Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle Summary

Staff of the Tokusatsu Network recently attended a press screening for Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle. Here for you now is a summary of plot details from the upcoming film. 

While it goes without saying that this summary contains spoilers for the story of the film and the conclusion of Kamen Rider Gaim, please be aware this summary is based off a press screening. There were no trailers and sometimes credits and inclusion of post credits scenes may differ from the final publicly released version.

Kamen Rider Gaim: Charge into the Last Stage

Kota Kazuraba and Mai Takatsukasa have succeeded in transferring the Helheim Forest onto another planet in which life thrives in peace. This peace is interrupted by the arrival of a space ship and Megahex, a mechanical lifeform intent on assimilating all life in the universe and become the sole supreme being. After succeeding in assimilating Mai and subduing Kota in combat, Megahex scans his memory, gaining knowledge of the Armored Riders, sparking its interest and making Earth its next target. Kota chases him into an interdimensional portal that connects to Earth.

Meanwhile, Zawame is steadily recovering from the invasion of Helheim. Takatora Kureshima is heading reconstruction operations, while his younger brother Mitsuzane is continuing his education to follow in his steps, as well as slowly rekindling his friendship with the former Beat Riders. At Drupers, Bando is trying to unsuccessfully impress Oren with a new fruit desert, while Zack and Jonouchi are enjoying a snack.

A portal opens in the sky revealing Kamen Rider Gaim Kiwami Arms trying to stop Megahex from crossing over. After an unbalanced battle on the ground of Zawame City, Takatora, Mitsuzane, as well as Oren, Jonouchi, Zack and Bando are witnesses of Kota’s defeat as he loses the Kiwami Lock Seed. He reverts back to his human state before being engulfed in a massive explosion in the sky. They barely have any time to grieve before Megahex begins his the assimilation process. Mitsuzane, the only one left with a working Sengoku Driver and Lock Seed, transforms in to Kamen Rider Ryugen. With the information he obtained from Kota, Megahex is able to produce two Kurokage Trooper clones. Ryugen manages to defeat them, revealing them to be mechanical clones. However, the real threat comes in the shape of Mecha Ryoma Sengoku, who,  with the power of a reconstituted Genesis Driver and newly-obtained Dragonfruit Energy Lockseed, is able to transform into Kamen Rider Duke Dragon Energy Arms. The mecha-rider’s power is too much for Ryugen, who barely escapes, taking along one of the remade Sengoku Drivers from one of the clone’s remains.

Gathered at the old Team Gaim garage to tend to Mitsuzane’s injuries, the group assesses the dire situation. With only Mitsuzane able to transform, there seems to be no hope. The unconscious Mitsuzane is visited by Mai, who uses the power left in her to provide the team with a single Helheim fruit that Takatora is able to turn into a new Melon Lockseed. Along the Sengoku Driver Mitsuzane recovered, Takatora is able to transform again. Aware that this is the most they will get, the brothers decide to confront Ryoma and try to save Mai before everything is lost. The three meet on a bridge to transform and begin to fight.

Telling Mitsuzane to go ahead and look for Mai inside Megahex’s ship, Takatora is resolute in settling the score with Ryoma once and for all. While battling, Ryoma explains that Megahex is the collective consciousness of a planet once decimated by the Helheim invasion, whose solution to the problem was becoming one single machine. Being assimilated, Ryoma boasts, has made him one with Megahex thus fulfilling his lifelong ambition of becoming a superior being. Mitsuzane rushes to the space ship and is confronted with mechanical clones of Roidmudes. In spite of not knowing what they are, he fights his way through and into the landed spaceship.

Back with Ryoma, Takatora exclaims that his former friend’s ambition was just an empty desire, and that now by siding with Megahex, Ryoma himself has become just as empty and weak. Mustering all his strength, Takatora is able to defeat Ryoma. He acknowledges that Takatora was the stronger one and crumbles into a pile of mechanical debris. Meanwhile, Mitsuzane is able to break into the base and rescue Mai from the pod that she was being held captive in.

Megahex, now more dangerous having assimilated the Kiwami Lock Seed, decides that Takatora is not worth the trouble assimilating and needs to be destroyed. Kamen Rider Zangetsu cannot keep up with Megahex’s power but Mitsuzane, now with Mai, provides his brother with a Melon Energy Lockseed. Takatora uses it along with the Genesis Driver Ryoma left behind to partially transform into Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin and catch Megahex’s attack before the armour deploys on top of him. Ryugen and Zangetsu Shin can barely match the power of Megahex; Takatora grabs hold of Megahex and orders his brother to shoot. He is hesitant at first, flashbacking back to how the last time he struck his brother put him a coma. Takatora tells Mitsuzane to trust him and he fires, but Megahex easily escapes from his grasp and dodges it, resulting in Takatora losing his transformed state. But then Takatora reveals he’s stolen back the Kiwami Lock Seed.

Enraged, Megahex charges up an attack. Takatora, Mitsuzane and Mai clutch together and put their hands on the Lock Seed. Suddenly, a giant orange-shaped shield appears and blocks the attack. Kota, who had backed himself up in the Lock Seed, reappears and reassumes his god like form. Standing together with his friends, they all transform and launch an attack on the weakened Megahex. They finish with a triple Rider Kick that destroys him.

To their horror, a new Megahex is instantly formed, revealing that what they defeated was merely an avatar and  the core of the mechanical life form is the planet that it came from itself. As long as the planet remains, Megahex can and does produce an infinite amount of avatars, which it now intends to send across the planet to complete the assimilation process.

Kamen Rider Drive: The Challenge from Lupin

The police receive a challenge letter from the thief “Ultimate Lupin“. A full police operation takes place at the museum and Ultimate Lupin arrives at the scene to make yet another robbery. A Slowdown event reveals that he is a Roidmude and Shinnosuke proceeds to transform into Kamen Rider Drive.

Shinnosuke asks Mr. Belt why he was chosen to be Kamen Rider Drive, to which the belt responds that it was not a coincidence and that he has a very big reason for choosing him. Amidst the fight, Lupin is identified as Zoruku Tojo, a famous thief who was active decades ago and now should be a very old man.

Shinnosuke’s investigation leads to a castle in which Lupin was said to hide. When investigating inside, he finds a coffin. Expecting to find Tojo inside, Shinnosuke finds Cyberoid ZZZ a mechanical Roidmude body. Mr. Belt then reveals that back when he was Krim Steinbert, he created Cyberoid ZZZ in order to transcend his human form and prevent the Roidmude threat. However, a very strong will is necessary to control the mechanical vessel and Seinbert, not feeling confident, decided to freeze Cyberoid and instead transfer his consciousness to the Drive Driver. Tojo, who was at the end of his days, stumbled upon the Cyberoid in hibernation and saw it as the golden opportunity not only to be immortal, but to build a name for himself as the hero who would rid the world of the Roidmudes.

Meanwhile, the Roidmude executives discuss the situation. Chase, infuriated at the fact that a human is making use of Roidmude technology for his own gain, goes to the castle to eliminate Lupin.

Chaser appears with two Roidmudes with the intent of destroying Lupin. Lupin reveals that he was not content with just this new power, he also was able to steal the information about both Chase’s Machine Gunner and the Viral Cores to create his own Lupin Gunner and transform into the powerful Kamen Rider Lupin.

A confrontation with Lupin and Chaser ensues resulting in Machine Chaser being easily blown away. Shinnosuke hesitantly transforms and charges for Lupin. Weary from being easily beaten, Lupin fires off the finishing blow. Mr. Belt breaks off and leaps in the way of Lupin’s attack to save Shinnosuke, leaving the belt heavily damaged and unable to reboot. Lupin declares himself the winner and claims the title of Kamen Rider for himself.

Back at the Drive Pit, Shinnosuke is devastated that he may have lost his partner forever, and seems unable to pick himself up even after warm words of encouragement from Kiriko and Rinna. The Shift Cars show Shinnosuke footage of his time as Drive, which reminds him that not only is he first and foremost a police officer, but that Mr. Belt had believed in him when nobody else would. With his confidence back, Shinnosuke starts his engine and vows to catch Lupin.

After Shinnosuke leaves, a mysterious figure visits the Drive Pit, revealing himself to be a new, white Rider (Kamen Rider Mach) who asks an inactive Mr. Belt if he has given up already.

With his newfound motivation, Shinnosuke summons the entire Special Cases Unit to the old castle telling them he has cornered Lupin revealing that the thief has been posing as a member of the Unit. The culprit is Kiriko, who, in Shinnosuke’s words: “would never give me an encouraging smile like that“. With his cover blown, Lupin reveals himself once more and flees, telling Shinnosuke he has forgotten one important factor: “So, where is the real Kiriko?”

Shinnosuke is now in a dilemma: should he go and save Kiriko, who is now held captive and hanging by a spider web from a skyscraper, or catch the escaping Lupin, now in a hot air balloon. While Lupin gloats about the impossibility to make the choice, Shinnosuke, without hesitance, goes after him. He tells Lupin that he is first and foremost a police officer, and that he will do both. An angered Lupin knocks Shinnosuke off the balloon. While free-falling, Shinnosuke pleads to the Mr Belt to wake up in an increasing desperate voice. Just as he is about to hit the ground, Mr. Belt reboots and enables Shinnosuke to transform into Drive. Mr. Belt changes his catchphrase, now proudly voicing :”Start Our Engine!” He reveals the reason why he chose Shinnosuke: Because just as Mr. Belt was able to reach out for Shinnosuke and give him motivation, Shinnosuke has helped Mr. Belt recover the drive he had lost in the past. With their bonds renewed, Drive and Mr. Belt confront Lupin with the help of Tridoron. He uses Type Technic for the first time and is later aided by Machine Chaser.

After Lupin is defeated, his viral core leaves Cyberoid ZZZ. One of the invading avatars of Megahex suddenly assimilates it, becoming Megahex ZZZ.

Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie Taisen

Back with Gaim, Ryugen and Shin Zangetsu, Drive appears on the scene and he introduces himself. Gaim states that he is a “God“, which Drive spends the rest of the movie referring to him as.

Megahex ZZZ, seeing their combined forces, summons none other than Kaito Kumon, Kamen Rider Baron. Kaito tells Kota he never changes, and then proceeds to transform in Baron. But instead of attacking our heroes, he attacks Megahex ZZZ, telling him that he’d never surrender to the control of anyone. Megahex ZZZ summons a great amount of minions, and the Roidmude executives, Heart, Brain and Machine Chaser, join the fight on the Rider’s side, not wanting Megahex ZZZ to take advantage of the Roidmude technology.

Gaim Kiwami Arms and Drive Type Speed engage Megahex ZZZ but even their combined forces fail to overpower it. Mr. Belt deduces it must be a compatibility problem and Mai produces a Shift Car (Shift Fruit) and a Lock Seed (Drive Lock Seed) to balance out their powers. This change gives them the advantage, and they succeed in cornering Megahex ZZZ who flees into the portal and back to his planet. Shift Fruit allows Tridoron to become a space ship, and both Drive and Gaim (back to Type Speed and Orange Arms respectively) get into Tridoron. Baron clears the way of enemies so they can give chase.

Megahex’s planet is full of turret defenses that relentlessly attack Tridoron and on top of that, Megahex ZZZ transforms into a dragon-like creature, intent on destroying them. After a lengthy battle, Tridoron, with the combined forces of Gaim and Drive, is able to destroy Megahex’s core effectively neutralizing all his avatars and minions. Along these, Kamen Rider Baron silently staggers to his knees…

Just as Machine Chaser is leaving the battle, we see the mysterious white rider for a second time, getting on his motorcycle and leaving the scene.

With the threat eliminated, Kota and Mai visit the tree where Yggdrassil used to stand. Mai asks if he’s really leaving without saying goodbye again. Kota says it is for the best, but just then Takatora, Mitsuzane, Zack, Oren and Jonouchi appear. “You didn’t think we would let you go this time, did you?“, “We’re friends, remember?“. Kota, deeply touched, reverts to his normal self one last time to say farewel.

Back in the Drive Pit, Lupin’s core, now a ghostly presence and no longer a threat, tells Shinnosuke that they are eternal rivals, to the amusement of everyone. Lupin still can’t believe that Shinnosuke deduced his identity, to which Shinnosuke replies that if he really knew Kiriko, he’d know she’s uncapable of any kind of spontaneous warmth. Kiriko, who had been listening, lashes out at Shinnosuke.

The credits showcased the designs of the creatures and Riders, including the new Kamen Rider Mach. There was no post-credit sequence.

Image source: Toei.co.jp and two