[Switchblade]

I love this finale. It’s such a gloriously triumphant tragedy that you rarely see in this franchise. Most shows try to end on a more upbeat, “hero saves the day and most or all of the characters are happy.” Blade has some of that, but it’s all wrapped around this core sacrifice - Kenzaki is gone. Not technically dead, but effectively as far as his friends are concerned. He gave up his humanity and all the family he has, just to ensure that Hajime gets to lead his own life. It’s a beautiful ending.

One thing that I like about this era of Rider is that we don’t get the sequel movies yet. Other shows with down notes on their endings all have an asterisk after them. Ankh is gone at the end of OOO, but he still shows up two more times. There are still scores of Bugster virus victims lost as data at the end of Ex-Aid, but that gets resolved in a follow-up film trilogy. Even Black, the most Pyrrhic victory in Kamen Rider, gets a sequel series that walks back Shadow Moon’s fate. Not Blade. Blade’s ending gets to stand. There’s no movie or miniseries that walks this back. That really adds to its power.

Yes, I know Zi-O undoes it, but I feel like that only lasts until the Ride Watches’ powers go back home. It’s a temporary reprieve, not a complete overturning. It was also 15 years later and on a show of highly dubious quality.