The Demon Calls For The Demon.
- Original Airdate: May 8, 2022
Written by: Nobuhiro Mouri
Directed by: Hidenori Ishida
Summary
Director Akaishi publicly hints to his sinister plans to the general public, also intending to hold a press conference to that end. As such, Daiji, having witnessed the truth concerning Akaishi, calls Ikki to aid him in preventing the Director from holding the conference. However, things grow more complicated when Vail enters the scene to continue putting the Igarashi family through the wringer and eventually claim their heads...
Tropes
- The Bad Guy Wins: Despite the heroes' best efforts to stop Akaishi's plans, the Fenix director manages to turn the tables and handily defeats the Riders, while getting Giff to turn Akemi into a Deadman.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Played for Laughs with Tamaki and Hikaru tailing Sakura and Hana to watch over them despite the fact that Sakura is the most capable combatant of the four as of that episode.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with a transformed Akemi about to finish off a badly injured Daiji, though the preview for the next episode shows him alive.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: It would be very generous to call the confrontation with Director Akaishi a "fight" when a simple thrust of his hand downs all four Riders present. But Daiji is hit with this the worst as he is ejected from his Holy Live form and given a nasty neck wound for his trouble.
- Despair Event Horizon: Akaishi doing whatever he's doing to Akemi breaks her spirit to the point Giff transforms her into a Deadman.
- Enemy Mine: Daiji asks Weekend for their help to bring down Akaishi.
- Foreshadowing: George shows off the new and improved Demons Driver with the Kuwagata Vistamp to Daiji.
- Hell Gate: Akaishi opens a portal to Giff's dimension in the ceiling of George's lab, through which wave after wave of Gifftarians (TRUE) drop down to fight the Riders.
- Internal Reveal: Ikki, Vice, Sakura, and George all learn about Akaishi's true nature as well as Giff's whereabouts in this episode.
- Morton's Fork: Director Akaishi presents Akemi with two choices: Side with Giff in ushering in his glory to humans, or to become his food. Understandably, Akemi relents and chooses to side with Giff as she didn't want to die, but in the process gets converted into a Deadman. To make matters worse, it's implied that Akaishi is about to present this choice to the rest of Japan soon afterwards.
- Stalker without a Crush: Played for Comedy. Sakura and Hana constantly call out their own "stalkers" Hikaru and Tamaki respectively for stalking them on their Girls' Day Out, with the former claiming that it's his duty as Sakura's bodyguard while the latter is due to his Undying Loyalty to Hana, even after having left the Deadmans life for good.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Inverted. Hikaru requests to assist Sakura for their confrontation against Hideo, but Tasuke forbids him as he isn't empowered to fight demons. He then requests Masumi to make a Driver to empower him, but Hana tells him it is best for him to stand back and believe in Sakura's strength in reponse to Masumi's silence.
- Worf Had the Flu: Vice notably underperforms in this episode after being shaken by Vail's words that one way or another, he will be separated from Ikki eventually.
