If Episode 16 of Kamen Rider Zeztz left you feeling conflicted, you are not wrong.

That discomfort feels intentional.

This episode is not confused or messy. It is carefully designed to put both the characters and the audience off balance.

Instead of trying to cover everything that happens in Episode 16, I focus on one central question that defines the episode for me.

Did Baku make the right choice trusting Zero?

Zero demands loyalty without transparency. He insists there is only one solution and reacts strongly when Baku questions that order. At the same time, Baku shows real growth by confronting his superior instead of blindly obeying.

That tension is the point.

We are not given clear answers, inner monologues, or moral certainty. We are shown choices, consequences, and silence. Baku stands still, reflects, and then acts. Whether that action is right or wrong is left intentionally unresolved.

I do not fully trust Zero.

I am proud of Baku.

And I think the episode wants us to sit with that conflict.

Episode 16 also works as a strong jumping on point for new viewers, while still carrying real consequences for those who have been watching from the beginning. That balance is difficult to pull off, and Zeztz does it well here.

Do you trust Zero?

Would you have made the same choice Baku did?

Let me know in the comments.

Bonus Content - https://mjmunoz.com/2026/01/07/kamen-rider-zeztz-16/

In a previous reflection, I talked about why people watch Kamen Rider.

The transformation. The mask. The spectacle.

But that isn’t why people stay.

You watch Kamen Rider because it transforms.

You love Kamen Rider because it endures.

Across every era, beneath the resets and reinventions, there are internal constants that never go away. This video explores the deeper, human reasons Kamen Rider resonates year after year — beyond suits, gimmicks, or power systems.

This is a Henshin Reflection on endurance, choice, and what it means to remain human behind the mask.

Which Rider made you fall in love with the series. What made it stick?

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had a rhythm you could trust.

Rita attacked.

The Rangers fought.

The Rangers won.

Then Green With Evil disrupted the rules.

This arc did not just introduce a new Ranger. It broke the structure of the show, expanded the mythology, and permanently changed what Power Rangers could be.

In this Henshin Reflection, I break down the specific ways Green With Evil disrupted Power Rangers, why that disruption mattered, and why it still works decades later.

This is not about escalation.

It is about disruption.

Question for you:

What moment first disrupted your idea of what these shows could do or be?

Bonus Content - https://mjmunoz.com/2025/12/24/green-with-evil/

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Zeztz Episode 15 is the moment Baku finally clicks for me. This episode reframes him as a Rider who is stepping out of Zero’s shadow and choosing his own will even if it means betraying the system that gave him power.

In this video I break down Baku’s growth, the role of dreams and nightmares, the meaning of rebellion in Kamen Rider, and why Episode 15 feels like a turning point for the series.

Watch the full Zeztz playlist in the pinned comment and tell me what you think this episode is really saying.

Bonus Content - https://mjmunoz.com/2025/12/24/kamen-rider-zeztz-15/

Why does Kamen Rider work year after year, even as everything changes?

New suits. New tones. New worlds. And yet Kamen Rider is always recognizable.

In this Henshin Reflection, I break down the core external elements that define Kamen Rider across the franchise. These are the visible, structural constants that draw people in and make someone stop and watch.

This is not about why we love Kamen Rider.

This is about why we watch it.

If you enjoy tokusatsu analysis, transforming heroes, or thoughtful breakdowns of Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai, you’re in the right place.

These are the external elements that make people watch Kamen Rider.

What keeps people coming back is a different question, and that’s something I’ll explore later.

Did I miss anything?

Which Rider do you think embodies this DNA best?

More tokusatsu analysis, reflections, and longform breakdowns are linked below.

Blog Post - https://mjmunoz.com/2025/12/19/why-you-watch-kamen-rider/

Are they quietly turning Nox into the sympathetic figure and Baku into the danger?

Episode 14 of Kamen Rider Zeztz feels like a major thematic shift. While the spectacle is strong, the framing tells a different story. Nox is presented as someone being hunted, facing a recurring nightmare, while Baku feels increasingly forceful, mission driven, and detached.

In this episode, the camera perspective and dream logic subtly position Nox as the emotional center, even when he is framed as a villain. Meanwhile, Baku moves through the dream space without reflection, converting trauma into power rather than confronting it. The lightning moment, instead of representing growth, raises unsettling questions about control, corruption, and the cost of power.

I break down how Episode 14 reframes both characters, why I unexpectedly found myself rooting for Nox, and what this might mean for Code, Nem, and Baku moving forward. I do not think this episode is confused. I think it is deliberately uncomfortable.

Did this episode change how you see Baku or Nox?

Did the lightning moment work for you?

Are we watching the start of corruption, or something else entirely?

Let me know your thoughts and theories in the comments.

You can find the rest of my Zeztz coverage in the playlist linked in the pinned comment.

Bonus Content - https://mjmunoz.com/2025/12/17/kamen-rider-zeztz-14/

Super Sentai didn’t fail because it was outdated.

It failed because it stopped surprising us.

In this Heart and Sold episode, I look at the untapped potential inside Sentai — all the things it could have been — and how Project RED now has the rare chance to break the mold instead of repeating it.

We talk about:

• Why Sentai grew bigger but shallower

• How the formula became a cage instead of a toolbox

• Why Rider and Ultraman sharpened their identities while Sentai didn’t

• The cost of massive casts + huge toy lines

• Characters like Zyuoh Bird who had everything set up for greatness — but no space to finish their arcs

• Why Project RED must stay lean, take risks, and embrace its weird sci fi premise

This isn’t about dancing on Sentai’s grave.

It’s about asking the real question:

What would it take to build a transforming hero show that can last another 50 years?

Bonus Blog Version -

Tell me your thoughts:

What could Sentai have done to save itself — and what does Project RED absolutely need to get right?

Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments.

Zeztz 13 just gave us a black hole finisher and an extinction-level meteor Nightmare… all by episode 13. Is this “unlimited power” good storytelling or too much, too soon?

In this Rider Tears review I break down:

• Why the meteor threat actually works

• The dramatic conflict between Baku, Fujimi, and Nasuka

• The Wonder suit: great colors, weird hands

• Zero’s shady behavior and Knox revealed as Agent 4

• My theory that former agents might be dream ghosts

• What the show risks if it keeps escalating power

• Why the cost of the capsums matters more than the spectacle

Bonus Version - https://mjmunoz.com/2025/12/10/kamen-rider-zeztz-13/

Watch more in my Zeztz playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH9cGS23bz0&list=PLe9IGJCLD_-0FNtTPRXlUSZZYAHQV1AVL

Check out my Heart and Soul commentary series for deeper analysis on the tokusatsu industry:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe9IGJCLD_-2EbD1tRWnnI-_CPDMaUJIf

You might like my fantasy book Mockwing Mayhem, in which magical bug battle monsters.

Get your copy:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5Y4MC4B

#Zeztz12 #KamenRiderReview #KamenRiderZeztz #RiderTears #MJMunoz #TokusatsuReview #HenshinInspection

Kamen Rider Zeztz 12 might be the best episode so far. Nox Knight arrives with incredible presence, the story grows in real ways, and the lore lands with real weight. This episode blends character moments, toy logic, mystery, and action into something that finally SO SATISFYING!

The Capsems matter more than ever, CODE’s true history becomes a real mystery, and the Knight System raises huge questions about how deep this rabbit hole goes. Even the real world use of powers gets pushed forward.

I break down the fights, the revelations, the design choices, and the story beats that make Zeztz 12 such a strong turning point.

Bonus Version - https://mjmunoz.com/2025/12/03/kamen-rider-zeztz-12/

#Zeztz12 #KamenRiderReview #KamenRiderZeztz #RiderTears #MJMunoz #TokusatsuReview #HenshinInspection