And now it’s time for the big one.

Joker


The Joker Undead is the true identity of Hajime Aikawa and the representative of death in the Battle Fight. He possesses power equivalent to all 4 Aces. When the Joker wins the Battle Fight by being the last Undead not sealed, the Stone of Sealing endlessly generates Darkroaches to exterminate all life on Earth

Rouse Card Details

* Suit: N/A
* Category: Joker
* Ability Name: N/A
* Card Name: Joker (ジョーカー)
* Consumption Points: N/A


https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20130625182022

It's also Shotaro Hidari's last-ditch desperation move when he's on his own -- though, of course, it pales in comparison to the power he has with Philip.

The benefit, to me, is about how the storytelling has a faster pace to it, as well as a more thrilling tone. Kenzaki's so happy to go rescue Hajime. He was frustrated before, but now it's all clear to him. That's a feeling that he passes along to the audience, where the conundrum of What To Do collapses into You Know What To Do. It's more fun to watch, I think.

It's mostly fear and self-doubt driving Tachibana, though, same as with almost all of his decision-making. Kenzaki's convinced that Hajime isn't a threat and, at worst, they can stop him if he becomes one. Tachibana is terrified they'll fail, that if they don't end Hajime now they'll never get another chance. The heartbreaking part of the (most recent) Blade/Garren fight is that, eventually, Kenzaki isn't asking Tachibana to believe in Hajime. Kenzaki's asking Tachibana to believe in Kenzaki, and it still isn't enough.

I like that the Suite for Joker is NA despite how it's so obviously a Heart.

I am totally drawing a blank right now for meaningful things to contribute to the discussion, so please make due with a belated "well, actually" about this below line of dialogue you found amusing earlier.

"Optimistic" here could've been translated just as easily to "naive", since the word Mukki is using, amai (甘い) is one of those tricky ones to nail down with a single specific definition. He's maybe more on the mark than you gave him credit for!

There have sincerely been times in the last couple three episodes where I've thought Mutsuki is probably living his best life. He was always so tortured when he was Tachibana's apprentice, sometimes in spite of Tachibana's tutelage, and sometimes because of it. Now, he's got a cool nightclub and a regrettable hat and a slick new spider earring... He just seems happier to me, in a way that's hard to root against. Who am I to tell this kid he'd be better off following Tachibana's example? I don't know if I'd ever want to have my soul consigned to darkness by a Spider monster from eternity, but, y'know, I don't know Mutsuki's truth. We all make choices to get through the day, and I don't get to make Mutsuki's choices.

KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 34

This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Kenzaki struggles with keeping his friends safe! Hirose gives a stirring speech! And two outstanding fights cap off maybe the perfect episode of Blade!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade34a.png

Seriously, maybe a perfect episode of this show.

There's an idea they're playing with, how a hero's empathy is both strength and weakness, and they just let it roll out in every single scene, with every single Rider. They also give it great fights, clever dialogue, and a rousing finale. Flawless episode, I have to say.

And, it's an episode anchored by a definitive speech from Hirose to Kenzaki, so this thing's already got my number. I love the relationship between these two. He's the heart of the team, but she's the brains. Kenzaki's a very sweet boy, and it's easy for him to get confused, misled. (I mean, never to the degree of Tachibana, because that dude's pathological.) She's able to see how easily his caring for people can trip him up, and she's there to help him understand how he can best help others.

Kamen Rider is a franchise that, among other things, is about the value of empathy in a world of violence. Kamen Riders aren't heroic for being stronger, or deadlier. They aren't heroic for fighting monsters. They're heroic for caring about people. Kenzaki cares so much that it can be used against him. Tachibana tells him he's a danger to everyone the longer he remains a Kamen Rider, that U.N.D.E.A.D. is just going to keep coming after him, putting people at risk. It's Kenzaki's responsibility, according to Tachibana. Kenzaki is the one who's causing distress.

It's bullshit. It's a villain move. It makes Kenzaki feel terrible for defending himself. It's an abuser's move, gaslighting the victim into feeling at fault for what the abuser is doing. But it only works because Kenzaki feels so responsible for people's safety that he's unable to hang around them if he thinks they could be hurt. He'll do anything to protect people, even if it means cutting all ties to his friends. So he runs away from home, ready for a life of solitude, separate from the people he cares about. But that empathy that's been weaponized against him by Tachibana, it's not just a one way street. A Kamen Rider fights because they care about people. But people care about a Kamen Rider so they can fight.

It's a really beautiful speech Hirose gives, and one I don't think I'd've been able to put into words before. (All-time classic episode for Hirose, from the point in the beginning when she's like Kenzaki Why Did We Have To Lug All Your Shit Around, to the end where Tachibana's warnings to stay away from Kenzaki are met with a stern You Are Out Of Your Damn Mind If You Think I'm Staying Home.) She's disappointed in Kenzaki for leaving, mad at him for thinking he'd be able to fight on his own, because he's never fought on his own. The people he cares about support him so that he can fight for them, with their strength added to his. Blade is, naturally, a weapon that everyone who believes in Kenzaki wields through him. People need Kenzaki to protect them, but Kenzaki needs those people to give him the strength to protect them.

It's an idea that just keeps drilling down through the episode. Mutsuki loses to Hajime because Hajime finally understands that he's fighting to get back to the people he loves, while Mutsuki thinks he'll be more powerful by pretending he doesn't care about Nozomi. (Some terrific dialogue in that fight scene, too. Hajime's whole I Don't Need To Be A Monster To Whip Your Ass thing, or Mutsuki running him down by calling him a card. Great stuff, perfect energy.) Seeing Hajime finally, at the very edge of losing his humanity, feel that connection to the people who have been rooting for him... god, it's like a series finale. Such a massively cathartic moment, watching him win a fight because he cared more about people than the human he was fighting.

Even King gets in on the thematic action, being bested thanks to Hirose and Kotaro rallying people to pin down a monster so Blade could finish it off. The King vs Blade fight... first off, what is the fight music that's playing over this one? I thought it was a blast, some high-octane guitar work. But, after that, man, a well-deserved win for Blade, with him having so much faith in his friends, in everyone, that he didn't even need cards to beat King. The camerawork sold the turn in the fight, with Blade's punches into camera transitioning from futile to forceful, the intensity of Kenzaki's faith overpowering King's defenses. And then, to finish it, just punching that Seal card straight into King's chest. Beautiful fight, iconic finish.

A really, really great episode of Kamen Rider Blade. Just, man, exploring the ways that empathy can get mixed up with guilt, or used by horrible people to inflict self-doubt, or how if you believe in people they'll believe in you... I love it. I love taking an idea that central to Kamen Rider, and just showcasing it for an episode. Literally nothing makes me happier. A+ episode.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade34b.png

Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: A new girl! Mutsuki gets his ass kicked again! And maybe I'll remember to talk about King Form!

Hirose's dad name is Yoshito.... gotta differentiate him with his daughter cuz Tachibana also calls him Hirose-san. But for this one I can't deny, Tachibana is being manipulated again by Yoshito, and him complying out of desperation for others' sake (Kenzaki's) instead of his sake in first 15 episodes; the Rider stuff that will destroy the wielder (himself in ep. 1-15, Kenzaki for here). So to sum it up here, Tachibana has animosity towards Hajime... but not towards Yoshito, which would mean to him Hajime is a manipolator, but not Yoshito. Not to mention, for this sequence, with Yoshito explaining about his plan of seeking immortality for humans, that's textbook extremist plan.

Garren's Jack Form using his finisher and Blade's Jack Form tanking it?! (and explained by the scientists of this being Kenzaki's speciality). And then Tachibana falling from heights due to Jack Form flying and get hit by an attack, yet he de-henshin'ed before he hit the ground and still survived! It means Kenzaki actually wins here btw. A glimpse of Hajime's Joker form is seen that he has a green head. And as I said, your species is unimportant for Kenzaki, the only one that is important to him is your personality (non-racist!), which made him believe in Hajime as he only looked at Hajime's relatively non-malicious state compared to other Undeads except Shima (But don't ignore his chaotic, taciturn nature though! Don't want those heroic ones to be blind). And this time, for Hajime telling Kenzaki to leave him alone, even he slipped that to Amane, so probably it's not Hajime's normal state (not saying he's approachable, but here he becomes even more aggressive than usual), and for not touching it's probably relating to his Joker form or something.

What time is it?

https://youtu.be/mPMevLugOck

No new Rouse Cards today, but I think I’ll point out that the entirely golden King Form is unique to Kenzaki. If Garren or Leangle were to attain a King Form, it wouldn’t be as gold, now would it store the non-King cards on their body. But Leangle doesn’t get one (as you’d expect by now) and Tachibana only gets one in the S.I.C saga.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20190202184842

Yeeees... I've said before that I didn't remember too much about Blade to this day, mostly all just the biggest highlights in my mind. The thing that has stuck with me all these years ever since the first time I saw it though, was Blade episode 34, everything from Kenzaki and Hirose tracking down King, all the way until the next episode preview.

Kenzaki declaring himself a Kamen Rider and transforming right there and then to challenge King. It would maybe have a bit more impact if this was ever a show where having a secret identity was a thing, but I still think it's cool. No, the scene really starts with Blade and King standing apart from each other, preparing to face off while the guitar shreds it.

The ensuing fight is what I maybe consider the pinnacle of triumphant moments in this franchise? Blade losing his sword but then punching his way to victory because his determination is just that strong, dual wielding both his and his foe's weapons, and topped off by the epic drop slash he does.

And it doesn't end there! Both King and Trial D have been making Kenzaki's life really hard for a while now, and he pummels them both in this episode! He achieves an incredible new form, some exposition from chairman-man to let us know that this form is ultra-extra-impossibly-special because Kenzaki's just that awesome, and he swats aside the ugly robot before prepping his gigantic shiny new sword...

So I think I said before that 'Kakusei' is one of my favourite insert songs in Rider? Funny thing is after I finished Blade, whenever I think back to the scene of Blade beating up King, for the longest time I misremembered the music that was playing at the time and mistakenly attributed Kakusei to it instead of Take it a try. I mean, I think the version in my mind is better anyway because Kakusei rocks and Take it a try is supposed to be Chalice's song anyway.