [[spoiler:the list of his own crimes that he's racked up since then.]] Eventually becomes HilariousInHindsight when [[spoiler:he becomes TheAtoner]].