[Sh Ranger]

This Ryugi 3-parter was awesome! Even without full context of what happened in the summer movie, it's clear that Ryugi's faith is shaken by the revelation that Tega Sword can die, a fear we saw when he was trapped in Setsuna's dream generator and now something he fears happening for real.

Ryugi had come to the tragic conclusion that if Hoeru has the best chance of collecting the Rings, then Ryugi's participation is only getting in the way of his own wish. However, if your happiness can be sacrificed for the sake of your wish, then that's not truly your wish. The ego can be balanced by hospitality, but if discarded, then there's nothing left. Hoeru feels the pain of depriving his friend of his wish, especially since Ryugi was the one who spoken first when he needed the pep talk in Episode 9 and sympathized with his frustration of being controlled by toxic family.

His temporary replacement was a weirdo called Assam. Unlike that despicable traitor from the Dekaranger 10th movie, this Assam starts out as a villain only concerned with Rings and gets redeemed thanks to Kumade, who has a similar yet wiser personality, teaching him the value of No.1 Battles. Sadly, just like that despicable traitor from the Dekaranger 10th movie, his tenure as a Ranger is cut short, as the Infinity Ranger absorbs him. Also, isn't it weird that Deka Red had nothing to do with him?

Crazy how the Infinity Ranger managed to make Zenkaizer Black more relevant to this show in one scene than it ever was in Donbrothers. He says the color suits him, presumably due to the monochrome matching Rei's grey eyes. In addition to being connected to Rikuo and Sumino, Rei reveals that he seeks revenge on the terrible father Ryuto, connecting him to Ryugi and becoming the catalyst he needed to renew his conviction to save the world.