Recap / Kamen Rider Ex Aid Ep 38 Period With Tears

Thank you Hiiro, but your princess is no longer in the castle.

Written by Yuya Takahashi

Directed by Satoshi Morota

Graphite mercilessly attacked the body of Taiga which forced him out of his transformation! The injured Taiga has been rushed to the hospital immediately, but there is a high possibility that his heart has been damaged. Moreover, it seems that it would take an expert-level of surgical expertise in order to save his life. After returning to Masamune, Hiiro's father and Asuna make an urgent phone call. The director asks Hiiro to perform Taiga's surgical operation. Just what decision will Hiiro come to in the end?

Episode Tropes:

• Bittersweet Ending: Very much on both ends. Hiiro manages to save Taiga's life, and the two reconcile their animosity that was present for most of the season. Sadly, Hiiro lost his one chance to save his girlfriend's data as Masamune deletes it.
• Book Ends: When Hiiro lost Saki the first time, it was raining outside. It happens again after he loses her data.
• Dirty Coward: Masamune proves to be a bigger coward than Kuroto as he abuses his position as the Game Master to make things go south for the Doctor Riders. On the other hand, Kuroto grows out of it, as shown when he used twenty-four continues to fend off Masamune until Emu shows up.
• The GM Is a Cheating Bastard: Cronus takes all the Energy Items, and decides that he alone will be the one to use them. This doesn't save him from Ex-Aid and Brave's combined efforts, however.
• Heel–Face Turn: Hiiro returns to the CR by the end of the episode.
• Heroic BSoD: Hiiro suffers one while doing the surgery, even dropping his surgical tool in the process. He has a bigger one when the weight of losing Saki again hit's him hard after battling Cronus.
• Kick the Dog: By this point, Masamune is ruining Hiiro's life by holding Saki's data as a way to do his dirty work. The ultimate kicker is Masamune permanently removing Saki's data from existence as punishment for failing him.
• Killed Off for Real: Saki's data is permanently removed courtesy of Masamune.
• Sadistic Choice: Masamune's new deal with Hiiro is for the latter to sabotage Taiga's heart operation, or Saki's data is permanently deleted. Hiiro decides to do the operation properly with full knowledge of the consequences that will follow.
• Save the Villain: Both Kuroto and Kiriya do this to Graphite and Parado since losing the latter will also cost Emu's ability to transform into Ex-Aid. The two Bugsters wisely retreat when they realize this.
• Villainous Breakdown: Even after stealing and modifying the remaining Energy Items, Cronus still ends up being pulverized by Ex-Aid and Brave, forcing him to use underhanded tactics involving Parado and Nico in the next episode.
• You Monster!: After Masamune's Evil Gloating regarding his Sadistic Choice he gave Hiiro, Emu is left asking him if he even has a soul. Then Hiiro outright calls him the cancer of this world.
  Gashat Count: Ex-Aid: 9 Brave: 5 Snipe: 3 (Continued) Lazer: 10 Genm: 2 Poppy: 1 Nico: 1 Para-DX: 1 Cronus: 2
  Gashatrophies Collected: Gamer Riders: 9 Genm Corp.: 1
  Genm's Continues Left: 70