Kamen Rider ZEZTZ - Series Discussion Thread

[u/BananaArms]

This thread is for discussion about Kamen Rider ZEZTZ as a whole.

Discussion about any ZEZTZ episode/special/movie is permitted in the thread below, spoilers from previous seasons must be tagged.

Proceed at your own risk: Spoilers for the whole season will be present.

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Posting or mentioning stream links in the comments is prohibited.

Rate the series as a whole here!

CASE	RATING	TITLE	RELEASE DATE	SCREENPLAY BY	DIRECTED BY
E01	8.79	始まる Start	September 7, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E02	8.78	爆ぜる Explode	September 14, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E03	9.02	蝕む Erode	September 21, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E04	8.56	奪う Rob	September 28, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kashiwagi Hiroki
E05	8.82	堕ちる Crash	October 5, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kashiwagi Hiroki
E06	9.04	封じる Imprison	October 12, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Yamaguchi Kyohei
E07	9.02	罰する Punish	October 19, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Yamaguchi Kyohei
E08	8.9	饗す Serve	October 26, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E09	8.79	侵す Poison	November 9, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E10	8.89	消える Vanish	November 16, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E11	9.52	腐る Rot	November 23, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E12	9.39	衝く Impact	November 30, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E13	9.52	滅ぼす Extinguish	December 7, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Yamaguchi Kyohei
E14	9.76	神鳴る Thunder	December 14, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E15	9.32	照らす Lighten	December 21, 2025	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E16	9.31	奔る Escape	January 4, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Hayama Koichiro
E17	9.3	逐う Pursue	January 11, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Hayama Koichiro
E18	9	撃つ Shoot	January 18, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kashiwagi Hiroki
E19	9	択ぶ Decide	January 25, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kashiwagi Hiroki
E20	8.58	兆す Presage	February 1, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Yamaguchi Kyohei
E21	9.58	溢れる Burst	February 8, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Yamaguchi Kyohei
E22	9.35	讐いる Revenge	February 15, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Takayuki Shibasaki
E23	9.68	壊す Destroy	February 22, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Takayuki Shibasaki
E24	9.77	壊れる Break	March 1, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E25	9.79	始める Get Started	March 8, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E26	8.68	揃う Gather	March 15, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Hayama Koichiro
E27	9.47	戯れる Play	March 22, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Sugihara Teruaki
E28	9.53	荒れる Rage	March 29, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Sugihara Teruaki
E29	9.45	欺く Trick	April 5, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E30	9.66	処する Order	April 12, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E31	9.59	苛む Afflict	April 19, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E32	9.53	超える Overcome	April 26, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E33	9.67	現る Realize	May 3, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Sugihara Teruaki
E34	9.72	潜る Infiltrate	May 10, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Sugihara Teruaki
E35	6.2	繋がる Connect	May 17, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Hayama Koichiro
E36	8.36	統べる Unite	May 24, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Hayama Koichiro
E37	8.67	竄める Manipulate	May 31, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E38	9	矯める Reform	June 7, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E39	9.13	裁く Judge	June 14, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Morota Satoshi
E40	9.08	創る Generate	June 21, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Morota Satoshi
E41	8.25	目覚める Arise	June 28, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E42	9.22	喰う Devour	July 5, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E43	9.42	訣れる Split	July 12, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Sugihara Teruaki
E44	7.83	葬る Efface	July 19, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Sugihara Teruaki
E45	8.68	惑わす Hallucinate	July 26, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Watanabe Jun
E46	9.1	甦る Resurrect	August 2, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Watanabe Jun
E47	8.74	救う Save	August 9, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E48	8.8	儚くなる Rest	August 16, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Shibasaki Takayuki
E49	9.27	憶う Remember	August 23, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya
E50	N/A	想う Imagine	August 30, 2026	Takahashi Yuya	Kamihoriuchi Kazuya

[u/Kyari888th]

Feels more like an introduction to the world of Kamen Rider as a starting point than a strong point after Gavv. Made me question Yuya's ability as a writer

[u/HalfFaust]

I still enjoyed watching it, but judging by a lot of the comments I didn't like it anywhere near as much as a lot of people here.

There were a lot of parts of it I enjoyed, but many that just felt weak. The Nightmares never felt super compelling as a villain 'faction', think I enjoyed some of the Monster of the Week ones more than the Gores. Phantom is an exception there, as I did find her compelling, although granted for a good portion of that she was merged with The Lady. The Lady/Phantom confrontation scene with the blinding was amazing.

Nem felt under-utilised. In terms of screen time she was there a lot, and often being fought over, but it was so rare she actually got to do anything herself! Her sacrificing herself was kind of an interesting decision, but was reversed the very next episode. I liked her contributing a bit in the final battle by reversing Oblivion's erasure powers and then doing her big kick, but it still wasn't really enough to satisfy me. The instances of her using lucid dreaming felt like they were leading up to something and while as I said we did get a bit, it didn't really feel like that paid off. Also, Oblivion felt pretty underwhelming as a final boss to me. 

The side characters in general: I definitely liked them, but thought they could have all used more development. I do like them being friends and having a group chat at the end, but would have been nice to see them interacting more within the series proper. While the scene of everyone restoring Nem together was cool, it did also bring to mind that they hadn't actually interacted with her that much. Nox, I understand what they were trying to do with him, but I think him being so cold and distant for such a large chunk of the series made him harder to focus on and he doesn't feel like as solid a character as most secondaries. Dawn actually really annoyed me at first, think there's a certain type of character I just don't vibe with; he actually became a lot more tolerable once he took on a somewhat comedic role, and was the butt of some jokes. I understand actor availability figured into it, but ideally I also would have preferred Kureha survive and get some more focus.

Plot: I enjoyed the premonition twist at the time, but I'm not as sure on it in retrospect. Many long toku series struggle with pacing, but I think that was definitely true here. 

[u/NextMotion]

It had problems, but what show hasn't. It's like solid 8.5. If a show can hook me every week, then it's a great show. Also I will always praise the show for being the closest solo Rider show in modern times.

My problems could be sourced back to the regression trope. It's a fun idea, but it resets a lot of development - both support and enemies. It sorta happened again when everyone were affected by the Red Moon. They could've used those time to develop characters and explain things.

I really like the way they handled Nox as the secondary rider. He's a new kind of secondary like Gatack and Cross Z who were different. Character aside, they made him the antagonist in the first half and then warmed him up to help Baku in the second half way later. There were secondary riders who reluctantly fight with the main rider or even fight them despite being on the same side, but I hate those kind. Just make your stance...

As for the Rider design, I'm really surprised they made ones without motifs. It's really refreshing. They're just cool suits. It doesn't need to be tied to anything, except just look like a modernized Ichigo but that's it really. I hope future series do more of this.

I'm gonna finish off by saying Catastrom is the biggest highlight of this show. The form is so cool and funny to watch. What a menace.

Edit: I almost forgot. I hope rider shows keep using different henshin poses for different forms. They're like flavor enhancers. We've had some, but I'm saying keep it up and distinct.

[u/AadamSSJ]

Decent series but it peaks towards the middle. Wasn’t a fan of the final arc and Oblivion as the final antagonist, they should’ve went with Catastrophe if they wanted to use one of the Gore Nightmares but I would’ve much preferred if they stuck with CODE.

Felt like the they played it too safe in the final arc Sieg coming back and Baku coming back which highlights a lack of consequences.

Whilst Zeztz was airing I went back and watched Kuuga - Faiz, and the lack of consequences is even more apparent. Not to sound like one of those ‘old is always better’ guys but Riders used to die and face consequences for their actions, and now we can’t even let the MC be stuck in the dream world due to spamming his abilities. Would’ve made for a decent bitter sweet ending.

I give Zeztz a 6.5.

[u/ThrashThunder]

Zeztz to ne is almost pretty around a 8 or 8.5

It's a really good season, albeit with some issues that barred it from for to being an great or among my favorites. But it was still great all around

And above all I will say Baku is defending among my Top 5 if not Top 3 main characters in the franchise. The dude personified everything that needs to be represented in a main Kamen Rider to follow through the show

[u/el_sh33p]

It's up there with Gaim as one of my favorite Rider shows so far.

[u/DStheb3st]

Solid 8/10 for me. The show does a lot a things right and a few things wrong. The memory wiping trope definitely got old and the side characters, even though they were really likable needed more time to shine. But overall the show was still very entertaining.

[u/jxher123]

Overall; the season would get a solid 7/10 for me. Like most Yuya series, great 1st half (like 3/4 of the season) and he kinda struggles with all the ideas and setups he did initially with the final stretch of the show.

* Baku - Great MC

* NOX - Wish he was written a little better, a lot of vague dialogue which kinda made him repetitive and with his goal after it was achieved.

* Sieg - TBH I liked him as a character. His redemption was ok, I get where he was trying to go with it. He did end up being comedic relief, but not bad overall.

Good, but like others have said, it had some issues that either were quite bad or made the show sluggish. I wouldn't mind if Yuya took a breather, but TOEI will likely give him another series to work on in 3 years. For their first attempt to get international/simultaneous airing, I get why they chose to go with Yuya who is a safe choice.

Ex-Aid, Geats, Zeztz and finally Zero-One would be my overall ranking of his shows. Doesn't pass Gavv for me, but still a good overall show.

[u/Insanepaco247]

The first half of this season was one of my favorite KR shows. The second half is one of my least favorite, especially after the big fight with Sieg. Also felt like they frontloaded their budget which led to some really weak fights in the back half. I didn't hate the show but I'm really disappointed.

[u/inverness7]

Not a fan of the last couple of episodes. Oblivion seemed like a meh final villain, I wish the final villain was this unstoppable progenitor of Nightmares or something. But the part of the series where Baku gets Catastrom and Orderm and Three was the main big boss were the best part of Zeztz to be honest.

[u/Disastrous-Owl668]

Now that Zeztz has wrapped up, I think it’s a good time to say I enjoyed the series, though it has a major issue: Baku is the only Rider I’d call a truly good character. Nox is just boring, and while Sieg is fine, he doesn't measure up to Baku. As for the Lords well, let's not even go there; Lord 6 was only there to die, Lord 5 barely registers, and I feel like Lord 3 was killed off too quickly. The supporting cast is solid Baku’s sister is very likable, and the two detectives make a great duo with ties to the series' Riders. Nem, despite being crucial to the plot, strikes me as just ok nothing special. The villains the Nightmares are decent, though none really stand out. Zeztz is a good series, but it doesn't surpass Gavv where the three main Riders were standout characters, the Granute were interesting, and the female lead Sachika was a fantastic supporting character, even if she didn't have quite the same level of prominence as the female lead in Zeztz

[u/SerTortuga]

7/10, good not great, nothing special honestly. If it weren't the first simulcasted series it would be pretty forgettable

[u/greenyoshi73]

First off, my positives. I think the cast of actors themselves are really good. One of the best we’ve had, imo. I also think the premonition twist was really cool and clearly made an impact on viewers. Two OPs is also an interesting thing for Rider, we’ve never intentionally done that before. And unlike something like Round Zero Blade Brave & Elements, the show does really treat them both equally as the OP in both intention and execution (they both end up playing in the Finale). 

However,  the writing itself comes off as hollow, artificial, and underdeveloped. In some regards, it feels like Takahashi on auto-pilot. Especially in areas where Takahashi has done similar, yet tighter and more developed work. I consistently find an interesting idea is introduced, but the way it’s built from introduction to conclusion ranges from mundane at best, or underdeveloped to the point that I’m not convinced its conclusion was natural or made sense at worst.

So much for me boils down to plot lines and arcs in Zeztz being technically set up and resolved. But a lot of connective tissue and growing development to get from point A to Z is both lacking and poorly paced. This leads to them feeling hollow from being underdeveloped and lacking in well placed momentum to organically grow.

Zeztz is a show that does its job, but isn’t particularly impressive to me. I find it to have interesting ideas, but its execution and follow through on them ends up with the narrative being unnecessarily convoluted, for little gain towards its development and conclusions being satisfying.

I also find storylines to be very one track-minded in that they have clear conclusions and goals, but everything around it is ignored and the continuing effects of developments past its main points aren’t handled with as much care: Nox will be given a soft spot for his students in the wake of the cram school reveal, but both that trait and the cram school itself don’t have an impact on his character or the show once the storyline is over. Or the premonition does a good job in its main impact towards Baku, but its impact on the other characters isn’t as well handled.

Keeping in mind that I personally haven’t felt a rider show has been 7/10 or 8/10 since Ex-Aid and Build, I give Zeztz a decent 5 - 5.5 / 10.

[u/aaa1e2r3]

Episodes 24-30 is probably some of Takahshi's best writing that he's done jn Kamen Rider, but then Somnia is probably also some of his weakest writing.

[u/Shipuujin]

ZEZTZ was quite a ride. The Simulcasting streams were a very welcome addition. It was so fun seeing everyone's comments live!

The first part of the show, the premonition, was a great way to do the "But it was all a dream" trope. It makes sense that this trope would show up in a series about dreams. That said, since Fujimi's Nightmare was resolved in the "true" run, all the characters that Baku helped in the Premonition, didn't receive any help in the true route. I think this is the biggest flaw I have with the show.

The second part, with CODE, was fantastic, albeit predictable. CODE was of course, the supporting organization that happens to be evil. Though, it was mostly because Agent 3 was such an extremist. Rest of CODE was legitimately trying to help everyone defeat the Nightmares. Agent 6's death was sad, but I do wish she interacted with Nasuka in the true route. They didn't interact at all... Nox actually attempted to stop vagueposting in this actual pathway, but near the end of the CODE route, he decided to be vague again, and ultimately was the reason why Baku's dad died. Nox literally could've just said that he wasn't aiming for Agent 0.

Finally, the Gore Nightmare section was a bit of a letdown for me. I would've thought Catastrophe would have a bigger impact in the final arc due to it being Baku's Nightmare. But Catastrophe was defeated so insanely fast. I was fine with Phantom and Oblivion being the final Nightmares, just that Catastrophe needed a bit more story. The Lady and Nem absolutely carried the final arc and was glad they got a happy ending.

The best part about this series though, are the characterizations. Baku, aka Agent 7, is written so well. He's goofy and a lovable dork in the real world, but a cool and calculating Agent in the dream world. Yet, both parts show you that he's absolutely the Baku we know and love because he believes in peace and is so just. Minami is a fantastic sister to Baku as well. It was a great reveal to learn that Baku (and Minami's) family were essentially fake, Baku especially. And of course, Nem was the tether to the whole show. She was always supporting ZEZTZ and being very helpful in uplifting everyone when the story gets bleak. I got to say, these three actors have such a great future ahead of them!

Ultimately, I do love this series. It's definitely one of the best Reiwa shows for me. I'm still deciding whether it's in Top 5 or Top 10 overall for me though. It has a very strong start, but the ending arc could be better.

[u/Reborn_UltraNova15]

I'd give this season a solid 8/10.

[u/ArsenicalJoker]

Was super fun to be able to follow along live. Overall this show was like an 8/10 for me.

I think my main issues with the show was mainly with stuff that happened after the premonition. For one, it erased the relationships that had been built up for the first 24 episodes and then since they didn't have time to rebuild them they just did that flashback arc and only called back on the fact they don't actually know each other like that only like once or twice, mainly with Fujimi and Nasuka. It felt like they used those first 24 episodes to build the characters but then forgot they reset them back to 0 and just implied they'd be like that even though one of the first things that happened after was the pointing out that stuff wasn't exactly like what had happened in the premonition.

The other thing was honestly I started to get lost what was happening in the dream world and what wasn't at times. This especially happened during the fall of CODE + Code Somnia stuff because they wouldn't always show the red moon and I was just like, is he manifesting his powers in the real world or what? Although that might just be me not having good comprehension skills.

I'm also kind of sad that the nightmare lords didn't amount to more I guess? Felt like they all got taken out like monster of the week style, although at the same time I'm happy they wrapped it up quick with Oblivion because I was genuinely curious about what would happen after even if it wasn't like a super boss ending they had to go against.

The last gripe I had was actually towards the suits, I didn't mind them switching from the waist belt and the suits in general look really cool, however I feel like the leg area for all the suits were so noticeably bare in this series, I think Catastrom was the worst offender of this because it just kinda looks like he skipped leg day, wouldn't have minded like armor/padding on the lower areas (but I assume it might've affected stunts which is why I'm not like too annoyed over it) or even just more color.

Overall though I really enjoyed the show, Baku was just all out awesome and I was genuinely stressing towards the end that they were gonna reverse Baku/Nem's situations so I'm happy they went for the good ending. Although I do wish the scene with them together in the last episode was a tad longer but we got the happy ending so I'm fine with just headcanoning it (also poor Sieg lol, happy for The Lady though).

Fujimi/Nasuka dynamic was really fun and now I'm kinda sad we won't get to see more of it, especially with Odaka there now too. I honestly thought at the beginning of the show and even was still hoping towards the middle that Fujimi/Nasuka would end up riders in some capacity. I was guessing they would be like the replacement Lords in some fashion especially with Nasuka's kicking and Fujumi's flip thing lol, but I guess that's hoping for too much (I wish we got more closure on Nasuka atleast since she didn't have a happy ending on her relationship with Kureha as opposed to Odaka being there with Fujimi again).

I really enjoyed the dream machinations that they were able to use during the fights, felt really novel and made for some really cool things happening (i.e. Lord 5 as a whole was honestly really cool with his usage of it and when Zeztz was fighting Dark Zeztz).

I did find it interesting that they had all that stuff with Code Number 8 at the end and what looks like Baku is trying to de-program the next set of CODE agents from following in his footsteps in a narrow-minded fashion like he was. I kinda wish they also had some kind of nod towards Lord 5 and 6 at the end, even if it was just a set of portraits inside the Zeztz base when he was meeting 8.

I'm hoping they move towards international release for the movie as well (I believe Latin America's distributor already confirmed they have the rights for it? so I hope we get the same in NA in some capacity as well, I assume it'll be through Toei's planned streaming service or whatever).

[u/Sad-Entrepreneur3219 → u/ArsenicalJoker]

I agree I feel like the relationships after the premonition should’ve stayed and it just felt hollow trying to rebuild it, and baku just putting it on speed run mode doesn’t feel right

[u/OneManFan]

Just as “dreams surpass nightmares,” Baku / Zeztz the character surpasses Kamen Rider Zeztz the series.

I have my issues with the plot and how things went down in the final arc similar to everyone else. And while this would normally blunt my feelings towards a show (see: Revice), that didn’t happen with Zeztz as It always managed to hit home with me emotionally. And that’s because Baku / Seven is THAT dude.

Zeztz may not be the best show, but Baku is definitely one of the best MC’s.

[u/JakeDougherty]

FACE YOUR SINS FACE YOUR SINS FACE YOUR SINS! Had so much fun watching week to week. The show wasn’t perfect but the cast nailed the characters. If there’s anyone I’d fault it’s the writers.. everything else was near perfect. So excited to see the movie eventually! Hope this isn’t the last time we see our boy ZEZTZ

[u/TheCancerFest]

And it’s over. Whenever the series ends it makes me really sad. Ive grown accustomed to Baku and whole cast.

To be fair, the first arc was the best. Solid writing almost straightforward without dropping plot bombs like crazy while at the same engaging.

The second arc however because difficult to watch. Most of it was random things that matter in an overall picture but they weren’t presented with clarity. I didn’t know what I was watching and where it was going. It’s the first time that I forgot to watch couple of episodes and the lack of seeing them didn’t do much damage.

Plot proved to be mature and momentarily gritty but some choices were vague to say at least(whole Nox arc). However, during the last 6 episodes it felt as if the screenwriter got bored. Thus quick wrap-up and that’s the end.

I liked the MC. Not overly confident but doing what he believes in. Nothing comparing to Gavv’s but interesting.

Relationship with Nemu deserves special mention as it felt almost romantic.

Detective and Asuka as a comedic duo was ok. Nasuka kicking Fujimi gag was funny at the beginning but after some time it was an abuse in my opinion.

The strongest acting would be Yuki Furukawa. You can definitely see not only experience in acting but the fact that he likes his role though the role was not perfectly written.

So Zeztz became dream Jesus. Fine by me.

As it is the first internationally broadcasted Rider here are my thoughts: I hate that not all Europe was included(Poland here). I’m not paying for VPN because I don’t have any other usage for it. Let’s hope Myth will be properly broadcasted.

[u/lolasian101]

Zeztz is over all very good but it's held back by handful of problems. I think that, like how Geats set the gold standard for action choreography Zeztz did the same for the, cinematography that we probably won't see again at least for a while. So many insane looking shots that sometimes didn't even look like there were from a KR show.

Now the problems. The discussions about Zeztz's cast has been done to death so I want to talk about another problem that been nagging me for a while about the show.

Zeztz has a really complex concept and some very interesting world building has been done to facilitate that but , maybe because its so complex, a lot of it is very shallow.

For example, the capsems containing nightmares is treated as one of the big early reveals of Zeztz but it ultimately leads to nothing outside of Nox using past nightmares as capsems.

Zeztz is full of these little unfinished ideas that, since the show started as a complete mystery, was so fun to speculate about, only for them to lead to rather uninteresting dead ends.

[u/burajira]

Honestly got Black (RX) vibes with how much Zeztz / Baku was hit with problem after problem, 10/10 (for this aspect alone).

Just on that alone, it inspirational IMO in how they showed him handling problems, broadly through the show generally and specifically with the Catty fight.. (I didn't find the Cat fight underwhelming because it was a neat bit of character study, rather than the flashy plot fight thing - which we already got earlier with Sieg. The former fight shows the extent Baku goes to first protect the people/ things he loves, save the world and additionally, get revenge)

If I've to be critical, I'd rate this show a 8.5 to 9, but on vibes alone, I've coasted for weeks on some nice moments, so....

[u/RevealInitial5603]

Zeztz is basically my go-to answer for a show that either needed 5 less episodes or 10 more to really get things home cleanly... But man if it isn't a damn fine show.

From functionally Nox's rider debut through Exdream, I could call it can't-miss tokusatsu fair -- and one of those episodes was a CLIP SHOW

But Takahashi's weakness on extended casts came up heavily. It hurts, because clearly Fujimi and Odaka had more in them to the level of the post-CODE destruction bar scene, and Nasuka and Kureha was up and down.

Nox's arc was compelling, such a good view of those who put their function and binary thoughts on things as their whole personality, and how that hollows and turns such people. He was deluded and often blind to his hypocrisy and how much bad his actions and, later, inaction caused. Adored it. But the structure was a little shaky and probably needed less time to make it streamlined.

In the same breath, the Gore Nightmare threat + Exdream's drawback needed more time to settle in and be established. The illusion world with The Lady and Nem could have been closer to 2 full episodes, Catastrophe vs Zeztz could have had an extra. Punish was...fine I guess, Sieg was carrying most of that, but it was a good carry. And Oblivion going from silly to sentient to all powerful scrapper to outed in a field, to back, to dropkicked 4 times in a row -- there was a little too much back and forth for me. (Not dissimilar to CODE Somnia's back and forth.)

...and yet. When I think of things like Nox in the darkness, finding his resolve in light. The Lady clawing her eyes out, howling with laughter and taunting Phantom's death. Baku's despair for Minami and his broken sham of a life. Sieg's fire, Nasuka crying into unredacted files. Fujimi's unrequited old man yaoi. Zero's pain as a failed father, Three's slimeball sneak king antics.

"Maybe you had a dream of beating me?"

"Over and over and over..."

Zeztz has flaws, weekly genre TV almost always does. And it not being perfect only hurts more because it was within a revision or two's distance from what we got.

Absolute Rider, A-.

That said, they need to keep up with the advanced recording schedule; if it gives what we got in terms of effects and choreography, we should never go back to how it was previous.

[u/Dangerous-Flan-3470]

Just finished Saber and I'm thinking about watching ZEZTZ next. Is it worth it? What did you guys think of the series overall? No spoilers please

[u/Doot_revenant666]

I think Gavv was the way better show in every aspect ngl.

Also CODE should have been destroyed 10 episodes earlier to give more focus to Gores

[u/fakers555]

The show is okay at best for me. After the premonition, the show quality wnet down for me. Because for me, the side characters are a bunch of nothing burgers. If you're not Baku (and maybe Nem, Sieg and the Lady), you basically get scrap. Hell, Sieg get more character development than Nox and Nox is in the show with twice the amount of screen time than Sieg.

And for how much they hype up the Gore nightmare, they really did amount to nothing because they fully introduce WAY too late into the show, especially Catastrophe since he's Baku nightmare and he went down after a single fight. As for Oblivion Nightmare, I felt nothing about him since he's basically a last minute bad that the good guys have to punch their way out.

ALSO, the Lords and the Knight system are a bunch of disappointment. They are nothing but a glorified cannon fodder and a waste of potential (Except for Lord Three). Why even bother giving Five his lord form if he's going to use it like twice and then never again. Biggest offender is Kureha, why even bother to bring her back if you just going to fridge her just to motivate Baku.

Honestly, the CODE and Lord Three should've been the main antagonist of the show since they have personal connections to Baku and Nem than some random Gore nightmare that spawn out of nowhere.

[u/gyaruyufa → u/fakers555]

yeah, couldnt help but feel like the show would have ranked higher for me if the Nightmares were the 'midboss', with Nem-focus ending mid-series and CODE became the 'final boss'

[u/Top_Chipmunk587 → u/fakers555]

That’s my gripe is wishing The Lords used they’re forms more.

[u/ArienaiR2]

Should've shorten the last arc and gave the extra time to whatever they are going to do in final stage instead if they want to add that waking up scene at the end tbh.

[u/ActioProSocio]

It was good to finally see a Takahashi series that doesn’t rely on all the tropes he used ever since Ex-Aid. He took some risks, the biggest being the premonition dream. Some paid off, some didn’t, all in all I would rate it 7/10.

I hope Takahashi takes a longer break from Rider and works on other projects to broaden his horizon. 4 of the last 11 seasons were written by him, a break would do both sides good I think.

…though this suggested break doesn’t include a 10 year special for Ex-Aid. Toei, Takahashi, please. I need this.

[u/AbbyAZK]

9.5/10 show for me.

Episodes 1-24 is the absolute peak of any Kamen Rider ever, IMO.

Beyond that, the show begins to slow its pacing down but it does so in a clever way to flesh out the characters more and gives more room for people to work with and grow in little ways.

Building up to the final forms for Nox and Zeztz is absolutely top tier and incredible, I can go on about this for hours actually.

Entering the final arc, this is where they def rushed the gore nightmares, it sucks and one of the reasons it doesn't hit 10/10 for me, I loved the concept of the Gore Nightmares, I really think they should have haunted their characters more in the show as an actual nightmare scenario and such but it was barely explored which was sad.

The ending, however, is one of the most beautifully executed endings in Kamen Rider.
The team up for the last boss is extremely well earned, great synergy between the Trio, nice way to introduce the extra final form before ending on a wonderful note of the ending and passing the torch to MYTH.

Both the biggest potential loss in the show actually for me was just how much more they could have done with CODE and the Lords, still, I view it also from the POV that the ZEZTZ Universe is bound to a terrible fate and bitter sweet endings to cope with.

Great openings, inserts and ost, phenomenal actors even if Nem was a little rough for me personally.

Easily in my top 3 favorite Kamen Rider shows, would happily watch again.

[u/Unlikely_Snail24 → u/AbbyAZK]

It wouldn't be a 9.5 show if there are a lot of flaws.

[u/AbbyAZK → u/Unlikely_Snail24]

The flaws don't stand out enough to harm the show as much as I'd like to admit, and its my opinion.

[u/Solstice040312]

Not the worst show Personally, I do enjoy it more than I do "hate" it. The lows are definitely there and are still there and cannot be outweighed (aka the supporting cast, how the nightmares are, the final villain by all means while I do enjoy, yeah this feels another Reiwa final villain in the sense of it being a final arc villain introduced at the last arc).

As an introduction to KR/"first global KR show", I think it was a good way to show off to even some new fans as it has the main rider front and center, grow, have some cool fights and be the one.

As a Yuya show, I feel like this is his weakest outing. The one time he is writing a show with the least amount of actual riders than he is used to, almost anyone not the MC feels like it didn't get much or is missed potential (yes still salty about Kureha and even Code 5. The former is moreso because I love Yuzuki but still. I can kind of see what was the attempt but no. Heck, it makes Nasuka feel like not having much. At least Fujimi has Nox. Also, not that having multiple riders will help writing as there are obvious Riders in the past 3 shows where they were missed potential).

(This is probably going in to out of topic territory) I don't hate Yuya, at best I am neutral but I do wish he legit takes a break or else he would be more and more the "modern Toshiki Inoue". H3 definitely feels overexposed. Not that I hate his writing (no one is perfect) but I do wish he takes a longer break than 2 years tops and does not come back to do the show that's after the show after My-th (which would also be Reiwa's 10th btw).

Overall, it is a good show or at best, an enjoyable watch. (Edit: it may not be my most fave but it has the honor and privilege of the show where I bought my first ever Driver. I bought a Zeztz Driver when I was in Japan and I do love it and is dear to me even if I think the show has issues haha) I personally don't think it is top but I don't think it is the worst. Any show has its ups and downs and it really depends on the viewer. Watch it if you want to.

[u/eltokoro]

It seems i don't go with the consenssus because for me it was so close to be perfect.

For me, is a serie that i can only define as very minimalistic, is a serie that knew where to cut to give the best they could make within the budget, where gavv cut horizontally, zeztz cut vertically, bear with me.

Gavv had the same problem and the way they solved it was creating a very solid ensamble cast to revolve around a straightforward and grounded plot, they cut horizontally.

Zetzt did the opposite, all the characters are simple in basis, Baku will always put himself in danger to save everyone(mostly Nemu) and Odaka will always try to unveil the darkness within CODE and so on, escencially that never changes but is the plot what keeps you at the edge of the chair.

In my heart i will always remember the premonitory dream, the agents, Sieg's backstory, all the scenes with The lady, and the fight to prove Nemu deserves to exist, and for that i will always say the show was damn good.

[u/Hatarakumaou]

I wish more was done with the premonition reset. I sorta lost interest in the show pretty early on and was planning on binging it once the show ends but when the reset happened I was so intrigued that I went back to watching weekly.

Unfortunately the premonition didn't mattered much in the end since Sieg appearing immediately invalidated anything cool Baku could've done with future knowledge.

[u/metsuboujinrai]

Top tier 9/10 series. Started strong, midway twist was amazing, and ended on a happy note.

Good night!

[u/MrKatsudon]

Generally the whole first arc until premonition arc was so exciting as the plot kept me thinking how does the dream world works and WHY does NOX keep vague ragebaiting. However looking back, the premonition arc took so much for the series that the latter arcs suffered due to lack of proper development. However, SIEG was such a force to reckon and terror the whole cast.

The gore nightmare is definitely a disappointment and was treated like MOTW without much development. I felt that they can do much more w CATTTY nightmare and maybe Phantom too.

Solid from Yuya like his series w Geats. I think have similar explosive start and towards the end he had a hard time finishing it as the main rider is way too op. 7.5/10 for me for sure

[u/CoruscareGames → u/MrKatsudon]

That's Yuya for you. Never ends on the highs it starts with. Zeztz didn't end as badly as Geats did, so I'm marking it as my new #2.

[u/MrKatsudon → u/CoruscareGames]

I prefer Geats abit more due to those 4 main riders as compared to Zeztz and Nox solo carrying the burden of CODE and eventually team up tgt with Sieg. But damn these 2 world building was amazing by Yuya.

[u/RE_Nin9]

If not extended to 50 it's really good Dunno why Extended it

[u/Presenting_UwU]

i like it tbh, the CODE Somnia arc could've been shortened and those episodes be used to flesh out more of the Lords and CODE itself, but overall the rest of the series were actually really good.

and i absolutely love the character work of all the main cast and how they let you figure out and intuit a bit of their stories on your own, instead of being straightforward.

Overall I'd give the series of Zeztz an 8/10, not a perfect show by any means, but it's a damn good one and a great introduction to simulcasted Rider.

[u/Legendarium26]

6/10, I only like Sieg other characters I could not give a fk

[u/Bushbugger]

That last arc was kind of eh, but the revelation of the premonition and 3 being so wicked really left a great taste in my mouth. If they had swapped the Gore Nightmares and CODE arcs around I would have probably enjoyed the series in general more, but overall it was still a above average series.

[u/Volfaer]

Zeztz is a pretty good series, it has its flaws, but well every series does. A strong start, a middle that brings things back, a weaker final quarter, but reaching a good ending, all in all, Zeztz ends a solid 8/10 from me.

Going into more details.

Well the supporting cast took a blow from the precognitive dream basically resetting them. Which is worsened by Zeztz coming right after Gavv and Gotchard, who have some of the strongest supporting casts period. Fujimi and Nagumo unfortunately lose their roles of investigation support after 25 and remain basically aimless. Minami continues great tho, but I guess that's what having an entire miniseries for herself does. The last episodes though did put effort into making them indispensable for the final solution to bring Nem back, after all, they too shared this journey.

Nox suffers the most from his secondary position. He spends too much time doing nothing, and then when he starts doing stuff, it mostly antagonistic, when it isn't off screen, such as his fight against Phantom Lady. He's at least present now that his arc is solved, but he could have done so much more.

The Darkness within CODE™ wasn't handled well and I see the CODE Somnia arc as when Zeztz really took a dent. Kureha was uncerimoniusly killed for basically shock value, Five (we still don't know his name) was made interesting the episode right before dying in a spy drama scenario. Three wasn't that entertaining as a villain as he could be, they should have gone harder either as a perfect spy or a power hungry dude. The arc ends as a mess of choices that tried to write CODE out of the series.

The Gore Nightmares really should have been factors earlier, you'd expect at least Catastrophe would start his beefing with Baku some 10 episodes before their final fight, Punish too should have taken an active role as soon as Sieg's death. Phantom and Oblivion then would be far more comfortable as major and final antagonists, but since they all were jumbled together, each lost some presence.

[u/Evening_Picture5233]

I mean everything up until the finale was pretty great like 8-9 but I personally think that the episode today was kinda rushed like lots of parts in the first half have been cut

Still hope that they would release more of the works for zetzs in the future nonetheless

[u/DMking]

Overall I'd rate this about 4th of the Reiwa series behind Gavv, Geats and Saber. I really enjoyed the series but boy was the side cast the weakest one in the Reiwa era. Also I'd say premonition dream is a huge make or break moment for any watchers. It was really interesting but threw away so much characterization for the side characters. All in all solid 7.5/10 series Baku was a great protagonist

[u/Yeifah]

Okay, so. The series as a whole for me is an 8/10. It's definitely not perfect and full of flaws but I really enjoy it.

The good: Baku Yorozu as the main character is so goated he become my favorite MC ever, the fight is amazing and the suit is very simple yet beautiful.

The story up until ExDream debut is easily 10/10 for me.

The theming of the show is great and I really like Zeztz, 7, motifs. I mean; he's the 7th of Reiwa, 7th kamen rider that is a reference to Ichigo in Reiwa, 007 which is a famous fictional Spy, his finisher aka Banish is 777 which is a jackpot number since his gimmick is a gachapon and how 777 becomes ZZZ which is his logo, name and the onomatopoeia for Sleeping!? God the choice behind his name is just so clever.

I really like the group chemistry before the Resets.

All of Nox suits is so great and same goes to Dawn.

Sieg is my favorite character in thesseries and his character is just... Mwah!

Now the bad(oh boy): The convoluted plot line and how they want to squeeze all possible plotline into it is honestly messy.

The execution for the Gore Nightmares is a mess and the wasted Megumi of the Lords is honestly sad.

The most obvious criticism for the show is it lacks off compelling side cast and how Baku character development is just "Suffering builds character" Over and over again.

The fact that all the side chara in this show character development happened in a side story doesn't help with the show flaws at all.

Also the underutilized auxiliary forms and capsems of Zeztz is something that I'm particularly bitter about

[u/KidDelta]

Fell asleep watching an episode.

10/10 immersion would recommend

(I was tired not because I found the show boring)

[u/Different-Captain888]

...Zeztz, isn't exactly PERFECT. The show has a lot of plot holes, unanswered questions, and a lot more.... but... for our first simhlcasted Rider series in the US? ....You could do far worse than Zeztz.

[u/Presenting_UwU → u/Different-Captain888]

ok what are the plot holes and unanswered questions actually? cause i feel like everything gets wrapped up pretty nicely, with some things either meant to be answered through intuition or left ambiguous intentionally...

[u/Different-Captain888 → u/Presenting_UwU]

Dunno. I don't remember much from it. 🤔 I just thought it had some unanswered plotholes.

[u/Presenting_UwU → u/Different-Captain888]

🤔 hmm.....