Recap: Kamen Rider Gaim, Episode 3 – Shock! The Rival's Banana Transformation!?

While Kota is digging through his closet looking for his old Gaim jacket, DJ Sagara is recapping the last week’s events where Armored Rider Gaim has helped his team up the rankings by fighting in the Inves game himself and gaining huge popularity.

Meanwhile, Mitch is at the fancy Tenju Private High School run by Yggdrasill Corp. He listens to his classmates thinking that Gaim guy is dumb for having so much free time on his hands to fight Inves. A male classmate tells the girls instead of wasting their own time talking about a dumb guy, they should be like Kureshima-kun who’s all about his studies.

Mitch replies, “Please don’t bother me. When exams start, you’ll be another one of my rivals.”

After school, Mitch sneaks off away from his classmates to change into his Gaim clothes. He runs into Kota on his way to the garage and is happy to see him wearing his Gaim jacket.

Mitch tells Kota how much Gaim means to him since it’s a place where he can go back to being “himself.” He wishes too that he could fight Inves like Kota can, but Kota says it’s only because he picked up a weird belt.

They head to the garage together where the rest of the team excitedly watching footage of Kota’s Inves fight from yesterday. Mai gets upset with the others for relying too much on Kota who isn’t even part of the team anymore. But just then, he comes in showing off his jacket and the others celebrate.

Mai pulls Kota outside by the ear and asks what he thinks he’s doing. He says he’s just filling in for Yuya until he comes back, but Mai says he doesn’t have the time what with all his part-time jobs.

Kota says he’s quit them all, which is a good thing anyway since he’s been more trouble than help since getting the belt. Mai is not amused. She calls him an idiot for always working hard and caring for others before taking care of himself. She can’t feel happy accepting help like that. But Kota says that makes him happy and that he feels like he has a place with them.

Mai cries that she feels weak for not being able to fight well in the Inves game and causing other teams to laugh at them. Which is why she is upset that Kota has to work so hard for them instead. He assures her that she has nothing to worry about.

The others are watching from upstairs and say Kota and Mai really do make a great pair. Mitch agrees… but maybe not so wholeheartedly.

Hideyasu, leader of Team Invitto and Ryoji of Team Raid Wild are watching Team Gaim performing on stage. Ryoji is set on dueling with Kota and Hideyasu encourages him, hoping to face off against Ryoji if he wins to win the stage for his Team.

As Ryoji and Kota prepare for the Inves battle, we get a nice, succinct description of how the Inves Game actually works.

Kota henshins and fights Ryoji’s two Inves as the crowd goes wild. Mai is annoyed that Kota is more popular than their entire group.

Kota easily defeats both Inves and wins both Ryoji’s Lockseeds.

Team Baron is watching the broadcast and Kaito remarks that Kota has no idea how to use that belt. He suddenly gets a call from Sid who offers something that could help Team Baron maintain its position.

Kota heads home and hands Akira an envelope full of money, a bonus from the Inves Game. It’s even more than what he got from working. He wants her to use it to pay the bills, but she doesn’t want it. She tells Kota that work means doing something that benefits people he doesn’t know, like delivering food to hungry customers or making homes clean for people to live in. Stuff that’s meaningful to the world, not a game that only makes him and his friends happy.

Akira doesn’t want their family to be supported by money made from a game and to just let her proper job take care of their bills.

Next day at Drupers, Kota wonders what his sister means when she says he should do something that’s meaningful to the world. Kaito suddenly walks in and confronts Kota with a question, Why does he only fight those who challenge him and not challenge any of the higher ranking teams himself?

He doesn’t need to, Kota says. But Kaito thinks it’s because Kota’s just a coward and continues to provoke him.

They end up heading to the plaza. Both Teams Gaim and Baron are there as a crowd gathers to watch the duel.

Everyone is shocked when Kaito pulls a Driver out of his coat. He attaches it to his waist and unlocks his banana Lockseed. A giant bunch of bananas drops down from the dimensional rip and engulfs Kaito’s head as he henshins into an Armored Rider.

Kota quickly henshins as well, but Sid interrupts them with a little present for both to commemorate this Inves Game evolving into something more. He tosses them two Lockseeds which transform into Lock Vehicles. They’re just prototypes, but asks them if they can handle mastering them.

Kota and Kaito take their bikes to the shipyard where they begin their race. Mai worries as everyone else excitedly watches on their tablet.

But suddenly, they get caught up in a wind vortex of petals before getting sucked into dimensional zipper openings transporting them into the Inves forest.

Winged Inves begin following them and while Kota tries to outrun them, Kaito decides to stop and fight. Kota decides to turn back to help.

Kaito gets ready to engage Banana Squash, but the white dressed red eyed woman appears and says, like she said to Kota, to take caution for he’s about to make a decision that’ll change his fate.

I merely choose my own path, Kaito says as he uses his Banana powers to finish off the Inves.

Episode Thoughts
So I’m still enjoying Gaim even if I have no idea what’s going on. It’s interesting enough and I know this is all pretty much set-up, especially since we have two more Riders to introduce before even hinting at the big bad for the series.

I think this episode really showed that there is A LOT to introduce before we can get to some of the really good stuff.

But we’ve gotten a lot of fun things so far. I mean, banana heads and a double banana final strike. How can you not be amused?

I guess we still have a way to go. Both Fourze and Wizard gave each of the ensemble their own introduction episode, so considering what we’re getting with Gaim, it’s going to be a while. The Korean drama fan in me is really excited about the high school angst that seems to be brewing. (lol) But overall, I’m definitely intrigued.