WMG / SSSS.GRIDMAN

Akane is the creator of the Kaijus.

Or rather, the series' own expy of Takeshi Todo. The kaiju in Episode one specifically targeted the school. And the anime went out of its way to paint the attack as Disproportionate Retribution towards a girl who accidentally smashed her sandwich.

• The original plan in Gridman F said to portray her with such role. Yuta and Alexis do fulfill their roles, so this leaves Akane being more suspicious.
  • As of episode 2, confirmed.

Relating to the WMG above, Akane may had a crush on Yuta.

• Just like Takeshi Todo to Yuka Inoue, she had a crush on Yuta, albeit in a healthier way. Plus, if she created the monster just to get revenge on the girl that ruined a sandwich she meant to give Yuta...
  • Seemingly jossed. She does seem to be fond of him, but it's not enough to make her not attempt to kill him.
    • Maybe she did have a crush on him, and erased his memory of his past after he confessed to Rikka instead. But finding out that he's Gridman threatens her world, so he has to go.
  • Confirmed, in fact! When Akane has everyone in a Lotus-Eater Machine, she specifically claims that the pair were dating before then.
  • There's further evidence, considering that Yuta's desk is specifically placed right next to Akane's in class, which is significant considering how Akane is in control of the class seating. In addition, while Akane doesn't think twice about killing people she doesn't like, she's incredibly emotional and regretful when she stabs Yuta. Finally, Gridman states that there's something specifically special about Yuta that drew Gridman to him.

Yuta might have been chosen as Gridman's host because he was least observant of Akane's 'god' status

With his crush on Rikka and what interest in Akane being purely normal/platonic, Gridman might have seen him as best fit as a host so he can act without being affected by any rather zealous host emotions to both take down the threats and to "save" Akane

Further related to the above two: Akane is the reason for all the Shout-Out references to Transformers, other toku shows, and anime

• Since she's creating the city, its populated with things she knows well.

Someone is getting Mami'd in the third episode.

• Jossed. That came out of left field anyway.

The series will end with Gridman and/or Yuta dying.

It's a Trigger production. All their previous anime ended with an important character kicking the bucket. Expect the same thing to happen here.

• Jossed, it ends happily with no one dying.

The World is a Computer Simulation...

...hence the reset after a Kaiju attack. Akane seems to be aware of this, referring to Gridman as a 'guest'.

• Potentially the deaths can be reversed, but someone (Caliber?) needs to get at the worlds code and locate some form of back-ups.
• Given the end of episode 5, it gets more likely.
  • Episode 6 confirms and episode 7 cements it once we see the Computer World as the ceiling.

This is just Transformers Shattered Glass Gijinka...

... given all the design elements lifted from that series.

Alexis is an evil relative of Inferno Cop and Over Justice.

All Trigger shows are connected Kingdom Hearts style. So why not?

• Jossed. Alexis is Over Justice.

Alternatively, Alexis is acting out of misguided benevolence toward Akane.

Prior to their meeting Akane was even more of a recluse than she is in private, with neglectful parents and likely a crummy home - the ruined house in Episode 6 is likely her old home; Alexis then gave her a drastically better home, removed her parents from the equation, made a world where everyone loves her and the means to control it. He also acts as nothing but supportive to her and her kaiju designs, and attempts to remove any threats to this seeming happiness - even if they seem somewhat underhanded like giving Anti the opportunity to try making a kaiju.

• Jossed, he's acting out of concealed malice as he's doing this to use her for a number of reasons. That and there are hints that her original life is closer to Rikka's than anything. And even the world isn't perfect by her standards, just as he planned

Akane is suffering from a Split-Personality Takeover and was suicidal before Alexis showed up.

Since SSSS Gridman is a Darker and Edgier update of the original Gridman its possible that Akane was suicidal before Alexis showed up to the point of slitting her wrists and Alexis method of brainwashing is via bringing out her darker impulses. The Akane at school and the Akane with Alexis are essentially two different beings being controlled by Alexis.

• It's implied that Alexis found her at a dark time and set up the virtual city/etc in such a way that she'd be driven to destroy and rebuild it among other havoc, all while encouraging her. All this so he can take in her dark emotions, ultimately turning on her once she stops being of value. And the two "faces" seem to be more 'How she wants to be seen' and 'How she actually is'.

Alexis is behind the resets and retcons.

After every kaiju rampage Alexis essentially restores the city and retcons everyone who is killed similar to XANA from Code Lyoko.

• Jossed. The Venora-like mirages we see towering over the city are the ones in charge of the reset.

Sam Collins / Naoto Sho (or perhaps a lookalike) may or may not have a cameo.

Confirmed— A man who resembles an adult Naoto makes a cameo in episode 6, and is voiced by the actor who portrayed Naoto.

Akane will have a Heel–Face Turn moment.

Just like Takeshi Todo, she will experience this, combined with granting the Gridman Alliance the greatest weapon to win their battle. If she is lucky enough, she may be another Gridman too!

• Jossed for the most part, though the ending suggests she sees the error or her ways.

Akane will be forced into a Heel–Face Turn.

Same with Anti. Akane is too much of a sociopath to change her ways. And Anti is a robot. But its either help Gridman stop Alexis or die of a case of You Have Outlived Your Usefulness.

• Jossed. They do go through a Heel–Face Turn but do so willingly and in Akane's case, it was necessary to defeat Alexis.

More Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad references.

The show is extremely blatant with the SSSS Mythology Gags. What more can they offer?

• Vit's main weapon or attack being named after Amp like Amp Pulse Cannon or something.
  • Probable since one of Borr's abilities had Sydney's name in episode 5.
    • You're all forgetting Lucky.
    • Confirmed— Laser Circus Amp and Lucky Smoke Screen are the name's of Vit's attacks.
• Vit being from Crab Nebula or enjoying surfing as a hobby.
• Borr having a secret collection of tacky hats.
• Alexis Kerib stealing Akane's body for a day.
• The school's lunch lady resembling Mrs. Starkey. Bonus points if she rides motorcycles.
  • Japanese schools don't have "lunch ladies" like in the US.
• A background character who looks like Tim Curry.
  • The dub appears to draw some traits form the westernized show.
• A dragon-like Assist Weapon will be added to Gridman's arsenal. For extra fun, its attack will be named after Mrs. Starkey, referencing the time she was accidentally digitized.
• Someone else, maybe Sho, becoming Gridman temporarily if Yuta becomes unavailable or incapacitated.

There Will Be a Mid-Season Twist a la Yuki Yuna Is a Hero.

Everything about the setting seems off. The ominous kaiju in the clouds, the large electrical lines everywhere, the foreboding cinematography and silent soundtrack. It's like a dream, and the way Yuta accepts everything has a dreamlike surreality too. It feels like a setup for a hard deconstruction, where the rug is pulled out from under the audience for not thinking how odd it is that Yuta acclimatized to this situation so quickly.

• You mean like in episode 6 where a descendant of a kaiju the original Gridman saved appears and reveals to Yuta that Akane Shinjo is some sort of god constantly destroying and rebuilding Tsutsuji-dai in her image and that the whole of Tsutsuji-dai is some sort of self-contained computer simulation outside of which nothing exists, including the river that Yuta and his whole class went on a field trip in the previous episode? Sounds like you were right.
• There's good reason why Yuta easily takes in such things: He's mainly Gridman's host with his original memories suppressed to an extent.

Gridman 1993 and boys invent great hero are both canon and their respective protagonists have been killed.

This also explains Yuta and his relationship with Gridman. Yuta is Gridman's second host replacing the deceased Naoto. He lost his memory because he simply was too green to fight Alexis and Akane and was almost killed as well. The Neon Genesis Junior High School boys are essentially next gen versions of the Assist Weapons. Probably created by Takeshi Todo while he was Gridman Sigma during boys invent great hero and either tasked to assist Gridman. Or bodies for other Hyper Agents to control. As for Takeshi he was killed by Alexis and Akane he probably tried to save Akane but since Akane is willingly going along with Alexis schemes and a master manipulator she managed to get Takeshi to drop his guard and kill him and Gridman Sigma.

• The official audio dramas reveal that the NGJHS "kids" are indeed all other Hyper Agents.
• Episode 12 reveals that Gridman 1993 is canon in that He's this Gridman's true form. That and earlier in the series, Yuta encounters the child of a Kaiju the original Gridman saved.

The background girl who looks like Akko, really is Akko.

And She'll put on her witch hat at the end, saying "See you next Trigger Animation!"

• When Little Witch Academia gets a second season, Akko will talk about the giant monsters she saw and Lotte and Sucy won't believe her.
• Counterpoint: It's likely Akane is a fan of the show or something like it, and she just happens to imagine herself going to school with Akko in her perfect world. She's not a super fan of the show though, which is why Akko remains in the background.
  • Counterpoint to my counterpoint: Unless it really is Akko who used her magic to end up in this world and Akane doesn't notice or care.

Anti's Heel–Face Turn underway.

Let's admit it; aside from being a humongous Transformers reference and Spiritual Successor of Gridman, Anti's basis on Khan Knight would take several steps further to give him a change of heart and becomes The Lancer for Gridman. Bonus if Anti sports a Good Costume Switch.

• Or, Anti, having copied all the Assist Weapons, will become the next version of Drago, leading the new version of Samurai Phormo/King Gridman.
• Actually Anti became Grid Knight a concept from the original Toku that was discarded. And he still wants to kill Gridman. At least he's Gridman's equal now instead of an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain.

Yuta is actually Gridman's human form.

Gridman is a Hyper Agent, and in the voice drama 5.5, so are the Neon Genesis Junior High Schoolers. So why does Gridman have no human form is bound to Junk? My guess is that he suffers from a Literal Split Personality that turned his human form into the boy named Yuta Hibiki.

• Semi-confirmed! The Yuta we know is actually Gridman possessing Yuta's body.

The six lights in the sky that Akane saw in the first episode were Gridman and the Neon Genesis Junior High Schoolers/Assist Weapons plus one other entity who was either Alexis Kerib or Yuta Hibiki.

They came from the sky, which is revealed to be the Computer World in episode 7. Fans of the original show and the adaptation know where the fights usually take place.

Who will become Gridman Sigma?

With Yuta stabbed and probably dead there will be a need for a new lead. And since Trigger has already brought back Grid Knight. There's a chance that they could bring back Gridman Sigma. Takashi's giant hero form. And with Akane crossing the Moral Event Horizon it's unlikely that she will become Gridman Sigma. Which brings the question of who will become Sigma.

• If it continues to show more signs of being a sequel to the original Gridman, then it's possible that Takashi Todo himself could be the one, given he was Sigma in the Trigger short.
• It seems that the winner is Anti with Grid Knight essentially being Gridman Sigma's Expy

Akane once owned Junk.

Basically, she used to own Junk but since Technology Marches On she threw it away and it landed in the store. It also explains why Alexis can move outside and Gridman can't. Akane's tech is superior to the Gridman Alliance by a considerable margin. That's also why she can create mountain-sized kaiju and the Gridman Alliance can barely get all its members out the door.

Akane will pull out a One-Winged Angel and become Gridman's final opponent.

With just a pair of episodes left to end the series and barring any sort of last-second twist, it's clear that the true threat to defeat is Akane, more than Alexis Kerib. But killing a normal human, not only is anti-climactic but would also make the Gridman Alliance look unhinged. So, in order to nail the point home that Akane is inhuman and deserving of a lethal dose of comeuppance, she will transform into a kaiju and go on a rampaging temper tantrum all over the city. How this will happen is anyone's guess, but my personal guess is that Akane will somehow absorb Alexis, in a twisted reversal of the Grand Theft Me that Khan Digifer and Kilokhan performed on their human accomplices at one point in their adaptations.

• Semi-Confirmed by episode 11. She gets transformed into a Kaiju by Alexis at the end of the episode, but it's implied it was against her will.

Alternatively, Alexis Kerib will be Gridman's final opponent in the series, and Akane will either be disposed by Alexis after she outlives her usefulness, or survive and be Easily Forgiven.

• Confirmed. After Akane's kaiju form is defeated with Anti's assistance, Alexis uses her power to boost his own and face down Gridman. She is able to survive and be forgiven to an extent.

Akane's kaiju form is a gigantic Haruhi Suzumiya.

Jossed

Sho and Rikka become the final Assist Weapons.

It makes sense. Dyna Dragon is made from two components, King Jet and Dyna Fighter. Those two have been the most important characters so far that haven't actually fought. With Alexis Kerib potentially being the Final Boss Gridman would need his greatest transformation. KING GRIDMAN! It would represent the bond shared between the three of them, and their willingness to fight by his side even if they die.

• Jossed, but Rikka and Sho are stated to be needed for Gridman's transformation and assist with his final form: Original (1993) Gridman

Why Akane entered the virtual world.

While discussing Akane's godhood, Rikka said something along the lines of her running away from "the world of the gods" (real world) because she couldn't handle it. Given her behavior, she was probably depressive in the real world, with an incident causing her to hide in a computer world. Of course, with Alexis, things suddenly got a lot worse...

• This seems to be less of a WMG and more what actually happened, given the last moment with a girl waking up in the 'real world' complete with the gift from Rikka.

Akane is related to Yuka from the original Gridman.

Even with Alexis getting involved. It seems to be way too much to send a Hyper agent let alone Gridman to essentially provide life counseling to a little girl. Akane has to be related to either Yuka or someone from the original Gridman Alliance because it is the only way that the hyper agents would send someone like Gridman. Or that Gridman would personally go. It would basically be pulling strings for a VIP.

• Except life-counselling for Akane doesn't seem to be the goal, given her talk with Rikka and subsequent disappearance. As per the final episode, Alexis' involvement seems to be the reason for Gridman's involvement all along; they contain him and take them with him when leaving the virtual world; and given the implication that Alexis has done this before and will do this again if left to go free, that makes him a priority for Gridman.. Akane, by contrast, seems to be given the strength to deal with whatever was wrong with her life in the 'real world' when leaving.

Rikka is actually Akane's real appearance.

From the live action section in the finale, it's seen that the real version of Akane resembles Rikka far more than dream Akane. She has the same long black hair that extends past her shoulders, and in her room you can see the same cream colored jacket Rikka wears all the time. This is why the friendship between Akane and Rikka is so significant, because Rikka essentially the personification of everything Akane hates about herself, including her own relatively plain appearance. It can also be the reason why Rikka seems so deeply empathetic to Akane, since they are practically the same person.

How real Utsumi, Yuuta and Rikka are in the real world.

So, Akane is a real person, and, as it turns out, looks just like Rikka, but how about Utsumi, Yuuta and everyone else? Do they just exist in the real world? Are they expies of people Akane knew? Is there a real Rikka? Given how Akane reacted to Yuuta, perhaps he is based on a crush she had in the real world, at least.

Yuta, Akane and Rikka aren't real, but elements of Akane.

In relation to the above point, I think neither of the three main heroes exist in the real world, but are instead parts of Akane she tried to bury. Utsumi represents Akane's nerdy side she tries to suppress, and her attempts at flirting with him symbolize coming to terms with her interests. Yuta represents her sense of justice, which is why he is immune to her charms even when she tried to literally reimagine him as her boyfriend, and why Gridman chose him to be his vessel. Rikka represents her real appearance which she hates, and possibly her bisexuality she is afraid of coming to terms with, as Akane and Rikka have similar shipping moments like they do with Yuta.

This will now inspire a Super Sentai anime that also pays homage to Power Rangers

Since this show actually pays homage to its American counterpart, what's to say there won't be, say, a Sentai anime that takes in mythology gags across both sides of Sentai and Rangers?

Gridman and Servo are the same entity.

I can't be the only one that thinks the amount of shout-outs can't be a coincidence, and I mean in-universe. Battle Tracto Max and his Tanker Cannons, plus Max Gridman's helmet, Buster Borr and his Sydney Super Adhesive Missiles, Sky Vitter and his Lucky Smoke Screen and Laser Circus Amp, and the names of the Assist Weapons themselves. Plus the Assist Weapons said they modled themselves after either middle-schoolers or high schoolers that fought against evil, SSSS and Gridman feature two sets of teams, Team Samurai and Naoto's group. There is no way, this is all just one giant coincidence in-universe.

Akane's world is actually an astral plane.

This explains how Akane can visit "cyberspace" in her dreams. In reality, she created an astral plane/world that's a carbon copy of her original world. The reason for all the cyberspace references is because she's a huge nerd, so she designed her world after Gridman. This is also how Alexis was able to come into her world in the first place. Alternatively...

Akane is a cyborg.

This would explain how her dreams are cyberspace and how Alexis is able to enter her dreams! Also, it would explain why she's probably fed up with the real world.

Anosillus the 2nd knew Gridman from before the anime series began.

A no brainier really, especially because of the reveal that Yuta is partially possessed by Gridman. In episode 6, when Yuta meets Anosillus the 2nd for the first time, he had the feeling he met her before. Likely because this is Gridman vaguely remembering her, or rather, Anosillus from the original series.

Anti is made from a piece of Gridman that Alexis managed to steal.

How else did he get such a specific ability as "copy everything Gridman can do?" Why is his final form "literally Gridman?" And most importantly: Why is he included in the final Access Flash sequence? He, himself, must be half of the original Gridman, converted into a kaiju!

In the first episode, Rikka is the one who confessed to Yuta.

Rikka's comment on how, if Yuta is merely pretending to have amnesia after "what happened earlier that day" he'd be the absolute worst, seems to suggest that Yuta had worked up the guts to confess to her. However, considering how she's prone to brushing aside questions about how she herself feels about him in the Voice Dramas, it's not outside the realm of possibility that she was the one to confess, and so would feel understandably put out that he'd go so far as to pretend to lose his memories.