Recap: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Episode 15 – A New Challenger Appears!

Ex-Aid 15

Nico wants to move into Taiga’s hospital, at least until he is able to beat M. Taiga won’t have any of it. He yells at her to leave and steps outside himself. Nico sets her sights on Taiga’s Driver and Gashats.

Ex-Aid 15

At the hospital, Emu is in surgical training and has trouble even sitting through watching one. Hiiro says he is not suited for the operating room. Instead, Emu is better suited for in-game treatment.

Emu tells Poppy about the unexpected compliment while munching on Iron Supplement candy for anemia. Poppy is excited because it means Hiiro is finally accepting of his gamer skills.

Just then, they get an alert to a new patient. Taiga goes to grab his Driver, but it’s gone.

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Emu and Asuna arrive at the emergency call first and it is actually Nico. Emu scans her, but she has no signs of the virus. She elbows Emu and whips out the Driver, ready to battle him in-game.

Taiga arrives and demands Nico hand over the Driver and Gashat. But instead she tries to henshin only to activate the dormant Bugster virus inside of her. Taiga confirms she has Game Syndrome. Hiiro joins the party.

Taiga grabs his things back from her as she cries that she merely wanted Taiga to destroy M for her. The virus produces the Revol Bugster and Emu, Taiga and Hiiro henshin.

Taiga and Hiiro level up to take on the basic Bugsters. Emu tries fighting Revol, but none of attacks actually hit the Bugster. Kuroto Dan arrives and henshins, wanting to try and eliminate the unauthorized game once more. Emu doubles up.

Kuroto feels he can’t beat Emu today so since he’s got the combat data he needs, he can retreat. Revol joins him.

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The guys dehenshin, but Emu again feels the pain. Taiga knows what’s up. He walks away.

Hiiro asks Emu what’s wrong, but Emu says it’s nothing. Emu hurries back to Asuna and Nico.

Taiga stops Kuroto Dan and confronts him about what he knows regarding Emu having Game Syndrome. Kuroto explains everything to Taiga.

Ex-Aid 15

Emu was infected with the Bugster Virus six years ago and became Game Syndrome Patient Zero, a year before Zero Day. Emu had become the failed test subject of Next Genome Research Institute Chief Doctor Zaizen Michihiko. After administering the virus into Emu, all the doctors working on the experiment contracted the virus and vanished.

Emu survived and returned to a normal life without knowing what happened to him.

Taiga laughs at Kuroto telling him all this after killing Kiriya for knowing too much. Kuroto says he killed Kiriya because of his intent in terminating the Bugster virus.

Taiga tries to process what he’s just learned. But Hiiro has heard everything.

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Over at the CR, Nico wants nothing to do with Emu, let alone letting him treat her Game Syndrome. Emu asks if they’ve ever met before or if he’s done something to make her hate him. But the fact that he doesn’t remember upsets Nico even more.

Asuna takes Emu outside to talk. Emu is not sure if he knows Nico.

Hiiro arrives and asks Emu the reason he aspires to be a doctor. Asuna reminds Hiiro that it’s because of Kyoutarou-sensei saving Emu’s life. But Hiiro points out that Emu spent all his time playing games after that. Emu admits that he turned to playing games while he worried about whether he could become a doctor or not. He only started taking medical school seriously once he took the college exams six years ago.

Ex-Aid 15

Nico flashes back to attending the 2010 Fighters Cup where a cocky Emu was handily defeating his opponent.

Emu relates that he had spent so much time practicing for days on end to win that tournament that he eventually became bedridden afterwards. And during that time, he remembers having a strange dream that he believes was of his surgery from 16 years ago.

That’s when Emu realized he couldn’t continue living like that and instead focused on his studies.

Hiiro tries putting the pieces together. But Taiga suddenly calls to tell Emu to come and pick-up Nico’s belongings.

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Kuroto Dan analyzes the last bit of data before finally presenting Parado with his Driver and Perfect Puzzle Gashat.

Emu and Asuna head to the location where Taiga is waiting. Instead of merely handing over Nico’s stuff, he attacks Emu and demands his Gashats in exchange for Nico’s things.

Ex-Aid 15

Taiga henshins. Before Asuna can drag Emu away, he henshins too. Hiiro arrives and henshins as well. Asuna is happy Hiiro is here to help Emu, but Hiiro actually attacks him. It’s two against one so Emu levels up.

Revol arrives to join in the fun, but Parado stops him and chains him up.

Hiiro and Taiga take Emu’s Drago Knight Hunter Gashat and level up to 5. Before they can finish Emu off, Asuna steps in front of Emu to stop them. But Parado also steps forward, not liking to see the two vs. one.

Ex-Aid 15

Parado whips out his Driver and Gashat and henshins to Kamen Rider Para-DX.

Ex-Aid 15

And Kamen Rider Para-DX is Level 50.

Parado uses Hiiro and Taiga as examples to show off his Level 50 skills and game. Perfect Puzzle is a game where you can control every object in the game area. For example, Parado can turn anything into energy items and even combine them.

Parado delivers a Perfect Critical Combo and forces Taiga and Hiiro to dehenshin.

Emu demands Parado stop. Parado laughs since he just saved his ass. But Emu wants to protect all lives. He goes Level 3.

Ex-Aid 15

Parado changes games using the same Gashat, going Knock Out Fighter. He delivers a Knock Out Critical Smash at Emu and knocks him out, forcing him to dehenshin.

Ex-Aid 15 Ex-Aid 15

Parado dehenshins and says he’s always available to be played with and entertained. He leaves.

Asuna helps Emu up, but he feels the head pain again.

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Taiga and Hiiro look at each other, recalling their conversation earlier. Taiga warns against telling Emu about being infected. Imagine the stress Emu would experience if he knew, Taiga says.

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Episode Thoughts

Hmm… interesting episode.

I dunno, but I’m kinda sad that the explanation is from out of nowhere and not something hinted at or foreshadowed earlier. I haven’t really seen or really remember much of any clips from the Ex-AidGhost movie or the upcoming Super Hero Taisen, but that clip of the doctor totally looked like it was from a movie, inserted to tie things together. And turns out, it really was from the Movie Wars.

But that whole thing just felt so random. Introducing this new mysterious group of mad scientists almost feels like a completely different story or big reset. But I haven’t seen the movie so I have no idea if this is supposed to be important or not.

Emu shifting into “M” mode because of having Game Syndrome is a little more reasonable. And the idea of Taiga and Hiiro having to keep his diagnosis a secret at least makes sense. It almost seems like the only reason we’ve had patients of the week until now was to set-up this moment and apply the “rules” to Emu.

I hope Nico is more than just some gamer who lost to M or something.

I think I might be more interested in Parado’s origins now though. Though things are certainly pointing in a certain direction that might totally be expected. I did enjoy Para-DX/Paradox’s introduction. And we got to see Parado’s personality very well in his fighting.

Though how does Kuroto Dan fit in to all of this if he might not be the one who created any of this in the first place? At least, that’s what I assumed. There’s a whole other company other than GENM involved? I don’t even know.

I was expecting something huge this episode since we didn’t get the full opening credits. But this certainly wasn’t on the same level of the Christmas Day murder of Kiriya. Overall another okay episode. Nice intro to Para-DX/Paradox. But any plot reveal this episode felt kind of flat to me.

0 thoughts on “Recap: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Episode 15 – A New Challenger Appears!

  1. The episode was also badly paced. They kept jumping from one event to the next without any real sense of connection. And yeah, I am really not fond of the non-serial movies hijacking the plot. They could have at least laid it out better if they did intend to use that backstory right from the start for the explanation of Emu’s game disease. Im just hoping that this little arc with Nico has something in store for it.

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