Fuzors, Summaries: Episode 26 - Blue Skies Over Planet Zi
Screenshot Gallery - My ThoughtsWe rejoin the action without agonizingly long flashbacks of the previous episode...in fact, there appears to be brief timeskip involved. Seismosaurus still towers over its surroundings, much of which are on fire, as Alpha mocks RD and Blake. Let the games begin, he yells, and the Chimera Bloxen advance. When RD and Blake still refuse to surrender, he opens fire, and how, all the Seismo's turrets focusing into another broadside from hell. Just as hope seems lost, the Seismo is distracted by incoming cannon blasts: it's Mach Storm! Or rather, Amy, Sigma, and Helmut. Alpha's guns turn their way...
...over to the rest of the team, who are sending out repaired Zoids (battle and PKB alike), including a swarm of Gorhecks. They're exhausted, but Sandra gives them some hope, calling them over to the computer to watch what's going on on the streets. The citizens are as riled up as the pilots, carrying signs like Say No To Tyrant Mayors and chanting that "this jerk Alpha's got to go!" It's not the most inspired protest, but it's angry, and in the face of Marvis and a swarm of Chimerablox, it's braver than it might appear. Just as he's about to hose down the streets (with gatling fire!?), Laser and Scissorstorms start going squish...it's Gummie and the Gojulas Giga, a swarm of cannonfodder Hecks and Aro Saurers behind them. The Giga bitchtailsaps Marvis' Steelarmor off its feet once he's done mushing itself some Storms, and he follows it up with a good kicking around and a lecture about Zoids being more than mindless machines. Marvis, realizing he's heavily outnumbered, flees—but where to?—as citizens cheer.
Off in Seismoland, more one-shot and minor characters rise to the occasion. There's flashes of light as the Gravity Zoids teleport their way in, tearing through gun turrets in a blinding fashion. The Saurer pauses to give the camera the finger (really), and Doug and his Doomed!Helcat get blasting alongside the Gravity crew. Alpha rants about insects and "wait until I unleash my Ultimate Seismos!", Rastani leads in a whole swarm of pro Zi-fighters (looks like his fame still sways people, this time for good reasons!), and even Tracy of the thousand names shows up, having taken her news show to the air. She's in a helicopter with a flunky, determined Blue City see what's going down. RD's surprised at all the support, and seems actually humbled.
There's no time for reflection, though, as battle is joined via ferocious spam from both sides. The Seismo lays down gatling death, Rastani's Blade Liger going down as it rips off a turret and cannonfodder Zoids dropping too. Helmut, ever level-headed, tells people to aim for the Fuzors' weak spot: the joints. Everyone shoots, and how, Blake calling on the Dispelow from Hammerspace with "Fuzors combine, GUY RICKY ATTACK!". (Well, at least Brian Drummond can say something so ridiculous with enthusiasm.) Alpha flails as the combination splits apart, the Zero Falcon taking the opportunity to slice open the split-off oversized Chimeras, but he's not flailing for long.
In fact, he's laughing, even as Marvis shows up and tells him they've lost control of the city. Why? Brainwashed!Luke offers a hint when he mentions the armor plating is engaged and ready, merchandising gives a clearer one. The Ultimate Seismo is sold with Steelarmor. Helmut's shocked to see Marvis, Gummie shoots at him (with the Giga's tongue!)...but it's all too late. Things Seismo and Steelarmor start to glow green, and the watching Zoids back away...Fuzors combine, BERSERK SEISMOS.
RD sums it up as we cut for imagined commercial break: "We're in big trouble!"
Alpha starts to go on about how indestructible and awesome he now is, and Helmut cuts him off, shooting for the back again. Everybody rallies behind him, blasting away, but it's not working this time. And for all the little turrets and gatlings Our Heroes have just removed, the Seismo has a nice new weapon...a giantified version of the Steelarmor's back cannon, as operated by our sadistic friend, Marvis.
"Now it's time to get busy..." Alpha laughs, and the sword rail cannon opens fire, tearing through Zoids and slicing burning trails through the city's concrete. The Seismos follows through with its tail, smashing aside any of the secondary character Zoids left like rag dolls. We're down to RD and Blake, who keep shooting...at least until Alpha gets taunting, smacking the Zero Falcon out of the sky with railcannon's barrel(!).
"So, I see you don't understand the concept of pain, do you, RD? Get this through your tiny brain, you can't beat me. Isn't that right, Luke?" RD is unfazed, but Blake flips out, smacking a hand angrily into his screen and yelling at Alpha as Brainwashed!Luke agrees.
"Sorry Blake, but your dear little friend can't hear you."
"You! What have you done to Luke!?"
"Easy now. I showed him a world that he could only dream about when he was with you, a perfect world where everything is under my control."
...don't look at me, I'm just transcribing the lines. Zoids and humans are both puppets, Alpha continues, and he's the one in control of their strings. The great Alpha Richter, master of all planet Zi! RD will have none of this manipulating people and Zoids/rule the world bullshit, being RD, and he and Blake rush the Seismo.
"As you wish..." Alpha begins, but he's no Wesley. "But don't think I didn't warn you. Prepare the Zenebas Seismos Cannon!"
Glowy things happen, and how, as a supersized version of the nastiest particle cannon ever to grace Planet Zi powers up. In modelverse, this is a weapon that could one-shot kill Gojulas Gigas from obscene range, one entire other Zoids were designed to combat...weirdly enough, including the Gairyuuki. No such luck for Blake here. The beam fires, RD and Blake dodging the worst but getting caught in the edges. The Seismo turns its head to rectify its aim, and Our Heroes find their shields rapidly failing. RD just aaaghs, Blake screams Luke's name. Repeatedly. And it's what saves them: with a squeak and "Blake...is that you?", Luke snaps out of whatever Alpha put him under, taking his finger off the trigger.
Blake tells RD to get moving, this is their chance. RD hardly needs the suggestion: he's already charging in as Hien and Gekkou separate, the former flying behind the Zero. RD makes a nice distraction, the Seismo headbutting him aside and Gekkou covering its master sacrificiallike from the Sword Rail Cannon, which soon overloads the poor little crab. Both it and Gairyuuki go down, and Alpha gloats...but where's Hien?
Hien, taking advantage of the distraction, is rescuing Luke. By ramming the gunning station, somehow grabbing Luke despite having no feet or mouth, and carrying him to safety through the explosion it itself caused. By the time RD realizes he's now alone on the field, Hien is already back by the Ricky's side, Luke sheltered under one wing.
RD isn't giving up, terrible odds or no...and the other Zi-Fighters urge their Zoids to their feet, willing them to even stand as Alpha beats up on the Zero, shattering its shield with another tailswat and slamming RD to the ground. Alpha cackles further about his city-and-planet takeover plans and suggests RD surrender, but the Zero gets back to its feet... "Come on, Zero, let's really make him laugh!" Stomp, glowy eyes, roar. Alpha has just signed his doomZoid's death warrant.
"Your bark's bigger than your bite, so you don't scare me. I stand for freedom, and you stand for greed! That means you can't win, because good always triumphs over evil! This is it, Alpha," RD finishes, temporarily Genre Savvy. "You're going down."
The Zero's eyes light up again, and this time so do all the other Zoids'. They roar with the Zero...and glow with it, if'n you're watching the Japanese version. The Zero Falcon goes crazy-nuts-glowy, and its roar merges with the Fire Phoenix's screech as a birdytastic aura forms around it. RD's Zoid is responding to his determination, Helmut says, stating the obvious, and Matt calls it the legendary Zoid...RD's finally found it, in a way.
"RD, take him!" Blake yells, determined to get in one more line that sounds terrible out of context. Everybody else joins in with similar sentiment, and the Zero Falcon rushes the Seismo, shots glancing off its Power Of Determination glow. Even the Zenebas Cannon can't stop it, and the Zero whips out the drill-lances and drags them along the length of the Seismo's neck. Explosions aplenty follow, consoles exploding around Alpha as he screams.
"That's...impossible. You destroyed...my Seismosaurus. YOU RUINED MY PLAAAN—AAAAAGH!"
Flying on past the blast, the Zero Falcon turns to hover-stand in mid-air, screech-roaring victory to the skies. (This is the shot the Japanese version uses for the Alpha Zoid, if'n you're counting.) The news helicopter rushes in to the Zoid's wreck, and we cut away from fire and smoke to...
...Luke? Well, okay then. He's half-conscious, no doubt confused as to how in holy hell Hien saved him, and whimpering that this is all his fault. For goodness' sake, somebody hug him—no, wait. Blake is hugging him. Never mind. Alpha, meanwhile, is doing some whimpering of his own as he crawls out of the Seismo's wreckage, and somehow I doubt Gummie and the PKB are inclined to give him any hugs.
Coming down off the adrenaline rush, a tired RD has landed the Zero, and Sweet and Matt are there to greet him. Matt proclaims it the sweetest thing he's ever seen, just like watching the legendary Zoid! RD looks confused a moment. "What do you mean...Liger? Are you saying...?" The Zero murrs. "All I did was stay focused on what I had to do." He and Sweet aren't too fussed about the hows and whys of the determination = glowy business, they're just glad it happened. His dad always said he'd find the legendary Zoid, RD muses, and all this time it was right here in front of him. He can hardly wait to get back in it...
Timeskip, epilogue ahoy!
RD bounces around the Mach Storm base, readying to take the Zero for another test run. Hop scolds he's going to wear the Zoid out, but RD's too bouncy to worry, and Sigma and Matt follow him out. Sweet wonders when RD's going to grow up, and Sandra leans over from the couch to tease Helmut.
"I seem to remember you used to be like that once."
Helmut looks vaguely uncomfortable, in a great, now somebody who knows all my embarrassing old stories is on the team sort of way. "I don't think I was ever quite like that."
"Interesting," Sweet says. "You mean you were just as crazy as RD when you were a kid, Helmut?"
"I refuse...to answer that question," Helmut says, and skitters away to join the guys. Sandra and Sweet giggle as he goes.
Out in the hangar, the Zero, Command Wolf, and Leostriker prance into action. "Okay, Zero, show me what you've got!" RD urges, and the Liger does just that, bounding happily away into the morning light with its buddies in tow.
My Thoughts
So, the end!
There's some dangling character threads, but a lot are of the "make up you own future adventures!" sort. The English version even hints at there being future adventures, though the Japanese version doesn't, no doubt because the series was obviously not a success by then. Speaking of which, while I love Japanese!Alpha's ZENEBAS CANNON, FIRE moment to bits, I've grown to prefer this episode in English. Blake, in particular, outshines his Japanese counterpart, especially in the stop-shooting-me-Luke-aaagh bit.
The whole city coming together is quite nice to see...even the non-pilots have a bit of a role. So RD strikes the finishing blow, he's a shounen hero. Without everyone else, he wouldn't have had the chance, much like when he saved the Whale King in Episode 17. One other complaint I saw was that Alpha survived his überZoid explosion. I'd argue for a dramatic manipulative man like him, going down with the ship would probably have made him happier than the undignified fate of not only surviving, but ending up at the PKB's feet begging for mercy. It's more satisfying, the idea that a villain will have to answer for his villainy beyond "and we exploded him good". (Funny thing, /Zero did that same thing with its bad guys, and I like /Zero's ending too!)
And finally, someone in Zoids picks up on "give that poor bastard a hug already!" vibes...and it's Blake. Slash jokes aside, that's awesome in a warm fuzzies sort of way. And sheesh, RD, when your brooding "I have a total of three moods" rival is more perceptive than you, you are one oblivious dude. I bet Sweet would like a hug too. The best part, though, is seeing RD and buddies head out at the end, Command Wolf alive and everyone friends again. Aww.
Previously: Showdown
Back to episode listings
