[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

One of the things that annoys me with Den-O is when people write Ryotaro off as a wimpy loser. This episode is one example of why I think that argument is bunkum. Ryotaro can't fight, that's true. He's never going to be taking on waves of mooks with his martial arts skills. It's not fair to call him weak, though. Where Ryotaro really shines is in the strength of his resolve.

It takes a lot of guts to go into a fight like this episode's without a real chance of winning. But Ryotaro does it just to prove a point. He does it because he's willing to take a beating in order to convince Momotaros that he was wrong and that this partnership isn't going to be just a case of Momo taking his body for joyrides whenever he wants. It's a good way to earn the respect of someone who values strength.

Yeah, it's a story where the first part is Ugh Just Let The Cool Guy Take Over From This Wimp, and the second part is Actually The Wimp Is The Most Bad-Ass Guy On The Show. The first part is all about explaining how Momotaros sees Ryotaro (a weak bore), and the second part sketches in what really drives Ryotaro, and why he's worth rooting for. It's maybe not my favorite early-series partnership episode (Kabuto, obviously), but it's succinct and sweet.