[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

I love Todoroki. He's one of my very favorite characters on a show full of characters that I love. I really like that he's the rookie Oni but he's still really good at his job of fighting monsters. His youth shows up not in being less capable, but in lacking complete confidence in himself and being over-enthusiastic. He's a really good kid, but he can get a little too caught up in his own head sometimes. It's great to finally have him on the show because he does bring a new dynamic to the cast.

So, in All Elite Wrestling, there's a faction called The Dark Order. They're a cult, basically. On the comedy YouTube series Being The Elite, there're these sketches where the Dark Order's leader, Brodie Lee, blows up at one of the lower-level guys, John Silver. Silver's a shorter, stockier guy. Alex Reynolds, his tag-team partner in the Dark Order, will try and stick up for him by saying, "Hey, he didn't mean to screw up, he's a good kid." Silver will then flip out, saying, "I'm 29-years old!"

That's all I can think of when you describe Todoroki as "a really good kid." It's hilarious to me, because he looks like he's at least 10 years older than Ibuki. He's like those 30-year olds who end up getting cast in high school dramas. He looks way too old to be forgiven for youthful mistakes!

But I get why he's that way. They mention in this one that Todoroki's only been at it for a couple years, while Ibuki said last time that he's been at it since he was 15. Ibuki may be younger, but Todoroki is still the rookie. It's a neat choice by the show to have someone a little older be the somewhat error-prone new guy. He's going to be fun to see interact with the rest of the cast!

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Originally Posted by Sunred

Todoroki still to this day is one of my favorite secondary rider alongside a few others. That soundtrack is just pitch perfect and like Switchblade said, Raiden Gekishin is just awesome in theory and in execution.

It's like after fourteen episodes of orchestral scoring, the composer was like Oh My God Guitars I Missed You So Much Let's Never Fight Again. The riffs in this were so chunky, so enthusiastic. It was great. (I especially loved the less-rocking acoustic guitar version of the opening theme that scored Todoroki's more contemplative scenes.)

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

Gonna join in on the chorus and say that Todoroki is also probably my favourite character in the show. I think what I meant to say the other day, about how Zanki and him have this story about themselves as opposed to only being there for Asumu's sake, is that I was invested in this story for Zanki and Todoroki themselves. I definitely like Ibuki and Akira for sure, but I didn't feel like I needed to be concerned about where they'll end up, if that makes sense.

Oh, sure, I get you. It's a nicely written story, in that it can succeed purely on the merits of Zanki and Todoroki being awesome heroes you're immediately invested in... but the show decides to have them support the other storylines, anyway. It's one of the best things about the writing on this show, how it's frequently doing more than it needs to because it can.

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

Also personally speaking, I can totally get why the merchandise in this show wasn't exactly flying off the shelves. Ibuki's trumpet-gun and Todoroki's guitar-axe are the only DX toys I see any appeal in, and those only come into the show a little later. Hibki's tuning fork, his sticks, the disc animals, they're cool in the show, but probably unimpressive to actually own.

I feel like boys aged 7 to 10 would probably be pretty into magic drumsticks? I mean, yeah, not that great in the sense of them not transforming into anything or having a mechanism to play with (if I was a kid, I'd've been addicted to that Saber belt), but Smacking Things Against Things is an eternal wish of children, much to the chagrin of their parents.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

There were two moments that really stuck out to me for how they were framed though, that I'd love to take a second to call attention to.

This show is weirdly great with phone calls.

You're dead-right on how great those basement scenes are, though. Just everything with Hibiki on the phone to Todoroki was great, with him starting out teasing him about needing to step up in a hurry, that big Hibiki laugh, and then being like Cool But If You're Actually Nervous It Could Get You Killed So You Better Ice That Shit Out. He doesn't turn on a dime or anything, but it's this warm, funny conversation that stays within the lane of making sure Todoroki can do this.

As always, one of my favorite thing about all of that tension in the basement is that every single character is giving Todoroki the chance to step up. No one, for even a second, suggests that Ibuki or Hibiki go back him up. (And that's literally the job that Hibiki just got promoted to!) This show's so great about telling stories where people can be supported, but still have to succeed or fail on their own. I love it.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I was this close to writing Todoroki is my last post before realizing Die wasn't supposed to know who that is yet.

Funny story: I always knew he'd be called Todoroki. Not because of the Wiki or anything recent, but I knew there was a Todoroki Figuart. (It was a post I remember enjoying because of how excited people were to have The Last Hibiki Rider come out.) When we had Hibiki, Ibuki, Danki, Zanki, Sabaki, and Todoyama... I mean, I don't need a crystal ball to see what's coming.