>ACCESS CODE: ‘You Are Not Alone’
This is it, folks. The final #SSSS_GRIDMAN Reference Recap Thread, covering the grand finale of the series, “Awakening”. Which was also the title of Episode 1 of SSSS.
There’s a lot to unpack, from the climax of Akane’s arc to THAT MOMENT to some of the aftermath released with the final series Blu-Rays in Japan! Basically, get ready for a lot of reading.
This is the last warning. If you haven’t seen Ep 12, TURN BACK.
AFTER 11 EPISODES of failures, Alexis gets desperate and turns Akane into a kaiju — Zegga. And it is absolutely terrifying, from its massive shape to its roar literally being Akane’s distorted voice screaming. This is the “Final Kaiju” — an Ultra Series staple that takes the form of the toughest foe of the series.
Zegga’s design is the brainchild of Mahiro Maeda. One of the most prolific designers working today, Maeda is best known to tokusatsu fans for creature design work on GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION, GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRYS, and SHIN GODZILLA. Additionally, he’s worked on ULTRAMAN POWERED, THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and two shorts for JAPAN ANIMATOR EXPO.
(He also provided concept design work for a little-known movie called MAD MAX: FURY ROAD.)
Zegga’s design harkens back to a lot of Maeda’s tokusatsu creature design, with shades of the third evolution of Gamera, as well as the nightmare that is Queen Legion. The Gamera connection is actually homaged in Episode 12 by way of Anti’s glowing hand grabbing Akane. This is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it throwback to GAMERA 3.
Zegga also brings to mind the Final Kaiju of ULTRAMAN TIGA, Gatanthor. According to the SSSS.GRIDMAN Uchusen Special, the kaiju of the series were designed as if they were to be worn by actual people. In that sense, Zegga would more than likely have the same build as Gatanothor (i.e large, barely moving suit with string puppetry tentacles). In the design notes, this was deliberate on Maeda’s part, additionally pulling inspiration from the RETURN OF ULTRAMAN kaiju, Takkong.
It deserves noting that prior to Episode 12, Zegga has been in SSSS.GRIDMAN for quite some time.
When you look back at the opening credits of SSSS.GRIDMAN, you realize that Zegga has been teased since Episode 2. Because it is literally the third-to-last shot of the opening credits…
Along with this, Akane turning into a kaiju has was foreshadowed in Episode 9. Remember when Akane was namedropping kaiju to Sho? Three of them have unique jump cuts when mentioned: Chaos Jirak, Gobu Ogna, and Gomora.
All three kaiju mentions play into SSSS’ trademark “foreshadow meta”.
Gomora is a reference to Episode 10 of SSSS, alluding to Anti’s heel-face turn as Grid Knight. The other one that stuck out, Chaos Jirak, alludes to ULTRAMAN COSMOS, Episode 16, where a depressed girl named Akane channels a kaiju into existence and becomes absorbed into it….
At the time, the reference to Jirak seemed like just a fun little nod to SSSS’ writer, Keiichi Hasegawa, who also worked on that episode of Cosmos. Little did we know the staff was basically setting up the endgame!
There’s another interesting aspect of Zegga in how it is essentially the manifestation of her depression. It’s designed to keep people away and keep her from redemption. This is where the second kaiju name-dropped by Akane, Gobnu Ogna, comes in.
Appearing in Episode 20 of ULTRAMAN TIGA, “GUTS Into Space (Part 2”), Gobnu Ogna is the amalgamation of a system that becomes active whenever a civilization discovers light energy control. (They label it as forbidden power. They arrive just as Earth starts experimenting w/ the Maxima Overdrive, a special matter/anti-matter colliding engine that generates light energy as a propellant. The irony? During the battle with Gobnu Ogna, the GUTS team figures out a way to channel the energy into the main gun of their new ship, the Artdessei. In trying to stop mankind from using light energy, they made them stronger than ever.
So in other words, Gobnu Ogna and its smaller units, the Gobnu robots, prevents progression. Much like Kaiju!Akane whose interior makes damn sure Akane never moves past the sadness.
Foreshadow. META.
Quick aside: this plot element shows up in SUPERHUMAN SAMURAI SYBER SQUAD, Episode 8. It’s the end result of Kilokhan wanting the human experience, and needing to put Malcolm…somewhere. And it’s just as terrifying.
Episode 12 also carried with it a reveal…that was lost in translation. When Rikka tries to berate Alexis, he calls her “a replica”. If you listen to the actual dialogue, however, Alexis isn’t calling her a replica.
He calls her a Repli-Compoid.
To understand why this is huge, we have to go back to Episode 6 of GRIDMAN: THE HYPER AGENT, “Melody of Terror” — already referenced in SSSS. During the final battle, a sound spirit, Unison, appears and begs Gridman to not destroy the original Anosillus.
Her classification in reference guides and the Japanese wiki entry for the series list her as a “Compoid” — a humanoid being from the Computer World. Unison would be the only Compoid to ever make an appearance. But with the reveal that Tsutsujidai (the setting of SSSS) is in the Computer World, it would stand to reason that the majority of the cast and citizens are also Compoids and/or Repli-Compoids!
Up until now, I haven’t really minded the occasional miss or liberty taken with the Funimation subs for the series. But with the miss of the Compoid reveal, it it bypasses what is essentially a BIG lore and story moment. That being said, PLEASE DO NOT take this opportunity to spam or insult anyone at Funimation about this miss. Stuff happens.
The reveal also may/may not play into a long-game joke….
>Compoid Three sings “Futatsu no Yuki”, a GRIDMAN: THE HYPER AGENT insert song
>the song is being sung at the karaoke club in Episode 4
>in a room w/ three people
>who are ALL COMPOIDS
>THEY ARE THE LITERAL COMPOID THREE.
One final note about Zegga that I did not catch until the release of the Uchusen special: The rolling husk of Zegga’s body during the Fixer Beam restoration. It seems random at first until you learn that it was a straight-up nod to Dancan, the main kaiju of ULTRASEVEN Episode 34, “The Vanishing City”. Which was referenced by Utsumi in Episode 8 of SSSS.GRIDMAN. Talk about a rolling brick joke.
Okay, I know, that’s great — you want me to talk the big surprise of this episode. Well here we go:
The last great reveal of SSSS.GRIDMAN was the one fans were praying for: the arrival of the ORIGINAL GRIDMAN! Not only does this utilize modified cuts from “boys invent great hero”, but it homages Gridman’s first appearance in Episode 1 (the growth scene with the strobes going off) and one of the most iconic promo photos of the series.
In addition, with his memories returned, Yuta is granted the original Acceptor! Known as the Wrist-Communicator in SUPERHUMAN SAMURAI SYBER-SQUAD, this was the original transformation device for Naoto that allowed him to combine with Gridman.
There’s another little touch in this scene worth noting: The shining effect that flashes along the floor and throughout Junk. This also appears in the scene where Takeshi Todo is given an Acceptor in “boys invent great hero”. Both of these moments are callbacks to the first seconds of GRIDMAN: THE HYPER AGENT’s opening title slate! The dead giveaway is the same surging sound effect from the slate being heard. This also signifies that the true show is about to begin.
The activation of Gridman also reveals the true meaning of the show’s title: SSSS — The Special Signature to Save a Soul. In other words, the Access Code! If you look at the bottom left of the stat screen, you can see the Gridman rendering used in GRIDMAN: THE HYPER AGENT’s series bible.
Gridman utilizes most of his old arsenal in the battle with Alexis. Most notably, an update of the Superconductive Kick. This attack was actually utilized in the first battle with Khan Digifer in Episode 38 of HYPER AGENT, “Earth in Danger!”.
Speaking of callbacks, Alexis Kerib uses swords that are reminiscent of Karn Digifer’s sword in his giant form. Gridman even does the same sword catch to stop it the same way he did in the HYPER AGENT finale.
(Also, the swords also kind of look like Scissor Blades from KILL LA KILL? I’ll come back to this in a moment.)
The climax of SSSS Episode 12 also sees Gridman utilize the one original series weapon he had yet to use until now: the Fixer Beam. And for those who haven’t seen the original, this activation seemed like an “asspull” of a deus ex. However, this weapon is actually another of Gridman’s signature attacks!
In the original series, Gridman’s function as a Hyper Agent was the protection of the Computer World. However, this wasn’t simply just centered on kaiju attacks, Gridman also had the ability to repair any damaged sectors. At the conclusion of every battle, Gridman always used the Fixer Beam to restore and reactivate whatever device or system that sector of the Computer World was responsible for.
But that said, the Fixer Beam deployed in SSSS is, obviously, the most intense usage of the ability to date. But then what do you expect? It was a “Trigger Finish”.
EPISODE 12’s HOMESTRETCH gives the audience several callbacks to Episode 39 of GRIDMAN THE HYPER AGENT, “Farewell, Gridman”. But before we break down the major emotional beats, I want to discuss the parallels. Between the SSSS finale, as well as HYPER AGENT’s “Farewell, Gridman”, and even Episode 38 of SYBER-SQUAD which utilizes elements from both “Farewell” and “Earth in Danger!”.
a.) Akane Shinjo is a high-school girl who lives in a world she’s created. She’s popular with everyone. Boys want to be with her, girls want to be her best friend — They’re all Compoids and/or Repli-Compoids programmed to like her. In the first episode, we see her looking over her creations at Tsutsujidai High. And she’s lonely.
Akane can’t control the irregular elements. It’s not perfect. And the imperfections remind her of how fake the world is. And this angers her.
Alexis Kerib, who gives her this impossible world, to begin with, takes advantage of her frustrations by giving her a negative outlet true to her heart: destroying it all with kaiju. Her initial lack of remorse is because she detaches herself from the world. Because anyone who dies deserves to die for ruining her perfect world. They aren’t real anyway, right?
But as we find out, the intervention of the Gridman Alliance forces her to face her guilt and slowly takes its toll. By the finale, she is at breaking point.
b.) Takeshi Todo is a junior high student who has groomed to become a super elite. His parents aren’t around, he’s awkward with people. The closest thing to a friend was a housemaid who his parents fired. (This flashback is homaged via the paper airplane in “boys invent great hero”)
Karn Digifer takes advantage of Takeshi’s frustrations & gives him a negative outlet that desensitizes him to the destruction he’s causing. He looks past the verbal abuse he constantly receives because he finally has someone who he thinks recognizes his worth.
At the core, Takeshi’s petty “revenge” is him lashing out at the people of Sakuragaoka with whom he struggles to communicate. When he is betrayed by Khan Digifer, the weight of the reality he ignored breaks Takeshi’s heart.
c.) Malcolm Frink. A misunderstood prodigy who thinks he’s better than everyone. In truth, he is jealous of Sam Collins and his friends. He doesn’t know how to be a friend. And his awkwardness in trying to make himself look more mature makes him a laughing stock.
I honestly can’t help but think back to the backstory Paul Schrier and Jason Narvy gave Bulk and Skull in MIGHTY MORPHIN’ POWER RANGERS to flesh out their characters. Short version: The two of them were constantly bullied, so they teamed up and became bullies to make sure no one ever hurt them again.
Anyway, Kilokhan takes advantage of Malcolm’s ego and teenage angst. He gives him a negative outlet for both his artwork and frustrations via the creation of Mega-Virus Monsters. All the while, Malcolm thinks he finally has a friend on the same “level” like him and would do anything to maintain the relationship. Which is why when Kilokhan betrays him, he’s utterly shattered.
When Kilokhan then announces he intends to SLOWLY MURDER HIM, Malcolm even begs to try and win him back. And it costs Sam his life.
All three are misunderstood, depressed, alone, and manipulated.
And they all fight back.
Takeshi creates the program that destroys Karn Digifer. Malcolm bravely jumpstarts Servo & triggers a power surge to take out Kilokhan’s raw data. Akane realizes what she needs to do and destroys Alexis from the inside out.
Across three separate shows, the ultimate lesson to all of them is the same. “You are not alone.” It’s the message that’s emblazoned on the back of every SSSS.GRIDMAN shirt and hat: “You are not alone. One Day (meant to be Whenever). Forever.” Hell, it’s a line in “Yume no Hero”.
(…unfortunately the lesson doesn’t stick for Malcolm in SYBER-SQUAD because post-power surge, everyone loses their memories.)
Quick aside: The cutaway close-ups in the scene where Akane escapes Alexis are, like last week, homaging ULTRASEVEN, Episode 49. In my eyes, it has the same significance, signifying Akane’s impending departure as she’s positioned on the left side of the frame. That’s the side where Dan was during the iconic scene. This was also set up to an extent in the opening credits.
THE FAREWELL SCENE IN Episode 12 takes place in Gridman’s Computer World “base” located inside Junk. Up till now, only Gridman has ever dwelled here to contact Naoto, Ippei, and Yuka.
The cube that Gridman sealed Alexis Kerib into is one hell of a deep cut to the “Farewell, Gridman”. It’s actually the first form of the destruction program made by Takeshi in the climax. You only see it for a second before it compacts into the orb that becomes the Hyper Grid Beam. (It somewhat appears in SYBER-SQUAD, Episode 38, being the representation of the computer reboot’s power surge.
Also calling back to the HYPER AGENT finale, Gridman tells the team in what ways they helped him, and his hopes for their futures. The original version is a bit of a tear-jerker. For me especially because it signifies Takeshi’s road to redemption. (Which we get to see play out in “boys invent great hero”. In SSSS, the New Century Junior High Students do this for Sho and Rikka, telling them how they helped the mission. In Sho’s case, Borr takes one jab at him.
Gridman’s mention of how he “once again” learned about the strength of friendship reinforces the fact that SSSS does take place some point after the conclusion of HYPER AGENT. The reveal came in the 6th episode of the Voice Dramas:
The final glimmer of our heroes in SSSS is even is lifted from the last shot of Episode 39, book-ending the first episode with Gridman’s descent into Tsutsujidai.
In the credits, there’s an instrumental version of the song, “Believe”. It’s been a recurring song in SSSS, along with the other school choral tracks. For some background “Believe” was used as the theme to the NHK series, “生きもの地球紀行” (Earth Creature Trip).
I didn’t catch this during the broadcast but a translation of the lyrics for “Believe” reveal its significance to the overall message of the series:
たとえば君が 傷ついて
If by chance you are ever hurt,くじけそうに なった時は
If there comes a time you’re close to losing heart,かならず僕が そばにいて
I will always stand by you, right there by your sideささえてあげるよ その肩を
whenever you need me there to hold your shoulders tight.世界中の 希望のせて
With all the hopes of the worldこの地球は まわってる
This Earth spins ‘round.いま未来の 扉を開けるとき
Now, when the door to the future opens,悲しみや 苦しみが
All the sadness and suffering,いつの日か 喜びに変わるだろう
Someday it will turn into joyI believe in future 信じてる
I believe in the future, I believe.
The kicker to this? If you listen very closely during the first appearance of Akane in Episode 1 of SSSS, you can very faintly hear “Believe” playing in the background. The song’s volume across appearance makes sense from a story standpoint: By the beginning of the series, we have yet to learn the true message of the show. By the finale, the song is at full blast because, like Akane, we finally get the message. We’re not alone, and the future’s gonna be okay.
Finally, we arrive at the last scene of the episode.
This is Akane waking up in the real world. The evidence is the pass case and the cracked cellphone that are on her desk. While some initially thought she had gained longer hair because of some bizarre Hyper World magic, it’s later confirmed via Voice Drama 9.99999999 that Akane’s true face is actually Rikka’s.
Short version: To distance herself from…herself, Akane made an idealized version of herself and made her live in a junk shop, with all the other things no one else wanted. She then based her digital self on someone else…who is the focus during her appearance in Voice Drama 12. According to Utsumi’s rambling theory…
So either this is indeed true and Utsumi is right on the money for once, or Akane left a copy of herself behind, integrated into the world so Rikka could still be with her. I’m pretty sure I just made someone get choked up with that alternate theory, and know I am right there with you.
Honestly, because of Akane’s track record with the Ultra Series, I’m more than likely to believe Utsumi. Because that would be just one final throwback to Ultraseven, coming fresh from a finale rife with references to that finale! In that series, the titular hero molds his human identity of Dan Moroboshi after a mountaineer whose life he saves, inspired by his courage and selflessness.
Now, the objects scattered around Akane’s room:
On Akane’s shirt rack, you can make out a plush of Midori from SPACE PATROL LULUCO. Midori and Rikka’s mother are both voiced by Mayumi Shintani. Throughout the series, Rikka’s mom sported an earring that was basically Midori’s additional eye.
Considering this, part of me wants to believe that Akane had Rikka’s Mom modeled after Midori to make a literal AU version of her.
…there’s also a possibility, then, that Alexis took his design and voice from LULUCO’s Over Justice to better manipulate Akane. And the sad thing? In light of everything we discover over the course of the series? This tracks.
In the Uchusen Special, there’s a joke in an interview with Tetsu Inada (Alexis’ voice actor) in which he states that Alexis is really a corrupted version of Over Justice who is now redeemed via the Fixer Beam. Several people latched onto this as fact due to mistranslation, but in the wake of everything else, I’m still a believer of my theory. There’s too much stacked to line it all up. Never mind this also explains why Akko from LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA shows up a background character.
Speaking of Trigger, there’s a PROMARE poster next to the coat rack. Shameless plug for the (then) next big Trigger project, starring a guy WHO TOTALLY ISN’T KAMINA, WE SWEAR. Fun bit of trivia callback too since PROMARE was announced alongside SSSS at Anime Expo 2017!
The two keyboards on the bed? Possible callback to Anosillus II who brought Yuta up to speed about Akane in Episode 5 of SSSS. If so, this could explain how Anosillus II got into Akane’s Tsutsujidai by way of the sound spirits.
Barring that? Two keyboards for the second generation. *rimshot*
The final shot is the clincher in that it is literally the same awakening motion Gridman makes in the opening credits of SSSS. This rounds out a motif throughout the finale where several characters have similar “awakened” close-ups.
I should also point out that minutes before watching Episode 12, I mentioned on Twitter that “if [Trigger] wanted to destroy my mind, they’d make the last 10 minutes live action”. Granted it wasn’t exactly 10 minutes but still.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, the store Rikka bought Akane’s Autobot Matrix pass holder from? Its name is Nova. It’s a nod to Nova Prime — the name of several characters across TF lore, including the 2nd bearer of the Autobot Matrix…and the evolution of Shattered Glass Optimus Prime.
Akane’s character design is based on SG!Optimus. And Nova Prime is the result of that Optimus regaining his sanity and being rebuilt as a messenger of justice via a positive fragment of Unicron. His catchphrase: “Till all are redeemed”. Which is the opposite of his former catchphrase that Akane wore on her schoolbag, “Till All Are Gone”.
With this, we’re at the grand finale of the SSSS.GRIDMAN Reference Recaps. It’s bittersweet, to be honest. I loved doing the research and seeing just how intricate SSSS really was. Every connection is thought out, every shot felt like a labor of love. Throughout all of the foreshadow meta, this anime reminded me why I love tokusatsu films and TV shows. It’s something that inspired me in my own work and to push ahead in making myself well enough to create again.
Special thanks go to Barnnn at Barnnn’s Translations who translated every one of the voice dramas. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have caught the reveal about the connection to GRIDMAN THE HYPER AGENT.
Also to all of you who’ve sent me tweets and messages of support for this project. I kind of stumbled into it and it does my heart good to know so many benefitted from my work.
To take us out, here are Sam’s final words from SUPERHUMAN SAMURAI SYBER-SQUAD, episode 38. Because I can’t think of better words to go out on.
This is part twelve of my twelve-part SSSS.GRIDMAN Reference Recap. To go back to the master page, click here.
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