Idle Talk and Hollow Promises

Evvvery kamen rider I've watched so far has had a moment where it's like. Haha yesss it's him, The Rider, look at him go, saving the city with his badass kick [stops and stares dead into the camera] but the fact that he has been put in a position that necessitates his badass kick is a horrific injustice. 'Noble' violence is still violence and it is poisoning him. He does his awesome sickass kick because he has to and nobody else can, and so he is strong and scared and lonely all the time. He is a hero and a sacrifice and every time he does his cool good kick it shatters part of his soul. War is hell. OK now see him do a flip on his sick bike FUCK YESSSS

and yes that's the point. But also. It makes a very funny dissonance between "you do not want to be The Rider, The Rider is miserable" and "ooooh buy our toys and do the poses and roleplay as riders on the playground with your friends because The Rider is soooo cool" . The show sets up these 'playtime ideas', like, here's a fun pose you can do and a phrase you can say, Kuuga grabs a stick and it turns into a sword woaaaaw go outside and have so so so much fun. But [stares into the camera sternly, microphone nearly in mouth] you do not want to be the Rider and if you try to do his good kick you WILL hurt yourself

people debate about whether wojaks carry fascism within them inherently or not, and yknow, maybe there's something to be said about how symbols work etc, and then you see a communist make a meme that features the one that's drooling with a dent in his head to represent someone who is incorrect, and you just kind of take a pause and ask yourself what the fuck is wrong with everybody