Heroes and justice: Ryuki 37-40
Sleep is Awakening (Yasuko Kobayashi): Previously on Kamen Rider Ryuki: In a state of desperation, Ren managed to kill Odin, and Eri woke up afterward; Shinji discovered a trio of researchers, one of whom is Kamen Rider Tiger, who know how to seal the Mirror World; and while watching Asakura’s police caravan haul him off to jail, Yui was pushed into oncoming traffic and now has been pulled into the Mirror World.
This and the next episode are the end of Ren’s character arc and the beginning of Yui’s, while kicking Shinji’s into high gear. The story is winding down, and both character arcs and plot are reaching the climax.
Ryuki finds Yui, who is being threatened by a false Kamen Rider, Alternative, but Ryuki manages to hold him off and escape with her. Afterward, Nakamura and Tojo meet with Kagawa, who immediately recognizes that Alternative failed, and he warns them to proceed carefully. Meanwhile, Shinji checks if Yui is okay, since the Mirror World will destroy an unprotected human. But despite being completely exposed to its inhospitable environment, she’s completely fine. In fact, she’s more worried that Alternative is after her. Shinji realizes suddenly that Alternative must have been the one who pushed her in front of that car last episode, and he wonders why they’re targeting her. She theorizes that it’s revenge against her brother, but though Shinji reaffirms that she’s completely innocent of her brother’s sins, he can’t help but take to heart Tezuka’s warning not to take his eyes off her ( episode 23).
Now that Ren’s had his reunion with Eri, the doctors take her in for various tests and scans, discovering something shocking. The doctor tells Ren that they don’t know why she fell into a coma or why she suddenly woke up, but he gives him an important warning. The knowledge haunts Ren as he visits Eri after her tests. And honestly, I really love this. I generally don’t get invested in shipping, and I’m usually neutral to official ships. But there are exceptions, and this is one of them. The whole exploration of Ren’s character and buildup of how important his relationship with Eri is to him as well as how important it appears to be to her really does make me enjoy it. Sure, it is a cheat to base character development off romance, but honestly? Ryuki makes it work. And this whole episode really shows it. Eri is still coping with the fact that she’s been in a coma for a year since the experiment, and she asks what happened to Prof. Ejima and the other students. The answer, of course, is that they all died. Eri is the only survivor, aside from Nakamura, who just happened not to be in class that day. So, understandably, Ren doesn’t want to tell her this. He tries to tell her to forget it, since it’s all in the past. But she can tell that it was only the beginning of something bad. To ease her mind, Ren lies about what’s happened in the past year and insists he’s just been working the same dead-end jobs and getting into the same fights he always did, very badly joking that he didn’t have to worry about her stopping him. Even so, he seems to be aware of the fact that it’s an obvious lie, and he tries to tell her more, but he’s too awkward to say what he truly feels. All he can do is tell her she should sleep before he reluctantly leaves. Kiss her, you idiot.
He meets up with Yui and Shinji, who are rushing over with flowers and gifts to celebrate with them. He asks Yui to watch over Eri for him again, insisting he doesn’t want her worrying about him, since he’s afraid that she’ll figure out about him being a Rider. This actually makes sense, although we’ll see that it’s not the whole truth-Ren is using the end result of the experiment Eri was put through, and he’s contracted to the Monster that attacked her. This isn’t exactly the kind of thing you want to tell your girlfriend when she’s just woken up from a coma because of those very things. But Shinji argues that Ren has no more reason to fight, so he should just be with her. Ren, however, argues that he has to fight or die because of his contract as a Kamen Rider. Which also makes perfect sense: Eri hated that Ren would get into fights all the time, and now even though he doesn’t want to anymore, he has to fight. Another very awkward conversation topic. As Ren leaves, Yui is in disbelief that he feels trapped by his fate as a Rider, even after Eri’s woken up, supposedly leaving him with no need to fight. Shinji still hopes, though, that if Kagawa can seal the Mirror World, it’ll change Ren’s fate. But then he gets a call from Okubo saying that he’s fired, so he shoves his gift at Yui and runs off to ORE.
Shinji then bursts into the office, begging to keep his job. Okubo asks what he’s been up to, knowing that Shinji’s not the kind of person to skip work without a good reason. But when Shinji doesn’t answer, Okubo sighs and promises to put up with it for a little while longer and wishes him luck, while lowering his pay as a consequence. This moment, while small, is very important when it comes to episode 49, and I’m beginning to get misty-eyed and sappy just thinking about it, so let’s move onto another ORE staff member, Reiko, who is visiting Kitaoka to ask about Asakura. She points out that all of the officers in the transport van disappeared and accuses him of expecting it to happen. Showing him the crime scene photos, she asks why he ordered the guards to cover up all the glass. But smooth as ever, Kitaoka explains that he thought the scenery beyond the glass might set off Asakura. Instead of satisfying her, however, the thought of there being something beyond the glass begins to get her to wonder if there’s more than what she sees. She explains that she’s investigating glass, so he offers to investigate with her. He jokes around about locations where they can find some glass, like restaurants and amusement park rides, but Reiko yells at him for trying to turn this into a date. Showing that he does respect her, he promises to go wherever she wants. She asks him to use his connections to arrange a meeting with Asakura at Kanto Prison.
Shinji goes to visit Room 401 again, and Nakamura again bodily throws him out of the lab. Shinji continues to ask how to seal off the Mirror World, insisting he can do it. He insists Kagawa can trust him, since after all, as Tiger, Kagawa had saved Shinji from Ouja. But all three researchers reveal their identical Tiger decks, and Tojo insists that Shinji won’t be able to seal the Mirror World. But this is Shinji we’re talking about here, and he’s not easily dissuaded. He again confronts Kagawa and his students, this time as they’re leaving the lab for the day, and he tells them that he has to stop the fighting. Kagawa tells him that it takes “heroic conduct” to do what they’re doing-and you are going to be utterly sick of the word “hero” by the time this arc is done. Kagawa asks Shinji what he would choose if he could only save ten people or one person. Shinji falters at the question, and Nakamura answers that it’s obviously ten. Kagawa argues that the courage to sacrifice one life to save many lives is what makes you a hero-you do it for the greater good. He promises to tell Shinji everything once he’s convinced that Shinji has this courage. While reeling from the information, Shinji gets a call from Yui saying that Eri has run away from the hospital. Since Eri’s not an idiot, she knew that Ren was hiding something and decided to figure out just what and why. With little strength in her body after being in a coma for a year, she got out of bed, forced herself to stand, and somehow escaped the hospital. This is simultaneously a testament to the emotional strength of this character as much as it’s a testament to the unrelenting stupidity of the medical professionals in this universe. How? HOW do you completely fail to notice a young woman with almost no ability to walk escaping the hospital, and fail to intercept her? I gave you guys a break when it came to Yui knowing all about Eri’s medical information here and earlier when she found out about Eri dying, but that’s only because it’s perfectly in-character for Ren to authorize Yui to receive any information about her in the event of his absence. He trusts her that much. So Yui has just learned from the doctor that Eri’s awakening is only temporary-not the end result of Ren killing the thirteenth Rider-and she may slip back into a coma at any time. WHY IS THERE NO WATCH ON THIS WOMAN?
Having miraculously walked around town, Eri rests at a bus stop, where a Monster suddenly targets her. Darkwing holds it off, but unsurprisingly, it turns on her. She recognizes Darkwing immediately and begins to panic, remembering the attack. But Ren arrives just in time and tells Darkwing to stop. Before he has the chance to explain anything, he senses the Monster again. He races to the window and henshins, shocking Eri as she realizes the extent of his secret. Ryuki arrives as backup, since Shinji’s been running around town looking for Eri, and the two take down the Monsters in Survive form-the two Survives fighting alongside each other for the first time, and Ryuki Survive getting the chance to show off his Final Vent, where Dragreder turns into a bike (between the crammed look of the model and the CGI, it’s not as impressive as it should be) and pelts a target with fireballs before running it down. Ryuki notices how Knight is beginning to disintegrate early, betraying how much he’s been in the Mirror World that day. Ren returns to the real world, but Eri stops him from leaving as Shinji arrives to help her. She asks if it’s her fault his fighting as a Kamen Rider, but he insists that he chose to do so, and he tells her not to worry as he rides off. She starts to lose consciousness, and Shinji tells her to hang on, the both of them worried about Ren.
And Tojo arrives at Atori to ask about a part-time opening Sanako has just put up…
Targeted Yui (Yasuko Kobayashi): Shinji and Eri return to the hospital, where Yui’s been waiting. Eri thanks them for taking care of her and reveals that she can tell that she’s going back into a coma. Being an awesome best friend, Shinji promises to drag Ren in if he has to. But Eri nearly starts crying, asking if he’s been fighting all this time. What makes this especially more heartbreaking is that Yui and Shinji are doing something for Ren that they really shouldn’t be doing-they have to be a supportive boyfriend for Eri. And they can’t. Every last one of them can tell that the problem comes down to the fact that Ren isn’t there, and none of them can make him see that.
Shinji and Yui then return home, where Shinji and Tojo are shocked to see each other. Yui isn’t exactly happy either, since her aunt hired a part-timer without telling her, but Sanako insists she had no choice, since Ren left, Shinji has work, and Yui’s been visiting Eri. Shinji pulls Tojo aside and asks how Kagawa plans to seal the Mirror World. Tojo refuses to tell him, insisting that this is something for the researchers to do. And he insists, with an almost eerie smile, that really anybody can be a hero if they have the courage. You do know what Kagawa’s definition of a hero is, right? When Tojo won’t even reveal who the real Tiger is, Shinji pleads, trying to appeal to that heroic desire within him by insisting he’s trying to save someone’s life. Tojo correctly guesses Ren, revealing that they’ve researched the Riders as well as the Mirror World. But he’s not impressed by Ren, insisting that Ren only fights for himself and doesn’t fit his ideal of heroic. Naturally, Shinji gets defensive, but he’s cut off by Sanako calling for Tojo. This isn’t the only friend he’s worried about here; he also begins to get nervous when he sees the way Tojo keeps watching Yui, almost predatory. And because Shinji isn’t a total idiot, he begins to doubt that it’s a coincidence that Tojo started working there.
The next day, Yui heads out again to visit Eri, unaware of Tojo’s dangerous glance. While at work, Shinji suddenly realizes that Tojo might be the one that’s targeting her. He tells Okubo that he has to go, and resigned, the Editor-in-Chief lets him. Yui is on her way to the hospital after buying flowers when she senses Alternative after her. Shinji rushes to her and sends her running while he charges after Alternative in the Mirror World, accusing him of being Tojo. Alternative reveals that he has the equivalent to Advent Cards, which burn up after being scanned into his Visor, allowing him to fight on the same level as a Rider. Still, he manages to escape, and Shinji finds Tojo soon after in the real world.
There, Tojo reveals the horrifying truth of Kagawa’s theory: The Rider War exists because of Yui. What Kanzaki seeks through this battle is for her. If she dies, Kanzaki will be forced to end the fighting and the Mirror World will disappear. Kagawa created the Alternative system for this reason-to kill Yui. Tojo insists this small sacrifice is for the greater good, but Shinji is utterly devastated by this revelation. When Tojo heads back to the lab, Nakamura chews him out for revealing everything. Tojo admits that he hoped Shinji might see their way, since he seems torn-it means that he’s at least considering it. Kagawa tells Nakamura to calm down, or else they may fail, but Nakamura insists any failure would be Tojo’s fault. Kagawa tries to remind him that they must be heroes if they’re going to save so many people, but Nakamura is of a different mindset; he only wants revenge against Kanzaki. Kagawa only barely restrains him from destroying the mirrors of the lab, reminding him not to seek vengeance. But Nakamura warns Tojo not to get in his way again.
Afterward, Shinji is still torn by the news. He can’t sacrifice one of his best friends, but he can’t let the fighting continue and innocent people continue dying either. His emotional crisis is put on hold when Yui calls to tell him that Eri’s condition is taking a turn for the worst, so he promises to find Ren. Meanwhile, Ren’s been going around the city, fighting every Monster he can find. Shinji manages to track down where he’s staying and meets him there that night. He reveals what they know about Eri’s condition, but Ren admits that he knew all along. Shinji demands to know why he isn’t with her, and he finally just tells Ren that Eri won’t be happy if he saves her through fighting and killing others. In what perfectly sums up his character, Ren admits that he knows this too, but he wants her alive, even if it means he’s made an enemy out of everyone he knows. He doesn’t care if it’s right or wrong-his reason to fight is to keep her alive; this is what he wants. And as Ren leaves to go to his room, Shinji is once again haunted by Kagawa’s definition of a hero.
The next day, Yui is waiting with Eri, who is in bad shape. She’s fighting to stay awake, even to breathe, and doctors are trying to stabilize her. Shinji runs into the hospital, seeing Alternative. Awesomely, Ryuki rushes into the Mirror World and kicks him in the face, making it clear that he will protect Yui. Ren finally does the right thing and bursts through the door, pushes the doctor out of the way, and tries to get Eri out of bed. Yui stops the doctor from interfering, insisting that Eri will be okay. From here, the end theme is “Lonely Soldier,” Ren’s image song, performed of course by Satoshi Matsuda. Nowadays, it’s no big deal for another Rider to have his image song performed as the end theme. For example: Den-O had Zeronos’s battle theme, “Action-ZERO” alongside its many variations of “Double-Action” and Ryotaro’s solo “Real-Action,” Kiva had “Individual-System” for Ixa, W had “Leave All Behind” for Accel and “Nobody’s Perfect” for Skull (who had been dead for a year), OOO had “Reverse/Re:Birth” for Team Birth, and Fourze had “Shooting Star” and “Evolvin’ Storm” for Meteor and his power-up. But what’s different here is that “Lonely Soldier” is a gentle love song, not a battle theme. And because of that, it really gets to the heart of his character. Everything he said about continuing even if it meant the whole world was his enemy? It’s there in the lyrics. It’s everything he believes, the human behind the Rider. Ren puts Eri on his bike and takes her to their beach one last time. As they sit and watch the waves, he tells her not to worry and promises she’ll awaken again soon. But Eri makes him promise to fight for himself, not because he feels he has to save her. And while he doesn’t sound like he’s being serious about this promise, there is a massive shift in his characterization from here on out, showing that his arc is over, even if his journey hasn’t been completed yet.
Ryuki continues to battle Alternative, and as he denies that sacrificing someone is courageous, he gains the upper hand. He refuses to allow any sacrifices, whether it’s one person or many people. And because of this, he won’t finish Alternative off, and turns and walks away. But because Alternative is of a different mindset, he attacks from behind. However, before he can make the finishing blow, Tiger Final Vents him. His armor shatters, revealing him as Nakamura. Though Tiger just watches the spectacle, Ryuki rushes to Nakamura’s side as he begins to disintegrate, and Nakamura’s last words are to tell Ryuki that he’s wrong. Ryuki and Tiger emerge from the Mirror World, and Shinji is shocked to discover that Tiger was Tojo the whole time. And this is really given away if you know that the episode “Enter Tiger” is called “Tiger Toujou” in Japanese. Toujou is an alternate spelling for Tojo. Get it? Shinji asks him why he killed Nakamura, and Tojo insists that he no longer wants to kill Yui. Still, Shinji points out that this is a terrible reason to kill somebody, and he’s horrified at how Tojo seems pathologically incapable of understanding the true impact of what he’s done. He only begins to let up when he sees Tojo crying.
Kagawa reveals a second Alternative deck. Yui waits for Ren and Eri, unaware that she’s again beginning to disintegrate. Kanzaki waits at the house as a new Odin appears in the mirror, reflected behind him. Asakura grabs the bars of his cell, letting us know that it’s been a little while since his last appearance. He starts beating at the wood over his window, and guards tell him not to move, bringing in non-reflective handcuffs and leather restraints. Kitaoka and Reiko make their way to the meeting, while Asakura waits…
A Dangerous Sign (Yasuko Kobayashi): Reiko and Kitaoka are suddenly stopped at the prison and told that they can no longer meet with Asakura, that his lawyer is the only one who can see him now. Kitaoka tries to insist he’s thinking about taking up Asakura as his client again, but he learns that the position has already been filled, by another lawyer named Morimoto. As they leave, Kitaoka tries to apologize to Reiko and asks why she wants to see Asakura so badly. She explains that she just wants to know something. He warns her that in his experience, if something blocks you from learning what you want to, it’s a sign of danger (oh, hey, title drop). But she won’t give up, and he has to admit to himself that it’s what he loves about her. You and me both, Kitaoka.
Following his last date with Eri, Ren is out alone in a field. Kanzaki appears, much to Ren’s surprise, which makes Ren realize that Odin was someone else entirely. In a nice moment that shows the difference between the two men (I’ll be talking about the similarities and differences in the Endpoint), Ren tries to ask who Odin was, but Kanzaki says it doesn’t matter. According to Kanzaki, as long as the Rider War exists, there will always be the thirteenth Rider. Once again, he tries to ask Ren to fight someone specific for him, and once again, Ren tells him that he doesn’t take orders from him. At this point, Kanzaki seems to realize that he can no longer control Ren. He’s already done everything he possibly could-he’s threatened Eri’s life, he’s threatened Ren’s friendship with Shinji and Yui, and this is the end result. Ren came out of it stronger and more stable, freed from his original promise and allowed to fight or not because of what he wants. So for the very first time, Kanzaki is honest with him. He tells him that Yui’s life is in danger, and not surprisingly, this is all Ren needs to know to act.
Not much longer after, Shinji tries to offer his sympathy to Tojo following Nakamura’s death, but to his horror, Tojo feels nothing about it at all. I really don’t want to say anything at this point, since what I think is being written is grossly inaccurate and a total stereotype, so I’ll save it for the Endpoint; but I can at least say that they make it very clear that there is something very wrong about his psychological state all throughout. Ren bursts through the door, demanding to know if Tojo’s the one after Yui. You know, I wonder how he would have handled that if he was wrong, like if there was another employee or something. Shinji tries to keep Ren from beating up Tojo right there, but fortunately for everybody’s remaining sanity, Sanako enters, surprised to see that Ren’s back. Shinji then pulls Ren outside and explains everything Tojo told him about Yui and how her death will end the Rider War and force Kanzaki to seal the Mirror World. Ren asks why Shinji even believes Tojo, asking if Shinji’s on Kagawa’s side, but Shinji insists he’d never do that. He wants to investigate Yui’s connection to all of this, though, and see if there’s another way to seal the Mirror World. Ren reminds him that it would mean Shinji’s in his way, and in a beautiful moment that shows just how much Shinji’s matured, foreshadowing episode 49, Shinji calmly answers that he understands. He accepts that he and Ren will be on opposite sides, but this is what he believes-just as much as Ren believes in saving Eri. Before both go their separate ways, Ren checks to make sure that Yui doesn’t know, and Shinji affirms that he can’t tell Yui that everything is for her sake.
Goro gives Kitaoka a file on Morimoto, which worries Kitaoka because Morimoto is infinitely less skilled than him and apparently a total idiot. When Morimoto meets with Asakura, everybody’s favorite sociopath is bound in a straitjacket and other restraints. Morimoto expresses his horror at the treatment and argues for his rights…which would be perfectly fine if not for the fact that this man is a dangerous, violent sociopath, and Asakura knows he’s got a chump to play. Morimoto seeks to show the world that Asakura isn’t the violent monster that, well, we all know he is. Asakura asks for his belongings, and Morimoto says that since they’re evidence, he can’t just give them to Asakura, but he promises to show them to him at their next meeting. This can only end well.
Shinji looks over the photo of the old Kanzaki house, remembering what Tezuka told him about it. He decides to investigate it himself, then notices Tojo looking over his shoulder. Tojo says that he wants to see the house where Kanzaki once lived, so they both try to make their way to the house-I say “try” because Shinji is terrible at remembering directions and manages to get them lost. He suddenly runs into Reiko, who is not only shocked to see him, but also to see the picture of the house. She tries to lecture Shinji, but when he and Tojo sense Monsters attacking, they run off. All she knows is that somehow, Shinji knows about Kanzaki, and he’s not telling anything. They come across the gazelle-type Monsters that Ren once warned always travel in herds-from episode 4. Their presence is foreshadowing for the next Rider to appear, and there are four types of these Monsters according to the Wiki: Megazelles, Omegazelles, Magazelles, and Negazelles, though the Advent Card Archives list only Gigazelle. No, I don’t know which is which, and at this point, I don’t particularly care. They’re gazelle-types and annoying for Ryuki and Tiger to fight, but they do eventually take them down, with Ryuki using Survive.
Kagawa is communicating with his Contract Monster, Psyco-Rogue (current spelling according to the Archives), when Ren suddenly enters with a warning to stay away from Yui. Kagawa isn’t worried, however, and tries to explain that Yui’s death could save countless lives. Then he realizes just who he’s talking to and that Ren could never understand. Ren asks if it’s heroic to kill Yui, but Kagawa argues that the end justifies the means-sorry for the premature 555 reference. Ren challenges him to a fight, and he accepts only reluctantly, since he’d prefer not to sacrifice more people than is strictly necessary. But they’re both interrupted when Kagawa’s young son runs into the room-TV-Nihon has his name as Yuto, though I’m going to admit that it sounds like it could be Yuta too, but I’ll just go with Yuto for now. And in this great moment, Kagawa picks up his kid and shows him and his wife genuine love and affection, and Ren is absolutely horrified, completely unable to reconcile this with the man who wants to kill his friend. Kagawa has to tell his wife and son that he’ll be late coming home and he won’t be able to make it to dinner with them as he sees them off. Ren asks how a man who loves his family like that can then go and try to kill Yui. For the very first time, Ren is seeing things the way Shinji does-with all the contradictions and complexities inherent in humanity. He can’t dehumanize Kagawa into a monster, the way he easily can with Asakura. Kagawa is a loving father and brilliant professor, who just happens to think that he can save the world by killing a teenage girl. Kagawa insists that he’s trying to protect people as he pulls out his deck. He reveals that one day, he came across Kanzaki’s research on the Mirror World and the Riders lying on the floor in Ejima Lab. Uninvited, he started reading it, with all of the insane new physics that Kanzaki had created inside. He didn’t understand a word of it, but unfortunately for everyone involved, Kagawa had an eidetic memory-something he suspects that Kanzaki didn’t know back then. Every word of the research burned itself into his mind, even if he had no idea what he was reading. By the time Kanzaki took his file back, Kagawa already had it memorized. And a year later, he used this research to create Alternative and his variation, Alternative Zero, pseudo-Kamen Riders.
In battle, Knight quickly gains the advantage over Alternative Zero, simply the better fighter of the two. But this advantage is short-lived when Alternative Zero blocks his next attack and warns him to give up on Yui, since it’s already over. Knight realizes that Alternative Zero already set his plan into motion-he’d just sent Psyco-Rogue after Yui when Ren entered, and now Yui is on the run trying to escape it. Knight tries to escape the battle to rescue her, but Alternative Zero holds him off expertly, revealing he’s memorized Knight’s fighting style and attack patterns. Meanwhile, Yui smashes a window to try to escape Psyco-Rogue, but it only manages to get her from behind. Knowing he has to hurry to save her, Knight uses Survive-summoning Darkraider with Blust Vent to create a small windstorm to use as a smokescreen while he escapes and races to find her.
Right after defeating the Monsters, Tiger suddenly turns on Ryuki, badly injuring him. Ryuki asks why Tiger is attacking him, and Tiger says it’s because Shinji is like Nakamura and doesn’t have the courage to sacrifice something, so he doesn’t deserve to be a Rider. In fact, he believes that Riders should be heroes, but according to his definition of a hero, and those who don’t fit the bill should be killed. Kanzaki gave Tojo a deck because of this incredibly fucked up mindset. Which then begs the question of why the hell were there three decks in the first place? Kanzaki knew very well who Tiger was and clearly has no problem telling his Riders who to attack if they’ll listen, which took Ren a while. Hell, Shinji would have listened. And it can’t be to see the Mirror World since Kagawa and Nakamura had the Alternative decks, so…why? Ryuki asks if the sorrow he saw from Tojo the day before was a like, and Tiger supposes that his tears were real, since it was a pity he had to kill Nakamura. He supposes that he’ll cry for Shinji too. Ryuki tries to fight back, but Tiger’s already soundly beaten him and kicks him to the ground, and he knows he doesn’t understand Tiger at all.
Yui wakes up in the Mirror World, with Psyco-Rogue approaching her. Sudden explosions and shattering glass hold it off for a bit, spurring a memory of something similar happening in Yui’s old home. She remembers a child drawing a picture of Dragreder and another child drawing a picture of another Monster, with the two of them surrounded by drawings of Monsters. Then a memory of fire, with the drawings burning. Psyco-Rogue tries to attack her again, but a Monster jumps in to protect her-even glancing at her as if to be sure she’s okay, and she wonders why it’s doing this.
Asakura awaits a meeting with his attorney while a massive herd of the gazelle Monsters hops around the Mirror World. Shimada is taking pictures of her iguana when the Monster spots her and leaps after her…
Memories of an Older Brother and a Younger Sister (Yasuko Kobayashi): …Except no, not really. Shimada’s perfectly okay; the Queen of Crazyland will reign for a while. But her camera did manage to get a picture of the Monster in the glass-somehow. They never explain exactly how beings from the Mirror World are getting captured on camera, but I’m guessing it’s just the separation between the worlds collapsing. The ORE staff is confused, and Shimada has no clue how this “reflection” got there. Megumi suggests that maybe it’s not a reflection, but an image within the glass, and Shimada agrees. From then on, their relationship has me shipping it. Reiko notes that it’s the same with Kanzaki, though Okubo wonders how Kanzaki and a monster in the mirror can be similar. He asks for a copy of the photo so a photography specialist friend of his can look at it.
Back to everything else held over from the previous episode, let’s continue going out-of-order and check in on our favorite sociopath. Asakura is brought in to see his lawyer and, surprise! It’s Kitaoka. Barely playing innocent, he says he has no idea how Morimoto could have gotten food poisoning from Goro’s cooking since Goro is such a good chef. Then, to continue the trolling, he says he hopes that they win a guilty verdict. Asakura kicks at the screen, forcing officers to take him away. Kitaoka, you magnificent bastard, I love it when you put your skills to use for good.
Shinji’s henshin breaks while he lies unconscious and badly wounded. Tiger is about to make the finishing blow, but Alternative Zero stops him. Guess it was a really damn good thing that Knight Survive escaped to save Yui. Zero warns his student about needlessly killing people. Yeah. He warns him that he’s killing too much. He later takes him back to the lab and praises him for trying to be a hero but criticizes him for being a team-killing…well, you know. Tojo says he didn’t feel that Nakamura was a comrade and says he was weak, thereby totally justifying killing him. In a rare display of emotion, Kagawa suddenly breaks a mirror reflecting Tojo to prove a point-by hurting himself. He explains that suffering is what makes a hero-it’s not just a matter of making a sacrifice, you have to suffer because of it. I’m sure there’s no way this can possibly backfire!
After the Monster saves her, Yui looks over and sees Kanzaki. She realizes that he had the Monster save her and tells him that she doesn’t believe that she’s not connected to the Mirror World and the Riders. She apologizes for disowning him, saying he’s still her brother, but for that reason, she insists he should tell her the truth. He tells her not to worry and walks away, vanishing in a whiteout. Knight then arrives and checks on her. They return home to Atori only for Sanako to give them the horrible news that Shinji is badly injured in the hospital. When Shinji wakes up, he sees Yui and Ren right there at his side. Ren asks who hurt him, refusing to believe that Shinji let a Monster get the better of him. Shinji tells them it was Tojo and warns Yui to keep away from him. Ren isn’t surprised in the least, and Yui realizes that Tojo is a Rider too. Shinji’s extremely upset and tries to explain how Tojo killed Nakamura with no remorse, but Yui eases him back into bed before he can aggravate his condition. Once she’s calmed him down, he explains his other worry, that Tojo believes what he’s doing and thinks it’s the right thing to do. Shinji now understands something he couldn’t before: All the Riders are fighting and behaving the way they do because they’re fighting for what they believe in. Ren confirms this and tells him it’s pointless to try to stop them, and Shinji admits that maybe he’s right. He tells them that they don’t have to watch over him, and though it’s clear that Ren is reluctant to leave his disillusioned friend, he and Yui go.
The next day, Okubo, Shimada, and Megumi visit Shinji. There’s much argument over Megumi bringing a funeral-condolences gift and Shimada giving Shinji the breakdown of deductions in his paycheck before Okubo finally shoos them out and promises to be back later, warning him not to do anything dangerous. Though Shinji’s able to put on the barest smile for them, when they’re gone, his face falls and he stares at his deck, troubled by Tojo’s belief in how a Rider should behave as a “hero,” and he drops his deck to the floor. Yui arrives to see him barely able to give her a smile, and his deck abandoned on the floor. She picks it up and explains that she thinks her brother is doing the same as the Riders and fighting for what he thinks is right, and also that she thinks it’s all being done for her. She admits that she was like Shinji in the beginning, wanting to stop her brother for everyone else’s sake. As she begins crying, she admits that now, she also wants to do it for Kanzaki’s sake because he’s not happy. Though Shinji is surprised, Yui is unwavering in her conviction, but he’s still uncertain. They sense a Mirror World presence, and he tells her that he doesn’t have an answer, but he can’t just do nothing, and he thinks it makes him an idiot. But Yui says maybe it’s better this way and hands him back the deck.
At the prison, Morimoto recovers from his food poisoning and goes to meet with Asakura, who is strapped to a chair and masked. Guess what the idiot does. Not long after, Kitaoka arrives, furious with the police for letting Morimoto see Asakura against orders. An emergency is called, and guards wheel out an unconscious man on a gurney, explaining that Asakura knocked out Morimoto. Kitaoka rushes over to the cell, demanding to know how he could do that when fully restrained. The guards let him in, and he realizes Morimoto is the one unconscious in the chair, while Asakura escaped in his clothes. Kanzaki meets Asakura outside and tosses him his deck, telling him to go fight.
Kagawa is driving when he senses the same Mirror World presence and pulls over. The presence is strong enough that Tojo senses it, as does Ren, who’s following him now that both of his friends have been targeted by this guy. Kanzaki confronts Kagawa with the chance to be a hero. He tells him that a Monster is following his family. If Kagawa hands over the Alternative Zero deck and gives up his plans, then Kanzaki will let them live. Otherwise, Kagawa must put his belief in heroism to the ultimate test, to determine if he can be the very “hero” he claims to be-to sacrifice his family to save others. Ren and Tojo arrive, having somehow heard the whole thing. Now, I love this whole bit. You’ve got two extremists clashing-the one who is willing to sacrifice everyone else for one person, and the one who is willing to sacrifice one person for everyone else, and they’re putting their beliefs on the line. And then you’ve got Ren and Tojo essentially being the angel and devil on Kagawa’s shoulder. Ren is disgusted with Kanzaki for this threat; Tojo just affirms that Kagawa will follow his belief of what a hero should do. Ren finally has enough and grabs Tojo, telling him to stop simplifying the matter. Tojo challenges him back, saying that if Ren can’t be a hero, then he shouldn’t exist. Kanzaki tells them to settle the matter with a Rider battle, but Ren glares at him, once again making it plain that he’s not going to fight just because Kanzaki tells him to. Also, for all he’s pissed at Tojo for his beliefs and for attacking his friends, he’s not going to try to kill him for that. But with Ren’s attention on Kanzaki, Tojo pulls out his deck and summons his Monster, Destwilder, to attack Ren. Now, with no choice but to fight the man now attacking him, Ren glares once more at Kanzaki before henshinning and following Tiger. Kagawa watches the battle play out, reflecting the conflict in his own heart, and Kanzaki asks him for his answer. Kagawa henshins and tells him that he’s had the same answer since the day he stumbled on Kanzaki’s file. Kanzaki mockingly asks him if he has a message to pass on to his family, and Zero answers, “Nothing,” as he joins the battle against Knight, shocking Ren by this choice.
Knight uses Trick Vent, which is easily defeated by Tiger and Zero, but both are surprised when all of the illusions shatter and there’s no real Knight. Turns out he’d hidden the whole time, taking the opportunity to go Survive to ambush them, blowing them away with Blust Vent. His Final Vent meets Zero’s similar one, and the explosion throws the both of them, knocking Knight out of Survive. Again. Ouja arrives, asking if the party’s there, but when he sees Tiger, he ignores the injured Knight and Zero and goes to attack, furious about his defeat. Then more of the gazelle-type Monsters arrive, fighting Knight and Zero while Zolda gets into it too, confused about what the hell’s going on and who’s the fake Rider. Still, he doesn’t care, since he’s just going to blow shit up anyway, noting that it’s been a while since he did his Final Vent. Of course, once he says that, a gazelle prevents him from using the attack. As all three are overrun, Ryuki Survive arrives and Final Vents the gazelles. He comes to a stop and tells Zero that he saved his family, for now reason other than the fact that he wanted to. Ouja tries to start another fight, but Ryuki Survive easily holds him off as they reach the time limit.
Okubo returns with the results from the photo analysis. He reveals that the image is definitely real, not a distortion or glare. ORE Journal now knows that the Monsters are real and living inside the glass.
A gazelle herd jumps around, followed by their contract holder, Kamen Rider Imperer…
This and the next episode are the end of Ren’s character arc and the beginning of Yui’s, while kicking Shinji’s into high gear. The story is winding down, and both character arcs and plot are reaching the climax.
Ryuki finds Yui, who is being threatened by a false Kamen Rider, Alternative, but Ryuki manages to hold him off and escape with her. Afterward, Nakamura and Tojo meet with Kagawa, who immediately recognizes that Alternative failed, and he warns them to proceed carefully. Meanwhile, Shinji checks if Yui is okay, since the Mirror World will destroy an unprotected human. But despite being completely exposed to its inhospitable environment, she’s completely fine. In fact, she’s more worried that Alternative is after her. Shinji realizes suddenly that Alternative must have been the one who pushed her in front of that car last episode, and he wonders why they’re targeting her. She theorizes that it’s revenge against her brother, but though Shinji reaffirms that she’s completely innocent of her brother’s sins, he can’t help but take to heart Tezuka’s warning not to take his eyes off her ( episode 23).
Now that Ren’s had his reunion with Eri, the doctors take her in for various tests and scans, discovering something shocking. The doctor tells Ren that they don’t know why she fell into a coma or why she suddenly woke up, but he gives him an important warning. The knowledge haunts Ren as he visits Eri after her tests. And honestly, I really love this. I generally don’t get invested in shipping, and I’m usually neutral to official ships. But there are exceptions, and this is one of them. The whole exploration of Ren’s character and buildup of how important his relationship with Eri is to him as well as how important it appears to be to her really does make me enjoy it. Sure, it is a cheat to base character development off romance, but honestly? Ryuki makes it work. And this whole episode really shows it. Eri is still coping with the fact that she’s been in a coma for a year since the experiment, and she asks what happened to Prof. Ejima and the other students. The answer, of course, is that they all died. Eri is the only survivor, aside from Nakamura, who just happened not to be in class that day. So, understandably, Ren doesn’t want to tell her this. He tries to tell her to forget it, since it’s all in the past. But she can tell that it was only the beginning of something bad. To ease her mind, Ren lies about what’s happened in the past year and insists he’s just been working the same dead-end jobs and getting into the same fights he always did, very badly joking that he didn’t have to worry about her stopping him. Even so, he seems to be aware of the fact that it’s an obvious lie, and he tries to tell her more, but he’s too awkward to say what he truly feels. All he can do is tell her she should sleep before he reluctantly leaves. Kiss her, you idiot.
He meets up with Yui and Shinji, who are rushing over with flowers and gifts to celebrate with them. He asks Yui to watch over Eri for him again, insisting he doesn’t want her worrying about him, since he’s afraid that she’ll figure out about him being a Rider. This actually makes sense, although we’ll see that it’s not the whole truth-Ren is using the end result of the experiment Eri was put through, and he’s contracted to the Monster that attacked her. This isn’t exactly the kind of thing you want to tell your girlfriend when she’s just woken up from a coma because of those very things. But Shinji argues that Ren has no more reason to fight, so he should just be with her. Ren, however, argues that he has to fight or die because of his contract as a Kamen Rider. Which also makes perfect sense: Eri hated that Ren would get into fights all the time, and now even though he doesn’t want to anymore, he has to fight. Another very awkward conversation topic. As Ren leaves, Yui is in disbelief that he feels trapped by his fate as a Rider, even after Eri’s woken up, supposedly leaving him with no need to fight. Shinji still hopes, though, that if Kagawa can seal the Mirror World, it’ll change Ren’s fate. But then he gets a call from Okubo saying that he’s fired, so he shoves his gift at Yui and runs off to ORE.
Shinji then bursts into the office, begging to keep his job. Okubo asks what he’s been up to, knowing that Shinji’s not the kind of person to skip work without a good reason. But when Shinji doesn’t answer, Okubo sighs and promises to put up with it for a little while longer and wishes him luck, while lowering his pay as a consequence. This moment, while small, is very important when it comes to episode 49, and I’m beginning to get misty-eyed and sappy just thinking about it, so let’s move onto another ORE staff member, Reiko, who is visiting Kitaoka to ask about Asakura. She points out that all of the officers in the transport van disappeared and accuses him of expecting it to happen. Showing him the crime scene photos, she asks why he ordered the guards to cover up all the glass. But smooth as ever, Kitaoka explains that he thought the scenery beyond the glass might set off Asakura. Instead of satisfying her, however, the thought of there being something beyond the glass begins to get her to wonder if there’s more than what she sees. She explains that she’s investigating glass, so he offers to investigate with her. He jokes around about locations where they can find some glass, like restaurants and amusement park rides, but Reiko yells at him for trying to turn this into a date. Showing that he does respect her, he promises to go wherever she wants. She asks him to use his connections to arrange a meeting with Asakura at Kanto Prison.
Shinji goes to visit Room 401 again, and Nakamura again bodily throws him out of the lab. Shinji continues to ask how to seal off the Mirror World, insisting he can do it. He insists Kagawa can trust him, since after all, as Tiger, Kagawa had saved Shinji from Ouja. But all three researchers reveal their identical Tiger decks, and Tojo insists that Shinji won’t be able to seal the Mirror World. But this is Shinji we’re talking about here, and he’s not easily dissuaded. He again confronts Kagawa and his students, this time as they’re leaving the lab for the day, and he tells them that he has to stop the fighting. Kagawa tells him that it takes “heroic conduct” to do what they’re doing-and you are going to be utterly sick of the word “hero” by the time this arc is done. Kagawa asks Shinji what he would choose if he could only save ten people or one person. Shinji falters at the question, and Nakamura answers that it’s obviously ten. Kagawa argues that the courage to sacrifice one life to save many lives is what makes you a hero-you do it for the greater good. He promises to tell Shinji everything once he’s convinced that Shinji has this courage. While reeling from the information, Shinji gets a call from Yui saying that Eri has run away from the hospital. Since Eri’s not an idiot, she knew that Ren was hiding something and decided to figure out just what and why. With little strength in her body after being in a coma for a year, she got out of bed, forced herself to stand, and somehow escaped the hospital. This is simultaneously a testament to the emotional strength of this character as much as it’s a testament to the unrelenting stupidity of the medical professionals in this universe. How? HOW do you completely fail to notice a young woman with almost no ability to walk escaping the hospital, and fail to intercept her? I gave you guys a break when it came to Yui knowing all about Eri’s medical information here and earlier when she found out about Eri dying, but that’s only because it’s perfectly in-character for Ren to authorize Yui to receive any information about her in the event of his absence. He trusts her that much. So Yui has just learned from the doctor that Eri’s awakening is only temporary-not the end result of Ren killing the thirteenth Rider-and she may slip back into a coma at any time. WHY IS THERE NO WATCH ON THIS WOMAN?
Having miraculously walked around town, Eri rests at a bus stop, where a Monster suddenly targets her. Darkwing holds it off, but unsurprisingly, it turns on her. She recognizes Darkwing immediately and begins to panic, remembering the attack. But Ren arrives just in time and tells Darkwing to stop. Before he has the chance to explain anything, he senses the Monster again. He races to the window and henshins, shocking Eri as she realizes the extent of his secret. Ryuki arrives as backup, since Shinji’s been running around town looking for Eri, and the two take down the Monsters in Survive form-the two Survives fighting alongside each other for the first time, and Ryuki Survive getting the chance to show off his Final Vent, where Dragreder turns into a bike (between the crammed look of the model and the CGI, it’s not as impressive as it should be) and pelts a target with fireballs before running it down. Ryuki notices how Knight is beginning to disintegrate early, betraying how much he’s been in the Mirror World that day. Ren returns to the real world, but Eri stops him from leaving as Shinji arrives to help her. She asks if it’s her fault his fighting as a Kamen Rider, but he insists that he chose to do so, and he tells her not to worry as he rides off. She starts to lose consciousness, and Shinji tells her to hang on, the both of them worried about Ren.
And Tojo arrives at Atori to ask about a part-time opening Sanako has just put up…
Targeted Yui (Yasuko Kobayashi): Shinji and Eri return to the hospital, where Yui’s been waiting. Eri thanks them for taking care of her and reveals that she can tell that she’s going back into a coma. Being an awesome best friend, Shinji promises to drag Ren in if he has to. But Eri nearly starts crying, asking if he’s been fighting all this time. What makes this especially more heartbreaking is that Yui and Shinji are doing something for Ren that they really shouldn’t be doing-they have to be a supportive boyfriend for Eri. And they can’t. Every last one of them can tell that the problem comes down to the fact that Ren isn’t there, and none of them can make him see that.
Shinji and Yui then return home, where Shinji and Tojo are shocked to see each other. Yui isn’t exactly happy either, since her aunt hired a part-timer without telling her, but Sanako insists she had no choice, since Ren left, Shinji has work, and Yui’s been visiting Eri. Shinji pulls Tojo aside and asks how Kagawa plans to seal the Mirror World. Tojo refuses to tell him, insisting that this is something for the researchers to do. And he insists, with an almost eerie smile, that really anybody can be a hero if they have the courage. You do know what Kagawa’s definition of a hero is, right? When Tojo won’t even reveal who the real Tiger is, Shinji pleads, trying to appeal to that heroic desire within him by insisting he’s trying to save someone’s life. Tojo correctly guesses Ren, revealing that they’ve researched the Riders as well as the Mirror World. But he’s not impressed by Ren, insisting that Ren only fights for himself and doesn’t fit his ideal of heroic. Naturally, Shinji gets defensive, but he’s cut off by Sanako calling for Tojo. This isn’t the only friend he’s worried about here; he also begins to get nervous when he sees the way Tojo keeps watching Yui, almost predatory. And because Shinji isn’t a total idiot, he begins to doubt that it’s a coincidence that Tojo started working there.
The next day, Yui heads out again to visit Eri, unaware of Tojo’s dangerous glance. While at work, Shinji suddenly realizes that Tojo might be the one that’s targeting her. He tells Okubo that he has to go, and resigned, the Editor-in-Chief lets him. Yui is on her way to the hospital after buying flowers when she senses Alternative after her. Shinji rushes to her and sends her running while he charges after Alternative in the Mirror World, accusing him of being Tojo. Alternative reveals that he has the equivalent to Advent Cards, which burn up after being scanned into his Visor, allowing him to fight on the same level as a Rider. Still, he manages to escape, and Shinji finds Tojo soon after in the real world.
There, Tojo reveals the horrifying truth of Kagawa’s theory: The Rider War exists because of Yui. What Kanzaki seeks through this battle is for her. If she dies, Kanzaki will be forced to end the fighting and the Mirror World will disappear. Kagawa created the Alternative system for this reason-to kill Yui. Tojo insists this small sacrifice is for the greater good, but Shinji is utterly devastated by this revelation. When Tojo heads back to the lab, Nakamura chews him out for revealing everything. Tojo admits that he hoped Shinji might see their way, since he seems torn-it means that he’s at least considering it. Kagawa tells Nakamura to calm down, or else they may fail, but Nakamura insists any failure would be Tojo’s fault. Kagawa tries to remind him that they must be heroes if they’re going to save so many people, but Nakamura is of a different mindset; he only wants revenge against Kanzaki. Kagawa only barely restrains him from destroying the mirrors of the lab, reminding him not to seek vengeance. But Nakamura warns Tojo not to get in his way again.
Afterward, Shinji is still torn by the news. He can’t sacrifice one of his best friends, but he can’t let the fighting continue and innocent people continue dying either. His emotional crisis is put on hold when Yui calls to tell him that Eri’s condition is taking a turn for the worst, so he promises to find Ren. Meanwhile, Ren’s been going around the city, fighting every Monster he can find. Shinji manages to track down where he’s staying and meets him there that night. He reveals what they know about Eri’s condition, but Ren admits that he knew all along. Shinji demands to know why he isn’t with her, and he finally just tells Ren that Eri won’t be happy if he saves her through fighting and killing others. In what perfectly sums up his character, Ren admits that he knows this too, but he wants her alive, even if it means he’s made an enemy out of everyone he knows. He doesn’t care if it’s right or wrong-his reason to fight is to keep her alive; this is what he wants. And as Ren leaves to go to his room, Shinji is once again haunted by Kagawa’s definition of a hero.
The next day, Yui is waiting with Eri, who is in bad shape. She’s fighting to stay awake, even to breathe, and doctors are trying to stabilize her. Shinji runs into the hospital, seeing Alternative. Awesomely, Ryuki rushes into the Mirror World and kicks him in the face, making it clear that he will protect Yui. Ren finally does the right thing and bursts through the door, pushes the doctor out of the way, and tries to get Eri out of bed. Yui stops the doctor from interfering, insisting that Eri will be okay. From here, the end theme is “Lonely Soldier,” Ren’s image song, performed of course by Satoshi Matsuda. Nowadays, it’s no big deal for another Rider to have his image song performed as the end theme. For example: Den-O had Zeronos’s battle theme, “Action-ZERO” alongside its many variations of “Double-Action” and Ryotaro’s solo “Real-Action,” Kiva had “Individual-System” for Ixa, W had “Leave All Behind” for Accel and “Nobody’s Perfect” for Skull (who had been dead for a year), OOO had “Reverse/Re:Birth” for Team Birth, and Fourze had “Shooting Star” and “Evolvin’ Storm” for Meteor and his power-up. But what’s different here is that “Lonely Soldier” is a gentle love song, not a battle theme. And because of that, it really gets to the heart of his character. Everything he said about continuing even if it meant the whole world was his enemy? It’s there in the lyrics. It’s everything he believes, the human behind the Rider. Ren puts Eri on his bike and takes her to their beach one last time. As they sit and watch the waves, he tells her not to worry and promises she’ll awaken again soon. But Eri makes him promise to fight for himself, not because he feels he has to save her. And while he doesn’t sound like he’s being serious about this promise, there is a massive shift in his characterization from here on out, showing that his arc is over, even if his journey hasn’t been completed yet.
Ryuki continues to battle Alternative, and as he denies that sacrificing someone is courageous, he gains the upper hand. He refuses to allow any sacrifices, whether it’s one person or many people. And because of this, he won’t finish Alternative off, and turns and walks away. But because Alternative is of a different mindset, he attacks from behind. However, before he can make the finishing blow, Tiger Final Vents him. His armor shatters, revealing him as Nakamura. Though Tiger just watches the spectacle, Ryuki rushes to Nakamura’s side as he begins to disintegrate, and Nakamura’s last words are to tell Ryuki that he’s wrong. Ryuki and Tiger emerge from the Mirror World, and Shinji is shocked to discover that Tiger was Tojo the whole time. And this is really given away if you know that the episode “Enter Tiger” is called “Tiger Toujou” in Japanese. Toujou is an alternate spelling for Tojo. Get it? Shinji asks him why he killed Nakamura, and Tojo insists that he no longer wants to kill Yui. Still, Shinji points out that this is a terrible reason to kill somebody, and he’s horrified at how Tojo seems pathologically incapable of understanding the true impact of what he’s done. He only begins to let up when he sees Tojo crying.
Kagawa reveals a second Alternative deck. Yui waits for Ren and Eri, unaware that she’s again beginning to disintegrate. Kanzaki waits at the house as a new Odin appears in the mirror, reflected behind him. Asakura grabs the bars of his cell, letting us know that it’s been a little while since his last appearance. He starts beating at the wood over his window, and guards tell him not to move, bringing in non-reflective handcuffs and leather restraints. Kitaoka and Reiko make their way to the meeting, while Asakura waits…
A Dangerous Sign (Yasuko Kobayashi): Reiko and Kitaoka are suddenly stopped at the prison and told that they can no longer meet with Asakura, that his lawyer is the only one who can see him now. Kitaoka tries to insist he’s thinking about taking up Asakura as his client again, but he learns that the position has already been filled, by another lawyer named Morimoto. As they leave, Kitaoka tries to apologize to Reiko and asks why she wants to see Asakura so badly. She explains that she just wants to know something. He warns her that in his experience, if something blocks you from learning what you want to, it’s a sign of danger (oh, hey, title drop). But she won’t give up, and he has to admit to himself that it’s what he loves about her. You and me both, Kitaoka.
Following his last date with Eri, Ren is out alone in a field. Kanzaki appears, much to Ren’s surprise, which makes Ren realize that Odin was someone else entirely. In a nice moment that shows the difference between the two men (I’ll be talking about the similarities and differences in the Endpoint), Ren tries to ask who Odin was, but Kanzaki says it doesn’t matter. According to Kanzaki, as long as the Rider War exists, there will always be the thirteenth Rider. Once again, he tries to ask Ren to fight someone specific for him, and once again, Ren tells him that he doesn’t take orders from him. At this point, Kanzaki seems to realize that he can no longer control Ren. He’s already done everything he possibly could-he’s threatened Eri’s life, he’s threatened Ren’s friendship with Shinji and Yui, and this is the end result. Ren came out of it stronger and more stable, freed from his original promise and allowed to fight or not because of what he wants. So for the very first time, Kanzaki is honest with him. He tells him that Yui’s life is in danger, and not surprisingly, this is all Ren needs to know to act.
Not much longer after, Shinji tries to offer his sympathy to Tojo following Nakamura’s death, but to his horror, Tojo feels nothing about it at all. I really don’t want to say anything at this point, since what I think is being written is grossly inaccurate and a total stereotype, so I’ll save it for the Endpoint; but I can at least say that they make it very clear that there is something very wrong about his psychological state all throughout. Ren bursts through the door, demanding to know if Tojo’s the one after Yui. You know, I wonder how he would have handled that if he was wrong, like if there was another employee or something. Shinji tries to keep Ren from beating up Tojo right there, but fortunately for everybody’s remaining sanity, Sanako enters, surprised to see that Ren’s back. Shinji then pulls Ren outside and explains everything Tojo told him about Yui and how her death will end the Rider War and force Kanzaki to seal the Mirror World. Ren asks why Shinji even believes Tojo, asking if Shinji’s on Kagawa’s side, but Shinji insists he’d never do that. He wants to investigate Yui’s connection to all of this, though, and see if there’s another way to seal the Mirror World. Ren reminds him that it would mean Shinji’s in his way, and in a beautiful moment that shows just how much Shinji’s matured, foreshadowing episode 49, Shinji calmly answers that he understands. He accepts that he and Ren will be on opposite sides, but this is what he believes-just as much as Ren believes in saving Eri. Before both go their separate ways, Ren checks to make sure that Yui doesn’t know, and Shinji affirms that he can’t tell Yui that everything is for her sake.
Goro gives Kitaoka a file on Morimoto, which worries Kitaoka because Morimoto is infinitely less skilled than him and apparently a total idiot. When Morimoto meets with Asakura, everybody’s favorite sociopath is bound in a straitjacket and other restraints. Morimoto expresses his horror at the treatment and argues for his rights…which would be perfectly fine if not for the fact that this man is a dangerous, violent sociopath, and Asakura knows he’s got a chump to play. Morimoto seeks to show the world that Asakura isn’t the violent monster that, well, we all know he is. Asakura asks for his belongings, and Morimoto says that since they’re evidence, he can’t just give them to Asakura, but he promises to show them to him at their next meeting. This can only end well.
Shinji looks over the photo of the old Kanzaki house, remembering what Tezuka told him about it. He decides to investigate it himself, then notices Tojo looking over his shoulder. Tojo says that he wants to see the house where Kanzaki once lived, so they both try to make their way to the house-I say “try” because Shinji is terrible at remembering directions and manages to get them lost. He suddenly runs into Reiko, who is not only shocked to see him, but also to see the picture of the house. She tries to lecture Shinji, but when he and Tojo sense Monsters attacking, they run off. All she knows is that somehow, Shinji knows about Kanzaki, and he’s not telling anything. They come across the gazelle-type Monsters that Ren once warned always travel in herds-from episode 4. Their presence is foreshadowing for the next Rider to appear, and there are four types of these Monsters according to the Wiki: Megazelles, Omegazelles, Magazelles, and Negazelles, though the Advent Card Archives list only Gigazelle. No, I don’t know which is which, and at this point, I don’t particularly care. They’re gazelle-types and annoying for Ryuki and Tiger to fight, but they do eventually take them down, with Ryuki using Survive.
Kagawa is communicating with his Contract Monster, Psyco-Rogue (current spelling according to the Archives), when Ren suddenly enters with a warning to stay away from Yui. Kagawa isn’t worried, however, and tries to explain that Yui’s death could save countless lives. Then he realizes just who he’s talking to and that Ren could never understand. Ren asks if it’s heroic to kill Yui, but Kagawa argues that the end justifies the means-sorry for the premature 555 reference. Ren challenges him to a fight, and he accepts only reluctantly, since he’d prefer not to sacrifice more people than is strictly necessary. But they’re both interrupted when Kagawa’s young son runs into the room-TV-Nihon has his name as Yuto, though I’m going to admit that it sounds like it could be Yuta too, but I’ll just go with Yuto for now. And in this great moment, Kagawa picks up his kid and shows him and his wife genuine love and affection, and Ren is absolutely horrified, completely unable to reconcile this with the man who wants to kill his friend. Kagawa has to tell his wife and son that he’ll be late coming home and he won’t be able to make it to dinner with them as he sees them off. Ren asks how a man who loves his family like that can then go and try to kill Yui. For the very first time, Ren is seeing things the way Shinji does-with all the contradictions and complexities inherent in humanity. He can’t dehumanize Kagawa into a monster, the way he easily can with Asakura. Kagawa is a loving father and brilliant professor, who just happens to think that he can save the world by killing a teenage girl. Kagawa insists that he’s trying to protect people as he pulls out his deck. He reveals that one day, he came across Kanzaki’s research on the Mirror World and the Riders lying on the floor in Ejima Lab. Uninvited, he started reading it, with all of the insane new physics that Kanzaki had created inside. He didn’t understand a word of it, but unfortunately for everyone involved, Kagawa had an eidetic memory-something he suspects that Kanzaki didn’t know back then. Every word of the research burned itself into his mind, even if he had no idea what he was reading. By the time Kanzaki took his file back, Kagawa already had it memorized. And a year later, he used this research to create Alternative and his variation, Alternative Zero, pseudo-Kamen Riders.
In battle, Knight quickly gains the advantage over Alternative Zero, simply the better fighter of the two. But this advantage is short-lived when Alternative Zero blocks his next attack and warns him to give up on Yui, since it’s already over. Knight realizes that Alternative Zero already set his plan into motion-he’d just sent Psyco-Rogue after Yui when Ren entered, and now Yui is on the run trying to escape it. Knight tries to escape the battle to rescue her, but Alternative Zero holds him off expertly, revealing he’s memorized Knight’s fighting style and attack patterns. Meanwhile, Yui smashes a window to try to escape Psyco-Rogue, but it only manages to get her from behind. Knowing he has to hurry to save her, Knight uses Survive-summoning Darkraider with Blust Vent to create a small windstorm to use as a smokescreen while he escapes and races to find her.
Right after defeating the Monsters, Tiger suddenly turns on Ryuki, badly injuring him. Ryuki asks why Tiger is attacking him, and Tiger says it’s because Shinji is like Nakamura and doesn’t have the courage to sacrifice something, so he doesn’t deserve to be a Rider. In fact, he believes that Riders should be heroes, but according to his definition of a hero, and those who don’t fit the bill should be killed. Kanzaki gave Tojo a deck because of this incredibly fucked up mindset. Which then begs the question of why the hell were there three decks in the first place? Kanzaki knew very well who Tiger was and clearly has no problem telling his Riders who to attack if they’ll listen, which took Ren a while. Hell, Shinji would have listened. And it can’t be to see the Mirror World since Kagawa and Nakamura had the Alternative decks, so…why? Ryuki asks if the sorrow he saw from Tojo the day before was a like, and Tiger supposes that his tears were real, since it was a pity he had to kill Nakamura. He supposes that he’ll cry for Shinji too. Ryuki tries to fight back, but Tiger’s already soundly beaten him and kicks him to the ground, and he knows he doesn’t understand Tiger at all.
Yui wakes up in the Mirror World, with Psyco-Rogue approaching her. Sudden explosions and shattering glass hold it off for a bit, spurring a memory of something similar happening in Yui’s old home. She remembers a child drawing a picture of Dragreder and another child drawing a picture of another Monster, with the two of them surrounded by drawings of Monsters. Then a memory of fire, with the drawings burning. Psyco-Rogue tries to attack her again, but a Monster jumps in to protect her-even glancing at her as if to be sure she’s okay, and she wonders why it’s doing this.
Asakura awaits a meeting with his attorney while a massive herd of the gazelle Monsters hops around the Mirror World. Shimada is taking pictures of her iguana when the Monster spots her and leaps after her…
Memories of an Older Brother and a Younger Sister (Yasuko Kobayashi): …Except no, not really. Shimada’s perfectly okay; the Queen of Crazyland will reign for a while. But her camera did manage to get a picture of the Monster in the glass-somehow. They never explain exactly how beings from the Mirror World are getting captured on camera, but I’m guessing it’s just the separation between the worlds collapsing. The ORE staff is confused, and Shimada has no clue how this “reflection” got there. Megumi suggests that maybe it’s not a reflection, but an image within the glass, and Shimada agrees. From then on, their relationship has me shipping it. Reiko notes that it’s the same with Kanzaki, though Okubo wonders how Kanzaki and a monster in the mirror can be similar. He asks for a copy of the photo so a photography specialist friend of his can look at it.
Back to everything else held over from the previous episode, let’s continue going out-of-order and check in on our favorite sociopath. Asakura is brought in to see his lawyer and, surprise! It’s Kitaoka. Barely playing innocent, he says he has no idea how Morimoto could have gotten food poisoning from Goro’s cooking since Goro is such a good chef. Then, to continue the trolling, he says he hopes that they win a guilty verdict. Asakura kicks at the screen, forcing officers to take him away. Kitaoka, you magnificent bastard, I love it when you put your skills to use for good.
Shinji’s henshin breaks while he lies unconscious and badly wounded. Tiger is about to make the finishing blow, but Alternative Zero stops him. Guess it was a really damn good thing that Knight Survive escaped to save Yui. Zero warns his student about needlessly killing people. Yeah. He warns him that he’s killing too much. He later takes him back to the lab and praises him for trying to be a hero but criticizes him for being a team-killing…well, you know. Tojo says he didn’t feel that Nakamura was a comrade and says he was weak, thereby totally justifying killing him. In a rare display of emotion, Kagawa suddenly breaks a mirror reflecting Tojo to prove a point-by hurting himself. He explains that suffering is what makes a hero-it’s not just a matter of making a sacrifice, you have to suffer because of it. I’m sure there’s no way this can possibly backfire!
After the Monster saves her, Yui looks over and sees Kanzaki. She realizes that he had the Monster save her and tells him that she doesn’t believe that she’s not connected to the Mirror World and the Riders. She apologizes for disowning him, saying he’s still her brother, but for that reason, she insists he should tell her the truth. He tells her not to worry and walks away, vanishing in a whiteout. Knight then arrives and checks on her. They return home to Atori only for Sanako to give them the horrible news that Shinji is badly injured in the hospital. When Shinji wakes up, he sees Yui and Ren right there at his side. Ren asks who hurt him, refusing to believe that Shinji let a Monster get the better of him. Shinji tells them it was Tojo and warns Yui to keep away from him. Ren isn’t surprised in the least, and Yui realizes that Tojo is a Rider too. Shinji’s extremely upset and tries to explain how Tojo killed Nakamura with no remorse, but Yui eases him back into bed before he can aggravate his condition. Once she’s calmed him down, he explains his other worry, that Tojo believes what he’s doing and thinks it’s the right thing to do. Shinji now understands something he couldn’t before: All the Riders are fighting and behaving the way they do because they’re fighting for what they believe in. Ren confirms this and tells him it’s pointless to try to stop them, and Shinji admits that maybe he’s right. He tells them that they don’t have to watch over him, and though it’s clear that Ren is reluctant to leave his disillusioned friend, he and Yui go.
The next day, Okubo, Shimada, and Megumi visit Shinji. There’s much argument over Megumi bringing a funeral-condolences gift and Shimada giving Shinji the breakdown of deductions in his paycheck before Okubo finally shoos them out and promises to be back later, warning him not to do anything dangerous. Though Shinji’s able to put on the barest smile for them, when they’re gone, his face falls and he stares at his deck, troubled by Tojo’s belief in how a Rider should behave as a “hero,” and he drops his deck to the floor. Yui arrives to see him barely able to give her a smile, and his deck abandoned on the floor. She picks it up and explains that she thinks her brother is doing the same as the Riders and fighting for what he thinks is right, and also that she thinks it’s all being done for her. She admits that she was like Shinji in the beginning, wanting to stop her brother for everyone else’s sake. As she begins crying, she admits that now, she also wants to do it for Kanzaki’s sake because he’s not happy. Though Shinji is surprised, Yui is unwavering in her conviction, but he’s still uncertain. They sense a Mirror World presence, and he tells her that he doesn’t have an answer, but he can’t just do nothing, and he thinks it makes him an idiot. But Yui says maybe it’s better this way and hands him back the deck.
At the prison, Morimoto recovers from his food poisoning and goes to meet with Asakura, who is strapped to a chair and masked. Guess what the idiot does. Not long after, Kitaoka arrives, furious with the police for letting Morimoto see Asakura against orders. An emergency is called, and guards wheel out an unconscious man on a gurney, explaining that Asakura knocked out Morimoto. Kitaoka rushes over to the cell, demanding to know how he could do that when fully restrained. The guards let him in, and he realizes Morimoto is the one unconscious in the chair, while Asakura escaped in his clothes. Kanzaki meets Asakura outside and tosses him his deck, telling him to go fight.
Kagawa is driving when he senses the same Mirror World presence and pulls over. The presence is strong enough that Tojo senses it, as does Ren, who’s following him now that both of his friends have been targeted by this guy. Kanzaki confronts Kagawa with the chance to be a hero. He tells him that a Monster is following his family. If Kagawa hands over the Alternative Zero deck and gives up his plans, then Kanzaki will let them live. Otherwise, Kagawa must put his belief in heroism to the ultimate test, to determine if he can be the very “hero” he claims to be-to sacrifice his family to save others. Ren and Tojo arrive, having somehow heard the whole thing. Now, I love this whole bit. You’ve got two extremists clashing-the one who is willing to sacrifice everyone else for one person, and the one who is willing to sacrifice one person for everyone else, and they’re putting their beliefs on the line. And then you’ve got Ren and Tojo essentially being the angel and devil on Kagawa’s shoulder. Ren is disgusted with Kanzaki for this threat; Tojo just affirms that Kagawa will follow his belief of what a hero should do. Ren finally has enough and grabs Tojo, telling him to stop simplifying the matter. Tojo challenges him back, saying that if Ren can’t be a hero, then he shouldn’t exist. Kanzaki tells them to settle the matter with a Rider battle, but Ren glares at him, once again making it plain that he’s not going to fight just because Kanzaki tells him to. Also, for all he’s pissed at Tojo for his beliefs and for attacking his friends, he’s not going to try to kill him for that. But with Ren’s attention on Kanzaki, Tojo pulls out his deck and summons his Monster, Destwilder, to attack Ren. Now, with no choice but to fight the man now attacking him, Ren glares once more at Kanzaki before henshinning and following Tiger. Kagawa watches the battle play out, reflecting the conflict in his own heart, and Kanzaki asks him for his answer. Kagawa henshins and tells him that he’s had the same answer since the day he stumbled on Kanzaki’s file. Kanzaki mockingly asks him if he has a message to pass on to his family, and Zero answers, “Nothing,” as he joins the battle against Knight, shocking Ren by this choice.
Knight uses Trick Vent, which is easily defeated by Tiger and Zero, but both are surprised when all of the illusions shatter and there’s no real Knight. Turns out he’d hidden the whole time, taking the opportunity to go Survive to ambush them, blowing them away with Blust Vent. His Final Vent meets Zero’s similar one, and the explosion throws the both of them, knocking Knight out of Survive. Again. Ouja arrives, asking if the party’s there, but when he sees Tiger, he ignores the injured Knight and Zero and goes to attack, furious about his defeat. Then more of the gazelle-type Monsters arrive, fighting Knight and Zero while Zolda gets into it too, confused about what the hell’s going on and who’s the fake Rider. Still, he doesn’t care, since he’s just going to blow shit up anyway, noting that it’s been a while since he did his Final Vent. Of course, once he says that, a gazelle prevents him from using the attack. As all three are overrun, Ryuki Survive arrives and Final Vents the gazelles. He comes to a stop and tells Zero that he saved his family, for now reason other than the fact that he wanted to. Ouja tries to start another fight, but Ryuki Survive easily holds him off as they reach the time limit.
Okubo returns with the results from the photo analysis. He reveals that the image is definitely real, not a distortion or glare. ORE Journal now knows that the Monsters are real and living inside the glass.
A gazelle herd jumps around, followed by their contract holder, Kamen Rider Imperer…