Unfeeling and Fleeting, the Price of Transforming.
- Original Airdate: January 30, 2022
Written by: Nobuhiro Mori
Directed by: Koichi Sakamoto
Summary
"I will... feast on... your life..." These are the words spoken by Hiromi's Demons Driver! Is this a result of his internal body degradation due to continuous transformation?! Hiromi, who puts up a façade of strength before Ikki and Daiji, is nevertheless anxious inside, as he furiously asks George, who gave him the Demons Driver in the first place, what on Earth is going on!
On the other hand, Ikki, who is worried about Hiromi, hears the truth about his condition from Fenix doctor Akemi Mikoshiba, who tells him "The next time he transforms, there's no guarantee he will survive". Just then, Hiromi's classmate, Chigusa Yamagiri, questions Olteca about his pride as a Deadman as she seeks to understand the true purpose of his mission...
Tropes
- Burying a Substitute: As with Wakabayashi's grave, Chigusa's grave is shown right next to it at the end of the episode, with her leaving no remains due to being sacrificed to a Gifftarian.
- De-power: Revice manages to separate Olteca from his demon form, leaving him to be apprehended by Fenix agents.
- Enemy Mine: The Igarashis team up with Aguilera and Tamaki to defeat Olteca, with the latter two gaining the Giff Stamp for their troubles.
- Idiot Ball: Chigusa had it in a death grip when she turned her back on Olteca, who, at that point, was still in possession of the Giff Vistamp.
- Internal Reveal: Akemi reveals to Ikki just how much of a toll the Demons Driver has taken on Hiromi's health. In addition, Hiromi reveals to Ikki and Daiji the demon within the Demons Driver at the end of the Episode.
- Jabba Table Manners: Vice throws caution to the wind after finally getting to eat some curry, with his sloppy table manners combined with whatever's underneath his mask terrifying the Igarashis.
- Kick the Dog: When Hiromi angrily confronts George over the Demons Driver consuming his life, George coldly tells him he's nothing but a test subject, and mocks his Catchphrase and dream of being a hero. What makes this moment especially callous is that the qualities George chose to mock Hiromi for are qualities that the Kamen Riders he idolises possess, which paints himself in a rather negative light.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Hiromi goes on one after Chigusa's death.
- Take a Third Option: Rather than force Hiromi to save himself by sacrificing his dreams upon giving up becoming a Kamen Rider, Ikki encourages Hiromi to continue as a Kamen Rider, promising to instead save the latter's life when it comes into danger of being consumed by the Demons Driver.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Yukimi finally lets Vice eat some curry after Ikki insisted on it at the end of the episode.
- Title-Only Opening: This is one of the few episodes to skip the opening and just show the title, opting to play the full version of the OP during the climax.
- Trojan Prisoner: Judging by Olteca's smirk after being apprehended by Fenix, it's implied getting detained is part of his plan.
- The Unreveal: The Igarashis finally get to see what's underneath Vice's face mask as he finally gets to eat some curry, but his back is turned to the audience all throughout. Judging by their reactions though, it's not pretty.
- Wham Shot:
- During Olteca's flashback on how he joined the Deadmans, the Deadmans Founder is shown to hold his hands in the exact same way as Director Akaishi.
- When Daiji contacts Ikki to let him know about Hiromi's fight, the camera pans from Ikki and Sakura to Aguilera and Julio right behind them, having forged a makeshift alliance.
