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aibou's asleep time to build meta
and i literally mean build meta, because we all know all i'm going to talk about is sento kiryu
and i literally mean build meta, because we all know all i'm going to talk about is sento kiryu
I love him so much?? He's such a good bundle of favorite character tropes all bundled into one, and "build" in this series is as much as it is about his identity as sento being built and shaped by himself and by the people around him
tbh the one thing this series does really well is his characterization so everything I'm going to say is already said upfront but also the beauty of his character is how it keeps developing throughout the entire run. it's not exactly a smooth curve either
because oh god is build cruel to sento. each arc challenges his beliefs again and again to the extent that his own self becomes an obstacle to his ideology, but at the same time he is also well loved, and it is those bonds that lets him stick to his ideals to the very end
the fact that sento is a hero "built" from the interactions surrounding him is important to me, from how his identity was crafted for nefarious means to how he also learns from other people. the times ryuga manages to say the right things to keep it together comes into mind
and it's a beautiful contrast to katsuragi, who has mostly relied upon his own knowledge and skills to the extent that people were more akin to tools than friends to him, but ultimately it's sento who becomes kamen rider, it's sento who gets to protect people and save the world
it's because that he was a "built" hero that it's so important that nearly all of the obstacles to his character arcs involve him losing a part of his agency - whether it's because of being manipulated, of hazard's side effects, or because of anything involving katsuragi.
it's important that he overcomes all of these by affirming that despite everything, everything he has done and everything he believed in was not for naught - that no matter what happens, he's still kiryu sento.
build is about creation and destruction, really, it's not good at expressing it all the time but it shows this best when it takes the core theme of the franchise about the heroes and the villains having the same source of power but using them differently.
it shows how they're two sides of the same coin, but how you use it and how it benefits the world or yourself depends on who you are and what you do
anyway not double/10 but goddamn does sento tie in so much with philip and shotaro as favorite main rider now
anyway not double/10 but goddamn does sento tie in so much with philip and shotaro as favorite main rider now
