What’s up, riders?! It’s finally time to Gotcha and go to see the Gotchard Summer Movie! Join Ethan and Nico as they see Hotaro and Rinne fight for the future!
A few notes before we get underway… Ethanโs Timelord Chemy would like to inform you that this movie takes place between Episodes 43 and 44 of Kamen Rider Gotchard. Also, to make the recap way less confusing, the future versions of characters will be referred to as โDaybreak [name]โ.ย
Recap
The movie opens with the Gotchard gang making plans to go see the fireworks festival but their discussions are interrupted by alarms. Fully automated Dreadtroopers, from the future, are attacking and everyone rushes off to deal with them. During the fight, Spanner comes face to face with Hellcrate, a homunculus that looks like him made by Daybreak Geryon.
After driving them back, Kaguya gorgeously appears and explains to everyone that they were from Daybreak Gotchard’s future, to which obviously Hotaro is very insistant that he needs to go help his future self out and pay him back for helping him make his own Gotchaignitor way back in episode 18.ย Rinne says she will go with Hotaro just as her dad shows up and shares with everyone a way for them to venture off to the parallel timeline Daybreak. By pooling their collective powers together, they are able to digivolve Steamliner into Gigantliner, allowing him to take them to where they need to go for the movie to happen.ย
With Spanner, Kaguya and everyone other then Rinne’s dad, who was another alchemy clone (+1 to the Rinne dad death counter) else agreeing to hold down the fort and have a cool fight later in the movie, the pair set off.ย They quickly learn Kajiki had overheard them talking about going to the future and snuck along, bringing an issue of his Occult magazine (with its gross gen AI cover, ew) along too (don’t worry he mostly hangs out in the good guys base).ย
The trio arrive in the ruined world of the future and quickly meet up with Daybreak Gotchard, who reveals what we all knew: he is Hotaro from 20 years in the future. Fun Fact: This makes him 37/38ish and the time he’s from 2043/2044. Going to the resistance base, we learn that Daybreak Atropos and Clothoย joined the good guys after Geryon killed Lachesis and made three new homunculus. As well as that, we learn that the timeline split at Christmas (episode 16), the time Geryon first appeared with the Orochi Malgam. Nobody showed up to help Daybreak Hotaro and he was only spared because Geryon wanted to make him despair more by killing everyone he knows. Meanwhile, Hellcrate plans on going back to face Spanner while the rest of the Gotchard gang realise they can close the time rift on their end in a way that will also explode Daybreak Geryonโs base.
When the alarms go off that another one of Daybreak Geryonโs dolls are collecting people from the refugee camps, Hotaro, Daybreak Atropos, Clotho and Rinne (much to Daybreak Hotaroโs complaining) go to fend them off. During the battle, Rinne saves a girl named Ichika but her dad is captured. Lakineiles (who looks like Lachesis) injures Daybreak Atropos and Clotho knocking them out of the movie. Seeing this, an enraged Hotaro pulls out the Ignitor going Fire Gotchard and Rider Kicks her to dust, leaving her key to get past the defences on Daybreak Geryon’s base.ย ย ย
Back at base, Hotaro and Rinne learn from Daybreak Hotaro how his timelineโs Rinne died. Basically, in his version of episode 27, he seemingly never went Iron Gotchard (we will talk about that later) and Hopper1 never evolved into Crosshopper. Instead Daybreak Rinne gave her life to free the Chemies and died in Hotaroโs arms telling him how she wishes they could fight together. Her dying wish caused the Chemies to evolve into their Daybreak versions. Our Hotaro and Rinne now understand why the older Hotaro has been so defensive over letting Rinne fight. They talk to him and remind him of his more hopeful past and he agrees to let them join him on this final raid of Daybreak Geryonโs base. As this trio leave, Ichika stops them, armed with a large gun she asks if she can tag along and help save the kidnapped people. Daybreak Hotaro agrees.ย
The two Hotaros transform and our Kamen Riders Kamen Ride into the enemy base with Rinne/Ichika on their backs. Meanwhile, back in the past, the Gotchard gang are attacked by Hellcrate and more Dreadtroppers. In the Daybreak timeline, Rinne and Ichika split off from the Gotchards to rescue the civilians and, in the process, run into Alzard, who looks like the dead-in-this-timeline Mr. Minato. Alzard is defeated, Ichika takes the civilians and gets out of the base as Rinne makes her way to meetup with the Gotchards.ย
Meanwhile, the two Gotchards run into Daybreak Geryon who transforms into Kamen Rider Dorado. Back in the past, Sabi and Renge use the powers of UFO-X and Zukyumpire to fight off the Dreadtroopers, while Spanner deals with Hellcrate and higher level Dreadtroopers. During the fight, Spanner gets knocked back by some Troopers and Shoma (Kamen Rider Gavv) shows up to help fend them off, beating a Unicorn Type 1 Dreadtrooper and giving Spanner some Gummies before leaving.ย
Meanwhile, Kaguya gets knocked out of his transformation and one of the Dreadtroopers cuts his card in half. However, he is saved when Decade himself pulls him into an Aurora Curtain, gives him a pep talk and snaps a picture. When Kaguya goes back to the battle, he turns into a more Decade style version of his original cards, allowing him to continue the battle.
Back with the Gotchards, our Hotaro breaks out of the melted metal Geryon had trapped him in with the help of Steamliner and Hopper1, turning themselves into Tenliner and CrossHopper, and turning our Hotaro into Platinum Gotchard. All goes well until Dorado knocks them both out of their transformations, just as Rinne arrives to get captured as a damsel in distress. Our Hotaro gives his older self a pep talk, reminding him why he wanted to be an alchemist – to better befriend the Chemies. It’s at this point Daybreak Hotaro hears the older Rinne’s voice. When she transmuted the Chemies into their Daybreak forms, her soul was merged with The Sun Chemy, allowing her to fight with Daybreak Hotaro all this time.ย
Daybreak Hotaro transforms back into Gotchard Daybreak, frees Rinne (who along with our Hotaro transforms this time into Rainbow Gotchard) and the trio beat Geryon! Movie over, right? Nope, turns out when Geryon tried to absorb the powers of the Abyssal King, the three of them just possessed his body. Now that it’s destroyed, the king in its full form reveals itself in all its giant CGI splendour.ย
In the past, the gang beat back the invaders from the future and close the time rift on their end, exploding the bad guys’ base. Channelling the hopes and dreams of everyone and the Chemies, the two Gotchards assume their movie form, Miracle Gotchard and Shining Daybreak. Along with Rinne, the onlookers cheer them on and the three Riders deliver a giant rider kick, destroying the Abyssal King’s form.
When the rubble clears, the Abyssal King, now split into three, takes off to the past. Daybreak Hotaro looks directly into the camera and says he’s the legendary alchemist of Daybreak (you know the one from Rinne’s storybook) and with Daybreak Timelords help, takes off to defeat them.ย
Kajiki, Hotaro and Rinne go back to the present as the credits roll. We see them say goodbye to all their new friendsย from the future and, along with the rest of the Gotchard gang, go to the fireworks festival. Minato and Kyoka hold hands?! Whaaaaaaat? and we end with a post credit scene where Hotaro is worried about his older self. Rinne shows him the end of her storybook, which now ends with Shining Daybreak Gotchard defeating the Abyssal King with the power of The Sun. This brings the movie to an end.
With the movie recap out of the way, it’s time to hand over to Nico for a special instalment of Kamen Riding!ย
Kamen Riding V
Thanks, Ethan! Hi all! Welcome back to Kamen Riding, where I’m pleased to share the spotlight this time with my colleague, Ethan, and sing the praises of Gotchard’s latest theatrical outing. For those not in the know, I previously wrote a four part article series, titled Kamen Riding, which covered four of the central filming locales seen in Gotchard: The Future Daybreak, and the cultural significance of each one to the movie. Now that the film is released, it only makes sense to revisit each location I researched and see how they came to life in the story, as a bonus fifth entry to the original Kamen Riding series.
Revv up those Rider Machines and strap in, as we travel back to the Shimane Prefecture for one last rodeo!
RELATED: Kamen Riding: Across the Shimane Prefecture, Part Four
Izumo City
Starting off where Kamen Riding began, let’s take a look at where a good portion of the movie is set in: Izumo City and its famous Izumo Sports Dome. As touched on in the first part of Kamen Riding, Izumo City is a historically rich area in Japan, believed to be the original gathering spot for the many Gods of Japan; heralded as a “stage for history”. The Izumo Sports Dome is a fantastically engineered wooden building; an all weather sports arena able to provide plenty of space for many kinds of competitions. The structure was built to preserve the making of wooden buildings in Japan and it certainly delivers on that.
The movie uses these destinations as key battle areas for the cast, Gotchard’s supporting characters taking to the streets and rooftops of the city to do battle against the armies of Dreads; while the sports dome has been converted into a time machine in Daybreak’s future for the bad guys to travel to the past.
A “stage for history” is no exaggeration here, with Kamen Rider Legend summoning a quartet of old Riders to aid in the battle, while also bumping into my favourite wandering bad boy Kamen Rider Decade, who, in the spirit of Izumo, gives Legend his blessing as his successor; the past empowering the future, just how Izumo City preserves its ancient traditions and architecture for the next generation. It also featured our first look at the new hero Kamen Rider Gavv, another great nod to this idea of generational influence and the past inspiring the future!
For a battle where the past, present and future(s) collide, there’s no better place to fight than in the historical sights of Izumo City.
Hinomisaki Cape
While not as prolific as Izumo City in the movie, there’s a handful (and I use that word generously) of delightful scenes featuring the cascading coastlines and stunning sunsets of the Hinomisaki Cape; a stretch of land reaching the sea at the westernmost part of Shimane.ย
Many of Hinomisaki’s shrines are dedicated to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and are believed to protect the region from evil spirits. With Kamen Riders being symbols of life and protection, its no surprise to see both Gotchard and Daybreak racing along Hinomisaki’s seaside roads on their bikes, journeying to save the world, the ocean on full display as they zoom past it.
Future Houtaro also gets to stand dramatically beneath a setting sun in the Hinomisaki Cape earlier in the film. Sunsets are beloved within this part of Shimane, considered a sacred event among the people living here. They represent finality, and with this movie seemingly bringing Daybreak’s story to a close, its a perfect, and appropriate, inclusion for the fiery Kamen Rider.
Taisha Station and Steam Locomotiveย
The third location I covered was the decommissioned Taisha Station, tucked away in Izumo City, the home of the D51 774 steam locomotive; featuring as the time-travelling Gigantliner in the film!
It’s one of 174 remaining locomotives left in Japan, built between 1936-1951, and its grandness is on full display for visitors at Taisha Station.
In the movie, this landmark of industrial design is used as the Gigantliner train, transporting Gotchard and his friends to the future. You can see it roll across the railtracks and even blow its whistle with a burst of steam! Its simply fabulous to see this 20th century train still chugging along; a rare sight to see, and a special one at that.
The old train even comes back to assist everyone in the final battle, providing a glitzy new transformation for Gotchard, which really highlights the value this movie puts on learning from the past and respecting it, much like how real Japanese culture preserves and admires this incredible steam engine. Here it is, nearly 100 years later, powering Gotchard up to save the day – a testament to the incredible advancements of train technology the original D51 774 locomotives have gone on to inspire today.
Sugaya Takadono Ironworksย
Finally, our last stop, Sugaya Takadono Ironworks: Japan’s last remaining iron smelting manufacturer. Hidden away in the countryside of the Shimane Prefecture lies an ancient building, its furnaceโs fire still blazing hot with raw iron and chemicals for over 200 years. The tatara furnace is a unique smelting tradition of ancient Japan, producing so much heat it turns iron into steel in an explosive mixture, and the only furnace capable of producing one-of-a-kind tamahagane steel. Its an alchemist’s dream!
Standing as the country’s last ironworks, it makes for a perfect base of operations for Future Houtaro’s rebellion. This is perhaps my favourite use of the four locations across the Shimane Prefecture, because it makes for such delightful harmony between reality and fiction. Humanity’s last hope in the future takes refuge within the last ironworks left in Japan, and though all seems lost there’s still a fire burning bright on the inside; a perfect analogy for Daybreak himself as well, besides just the bit about fire.
With that, Kamen Riding Part 5 is brought to a close! I think Iโve squeezed all I can out of the Shimane Prefecture. Though, that doesnโt mean I canโt look at other interesting places the Kamen Riders have visitedโฆ hmmโฆ
Anyways, what did you think of the movie Ethan?
Ethan’s Thoughts
Well, I do have a couple of issues, mainly with how Rinne is treated. Them leaving it so late to give her a powerup is really felt during the climax of the movie, what with her in her base form and all. Also, she gets one cool fight inbetween her saving someone but not her dad: a situation that could have easily turned really bad and her being used as an emotional prop for Daybreak Hotaroโs development, which really sucked because I think Rinne is great and it would have only benefited the movie to have Rinne have more agency and be here and do more then be here for the older Hotaroโs โrediscovering himselfโ arc. Also, knowing Hotaro and Rinne met good versions of two of the Abyssal Sisters does make their ultimate fate in the show sting a lot more.
That said, I loved the rest of the movie. Everyone’s performances were great, the time travel stuff was handled well in my opinion. And it was so fun seeing all the cameos. Shame this seems to be the closest to a Gotchard X Gavv crossover film we will be getting anytime soon. Still beautiful shots, great action. I am a sucker for โwe are being cheered on by everyone watchingโ style scenes, it was hype as heck in the legend arc and its hype as hell here.ย ย ย
All things considered, pretty great stuff. Other than it being brought down by Rinneโs treatment I’d rate it pretty highly… if I did ratings.
Nicoโs Thoughts
I definitely recommend the Hinomisaki Cape as a must see travel spot for Japanese tourists, I mean itโs totally beautiful and right next to a shrineโฆ Oh right, the movie!
I found the Shimane Prefecture to be a shining example of fostering a civilisation’s history, preserving important landmarks and keepsakes to inspire a new generation, and that sentiment is reassured in the message of Kamen Rider Gotchard: The Future Daybreak; even more so when Future Houtaro is literally inspired by the trust and hope of the Rinne Kudo from the past (though I absolutely agree, she needed more time to shine). Every location has its place in the film, a total love letter to the Shimane Prefecture, and it makes for a beautiful relationship between the movie and the real world.
Beyond just my obsession for travelling and history? Iโm easily pleased, give me Kamen Rider Decade and a few explosions and Iโm immediately a fan. I had a great time watching it!
There’s no better celebration of the past and what has come before, all of it empowering us to strive for a better future. As Kamen Rider Daybreak says at the end of the film: “We’re not facing the past, but our own future”. Couldn’t agree more. Gotcha!
The Conclusion
So there you have it, bringing this team up to a conclusion. Nico and I enjoyed the movie a lot – its hopeful message and its stunning showcase of the Hinomisaki Cape, though we felt Rinne should have had more time to shine on her own. Well, that’s something that could also be said for the main show, isn’t it? Jokes aside, this movie is wonderful and well worth the time to watch.
But what did you think? Do you agree with us? Did you like the movie? Where does it rank in your top ten superhero movies? As always, I’ve been Ethan: Writer, reviewer and time traveling Kamen Rider teaming up with Nicoโฆ oh, she’s Kamen Rode off again… Thank you and see you next time!
