I'm so salty. Taiga is my favorite character. I can't say I didn't see this coming though...

This episode turned me into a bawling mess. That is not an exaggeration, and it's not allergies. Hiiro's entire character arc is a Rod from God to the soul for me.

For reference, this is what he's talking about.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jOKf5r_JMAo

Something that I couldn't get out of my head the entire time I was watching this episode was whether or not death actually matters in this show any more. Almost ever important character who's died in this show has been brought to life and, while I don't have a problem with Death not being an issue, this show keeps pretending that it is Couldn't they just bring Taiga back along with everyone else later? Is there something that I'm missing here?

Perhaps there will be a revelation later that all the people who are being brought back to life are like this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz1r53WSJCw

The preview's implying Taiga's death will be by surgery, not Bugster Virus, meaning Taiga would be dead forever. And if a Bugster's data is deleted, the bugster is gone for good, like Burgermon, meaning Dan the Manly's threat to Hiiro holds weight

That had certainly crossed my mind, especially since Ex-Aid is about death and making death meaningless literally goes against the entire show, but I still have no idea whether the dead can truly be brought back to life by the Proto Gashats and just about everyone who has is more or less fine. Then again, this could just be luring me into a false sense of security... I guess we'll just wait and see.

That is true. It also fits with my head canon that the battles between the Gamer Riders and the Bugsters take place in semi-alternate reality.