Genm Master 2016

is the ninth episode of Kamen Rider Zi-O. It is the first part of the Kamen Rider OOO tribute arc. Thus, it features the return of Eiji Hino and Hina Izumi, portrayed by Shu Watanabe and Riho Takada, respectively. This episode also counts as a post-Ex-Aid tribute due to the return of Kuroto Dan, as portrayed by Tetsuya Iwanaga. It also features the debuts of the Taka Watchroid, Genm Ridewatch and Geiz GenmArmor.
This episode is accompanied by the ninth episode of Kamen Rider Zi-O: Supplementary Plan web series, The King, God, and the Adult.
==Synopsis==
In the news, the Dan Foundation had declared its independence from the nation of Japan, with its CEO Kuroto Dan proclaiming himself to be a king. Sougo's curiosity with this man leads to the discovery of Kuruto's identity as Another OOO, and Geiz goes back in time to destroy Another Rider at it's source, but Sougo takes a different course of action...
==Continuity and Placement==
*The past, 2016: Takes place after the change in timeline in No Continue 2016, with the erase of Ex-Aid-related events, Masamune Dan never got imprisoned after Zero Day. Kuroto Dan also never became Kamen Rider Genm in that year, and was already transformed into Another OOO six years prior.
==Plot==
At a casino/pool hall, Ora freezes time and is annoyed, conversing with Heure about the previous failure with Another Wizard despite her helping him. Heure thinks the person they chose for Wizard's power was weak and unworthy of it so it is not his fault. Sworz enters the hall, stating that Ohma Zi-O conquered all of time by following his desires and never doubting his right to be a king. Ora realizes they people they have selected previously do not have the drive or desire to become a leader, they need to find a person with such ambition and drive to succeed in changing history. Heure thinks he knows of such a person and goes to look for him. In 2018, history has been changed as Kuroto Dan now has the power of Kamen Rider OOO thanks to Heure, as he walks the grounds of a castle, he proclaims that soon the world will be his.
At Kujigoji-do, Sougo is looking at a drawing of Oda Nobunaga, whom Tsukuyomi knows nothing about and asks who he is. Sougo says that Nobunaga was something like a king, who ruled over Japan in ancient times in the Sengoku period and did his best to unify the nation. Though Sougo admits that this picture might not be an accurate resemblance to the real Nobunaga. Geiz walks in and swipes the photo, saying that Nobunaga was called a Demon King who mercilessly slaughtered countless people until one of his own men betrayed him and then he died. Sougo is unwilling to face the fact that Nobunaga was capable of such horrors, but Geiz states that Sougo's future self acted the same way as Nobunaga and someday he will meet the same fate as the warlord. Sougo still thinks he will become a beloved ruler of the world.
Junichiro rushes in because of horrible news and goes to turn on the television. A reporter on TV states that the Dan Foundation has declared itself independent from the nation of Japan, effectively making it a micronation, and that its CEO will deliver a press conference. Kuroto declares that he will now be referred to as "Kuro-Oh" (King Kuro), Sougo gets excited as the idea of Kuroto becoming a king as he watches, much to Geiz's annoyance. Kuroto continues by declaring that the Japanese Government will not deny his request and all properties owned by the Dan Foundation are now the territory of his nation and Japanese laws will not be recognized by his state. The press and the officials representing Japan are dumbfounded and one of the Diet members thinks Kuroto is a lunatic as the crowd briefly starts to become an angry mob. Kuroto thinks this insolence is defiance of his will as king and hurls a Cell Medal at the official, turning him into a mindless Kuzu Yummy that attacks the crowd. Kuroto declares that the politican is now his servant and all who oppose him shall suffer the same fate if they do not cooperate, laughing at the chaos below. Inside a locked room of the castle, a man in a suit with a red feather on it is being held prisoner whom the newscaster says is a member of the Diet being held hostage. Sougo gets exicted and wants to meet this wannabe king, his uncle asking if he can go shopping and bring home chicken for dinner while he is out. Geiz and Tsukuyomi on the other hand were paying close attention to the chaos unlike Sougo and know a Time Jacker is behind this, deciding to go to the HQ of Dan Foundation to investigate. Junichiro tries to tell the two before they leave that he wants chicken thighs and not breasts for dinner, but they ignore him and he examines his nephew's picture of Nobunaga, quoting one of the warlord's famous lines in a dramatic voice: "If I will not sing, I will kill the Cuckoo."
Sougo sees the entrance to the castle is sealed and blocked off by a crowd of young people wanting to see Kuroto and post him on thier phones. Sougo decides to try and sneak in by going through the woods and to the back entrance of the castle, only to run into two people being attacked by two Kuzu Yummys. Sougo is confused as these people are "King Kuroto's" subjects, but Geiz says that Kuroto is an evil king if he intends on hurting people. Both transform into Zi-O FourzeArmor and Geiz WizardArmor to deal with the Yummys, only to find that thier attacks and weapons cannot damage them at all and they keep getting back up. They both use thier Finish Time weapon attacks and that proves to work as both Yummies shatter and free the people that were trapped inside as Cell Medals rain down from the explosions. Sougo is impresssed with Geiz's strength and offers to make him captain of the guard of his royal army so he can report directly to him, a gesture that offends Geiz. Kuroto appears and is none too pleased that his Yummys were destroyed, viewing the trio as trespassers and is very offended when Geiz calls him a Demon King. Tsukuyomi tells the boys to be more careful speaking to him as she thinks the person they are dealing with is insane. Kuroto confirms he is an Another Rider, Another OOO, and transforms, preparing to fight them. Sougo says what a coincidence it is they should meet as he wants to be a king too, which makes Kuroto laugh as he finds such a notion absurd as he is the only king the world needs as he charges at them. A Ridewatch in the form of a robot bird appears and breathes fire at Another OOO causing Kuroto to drop the Genm Ridewatch in his possession. The Taka Watchroid then rams into Another OOO and flies off, distracting Kuroto as he gets riled up and chases after it. Tsukuyomi sees that the date on his back is 2016, while Sougo chases after Kuroto and tells the others to go pick up the chicken. Geiz picks up the Genm Ridewatch and tells Tsukuyomi that they will travel to 2016 and put an end to this without Sougo's help.
Sougo finds that the back door is sealed off too as Woz arrives, inquiring why his master is interested in Kuroto, Sougo says that he wants to observe him in the same manner that Geiz and Tsukuyomi are to ensure that he isn't an evil ruler. Woz is impressed, stating that his future king is understanding the situation well as Sougo enters the Castle through a side door.
In Geiz's Time Mazine, Tsukuyomi examines the altered timeline and discovers that the Dan Foundation was created after Masamune Dan died in 2016, buying out many properties and companies and amassing fast financial growth and wealth to become a massive conglomerate in only two years. Tsukuyomi notices that the Ridewatch has Kamen Rider Ex-Aid's symbol on it, finding that strange since Kuroto has the power of OOO and Sougo already has Ex-Aid's Ridewatch. In 2016, Kuroto kills an executive as Another OOO (presumably his father Masamune) and goes on rambling abut how he will become king now that the company is his to control. Geiz enters the room and transforms to stop Kuroto's schemes, while Kuroto realizes that this kid is the one that Heure warned him about when he got his powers. Kuroto throws some Cell Medals on the ground which become Yummies and distract Geiz.
Back in 2018, King Kuro is being fitted by his royal tailor, whom he suggests to her to make "zombie" garments to fit a style worthy of his magnificent regal appearance. The desginer turns out to be Hina Izumi, who says she refuses do what he asks because of what he is doing to the people and she pleads for him to not hurt anyone anymore. Kuroto surprisingly takes it well, but then declares that she will be taken as his bride and become his queen. Hina refuses and pulls away from him, only to be slapped in the face and threatened to be executed for her refusal. Just as Kuroto is about to strike Hina down and insert a Cell Medal into her, Sougo enters and blocks his palm strike in the form of a handshake. Kuroto recognizes him from earlier, with the young hero saying he is so excited to meet him.
In 2016, Geiz is battling the Yummys and Another OOO, equipping the GenmArmor once he is clear of the Yummys. While Another OOO battles Geiz, Tsukuyomi notices that the number on Another OOO has changed to 2010, so they are in the wrong timeline. Geiz uses the Critical Time Burst attack to defeat the Yummys and Another OOO. Back in 2018, Kuroto is outraged that Sougo would shake the hand of a king so casually, only to start fading out of existence briefly before returning to normal. Tsukuyomi calls Sougo to ask what is happening in that time, but nothing changes as Another OOO is revived in 2016 and continues attacking Geiz. Tsukuyomi was correct, they chose the wrong year to go back to and his point of origin as Another Rider is still intact.
Kuroto in 2018, back to normal, inquires as to why Sougo is here. Sougo tells the aspiring king that he admires him and wants to be a king too someday, asking him if he will take him on as an apprentice. Kuroto says that he plans on being an immortal king, so such dreams are impossible for Sougo. But Kuroto will make him one of his retainers instead, a job which Sougo is eager to accept. Hina is upset, as she asks if Sougo knows what kind of person Kuroto is, but Sougo responds that it is exactly what he wants to find out. Kuroto orders two Yummys to imprison Hina in a dungeon, until she accepts his offer to be his bride and queen. Sougo calls Tsukuyomi back and tells her they need to get back to 2018 now. Geiz retreats with Tsukuyomi back to the Time Mazine before Another OOO can get them. Woz appears and tells Sougo to find Kamen Rider OOO so they can defeat Another OOO, so they must search for the Rider himself. Once Geiz and Tsukuyomi arrive at the Castle in 2018, Sougo shocks them both by telling them he is going to study under Kuroto to be a king. Geiz does not take this well as he knows what Kuroto is capable of, saying this makes his choice to eliminate Zi-O easier as he transforms and attacks Sougo. Seeing he has no choice, Sougo becomes Zi-O, despite wanting to talk things over on what he is doing. The two Riders engage each other in combat, with Zi-O equipping BuildArmor and proving to be stronger than the last time they fought each other. Geiz thinks that Sougo is falling down the path to becoming Ohma Zi-O, but Sougo seemingly accepts that as he fights him. He finishes Geiz off with the Vortex Time Break and the fallen Rider de-transforms after the explosion, calling the Time Mazine to retreat until he can recover with Tsukuyomi going with him.
Kuroto saw the fight from his castle and is impressed with his retainer's strength, deciding to make him the captain of his royal guard that will report directly to him. Sougo thanks his king for the job.
At Kujigoji-do, Junichiro hears over the radio that the kidnapped member of the Diet has no rescue operations made for his safe return, but the government is considering using a JSDF strike force to rescue him. Junichiro says that sounds really bad, only to see Tsukuyomi carry Geiz in and demands for a first aid kit. Tsukuyomi lets Geiz sit in a chair while Junichiro frantically searches for a first aid kit amongst the clutter of things he has to repair today. Geiz is angry and now driven more than ever to kill Zi-O.
The episode closes with Hina being thrown in the same dungeon as the kidnapped politician, who offers to help her. She asks who he is, and he says his name is Eiji Hino and he is a hostage just like her.
==Cast==
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*Ziku-Driver, Ridewatch Voices: 
*Ziku-Driver Voice: 
===Guest Casts===
* : 
* : 
*/Another OOO: 
*Journalist: 
*TV Reporter: 
===Suit Actors===
*Kamen Rider Zi-O: 
*Kamen Rider Geiz: 
*Another OOO: 
*Kuzu Yummies: Jun Watanabe, Hajime Kanzaki, Yuji Nakata, Yasunari Tsukagoshi
==Forms and Collectibles Used==
===Ridewatches===
*Watch used:
**Zi-O
***Zi-O, Fourze, Build
**Geiz
***Geiz, Wizard, Genm
*Rider Armor(s) used:
**Zi-O
***FourzeArmor, BuildArmor
**Geiz
***WizardArmor, GenmArmor
==Errors==
*When Kamen Rider Geiz presses the button atop the Genm Ride Watch to activates the Ridewatch for Armor Time and Critical Time Burst, the Ride Watch Doesn't shine like Ridewatches usually does and announce "Genm".
**This probably alludes the toy version of Genm Ridewatch, which have the same characteristic as the one used in the show.
==Notes==
*As part of Super Hero Time, this episode aired alongside episode 38, .
**Coincidentally, both episodes feature Geiz and Lupin X gaining new armor.
*Viewership: 2.5%
*Closing Screen Ridewatches:
**Kamen Rider: Zi-O & Geiz
**Ridewatches:
***Zi-O: Zi-O
***Geiz: Wizard & Genm
*Count at episode end
**Watches in Zi-O's possession: Zi-O, Build, Ex-Aid, Fourze, Bike, Phone
**Watches in Geiz's possession: Geiz, Ghost, Drive, Cross-Z, Faiz, Wizard, Genm, Bike, Phone
**Watches in Tsukuyomi's possession: Phone
*While primarily being an OOO tribute episode, this can also count as pseudo-Ex-Aid tribute as well due to the appearance of Kuroto Dan. If so, this is the first episode to be a tribute to a series that already received its tribute earlier in the series.
*The English portion of the title, "Genm Master", in its Japanese pronunciation ("Genmu Masutā") is a play on the word "Game Master". This is a reference to one of the self-titled alias of Kuroto Dan.
*This is the first episode since the episode 46 of Kamen Rider Ghost to have an episode written by someone other than the main writer.
*This is the first tribute episode in the series where the titular protagonist does not appear until the very end of the episode.
*This is the first time ever in the franchise to feature a Legend Form based on a non-protagonist Kamen Rider.
*In the start of the episode, Sougo is looking at a picture of Oda Nobunaga, who was the main focus of the Kamen Rider OOO portion of Movie War Core.
*Woz mentioning that the fate of who will be king lies in Eiji's hands is a reference to a phrase Eiji says about what makes him a Rider, that he will always reach his hand out to those in need.
*Sougo and Geiz's debate on Oda Nobunaga can be perceived as cultural appropriation/romanticization of history vs. actual historical facts. Perception of people or things in history can sometimes be distorted or perceived in a positive light that hides the full truth according to actual pieces of documented history. For the episode's example, Oda Nobunaga is a historical figure whose actions contributed to the unification of the country after his death and his forces taken over by his Retainer Hideyoshi Toyotomi. However, he was also a ruthless conquerer who slaughtered people with his armies, invaded lands and destroyed property to build his empire, and was a tyrant even to those under his rule to solely enrich himself. In Japanese pop culture, he is equally portrayed as a hero and villain depending on the intepretation of the character being portrayed, though more commonly seen than either is the relation of anecdotes of the man being a myopic fool unhappy with what he had and scheming to take more; an interpretation previously seen of the expy of him in Movie War Core.
**Kamen Rider Ghost which featured a character with the likeness of Nobunaga and is benign towards Takeru is surprisingly one of the more Neutral takes on the Man done to date, admitting both good and bad things came from his actions.
**The Oda Nobunaga in Zi-O's history will meet them in Kamen Rider Zi-O: Over Quartzer.
*When Zi-O and Geiz release their Zikan Girade and Zikan Zax finishers, the prelude cut-in screen in this episode is just simillar to Ex-Aid's Mighty Critical Strike in Kamen Rider Ghost: The 100 Eyecons and Ghost's Fateful Moment and Genm's Shakariki Critical Strike in episode 49 of Kamen Rider Ghost.
*Kuroto stating he wants "Zombie" themed royal garments is a reference to his one of his Rider Gashats, Dangerous Zombie and his Kamen Rider Genm Zombie Gamer Level X form.
*At a viewership rating of 2.5%, this episode is the lowest-rated first-Quarter episode in the history of Kamen Rider. As of its airing, the only lower-rated episodes of the franchise are episodes 37 and 45 of Build, both fourth-quarter episodes airing in Summer, which is more normally expected to possess lower ratings.
*From this episode on until Episode 16, head writer Shimoyama would be replaced by Nobuhiro Mouri for currently unknown reasons.
*Kiyo-chan can be seen in Kuroto's shelf before Heure transforms the former into Another OOO.
*The Rider Armors used by Zi-O and Geiz have a relation with each other.
**Fourze and Build - Science.
***Fourze - The Laws of Space.
***Build - Chemistry.
**Wizard and Genm - The Supernatural.
***Wizard - Magic.
***Genm - Zombie Action Gamer Level X form being based on a Zombie otherwise known as the undead.
==External links==
*TV Asahi's official episode guide for ゲンムマスター2016
*Heisei 20's official episode guide for ゲンムマスター2016
==References==
ru:Мастер Генм 2016
Category:New Form Episode
Category:Crossovers