To add to your post while the main motifs are that of the playing cards we see to this day(and the insects on their ace cards) it seems that the names are based off of the Italian version of the four suits of cards.

We better have a Gotchard vs Valvarad soon before Spanner transitions to a rider.

it’ll be like Blade vs Chalice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6tvNr9Hf5Y&t=574s

A look at the Souchaku Henshin line.

So a recent interview came out with the production staff concerning Gotchard's development so here's some interesting tid bits from it:

- Head writer Keichi Hasegawa originally wanted Gotchard to be much darker and more mature, something akin to Ultraman Nexus in tone/style (a series he also was the head writer for).

- However co-head writer Hiroki Uchida and Producer Minato fought off the idea as they wanted Gotchard to be a very light show instead.

-Producer Minato originally wanted to do something different with Gotchard and have it be a series without a main villian. The series would just have been Hotaro and the gang catching Chemys the entire series with no greater threat to deal with/no one controlling the Chemys.

- This idea was rejected by upper management as they felt Kamen Rider is a series that NEEDS a main villain.

I can see Blade as swords, Chalice as cups, and Leangle as sticks/clubs (kinda), but how does Garren relate to coins?

It’s a pun on “Currency”

Oh no, those edgy social media people who are all like "It's not Geats!" are going to blame Uchida and Minato now. Personally, I don't mind Gotchard taking a lighter tone, at least to start with. I'm sure there are going to be some more mysterious dark themes when the show finishes setting up its world and lore, which it seems to be doing at a consistent pace. Otherwise, I'm not familiar with Hasegawa's works outside KR, so I can't say whether or not the darker tone he wanted would've fit.

How would that have even worked? I mean, Hibiki technically didn't have a main villain, but that might be one of Toei's many regrets about that show, so I doubt they'd be willing to take such a risk again. The theme of KR is all about using the power of evil to fight for good and it's pretty difficult to imagine that the evil actions of individual criminals and opportunists could generate enough conflict to last an entire show. I mean, Winspector did that, but it was a different franchise in a different era (and it had Miyauchi).

Makes sense.

Granted Nexus isn't the be all, end all of his Ultra work, he's done a lot of work on lighter Ultra shows like Ginga (which I feel Gotchard owes some credit too).
So was the ideas the Chemies would just transform randos week-after-week for Gotchard to defeat and then collect the cards?

To be fair, Hasegawa probably would've changed his tune the moment they showed him the kind of cgi they were working with for the Chemies. Also, this debate is literally what happened with the Pokemon franchise, and we all know how that went...

Well... the show's kinda doing that right now. Sure we see the 3 Sisters swiping Chemies or watching people turn into Malgams. But the Chemies overall are still a very random uncoordinated force. Which honesty, I really like. Seeing the stuff like the rando Submarine Malgam or the Academy Staff just suddenly having a card or two already, really does help make the world feel more alive.

It doesn't feel like the Chemies, the Alchemist Academy, or the Sisters are all just sitting around for 6 days a week, waiting for Houtarou to get up and do something. No, they all got their own lives and are all out catching/capturing Chemies on their own time.

Wonder how many forms in live action and how many in CGI?

Plus the Dark Sisters need to meet another alchemist who’ll develop a new rider system to counter Gotchard’s. Like how Leangle was created.

They’ll probably steal the Gotchardriver temporarily and that alchemist will probably create its own similar to it.