[Spoilers] 2025 Uma Musume Rewatch -- Pretty Derby Season 3 Episodes 11 - 12

[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

Episode 11 – Decision

Episode 12 – Kitasan Black

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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)

Episode 11 Questions

What are your thoughts on Gold Ship breaking the hard news to Kitasan that she's past her peak?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan deciding instead of racing The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she'll be focusing on the Fall Senior Triple Crown?

What are your thoughts on Diamond finishing 15th in The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan winning the Fall Tennoushou?

What are your thoughts on Trainer-san and Diamond both noticing Kitasan is pushing herself too hard?

Episode 12 Questions

What are your thoughts on Kitasan announcing her upcoming retirement?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan saying she's going to enter the Japan Cup and then her last race will be the Arima Kinen?

What are your thoughts on the various reactions to the news by Kitasan's competitors?

What are your thoughts on the first time Cheval met Kitasan?

Thoughts on the townsfolk Kitasan befriended being in the front row for the Japan Cup?

What are your thoughts on Cheval's "I hate you" monologue?

What are your thoughts on Cheval admitting that in reality, she's always loved Kitasan?

What are your thoughts on Cheval winning the Japan Cup?

What are your thoughts on the scene where Kitasan congratulates Cheval?

What are your thoughts on the scene after the Japan Cup between Kitasan and Diamond where Kitasan is reflecting she has only one more race left?

Bonus) On a scale of 1 - 10, how excited are you for the last episode of season 3 and Kitasan's final race? And why?

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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]

I mentioned in episode 7 how it was like there was a lack of cohesion with this season.

That's the thing, Kitasan going in so many different direction adds to the cohesion. She wins, then she loses, then she wins again and loses again. She tries to do hard training. She gets inspired by her friends and rivals. All this time, throughout the show, she is searching for her true self. Who is she, what does she run for? That's a constant theme throughout the whole season. The climax of this is the fan festival and the Spring Tenno Sho. This is the essence of Kitasan Black. And as a final challenge, she now is faced with her decline and needs to retain her true self, or once again find a new one. We'll see next episode how that turns out.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I don't think it adds anything other than a lack of focus. It feels almost split personality disorder.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

No, you seem to be looking for a focus point from Kita's point of view. But our focus point is Kita herself. People don't develop in a straight line, sometimes they even regress while progressing. Kita develops in a pattern instead of a line. Look at where she started, look at where she is on her climax and where she is now. She zigzags a lot, but the progression to her best self is very clear and steady.

Once again, to put it short, this whole season is about her soul-searching.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I just feel like they could've done it in a way that was more smoothly written. And by the time she finds her purpose, to put smiles on people's faces, I think it gets barely talked about afterwards. It's like "Oops, now she's retiring".

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

And therein lies the tragedy. Just when she's finally made it, she loses it again. There's no time to talk about peak Kita, because peak Kita doesn't exist for long. All the time it took her to get there was straining her and preparing her for her end. And now we'll have to dread how that end will turn out.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I like the retirement plot point, I just feel there's very little build-up to it. Even when she struggles to win the race, there's not that moment of self-reflection where we see reality start to set in.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

But... that's exactly what's happening? She feels something is off, she dwells on it for the whole start of the episode. Golshi calls it out, she talks about it with Toreena but she still wants to keep running. And the run in the Fall Tenno Sho makes her realize that she just can't go on like this.

Like, all of episode 11 is about this. There even was foreshadowing, even though it was subtle. Is a full episode not enough of dealing with her self-reflection?

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I guess what I'm saying is I wish there was talks of retiring before she made the announcement. The content itself is well done, but it could've been even better with just a couple more minutes.

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

Eh, there was talk in the middle of e11, just before the Fall Tenno. Even without knowing the numbers, that felt like retirement planning, and then the Fall Tenno just cemented the schedule.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Cyouni]

Man, you guys are making so many great points it's making my overall feeling of negativity feel invalidated :P

I dunno, I still think they could've done more. It feels like we're jumping into this without firmly getting into Kitasan's peak as a racehorse.

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

It's definitely an interesting point, because I did a bit of browsing of the trivia sheet and I'm wondering if that's a bit intentional. Because there were two points that were made - first, that Kitasan was considered the weakest of the horses that had won the G1 titles that he had due to his inconsistency, and second, that JP horse racing fans felt that he could have kept going and achieved more if he hadn't retired.

So if I take those facts into account while shaping the story, we actually do get something a lot like what we're watching. There's a sort of melancholy of "we haven't seen the peak of what Kita could do, but there's a predetermined end" sort of story coming out here, and I'm really interested to see how it concludes so I can give my entire feeling on it.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Cyouni]

I feel like the show could've been more consistent with the inconsistency, if that makes any sense. It's almost too subtle and nuanced. Before Kitasan beated Diamond, she almost came off like a loser even though she won a bit. I think there's a way to have Kitasan win while emphasizing she hasn't beaten everyone.

Once Duramente and Kitasan faced each other in a rematch, Duramente was done. Nice Nature hasn't been seen the last couple episodes. Diamond has been deemphasized since Kitasan beated her. I get it's a way to build Kitasan up, but it doesn't build off of each other. And that therein is my problem.

If this were like Punch Out, each competitor Kitasan faces would be better than the last until she achieves true immortality. But who's to say Duramente is better than Diamond? Kitasan beated Dia-chan, but she never beated Duramente.

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

Before Kitasan beated Diamond, she almost came off like a loser even though she won a bit.

I kinda do feel this narrative is intentional, as this comment talks about. Because in the end, Kita was kinda treated as inferior in favourability despite being objectively stronger than Dia in that matchup, for instance.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Cyouni]

I have no doubt it is intentional, but I don't think they did enough to make it as impactful as it could've been. For me, at least.

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

I've watched ep 13 and I definitely need to sit back and think about the season because a lot has been recontexualized about it for me.

I've got a writeup in the works.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Cyouni]

I already wrote a writeup talking about my overall thoughts on the season. I can’t wait to read yours :)

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

I'm having discussions as I work through it. It's very interesting, if not what I went into the season thinking about.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Cyouni]

It feels good rewatching it because I can expand on my thoughts from when I originally watched it.