Yeah, it's the showiest Driver we've gotten on this show, and I think it works for Hat Woz. I mean, Woz has always been theatrical (IWAE), so it follows that his Geiz-fan alternate self would approach being a Rider in the most flamboyant way possible.

The new form that debuted in Episode 18 is called Kamen Rider Woz Futuring Shinobi. While Zi-O's and Geiz's Armor Times use the power of Legend Riders, Woz's Futuring Times use the power of Miriders.

So what do you think about that?

Geiz is warming up for sure. Before, he was looking for excuses to kill Sougo, but now he's looking for excuses to spare him. At best, Geiz might consider Sougo a potential friend, provided he can follow through on his vow to become the greatest kindest demon king and not the evil one. Geiz is a pragmatic and sensible person, so even if his heart tells him to accept Sougo's friendship, his taciturn mind is telling him to stay emotionally detached so he can do his job. The problem with that way of thinking is that Geiz has to constantly doubt himself, as he can't hide from his true feelings. Now White Woz has arrived to advocate for killing Sougo, like he was sent by destiny to force their confrontation after Geiz softened. That's what I respect about Geiz though. When he says he cares about Sougo, he's being totally honest, since he's saying it despite all his fear telling him not to. Tsukuyomi has faith without doubt, but Geiz makes Sougo prove himself first, which makes that faith stronger.

Oh! His Armor Time! I thought it was okay? The Armor Times haven't really been for me, and the Futuring Times aren't probably going to be much different. I just generally don't like this show's Rider suit design? Shinobi's been my favorite so far, and he's the one that eschews this show's entire aesthetic!

RIDER TIME: SHINOBI EPISODE 1 - “FIRST NINPOW! VOLUME: HATTARI'S ONE-SIDED LOVE"

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I really loved how this episode both expanded upon and redefined the character of Kamen Rider Shinobi.

Like, I was expecting some slight adventure: a cheapy action-light online-only thing, filled out with reused suits and minimal cast. Instead, the production team created a whole world for Shinobi. There’re mooks and monsters and generals and siblings and parents and grandparents and and and. For a three-episode Fan Club spin-off, I love how dense this episode is with world-building and mythology. This never once felt like anything less than a full-series premiere, which is fantastic.

There’s a lot done to craft a complete character to Shinobi, as well. We didn’t really get to know him that well in his two Zi-O episodes, after all. We saw him in Sougo’s dream, as a solo hero using darkness to protect the weak, but that was just one fight scene. After that, we only got pre-hero Another Shinobi: a guy who longed for the power to defend people, but lacked the confidence in himself to wait for the right power. We never really got to learn about Kamen Rider Shinobi as a character, you know?

So it’s exciting to learn that three years after his Zi-O appearances, he’s not just some solo hero, but a fully-trained ninja, back from a worldwide training expedition. It’s great to see Shinobi living up to Sougo’s hopes for him. Shinobi’s done the hard work of gaining power the right way, and he’s a strong, confident hero in the aftermath. He’s practically a new man, brimming over with enthusiasm and excitement. Far from using darkness as cover, this Shinobi bursts into the light and runs wild. This isn’t the version that Another Shinobi and the Time Jackers robbed us of (not crazy about the new red costume), but everything about this new version feels like the happy ending Sougo wished for.

And the fun additional cast! I missed the part in Zi-O where Shinobi comes from a family of ninjas (or maybe they never said?), so it was really fun to find out that Shinobi’s world is one where he’s part of a team. And a team that follows Shinobi’s lessons about not giving into fear, and becoming more than you were… like, those are Sougo’s lessons, but coming out of Shinobi’s mouth. Shinobi gets to be the hero for his sister and cousins that Sougo was for him. I really love that.

Some extra Zi-O details dot the landscape, but they don’t overshadow what Shinobi’s story is trying to do. I liked the Sickle Chainsaw Monster, which feels like a reference to Woz’z Time Sickle, the thing that destroyed Another Shinobi. (Shinobi and his family’s swords all have the little Woz Time Sickle buttons on them as well, which is neat.) And there’s the generational aspects of the story, where Shinobi’s family sealed up a powerful demon, and now Team Shinobi is going to be responsible for sealing it up again. (Maybe the Demon King is an Oma Zi-O reference?) Even the addition of a supportive family feels like an inversion of the battling weirdos of Zi-O; a hopeful outcome that Sougo is trying to build for himself.

Boy, I had the best time with this first Shinobi episode. It’s a bright and colorful future, a welcome victory for Sougo’s work at salvaging Shinobi’s darkest days. The action is maybe even better than Zi-O’s: big and bold and chaotic, stuntpeople everywhere. I could watch another 46 episodes of this show.

Not too crazy about the big robot finale, though. Felt a bit Sentai?

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With the exception of OOO, I'm generally not fond of the Armor Times either and Decade looks especially awful with the screen face. However, I think the Futuring Times look a lot more elegant as the new parts conform more to the various shapes of Woz's suit design, so they compliment instead of clash. Although that could be thematically appropriate as well, since technology usually gets more compact the more advanced it gets.

That's a good point! I think there's also something to be said for Hat Woz'z habit of co-opting stories and making them his own, rather than paying homage to them.

While the armors themselves can be pretty divisive, the actual transformation sequences themselves are pretty neat.

In particular, I like how starting with Fourze the Armor Times begin to shift towards reflecting that particular Kamen Rider's aesthatics.

We have Fourze who flies around as a rocket, then there's Wizard who appears as a magic circle, OOOs who appears as three robot animals, Gaim's which serves as a callback to the Gaim Rider's transformation sequence with the fruit head, and finally Decade that features multiple copies of the suit merging into one. It's honestly a shame that every other Armor Time we've seen so far that's based after a Heisei Rider so far lacks a unique transformation sequence.

Kamen Rider Woz and Kamen Rider Shinobi's suits are neat. Especially Shinobi, since it apparently is a kitbash of other Rider suits? I can kind of recognize certain parts that stand out, but otherwise were it not for the Ninja Ziku Driver strapped to Shinobi I would have thought the Rider to be its own original hero independent of Zi-O.

Woz's suit is interesting, since technically the only pieces that are changing are the middle strap and chest plate, the shoulder pads, and the helmet. Everything else stays the same, and the result is a Rider that manages to stand out even among the other Zi-O Riders. He really does feel out of place, which is fitting since he comes from an alternate future.

Oh, and let's not forget about the Ride Heisaber. A brilliant weapon with once again a great name pun (Heisei plus Saber, genius I know), and a mechanic of being able to perform finishing attacks based after other Heisei Riders.

Just like Rentarou in this episode, I am also getting fired uuuuuup for Rider Time Shinobi. Feels different to how I remember though. I know he had the sister, but those cousins seem new.

Not to jump the gun on my overall opinion before you've even finished the whole mini-series, but honestly, it's just such a huge shame this series was only three episodes. His work on Zi-O is great and all, but if Kento Shimoyama was allowed to write an entire year-long toku show about ninjas like this, I feel like it would end up being one of my all-time favorites, for sure. If only we could all live in a world were such a masterpiece actually existed...

The Heiseiber is the absolute best. The name ALONE is the coolest thing on this show, and the actual weapon (with its winding watch hands!!!) is incredibly cool. Not a lot of interest in the various Armor Times, but I love seeing the Heiseiber get used.

I mean, it's so different from the Zi-O episodes, and I can see the recency bias obscuring this take on Shinobi. I'm glad you still liked it!

Ha ha, hilarious! A year-long ninja toku show? That's a pretty good April Fools gag.

Seriously, though, it's weird how much time was spent on building out this mini-series' world. I loved it, but, like, how is Shinobi going to get the other 47 Sealing Shuriken in two episodes? That's... man, that is a lot of ground to cover.