[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

A bit more seriously, I do quite like that Nago explicitly offers the Ixa Knuckle to Megumi. I seem to recall Inoue did this exact melodramatic late series shlocky blindness thing with G3, but for whatever reason, Nago's version of it was way more memorable to me? That's not to say it's necessarily some genius plotting decision or anything, or me trying to diss Agito, which I would never want to do, because Agito is awesome, but I can definitely see what Kiva was aiming for by having Nago's ultimate challenge for the climax be something so humbling for him. Just imagine for a second how extra poorly pre-753 Nago would be handling this situation.

It's a nice moment for both characters, and I do love the bizarre Odd Couple energy Nago and Megumi have. I will never not be a fan of them getting on each other's nerves while being equally dedicated to fighting Fangires. It's great.

...and that always comes with the proviso that watching a great scene like this has me saying But Why Won't Megumi Just Be IXA through gritted teeth. It's nice that she's willing to take a backseat to Nago's emotional journey, but, like, she is always taking a backseat to Nago's emotional journey. This was maybe a point - you know, as Fangires are slaughtering people by the dozens - for Megumi to accept that she'll need to operate IXA while Nago is injured. It would maybe be the ultimate expression of Nago's growth, to step aside in a time of crisis?

(Also, I want to say Hikawa's blindness was psychosomatic, what with his Imposter Syndrome, rather than Nago's Sword Slash To Face. I maybe prefer the Hikawa version, because it's way funnier? Hikawa was a real disaster, and that plot point was his zenith.)