It's the thing this show does better than any other Rider Rivalry (or whatever you want to call the standard friction between main cast members): Eiji and Ankh are constantly trying to outwit each other, and keep each other in check. They vaguely want the same thing -- defeating the other Greeed -- but they want it for such different reasons that their ostensible partner is also their most immediate obstacle.

This tendency seems to be not limited to Eiji and Ankh, but just media in general, where the sweet heroes would feel reactive, only reacting to problems that happen to others to help them, and that the villains, or at least much more morally questionable good guys, would be the proactive one, driving the plot by going after their goals. Also, how heroes are seen as just predictable that they're only about doing the right thing, where the other can have variety in what they do for their goal. I don't know if this common trait of media can be actually solved, while still having the heroes retain Eiji's virtue (rather than, well, making them morally questionable as said above). Then again, Eiji is someone without a desire.

Superhero shows would usually have the people who least deserve help getting help, by the righteous characters, but seems that many of real life people, even those who believe they're good people, would discourage it and wish for 'karma' for someone that deserves it, particularly villains they have a sympathy for, but also including those who make foolish decisions like said glutton V/MOTW. This can make those virtuous heroes feel less of a human and more of a messianic-like figure to not feel the same way as them and instead being seemingly incapable of holding negative feelings and contempt like humans'd be expected to.

Dunno if Ankh'd think Eiji being nice means he'd be a doormat that'd please Ankh anytime (or the people Ankh assigns to 'help' for his own purpose), which isn't limited to complete bastards like Ankh, but also many normal people thinking this. But ofc, being nice means one should oppose wrongdoings, like Ankh's callousness or attempt to murder innocents like Hina. Wish this'd be more widespread rather than being seen as Eiji 'knowing the time to be an asshole' to Ankh. About Eiji trying to fight the parasite glutton and endangering himself, missed a chance to have Eiji further threaten Ankh to lose his only means to regenerate, but after the Yummy came out, Eiji is now shown to be a capable fighter that can stand up to the Yummy's attacks as human.

He actually gets a couple more in there throughout the series, but it will never *not* drive me insane that OOO had such a cool Rider Kick and basically never got to use it in any standout moment. Like, if you're gonna do this subversion so early, at least make him finish off something in the first two episodes with it so there's something there to subvert!

That's what makes people like Eiji heroes!

Alternately, if you've already had two successes by coin-operated sword and in-built arm blades, and one failure by kick, that's maybe why Eiji doesn't go to the Rider Kick well that often! This is just the show providing context for the character to go a different way, maybe.

(I will also now carry with me the headcanon that as Eiji goes to finish off every Yummy from now on, he does a little mental calculus before he's about to leap into the air for a Rider Kick and thinks But What If Kazari Is In Hiding Somewhere, and then just cuts the monster in two.)

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 4 - “DOUBTS, PICS, AND A HELPING HAND”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ooo/ooo04a.png

DOUBTS:
We’re only in the second half of our third story for this series, so it’s the perfect time to interrogate its foundations. With the breathtaking speed of OOO’s storytelling, we don’t really have the sort of stability that would make a test on Eiji and Ankh’s partnership a non-starter. It’s completely believable that Ankh would flip on Eiji, because we just don’t know enough about either one of them – the series to date has mostly been them scrambling to figure out a dynamic that works around various impediments and… I mean, Ankh. A dynamic that works around Ankh.

Which is what makes this episode’s pivot from Will Ankh Betray Eiji so fun. Like, yeah, it’s eminently believable that Ankh would drop Eiji in a heartbeat, mostly for spite, somewhat for expediency. So let’s instead spend some time figuring out what Eiji’s in this for, and why he’s willing to continue the fight against the Greeed even if he loses the Core Medals and OOO Driver. There’s more depth to Eiji right now that we really haven’t plumbed.

What we get is a solid story of how haunted Eiji is by guilt, despite his carefree demeanor. Eiji’s clearly lost before, failed people before, so he can’t live with the thought of turning his back when it’s within his power to help. It’s less about seeing the value in a person, or in people, and more in his own neuroses and hang-ups; it’s a motivation that could be either a weakness or a strength, which makes it perfect for the hero of this show.

(I mean, Eiji clearly cares about people, and would sacrifice himself for others, but the motivation for him is guilt and regret. It’s something within him, not within others.)

PICS:
While we’re getting a subdued and heartfelt story from Eiji and Hina – mostly there to dot i’s and cross t’s about what happened to Shingo, much appreciated – the B-plot in this one is Ankh playing with an iPhone and tormenting children, so you know I loved it.

(I didn’t really touch on this last time, but I love how much the OOO team plays up the bird physicality of Ankh. Last episode had him always up in a tree, or on a roof. This one has him sitting on a beam high above the battle. Even sitting down on a bench, he looks like he’s perched. It’s great!)

It’s mostly there for the eventual reveal that Ankh’s been using the internet to track Kazari, while Kazari has been wasting his time waiting for Ankh to go search on foot. This episode does not do a lot to make Kazari seem unbeatable or all-powerful, despite the mauling he gives OOO in the beginning. Kazari’s sly, but he’s easily countered by Ankh’s modern knowledge and Eiji’s clever fight tactics. Kazari comes off as a guy that haasn’t learned a new trick in 800 years, and that’s a very fun aspect of the other Greeed to get to explore. I like villains that have to work for their success!

AND A HELPING HAND:
Just like the heroes need to work for their success! The Yummy is dispatched with the teamwork of Eiji and Ankh, after Ankh declares his loyalty to Eiji by pointing out that the other Greeed would eventually betray him, while Eiji’s trustworthy despite being a frustration. That OOO teamwork!!! It’s a thing of beauty.

I liked the literalism of Eiji reaching out his hand to pull the unnamed victim out of the Yummy. It’s 1000% on the nose, but it’s such a strong visual, and it just gets to the heart of this show. Eiji can’t promise he’ll save you, and he can’t always make everything right, but he can always reach his hand out. (I mean, the other guy on this show is a literal hand. Kobayashi is not trying to be subtle with this stuff!) I like shows where the promise of the Rider is that he’ll always try, if nothing else. I think that’s a more real thing to be able to promise kids, and it’s maybe even more valuable to adults. Knowing someone will always reach out if you’re in trouble? I think we could use someone like that in the world.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ooo/ooo04b.png

Would’ve replied earlier, but I forgot what I had to say until now.

According to Ankh’s iPhone (Product Placement Kita!), this two-parter took place on September 13th 2010, which was in real life exactly a day after episode 2 aired. Meaning that the show’s early events all apparently took place 8 days after the show began (I certainly don’t remember much in the way of “next day” transitions, but I might just be struggling to remember).

Also, the fat guy’s still eating even after this experience. I guess so,e desires are hard to let go of/really control.

Eiji's explanation here is significantly better than the really dopey 'they give me a drink' one in 1st episode. About one wanting to help others because otherwise they'd be haunted by guilt and conscience, this is also can be used by people to insist that these guys aren't genuinely heroic and selfless and are also doing good deeds for ulterior motives in making themselves feel good, to validate their belief that humans are inherently rotten. Otherwise, the show seems to not realize that currently Hina helps Eiji more than Eiji does so, but it still only notes Eiji's niceness in his concern for Hina to stay away from Ankh about the 'kind strangers being suspicious' trope, unlike, well, Gavv, where it's Sachika who Shoma questioned her motive for in helping him.

People'd likely just insist that Ankh is being a tsundere in his reasoning to stick with Eiji, but this infuriates me tbh, that the ones on the good side aren't all similarly virtuous and caring about people 'in different flavor' (e.g. this 'tsundere excuse'), particularly for more lighthearted shows that many people think they're black and white. There can be those who only do good deeds because otherwise it's detrimental to their interests (e.g. Asakura saving a little girl as a monster bait) and people should acknowledge that, of which Ankh thinks Kazari is more untrustworthy to work with because Kazari may betray him later, so he happens to benefit the main hero in his decision. I'd think at this point Ankh siding with Eiji is rather like Kuroto siding with the CR or Woz aiding Sougo, they're bad guys who happen to benefit the heroic protagonists, token evil teammates.

This isn't the climatic problem of the series, but it seems that generally the righteous way is usually made seemingly impossible at first despite the hero insisting that they don't want to sacrifice others, in how taking down the Yummy here has a risk of taking down its human host too. Eiji's only able to do so by obtaining something he didn't have before and what the audience didn't know before, the Cheetah medal. There'd be people who think that this is an asspull to validate the heroes' belief rather than properly testing them, but this is may be less noticeable due to this only being an MOTW plot. The Yummy's consequence is still there that the VOTW is actually hospitalized due to the Yummy making him overeat, despite being saved.

It's nice that this story ended up with an ending where both Eiji and Ankh could feel correct, even if Ankh was probably more correct in this situation.

I mean, someone could feel that way, but I think it'd be sad if they did. Eiji's heroism is messy and complicated, but no less resolute than a character that doesn't suffer from guilt or failure. It's way more interesting to watch someone like Eiji navigate his past than it would be to see a character without his baggage.

The way OOO pretty actively leans into the messiness of Eiji's motivations is for sure one of the things that makes the show special, in my opinion. Even here, one of the two things I most remember about this episode is how even though Eiji's little monologue about reaching out his hand does work as a straightforward motivational heroic speech, there's like this palpable sadness to why he feels that way. I think you're hitting the nail on the head when you mention how fitting it is for the show that the motivation can be both a weakness and a strength, because those sorts of grey areas are absolutely key to the way OOO generally examines that whole theme of desire.

Also, the other thing I most remember is just how much I like the Cheetah Medal. Nowadays, that actually includes the beautifully put together sequence of OOO reaching out his hand, because the Yummy plot here is one that sticks out to me from the whole series. Back when I was originally watching the show, however, I'm not sure I absorbed much more than how funny/cool it looks when he's just turbo-kicking that monster to make the hole in the first place.

What's really great about the actor's performance is how locked in his concept of Eiji is by just the fourth episode. His talk with Hina, he's just haunted by something he doesn't want to talk about, and he's practically collapsing from the guilt, but always with a cheery demeanor and a slight smile. This guy who is always trying to stay one step ahead of a guilt that would crush him in an instant... I like seeing that guy continue to reach out to people! Because someone else is always reaching back!