Sure, but the point in this episode is that Kirihiko has a perspective that's not that dissimilar from Shotaro's; both men care about Fuuto. Kirihiko is more than just a sneering villain or haughty foil, he's a gigantic nerd that designed the city's mascot. That's arguably tougher for Shotaro to overcome than Nazca!

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 18 - “FAREWELL TO N - FRIENDS IN THE WIND”

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It’s interesting how much this Kirihiko story turned out to be a Sonozaki story.

I can see why – I mean, this is the last Kirihiko story, so you’re better off using it to inform the remaining antagonists for this series. While it’s neat to see Kirihiko realize the limitations of his need for power and authority, albeit in service of what he deems to be the greater good, it’s more compelling to use Kirihiko’s burgeoning conscience and/or awareness of consequences to get a better look at Wakana, Saeko, and Ryubei.

The Wakana scene is the best one, both for its easy charm (Kirihiko is rightfully surprised that Wakana treats him with any affection whatsoever) and the fun twist of Wakana spreading her introspection out to other people. She’s starting to see herself outside the structure of the Museum, and she wants to give Kirihiko the chance to do the same. It’s this nice moment of someone in the Sonozaki family actually treating Kirihiko as something other than an inconvenience or an entertaining failure, and it’s terrific to see that person end up being Wakana.

Because, oh man, do Ryubei and Saeko not see that guy in any kind of positive light.

The Ryubei scene ends up being a bit more exposition than character work, with Kirhiko learning about the source of the Gaia Memories (the Earth itself – I mean, it’s right there in the name, guy) as well as his own role in the schemes of the Museum. He’s been a patsy from the start, just a useful idiot that can maybe be coerced or cajoled into unlocking the Nazca Memory’s abilities, nothing more. Now that he’s topped out his potential and is almost dead, he’s got nothing left to offer the Sonozakis. Ryubei tries to murder him, but in a gleefully half-hearted It’s The Least I Can Do For My Pointless Son-In-Law kind of way.

Saeko, however, goes the full Femme Fatale on him, shrugging off his pleas to join him on the run by pointing out that she never loved him anyway, and also here is a giant ball of energy as an alimony settlement. (She even personally sold the Bird Memory to Akiko, twice.) It’s the final nail in an episode-length coffin, and it comes with the tease that Saeko is not content to be a lieutenant for much longer.

Amongst all of these other character arcs and foreshadowing, we still get a nicely contemplative finale for Kirihiko. He always loved Fuuto, even as he conspired to flood its most vulnerable citizens with USB drug metaphors. He thought he was serving a greater good, and turned his back on power when he realized how much Fuuto was really hurting. Getting to go on that journey with him, even if it only ended up being for two episodes, was nice.

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Meanwhile, there was also a Gaia Memory story happening, and I could not have cared less about it. It never really connects thematically with what’s going on with Kirihiko, and it’s just there to be a line that the Sonozakis crossed. Akane's addiction to enbirdening is hilarious for how unsubtle it ends up being, and none of the cast of kids felt completely fleshed out. (Touma's just A Jerk, and the other two... existed?) I definitely preferred what was going on with Kirihiko to what was going on with Akane and her need to become a bird again.

-Nice to see that the Sonozaki mansion was built atop the scenic and majestic Toku Caves. I love them so much! Easily in my Top 3 for toku locales, alongside Kamen Rider Stadium and That One White-Checked Building.

-Accel’s almost here!!!

While I have no qualms with how Kirihiko exits the show, I think it was a missed opportunity to not do a Kamen Rider Nasca that time when we had the Eternal prequel and Accel follow-up.

I think I'd've honestly preferred a return of Kirihiko over the origin of Eternal, if I was given the choice. (I mean, there was NO WAY we'd get Nazca over Eternal, considering how many other appearances Eternal's made over the years.) There's plenty to be mined from Kirihiko's face turn, in the aftermath of the Museum's plan. Plus, you only really need Shotaro to come back, and he's the easiest part of Double to get!

Same. Honestly, if they could I hope they do one for say a 20 year anniversary special. I liked the Eternal prequel, but a Kirihiko follow-up would've been equally nice.

When these episodes first aired I was really surprised that the show killed off Kirihiko. I'd assumed that he was going to be a big deal throughout the entire show - he even got his own Figuart, which is still pretty rare for a non-Rider villain (I think, I honestly haven't followed the line in years). It's a good send-off for the character, but it still feels like they could have gotten more mileage out of him. Still, not the end of the line for Nazca; I do not remember who uses it (Saeko?), but I know it shows up again later on.

But yes, Accel's finally here! More than a fair trade for Kirihiko.

Go play Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez. Anyone who's a Kirihiko fan will be pleasantly surprised.

It shows more of Shoutarou's values as well. There's no doubt that Kirihiko is an amicable guy who loves Fuuto as much as Shoutarou, but due to his circumstances with the Sonozaki crime syndicate, his idealistic vision of the future was twisted in to villainy and he ironically became the opposite of the values he stood for. Their climactic fight is melancholic for Shoutarou, who doesn't want to fight someone he respects. But he knows he has to, not only to stop Fuuto from crying, but to stop Kirihiko from crying as well. Shoutarou already carries the guilt of losing Soukichi, so he wants to spare Kirihiko that terrible feeling of losing what's most important to him. It's also the most memorable CycloneTrigger appearance for me.

And he's going to Leave All Behind!

In that case, Toei should learn from Heisei Generations Forever and book Suda in advance this time.

Maybe Kirihiko would be a good candidate to join the Outsiders.

Kirihiko and Daido fans alike get to enjoy their brief yet dramatic interactions with Shoutarou. Both boss battles feel like big moments for the game.

You misspelled Heroez BTW.

If they end up doing anything for a 20-year anniversary special, I'm guessing a Nazca special is way down the list, below Wakana but above Santa. Still! A TTFC special is never out of the question!

And he instantly hates Fuuto and its wind, so we are probably not going to have the budding bromance that Kirihiko and Shotaro had.

Also, the definitely did a Nazca Figuart... because I just bought one, along with Clay Doll. These rewatches are making me grow my Figuarts collection in unexpected ways!

(They actually did two Nazcas: the regular one, and the red R Nazca, that I do not remember at all.)

A curious fan could also watch the Let's Play that someone on the boards cooked up.

I mean, to be fair, Kirihiko wasn't some sweetheart that was misled by a family of villains -- that dude was Eyes Open on multiple murders, and did not care about the collateral damage inflicted on the citizens of Fuuto thus far. (He seemed pretty jazzed about the Virus Dopant's killing spree!) His moral failures happened way before he got married to Saeko, and his red-line was only just crossed. It'd've been interesting to see what his morality would've looked like going forward!

So uh, you ended up calling Akane "Akiko" multiple times in both of these past write-ups. Made me think I'd accidentally watched the wrong episodes or something.

Anyway, this two-parter was totally perfect for me, and are big contenders for my favorite pair of episodes in the show.

You claim it's the subplot, but really, with how everything is structured, I'd argue that Kirihiko is the main spotlight for both episodes as a whole, to the point he's the one who leads off the first part proper. Even the Kids Doing Drugs PSA is there primarily as a vehicle to get him to not only show some initiative in figuring out just what the heck is going on with the Sonozakis, but also actually taking the time to observe how Kamen Rider handles the city and its people.

And what a great turn out it all results in overall. Wonderful character development for Kirihiko, a great expansion of the lore the show has set up, great interactions between all of the characters and some of the best cinematography we've seen up to now. I actually totally agree with the wiki that this marks a proper end of Act 1 with not only the feeling of finality the whole thing has, but just how big of a push forward it has for the show as a whole. The atmosphere was all around on point!

And I guess now is as good a time as any to bring up something that always caught me by surprise and impressed me with W overall; The way in which the drug metaphor with Gaia Memories is used. Not only do these episodes showcase the usual dangers that people are warned about(withdrawal, addiction, etc), but it's noted many times that the only real protection comes in the form of Drivers, and that it's not exactly a secret that our protagonists use them as well. Which in turn makes the lesson less "drugs are things only bad people use" and moreso "Use drugs responsibly if you're gonna use them at all." Which in turn is a very mature message not just for a kids show, but for Japan as a whole, given how anti-drug Japan is in general.

It's just a really great time overall, and that shot of Kirihiko's' Japan Flag that he always wore around his neck floating in the wind gets me every time. Really wish he hadn't died here, but it's a great send off and, hey, it atleast eventually lead to Memory of Heroez!