[DreadBringer]

Kamen Rider Gaim watch

The Beat Riders Saga

Episode 4: Birth! The Third Rider is Grapes!

Written by: Gen Urobuchi, Directed by: Takayuki Shibasaki

So it's revealed here that how Gaim and Baron got transported into Helheim Forest is a mechanic from Lock Vehicles, that if they reached certain speed, the bike (which both base models are Honda CRF250L) would generate the portal into Helheim Forest and transport the Riders there. Kouta reveals to Kaito that he had known this dimension before, the place where he found the Sengoku Driver. After the reveal, both Kouta and Kaito acted according to their character for a while in the forest.

Kouta, being a team player and people person, would continue to search for Yuuya in the forest, but after witnessing some Yggdrasill researchers, another Rider, the white Armored Rider Zangetsu with melon motif, which later is revealed to be Takatora, hunts him, while also showing another Lockseed ability to grow it into another Shika Inves. Zangetsu didn't only beat Gaim relentlessly until near death, but also offering him his philosophy that the world is full of evil beyond reason, thus he had to fight him without question or hesitation, otherwise his life has no worth and deserve to die. Someone like Kouta obviously would opt to not fight another human being. While Zangetsu isn't a moral person for perpetuating the world's evil based on his beliefs, this also can be a lesson for Kouta, someone can learn from anyone regardless of their morals, but implemented in different way, namely for Kouta, to recognize better regarding which are good or bad, and deal with either better for his pursuit of helping people.

Kaito pulls a smart move from this discovery, where he searches up as many new Lockseeds as he needed to benefit him, albeit he didn't make use of it in the Inves fight there. And this isn't necessarily a selfish or ruthless move, most people on any morality would also benefit from that. Kaito then leaves with activating Lock Vehicle mechanic again... though I feel that it would be hard to find a road that is suitable to in a forest.... However, as shown in later scene, Kaito didn't use some of the Lockseeds he obtained, but instead form a partnership with other Beat Rider teams, Jonouchi of Team Invitto and Ryoji of Team Raid Wild by giving both of them Lockseeds. Their reaction differs where the hot-headed Ryoji objects at the idea of working to another team, while the calculating Jonouchi sees the benefit in this deal as they'll gain significant advantage in Inves Games with their new Lockseeds, and alliances provide stronger defense against Team Gaim. Despite Kaito telling the kid earlier to rely on own strength, Kaito mumbles that obtaining another team is also a form of strength... so there's likely criteria of what kind of person Kaito agrees to work with.

In Kureshima house, which is big and luxurious, Takatora questions about Micchy's late return, where Micchy claims it's due to extra session in cram school. It's shown that Micchy had pressure and big shoes to fill, which is likely the source of his messed up persona as Micchy is obliged to work alongside Takatora in Yggdrasill later, and thus he needs to cast aside any distractions and get clear path in life, where he seems to be forced to get perfect grades and the highest among his peers.

Akira calls Mai and Micchy to her and Kouta's apartment, so Akira also knows Kouta's friends and relies on them too when Kouta's on distress, which is, curled up in his room here. As Kouta recounts what happened to him, he's terrified of Zangetsu's power, but also learns the real price of gaining Sengoku Driver that, being an Armored Rider isn't a game, it's a serious life-or-death fighting, and he won't stop hunting him until he's dead. It's a wake-up call for Kouta to stop acting too carefree in life. While other toku can make the hero vow to defeat Zangetsu, Gaim is a show that deconstructs toku stuff, where Gaim portrays this moment as traumatizing to the point of Kouta not even touching his belt, and vows to stop henshin. The dispute between Kouta and Mai regarding his membership of Team Gaim seems to be solved for good here as Mai opts to hide the belt and Lockseed and tells him he's free to visit Team Gaim again with a reassuring smile, conveying her need for Team Gaim to not solely rely on Kouta in a mellower way (which got debated by Micchy not long after). Like Kouta to Kaito, Mai also reveals that she knew Helheim Forest as Kouta tags along with and saved her there, and explains the reason to take the belt, she's now doing something regarding Kouta's hero complex, to keep him from hurting himself to help others. Micchy however objects that there's nothing wrong to be hurt when helping others, and if Mai thinks otherwise, then she doesn't understand the good Kouta had done to them. So, while it's ok to encourage others to be independent, Mai had to appreciate outside help like Kouta's better. And while hero complex is a flaw, someone being a hero tends to injure themselves a lot in the process, enforcing its risks and natural progress within it... at least among Kamen Rider series.

Micchy goes home and watches a footage of Team Gaim practicing a dance, and from Kouta's big help as Armored Rider and Mai's insistence to be an independent team, Micchy vows to change, and goes to Sid to get himself a Lockseed, but being a Kureshima family, Sid tells Micchy that he only gives Sengoku Driver to specific people, and had to act carefully regarding his connection to Kureshima (being an influental family as the dad has high position in Yggdrasill), that if Takatora is known as careless to public and that Sid's the reason for it, he'd not be able to walk in Zawame City anymore. Micchy however, didn't budge and uses up his family name too to make Sid agree, that he's the one to fear in the long term, not Takatora, and it'd not be wise for Sid to get on Micchy's bad side, which earns compliment from Sid, and another showing of Micchy's true nature as "Kureshima ruthless", mumbling to himself that he's not the well-mannered Kureshima son. Team Gaim is dancing on their stage without Mai (who looks at the Orange Lockseed), before Team Invitto comes to challenge them into an Inves Game, Micchy is revealed to have solved the deal with Sid, to Mai and Kouta's (who is watching in Beat Riders Hotline in another girl's tablet) surprise, using a Sengoku Driver to transform into a grape-motif Armored Rider with Budou Arms, who DJ Sagara names as Ryugen due to him being a gunslinger with Chinese flavor and shooting foes like a dragon's breath.