[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

All of the main storyline kills, though. Shibaura’s manipulation to get all six Riders in one place to fight, it’s incredibly exciting. Shinji gets a bunch of big ol’ hero moments (he’s holding that kid’s hand after they’ve both been knocked out!!!), Asakura luxuriates in his menace, Kitaoka gets to confront Asakura while a billion cameras watch

A hero isn't about being a powerhouse who fights other monsters but someone who helps others even at risk, Shinji shows this. I wonder if he's also doing stuff like that before he becomes a Rider, because being a Rider gives you more of a power and chance to be a hero. Assuming (ep. 14) that Goro knows that Kitaoka is a Rider, this episode shows that Goro isn't all about supporting him winning Rider War (he obviously supports him outside that) as he's worried about him going there.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The Ren/Tezuka stuff, there’s a thing I’m really liking that I hadn’t even noticed until this episode. (Or maybe I did and I forgot?)

Tezuka outright telling Ren to just give up on Eri for his own safety, basically being a murder in inaction (despite Tezuka being shown to care about innocents in previous episode). I think Shinji wouldn't be like that, he would be totally confused where if he stops Ren from fighting he'd create peace, but if he does that, he'll also let an innocent (Eri) die.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Everyone else, all the other Riders, pretty much do what they do best. Everyone’s in-character in this one, and while nothing was surprising, every action the other Riders took made sense. I got why they were involving themselves, what they hoped to achieve. That’s tough to do with six Riders, and it’s laudable that eighteen episodes got us to such a rich cast.

Gai shows more of what he has in the form of Confine Vent (2 copies!), it's like the reverse of usual Rider card, where weapon cards give you an advantage to opponents with new equipments, Confine Vent gives the opponent a disadvantage by removing their equipments. Another part of Raia being Gai's opposite. Also the fight shows where Shinji (once again) defends Ren from another Rider, by using Guard Vent to block Gai's Final Vent. So another way to survive Final Vent other than countering them with other Final Vent is using your Guard Vent to block, though Shinji's shield seemed destroyed at the end. A fact that gets overlooked by Shinji haters who think he's only carried by Ren in the entire show.

And who made the fight a mess in the first place, Kitaoka? And don't kill me for this one but to me, I think Ouja, Rider wise isn't my favorite in design. He's better than Gai and Raia IMO, but I don't like his design as much as the others (Ryuki and Scissors are debatable though). Same for his Final Vent, I know it's a bicycle kick but the movement IMO is like someone helplessly waving their body around due to falling from heights, which makes it quite silly to me especially for a serious hardened Rider. The end of the episode is one of the best showdowns, a Rider with their huge serpent-themed monster facing off. And Shinji still calls out Ouja for killing Gai (like Emu feeling bad for Kuroto's death), while Tezuka (who wants to change all Riders) seems just didn't care.

Shibaura's death is also, an ironic death like Scissors. He wants to manipulate other Riders to fight each other AND he thinks that he can manipulate Asakura too, but at the end, he's the one getting manipulated instead by the people he thought will manipulate, Asakura, by using him as a human shield to Zolda's Final Vent. Gai is the best Guard Vent!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

So, first, I do not at all understand what was going on with Yui being held hostage or whatever.

(She’s just standing against a wall with her arms folded when Tezuka runs up, like she’s waiting for a table at a busy restaurant. She looks mildly inconvenienced by her circumstances. I don’t understand what she’s doing there.)

but in this episode she’s worthless. She’s a victim, in basically every scene

I agree that this is the most baffling moment for her in the show. It's not like she was in danger after she's taken away, damn door's not locked. The most plausble explanation I can get (where he's in the shop, but she's somewhere else) is that she's taken by Metalgelas from a mirror and it brings her to the current place as mirrors can be used as a pseudo-teleportation; Wild monsters won't attack her but Contract Monsters can under Rider's orders. But still...not in actual danger.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

All of the Shiro stuff, it’s just the same beat of plaintive whining, drippy nonsense where she’s begging a mirror ghost for answers. There’re steps in the right direction, where Yui’s being more active in getting answers by investigating(-ish) the Secret Science Society. It’s weird to me that, on a show with so many nuanced, compelling characters, Yui is sincerely getting less watchable with every episode.

Tbf it's the first time Shiro directly interacts with her again, he lied to her to keep her out of it but she's not convinced. May I ask, what impression she gave to you at the first few episodes?