[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I'll always try to respond, at least if I feel like I've got something to add. I love talking about this stuff!

OK, which is the reason I've been waiting for this thread. Though you haven't give your thoughts about Yui's good deeds (comparing those to Shinji) yet. I have to get your feedback on this before episode 7 (the first written by Inoue) comes.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Again have to give props to Shinji for this one, he quickly figures it. Though I don't think he can do anything regarding this. Seems that now even Yui has reached the roadblock of what she knows regarding Mirror/Rider stuff, and both her and Shinji are now exchanging and discussing current informations instead of her being the guide/exposition.

I also want to know which is actually the proper dialogue/translation about the conversation (haven't learned Japanese yet aside from hiragana/katakana letters). One translation talks about how Ren probably didn't really take the Rider fight seriously despite his demeanor (plus he starts to know something about Ren that mellows him out being the engagement ring he wears), the other talks about how Shinji thinks this whole Rider fight isn't something to take seriously. I think between the 2 have largely different meaning...

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Cutting to the chase (NOT SORRY), it’s the debut and demise of Kamen Rider Scissors! He’s an interesting antagonist, part savvy operator and part lucky recipient of some terribly misguided optimism from Shinji. Him being a Kamen Rider, it definitely creates a more morally ambiguous landscape, and puts Shinji’s (naive?) belief in Kamen Riders’ intrinsic heroism in a tougher spot.

The debut of the first Kamen Rider villain in the series. Oh shoot. I mean, in the whole franchise! Ryuki is a completely different KR series on its time, almost veering on "KR in name only", other than Shinji and Ren having Ichigo and Nigo henshin poses.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I liked the whole thing Scissors had going on. The twist of him being a cop, of leveraging people’s trust to get away with literal murder, that was a nice choice in a show that already displays a healthy skepticism regarding authority figures. (Goddamn Reiko, with that bullshit “Oh, I always trust the police” when Scissors tells her to stay out of it. She’s the best! Maybe the only smart person in this episode besides Ren!) Scissors has a demeanor that, like Ren’s, makes the whole Rider Battle thing feel more terrifying for how unemotional they are about a duel to the death. I’ve seen people get more worked up over Pokemon battles. These two are just like Oh I Guess It’s Time To See Which Of Us Will Die. Knight attacking Ryuki in the second episode had that same thing, and I really like it. It plays into Shinji’s confusion and anger, that they’d kill one another and not seem to care.

Sudo takes advantage of "missing people" phenomena to a good use for his benefit being a Rider. He gets away with literal murder (also his other crimes btw)....with even more murders! By purposely feeding people to monsters, like how all the fate of those missing people. So there wouldn't be witnesses to his crimes as a cop, and murder by Mirror Monsters leaves no evidence to anyone (which ORE Journal's been trying to investigate), meaning no one would know about his crimes, keeping clear record. I also have to applaud his construction skills to bury use the wall of Kaga's shop as his grave, or did he hire someone to demolish then construct the wall to fit Kaga inside there?? (probably not because that would be suspicious unless Sudo made a good excuse, but then again, Volcancer exists to remove all witnesses).

I have to give props to Reiko for turning her attack to grant her an eyepatch, into her advantage because of Sudo's mistake of not reporting the situation while "protecting" her, as the officers didn't know about the situation on the antique shop but her confirming there was an officer, which would make Sudo set the situation up, moreover with him showing at the nick of the time. It'd be a real contribution to other series....but unfortunately this is Kamen Rider, her efforts are nullified, Scissors can just again, send Volcancer to anyone knowing his crime like those 2 officers. Only Riders can properly solve a threat in these kind of universe, with Knight indirectly killing Scissors. I guess that's the trait that makes people only care about Riders and/or monsters in toku, that only those 2 gave impact to their universes?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I like what Scissors’ arrival (and departure!) means for the show. I like how the simplistic Blow Up Monsters gets complicated by bad Riders and contracts and Shiro’s commands and whatever is waiting at the end of the battle. Shinji’s tried to take a stand for Rider Shall Not Harm Rider, and he’s seen just how untenable that stance is. Other Riders may put his friends in danger to get what they want, and the only way to keep them safe may be by destroying them. It’s not going to be an easy road.

Ryuki is a series where all Riders' powers came from monsters, be it good, neutral, or bad. So a teamwork of MOTW and Rider. Anyone kills MOTWs but

Scissors has an ironic death; he feeds people to Volcancer, but at the end he is eaten by Volcancer himself. After that, even the weakest Contract Monster can make Knight powerless against it, though that's probably due to fatigue of the previous fight; despite Scissors being the weakest Rider in stats (more info below), probably Sudo's fighting skill as a cop makes up for it - even if Ren is also a street brawler outside Rider. Or also that he seems reluctant to fight, instead setting up deathtraps for others, and if he fights he uses dirty tactics. He seems to be aware of his weak Rider stats and mostly became a Rider to use the "missing people" phenomena and protect himself.

Also would you talk about Shinji's first real badass moment here (after being guilible before)?! Saving Knight and killing Volcancer. Volcancer was completely untouched before Ryuki came, and only gets 1 stab from sword. But a Final Vent instantly kills him. A clear indication that in Ryuki, all Final Vents are one hit kills. I also found the purpose of the dual shields being worn in the shoulders, for (literal) pincer type attacks like Volcancer does.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

We got to see a bit of how each of the two main Riders are going to approach it, to some clever results. Shinji wanted to stop Scissors’ villainy, but didn’t want to kill him. Ren mostly didn’t care about Scissors’ villainy, but did want to kill him. (Neither of them were cool with Scissors’ kidnapping Yui, but A, that was really on Shinji, what was he even thinking volunteering that info to a total stranger I mean there’s trying to make connections and then there’s shit that we teach children are you a child Shinji I thought you were a grown-ass man why would you tell a guy you just fought personal information about people who can’t defend themselves what were you thiiiiinnnkkkkkiiiinnngggg, and B, Scissors’ just walked it off with a mea culpa that was pretty goddamn funny.) The idea of the more experienced Ren being all Kill Riders No Matter What and the powerful but naive Shinji being all Maybe We Don’t Have To Kill Them, there’s a show that that dynamic reminds me of, especially how much I enjoy the mentor character’s dynamic with the series star, but it’s name and who wrote it is totally escaping me right now.

Shinji thinks this is a sentai world where Riders can work together to defeat those monsters. It would be hilarious if there's a traditional KR show where Shinji watched it and tried to pull it in the real world (showing how Ryuki is a departure to usual KR).

Ren being a thuggish asshole AND Shinji having bad assumptions about him should've taught him something from the experience, like being fishy about new Rider and thinking he might be as bad as Ren or even worse (definitely even worse), but alas...

Ren canonically throws the show's tagline in the episode "Tatakawanakereba, ikinokorenai!". A minor thing...why did Yui welcome Sudo to Atori as a customer? Didn't she say the shop is closed until her aunt returns (she hasn't)? And where did you get that she let the shop unlocked? I think with how the scenes played out in Ryuki, it seems that everyone gets customer services without paying anything. So probably the series just skips those.

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

Yeah, that's basically what Scissors' role in the show is: he's not really a proper character, he's a statement of the show's rules. After this we get a better sense of the full stakes of the Rider Battle and the knowledge that not every Kamen Rider is going to be a hero. We also get a better understanding of the relationship between Rider and Contract Beast, including what happens if the Rider loses control. Scissors is easily the most minor and forgettable of the show's Kamen Riders, but he still serves an important role in this early part of the series.

And to show that not all cops are good (before cops are your best friends in KR).

I don't think Scissors is forgettable; most of Kamen Riders won't be forgettable afaik, at least he can share same screentime like in videogames or something (PSX Ryuki or Climax Heroes).

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Originally Posted by Fredbob392

I'd almost say Scissors is more popular than anyone outside of the main four Riders. He's infamous for being a loser. That's why he got a Ridewatch in that fan vote despite only ever being in two episodes and never getting to successfully pull off his finisher. I love Scissors. I can't wait till you see his role in the 13 Riders special, it's hilarious

If you look at the stats, Scissors is the weakest alone among the Riders in Ryuki (probably depends on what monster you contracted instead of the Rider itself).



He has only 4000 AP for Final Vent, which gets defeated by Knight's 5000 AP Final Vent. I wonder why they made Knight the one knocked off his feet, probably to add up suspense.

Ryuki didn't want to fight Scissors, but it's clear that Ryuki had superior equipments, and about Scissors' weak stats. Merely activating Guard Vent knocks back Scissors a good distance.

What's hilarious about him there btw?