Shane Thompson · @Showa_Shane
11th Sep 2017 from TwitLonger
Toku Theory: The Hidden Backstory of Decade
Disclaimer: The following article is based off of MatPat’s Game Theory format. Any and all likeness to the series is completely for entertainment/parody purposes, and any resemblance of another fan theory is completely coincidental. If you find any fallacies or errors in this theory, do not hesitate to point them out. Enjoy.
Even if this is one of the worst Rider series, it’s still draped in mystery. The A.R. Worlds, where the Decadriver came from, Natsumi’s dreams of the Rider War, all seemingly unanswered, but when you look deep enough, you’ll find that this series is deeper than we once thought.
Ten-Faced Demon Llumu Qhimil: You bastard. Who are you?!
A passing-through Toku Theorist. Remember that!
*Cue obligatory opening*
Hello, Internet! Welcome to Toku Theory! You know, we all have a lot of fun watching tokusatsu: Giant robots, cool toys, grown men fighting enemies while clad in brightly colored spandex (Dr. K: THAT IS NOT SPANDEX!). However, there are times when a toku show is just down right stupid! Whether it’s a show about a team of heroes lead by a spotlight stealing ‘King’, idiot ninja, or some guy with an insane amount of dumb luck, or a show about a space hero that tries the My Little Pony approach to fighting or a ghost that can never seem to stay a ghost (Oddly enough, a lot of people like those shows. SERIOUSLY?! Who would like that crap?), we have plenty of bad toku, even though certain weebs won’t admit it, even when the Japanese audience does. I’m looking at you, Ryuki vs Dragon Knight people; but (shot of Wagon’s butt), I digress.
One show that has been the topic of fan hate since its debut is the 2009 Kamen Rider Series, D-D-D-Dickhead! Whoops! I mean, Decade. *pause for silence* No, no. ‘Dickhead’ is accurate. This show was created as the 10th anniversary series to the Heisei Kamen Rider run, which began with Kamen Rider Kuuga, and is still going on to this day, until 2019 when Japanese government will make a new law allowing the Emperor to step down from the throne. God, why can’t our politicians be this classy or proper? Basically, the show centers around Tsukasa, a man from another world where he can harness the power of Kamen Riders through cards that allow him to transform into any Rider he wants. Remember Gokaiger? Imagine that, only not nearly as cool.
Anyway, in the series, Tsukasa is said to be the Destroyer of Worlds, said to be the one to destroy the A.R. Worlds of the Heisei Riders (As well as Amazon, Black, and Black RX, but let’s not get into how THAT works!), worlds that have the heroes we are familiar with, only vastly different in terms of story, characters, powers… on second thought, they are almost NOTHING like them.
However, there are a few mysteries left unsolved in this series. How do Tsukasa and Kaito know each other? Why does Natsumi keep having predictions that seem to never come true. And most of all, who is Narutaki? Well, it's Super Hero Time (Forced pun is forced) for those answers!
First, let's look at the things we know about the A.R. worlds. They are alternate realities based on the main Rider World, each Rider there has the face and first name of the main world riders (Outside of Black/Black RX, who have the exact same name. Again, not getting into how THAT works.), and they each have their own monsters and villains, also based on the main Rider World. This means any rider from one of these worlds is a world based on someone in the main world. And outside the A.R. World Riders, who are the odd men out? Well, outside Den-O and Shinkenger, since that is main world, but if I point out the faults in Decade, we're gonna be here all day. Anyway, the answer is simple. They're the main characters: Tsukasa Kadoya, aka Decade, and Daiki Kaito, aka Diend. After all, out of all the A.R. Riders, Tsukasa and Kaito are the only ones not based on a main world Rider. Or are there?!
If you want any real answers, just look at the trailer for Decade Final Chapter (since the movie pulled the old bait and switch on us at the last minute, just like with the Joker in Suicide Squad. ONORE TOEI!) Anywho, there are lines and images in the trailer that never made it into the film, such as Tsukasa dying and being attacked by someone in his Decade outfit, as well as the line 'So, you're the real Tsukasa?' That’s right! This movie, had it not be ruined by the execs and change in writers, (But let’s not point fingers, INOUE!) this movie would have revealed the identity of the real Tsukasa, as in, the one who resides in the Main Rider World. Well, it's time for us to meet finally meet him. Ladies and Gentlemen, the real Tsukasa/Decade is... *drum roll* Narutaki! *collective gasp, followed by someone saying 'Hey, wait a minute!'*
Yes, I know. Sounds a bit hard to believe, right? The dumbass villain of Decade being the true Destroy of Worlds? It simply can’t be true. That is, until you look at the evidence. What exactly to we know about Narutaki? Except for his tendency to blame everything on Decade and become a meme. #OnoreDecade Well, let's see. He has the ability to dimension jump between A.R. Worlds, he knows who Tsukasa is, he can summon Riders at will, and just like Tsukasa, he has amnesia, or at least, that's what's implied. In addition to that, there's one more thing about the Final Chapter film that most people have overlooked. In a YouTube video (youtube.com/watch?v=DdNS1oYZTZM) about Narutaki's identity, and in one image, you see Decade being attacked from behind by Narutaki. However, what else do you see? That's right! Tsukasa's camera. That would mean one of two things: Narutaki is a thief or Narutaki IS the real Tsukasa, and by extension, the real Decade.
This leads into another theory about the series. Knowing how Natsumi seems to have predictions, like the Rider War (that was totally different from the one we got. (Again, Gokaiger did it better), and all the stuff that was shown in Final Chapter, which was in the trailer. There are actually two mini theories that suggest how she has these dreams. Theory 1: Natsumi is a psychic. Now, there have always been stories about psychics who predict the future from touching another person, as well as seeing into a pass life through similar means. This ability is known as psychometry, which can be grossly simplified into obtaining information simply by touching another person. What if what she saw wasn't the future, but another lifetime, before Tsukasa lost his memory? Like her coming into contact with Tsukasa may had given her glimpses into his past as the Destroyer of Worlds. This would explain a few things, like Decade's title of Destroyer of Worlds, as well as his connection to Diend.
Theory 2: Natsumi is from the World of the Rider War. Since we already know her own ‘Grandfather’ seems to be from one of the A.R. Worlds, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Natsumi herself is from an A.R. World and, as a result of the last fight between Decade and an unknown enemy (Unknown, as in someone we don’t know, not the enemies from Agito), somehow erased the past and separated the World of the Rider War into many A.R. Worlds, explaining how she has these memories, and also low-key involving the first theory about her memories. This would also explain why Narutaki no longer takes on the role of Decade. His final battle in the World of the Rider War reset everything and wiped his own memory of being Decade, and his only memory of Decade being Tsukasa coming from the A.R. World and being their version of Decade, and could very well explain how Diend still remembers Tsukasa, but not Narutaki.
Speaking of Diend, this also leads to the biggest question that no one ever asks: If Kaito is the A.R. Diend, where is the real Diend? Since we've come to the conclusion that Narutaki is the real world Tsukasa, that must mean that in the main world, there must be a real world Daiki who can become Diend. Which leads us into the last piece of this complicated jigsaw puzzle. Outside of Diend, there is one thing in the A.R. Worlds yet to make an appearance in the Main World. I'm talking about the organization that Tsukasa was the leader of in the A.R. World: Dai-Shocker. Just like Kaito, Dai-Shocker is in the A.R. World, and yet we never see it in the Main World. Or, do we? We don't, but there is one piece of evidence that would strongly suggest that there is another Decade, Diend, and Dai-Shocker in the Main World: Tsukasa's Decadriver. While Kaito got his from the World of Decade, Tsukasa actually received his in the Main World, but how can that be? The only explanation is that a real Dai-Shocker exists in the Main World, which means there's another Diendriver and, since Tsukasa grabbed his K-Touch in the World of Negatives, that means there is another Decadriver in the A.R. Worlds somewhere, and there is another Diend, Diendriver, and Dai-Shocker in the real world. What is there plan? Where are they? Do they plan to use Decade's power to destroy the Main World Riders? No one knows, but we do that somewhere in the Main Rider World, they are out there: waiting, watching, biding their time until they can finally act out the very plan that Narutaki says is Tsukasa's destiny: Destroy all Kamen Riders.
But, hey! That's JUST a theory. A Toku Theory! Thanks for reading!