Rather fitting for Revice as the first Rider show with a Rider whose primary motif is a Tyrannosaurus that there are two of them sharing the main character position and how one of the two would be mainly comical in nature, especially given how appealing dinosaurs are to kids.
Revi and Vice have a symbiotic relationship, Revi needs Vice for power and Vice is granted corporeal form through Revi. Now look at their base designs. Revi has the face while Vice has the color scheme of another symbiotic superpowered character. Which one? Venom.
Your inner demon is essentially your negative emotions brought to life. Kagero reflects Daiji's feelings of being overshadowed by Ikki, and Lovekov is Sakura's sense of worthlessness, but what about Vice? From the moment we see him, Ikki is self-sacrificing. He works hard to ignore the voices in his head telling him to stop a regular customer from eating poorly, he's sacrificed his dream to work in the bathhouse and always puts others ahead of himself. He does all this while lacking a developed sense of empathy so he can't really understand how others are feeling. Vice on the other hand is incredibly selfish and forward with little to no self-control, generally putting his wants well before others'. But the kicker? Vice is much more empathetic than Ikki. He's perfectly capable of understanding and manipulating the feelings of others. Eventually as the two get closer, he turns this back on Ikki as a weird form of externalised self-reflection. The two are perfectly mirrored and as one develops, so does the other.
Why is Daiji's demon named Kagero? He's tired of living in his brother's shadow. Kage means shadow.
Daiji's hair is perfect, Kagero's hair is messy. It's order versus chaos.
Apart from Ichigou and Zero-One, the mixture between Legend Riders and some completely random animals may seem odd, but there are possible connotations as to why:
Decade/Megalodon: Megalodons are extinct sharks; Combine that with Decade's aesthetics, especially the vertical lines on the helmet and you get something resembling a knight's visor. Now which Rider debuted in Decade and had a shark knight motif? Abyss. On that note, Decade could also be considered a card shark.
Double/Eagle: Both eagles and Double are associated with wind; the former needs air currents to fly, whilst the latter has CycloneJoker as their base form. Additionally, the Xtreme Memory used for CycloneJokerXtreme is bird-based, which are the type of animals eagles are. Also, this brings in mind the double-headed eagle icon.
Joker/Condor: Aside from sharing a motif with Double, since Joker is Double's left half, the condor motif brings to mind the Nasca Dopant, who generated energy condor wings for flight, similar to how the Vistamp grants Demons a pair of wings.
Kuuga/Lion: A lion is often associated with courage; one of the lyrics in Kuuga's opening includes "No FEAR, No pain". Additionally, both Kuuga and lions have something to do with leadership; A lion is the king of the jungle, a leader, while Kuuga is the first Heisei Rider, with the numerical term often associated with leadership. The lion ears in the duo's Genomes echo Kuuga's horns.
Additionally, one of Kuuga's pre-production designs had a lion motif.
Noboru Kaneko originally auditioned for Godai's role but was rejected; then the year after, he got the role of a red lion hero.
Faiz/Ptera: Both are very skilled in speed, Faiz's antennas bring to mind of a pterosaur's head, and Vice ending up as a hoverbike echoes the Auto Vajin, the Jetslinger and a pterosaur's flying ability.
Den-O/Mammoth: Den-O's train track mouthpiece have a similar aesthetic to a mammoth's trunk, as well as the wedges somewhat resembling tusks and the peach leaves mirroring mammoth ears. It could also serve as a nod to how elephants, the modern descendant of the mammoth, have good memory, tying in to one of the themes of Den-O (people's memories of the past)
Could additionally be a reference to Saraba Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown.
Fourze/Kong: Fourze often engages in hand-to-hand combat in Base States and has the Hot-Blooded personality to boot, similar with a gorilla's strength, Fourze's helmet resembling a gorilla's head, Base States' white color scheme plus a gorilla would also bringing mind to a yeti/abominable snowman, and the concept of space chimps in general.
The transformation announcement shows that it could be a Visual Pun: gorillas are known for their strong arms, whilst Fourze is an astronaut, just like Neil Armstrong.
Gaim/Kamakiri: Just as mantises have bladed arms, Gaim is often a sword wielder as part of his samurai motif. It may also be a subtle reference to Zi-O's Gaim Armor◊, who had extra limbs on his back resembling the raptorial forelimbs of a mantis.
Ex-Aid/Jackal: Jackals are closely related to dogs, which are often used to help people with disabilities, while Emu is a doctor who helped with physical disabilities. The jackal ears in Revi's Genome also echo Ex-Aid's Anime Hair. As Mighty, the protagonist of Mighty Action X is partially based on Sonic the Hedgehog, the jackal motif may be a Shout-Out to Infinite, who can generate pixel-like blocks with the power of the Phantom Ruby, which visually resembles the pixellation effect that Bugsters generate.
Zi-O/Brachio: On top of the names sounding similar, Zi-O's first episode has Sougo running away from a Tyrannosaurus, which, like brachiosaurus, are dinosaurs. The Brachiosaurus is also meant as a gentle giant, generally peaceful until you make it mad. Sounds a lot like Sougo given that as Ohma Zi-O, he's the most powerful Kamen Rider and will kill you if you press any of his Berserk Buttons. Appearance-wise, the brows on the duo's Genomes resemble Zi-O's clock antennas, with the watch strap bears in mind to the neck of a brachiosaurus, and Vice's Genome mixing elements of both the dinosaur and a Time Mazine.
V3/Turtle: Turtle Bazooka was one of the first two adversaries of V3 and the one responsible for (initially) killing the Double Riders. To a lesser extent, V3's helmet somewhat resembles a turtle's head.
X/Scorpion: Not only was Scorpion Geronimo Jr. the last monster X-Rider fought in his show, X also had his Ridol Whip which looks like a scorpion stinger, and some prehistoric scorpions were aquatic.
Amazon/Mogura: One of Amazon's allies includes "Mogura"/Mole Beastman, the first kaijin to ever ally with a Kamen Rider. Amazon is also notable for the digging speed of his claws, being able to easily dig from ten thousand meters underground to the surface.
Saber/Kajiki: Marlins have sharp, bladed noses, similar with Saber's sword horn. Also, "marlin" sounds similar to "Merlin", and Saber has a form themed after King Arthur. The combination of a swordsman and a marine species also brings to mind Saber's fellow swordsman Kamen Rider Durendal, who is themed after marine life.
ZX/Kujaku: ZX's helmet partly brings to mind a peacock, with the head edges resembling the tail feathers and his mouthpiece looking like stacked "beaks". A peacock is a species of bird and a Bird Dopant was a member of the Underground Empire Badan, which is the successor of the Badan Empire, the enemy organization of ZX.
Build/Kangaroo: Build's helmet somewhat resembles a kangaroo, with the Hop Springer in Build's left leg bringing to mind a kangaroo's hopping and kicking abilities.
Given the Hyper Battle DVD's joking nature, the entire reasoning of the form could be boiled down to a Stealth Pun; "kangaroo" sounds similar to kangaerunote Japanese for "to think", and Sento, as a Science Hero, needs to think a lot.
Also, Vice's Kangaroo Genome brings to mind a joey inside a kangaroo's pouch — a best match for whenever people talk about kangaroos.
Cross-Z/Niwatori: Cross-Z is themed after a Chinese dragon, whilst chickens are associated with the Fenghuang, a Chinese equivalent of the phoenix often paired with the Chinese dragon. Additionally, Banjo's status as a boxer also has parallels to roosters being used in cockfighting, while his Book Dumb and Butt-Monkey status is connected to how chickens are sometimes seen as unintelligent and comical.
Grease/Kirin: Giraffes are mostly yellow and brown, the same colours as Grease's basic form. Giraffes, despite their goofy appearance and gentle demeanour, are deceptively powerful animals that can use their long necks as weapons in combat, and Kazumi Sawatari — a.k.a. Grease — is very skilled at combat despite being a Jerk with a Heart of Gold and a massive Mii-tan fanboy outside of battle.
Rogue/Funkorogashi: Certain species of dung beetles are known as scarabs and represent transformation in Egyptian mythology, which are linked to Gentoku making a Heel–Face Turn before becoming Kamen Rider Rogue. Additionally, Vice being the "dung ball" whilst wearing Rogue-inspired armour serves as a Stealth Insult at Gentoku's shitty fashion sense.
Black/Anomalocaris: While Gorgom had no Anomalocaris monsters, Grand Mutant Darom, one of Gorgom's generals, was a monster themed after a trilobite, which Anomalocaris regularly preyed on. Anomalocaris fossils were also initially mistaken as three different species before a more accurate reconstruction merged them together, similar to how Black's evolved form, Black RX, has three different forms.
Hibiki/Hashibirokō: Shoebills are known for using beak-clattering as a communication method, similar to how Hibiki's powers revolve around drumming and music.
The Vistamp's power to separate Phase 3 Deadmans from their contract holders fits Hibiki's mission to defeat the Makamou, a race of demons. It's also a reference to the shoebill's scientific name, Balaeniceps rex, which makes it a Rex in name and thus has the same ability as Volcano Rex to separate Deadmans.
Agito/Tricera: Agito's main motif is a dragon, tying into the Dinosaurs Are Dragons trope, and his horns spread open before performing a finishing move, giving him a connection to Triceratops, which are colloquially known as "three-horned dragons" in Chinese. In addition, Agito has three normal forms and three super forms, and one of his Super Mode transformations is called Trinity, giving him a strong correlation with the number 3.
OOO/Buffalo: Cape buffalo are found in Africa, the same continent where Eiji experienced his Dark and Troubled Past which caused him to lose all his desire and become eligible for becoming OOO. Eiji's determination to save anyone he can reach has parallels to a bull's violently protective nature, while his willingness to protect others even at the cost of his own life echoes how bulls are used as sacrificial animals in some religions. Visually, the O Scanner resembles a hoof, while OOO' circle motif brings to mind a bull's nose ring.
Wizard/Crocodile: A crocodile resembles a dragon, and it may be a reference to the Leviathan of Revelations, a fire-breathing aquatic monster thought to have been based on the Nile crocodile. Also, many crocodile species live in freshwater habitats, and Wizard has two water-based forms: Water Style and Water Dragon.
Kiva/Hedgehog: Hedgehogs defend themselves with sharp spines, while Kiva is based on a vampire, a mythological creature that drinks blood with its sharp fangs. It may also be a reference to the Hedgehog's Dilemma, a metaphor about the challenges of human intimacy, fitting how Wataru was originally a shut-in with No Social Skills.
Ryuki/Komodo Dragon: It's pretty obvious, Komodo Dragon, especially since Ryuki is the closest Rider to having a direct dragon motif. note Agito's horns are the only indicator of his dragon motif, Wizard is also based off jewelry and magic, and Saber's Brave Dragon is only one third of his completed motif.
Blade/King Crab: Crabs are known for their sharp pincers and tough shells, while Blade is heavily armoured and has a sharp sword as his primary weapon. The fact that it's a King Crab also parallels Kamen Rider Blade's King Form.
Drive/Octopus: Both have some association with the brain. Octopuses are known for their intelligence, which requires brainpower. Meanwhile, some of Drive's catchphrases are "My brain cells are in top gear," and "I'm done thinking about it!" Both of these are nods to him being a good thinker. Fitting Drive's car motif, an octopus with its tentacles spread open resembles a hubcap when viewed from below, while octopuses' ability to spit black ink brings to mind bitumen.
Chaser/Planarian: Planarians are known for their regenerative abilities, and a big part of Gou's character arc is finding a way to restore Chase from his destruction, effectively regenerating his original self from garbage data and scrap metal.
Mach/Chameleon: Real chameleons only change color out of emotions, and forcing them to act like Hollywood Chameleons will naturally stress them out. Likewise, Gou is a Sad Clown who is incredibly irate and insecure due to the stress of his highly-uncomfortable past.
Kabuto/Oomukade: Akin to the Showa Rider-based Vistamps, likely this could be a nod to the centipede-like Geophilid Worms from episodes 23 and 24.
Ghost/Kurosai: Aside from both being associated with the colour blacknote Black rhinos are actually grey in colour and possessing a horn on their heads, both are associated with coming back from near death: Several subspecies of black rhino were driven extinct in the wild while some of them were recently reintroduced back into the wild. Ghost on the other hand was killed by the monster faction for his season, but was brought back as a ghost and had to gather the powers of 15 historical figures in order to be fully resurrected.
Nigou/Spinosaurus: Tying to the translation of Nigou's name (#2), there have been two confirmed species of Spinosaurus named: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus ("Egyptian spine lizard") and Spinosaurus marocannus ("Moroccan spine lizard").
Alternatively, the combinations between Legend Riders and animals are intentionally odd as a Good Counterpart to Showa-era composite Kaijin, who often were a mish-mash of odd motifs. (Isoginjaguarnote Sea anemone + jaguar, Cockroach-Spikenote Cockroach + spiked flail, Starfish-Hitlernote Starfish + Adolf Hitler, etc.)
The series uses stamps as its gimmick because of a secondary theme of Magically-Binding Contract and Deal with the Devil. Japanese people use personalized name stamps to seal the deal rather than signatures or fingerprints.
Stamps are also used by some businesses (e.g., bath houses) to mark physical loyalty rewards cards for frequent customers often giving a reward after filling them.
Why is it the transformation sequence of the Revice Driver shows a chat app screen? Because if you search for images of "stamp" in Japan, you will find a lot of LINE Stamps, which are known to us as Digital Stickers.
When introduced, the villain organization Deadmans seems to be in a rave party and Aguilera uses the Gif Junior Vistamp on the humans and is implied that this is how they get their continual supply of henchmen. Some social venues uses body stamping to let their customers to continually come in and out the venue as long as the mark is on them.
Why is it that to use Vistamps on the Demons Driver needs to first apply it on the Demons Red Pad before applying it on the Ohinjector? It is like inking a stamp on an ink pad before application on a medium.
That Secret Handshake Ikki performs with Vice always ends with Ikki stamping Vice's open hand, as if they renew their contract whenever they transform.
The Doylist reason for the Rider Machine being a hoverbike could be because of Japan's increasing motorcycle laws, which has contributed to the decline in use of said Rider Machines throughout the franchise's run and the subsequent Artifact Title.
Revi and Vice being co-lead Riders in an anniversary series brings to mind Rider #1 (Ichigou) and #2 (Nigou) from the original series.
Remixes generally fuse Revi and Vice, much like the process that creates Phase 2 Deadmen.
Revi Barid Rex Genome can fuse Remixes, much like how the Giftex Deadmen are composed of their main animal of their personal Vistamp with other animal attributes.
Why is Kamakiri especially suited to fight Evil? It has both close and long range options thanks to the Kamakiric Bow, whereas all of his other forms are close range combatants.
It's also a nod to a similar situation in #36 of Gaim where Takatora had to fight Mitsuzane, who performed a Face–Heel Turn; the only difference is that the weapons they use are swapped.
While it has yet to be confirmed, Kamen Rider Evil's base form seems to be inspired by Blade, while Kamen Rider Live's is certainly influenced by Ixa.
The reason Demons uses Showa Era Vistamps? He's based, at least partially, on Spider-Man who had a Japan-only Showa Era TV show.
It may seem a bit odd that Demons would use the Condor Vistamp, since all of the other Vistamps he has used so far are Showa Era Vistamps, until you remember that W was intended to be a homage to Showa-era Rider shows.
Two of the Vistamps Sakura uses include Kujaku and Turtle. Their Rider bases, ZX and V3 respectively, dealt with having deceased sisters and sought to avenge them.
Why is Lovekov the Token Good Teammate and a Joke Character? Sakura was only able to transform in the first place by accepting her weaknesses and flaws. As that's what Lovekov is, it makes sense she'd both be less malevolent and physically weak.
All of the Gifftexes are themed after high-ranking generals of past evil organisations, except Haitani/Planarian Deadman and Aguilera/Queen Bee Deadman. For the former, he's a Big Bad Wannabe who's hardly a threat without someone else to do the fighting for him, whilst Aguilera is but a Puppet Queen and a figurehead meant to be a Human Sacrifice.
The Demons Driver's transformation sounds like an advisory against mishandling of a package (This side up. Deep. Drop. Danger.). Given that Hiromi only got to use it after multiple failures on his part, the transformation announcement is essentially George telling him not to drop the ball again.
Episode #18 reveals it's something else entirely: Hiromi's vitals are as bad as that of an 80 years old, and it was implied that the Demons Driver did this to him. In other words, Hiromi is fragile.
The Demons Driver itself looks a lot like a homemade time bomb, evoking a time bomb being delivered through a package and also foreshadowing that it's draining Hiromi, and he's counting down towards his own death every time he transforms.
The phrase "Danger: Deep Drop" is used on warning signs like this one◊ to warn people against falling off a cliff. This is exactly what happens to Hiromi in #21.
The duality of Live and Evil and their shared primary Vistamp makes a lot of sense when you realize that Microbats are nocturnal and largely carnivorous while Megabats are diurnal and largely herbivorous.
The sin of wrath in the Seven Deadly Sins is represented by the wolf and the colour red. Julio as the Wolf Deadman Riot is exactly that, being a berserker coloured red and black.
With how all the other Riders call to significant milestone monsters, it seems almost random that Revice has a T-Rex motif. However, with Volcano Rex, Ikki ends up becoming a nod to the first two monsters for Kamen Rider Double: the Magma and T-Rex Dopants. With that in mind, it does seem intentional that the first form Revice gets after is the one based off Double.
The Demons Driver's transformation sequence involves a spider wrapping silk around the person and it's later revealed that Hiromi's organs have deteriorated while he looks normal on the outside. How does a spider eat its prey? By wrapping them in silk and liquefying their insides via their venom.
With #25 in mind, an earlier conversation between Aguilera and Sakura changes in light of its reveals. Aguilera tries to invite Sakura to the Deadmans and become part of Giff's family - yet as #25 reveals, Sakura is descended from Giff via the Giff cells implanted into her father Genta, so Aguilera didn't need to invite her when Sakura is technically more related to Giff than she is!
When the Elephant and Shark Proto Vistamps are revealed, they are shown to be the color of the opposite Deadman and the explanation is shockingly mundane. The Deadmen are created from the same Contract Holder at the exact same time, in otherwords, there's been a paperwork mix-up.
Jack Revice is rather obviously ink themed, but Revice in his Thunder Gale form is as well, specifically CMYK color ink. And when combined, both Ikki and Vice blend perfectly, just like a finished drawing.
It makes a lot of sense that Olteca's final transformation would be the Anomalocaris Deadman, since the Anomalocaris was considered a close relative to the ancestors of arthropods and swam using fins on its body much like a squid, meaning it has traits of his squid-themed Deadman and spider-themed Rider forms. In addition, Anomalocaris fossils were first mistaken as three different organisms before a more accurate reconstruction recognised them as the same organism, fitting how the Anomalocaris Deadman is the result of a Fusion Dance between Olteca and Giff.
Junpei being codenamed "Subject: 071" seems like it's just a reference to 1971, the year Kamen Rider first premiered, but it makes sense In-Universe when you realize '71 is also the year Giff's casket was discovered.
Akaishi has a sophisticated, poetic way of speaking and often quotes proverbs and works of literature, which seem to be standard Wicked Cultured behaviour. Then comes the reveal in #33 that he's an Ancient Evil monitoring humanity's evolution for Giff, and suddenly it makes more sense; his job to monitor humanity's evolution requires him to be well-versed in different cultures, and he likely was there to witness the literature works and proverbs he quotes come into popularity.
Why name a clandestine organisation fighting against Giff and the Deadmans Weekend? It's because in Abrahamic religions, the days of the weekend are considered holy and set aside for rest and worship.
As the ending of Revice Legacy: Kamen Rider Vail shows, Yukimi and Genta actually didn't get married, with the former simply stating that she's his wife now after Genta became amnesiac again. One wonders how their sham marriage became reality, but the likeliest explanation is that Bu-san, through his multiple contacts, managed to get their marriage papers forged or doctored to ensure nobody asks questions.
As though to solidify that Akaishi ultimately doesn't intend to hurt humans, there isn't a single (original) Gifftarian in his army as that would require killing someone in the process of creating them.
Destream's suit being retooled from Century may seem like a simple case of reusing the movie-exclusive Rider's suit, but it also makes sense in-universe: Century was George's creation in 2071, so the current-day George based Destream on the future Rider's specs, meaning Destream may actually be a prototype to Century.
Chimera, Daimon and Juuga having retooled arms and legs from Barid Rex also makes sense in-universe due to all of them channelling the powers of multiple animals (and in Juuga's case, the exact same ten animals as Barid Rex), meaning Barid Rex was the basis on which those Riders were developed.
Destream uses the Genomixes of Crocodile, Komodo Dragon and Kong. The former two are respectively based on Wizard and Ryuki, Riders who, much like Genta with Vail, gained their powers by making contracts with the monsters of their series, while Kong is based on Fourze, who fights with Module attachments to his limbs similar to the Genomixes.
Destream's Hercules Beetle motif might have more to it than just the standard insect theme to Kamen Rider. In the original Greek Mythos: Hercules, in a state of madness brought on by the gods, murdered his own wife and children, to which the hero had to perform great tasks to redeem himself. This aspect reflects well with Genta's story arc up to this point: as his connections to Giff, NOAH, and Vail has came around and nearly got his family killed, even by his own hands, to which he puts an end to it with his fight with Vail.
George having his father's inner demon sealed inside him would also explain why, aside from Vail's absence, he was able to use the Demons Driver with no apparent side effects.
Daiji and Kagero's ultimate form, EvilytyLive, is far more powerful than Holy Live. This is because of the concept of yin and yang, where the two sides are meant to be in balance with each other rather than one overpowering the other, such as when Kagero took over as Evil or when Daiji was in charge as Live.
It's very fitting that one of the show's final villains starring a Rider duo based on Venom is a Spider-Man Send-Up who only became truly villainous after experiencing his father's death, essentially being a Corrupted Character Copy of Peter Parker.
All of George's creations before the Juuga Driver deliberately invoke the Phlebotinum Rebel trope common to all Kamen Rider shows. Small wonder that by using a Driver not powered by demons and thus an aversion of the franchise's Central Theme, George becomes a villainous destroyer of all Riders. Although it is worth noting that the core of the Driver contains Giff's Eye, so it is powered by something far worse than any human-born demon.
Why is Juuga referred to as a Kamen Rider despite being an aversion of Phlebotinum Rebel? It's because in George's eyes, he is one; he's using the Vistamps his shady father created to fight against what he perceives as his father's Villainous Legacy.
With the reveal of the Legend Riders the components of the Twin Chimera and Tri Chimera Vistamps are based on, the combinations of Animal Motifs take on some additional meanings:
Twin Chimera: The Vistamp combines King Crab, based on Blade and Crocodile, based on Wizard, effectively complementing the melee-oriented Blade with the long-ranged abilities of Wizard. It may also be a reference to how stage magicians often use playing cards, Blade's motif, in their tricks. More darkly, the user becoming a demon after using the Chimera Driver also references Blade's King Form slowly turning Kenzaki into the Joker Undead with each use and Wizard being powered by the Dragon Phantom.
Tri Chimera: The Vistamp combines Oomukade, based on Kabuto, Octopus, based on Drive and Kurosai, based on Ghost. It seems to be a reference to its main user, Azuma, as he was an ancient human who made a contract with Giff, giving him similarities to the historical figures Ghost's different forms are based on. He's also dressed in a suit much like Shinnosuke, and his status as a Dark Messiah also make him have some similarities to Tendou. In addition, all three have an evil counterpart Rider with the name scheme “Dark [name of Rider]”, fitting Daimon’s status as an Evil Counterpart to Chimera.
With the reveal that the ten animals forming the powers of Barid Rex and Juuga were the ten animals George drew as a kid, it makes Barid Rex's name take on an additional meaning; as in Japanese, the "V" and "B" sounds share the same katakana and hiragana, and a similar phenomenon occurs with "L" and "R" sounds, Barid Rex can be interpreted as Valid Rex, hinting at George's desire to seek validation from his father.
When Vice cooks curry for himself and Ikki in #49, the latter complains that said curry is too spicy. Given that we've learned early in the series that Kagero loves his curry very spicy, it may be that demons, at least those of the Igarashis, have a higher tolerance for spice than humans do.
Earlier versions of the opening shows a building being destroyed with Ikki walking out of it in a suit, his normal self screaming at the skies in the rain surrounded by debris, followed photo of his family cracked. At first it was possible to assume he would go evil or lose his entire family, then cut to #48 and #49 and this all makes sense if you look at it in a less literal interpretation:
The building being destroyed with Ikki walking out of it in a suit, the same suit he uses in #49, alludes to how he destroyed his memories and is moving on from it without regarding to the damage he caused himself and others.
Him screaming to the skies is how he truly feels for having lost all those memories and being unable to recover them. he can do nothing but scream in sorrow and anger at none other than himself, who sacrificed the last of his memories in #49.
And lastly, the cracked photo was the hint at what he was sacrificing throughout the series: his memories of his family. After all, one usually takes photos of memorable moments, so they can look at it and eventually recall what happened in the past.
Vice finishing off Destream with a demon rubber duck may seem like a downright Narm-y version of The Worf Effect, but given how their fight is revealed to be all an act to get Ikki to fight Vice, one gets the idea that Vice was just playing all along, holding back his true strength for his fight with Ikki.
Also, Destream is Genta. It's possible that knowing Ikki fighting Vice can lead to a lot of sadness for everyone involved, he made sure to lose in a comical and embarrassing way to provide some levity in the situation.
One detail is that, even after Vice disappears, Subaru Kimura still remains in the rest of the episode As Himself.
Why is Giff referred to as a Devil despite mounting evidence that he’s actually an alien? Well the ones who dubbed him that were the ancient humans, who had no other frame of reference for “unearthly creature of immense power”. The modern day people use it mostly due to the influence of Akaishi working to preserve the myth.
The opening raises a lot of questions about George's morality in the conflict. One sequence shown has him in a lab of some sort, overlooking three glass containers with some unknown humanoids suspended in liquid. The horror part comes in when you realize that each of these beings bears a disturbing resemblance to past riders: Kuuga, Black, and Kamen Rider Ichigo himself!
Taking into account what happens in Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations, this ties into the Clone Rider system he prepared for the future, which adds for how Crazy-Prepared George is.
More about the opening: When Ikki transforms, we are treated to a shot of "his heart" beat. When he transforms the first few times in the series proper, the same thing happens. And what did George find out about Giff? The very same heart beat. And furthermore, Genta Igarashi has no heart and still is able to live.
Except for one thing: the Kamen Rider worlds sometimes crosses over, but otherwise they are their own worlds, meaning that a single Kamen Rider's world could end and another could still go on. Unless it ends up destroyed or merged, that is.
George claims he gave Daiji the Two Sidriver without knowing/expecting him to be under control of his Inner Demon Kagero, and later he revealed that the driver has the ability to grow stronger if the user overcomes their darkness. The implications is that he lied about being unaware of Kagero and knew all along of all the risks involved, yet opted to believe Daiji could grow strong enough to turn darkness to light and overpower Kagero.
Hiromi's worsening condition and gradually less impressive performances as Kamen Rider Demons were foreshadowing the reveal that using the Demons Driver has been literally wearing him out to the point his body's comparable to that of an 80 year old's body. He still has the will to fight, but his body has been slowly unable to keep up with his fervor against the Deadmans and the taxing demands of the Demons Driver.
The Demons Driver's design resembling a time bomb and its transformation announcement resembling an advisory against mishandling a fragile package implies that George knew about this all along. Whilst it wouldn't be the first time he handed someone else a dangerous Driver without informing them of the full risks involved, it does raise further questions about his morality.
Implies? It is all but confirmed if one takes into account that he gave the obviously evil Kagero!Daiji a new driver and encouraged him to use it. Of course, it was for a good cause, but the chances of things going wrong were far too great. It is very possible he feigns ignorance with the risk of every driver in hope that the user overcomes it by their own will before letting them in the know.
George doesn't just mocks Hiromi's heroism after telling him he had been his lab rat all along, but he cements that his goal is to create the Ultimate Kamen Rider, and that's far from a noble goal: The most powerful forms the Kamen Riders can have are either evil or possess a far too threatening power, with the first and last Heisei Riders serving as major examples (Ultimate Kuuga, which could becoming a walking apocalypse if Yusuke ever slipped out of control for a split second, and Ohma Zi-O, which is the embodiment of all Kamen Rider history, from their creation to their destruction). He's playing with fire, he knows it, and he just wants to keep pushing to see what happens.
Every time before Hiromi transforms into Demons he says that he's ready to give his life for the cause. And what Demons Driver says when Spider Vistamp hits the top of it? Deal. Hiromi literally trades his life for power.
FENIX Tribe's goals remains as a mystery, and keeps growing dark, yet darker... A mystery so dark that Chigusa, a loyal mole infiltrated among the Deadmans Cultists, would rather defect and swear loyalty to the Deadmans. So dark that hides the fact that the Demons Driver contains some sort of sealed evil slowly killing Hiromi.
Why is it Masumi Karizaki faked his death and kept even his son, George, in the dark? Chances are he would be blackmailed into making an army of demons or else his son would face the consequences.
Using the Libera Driver, Lovekov — who lacks combat abilities — is transformed into a weapon (depending on the Vistamp used) for Jeanne to use. This doesn't necessarily mean that Lovekov can fight — in fact, her body is used as the weapon. While this isn't much of a problem when Lovekov becomes a ranged weapon (Turtle Genome), things are different when she becomes a melee weapon (Kujaku & Hashibiroko Genome). As you know, Lovekov often hurts herself by accidentally crashing into walls, lamp posts, etc.. But when Lovekov is used as a melee weapon, this means that Lovekov is taking lots and lots of damage even more than just bumping into walls.
Crosses back into Fridge Brilliance, since Sakura was only able to transform into Jeanne by accepting her weaknesses, and even claims on her first transformation that by doing so she's become invincible; by using Lovekov, who represents her weaknesses, as a weapon, she's literally accepting her weaknesses and turning them into strengths. And once more in that it does actually make Lovekov stronger, to the point that the "wound" that appeared on her from getting roughed up too often is actually a sign of her molting, growing beyond her previous skin, shedding away her weakness to become strong enough to fight alongside and protect Sakura.
The end of Kamen Rider Vail may seem sweet, until you realise that Yukimi has basically been date-raping an amnesiac man. For 25 years.
This is somewhat mitigated by #42, which shows Genta and Yukimi having the same curry dish from their first meeting before his last duel with Vail, and Genta recognises his real name of Junpei when Vail refers to him by that. Taking all of this into account, it's possible Yukimi told him the truth at some point and he decided to just accept their fake marriage as a real one.
The Stinger of the final episode has one for the following series. Entrants to the Desire Grand Prix are shown being handed boxes just like the one Ikki came across before Ace took it from him. Had Ace not arrived at that time, then Ikki would have possibly been thrown into the DGP, possibly at the cost of his own life.
Fortunately, the box Ikki came across was a loot box, containing a single Legend Rider Buckle. And of course entrants of DGP are formally approached by the Navigator, congratulated and offered the Driver along with their unique ID Core and an instruction manual explaining the rules of the Desire Grand Prix.
He eventually did get roped into DGP, but only because Girori enlisted his and Vice's help in stopping Kamen Rider Seeker at the very end, and the Desire Driver was the only way to extend Vice's time long enough. Afer that was done, they were able to leave DGP without consequences.
◊, who had extra limbs on his back resembling the raptorial forelimbs of a mantis.
