Kamen Rider Zeztz 23

Watch Analysis

This is the right way to do a toy commercial.

Even though I do not like the number of forms, and I still have issues with how some of them have been implemented, Episode 23 of Kamen Rider Zeztz proves something very important.

When the story matters, the toy works.

Zeztz just introduced multiple new pieces of merchandise. The Catastrom Driver attachment. The Catastrum Buster that requires three capsules. A new suit that clearly functions as a flagship figure. Even the brief shadowed platform sequence framing Catastrom as something darker and more ominous.

And somehow, all of it works.

Not because it looks cool.
Although it does look cool.
But because it matters.

Catastrom Feels Consequential

Baku enters a subconscious realm after undoing Zeztz Catastrom’s transformation. There he confronts Nem’s feelings and resolves to act decisively. When he awakens, he does not return as the same person.

“I am Code Number: Seven. I will carry out my mission.”

That line changes the trajectory of the show.

This is not a cosmetic upgrade. This is not just a mid season power spike. This is a moral shift.

Catastrom is framed almost like a dark Rider form. It reminds me of Build Hazard or Zero One’s Metal Cluster Hopper. Forms that initially feel dangerous, morally unstable, or out of control. But here it feels colder. More deliberate.

The action is incredibly satisfying. Watching Catastrom destroy Nox and then confront the Demon King Nightmare is thrilling. The close range Catastrum Buster shots are intense. The form has weight.

But what makes it compelling is not the spectacle.

It is the crisis.

A Moral Crisis in a Kids Show

Baku is young. He is carrying enormous power. And now he has crossed a line.

Nem doubts this path. Fujimi does not condemn him. As a detective, Fujimi may understand that sometimes lethal force becomes unavoidable. Nem, emotionally frozen in her own arrested development, reacts from a different place.

These are complex questions being thrown into a show marketed to children.

Will it go over their heads? Maybe.

Will they just see a cool new form? Possibly.

But the writing is layered enough that adults feel the tension. I feel it.

And that is why this works.

This Is Why Kamen Rider Sells

Kamen Rider consistently outperforms other tokusatsu franchises in toy sales for a reason.

When a new form appears, it reshapes the narrative.

The stakes shift.
The character shifts.
The future shifts.

Even if this is not Baku’s final form, it feels like a turning point. It feels like something that cannot simply be undone without consequence.

That is how you sell a toy.

You make it matter.

Compare that to many armor add ons in other series that feel purely aesthetic. Zeztz integrates the merchandise into the character arc itself. The Catastrom form is not just power. It is philosophy. It is identity. It is duty taken to its most dangerous extreme.

And that is compelling.

Final Thoughts

I am deeply impressed with the writing here.

The story is morally challenging without feeling muddled. The emotional impact is strong. The marketing is seamless. The craft is tight.

Zeztz is cementing itself as one of my favorite Kamen Rider entries because it understands something simple.

Story first.
Merchandise second.
Let the story make the merchandise inevitable.

Do you find this arc compelling?
Does Catastrom feel earned to you?
And does this shift Baku permanently?

Let’s talk in the comments.

Drop a comment below or tag me @MJ_Scribe on Twitter. Let’s have some fun talking about this.

If you enjoy thoughtful stories for kids and families, check out my book Mockwing Mayhem. It is a heartfelt adventure about magical bugs battling monsters and protecting children.

You can find more of my reviews, reflections, and stories with spine at mjmunoz.com, and join the mailing list there for behind the scenes updates and new releases.

Bonus Reflection

Nox Did A Lot Wrong

While I am conflicted about Baku killing Nox, he sure had his reasons.

Before we get distracted by wether or not Nox is actually dead, the point is Baku went into the fight wanting to kill him and by the end of the fight he was sure he was a corpse; it counts wehter the death sticks or not.

Odaka signed his own death warrant when he murdered Kurha and Agent 5. It’s really that simple. I had been interested in a redemption arc for him, partly because I can see that CODE is very morally compromised, but I’m that that ship has sailed for now. Perhaps the angle this time is that Baku gets a villainous arc and gets to be redeemed by the end of the story. It could make for a grerat take on the concept that the Rider was made as a weapon or tool of evil, then rebelled against them. If CODE is to SHOCKER as Baku is to Hongo and he actually gets to do bad things for before he opposes them, that’s a bold choice and I appreciate it.