The movie TIGER & BUNNY - The Rising - was aired as the official sequel to Tiger & Bunny, and tells the story after Tiger and Barnaby return as second-part heroes after the end of Season 1. New characters also appear, and we'd like to share some spoilers about the film that may be relevant to Season 2!
Story Part 1: Tiger & Barnaby as Heroes in the Second Division
After the Maverick incident, Wild Tiger (Kotetsu T. Kaburagi), who had retired, came out to the public about his declining abilities and returned as Wild Tiger One Minute, working as a hero in the Second Division. Barnaby joined him, but the cases he handled were mostly minor crimes, low-paying, and small-scale. However, due to financial difficulties, Apollo Media's new owner, Mark Schneider, decided to promote him to the First Division midway through the season. Mark has a very authoritarian personality, and is arrogant and selfish toward his secretary Virgil, Kotetsu's boss Alexander Royce, and HEROTV's Agnes. Mark promotes Barnaby to the First Division and pairs him with a new hero he scouted, Golden Ryan.
Story Part 2: Barnaby Promoted to the First Division and Tiger Remains in the Second Division
The new hero, Golden Ryan, noticeably disregards teamwork and views his work as a business more than Barnaby. However, his skills were extremely high, and he had excellent chemistry with Barnaby. Not wanting to be a burden to Barnaby, Kotetsu didn't object to the decision and decided to continue working steadily as a second-division hero. However, shortly after, the owner decided to abolish the second division league. This meant that all second-division heroes, including Tiger, were fired.
Story Part 3: A major incident occurs at Sternbild!?
One day, a major accident occurs at Sternbild. The accident was likened to a certain legend passed down in Sternbild, and several related incidents have occurred. Incidents occur all over the place, and one of the legends, the "sleeping sickness," causes many citizens to fall into a deep sleep. Furthermore, the NEXT user who caused the "sleeping sickness" puts Fire Emblem to sleep. In addition, NEXT users who create loud noises and phantom doppelgangers are also secretly at work.
Story Part 4: Nathan Seymour's Nightmare
Nathan Seymour, aka Fire Emblem, is not only a successful hero, but also the owner of his own company. He's also a trusted figure among the older generation of heroes, and his life is smooth sailing. He even claims to have no worries, but his gender identity disorder has caused him trouble with relationships, and his friends have found him creepy and creepy... That was his past. Nathan, who fell asleep due to "sleeping sickness," is forced to face nightmares from that time.
Story Part 5: The Coming Justice Day
Following a nightmare, Fire Emblem's powers went out of control while he slept, and Blue Rose managed to contain the powerful flames. The perpetrators were clearly committing a crime based on a legend passed down in Sternbild. The legend ends with the goddess opening a large hole in the city, forcing the people to repent. It's easy to imagine something happening on Justice Day, the anniversary of the day the legend began.
Story Part 6: Tiger Returns to Herohood
After being fired, Wild Tiger became a taxi driver. Kotetsu was dejected, with no prospect of returning to work. However, thanks to Blue Rose's help, his daughter Kaede, his brother Muramasa, and his mother Anju came to Sternbild. Encouraged by his daughter Kaede, Kotetsu decides to return to heroism, even if it means losing public recognition. Then, the enemy finally makes its move. The three enemies launch a large-scale terrorist attack, throwing the city into panic. Heroes are called into action, but Blue Rose, who is holding back Fire Emblem, is unable to act. Kotetsu rushes in and subdues the out-of-control Fire Emblem in place of Blue Rose.
Story Part 7: Nathan's Trauma Revealed
The three enemies confront the heroes and toy with them. Rock Bison, Sky High, and Origami Cyclone are the NEXT users who create loud noises; Barnaby and Ryan are the NEXT users who create phantom clones; and Dragon Kid and Blue Rose are the NEXT users who put the heroes to sleep and cause nightmares. While the heroes are in a difficult situation, their actions seem to attract the heroes and hold them back. Meanwhile, Fire Emblem continues to experience his own trauma in his dreams. His gender identity disorder causes him to be shunned by friends, estranged by his family, and constantly tormented by the fatal mismatch between himself and society.
Story Part 8: What is the true purpose of the criminal group?
The three enemies are maneuvering to hold back the hero. Their true goal is to weaken the security of Mark Schneider, the new owner of Apollo Media, and prevent the hero from intervening. Left alone in this situation, Mark is attacked by a mechanical monster. As Mark flees, he instructs Agnes to send the heroes over. Agnes then proposes temporarily returning Tiger to his role as a second-tier hero.
Story Part 9: Heroes Resurrected!
Tiger temporarily returns to his role as a hero, leaving the Fire Emblem in the care of the other second-tier heroes who have rushed to the scene and heading off to rescue Mark. Meanwhile, the heroes continue to struggle, but Barnaby corners the NEXT user, who creates phantom clones, and Ryan defeats him by pinpointing the enemy with a gravity field. Origami Cyclone creates an opening for the NEXT user, who can control loud sounds, by disguising a simple sound-reflecting device. Sky High and Rock Bison then work together to defeat him. Dragon Kid and Blue Rose struggle, but Dragon Kid's voice reaches Fire Emblem, who overcomes his trauma and revives, rushing to their aid.
Story Part 10: Transvestites are the Strongest
Blue Rose, Dragon Kid, and Fire Emblem join forces to attack, but the already battered girls and the recovering Fire Emblem struggle. However, at the last minute, Dragon Kid perfects his special move and lands a blow, and with a coordinated attack, the three finally defeat the powerful enemy. Meanwhile, Tiger manages to hang on to a mechanical monster flying through the sky, but is thrown off and falls to the ground. Barnaby rushes to his rescue. Then Lunatic appears as well. Tiger leaves the mechanical monster in Barnaby and Ryan's hands and tries to stop Lunatic, but Lunatic suggests to Tiger that Mark is the real evil.
Story No. 11: The mastermind is... his secretary, Virgil!!
The mastermind behind this incident was Mark's secretary, Virgil Dingfelder. He was also a NEXT ability user. His real name was Andrew Scott, and his goal was to get revenge on Mark. His father was the owner of a small company called Scott Systems, but Mark tricked him, bought the company, and drove him to suicide. The three people who worked with him also had their lives ruined by Mark. Andrew infiltrated Mark's company as a secretary in order to expose Mark's crimes to the public and kill him, and uncovered the truth.
Story Part 12: Heroes Assemble!
Andrew uses his NEXT to gather surrounding metal and transform it into a giant mechanical mass. Ryan is knocked unconscious after being hit by flying metal while using his power. Barnaby is left to fight alone, but Tiger rushes in to help. They buy time until Barnaby's cooldown expires, but all the heroes, including Ryan, who was unconscious, gather together. Thanks to the heroes' efforts, Barnaby's cooldown ends, and Tiger and Barnaby use their powers simultaneously, defeating Andrew's powers with a stunning combination.
Story Part 13: Wild Tiger Returns!
The heroes' battle comes to an end, and Tiger's one-day heroic return comes to an end. However, thanks to a series of events, thanks to Agnes, who was given full authority by Mark, the citizens who saw Tiger, and the kind consideration of Ryan, who had previously teamed up with Barnaby, it is decided that Tiger will return as a hero again, teaming up with Barnaby.
【TIGER & BUNNY 2】The Movie - The Rising - Summary
This article introduces spoilers for the story of Tiger & Bunny The Movie - The Rising -, which leads into Season 2. I had a feeling that the new hero, Ryan, would somehow become the enemy, but that wasn't the case at all. The ending left me with the impression that he might quietly appear in the next installment. The story is also really interesting, and I'm looking forward to Season 2, so I definitely recommend watching it before it airs!
