Let's Go Beyond This World

Overcome the World (世界を超えて, Sekai o Koete) is the 8th episode of the anime series of Black Rock Shooter.

Synopsis
The fight between Insane Black★Rock Shooter and Strength - that is, Yuu Koutari - continues. Yuu despairs of the pain of being ignored and of having no place to return to, and says that her heart was torn apart by those girls, leading her to believe that she would have rather been torn apart physically.

Mato Kuroi screams while Strength apologizes, saying that she wanted her to escape from Black★Rock Shooter. Strength, in the form of Yuu, is seen in front of a large pit, and she says that she can't let Mato be killed by her own hands. She then jumps down the pit, despite Mato's protests.

Strength starts to shatter, saying that she is Yuu's soul and if she dies, Yuu's pain will go away. Yuu starts to clutch herself as Strength says that she won't be able to stay in this world if she forgets her pain. Yuu protests, saying that she doesn't want to return to reality.

Insane Black★Rock Shooter is about to kill Yuu, but Mato resists, saying she won't let her kill her because Yuu is her friend. Flames glow around the area and Yuu finds herself glowing and absorbed into light.

Mato finds herself in Black★Rock Shooter's world (in the guise of a normal Black★Rock Shooter) and sees herself face-to-face with Insane Black★Rock Shooter. She telepathically asks her how it feels to be hurt.

Yuu sees Strength, cracked and chipped, and begs her why she did that, because otherwise she'd be sent back to reality. Strength says that she won't be lonely because Mato tried to help her and tried to help Yuu. The world starts to shatter and Strength takes Yuu away.

In Black★Rock Shooter's world, Insane Black★Rock Shooter says she doesn't mind shouldering Mato's pain since it's her nature, but Mato protests. She says she wants to be hurt by herself. She says that she won't look away, like the little bird from her favorite book. Insane Black★Rock Shooter tells her that then she will hurt her, and assaults Mato.

As Mato passively is hurt, Insane Black★Rock Shooter tells her that her wounds won't heal as fast as they would for "other selves" and asks why she won't use her cannon as Black★Rock Shooter. Mato says she never will. Insane Black★Rock Shooter says that that would be unfair, since Mato is taking pain from other people and not dealing any herself. Mato reflexively hurts Insane Black★Rock Shooter and feels anguish from hurting someone.

Insane Black★Rock Shooter knocks her down to where Mato can't move, but she still says she can't hurt anyone.

She remembers that the bird died, but persists in wanting to see the other colors like the bird wanted to. She sees a vision of the bird regaining its colors and flying again, and the light it creates becomes a large cannon for her to wield as Black★Rock Shooter.

Kagari Izuriha sits alone at school long after it has ended, sitting at her desk and silently crying. Arata Kohata stares into space while she sits at basketball training, and Yomi Takanashi runs off, looking for Mato. She falls from exhaustion and cries, wondering why she tried to forget, remembering that she couldn't stand leaving Kagari behind and that she had no idea how to be friends with someone. She liked Mato because she wanted to share her pain and sadness with someone. She looks to the sky.

Bullets and sparks fly as Mato fights with Insane Black★Rock Shooter, as colors start to fill the realm. Each other self sits within the realm of their worlds as they start to fall apart. Strength carries Yuu into a pit to escape their world that is falling apart.

The girls from school start to stare into space as each of the "other selves" become realized. Kagari says that she thinks she loves Yomi after all.

Through the colors that pierce through Black★Rock Shooter's realm, the other "other selves" appear, and Mato says that she will hurt Black★Rock Shooter, because even if she herself gets hurt in the process, she wishes to reach Black★Rock Shooter's heart.

The colors of the "other selves", containing their powers, envelope into a large cannon that Mato aims and shoots at Black★Rock Shooter. The explosion, rapidly changing colors, covers the entire realm and shatters it in a rainbow-colored burst that fragments it.

Mato wakes up, as herself in Black★Rock Shooter's clothing, wakes up in a large white desert expanse, where she sees Yuu and Strength. Mato addresses Strength as Yuu, who tells her to call her by her name. Yuu crawls up to Strength and says she can't die because she can't handle reality, but Strength says it'll be fine.

They are faced by the "other selves", and Strength says that Saya and Mato are there to help her. The worlds of the "other selves" had merged to help Mato, and Strength says that hearts can merge in the same way. Yuu says that nobody will like her, but Strength touches her, saying that she is her soul, and she can fight. However, even if they have no feelings, the "other selves" could never fight for anything they hate, because in the end they love their human counterparts and want to protect them.

Mato sees Black★Rock Shooter in her normal form, who repeats the sentiment.

Strength says that she wouldn't lie to someone she loves and that the real world is a beautiful place. As she starts to completely fragment and die, she thanks Mato for teaching her about how beautiful the real world is, and says that they will always be friends.

Strength completely dissolves, painting the white desert a myriad of colors and causing Yuu to be sent back to reality. The area fades away.

Yuu wakes up in her proper body in reality to see Saya crying over her. Mato slowly walks home to be found by Yomi. Yomi says that she's relieved and that there are many things she wants to tell her. Mato interrupts her by embracing her and says that she's sorry that she may have hurt her.

Mato's voice starts to tell of the many colors as a montage shows of Mato getting ready for school, Kagari and Yomi walking to school together, Mato greeting them, Arata walking to school with Takuu only to be teased by the three girls, the teacher introducing Yuu as a new student, Mato dragging all of the girls into Saya's room, and Yomi making bracelets for all of them, including Yuu.

Mato says that they will all grow up together in this beautiful world.

In the Otherworld, in the blank expanse, Strength is shown to have re-formed and know her destiny to once again resume her eternal fight there. She catches a glimpse Black★Rock Shooter, who says that she won't stop fighting.