Make a Wish on a Star Racing Through the Darkness

Wish Upon the Star Shooting Through the Dark (闇を駆ける星に願いを, Yami o Kakeru Hoshi ni Negai wo) is the 7th episode of the anime series of Black Rock Shooter.

Synopsis
A picture of the book Li'l Bird Li'l Bird Colorful Colors is shown and Mato Kuroi's voice narrates that she's loved the bird ever since she was little. However, because the bird dies in the end, the story does not have a happy ending. She questions, if this is true, why she is so attracted to the little bird.

In her room, Saya Irino says that she can't truly interact with "the other world" after all, because Black★Gold Saw has been forever imprisoned in that world. Yuu volunteers to go, and Saya protests, but Yuu says that she can't do anything for Mato as long as she stays behind.

Yuu says that Mato is strange, since things like grief, sorrow, and envy don't truly exist in her, and that it's possible Mato hates sorrow itself, that instead of taking it on she tries to help other people instead, and these emotions are what fuel Black★Rock Shooter. Thus, Black★Rock Shooter seeks to erase such emotions from other people. If Black★Rock Shooter successfully kills Strength, it will be impossible to reach her or Mato. She says that she won't let either of them fall to this fate, and tells Saya goodbye, and that their time together was too short.

Insane Black★Rock Shooter and Strength fight, but Yuu's voice rings through the air, telling Mato to wake up. Mato, within Black★Rock Shooter, reacts and looks for Yuu. Strength shoots rapidly at Insane Black★Rock Shooter, but there is no effect. Mato cries out ( possibly to Insane Black★Rock Shooter ) to not to hurt Strength, saying that she'll never forgive her if she does. This delays Insane Black★Rock Shooter, even coming close to freezing her on the spot.

Strength takes the opportunity of a distracted Insane Black★Rock Shooter and knocks her back. Despite the delays by Mato, Insane Black Rock Shooter somehow manages to move her Cannon Lance behind her and trigger the mini turret beneath the blade, shooting straight into her legs. Mato's legs sprout wounds all over and Mato doubles over in pain. Yuu tells her not to lose, urging her to get out of there. She tells Mato that she can get out by shouting that she's not Black★Rock Shooter, but this realization torments Mato.

Hiro Kuroi is seen, commenting on his sister, saying that even though she spaces out a lot, she's still a good person. Her classmates say that she's nice, but it's hard to tell what's going on with her. Mato's mother also comments, saying that she thought Mato would be upset that her father is off on a business trip, but she didn't have many complaints. She worries that Mato might be trying to grow up too fast, and that she's trying too hard to be too good and not negative.

Mato's voice says, "I'm...I'm a good girl." Insane Black★Rock Shooter continues to fight, and Yuu pleads if Mato is still there, but Mato is covering her ears, saying that nothing is painful. She believes that everyone is kind at heart and people can understand each other. She didn't want to feel pain, or be hated. However, she knows now she was just running away and knows why the bird's wings became tainted, and admired it because she sympathized. Suddenly she sees Black★Rock Shooter in her normal state. Yuu's voice says that there's nothing wrong with not wanting to be hurt, and it's not like her to run away from her problems.

Insane Black★Rock Shooter runs into Strength, who says, "You're not the one running away. So who is?"

Shocked, Mato responds, and Strength continues that she hates people who spread lies about me!" She taunts Mato and Black★Rock Shooter, saying that she's been annoying, and that it hurts.

Yuu, in the real world, mentally protests, saying that's not how it's supposed to be and it's not like that. Strength yells that it hurts, and she was supposed to be the one protected - directing her protests at Strength.

She laughs maniacally and beats Insane Black★Rock Shooter around.

Saya runs around in desperation and sees Yuu lying on the ground. She pleads with her, calling her Strength.

The switch is revealed, as the girl in front of Insane Black★Rock Shooter says that her Strength has relied on Mato all this time. The girl, under the guise of Strength, reveals that this whole time, she has been the real Yuu Koutari; Strength was the Yuu that Mato had known this whole time.

At school, Yomi Takanashi says that it feels like something painful happened but she doesn't know what it is, and thinks it's better that way. The teacher asks if anyone has heard from Mato, as her parents called and she never went home yesterday. Yomi suddenly runs from the room; Kagari notices, and sees she left materials for bracelet making behind.

Yomi runs, wondering what's wrong because to her Mato is just a girl who happens to be in her class. Yomi's eyes become gear-shaped, the way they were when Dead Master had affected her, and she clutches herself. She wonders why it hurts so much. The police shows up at the school, and Kagari clutches herself as well, saying that something hurts.

Saya calls the school, saying that she's taking the day off.

Under the guise of Strength, the original Yuu Koutari continues to torment Mato, even powering up to a much stronger form with 4 mechanical arms after setting the whole battlefield on fire. As Mato tries to make sense of what's going on. The true Strength, the Yuu Mato had known, explains that years ago she was created along with the "other selves" by the pain caused by the girls that had tormented Yuu in reality. Strength explains that they had no emotions, and fought only by their human counterparts' instincts.

One day, Black★Rock Shooter came, and fought with Strength. Even though she gave no thought to winning or losing, Strength fought her and felt that Black★Rock Shooter was strong. Right as Strength was about to lose the battle and going to die, Yuu's voice told her not to, and it taught Strength to feel, because Yuu's pain had been so terrible that it caused her to develop emotions.

Strength realized that most of Yuu's feelings were pain and hatred, and if Black★Rock Shooter killed her, Yuu would be unable to handle it. Yuu's voice tells her she's glad because she can't lose Strength, because she'll always feel pain and she needs someone to take it. Yuu says that in the Otherworld, it's easier to live because nobody has to think, just fight, and offers to switch with her. Strength dissolved and vanished, while Yuu took her place as Strength in that world.

Saya apologizes to Strength, saying that everyone forced her to shoulder everything. She asks Strength to protect that world in her stead, because that world is Yuu's only shelter.

Yomi touches the painting she made of Mato and is plagued by sudden flashes of memory. She goes to the roof and says that she doesn't want to think about it because it hurts. She blurts out that Mato is her friend and begins to cry. She then runs down the stairs calling Mato's name, wondering why she was trying to forget Mato.

A shot of Dead Master is seen with her eye twitching in the burial ground where all the fallen other selves are gathered, possibly by Strength.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Saya Irino
 * Yuu Koutari
 * Black★Gold Saw
 * Mato Kuroi
 * Insane Black★Rock Shooter/Black★Rock Shooter
 * Strength
 * Hiro Kuroi
 * Mato's Mother
 * Yomi Takanashi
 * Yuu Koutari
 * Saya Irino
 * Strength
 * Yomi Takanashi
 * Kagari Izuriha
 * Dead Master]

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first time an "other self" actually speaks in the Otherworld.


 * Yomi felt pain in her chest when she started regaining memories of Mato. Because of this, Dead Master was shown trying to open her eyes, and she may come back to life in the next episode.
 * Kagari also felt the same pain in her chest. Since it is shown that Dead Master may come back to life, it may be possible that Chariot will do the same as well.


 * Whether or not the painting that Yomi did of Mato with a bleeding eye and purplish hair in a moonlight background is related to Insane★Black Rock Shooter remains unknown.


 * The colors that surround Mato in the mental despair are the same as the illustrations in the Li'l Bird Li'l Bird Colorful Colors book.


 * This episode explains why Yuu, who is actually Strength, lacked a shadow when she walked with Mato, why she doesn't seem to age, and her relatively cheerful nature.


 * The events in this episode are reflective of the Major Arcana order of the 3 of the last 5 cards of the Arcana order, namely the Star, the Moon, and the Sun. The Star is a representation of Black★Rock Shooter, and the Moon and the Sun respectively showing the emotion process in Mato and her friends.


 * This episode revealed that a human can switch places with the other self, as shown with Yuu and Strength.


 * The pile and carnage of the fallen selves in the other world seems to indicate that the whole world has been thrown into chaos a long time ago but only the special ones such as Strength, Black★Rock Shooter, Chariot, Dead Master and Black★Gold Saw are able to possess abilities and powers to survive.


 * Unlike the other selves, Black★Rock Shooter, as explained by the true Strength, serves more as an antithesis to the other world rather than drawing upon negative emotions.


 * Several "other selves" are shown during Strength's flashback; similar to the main characters' other selves, they have weapons and can fight better than the Hooded figures but most of them eventually get defeated and are then killed.

Unanswered Questions
How long has the existence of the other world been?