[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

He'd say I'm Just Doing My Job, but we knew better.

Ah, but you see Die, that's exactly the thing. We knew better, but up until this episode, Kenzaki didn't.

The first time I watched this episode, I remember having pretty much all the same problems you did. The whole moment came off rather silly, and I was genuinely sitting there like "wait, did he seriously only just figure this out?"

In retrospect, I have a genuine appreciation for the character development going on here, and honestly think this moment is one of the biggest signs of what a great character Kenzaki is. You say you don't think Kenzaki hasn't been doing this out a sense of obligation, but right before that, you mention he was doing this because he made a vow to himself. It's clearly something he's grateful to be doing, but it absolutely was something he considered a duty. Some sort of purpose he had a need to fulfill. I don't see Kenzaki as a character capable of that kind of deflection. When he tells someone he's a Rider because being a Rider is his job, I think that he thinks that he means it.

He's not the most introspective guy around, so what this episode does through Shima is get him to realize the much more simple truth he wouldn't have considered otherwise. The thing that actually makes him a hero. The fact that said truth is so boilerplate is maybe still an issue, but it inherently works better in a show where none of the other Riders have the same level of selflessness, and I sincerely adore the idea that Kenzaki was so stupid that he only discovered his own motivation halfway through the series. Nowadays I watch this episode and sit there like "awww~, he seriously only just figured that out. That's adorable!"

It's unusual, weird, more than a little awkward, and also entirely like Kenzaki.