[DreadBringer]

New Rider debut.

More Sachika focus here as the main victim of the week of this ep. is Takeshi, as she knows her neighbor well. Sachika doesn't seem to hear about the other disappearances and the strange events happening at the theater yet unlike Shoma and Hanto. The people who have disappeared are all described as sweet, which leads Shoma to realize that Sachika might be Granute Chooul's next target, following a troubling pattern.

Chooul appears to be targeting kind individuals, but even Lage9, who's a jerk towards others, qualifies. Although Lage9 mocks Shoma when he asks for help, he maintains a pleasant facade around the Stomachs until Nyelv turns out to be working for his own agenda, where Lage9 becomes colder to him too. According to Nyelv, this cold persona is Lage9's genuine self. Lage9 only agrees to work with Nyelv to become Vram, motivated by his desire to obtain what Nyelv has promised.

Similar to iirc Aya Kujo from W, Chooul disguises himself as a different gender, leading to a change in voice and concealing his true identity as a Granute who lures people for Hitopresses. If Vram is the show's third Rider, it could be the 1st time a Rider show eliminates a third Rider permanently, as Komura doesn't do redemptions (with Stacy being the exception). While Ouja was eliminated for good (though his case might not count due to the reset ending), he was a 4th Rider.

There’s a concerning setup for both Hanto and Shoma. Hanto begins to doubt Shoma based on his reactions when Hanto wants to infiltrate Stomach Inc. In turn, Shoma questions his own character, feeling selfish for lying to Hanto and concealing his identity from Sachika. It’s unclear whether Shoma has an actual dark side or if he’s simply experiencing self-depreciation similar to Sachika’s feelings in ep. 8, but I feel this is him being selfish as I think a kind person should accept Shoma for who he is.

Vram’s debut is a pretty dope one; he really shakes up the battlefield while fighting Gavv and Valen, causing the ground to crack and launching them into the air. So far, his fighting style relies primarily on raw strength. Shoma’s naivety is also apparent as he believes that just because someone is a Rider, they must be good or on the right side. However, being a Rider is simply about possessing power, and it ultimately depends on one’s morality and how that power is used. He now learns that KR has evolved beyond the Showa era.