Dueling! Departing!? The Ending of Darkness and Light.
- Original Airdate: March 13, 2022
Written by: Hanta Kinoshita
Directed by: Hidenori Ishida
Summary
After learning about their father's dark past, Ikki, Daiji, and Sakura discover that they have the genes of Giff deeply embedded within their DNA. While Ikki is shocked by the revelation, he continues to be anxious about the recent demon incidents. And indeed, Ikki's anxieties are not unfounded, as Kagero continues to grow stronger in Daiji's body.
"I'm a demon, so I can take control of that body. Daiji... it's time you disappeared."
Incensed by Kagero's words, Daiji decides to face him head-on, knowing full well that their fight may come to a tragic conclusion. Then, the fire between their fight gets cut off...
Tropes
- The Atoner: Professor Karizaki helped Genta/Junpei defect from Noah, as well as eventually completed the Libera Driver and Rolling Vistamp, to try to make up for turning him into a Rider in the first place. Sakura points out these hardly make up for what he's done, which Masumi doesn’t deny.
- Broken Faceplate: During their fight, Daiji punches Kagero hard enough to leave multiple cracks and a huge dent in his helm.
- Cliffhanger: Daiji rushes towards Olteca shortly after transforming into Holy Live to end the episode.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Kagero had apparently been growing weaker as time went on, and opted for this Last Dance to try and solidify Daiji's resolve.
- Enemy Without: After nearly twenty episodes of being Daiji's Enemy Within, Kagero separates himself from Daiji.
- Everyone Has Standards: When Kagero comes knocking on George's door for a potential upgrade to the TwoSiDriver, George refused to surrender the Crow Vistamp to Kagero until Director Akaishi ordered him to do so, and even then, begrudgingly handed over the Vistamp.
- Killed Off for Real: Kagero, while getting weaker due to his Made of Evil characteristic, meets his end at the hands of his host, Daiji.
- Love Redeems: Buu-san reveals that Junpei Shiranami turned over a new leaf after meeting Yukimi, adopting a new life and even changing his name to Genta Igarashi in the process.
- Match Cut: We get two, splitting the fights between Evil versus Live and Sakura versus Aguilera.
- The Reveal: Not quite to the extent of the previous episode, but here we have more revelations courtesy of Buu-san and Masumi.
- Genta — whose real name is Junpei Shiranami — used to work for a military research organization called Noah, where he met Buu-san.
- Rather than the heroic Riders his children are, Genta/Junpei was essentially Noah's executioner, constantly forced to dispose of unwanted or out-of-control demons created from the organization's failed experiments to weaponize them.
- Turns out the Deadmans cult was actually an offshoot of Noah, formed from a splinter cell that ran off with Giff's coffin sometime after Genta/Junpei's defection.
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Ikki stops Vice from intervening in the fight between Evil and Live, pointing this out in the process.
- Voice of the Legion: Downplayed; Kagero's voice develops an echo while talking to Daiji in the mirror at the start of the episode, but doesn't occur for the rest of the episode.
