G3-X in the same way I think of ‘New’ Ichigou and Nigou rather than the original dark green ones. Like them, G3-X is just one of the few permanent upgrades in the franchise; and it’s tied so heavily into Hikawa’s development that yeah, this is just how he looks now. Seems Bandai thinks the same way, as all two times they’ve made merch of the guy they’ve gone straight for G3-X rather than G3. Still no ridewatch of base G3...

G3-X will always be the more popular choice because it looks cooler and actually did well in fights, but I've always been more fond of regular ol' G3 myself. That thing is basically a glorified coffin, and I feel like that's a way more interesting and unique concept for a Kamen Rider.

Still, I have to agree with Switchblade on this one. I don't picture Hikawa as a Rider anywhere near as much as that guy who gets hopelessly flustered watching Shouichi do sleight of hand tricks.

It's weird. While I consider G3-X his definitive suit, whenever I imagine Hikawa actually suiting up, it's almost always in the regular G3. I guess those scenes just stuck out to me more.

I think that's exactly why I like regular G3 more? I joke about it being a coffin, but what I really meant was that, at least as I remember it, the earlier episodes were the ones that really emphasized the actual mechanical aspect of the suit the most. How long it took him to gear up, or deploy out of that dinky trailer on his bike, or swap out all those clunky weapon attachments even though that grenade launcher was the only one that ever seemed to get real results. I just love how underpowered it felt because it underlined how Hikawa was just an ordinary dude in a show about the divine.

It's like, G3-X is the destination, where the team used all that experience to boil the concept down to a much more efficient suit with a singular really really good weapon, but G3 was the journey to get to that point, and that part was at least as fun for me.

I find it strange that you mention how long it took for G3 to gear up when he typically arrived on the scene before Agito :lol

Plot twist: Hikawa actually gears up at supersonic speeds, it's just slowed down for the audience.

G3, now equipped with a Eurobeat soundtrack.

So G3 is pretty much in essence Hikawa's Growing Form making G3-X his Mighty Form and Ultimate Form rolled in one maybe? It is modeled after Kuuga after all. :lolol

Aah, so the G in G3 actually stands for Gavan!

What makes a Rider? When is a Rider actually a Kaijin or a grunt?

There's actually a good article related to this: https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2020/09...a-kamen-rider/