[Kamen Rider Die]

While we're on the topic, there is one other thing I wanted to talk about for ol' Strongest Rider. It's a bit from 39 with Mutsuki that's a storytelling hat trick. It's funny, great plotting, and totally character-driven.

For the plot to progress in 39, someone's got to tell Hirose about U.N.D.A.D. It can't be Kotaro, because he doesn't know. (Man, you want to talk about someone the story left behind!) Kenzaki and Tachibana not only don't want to tell Hirose, but they're also out of pocket for the first half of the episode. That leaves Mutsuki, who, for the first time in almost ten episodes (or more?) just wanders into Team Blade's living room. He's the one who inadvertently clues in Hirose about U.N.D.A.D.

The thing I love about that scene, beyond how thrillingly unexpected it is, is that it makes perfect sense for Mutsuki to do it. He walks in, tells Hirose that he just tried to murder Kenzaki under orders from U.N.D.A.D. in exchange for more power, it didn't work, but he still wants his power, so where's your dad already. And it's hysterical that Mutsuki would approach the team this way, complaining that his recent murder attempt didn't pan out the way he hoped so maybe Kenzaki's friends can help him out. That's a move that even Tachibana, who is 85% certain that everyone else in the world is a figment of his imagination, would think the Team would shoot down. It's so oblivious, so selfish, and it's exactly Mutsuki.

The secret sauce in the scene is that Mutsuki fundamentally doesn't get why Kenzaki's friends would hold trying to murder Kenzaki against him. He doesn't see the stakes of Battle Fight as actual life and death. It's monsters getting sealed in cards and fun finishing moves! It's just a game! Why would Mutsuki doing what he needs to do to be more powerful be held against him? He's a hero! A Kamen Rider! Why is everyone being so unfair to him?

It's 1000% Mutsuki, the guy who wanted a tragic backstory because it was cool. Stakes are theoretical, risks are something other people deal with, consequences don't exist. Mutsuki's never really had skin in the game, so of course he'd grumpily demand that Hirose help him out.

Really smart way of utilizing Mutsuki in that episode.