[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Much like us niche Tokusatsu fans having to deal with obnoxious people who boast about their more popular and therefore "superior" hobbies, it's easy to see which side is more insecure and pathetic. Sadly, even nerds can bully other nerds, in an attempt to be seen as the least lame and closer to the cool clique. Like Yosuke tearing Tamaki's card.

Well then... the Sisters that has this contradictory should be labeled similarly as those bullies you mentioned here too, rather than being held in higher regard for it? Otherwise those nerd bullies wanting to be less lame are explanations, not excuse for the bully behavior. By general I don't want for the harmless and weak ones like the victims to be automatically associated with being pure and innocent either, so this info should be known more. They may already house terrible darkness and resentment, likely, just that they can't carry out their acts before it happens.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Like, if you take the dere out of Olteca, then he'd have no reason to target Yosuke, since the whole point of that was to incur an emotional response from Tamaki.

What'd be the difference from the "tsundere" ones to the ones who just targets certain people out of pure malice, which may happen due to constant confrontations between certain protagonists and antagonists? And this is also one of the reasons why bullies bully, they want to incur emotional response from their victims. There's ?he bullies you because he likes you? excuse by this to paint their behavior as alright by this - oh I remember this is the reason I'm against tsundere excuses.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Well, the Zeronos memory time nonsense probably got Den-O demoted a few ranks. I used to confidently declare it as my favorite Kobayashi Rider show, but after my recent re-evaluation, I've decided that Ryuki is marginally better, although Den-O still wins in characters and comedy. I guess I just don't judge shows based only on tone, which is why there's a mix of light and dark in my top 5 Rider shows.

True that dark isn't averse on your upper list, though the lighter tones still seems to be the preference for upper part. (Fourze, Ghost, Wizard, W. Though not as light as before, probably Kiva, Decade, and even Blade won't be those seen as something really dark or such) I'd also think that, lighthearted shows gets free pass on any flaws it has, being high ranked just for how bright and warm they're where everything goes right due to the efforts including all villains being redeemed (I mean not only by you but by people like Fish, Kurona, etc.... Fish does advocate for unconditional love for those shows to only praise all the time), where I'd guess that Zeronos memory time nonsense doesn't matter for Den-O's evaluation by this before.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

True that Ryuki was controversial for pretty much inventing the Rider VS Rider trope, but I appreciated how it used that to show the heroic quality of Kamen Rider in a new light, after the generic villains from Kuuga and Agito that existed to get beaten up. I think Ryuki seriously innovated the franchise for the Heisei Era, in a way that endures in to Reiwa.

Yes that'd be my point about how darker doesn't mean just being edgy for the sake of it about Ryuki using it, but it won't be what's viewed as a display of magic of friendship by people, with it showing characters being on each other's throats rather than multiple Riders acting like Sentai. Bad guys existing to get beaten up is also what people who hate Ryuki's approach and like lighthearted (also Showa) more seem to prefer, and can be what's done on lighthearted shows as well, as it'd be easier to keep the moral high ground on the heroes that way, thus it showcases "spirit of Kamen Rider" better for those people.