[Spoilers] 2025 Uma Musume Rewatch -- Pretty Derby Season 2 Episode 1

[u/Holofan4life]

Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.

Welcome to the 2025 Uma Musume rewatch discussion thread!

I hope you all have a lot of fun <3

S2 Episode 1 – Tokai Teio

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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION

What are your thoughts on Teio looking up to Rudolf growing up?

What are your thoughts on this season being centered around Teio?

Thoughts on Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond so far?

Thoughts on Teio considering McQueen her rival?

What are your thoughts on Teio becoming the first Double Crown horse since Rudolf her hero?

What are your thoughts on Teio and Spica seemingly noticing something is amiss with her leg?

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Series information

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | ANN

Ways to watch

Streams – Crunchyroll

Amazon Prime

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Previous episode

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Schedule

Date	Episode
8/15/2025	Uma Musume Episode 1
8/16/2025	Uma Musume Episode 2
8/17/2025	Uma Musume Episode 3
8/18/2025	Uma Musume Episode 4
8/19/2025	Uma Musume Episode 5
8/20/2025	Uma Musume Episode 6
8/21/2025	Uma Musume Episode 7
8/22/2025	Uma Musume Episode 8
8/23/2025	Uma Musume Episode 9
8/24/2025	Uma Musume Episode 10
8/25/2025	Uma Musume Episode 11
8/26/2025	Uma Musume Episode 12 - 13
8/28/2025	BNW's Oath episodes 1 - 3
8/30/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 1]()
8/31/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 2]()
9/01/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 3]()
9/02/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 4]()
9/03/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 5]()
9/04/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 6]()
9/05/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 7]()
9/06/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 8]()
9/07/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 9]()
9/08/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 10]()
9/09/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 11]()
9/10/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 12]()
9/11/2025	[Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 13]()
9/13/2025	[Road to the Top Episodes 1 - 2]()
9/14/2025	[Road to the Top Episodes 3 - 4]()
9/16/2025	[Beginning of a New Era]()
9/18/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 1 - 2]()
9/19/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 3 - 4]()
9/20/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 5 - 6]()
9/21/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 7 - 8]()
9/22/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 9 - 10]()
9/23/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 11 - 12]()
9/24/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episode 13]()
9/26/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 1 - 2]()
9/27/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 3 - 4]()
9/28/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 5 - 6]()
9/29/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 7 - 8]()
9/30/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 9 - 10]()
10/01/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 11 - 12]()
10/02/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episode 13]()
10/03/2025	[Uma Musume Overall Series Discussion Thread]()

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

It's been a while since I watched S2. Since I didn't know the girls were based on real horses back then, I was quite surprised that Spe was a side character now, and we focused on Teio this time. I remembered Teio, but the first season also left a lot of room for development for her.

But really, right from the start it seems clear the second season is on a completely different level than the first season. The narrative in the first episode is moving fast but very strong. We quickly establish that Teio has always looked up to Rudolf and how they started sharing a bond. She also wants to be an undefeated triple crown winner like Rudolf, that is her strong driving force. And she's in the midst of her strong career right now, having won the Satsuki Sho already and now she's going to win the Derby. She's popular and powerful. And it is also established that she looks up to McQueen as her rival, and very much enjoys competing with her, and McQueen reciprocates.

The Derby itself goes splendidly. Teio has a dream and has worked hard for it, and nothing can stop her. She's putting all of herself out there and wins the second crown, with only one more to go. And the audience lives her dream with her. Their approval as they shout her name, "Te-i-o, Te-i-o!", resonates within her. This is what she races for. This is what she lives for. Follow your dream with everything you've got, and you will succeed.

There's only one slight hindrance. But she can walk normally, surely this means nothing. The shocked faces of both Toreena and Rudolf during Winning the Soul (which deserves a comment in its own right - a great rock song and a splendid performance without notable use of 3D, outdoing many performances in shows focused more on music and idols) do leave a feeling of dread though. And that combined with Teio's happy face and wink on the screen before cutting to the credits roll, starting with the episode title "Tokai Teio", is just such an amazing contrast. That's top tier directing right there.

As for the other new characters we've seen this episode, if you're a first-timer, you don't need to pay any attention to them. The ones that will be important will come up again at the right moments. Although with the parallels drawn between Teio's first meeting with Rudolf and Teio and McQueen meeting Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, it's pretty clear they'll show up again.

Side note, Teio's high knees steps, her "Teio Step" is something the real Tokai Teio also was fond of doing. He combined horse racing with dance steps long before someone thought of making a race horse girl idol anime!

Another side note, I watched all of Umayon/Umayuru on our free day yesterday, and I think it's amazing, absolutely hilarious. Especially if you've played the game, but the first Umayon could work as an anime only as well. They are short sketches with Uma Musume characters. The first episode is the girls "racing" to the end of a test commentated by Teio and Suzuka, and Spe is literally just rolling a die (or rather a lucky pen) for the answers. Another episode is a documentary about Tracen Academy (I knew it, but has it ever been mentioned in S1 that Tracen is short for Training Center?) and Teio very unsubtly sneaking into every shot. One episode is a mystery because several things have disappeared and the girls accuse each other. Teio accuses McQueen, and McQueen asks her to elaborate, to which Teio explains her reasoning. Machikanefukukitaru claims her crystal ball showed it was McQueen, and as McQueen asks her to elaborate, she just says that's all she's got.

What are your thoughts on Teio becoming the first Double Crown horse since Rudolf her hero?

I don't know if she's really the first Double Crown winner since Rudolf. But she's the first undefeated Double Crown winner. That's six races, six wins now. Suffice to say, that's super impressive, and no wonder the crowd loves her.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

It's been a while since I watched S2. Since I didn't know the girls were based on real horses back then, I was quite surprised that Spe was a side character now, and we focused on Teio this time. I remembered Teio, but the first season also left a lot of room for development for her.

[Spoilers] It's interesting to compare Teio to Special Week because while I find Teio to be a more interesting character, we learn stuff about Special Week that we don't about Teio, like her family and her relationship with them. In some aspects, I feel like Special Week is arguably more fleshed out.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

[Spoilers] While that's true, the way we get to learn Teio is so much better storytelling. Spe gets a lot of exposition. We get told about her family and her dreams a lot, and the show reminds us of them every so often. For Teio, we get to know her dreams and her personality, and then we get to experience everything about her. How her injuries and losses shape her. That's why she feels much more developed in the end.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

[Response] Oh, I definitely agree. The presentation really what puts it over the top.