Thief of Light
Summary
Something tells me Captain Marvelous would be proud of him.
Shinichi Saruhara, who spends most of his time at his own pace whimsically writes haiku. One day, he picks up his smartphone and transforms into Saru Brother, accepting his destiny like a cloud that changes shape every day.Meanwhile, Taro delivers a parcel to Haruka's house, mistakenly being arrested by Detective Yuriko Kito, Haruka's aunt. Recently, thieves who pretend to be courier companies have appeared. Dismissing him and not allowing him to introduce himself, Haruka decides to accompany Taro's delivery in search for Taro Momoi, not knowing that the two are one and the same.
Tropes
- Bait-and-Switch:
- In-universe, Haruka believes that her fighting spirit is what got her out of an escalating harassment situation. In actuality, it was Taro flicking peanuts so hard that it knocked out the two men harassing her. This is what makes her believe that he's so weak, he can't possibly be the Taro Momoi she's looking for, which is clearly not true.
- Sononi appears to be the only one of the Nōto to have a soft spot for the Hitotsu-Ki, having called Kaitou-Ki "cute" the entire time. She even cuts into the battle to shield him from the Donbrothers' Finishing Move, until...Sononi: You're cute, but I don't like you. I'll exterminate you. (Kills Kaitou-Ki)
- Brutal Honesty: Since he can't lie to Haruka, he calmly explains to the girl that the only reason her search went on longer than it should have is because she never let him introduce himself.
- Call-Back: Taro remembers his first encounter with Haruka in the first episode, commenting that their bond is strong now.
- Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of the episode, Taro accidentally knocked off his nametag when talking with Yuriko. Later on in the episode, Haruka stumbles upon his nametag after seeing the state of her and Yuriko's apartment, finally connecting the dots that he and Don Momotaro are the same person - much to her chagrin.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Taro tries to introduce himself to Haruka, but while looking for his missing nametag; she insists to refer to him as only Shirokuma instead, after his company When Taro finally confirms he's "Taro Momoi" to Haruka the next day...Haruka: Why didn't you say so!?
Taro: Because you wouldn’t let me. - Curb-Stomp Battle: Taro easily subdues Kaitou-Ki, coming very close to defeating him if it wasn't for Sononi's intervention.
- Internal Reveal: Haruka finally learns who "Taro Momoi" is.
- Missed Him by That Much: Taro and Haruka leave an apartment after making a delivery right before Kurokuma strikes at the very same apartment they made a delivery to.
- Mistaken Identity: Yuriko thinks that Taro is the culprit behind all of the lamp theft that's been occurring throughout the city, due to Haruka letting him into the house to do her chores in order to get him to leave afterwards. It takes Taro pointing out that he works for Shirokuma Express and Haruka explaining the situation for her to back off.
- Mood Whiplash: After Kurokuma's untimely death at Sononi's hands and Taro's failed attempt at defeating her, Haruka decides to swear fealty to him. Cue him kicking her to the point where she's flying and suddenly fighting his own teammates out of sheer frustration, all the while laughing like usual. Haruka could only look at the audience in exhaustion.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Shinichi notes that deliverymen are often abused on the job, Haruka remembers what she did to Taro that morning - namely telling him off and forcing him to do her chores - and becomes instantly remorseful.
- Never My Fault: Haruka blames Taro for not telling her that he was Taro Momoi sooner, only for him to note that she simply didn't ask for his name.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Taro suddenly drops the Large Ham personality in favor of Tranquil Fury, having been enraged by Sononi's murder of Kurokuma. Even when he returns to laughing as usual, he's fighting his teammates out of sheer frustration.
- Kaito is unsettled by the sudden appearance of the Lupinranger Sentai Gear at his desk, aware that it was not the Donbrothers' doing.
- Out of Focus: As most of the episode is dedicated to Taro and Haruka's search for Kurokuma, as well as formally introducing Shinichi to the audience, Tsubasa and Tsuyoshi only make appearances in their Donbrothers' form during the fight scene.
- Trauma Conga Line: Downplayed. The worst that happened to Shinichi after becoming Saru Brother was a localised earthquake in his house. While his lights were stolen, so we’re those of other people.
- You Didn't Ask: Taro says this word-for-word when Haruka questions why he didn't tell her that he was the "Taro Momoi" she was looking for.
