Don't you think that would be the point where Kiva would clench the status as "Powerful" though? Using the sword that was only controllable by the previously evil king without limiting the power?

If Kiva was a series about watching Wataru's evolution from antisocial wimp to great hero and King, wouldn't truly controlling the sword be the epitome of his growth, then?

Kiva is strong, no doubt. But I'm hesitant to call him "Very powerful" when he's still using safeties.

Up to episode 20 of Ryuki.

Damn Ouja is badass! Also first non-civilian death we've had in some time, I kinda expected Gai to stick around a bit longer than this, I figured it was gonna be Zolda that was taken out at this point. Glad I was wrong on that though.

Things are heating up.

Oh and question, the "Episode Final" special and "13 Riders" movie...do I need to watch them?

Plot consistency on Kiva. lol.

Conversely, he might just go straight to ultimate form because he's too much of a wuss to rely on his normal forms when he can just spam Emperor.

Or, you know, he just used Emperor form because the suit actor hated the Kiva form suit. :p

Personally, I've always ranked Kiva as a pretty mid-tier Rider, power-wise. Next to the real powerhouses - Kuuga, Agito, OOO - he's not that strong. But I'd still rank him above some of the lower level guys - Ryuki, Hibiki, Den-O. In a lot of ways, he always came off as a watered down Kuuga/Agito hybrid.

Don't get me wrong. In the grand power scheme it goes down like this for me:

Kuuga or Agito
OOO
Decade
Kiva

That still puts Kiva leaps and bounds ahead of Ichigo through Den-O & W, Fourze, and Wizard. I think being top 5 is pretty powerful.

I really wouldn't rank Kiva above Kabuto.
And no, I'm not just saying that because "LOL CLOCK UP."
Tendou is just too efficient at fighting, relying on telegraphed moves to dodge and counter (And with a sword, you're always telegraphing your swing). Hell, his Rider Kick was acknowledged as a counter kick.
And then, when things do get hairy, he has the aforementioned Clock Up as an instant "Get out of fuck up free" card.

I'd actually also rank Kabuto, and Wizard over Kiva, maybe even Blade. And if we're bringing in Showa guys I'd add at least V3 and Black RX (Biorider was fucking hax).

Finally got around to watching the Fourze movie. I loved the hell out of it, but it was ridiculously fast paced. The choreography in it was incredible though, some of the flashiest fight sequences I've seen in a while. The 12 Horoscope battle was incredible, and Meteor Fusion States was a lot better on screen then I was hoping.

Even Wizard stood out really well. I don't if it was just because they weren't quite sure how they were writing him or what, but there definitely felt something different about his character. I really like that Gen is the reason he took the title of Kamen Rider.

Finally finished Faiz. I don't know how to put those black spoiler thingy (sorry I'm an ignoramus!) so I'll just say SPOILERS BELOW. Though most of you probably have seen Faiz but for the benefit of those who hadn't and wish to see the show I'll be mentioning some spoilers.

I think I know now why most people have a problem with Faiz. The ending, well its a cliffhanger of sorts. The King was still alive, badly injured but still alive. Saeko who was empowered by the King is still there, so it wasn't a definitive ending. Then you got Takumi who's probably gonna turn to dust anytime soon.

I think another one that bothers people is the complete 360 in Yuji's personality towards the end. I guess you could say it was because of what happened to Yuka but still it was a drastic change of personality.

At any rate I like the show, not as much as Ryuki, but I found it decent enough. The cast of characters wasn't that strong, I mean Takumi wasn't my favorite character at all, unlike how I found Kuuga's Godai or Ryuki's Shinji whom you just want to root for, Takumi on the other hand you can't say what his motivations were. Its like he's the hero because he can wear the belt. Anyway Kusaka was a great antagonist in the show I liked how he was handled. Mari was a good secondary character Keitaro on the other hand was just there. The Orphenoc trio of Yuji, Yuka and Kaido I liked a lot. Oh and Saeko, damn thats one hot woman. I mean she's not even you're usual Toku Hottie who shows a lot of skin in fact she's pretty covered most of the time but that doesn't stop her from being hot (now I miss that Kamen Rider Babe thread we had, what happened to that?).

Of the four Kamen Rider shows I have finished I would rank Faiz
1. Ryuki
2. Kuuga
3. Agito
4. Faiz

Now just need to watch the Paradise Lost movie then off to Blade. I think its a good show with its card theme.

Yep, that's pretty much most people's complaint with 555. The ending is a huge mess and the lack of resolution for, well, anything can't help but leave a really bad taste in your mouth.

Have fun with Blade next, it starts kind of slow but it's a great show.

There is no point in watching them until after the series. Neither one of them are canon. However, make sure you watch the 13 Riders special with Ending B.