The card of destiny: Ultraman Orb 6 – 10
Aug. 13th, 2019 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameThe Forbidden Forest (Takano / Abe): We open in the secret base of the unseen alien crime boss Don Nostra, who asks his underlings, Alien Metron Tarude and Alien Nackle Nagus, to report on their progress of taking over the planet. Turns out things aren't going so well on that front—they planned to drug cigarettes with hallucinogens—which is apparently an actual plot from the Showa era—but smoking rates are declining, so they had to cancel. Nostra notes that while things change over time, people will still sell out their own planets for fun and profit. Nagus suggests just destroying the Earth, but Tarude points out that Orb is in the way. Enter Juggler, who just happened to be right there for whatever reason. He offers to get rid of Orb for them.
Meanwhile, the SSP is running a photo of Gai through a facial recognition system. In a moment I swear is a reference to the Ninth Doctor, they find a match with over 99% accuracy to a photo of a man from the 1900s, posing with a kaiju tail. I mean, two ageless humanoid aliens with leather jackets? I feel like Nine and Gai would get along great, at least regarding their fashion sense. Shin protests that Gai can't possibly be the man in the photo, but Jetta can't deny how much of a resemblance there is. At the same time, Naomi is on the phone with her mama while doing laundry. Apparently, suitors are asking for marriage interviews, so she asks Mama to make excuses to get her out of it. After all, she has to deal with a shirtless Gai, who is relaxing in a hammock in the garage. I swear, all he ever seems to do at the office is sleep or eat. Naomi tells him to put on a damn shirt already, and he notices that his horoscope says that his lucky color today is blue.
...Gai. Look, it isn't exactly a spoiler to reveal this, but you are not human. You were born on another planet. Constellations would be different to you, and of course there's the matter of how long days and months are on your home planet. In short, unless you have a way to match up the passage of time on your planet versus Earth, horoscopes should not work for you!
Shibukawa arrives and asks the SSP to look at a photo two kids took, featuring a flying saucer in the background. Shirtless Gai admits it's a good shot, and once again, Naomi freaks out on him. The photo was taken near a public park, or as close to those words as you can possibly get. It's a government-owned forest, and no one's allowed to trespass. But there have always been rumors about it being an ancient noble's grave site, the "Forbidden Forest." Hopefully without dark wizards hunting unicorns this time. Jetta remembers hearing in school that anyone who enters never returns, despite it only being 100 square meters. He wants to check it out and tries to ask Gai to come along, but of course, Gai has disappeared.
Shibukawa takes the others to the park, introducing them to the kids who took the photo, Daiki and Kenji. They admit they check out the site, sometimes finding cool stuff among all the "junk"—a comment that doesn't exactly endear them to the SSP. They also admit they didn't actually see the UFO themselves, but Daiki's friend's older brother's friend did. Because of course. Another rumor they pass along is that a middle schooler once entered the forest to test his courage and found a lady in a white kimono—possibly a ghost. Shibukawa encourages Naomi and the others to investigate fast, since the forest will be torn down for development.
The Planetary Invasion Syndicate has also heard about the plans for development, and Nagus worries that all the people poking around will end up discovering their hideout. He's also aggravated about the human intrusion and greed, which threaten the beautiful scenery and sunset. I have to say, it's a nice, nuanced take on bad guys appreciating the Earth's environment more than humans do. It's a theme in several Ultra series, sometimes subtle like this and X, and sometimes very much at the core of the series, like Gaia. What's also interesting is that we see the kaiju cards are much more ubiquitous than we assumed before; and Nagus, Tarude, and Juggler are all playing a poker game with them, with each element acting as a suit. Juggler wins with five "Kings"—Red King, Eleking, King Guesra, King of Mons, and King Joe. Ah, yes. His love for King Joe wins out again. Tarude and Nagus never saw it coming, and Juggler warns that if they play leisurely, whether at cards or invasion, they'll be found out. Nagus takes offense and draws his gun, but Juggler draws his sword, asking which of them will be faster, at which point, Nagus backs down.
The SSP and Shibukawa enter the forest, where fog obscures their video. They also notice that the geomagnetism seems off, and Shin picks up hollow cavities underground that match up to 4th century burial mounds. Naomi turns and sees the woman in white. The humans that Nostra referred to before appear inside the base as men in black, who report five humans have shown up on their security cameras. Juggler recognizes the intruders at once as Orb's friends, but the aliens all only see four humans on the camera, even though the MIB insist there's a woman in white off to the side. The woman, in fact, disappears before Naomi's eyes before she can tell the others. This exchange is recorded for the Syndicate to hear, and notably, even Juggler is surprised. Nagus is weirded out and orders the MIB to trap them all with their spatial distortion machine, planning to hunt them for sport.
As the machine activates, Shin's device turns off. Nagus and the MIB appear, shooting the gun out of Shibukawa's hand. Naomi orders a retreat, but as they run, they loop back around to Nagus's other side—something that happens over and over no matter which way they run. During their escape attempts, Naomi trips over a grave marker for Tamayura-hime no Mikoto, a highly venerated princess. Shin realizes what an important archeological discovery this is, but they still have to run. When Nagus catches up to them again, Naomi sees the woman again, beckoning them. Jetta realizes she's a ghost, but Naomi decides to trust her. It's a wise decision, since she leads them through a gap in the warp, allowing them to escape the forest. Unfortunately, the bad guys also escape and surround them. Shibukawa steps up to defend them, claiming to be a 10th dan in judo and a 3rd dan in karate, which are impressive...except that the judo claim is unrealistically impressive, considering the real world 10th dans are listed here. ALL of them. You'll notice it says "highest rank." There are not many of them. And yeah, Shibukawa proceeds to look pathetic and get his ass kicked, so I highly doubt he's that accomplished in judo.
And then the orbnica beings playing, irritating the bad guys' ears. Gai, now fully clothed in a dark blue T-shirt, is standing on a nearby roof. He refuses to give his name, then kicks Nagus in the face mid-monologue, which is yet again another great entrance from him. He then proceeds to deflect Nagus's blaster bolts with his bare hands, and I wonder yet again how NOBODY has figured out he's not human, then kicks him and knocks him back with an uppercut. He tells the others to run while he continues the fight. Nearby, Juggler watches and scans the Aribunta card, summoning a Super Beast. Nagus and the MIB retreat while Aribunta sets fire to a building with its breath. The SSP lose track of Gai and Shibukawa, but they see the flying saucer take off and start recording. Naomi geeks out over the UFO and Aribunta vs. Orb, while the ghost appears again, watching the battle. Orb grapples with Aribunta, but a mist attack burns at his eyes. When Aribunta blasts fire at him, Gai switches to Burnmite, tackling it while on fire. Because of course. He then switches to Hurricane Slash, fending it off with the Orb Slugger Lance until he sees Aribunta trying to escape underground, threatening the Princess's grave. Gai leaps ahead and spears Aribunta with the lance in order to protect the tomb, then hurls the kaiju into the air to destroy it. Wow, he's actually capable of avoiding property damage!
Following the victory, Gai and Shibukawa reunite with the SSP. Naomi asks where they went, admitting she was worried, but Gai deflects the question, asking if they're okay. Jetta realizes that in the chaos, he hit "stop" instead of "record," but Naomi admits it's okay, since they should leave the forest alone. Shibukawa agrees, noting that the burial mound will force a review of the development plans. Shin explains that the ghost was probably Tamayura herself, an otherwise forgotten princess who only lives on in legend. They start to leave, but Gai hangs back, sensing Tamayura's ghost, and they smile at each other before she fades away.
Don Nostra reveals himself to Juggler, thanking him for the use of a rare card to protect his men. Nagus admits he underestimated Orb, who was more powerful than the rumor said. But Juggler warns that Gai is not invincible, explaining that he's lost his original powers and so relies on the Ultra cards to transform. With a better hand of cards, someone could defeat him. He then excuses himself, leaving the mob to wonder if they should work with him, considering he has quite the rumored history himself. It's said that he was once on the light side before betraying them to darkness, and they worry that he may betray them as well. But Don Nostra has an ace up his sleeve—an Ultra card of his own, Ultraman Belial. The Ultra and kaiju cards are artifacts of light and darkness, scattered around the universe. Nostra knows of Juggler's King Demon Beast cards and plans to take them for himself. But in Tokyo, Juggler watches Nostra's ship fly off and wonders which of them will have the last laugh.
A Future Shrouded in Fog (Y. Kobayashi / Ryuichi Ichino): A young woman dreams of a kaiju's eyes shining through mist, along with the date August 20 and the statue of a winged elephant. When she wakes up, it is August 19, so she sketches the monster and hesitantly posts it as a warning on her blog: "On 8/20, a giant monster will appear from the fog at Wing Elephant Park."
At the SSP office, Jetta starts telling Naomi and Shin about something called "Haruka's Dream Blog," though he's rudely interrupted by Gai freeloading and "borrowing" his and Shin's clothes. Naomi gets them back on subject, and Jetta reveals that all of the previous monster attacks have been posted there, predicted ahead of time with accurate sketches. Naomi suggests that maybe Haruka's changed the date on her posts to make it look like a prediction, but Jetta's already checked that. Shin hopes to figure out the science behind Haruka's prophecies to complete his timey-wimey device, and after seeing the latest post, Naomi emails Haruka. She admits that she too used to dream of weird things like this, and requests a meeting. Haruka agrees, although she's understandably a little worried after meeting them. Naomi insists it's not a story or an interview; she's just interested in Haruka's situation. And Jetta and Shin are just interested in trying to be the first to serve her refreshments, but Naomi wisely tells them to back off. Haruka admits that she's had premonitions since she was a kid, but now, all of her dreams are about monsters. The SSP is excited about this revelation, since it means that if she's right, they can warn people to stay away from the battle sites and avoid getting hurt. But Haruka warns that although she can see the future, she can't alter it. She believes that fate is unavoidable, and thus, her power is a curse.
She asks about Naomi's experience, though, and Naomi reveals that when she was a kid, she dreamed of a giant of light. We then see the flashback from episode one—for some reason, she'd dreamed of that event. She started the SSP as a result, and though she doesn't know what it meant, she's sure it's somehow tied to Orb. Gai looks surprised as he listens in, and also like he doesn't know how to read a magazine. Seriously, what are you doing? Naomi asks if Haruka's dreams involve any particular person's fate, and that's when Gai interrupts, reporting that the weather is supposed to be clear tomorrow—making a point that Haruka's fog can't possibly come about. Haruka then excuses herself to go to class.
Another dream hits Haruka while she's in the park—this time of a monster destroying the city and Gai transforming into Burnmite. She wakes up to hear Gai commenting on how peaceful the park is, and how he hopes it will always remain that way. Because this man has never learned what subtlety means. Haruka recognizes him suddenly and calls him Orb, causing a spit-take with his ramune. He denies it, but she reveals that she foresaw him transforming tomorrow to fight the monster. Again, he tries to argue that it was just a dream, but then she describes the Orb Ring and how it works. Gai, just give it up. Eventually someone was going to be smart enough to figure out you're terrible at keeping a secret identity. He tells her to stop being so loud, but she's still gushing about the savior, the giant of light, just being a human. And now he's freaking out altogether. A mob of small children swarm him, asking what he knows about Ultraman and begging him to transform, and he insists he's "just the guy with the ramune."
They finally find somewhere private to talk, and Gai formally introduces himself, asking for her help to protect the city—such as more details, so he knows what he's up against. Haruka again insists she can't change the future, confessing that every childhood prediction she made was also bad. Her first crush changed schools, her parents got divorced, and nothing she did could change anything. She wishes she didn't have this power at all. Gai disagrees, pointing out that she's still drawing and blogging her dreams, so deep down, maybe she does believe she can make a change. She argues that she's no savior like him, someone who has the power to change fate. But Gai says he's exactly the same—he's not a savior, and he failed to save the woman he loved. As a result, he lost his true form and power, and he needs to borrow power from other Ultras. Neither he nor Haruka can change the past, but they can do something about the future, and so he asks again for her to help him. Elsewhere, while dressing up as a cow for her next job, Naomi explains everything to her uncle, asking him to warn VTL to be ready tomorrow. Shin and Jetta return from investigating the park and say they saw nothing suspicious...except Gai and Haruka hanging out, acting all secretive. Naomi stews jealously, then pulls up her hood and sulks off to work while they giggle.
Haruka pleads on her blog for everyone to avoid the park, but she receives tons of flames in response, along with comments from idiots just wanting to go. In despair, she begins dreaming again. This time, the monster takes form from the fog, disappearing and reappearing behind Orb. It inhales the fog through its gills and blasts Orb from behind. Orb's color timer goes out, and Gai falls to the ground, unmoving while Haruka shakes him and screams. She then wakes up to fog and the shining eyes of a monster, Hoe, in the distance.
Shibukawa evacuates the park, shocked that Naomi's tip paid off. Gai runs into battle, meeting up with Haruka. He explains that Hoe reacts to Minus Energy—the energy of negative human emotions—and goes on a rampage. Haruka tries to stop him from fighting, warning him of her vision, and she sinks to the ground in despair. Hoe consumes more of the fog, then begins crying tears of acid. Gai realizes that Haruka is the source of the Minus Energy and warns her that her feelings of hopelessness are what's driving Hoe wild. He tells her not to let her own heart bring the world to darkness, insisting on changing fate as he fuses up.
Burnmite is initially at an advantage, but Hoe's own sadness gives it strength. Haruka continues to despair, seeing Gai lose and fearing that he'll die like he did in her dream. But then she remembers Naomi asking her if she'd ever dreamed of someone's fate, as well as Gai's insistence that though the past can't change, the future can. She takes hope from their words and cheers Gai on. Orb is then able to throw Hoe off of him and destroy it with Stobium Dynamite...and set more poor trees on fire, of course. But then Hoe re-forms from the fog, behind him, just as in the dream. But Haruka knows to expect this and warns Gai to dodge. He leaps into the air, avoiding the attack and landing on Hoe's rear side. Haruka gains hope, seeing fate change, and the fog clears, starving Hoe. Gai switches to Specium Zeperion, and Hoe offers no resistance, offering a last, acidic tear. Orb finishes it off with Sperion Ray, and it fades into light. Orb then turns back to look at Haruka, who nods at him with a smile.
The next day, Naomi finds a letter from Haruka. She says that after meaning "a certain person," she no longer believes that she's helpless against fate; and adds that she's sure Naomi's giant of light is somehow tied to her fate, and Orb's, and that the truth will come to light. Haruka approaches Gai as he plays the orbnica, but he doesn't notice until she compliments his song. She admits that she had another dream about his future, and once again, it wasn't good. A card, depicting Ultraman Belial, comes to his hand. But now, she's sure he can handle it. He tells her to take care, and she wishes him the same, whispering to him, "Ultraman Orb." He gets a kick out of it and reminds her that she can always regain sight of the future because every day is a blank page, something that resonates with her.
The Urban Merman (H. Kobayashi / Ichino): We open at the fish market, where a lady stops off just before closing to get half-off the fresh stuff from a merchant whose name isn't given. The ultra.fandom.com wiki lists him as Minamoto in the summary, but as Tomatsu in the credits. Given this, and the fact that Minamoto is a major clan name in Japan with a distinct kanji of its own that doesn't match what's written for "Tomatsu"...I'm just not going to use either name. I'd honestly be better off using "Prince Eric" for the dude.
So Prince Eric goes through his remaining fish and puts the best on ice, bringing them to a dark storeroom where a member of the aquatic species, Ragon, watches him. He starts explaining to someone that he got some good leftovers tonight, and we see toys in the foreground, implying he's talking to his own child. Except that he's not—he doesn't see the "kid" at all. The Ragon comes up from behind him, but the seller doesn't freak out at all. Instead, he scolds them for hiding and tells them to eat the fish, asking where the "kid" is. The "kid" turns out to be another Ragon, much younger, who bursts out behind him and succeeds in scaring him, much to their delight. This is quite honestly one of the most adorable things I've ever seen—a human just basically adopting an alien family. No genders are giving for the parent or child, so I'll just be using gender-neutral pronouns for them. The fishseller then starts tickling the kid and gives them a toy boat, and the kid just excitedly starts playing. I love it.
At the SSP office, Naomi dreams of being trapped in a fire, choking on smoke and pleading for help. In a great, subtle moment, we see that someone wearing a silver bracelet clears the rubble away and rescues her. It's our first hint at this savior's identity as Naomi looks and sees Juggler, giving her a twisted grin. After all, if you look closely, he's always wearing a bracelet just like that. She pleads for him to let her go, then hears Gai promising to save her. When she looks again, now it's Gai who's holding her. Also the orbnica is playing, and I don't know if that's for our benefit, or if Naomi's dreams come with a soundtrack. Because it's Gai, I can't rule it out. He scoops her up and flies right through the roof, over the burning city while she screams.
And she screams in reality too, startling Shin and Jetta, who notice that she's striking a pose like an Ultra's rise and assume she's just dreaming about her giant again. She wakes up, realizing it was just a nightmare, and tells them it wasn't the same dream...but somehow similar. She looks over to Gai, who's napping in a hammock, his hat over his face. I swear, Gai must be part-panda. All he does all day is sleep and eat. The others hear on the news that fish are disappearing throughout the ocean, and Shin speculates that it might be because of an aggressive, invasive species. Jetta, however, jumps immediately to the Hungry Hungry Kaiju conclusion...which should probably be the default assumption for this show. Can you imagine their reaction if something happens just because of an actual natural disaster? Naomi asks why so many monsters keep appearing, and Jetta says that the internet swears it's the end of the world. Jetta, the internet thinks it's the end of the world every other week. Don't think too much about it. Shin admits a lot of things are going on, which might indicate nature itself is out of balance, and Jetta thinks it sounds like a good headline. Gai finally wakes up and tells them that the monsters honestly would prefer to avoid humans. He explains that to the monsters, it's like entering the habitat of a dangerous species that will attack on sight, and the comparison humbles the humans in the room.
Back at the fish market, the Ragon parent covers themselves with a shop banner and ventures into town, where surprised people call VTL and start taking video. The lady from before is surprised to see a fish shortage, and the seller admits that he has frozen product, but the prices have suddenly skyrocketed. The lady shares rumors that a monster did it, and then in the middle of talking about how scary it is, she sees Ragon. The seller closes up shop, scolding them for walking around in broad daylight. But their kid is sick and may need more food, so he rushes to get some fish from the freezer. Shibukawa is responding to the scene, as is Naomi. He argues with her, saying that his sister, her mama, wanted him to keep her out of trouble. But Naomi says her mama worries too much, something that Shibukawa warns every parent does. The impatient town ladies yell at them to get back to work, and this is a perfect diversion to allow the fish seller and the Ragon to sneak out. But Shin detects them and tells Jetta, so they grab Naomi and leave. Meanwhile, as Gai plays the orbnica on the terrace, he feels a sudden quake and sees on the news that a giant monster is headed toward the shore, with water jets forcing manhole covers into the air.
The SSP follow their detector to the warehouse, where they actually run into the Ragon parent, scream, and split up. During this ruckus, Shin finds the Ragon child and the fish seller, who begs them not to hurt the kid. Learning that the kid is sick, Shin immediately offers to help, since among his many dreams as a child was to become a vet. Somehow, I think this isn't quite like taking care of a sick dog, cat, or bird, Shin. The parent freaks out when the kid starts crying and tries to pull Shin away, but he just calmly asks them to help keep the child warm. The others arrive and are likewise sympathetic. The seller says that he usually plays the radio to get the kid to settle down, and Jetta asks Naomi to sing a lullaby. She begins humming a haunting tune that does succeed in soothing the child, even making them feel completely better.
Another quake rocks the warehouse, and Gai appears, telling them to evacuate. As they run out, they see the kaiju causing all the trouble, Gubila. Gai explains that it's the cause behind the fish shortages—now that it's eaten everything in the sea, it's greedy for seafood on land. In other words, the Ragons. He tells the others to help the family hide, but the kid runs back into the warehouse to retrieve their toy boat. Gubila bursts through the roof and scoops up the kid, swallowing them. Gai fuses up into Hurricane Slash, forcing Gubila to cough the child up through its blowhole, then gently returns them to their parent. Gubila nearly drills into Orb, but he holds it off with the Slugger Lance, then switches to Specium Zeperion, daring Gubila to charge. As soon as it does, Gai uses Shutdown Protect, an attack we've never seen before that creates a bubble around the monster so he can safely return it to the sea, away from the humans and the Ragons. ...Seriously, Gai, this was an option the whole time? This is actually a long-standing point of contrition I have with the Ultra franchise—they introduce nonlethal attacks and talk about how not all monsters are bad and most just want to coexist with the dangerous humans next door, but holy shit do the heroes tend to shoot first and ask questions never.
Shibukawa joins the others as they drive out toward the sea to relocate the Ragon family. The seller promises to visit them soon, and the kid hugs him goodbye. Naomi asks her uncle why he hasn't tried to capture them, but he explains that VTL only attacks when humans are in danger. They're not going to hunt down what's obviously an endangered species. The kid then grabs his hand and brings him over toward the water to play. Jetta admits that maybe Gai's right, and the monsters really don't want to rampage at all. The problem is just that the Earth is unbalanced. Shin then suggests that maybe this chaos is the Earth's way of restoring balance, and Jetta admits that he should delete his footage and give the family their privacy.
The kid begs Naomi to sing again, and when she does, Gai walks over in shock, recognizing the melody. She admits that she doesn't know how she knows it, but it feels like she's always known it, somehow. Mystified, Gai plays his own song on the orbnica, and the two melodies combine in perfect harmony as the Ragon family disappears beneath the water. Desperate to change the subject, Gai heads back to the car, asking if anyone wants pizza as he leaves Naomi confused just what's got him so upset this time.
The Impostor Blues (Nakano / Suguru Tomita): In orbit around Earth, Don Nostra tries to come up with another plan to destroy Gai. He believes that Orb is so powerful because of his bond with humans—that is, their hope is his strength. But it's also his weakness, Juggler adds, pointing out that Gai's greatest fear is of innocent bystanders being hurt or killed. With this revelation, Nostra summons Alien Babalu from M774, who Juggler is kind of judging, probably because of his thick, blond hair. It's okay, Juggler. You have pretty hair too. The plan is for Babalu to use his shapeshifting powers to masquerade as Orb and attack the Earth, shattering the humans' trust in him.
Meanwhile, on Earth, the SSP is enjoying a quiet lunch at a burger place. And yes, Gai has two plates of cheeseburgers, salad, and fries. Seriously, the salad isn't helping your case there. Sure, other Ultras eat a lot in their human forms/hosts—I recall Riku Asakura slurping down ramen and extra helpings of rice—but Gai just runs with it. Jetta blows bubbles into his soda and confesses that he's bored without monsters running around and destroying things. And of course, as soon as you say that, what do you think happens? He runs out, followed by Shin and Naomi as "Orb" appears. Gai, holding his plate, tries to figure out wtf is going on. Jetta leads the other two to check it out while Gai decides to fuse up and confront his impostor, but Jetta interrupts him, pointing out that he paid for Gai's two lunches, so he better help film. Naomi can't help but feel that "Orb" is wrong somehow, mostly because she's the smartest character in this show, and Shin agrees, mostly because there's no sign of a monster. But before Babalu can commence his attack, Telesdon bursts out of the ground. Don Nostra admits it's not theirs, and while Babalu freaks out and asks for instructions, Telesdon hits him from behind, forcing him to defend himself.
Two little boys are near the battle, terrified. Jetta recognizes them, and Gai runs over to save them. Telesdon prepares to breathe fire at them, and Gai instinctively shields the kids. But to his amazement, so does his impostor. Pissed off, Babalu attacks Telesdon, giving Gai a chance to carry the kids to safety. Naomi, because she's not an idiot and literally everyone else around her is, pointedly asks Gai if this looks like Orb's normal fighting style. Because Gai is one of the aforementioned idiots, he only answers hell no and fails to catch onto what she's implying. Telesdon escapes, and an exhausted Babalu almost lets his glamour drop. In order to rest and hide, he shrinks back down. Jetta decides this is his chance to find out who Orb really is. Babalu, in true form, tries to run and hide, but then he hears Jetta coming to confront him. He quickly shapeshifts into a blonde human with the most godawful tracksuit ever and tries to deny that he's Orb. But Jetta saw something and asks for his name. I swear, this whole thing is framed like Naomi badgering Gai until he agreed to stay with her. Jetta is totally in love with this alien. Because nobody in this universe is very smart, Babalu gives his name as "Baba Ryuji." Jetta notices that it's a terrible alias, but he accepts that "Orb" needs a secret identity to conduct his heroics, and he promises to keep "Baba's" secret. Gai watches as Baba proceeds to run like hell, deciding to just observe for right now, even though Babalu returns to Don Nostra and vows to continue with the original plan.
Jetta grins as he listens to news reports of the recent battle, and Naomi points out that he's starting to look creepy. He pulls Gai aside while he's trying to get some coffee and admits that he used to suspect that Gai was Orb. Naturally, Gai chokes. But Jetta adds that now he's figured out the truth, but he's been sworn to secrecy. Gai asks who it is, but Jetta refuses to say, answering that "heroes come and go like the wind." And I swear, Gai has this look on his face that says, "Oh, so that's what my bullshit sounds like." Jetta then shoves the equipment at Gai again because unlike some toku heroes, he's actually serious about making Gai pay off that debt, and tells him that he's tagging along all day.
Baba searches for the VTL base and comes across Shibukawa, who notices he looks out of place and is saying stuff like "just smash stuff." You know, kinda suspicious. He starts frisking Baba when Jetta comes in, claiming they're old friends from high school. He drags Baba off, then calls on an army of small children. They swarm Baba and start hugging them as Jetta introduces them as children Orb had saved. And Baba realizes that Jetta told them all who he was supposed to be. Gai calls Jetta over and asks if Baba's for real. Jetta tells him to leave "Baba-sempai" alone, he has a mission. Gai, exercising more patience than he really needs to, points out that it's Jetta who's not leaving Baba alone, but Jetta tells Gai to just start filming already. Big mistake, since Gai just does not how to use a camera and just points it everywhere.
Jetta leads a Q&A with the kids, who ask if they can be like Ultraman and what advice can Baba give them. Jetta mostly gives inspiring stock answers while Baba just goes along with whatever he says. At the end of the day, Jetta hands Baba pictures and gifts from the kids. Baffled, Baba asks him if heroes really are that great. Jetta enthusiastically agrees, admitting that he's always wanted to be one. We see a flashback to a tiny Jetta, then called Zenta, jumping off the playground in a helmet and sword, then needing his dad to bandage him. His dad, by the way, is played by one of Ultra Seven's hosts in the Heisei era spinoff...who, yes, also played a villain in Kamen Rider. I don't know how this casting works. Dad tells Zenta that heroes don't try to do dangerous stuff on purpose (...I spent a month in 2015 arguing otherwise regarding Eiji Hino, but okay). Sometimes being a hero just means doing whatever is within your power to help someone else. Jetta admits he can't help every troubled person in the world, but someone like Orb, Baba, can. And telling this story might give others strength. Baba looks visibly guilty and moved by the realization of what Orb means to Jetta, while Gai watches silently from behind a tree. Later, Baba looks at the drawings on the ship and has to quickly hide them from Nagus, who notices how weird he's been acting. Baba suggests maybe it feels better to make people happy, as opposed to being hated, but Nagus doesn't get it and leaves.
The next day, Baba plays with the kids at the park. The kids thank him, since they followed his advice and now can do all the things they didn't think they could before. He starts wondering if he should just continue living this lie and take on Orb's identity permanently. But then the saucer appears, with Nostra impatiently ordering him to start destroying everything. The kids and Jetta encourage him to fight, and Baba takes on Orb's form. But Nostra orders him to attack the kids. He refuses, insisting he's Orb now. But Nostra reminds him that he's just an impostor. Baba says that he always thought he was destined to be a Dark Alien, born under an evil star, but now he can change his fate and be a hero too. But Nostra is not impressed and tells Juggler to kill him. Juggler, possibly determined to reclaim his achievement for best hair in the series, summons Cherubim. Baba charges, but he gets beaten up. Jetta worries he'll lose while Gai continues to watch cautiously. A hard enough blow breaks Baba's glamour, revealing him to the others. He admits he lied and apologizes, admitting he's just another Dark Alien after all. But the kids cheer him on and tell him not to give up, with Jetta adding that they both taught the kids that no matter who you are, you can be a hero, and that he's the one who gave them that dream. Baba manages to throw Cherubim off and counterattacks, but he's still overpowered. But when a fireball comes his way, Gai slips away to fuse up and shield him as Specium Zeperion. Baba gives him an apprehensive look, but Gai nods, giving him his approval.
Cherubim turns out to be just too toothy for Specium Zeperion, so Gai switches to Hurricane Slash, creating a whirlwind with the Slugger Lance, then rapid fire strikes with Trident Slash. Seeing the real thing win so easily, with Jetta and the kids cheering makes Baba collapse in despair, vanishing into golden light. Jetta watches in shock and runs after him. Baba, now micronized, limps away in his true form. But Jetta and two of the kids, Masato and Shinji, find him and thank him. He disappears after hearing their thanks, and Jetta tries to stop him, but Gai reminds him that heroes come and go like the wind.
Aboard the saucer, Juggler counsels Don Nostra that his methods are out of date. It's not enough to judge humans' good and evil potential—he has to keep up with the times.
Sometime later, Gai and Jetta are at the park, with Jetta wondering whatever happened to Baba. A little girl loses her hat, and a custodian finds and returns it. Gai recognizes from a distance as Baba, in a new and much more subtle disguise. Baba looks back at him and smiles, touching his face to confirm that this is his new glamour. Gai just smiles back at Jetta and suggests that "maybe heroes are more common than you think."
Juggler Dies! (Y. Kobayashi / Tomita): Naomi comes home from her part-time job at a takoyaki place with leftovers. Again. For the third day in a row. Jetta and Shibukawa make up a story about having reservations at a yakiniku place, and Shin says he's not feeling good. Gai, however, wakes up from his nap just as they leave. Naomi greets him with a smile and three boxes of takoyaki, and he cringes when he realizes what's going on. Look, Gai. You don't get to complain. You don't help out around the office, and all you do is eat and sleep all day anyway. You're the team stomach, so get to it already!
Aboard the saucer, Juggler uses his kaiju cards for a tarot reading for Nagus. He turns over Enmago, predicting sudden death. For some reason, Nagus suddenly proclaims that he doesn't believe in fortunetelling, but Juggler calls out his bullshit by pointing out that Nagus is the one who asked him for the reading in the first place. And then he proceeds to pour Red Bull into a crystal goblet. Because Juggler is extra, everyone. Nagus storms off, swearing to pay him back, but Juggler pulls out his King Demon Beast cards, reflecting that he only needs one more. At this, Don Nostra throws Black King at him, offering it for his protection. He says that if Juggler thinks his methods are too old school, then why doesn't he go kill Orb himself and show them how it's done. Juggler smirks as he drinks his Red Bull—again, I am so mystified by this. Is his whole coffee snobbery just part of a larger caffeine addiction? Anyway, he admits that he thought Nostra was never going to ask. Nostra demands Gai's six Ultraman cards, then asks what Juggler's price is. Well, he doesn't really need to ask; he knows, and he reveals the very card Juggler's been after, the fallen Ultraman, Belial. Juggler laughs, admitting yes, that's why he came to them. Nostra says he doesn't care whatever Juggler has planned for the card, but Gai's life will be a suitable trade. Juggler, still being as extra as always, springs to his feet and agrees to the deal. Later, however, Nagus complains to Don Nostra about giving away Black King, since he's the one who found it and it's the most powerful one he's found yet. But Nostra reveals that he's pitting a tiger against a dragon; two enemies linked by destiny and similarity, but fated to walk opposite paths—the tiger being yin, or darkness; and the dragon being yang, or light. He then tells Nagus that he needs him to do a certain job.
Naomi struggles with paperwork while Gai happily eats all the leftovers. She tells him to stop for a minute and help her, but both of them turn to see Juggler standing at her shelf, toying with her matryoshka. Gai immediately stands and puts himself in front of Naomi, warning Juggler to let the doll go. Juggler mockingly moves his hand away, and Gai asks what he wants. In the blink of an eye, Juggler moves to the door, and Gai once again stands protectively in front of Naomi. Juggler starts musing about the beauty of the dawn sky and the way it signals the "beginning of a new world." ...Okay, I'm not sure if you're going for OOO or Aladdin, but I'm okay either way. He claims that he just wanted to keep his date with Naomi for coffee at dawn...then admits no, he's actually there to kill Gai. Then he turns and teleports away into wriggling shadows. Gai adjusts his jacket and goes to the door. Naomi tries to stop him, pointing out that Juggler just said he wanted to kill him. Gai then hesitates before confirming that yeah, he knows. While he makes an effort to sound normal, it's notable that he's visibly unsettled, but his back is turned to Naomi so she can't see. He takes a breath and looks depressed, as if he doesn't want to believe it. She insists on calling her uncle, since Juggler's obviously not human, but Gai refuses and won't say who Juggler really is—only that he's been trying to "get rid of" him without success. He says that they need to settle things, and now it's finally time to do that. Naomi's still worried, but he tells her to wait, promising to come back to her, then smiles and leaves.
Juggler waits in an overgrown field by tokusatsu's favorite location, an abandoned warehouse. A headache from the sound of the orbnica tells him that Gai's approaching from behind. For a second, it looks like a very weird standoff between them, and then Juggler attacks. They speed forward with powerful punches that meet in an explosion of light, darkness, red, and blue. Juggler says that he loves the look on Gai's face, reminding him of "that day." This cryptic remark is a reference to the full Orb Chronicle, specifically chapter 3: "The Man Who Stole The Black Hole." Remember how I said that Orb was an ambitious project with 10 chapters explaining the full story behind Gai and Juggler, with this series being chapter 6? Well, the details of most of the other chapters were published in a magazine, with some storyboard work and the occasional photos of Hideo Ishiguro and Takaya Aoyagi in character. Translations can be found here. The specific event that Juggler is referring to is when Gai, enraged by the needless death of a friend who tried to disarm Juggler's bomb, went after Juggler with killing intent, "looking like an angry god." In response to this comment, Gai says he's forgotten all about it, but Juggler calls him out, claiming he'd be cold if he did. Gai just insists that their "little feud" ends there.
There's more fast-paced punching and kicking, where Juggler knocks Gai's hat into the air. It honestly reminds me of Dragon Ball Z as it continues. Juggler throws Gai to the ground, but in the blink of an eye, they've teleported away and speed toward each other again. Juggler backflips out of the way of one of Gai's attacks, and I don't know if it's really Takaya Aoyagi doing it or a stunt double, but it's spectacular in an already insane fight. Gai then leaps into the air and tries to drop his fist down on him, but he misses, breaking the earth. All the while, Don Nostra narrates their history: A long time ago, they were on the side of light together, but then they started to drift away from each other and "walk separate paths." The Light chose Gai while the darkness "bewitched" Juggler. And so Juggler has to prove to Gai that the darkness, and he, are stronger.
Juggler catches Gai's foot midkick, forcing him to flip to regain control. Juggler then kicks the orbnica out of Gai's pocket, and with Gai distracted, he kicks him from behind. Gai tucks into a roll and recovers the orbnica, but Juggler calls him out again, this time on not keeping his focus on the battle and not being serious. He points out that Gai is afraid of hurting the humans around him, triggering a flashback of Natasha and his final battle with his true power. Juggler asks why Gai's so afraid after failing to save "some girl," and goddamnit I can't spoil Origin this early. He says that he doesn't understand why Gai is so "fixated" on the humans and says that this constant worrying is what cost him his true power in the first place. He adds that Gai has become so pathetic, having to rely on the "generous help" of the Ultras before him, that it's "ridiculous" to think that he can stand up to the darkness. But as he attacks again, Gai catches his arm, out of his daze, asking if he's done talking, then gets in a low punch to Juggler's stomach. He swears to protect humanity from Juggler, though Juggler isn't exactly impressed. Gai points out that he knows Juggler was trying to revive the Great King Devil Beast Maga-Orochi with the six lesser King Demons, but since he's defeated them, Juggler's plan has been foiled. But Juggler again calls bullshit on Gai defeating him, daring him to become Orb by pulling out the Dark Ring and summoning Black King.
Gai fuses up into Hurricane Slash, but Juggler continues his melodramatic streak by swearing that it will be darkness that swallows up the light. Despite that, it's a fairly even match, with neither side able to make a good hit—Orb's moves are too fast to land a blow, and Black King is too tough for anything to hurt it. So Gai switches to Burnmite and starts wrestling it before leaping over its fire and kicking. When Black King catches his foot, he uses Stobium Burst to explode upon collision with the kaiju's fire breath. But Black King then takes advantage of the smoke screen they've created to land a hard headbutt, just as Gai's color timer starts going off.
Black King blasts Gai again, and Juggler admits that Gai has disappointed him, if something like this is what's going to kill him. But he gives the kill order anyway, just as Nagus shoots him from behind. When Juggler turns, Nagus explains that he's an assassin, and he'll be the one sending Juggler to hell instead. He shoots Juggler in the chest this time, and Gai watches on in shock. Juggler gives him a twisted smile, then raises his arm again and falls in an explosion as Gai shouts after him and reaches out. Don Nostra orders Nagus to finish Gai off and take his cards, but the shock and anger of seeing his longtime rival die gets Gai to finally stop holding back. He calls fire into his body, using what Black King throws at him and throws it right back, then grabs the monster as he explodes with Stobium Dynamite.
Naomi is still working at the office and looks up in relief when she hears someone coming up the stairs. To her disappointment, it's just Shin and Jetta, surprised to see that she's there but Gai isn't. Worried and clearly needing something to do with that worry, she starts picking up the empty takoyaki boxes, unaware that Gai is only just arriving, staggering up the stairs. He takes a moment at the door to recover as he hears their voices, then enters. He's still visibly upset when he says he's back, but the emotion melts away at Naomi's relieved smile as she welcomes him home.
Aboard the saucer, Nostra congratulates Nagus on at least killing Juggler and taking his cards. He says Juggler was a fool to believe he'd ever give up the Belial card, and Nagus is eager to use it and the King Demons to attack the Earth, even proposing an operation name. And then he's run through from behind. He collapses, dead, as Juggler removes his sword and reveals himself. He keeps his sword ready to attack as he explains how he used Bemstar's card in his front pocket to absorb the shot. Or rather, he simply shows the card. Throughout this exchange, he never says a word, and it is highly effective. Furthermore, other than a very brief smirk, not even his usual, toothy grin, his expression is cold and terrifying. It's said that Juggler was originally written to be a much more straightforward character, and most of his mannerisms were ad-libbed by Takaya Aoyagi. This is a brief glimpse of what kind of character he was originally written to be. If Gai's face earlier was that of an angry god, Juggler's here is that of a god of death. This is the great, serpent-hearted warrior of darkness so feared throughout the universe for centuries, and it gives us a better appreciation of both him and Gai.
Juggler smirks again as his sword catches Nostra's energy beam, deflecting it with explosions as he reveals his demonic form hinted back in the first episode. Strictly speaking, it's referred to as his "majin" form, but it's hard to get a good translation of what that means. His body is covered in an orange-bronze armor, with a glowing, red, crescent-shaped scar on his chest. And with the sparks raining down on him like they are, he looks especially awesome. He cuts down Nostra, noting that the "schemer [was] done in by schemes," then finishes him off with a casual stab behind himself. He then claims Belial's card and retakes his own, laughing.
Meanwhile, the SSP is running a photo of Gai through a facial recognition system. In a moment I swear is a reference to the Ninth Doctor, they find a match with over 99% accuracy to a photo of a man from the 1900s, posing with a kaiju tail. I mean, two ageless humanoid aliens with leather jackets? I feel like Nine and Gai would get along great, at least regarding their fashion sense. Shin protests that Gai can't possibly be the man in the photo, but Jetta can't deny how much of a resemblance there is. At the same time, Naomi is on the phone with her mama while doing laundry. Apparently, suitors are asking for marriage interviews, so she asks Mama to make excuses to get her out of it. After all, she has to deal with a shirtless Gai, who is relaxing in a hammock in the garage. I swear, all he ever seems to do at the office is sleep or eat. Naomi tells him to put on a damn shirt already, and he notices that his horoscope says that his lucky color today is blue.
...Gai. Look, it isn't exactly a spoiler to reveal this, but you are not human. You were born on another planet. Constellations would be different to you, and of course there's the matter of how long days and months are on your home planet. In short, unless you have a way to match up the passage of time on your planet versus Earth, horoscopes should not work for you!
Shibukawa arrives and asks the SSP to look at a photo two kids took, featuring a flying saucer in the background. Shirtless Gai admits it's a good shot, and once again, Naomi freaks out on him. The photo was taken near a public park, or as close to those words as you can possibly get. It's a government-owned forest, and no one's allowed to trespass. But there have always been rumors about it being an ancient noble's grave site, the "Forbidden Forest." Hopefully without dark wizards hunting unicorns this time. Jetta remembers hearing in school that anyone who enters never returns, despite it only being 100 square meters. He wants to check it out and tries to ask Gai to come along, but of course, Gai has disappeared.
Shibukawa takes the others to the park, introducing them to the kids who took the photo, Daiki and Kenji. They admit they check out the site, sometimes finding cool stuff among all the "junk"—a comment that doesn't exactly endear them to the SSP. They also admit they didn't actually see the UFO themselves, but Daiki's friend's older brother's friend did. Because of course. Another rumor they pass along is that a middle schooler once entered the forest to test his courage and found a lady in a white kimono—possibly a ghost. Shibukawa encourages Naomi and the others to investigate fast, since the forest will be torn down for development.
The Planetary Invasion Syndicate has also heard about the plans for development, and Nagus worries that all the people poking around will end up discovering their hideout. He's also aggravated about the human intrusion and greed, which threaten the beautiful scenery and sunset. I have to say, it's a nice, nuanced take on bad guys appreciating the Earth's environment more than humans do. It's a theme in several Ultra series, sometimes subtle like this and X, and sometimes very much at the core of the series, like Gaia. What's also interesting is that we see the kaiju cards are much more ubiquitous than we assumed before; and Nagus, Tarude, and Juggler are all playing a poker game with them, with each element acting as a suit. Juggler wins with five "Kings"—Red King, Eleking, King Guesra, King of Mons, and King Joe. Ah, yes. His love for King Joe wins out again. Tarude and Nagus never saw it coming, and Juggler warns that if they play leisurely, whether at cards or invasion, they'll be found out. Nagus takes offense and draws his gun, but Juggler draws his sword, asking which of them will be faster, at which point, Nagus backs down.
The SSP and Shibukawa enter the forest, where fog obscures their video. They also notice that the geomagnetism seems off, and Shin picks up hollow cavities underground that match up to 4th century burial mounds. Naomi turns and sees the woman in white. The humans that Nostra referred to before appear inside the base as men in black, who report five humans have shown up on their security cameras. Juggler recognizes the intruders at once as Orb's friends, but the aliens all only see four humans on the camera, even though the MIB insist there's a woman in white off to the side. The woman, in fact, disappears before Naomi's eyes before she can tell the others. This exchange is recorded for the Syndicate to hear, and notably, even Juggler is surprised. Nagus is weirded out and orders the MIB to trap them all with their spatial distortion machine, planning to hunt them for sport.
As the machine activates, Shin's device turns off. Nagus and the MIB appear, shooting the gun out of Shibukawa's hand. Naomi orders a retreat, but as they run, they loop back around to Nagus's other side—something that happens over and over no matter which way they run. During their escape attempts, Naomi trips over a grave marker for Tamayura-hime no Mikoto, a highly venerated princess. Shin realizes what an important archeological discovery this is, but they still have to run. When Nagus catches up to them again, Naomi sees the woman again, beckoning them. Jetta realizes she's a ghost, but Naomi decides to trust her. It's a wise decision, since she leads them through a gap in the warp, allowing them to escape the forest. Unfortunately, the bad guys also escape and surround them. Shibukawa steps up to defend them, claiming to be a 10th dan in judo and a 3rd dan in karate, which are impressive...except that the judo claim is unrealistically impressive, considering the real world 10th dans are listed here. ALL of them. You'll notice it says "highest rank." There are not many of them. And yeah, Shibukawa proceeds to look pathetic and get his ass kicked, so I highly doubt he's that accomplished in judo.
And then the orbnica beings playing, irritating the bad guys' ears. Gai, now fully clothed in a dark blue T-shirt, is standing on a nearby roof. He refuses to give his name, then kicks Nagus in the face mid-monologue, which is yet again another great entrance from him. He then proceeds to deflect Nagus's blaster bolts with his bare hands, and I wonder yet again how NOBODY has figured out he's not human, then kicks him and knocks him back with an uppercut. He tells the others to run while he continues the fight. Nearby, Juggler watches and scans the Aribunta card, summoning a Super Beast. Nagus and the MIB retreat while Aribunta sets fire to a building with its breath. The SSP lose track of Gai and Shibukawa, but they see the flying saucer take off and start recording. Naomi geeks out over the UFO and Aribunta vs. Orb, while the ghost appears again, watching the battle. Orb grapples with Aribunta, but a mist attack burns at his eyes. When Aribunta blasts fire at him, Gai switches to Burnmite, tackling it while on fire. Because of course. He then switches to Hurricane Slash, fending it off with the Orb Slugger Lance until he sees Aribunta trying to escape underground, threatening the Princess's grave. Gai leaps ahead and spears Aribunta with the lance in order to protect the tomb, then hurls the kaiju into the air to destroy it. Wow, he's actually capable of avoiding property damage!
Following the victory, Gai and Shibukawa reunite with the SSP. Naomi asks where they went, admitting she was worried, but Gai deflects the question, asking if they're okay. Jetta realizes that in the chaos, he hit "stop" instead of "record," but Naomi admits it's okay, since they should leave the forest alone. Shibukawa agrees, noting that the burial mound will force a review of the development plans. Shin explains that the ghost was probably Tamayura herself, an otherwise forgotten princess who only lives on in legend. They start to leave, but Gai hangs back, sensing Tamayura's ghost, and they smile at each other before she fades away.
Don Nostra reveals himself to Juggler, thanking him for the use of a rare card to protect his men. Nagus admits he underestimated Orb, who was more powerful than the rumor said. But Juggler warns that Gai is not invincible, explaining that he's lost his original powers and so relies on the Ultra cards to transform. With a better hand of cards, someone could defeat him. He then excuses himself, leaving the mob to wonder if they should work with him, considering he has quite the rumored history himself. It's said that he was once on the light side before betraying them to darkness, and they worry that he may betray them as well. But Don Nostra has an ace up his sleeve—an Ultra card of his own, Ultraman Belial. The Ultra and kaiju cards are artifacts of light and darkness, scattered around the universe. Nostra knows of Juggler's King Demon Beast cards and plans to take them for himself. But in Tokyo, Juggler watches Nostra's ship fly off and wonders which of them will have the last laugh.
A Future Shrouded in Fog (Y. Kobayashi / Ryuichi Ichino): A young woman dreams of a kaiju's eyes shining through mist, along with the date August 20 and the statue of a winged elephant. When she wakes up, it is August 19, so she sketches the monster and hesitantly posts it as a warning on her blog: "On 8/20, a giant monster will appear from the fog at Wing Elephant Park."
At the SSP office, Jetta starts telling Naomi and Shin about something called "Haruka's Dream Blog," though he's rudely interrupted by Gai freeloading and "borrowing" his and Shin's clothes. Naomi gets them back on subject, and Jetta reveals that all of the previous monster attacks have been posted there, predicted ahead of time with accurate sketches. Naomi suggests that maybe Haruka's changed the date on her posts to make it look like a prediction, but Jetta's already checked that. Shin hopes to figure out the science behind Haruka's prophecies to complete his timey-wimey device, and after seeing the latest post, Naomi emails Haruka. She admits that she too used to dream of weird things like this, and requests a meeting. Haruka agrees, although she's understandably a little worried after meeting them. Naomi insists it's not a story or an interview; she's just interested in Haruka's situation. And Jetta and Shin are just interested in trying to be the first to serve her refreshments, but Naomi wisely tells them to back off. Haruka admits that she's had premonitions since she was a kid, but now, all of her dreams are about monsters. The SSP is excited about this revelation, since it means that if she's right, they can warn people to stay away from the battle sites and avoid getting hurt. But Haruka warns that although she can see the future, she can't alter it. She believes that fate is unavoidable, and thus, her power is a curse.
She asks about Naomi's experience, though, and Naomi reveals that when she was a kid, she dreamed of a giant of light. We then see the flashback from episode one—for some reason, she'd dreamed of that event. She started the SSP as a result, and though she doesn't know what it meant, she's sure it's somehow tied to Orb. Gai looks surprised as he listens in, and also like he doesn't know how to read a magazine. Seriously, what are you doing? Naomi asks if Haruka's dreams involve any particular person's fate, and that's when Gai interrupts, reporting that the weather is supposed to be clear tomorrow—making a point that Haruka's fog can't possibly come about. Haruka then excuses herself to go to class.
Another dream hits Haruka while she's in the park—this time of a monster destroying the city and Gai transforming into Burnmite. She wakes up to hear Gai commenting on how peaceful the park is, and how he hopes it will always remain that way. Because this man has never learned what subtlety means. Haruka recognizes him suddenly and calls him Orb, causing a spit-take with his ramune. He denies it, but she reveals that she foresaw him transforming tomorrow to fight the monster. Again, he tries to argue that it was just a dream, but then she describes the Orb Ring and how it works. Gai, just give it up. Eventually someone was going to be smart enough to figure out you're terrible at keeping a secret identity. He tells her to stop being so loud, but she's still gushing about the savior, the giant of light, just being a human. And now he's freaking out altogether. A mob of small children swarm him, asking what he knows about Ultraman and begging him to transform, and he insists he's "just the guy with the ramune."
They finally find somewhere private to talk, and Gai formally introduces himself, asking for her help to protect the city—such as more details, so he knows what he's up against. Haruka again insists she can't change the future, confessing that every childhood prediction she made was also bad. Her first crush changed schools, her parents got divorced, and nothing she did could change anything. She wishes she didn't have this power at all. Gai disagrees, pointing out that she's still drawing and blogging her dreams, so deep down, maybe she does believe she can make a change. She argues that she's no savior like him, someone who has the power to change fate. But Gai says he's exactly the same—he's not a savior, and he failed to save the woman he loved. As a result, he lost his true form and power, and he needs to borrow power from other Ultras. Neither he nor Haruka can change the past, but they can do something about the future, and so he asks again for her to help him. Elsewhere, while dressing up as a cow for her next job, Naomi explains everything to her uncle, asking him to warn VTL to be ready tomorrow. Shin and Jetta return from investigating the park and say they saw nothing suspicious...except Gai and Haruka hanging out, acting all secretive. Naomi stews jealously, then pulls up her hood and sulks off to work while they giggle.
Haruka pleads on her blog for everyone to avoid the park, but she receives tons of flames in response, along with comments from idiots just wanting to go. In despair, she begins dreaming again. This time, the monster takes form from the fog, disappearing and reappearing behind Orb. It inhales the fog through its gills and blasts Orb from behind. Orb's color timer goes out, and Gai falls to the ground, unmoving while Haruka shakes him and screams. She then wakes up to fog and the shining eyes of a monster, Hoe, in the distance.
Shibukawa evacuates the park, shocked that Naomi's tip paid off. Gai runs into battle, meeting up with Haruka. He explains that Hoe reacts to Minus Energy—the energy of negative human emotions—and goes on a rampage. Haruka tries to stop him from fighting, warning him of her vision, and she sinks to the ground in despair. Hoe consumes more of the fog, then begins crying tears of acid. Gai realizes that Haruka is the source of the Minus Energy and warns her that her feelings of hopelessness are what's driving Hoe wild. He tells her not to let her own heart bring the world to darkness, insisting on changing fate as he fuses up.
Burnmite is initially at an advantage, but Hoe's own sadness gives it strength. Haruka continues to despair, seeing Gai lose and fearing that he'll die like he did in her dream. But then she remembers Naomi asking her if she'd ever dreamed of someone's fate, as well as Gai's insistence that though the past can't change, the future can. She takes hope from their words and cheers Gai on. Orb is then able to throw Hoe off of him and destroy it with Stobium Dynamite...and set more poor trees on fire, of course. But then Hoe re-forms from the fog, behind him, just as in the dream. But Haruka knows to expect this and warns Gai to dodge. He leaps into the air, avoiding the attack and landing on Hoe's rear side. Haruka gains hope, seeing fate change, and the fog clears, starving Hoe. Gai switches to Specium Zeperion, and Hoe offers no resistance, offering a last, acidic tear. Orb finishes it off with Sperion Ray, and it fades into light. Orb then turns back to look at Haruka, who nods at him with a smile.
The next day, Naomi finds a letter from Haruka. She says that after meaning "a certain person," she no longer believes that she's helpless against fate; and adds that she's sure Naomi's giant of light is somehow tied to her fate, and Orb's, and that the truth will come to light. Haruka approaches Gai as he plays the orbnica, but he doesn't notice until she compliments his song. She admits that she had another dream about his future, and once again, it wasn't good. A card, depicting Ultraman Belial, comes to his hand. But now, she's sure he can handle it. He tells her to take care, and she wishes him the same, whispering to him, "Ultraman Orb." He gets a kick out of it and reminds her that she can always regain sight of the future because every day is a blank page, something that resonates with her.
The Urban Merman (H. Kobayashi / Ichino): We open at the fish market, where a lady stops off just before closing to get half-off the fresh stuff from a merchant whose name isn't given. The ultra.fandom.com wiki lists him as Minamoto in the summary, but as Tomatsu in the credits. Given this, and the fact that Minamoto is a major clan name in Japan with a distinct kanji of its own that doesn't match what's written for "Tomatsu"...I'm just not going to use either name. I'd honestly be better off using "Prince Eric" for the dude.
So Prince Eric goes through his remaining fish and puts the best on ice, bringing them to a dark storeroom where a member of the aquatic species, Ragon, watches him. He starts explaining to someone that he got some good leftovers tonight, and we see toys in the foreground, implying he's talking to his own child. Except that he's not—he doesn't see the "kid" at all. The Ragon comes up from behind him, but the seller doesn't freak out at all. Instead, he scolds them for hiding and tells them to eat the fish, asking where the "kid" is. The "kid" turns out to be another Ragon, much younger, who bursts out behind him and succeeds in scaring him, much to their delight. This is quite honestly one of the most adorable things I've ever seen—a human just basically adopting an alien family. No genders are giving for the parent or child, so I'll just be using gender-neutral pronouns for them. The fishseller then starts tickling the kid and gives them a toy boat, and the kid just excitedly starts playing. I love it.
At the SSP office, Naomi dreams of being trapped in a fire, choking on smoke and pleading for help. In a great, subtle moment, we see that someone wearing a silver bracelet clears the rubble away and rescues her. It's our first hint at this savior's identity as Naomi looks and sees Juggler, giving her a twisted grin. After all, if you look closely, he's always wearing a bracelet just like that. She pleads for him to let her go, then hears Gai promising to save her. When she looks again, now it's Gai who's holding her. Also the orbnica is playing, and I don't know if that's for our benefit, or if Naomi's dreams come with a soundtrack. Because it's Gai, I can't rule it out. He scoops her up and flies right through the roof, over the burning city while she screams.
And she screams in reality too, startling Shin and Jetta, who notice that she's striking a pose like an Ultra's rise and assume she's just dreaming about her giant again. She wakes up, realizing it was just a nightmare, and tells them it wasn't the same dream...but somehow similar. She looks over to Gai, who's napping in a hammock, his hat over his face. I swear, Gai must be part-panda. All he does all day is sleep and eat. The others hear on the news that fish are disappearing throughout the ocean, and Shin speculates that it might be because of an aggressive, invasive species. Jetta, however, jumps immediately to the Hungry Hungry Kaiju conclusion...which should probably be the default assumption for this show. Can you imagine their reaction if something happens just because of an actual natural disaster? Naomi asks why so many monsters keep appearing, and Jetta says that the internet swears it's the end of the world. Jetta, the internet thinks it's the end of the world every other week. Don't think too much about it. Shin admits a lot of things are going on, which might indicate nature itself is out of balance, and Jetta thinks it sounds like a good headline. Gai finally wakes up and tells them that the monsters honestly would prefer to avoid humans. He explains that to the monsters, it's like entering the habitat of a dangerous species that will attack on sight, and the comparison humbles the humans in the room.
Back at the fish market, the Ragon parent covers themselves with a shop banner and ventures into town, where surprised people call VTL and start taking video. The lady from before is surprised to see a fish shortage, and the seller admits that he has frozen product, but the prices have suddenly skyrocketed. The lady shares rumors that a monster did it, and then in the middle of talking about how scary it is, she sees Ragon. The seller closes up shop, scolding them for walking around in broad daylight. But their kid is sick and may need more food, so he rushes to get some fish from the freezer. Shibukawa is responding to the scene, as is Naomi. He argues with her, saying that his sister, her mama, wanted him to keep her out of trouble. But Naomi says her mama worries too much, something that Shibukawa warns every parent does. The impatient town ladies yell at them to get back to work, and this is a perfect diversion to allow the fish seller and the Ragon to sneak out. But Shin detects them and tells Jetta, so they grab Naomi and leave. Meanwhile, as Gai plays the orbnica on the terrace, he feels a sudden quake and sees on the news that a giant monster is headed toward the shore, with water jets forcing manhole covers into the air.
The SSP follow their detector to the warehouse, where they actually run into the Ragon parent, scream, and split up. During this ruckus, Shin finds the Ragon child and the fish seller, who begs them not to hurt the kid. Learning that the kid is sick, Shin immediately offers to help, since among his many dreams as a child was to become a vet. Somehow, I think this isn't quite like taking care of a sick dog, cat, or bird, Shin. The parent freaks out when the kid starts crying and tries to pull Shin away, but he just calmly asks them to help keep the child warm. The others arrive and are likewise sympathetic. The seller says that he usually plays the radio to get the kid to settle down, and Jetta asks Naomi to sing a lullaby. She begins humming a haunting tune that does succeed in soothing the child, even making them feel completely better.
Another quake rocks the warehouse, and Gai appears, telling them to evacuate. As they run out, they see the kaiju causing all the trouble, Gubila. Gai explains that it's the cause behind the fish shortages—now that it's eaten everything in the sea, it's greedy for seafood on land. In other words, the Ragons. He tells the others to help the family hide, but the kid runs back into the warehouse to retrieve their toy boat. Gubila bursts through the roof and scoops up the kid, swallowing them. Gai fuses up into Hurricane Slash, forcing Gubila to cough the child up through its blowhole, then gently returns them to their parent. Gubila nearly drills into Orb, but he holds it off with the Slugger Lance, then switches to Specium Zeperion, daring Gubila to charge. As soon as it does, Gai uses Shutdown Protect, an attack we've never seen before that creates a bubble around the monster so he can safely return it to the sea, away from the humans and the Ragons. ...Seriously, Gai, this was an option the whole time? This is actually a long-standing point of contrition I have with the Ultra franchise—they introduce nonlethal attacks and talk about how not all monsters are bad and most just want to coexist with the dangerous humans next door, but holy shit do the heroes tend to shoot first and ask questions never.
Shibukawa joins the others as they drive out toward the sea to relocate the Ragon family. The seller promises to visit them soon, and the kid hugs him goodbye. Naomi asks her uncle why he hasn't tried to capture them, but he explains that VTL only attacks when humans are in danger. They're not going to hunt down what's obviously an endangered species. The kid then grabs his hand and brings him over toward the water to play. Jetta admits that maybe Gai's right, and the monsters really don't want to rampage at all. The problem is just that the Earth is unbalanced. Shin then suggests that maybe this chaos is the Earth's way of restoring balance, and Jetta admits that he should delete his footage and give the family their privacy.
The kid begs Naomi to sing again, and when she does, Gai walks over in shock, recognizing the melody. She admits that she doesn't know how she knows it, but it feels like she's always known it, somehow. Mystified, Gai plays his own song on the orbnica, and the two melodies combine in perfect harmony as the Ragon family disappears beneath the water. Desperate to change the subject, Gai heads back to the car, asking if anyone wants pizza as he leaves Naomi confused just what's got him so upset this time.
The Impostor Blues (Nakano / Suguru Tomita): In orbit around Earth, Don Nostra tries to come up with another plan to destroy Gai. He believes that Orb is so powerful because of his bond with humans—that is, their hope is his strength. But it's also his weakness, Juggler adds, pointing out that Gai's greatest fear is of innocent bystanders being hurt or killed. With this revelation, Nostra summons Alien Babalu from M774, who Juggler is kind of judging, probably because of his thick, blond hair. It's okay, Juggler. You have pretty hair too. The plan is for Babalu to use his shapeshifting powers to masquerade as Orb and attack the Earth, shattering the humans' trust in him.
Meanwhile, on Earth, the SSP is enjoying a quiet lunch at a burger place. And yes, Gai has two plates of cheeseburgers, salad, and fries. Seriously, the salad isn't helping your case there. Sure, other Ultras eat a lot in their human forms/hosts—I recall Riku Asakura slurping down ramen and extra helpings of rice—but Gai just runs with it. Jetta blows bubbles into his soda and confesses that he's bored without monsters running around and destroying things. And of course, as soon as you say that, what do you think happens? He runs out, followed by Shin and Naomi as "Orb" appears. Gai, holding his plate, tries to figure out wtf is going on. Jetta leads the other two to check it out while Gai decides to fuse up and confront his impostor, but Jetta interrupts him, pointing out that he paid for Gai's two lunches, so he better help film. Naomi can't help but feel that "Orb" is wrong somehow, mostly because she's the smartest character in this show, and Shin agrees, mostly because there's no sign of a monster. But before Babalu can commence his attack, Telesdon bursts out of the ground. Don Nostra admits it's not theirs, and while Babalu freaks out and asks for instructions, Telesdon hits him from behind, forcing him to defend himself.
Two little boys are near the battle, terrified. Jetta recognizes them, and Gai runs over to save them. Telesdon prepares to breathe fire at them, and Gai instinctively shields the kids. But to his amazement, so does his impostor. Pissed off, Babalu attacks Telesdon, giving Gai a chance to carry the kids to safety. Naomi, because she's not an idiot and literally everyone else around her is, pointedly asks Gai if this looks like Orb's normal fighting style. Because Gai is one of the aforementioned idiots, he only answers hell no and fails to catch onto what she's implying. Telesdon escapes, and an exhausted Babalu almost lets his glamour drop. In order to rest and hide, he shrinks back down. Jetta decides this is his chance to find out who Orb really is. Babalu, in true form, tries to run and hide, but then he hears Jetta coming to confront him. He quickly shapeshifts into a blonde human with the most godawful tracksuit ever and tries to deny that he's Orb. But Jetta saw something and asks for his name. I swear, this whole thing is framed like Naomi badgering Gai until he agreed to stay with her. Jetta is totally in love with this alien. Because nobody in this universe is very smart, Babalu gives his name as "Baba Ryuji." Jetta notices that it's a terrible alias, but he accepts that "Orb" needs a secret identity to conduct his heroics, and he promises to keep "Baba's" secret. Gai watches as Baba proceeds to run like hell, deciding to just observe for right now, even though Babalu returns to Don Nostra and vows to continue with the original plan.
Jetta grins as he listens to news reports of the recent battle, and Naomi points out that he's starting to look creepy. He pulls Gai aside while he's trying to get some coffee and admits that he used to suspect that Gai was Orb. Naturally, Gai chokes. But Jetta adds that now he's figured out the truth, but he's been sworn to secrecy. Gai asks who it is, but Jetta refuses to say, answering that "heroes come and go like the wind." And I swear, Gai has this look on his face that says, "Oh, so that's what my bullshit sounds like." Jetta then shoves the equipment at Gai again because unlike some toku heroes, he's actually serious about making Gai pay off that debt, and tells him that he's tagging along all day.
Baba searches for the VTL base and comes across Shibukawa, who notices he looks out of place and is saying stuff like "just smash stuff." You know, kinda suspicious. He starts frisking Baba when Jetta comes in, claiming they're old friends from high school. He drags Baba off, then calls on an army of small children. They swarm Baba and start hugging them as Jetta introduces them as children Orb had saved. And Baba realizes that Jetta told them all who he was supposed to be. Gai calls Jetta over and asks if Baba's for real. Jetta tells him to leave "Baba-sempai" alone, he has a mission. Gai, exercising more patience than he really needs to, points out that it's Jetta who's not leaving Baba alone, but Jetta tells Gai to just start filming already. Big mistake, since Gai just does not how to use a camera and just points it everywhere.
Jetta leads a Q&A with the kids, who ask if they can be like Ultraman and what advice can Baba give them. Jetta mostly gives inspiring stock answers while Baba just goes along with whatever he says. At the end of the day, Jetta hands Baba pictures and gifts from the kids. Baffled, Baba asks him if heroes really are that great. Jetta enthusiastically agrees, admitting that he's always wanted to be one. We see a flashback to a tiny Jetta, then called Zenta, jumping off the playground in a helmet and sword, then needing his dad to bandage him. His dad, by the way, is played by one of Ultra Seven's hosts in the Heisei era spinoff...who, yes, also played a villain in Kamen Rider. I don't know how this casting works. Dad tells Zenta that heroes don't try to do dangerous stuff on purpose (...I spent a month in 2015 arguing otherwise regarding Eiji Hino, but okay). Sometimes being a hero just means doing whatever is within your power to help someone else. Jetta admits he can't help every troubled person in the world, but someone like Orb, Baba, can. And telling this story might give others strength. Baba looks visibly guilty and moved by the realization of what Orb means to Jetta, while Gai watches silently from behind a tree. Later, Baba looks at the drawings on the ship and has to quickly hide them from Nagus, who notices how weird he's been acting. Baba suggests maybe it feels better to make people happy, as opposed to being hated, but Nagus doesn't get it and leaves.
The next day, Baba plays with the kids at the park. The kids thank him, since they followed his advice and now can do all the things they didn't think they could before. He starts wondering if he should just continue living this lie and take on Orb's identity permanently. But then the saucer appears, with Nostra impatiently ordering him to start destroying everything. The kids and Jetta encourage him to fight, and Baba takes on Orb's form. But Nostra orders him to attack the kids. He refuses, insisting he's Orb now. But Nostra reminds him that he's just an impostor. Baba says that he always thought he was destined to be a Dark Alien, born under an evil star, but now he can change his fate and be a hero too. But Nostra is not impressed and tells Juggler to kill him. Juggler, possibly determined to reclaim his achievement for best hair in the series, summons Cherubim. Baba charges, but he gets beaten up. Jetta worries he'll lose while Gai continues to watch cautiously. A hard enough blow breaks Baba's glamour, revealing him to the others. He admits he lied and apologizes, admitting he's just another Dark Alien after all. But the kids cheer him on and tell him not to give up, with Jetta adding that they both taught the kids that no matter who you are, you can be a hero, and that he's the one who gave them that dream. Baba manages to throw Cherubim off and counterattacks, but he's still overpowered. But when a fireball comes his way, Gai slips away to fuse up and shield him as Specium Zeperion. Baba gives him an apprehensive look, but Gai nods, giving him his approval.
Cherubim turns out to be just too toothy for Specium Zeperion, so Gai switches to Hurricane Slash, creating a whirlwind with the Slugger Lance, then rapid fire strikes with Trident Slash. Seeing the real thing win so easily, with Jetta and the kids cheering makes Baba collapse in despair, vanishing into golden light. Jetta watches in shock and runs after him. Baba, now micronized, limps away in his true form. But Jetta and two of the kids, Masato and Shinji, find him and thank him. He disappears after hearing their thanks, and Jetta tries to stop him, but Gai reminds him that heroes come and go like the wind.
Aboard the saucer, Juggler counsels Don Nostra that his methods are out of date. It's not enough to judge humans' good and evil potential—he has to keep up with the times.
Sometime later, Gai and Jetta are at the park, with Jetta wondering whatever happened to Baba. A little girl loses her hat, and a custodian finds and returns it. Gai recognizes from a distance as Baba, in a new and much more subtle disguise. Baba looks back at him and smiles, touching his face to confirm that this is his new glamour. Gai just smiles back at Jetta and suggests that "maybe heroes are more common than you think."
Juggler Dies! (Y. Kobayashi / Tomita): Naomi comes home from her part-time job at a takoyaki place with leftovers. Again. For the third day in a row. Jetta and Shibukawa make up a story about having reservations at a yakiniku place, and Shin says he's not feeling good. Gai, however, wakes up from his nap just as they leave. Naomi greets him with a smile and three boxes of takoyaki, and he cringes when he realizes what's going on. Look, Gai. You don't get to complain. You don't help out around the office, and all you do is eat and sleep all day anyway. You're the team stomach, so get to it already!
Aboard the saucer, Juggler uses his kaiju cards for a tarot reading for Nagus. He turns over Enmago, predicting sudden death. For some reason, Nagus suddenly proclaims that he doesn't believe in fortunetelling, but Juggler calls out his bullshit by pointing out that Nagus is the one who asked him for the reading in the first place. And then he proceeds to pour Red Bull into a crystal goblet. Because Juggler is extra, everyone. Nagus storms off, swearing to pay him back, but Juggler pulls out his King Demon Beast cards, reflecting that he only needs one more. At this, Don Nostra throws Black King at him, offering it for his protection. He says that if Juggler thinks his methods are too old school, then why doesn't he go kill Orb himself and show them how it's done. Juggler smirks as he drinks his Red Bull—again, I am so mystified by this. Is his whole coffee snobbery just part of a larger caffeine addiction? Anyway, he admits that he thought Nostra was never going to ask. Nostra demands Gai's six Ultraman cards, then asks what Juggler's price is. Well, he doesn't really need to ask; he knows, and he reveals the very card Juggler's been after, the fallen Ultraman, Belial. Juggler laughs, admitting yes, that's why he came to them. Nostra says he doesn't care whatever Juggler has planned for the card, but Gai's life will be a suitable trade. Juggler, still being as extra as always, springs to his feet and agrees to the deal. Later, however, Nagus complains to Don Nostra about giving away Black King, since he's the one who found it and it's the most powerful one he's found yet. But Nostra reveals that he's pitting a tiger against a dragon; two enemies linked by destiny and similarity, but fated to walk opposite paths—the tiger being yin, or darkness; and the dragon being yang, or light. He then tells Nagus that he needs him to do a certain job.
Naomi struggles with paperwork while Gai happily eats all the leftovers. She tells him to stop for a minute and help her, but both of them turn to see Juggler standing at her shelf, toying with her matryoshka. Gai immediately stands and puts himself in front of Naomi, warning Juggler to let the doll go. Juggler mockingly moves his hand away, and Gai asks what he wants. In the blink of an eye, Juggler moves to the door, and Gai once again stands protectively in front of Naomi. Juggler starts musing about the beauty of the dawn sky and the way it signals the "beginning of a new world." ...Okay, I'm not sure if you're going for OOO or Aladdin, but I'm okay either way. He claims that he just wanted to keep his date with Naomi for coffee at dawn...then admits no, he's actually there to kill Gai. Then he turns and teleports away into wriggling shadows. Gai adjusts his jacket and goes to the door. Naomi tries to stop him, pointing out that Juggler just said he wanted to kill him. Gai then hesitates before confirming that yeah, he knows. While he makes an effort to sound normal, it's notable that he's visibly unsettled, but his back is turned to Naomi so she can't see. He takes a breath and looks depressed, as if he doesn't want to believe it. She insists on calling her uncle, since Juggler's obviously not human, but Gai refuses and won't say who Juggler really is—only that he's been trying to "get rid of" him without success. He says that they need to settle things, and now it's finally time to do that. Naomi's still worried, but he tells her to wait, promising to come back to her, then smiles and leaves.
Juggler waits in an overgrown field by tokusatsu's favorite location, an abandoned warehouse. A headache from the sound of the orbnica tells him that Gai's approaching from behind. For a second, it looks like a very weird standoff between them, and then Juggler attacks. They speed forward with powerful punches that meet in an explosion of light, darkness, red, and blue. Juggler says that he loves the look on Gai's face, reminding him of "that day." This cryptic remark is a reference to the full Orb Chronicle, specifically chapter 3: "The Man Who Stole The Black Hole." Remember how I said that Orb was an ambitious project with 10 chapters explaining the full story behind Gai and Juggler, with this series being chapter 6? Well, the details of most of the other chapters were published in a magazine, with some storyboard work and the occasional photos of Hideo Ishiguro and Takaya Aoyagi in character. Translations can be found here. The specific event that Juggler is referring to is when Gai, enraged by the needless death of a friend who tried to disarm Juggler's bomb, went after Juggler with killing intent, "looking like an angry god." In response to this comment, Gai says he's forgotten all about it, but Juggler calls him out, claiming he'd be cold if he did. Gai just insists that their "little feud" ends there.
There's more fast-paced punching and kicking, where Juggler knocks Gai's hat into the air. It honestly reminds me of Dragon Ball Z as it continues. Juggler throws Gai to the ground, but in the blink of an eye, they've teleported away and speed toward each other again. Juggler backflips out of the way of one of Gai's attacks, and I don't know if it's really Takaya Aoyagi doing it or a stunt double, but it's spectacular in an already insane fight. Gai then leaps into the air and tries to drop his fist down on him, but he misses, breaking the earth. All the while, Don Nostra narrates their history: A long time ago, they were on the side of light together, but then they started to drift away from each other and "walk separate paths." The Light chose Gai while the darkness "bewitched" Juggler. And so Juggler has to prove to Gai that the darkness, and he, are stronger.
Juggler catches Gai's foot midkick, forcing him to flip to regain control. Juggler then kicks the orbnica out of Gai's pocket, and with Gai distracted, he kicks him from behind. Gai tucks into a roll and recovers the orbnica, but Juggler calls him out again, this time on not keeping his focus on the battle and not being serious. He points out that Gai is afraid of hurting the humans around him, triggering a flashback of Natasha and his final battle with his true power. Juggler asks why Gai's so afraid after failing to save "some girl," and goddamnit I can't spoil Origin this early. He says that he doesn't understand why Gai is so "fixated" on the humans and says that this constant worrying is what cost him his true power in the first place. He adds that Gai has become so pathetic, having to rely on the "generous help" of the Ultras before him, that it's "ridiculous" to think that he can stand up to the darkness. But as he attacks again, Gai catches his arm, out of his daze, asking if he's done talking, then gets in a low punch to Juggler's stomach. He swears to protect humanity from Juggler, though Juggler isn't exactly impressed. Gai points out that he knows Juggler was trying to revive the Great King Devil Beast Maga-Orochi with the six lesser King Demons, but since he's defeated them, Juggler's plan has been foiled. But Juggler again calls bullshit on Gai defeating him, daring him to become Orb by pulling out the Dark Ring and summoning Black King.
Gai fuses up into Hurricane Slash, but Juggler continues his melodramatic streak by swearing that it will be darkness that swallows up the light. Despite that, it's a fairly even match, with neither side able to make a good hit—Orb's moves are too fast to land a blow, and Black King is too tough for anything to hurt it. So Gai switches to Burnmite and starts wrestling it before leaping over its fire and kicking. When Black King catches his foot, he uses Stobium Burst to explode upon collision with the kaiju's fire breath. But Black King then takes advantage of the smoke screen they've created to land a hard headbutt, just as Gai's color timer starts going off.
Black King blasts Gai again, and Juggler admits that Gai has disappointed him, if something like this is what's going to kill him. But he gives the kill order anyway, just as Nagus shoots him from behind. When Juggler turns, Nagus explains that he's an assassin, and he'll be the one sending Juggler to hell instead. He shoots Juggler in the chest this time, and Gai watches on in shock. Juggler gives him a twisted smile, then raises his arm again and falls in an explosion as Gai shouts after him and reaches out. Don Nostra orders Nagus to finish Gai off and take his cards, but the shock and anger of seeing his longtime rival die gets Gai to finally stop holding back. He calls fire into his body, using what Black King throws at him and throws it right back, then grabs the monster as he explodes with Stobium Dynamite.
Naomi is still working at the office and looks up in relief when she hears someone coming up the stairs. To her disappointment, it's just Shin and Jetta, surprised to see that she's there but Gai isn't. Worried and clearly needing something to do with that worry, she starts picking up the empty takoyaki boxes, unaware that Gai is only just arriving, staggering up the stairs. He takes a moment at the door to recover as he hears their voices, then enters. He's still visibly upset when he says he's back, but the emotion melts away at Naomi's relieved smile as she welcomes him home.
Aboard the saucer, Nostra congratulates Nagus on at least killing Juggler and taking his cards. He says Juggler was a fool to believe he'd ever give up the Belial card, and Nagus is eager to use it and the King Demons to attack the Earth, even proposing an operation name. And then he's run through from behind. He collapses, dead, as Juggler removes his sword and reveals himself. He keeps his sword ready to attack as he explains how he used Bemstar's card in his front pocket to absorb the shot. Or rather, he simply shows the card. Throughout this exchange, he never says a word, and it is highly effective. Furthermore, other than a very brief smirk, not even his usual, toothy grin, his expression is cold and terrifying. It's said that Juggler was originally written to be a much more straightforward character, and most of his mannerisms were ad-libbed by Takaya Aoyagi. This is a brief glimpse of what kind of character he was originally written to be. If Gai's face earlier was that of an angry god, Juggler's here is that of a god of death. This is the great, serpent-hearted warrior of darkness so feared throughout the universe for centuries, and it gives us a better appreciation of both him and Gai.
Juggler smirks again as his sword catches Nostra's energy beam, deflecting it with explosions as he reveals his demonic form hinted back in the first episode. Strictly speaking, it's referred to as his "majin" form, but it's hard to get a good translation of what that means. His body is covered in an orange-bronze armor, with a glowing, red, crescent-shaped scar on his chest. And with the sparks raining down on him like they are, he looks especially awesome. He cuts down Nostra, noting that the "schemer [was] done in by schemes," then finishes him off with a casual stab behind himself. He then claims Belial's card and retakes his own, laughing.
