[Switchblade]

I always forget that this is when Diend shows up. No slight against Daiki, it's just that there are other aspects of this episode that stand out to me more.

As far as tribute's go, this episode and the next are Zi-O's high point. Not to say that the show goes downhill from here - my favorite single moment in the show is still to come - but the Blade episodes represent probably the strongest use of legacy characters, for my money. I cannot express how much I love that Amane is Another Blade. It's such a good use of the pre-existing characters and lore to set up a story that really feels like a continuation of the original show. Amane searching for Hajime, Hajime trying to protect Amane, the two Jokers being drawn to fight each other: there is so much good content here for Blade fans.