- "E" stands for Energy, the newest Dopant; and "End".
- #49's other title is "A Bouquet Of Justice To This City"
It's been one year since Philip's merging with the true Gaia Memory. Fuuto Tower's finally been repaired, but not all's right in Fuuto—and not just the fact that there are still threats to the city. No, it's about Shotaro's promise to Philip, and now he can't face him again...
After leaving a pet shop after giving the third degree to one of its workers for not having the cat food he needed (Mick is pretty damn particular), Shotaro heads back to the Agency, fully aware that he's being followed by a young boy. The boy in question, one Akira Aoyama, needs help finding his sister Yui, who has gone missing for three days. Taking the case—and Akira with him—Shotaro goes to Watcherman and Queen & Elizabeth, learning that Yui was last seen with a gang calling themselves "EXE", young people who have been buying up Gaia Memories. After learning that their leader goes by the handle "Energy", Shotaro decides to call Philip—before remembering that he's "still overseas".
Eventually, Shotaro and Akira find the EXE hangout, where they find Shiro Endo with five EXE members—and one of them has Yui. Turns out Yui'd sold EXE a Gaia Memory she found for a high price. Endo declares that they are taking over the Gaia Memory business in place of Museum. When one of the EXE flunkies becomes the Anomalocaris Dopant as a distraction, Shotaro transforms into Kamen Rider Joker to defeat him as Endo's posse take their leave. Chasing after a frightened Akira, Shotaro explains that they are no different in not being strong on their own, before telling the boy to meet him at the detective agency.
It's at this point that we're treated to a Flashback from after the Utopia Dopant's defeat. Shotaro and Ryu arrived at the hospital where Wakana Sonozaki was being kept at, finding personnel running in a panic, with Jinno and Makura hugging each other in terror. The cause: Wakana's out and aboutnote , and started to attack everyone with her Dopant powers (minus her belt or Memory). Our heroes chased her to the roof, where Ryu prepared to strike Wakana down as Accel. But Shotaro stopped him, reminding him that killing Wakana would make Phillip's sacrifice in vain—
—oh, dear, and she heard that. Wakana demanded to know what Shotaro was talking about. So Shotaro relucantly told her: Phillip—her brother—sacrificed himself to save her. With a cry of anguish, Wakana shoved him back and stepped away...vanishing before the detectives' eyes.
Back to the present day, Shotaro returns to the office...just as Philip's voice pops up. The Hope Spot is soon shattered when Shotaro sees the culprit: the Frog Pod impersonating Philip's voice, in an attempt by Akiko to cheer him up. As Shotaro heads back into the Hanger, Akiko explains to Akira that Philip's not actually overseas, that he's "with the Earth now". While digesting this, Akira suddenly gets a text message from Endo to come to their hideout alone. Akira arrives there, Yui revealing that she hid an Ocean Memory in his bookbag. Yui and Akira take advantage of this diversion to run away, as another EXE member transforms into the Cockroach Dopant to pursue them. However, having placed a tracking device on Akira's shoe, Shotaro arrives to their location and becomes Kamen Rider Joker to defeat the Cockroach Dopant, just as Ryu takes out most of the other EXE members, allowing Akiko to get Akira and Yui to safety. After destroying the Ocean Memory and arresting the various members of EXE, Shotaro believes that everything is resolved. However, the pet shop worker from earlier arrives, revealing himself as EXE's actual leader and transforming into the Energy Dopant. He blasts at them from his arm-railgun. Shotaro blocks the shot with his body, and he falls over, seemingly dead.
...wait, he's grunting in pain? And was that the Xtreme Memory with the projectile lodged in its wing?
From out of nowhere, the Xtreme Memory had taken the shot for Shotaro, knocking them both down. The Xtreme Memory then emits a familiar green light, and a familiar young man stands up from it.
"Hey, Shotaro."
Philip reveals that almost a year ago, after Wakana accidentally learned that Philip sacrificed himself to save her, she found her mother Shroud, who at that point was terminally ill. Before passing away, Shroud revealed to Wakana how she would be able to invoke the Gaia Impact. Wakana used this opportunity to bring Philip back to life, restoring his existence by sacrificing her own. Philip was then approached by all of his family in the Gaia Library, saying their goodbyes and entrusting the well-being of Earth—and Futo—to him as they dissolve into the True Gaia Memory. But, as his body needed time to be fully restored, Philip watched over Shotaro from afar up until the Energy Dopant's attack.
However, Shotaro and Philip's reunion is cut short by Energy as he resumes his Dopant form. Together again, Shotaro and Philip transform into Kamen Rider Double, defeating the Energy Dopant with their Joker Extreme Maximum Drive.
Tropes in effect:
- Bait-and-Switch: the viewer is lead to believe that the seeming leader of EXE is the Energy Dopant. However as the heroes leave triumphant, his ruined Gaia Memory manages to sputter out "Edge", setting up the near Cruel Twist Ending.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Energy wants to be considered a huge threat very badly, but his entire reveal and attempted murder of Shotaro is pantsed by Philip's revival and he spends the rest of his time in the limelight being either ignored outright or getting clobbered by Double, who draws out the fight by rapidly switching between forms out of nostalgia.
- Book Ends: To the first arc, The W Search.
- Shotaro's Spit Take to an unexpected statement, this time being Akira proudly proclaiming that he can't do anything without his sister Yui.
- Philip, upon returning and seeing Akira, says, "I already looked you up. You did a good job."
- Call-Back: In addition to the above Book Ends...
- Shotaro transforms into Kamen Rider Joker, previously used in Kamen Rider W FOREVER: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate.
- Chandler's Law: Just as Akira and Yui are rescued and the EXE lunkies are apprehended, EXE's real leader shows up with the Energy Memory in hand.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The pet store worker that Shotaro got angry with.
- The Glomp: Shotaro does this to Philip when he gets his body back.
- Hypocrite: Akira thinks this of Shotaro when the Frog Pod trick leaves the detective a dejected shell in the Hanger, because he thinks Philip is studying overseas. It takes Akiko telling Akira the truth that makes him drop it.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Akiko's reaction when her attempt to cheer Shotaro up with the Frog Pod...fails. She even begs Shotaro to hit her with her green slipper; and when he doesn't, too dejected to get angry with her, she halfheartedly hits herself in the forehead with it.
- Akira himself has this when Akikio explains what really happened to Philip, clearly being distressed to learn that Shotaro had lied to him to avoid telling him that Philip wasn't overseas but dead.
- "Not So Different" Remark: A positive example. Akiko directly compares Akira to Shotaro, citing their shared reliance on an important person in their lives. This is reinforced by Akira being just as stubborn and, when the chips are down, brave as Shotaro.
- Retroactive Recognition: Two future Super Sentai members play guest cast here. Yui is played by...well Yui Koike in her first ever role. A few months later she'd be cast as Ahim De Famille aka Gokai Pink in Gokaiger. The leader of the gang was played by Shouhei Nanba. 6 years later, he'd be cast as Leo/Zyouh Lion in Zyouhger.
- Running Gag: Subverted cases with Akiko's slipper slap and Shotaro yelling at Akiko. Thanks to an accidental opening of an old wound for our half-boiled detective, neither happens.
- Sequencing Deception: When Energy shoots Shotaro, the camera cuts to Wakana about to do something. It cuts between the two until it shows where Wakana is standing: in front of the Fuuto Tower during its reconstruction, meaning what she was doing occurred long before the present events of Episode 49.
- Significant Double Casting: Akira is played by the same child actor who played a young Shotaro in a flashback back in Episode 1, hammering home their mirrored personalities.
- Spit Take: Akira proudly proclaiming that he can't do anything without his sister Yui prompts this from Shotaro. Doubles and a Book Ends Call-Back to the first episode.
- Sucksessor: A villainous example. EXE, while relatively threatening as a street gang, are nowhere near as powerful as Museum despite their lofty ambitions of replacing them. They come off more as a group of Gaia Memory junkies scrounging for their next hit than actually capable criminals. The only truly dangerous one is the Energy Dopant and he spends the majority of his transformed screentime getting clowned on by Double.
- The Promise: from Episode 48 is revisited here. Specifically, Shotaro accidentally let slip of Philip's fate in front of Wakana. This left him feeling guilty, but on the bright side it also spurred Wakana to do something about it...
- Time Skip: It's been one year after Kamen Rider Double's triumph over Jun Kazu, as well as the NEVER incident that saw Futo Tower get destroyed. This becomes a plot point regarding Wakana's activities following Episode 48, during which Futo Tower was still being rebuilt; while the present events of Episode 49 take place after Futo Tower's rebuilding is completed.
- The Unseen: Blending with The Unfought, we never get to see what the Ocean or Edge dopants looked like or could do.
- Philip: You haven't forgotten the catchphrase, right, Shotaro?
Shotaro: Of course not, Philip. To the villains who make this city cry will forever hear these words from us... (flicks his left wrist)
Both of them: Now, count up your sins!
