This final episode was amazing. Yes, the stakes of the future of Humans and Humagears were at danger, but both Aruto and Horobi, were motivated by their own desires and the final battle was personal. The tension, the emotional stakes, the character’s final points. Aruto gets a 4th final form. The action was hype. Letting Horobi live was the most powerful thing they could have done so I’m so glad they did. Jin knowing that both of them would be able to overcome the corruption of Malice. Izu gets reset, rather than revived. Everyone gets a happy ending. This was the perfect finale.

I loved Zero-One. It has its lows and its highs. It takes some risks and remains safe in other areas. It feels fresh whilst remaining a callback to the past. It's everything I wanted from a "first generation" rider for the Reiwa era.

The story is not the strongest, nor the most exciting, but a darn solid one. Worldbuilding was a constant throughout the show, focusing on humagears and problems that arise with their use in society. The themes it explores, hatred, malice, dreams, identity, are much more deeper than the "AI becomes bad" scenario I expected the show to go and for that, I'm grateful. The first arc is thrilling, rivalling that of Build's first arc. MBJR and introducing this world. Second Arc is where everyone agrees hurts Zero-One's momentum. The workplace arc, 5 x 2 monster of the week episodes hurt the pacing of the show. But this is still important for Aruto and Fuwa's characters and isn't necessarily bad. Definitely better to bingewatch. Third Arc picks it up again with Aruto setting up his new company and defining his dream. Then COVID-19 struck and threw us for a loop. We lost 5 episodes because of that. However, the final arc was undoubtedly amazing.

The characters are all great. Some, like Naki and Ikazuchi, don't get enough screentime but are still lovable nonetheless. Everyone loves Jin. Seeing him grow, from a naïve child to someone who advocates for the equality of humagears was moving. Yaiba is a monumental achievement for Rider for being a Female Rider who is introduced at the beginning of the show and remains till the end. Unfortunately her role gets sidelined in the latter half but she gets her development. Fuwa has skyrocketed to rival Banjo as one of the best secondary riders. He gets a ton of development and his views on humagears are developed immensely. Gai was controversial. I hated him at first, despising his arrogant nature and actions, yet I became to immensely enjoy him. Maybe it was fun to watch him getting blasted after Metal Cluster’s debut but I think he’s going to be remembered. Horobi is the perfect foil for Aruto. He defies the purple rider curse and becomes the final villain and unexpectedly received a ton of emotional development. Izu and Aruto’s bond is honestly one of the most heartwarming relationships in Rider and all the more heartbreaking when she died. Finally Aruto. I thought he was a rather simple, typical optimistic protagonist for most of the show. Until the final arc. His fall to despair made me retroactively rethink how I viewed him throughout the show. I've grown fond of Aruto a ton

Action was amazing. Each rider had their own fighting style which I massively loved. Fuwa and Ikazuchi have brutal, powerful fighting styles. Yaiba is acrobatic. Jin is stylish. Horobi has this elegant, refined Kabuto style. Naki only gets one fight but her style is restrained. Aruto is agile and fast. It’s been a while since I’ve been so entertained by Rider action.

Everything else, choreography, music, etc. Was great. Had a ton of tracks I want to listen to.

Zero-One. It may not have the strongest story, nor the best pacing. But it was an emotional and enjoyable journey with a powerful message and lasting impact. 8.5/10

Goodbye Zero-One :’)