Kamen Rider Gavv Episode 26 Recap and Thoughts

In the previous episode, Lakia helped Sachika in assisting the requests of Hapipare customers. He eventually stumbled upon a Stomach Inc. employee after one of their customers, Kouji, went after a Granute who took control of his livestreaming account. This Granute confronted Lakia as he was also hunted by Stomach Inc. after betraying the company.

Recap

Lakia transformed into Kamen Rider Vlam as he got furious when Granute Le Beet insulted his late brother. He managed to land some solid blows on the Granute, including a Vlam Breaker finisher. However, the monster counterattacked by extending its horns to attack Vlam.

Vlam landed safely after being thrown off by the monster, then launched at arrow shot at the monster’s legs. This caused the monster to fall out of balance.

Frustrated, Lakia insisted his younger brother, Comel, wasn’t cowardly. Instead, he was just a kind person. The Granute then explained that Stomach Inc. killed him to threaten part-timers who dared to leave the company. The monster’s words stunned Lakia, allowing it to flee the scene.

Back at Hapipare, Lakia scolded Kouji after he insisted to go meet the “Helmet Boy” VTuber. Kouji explained his persistence, revealing he’d started the channel to share his love of sweets. One day, his channel got hacked, then someone streamed as Helmet Boy in his place.

Kouji was angered to discover a fan who met “Helmet Boy” had disappeared, believing someone misused his channel to commit crimes. He took action on this incident by messaging the hacker as a fake fan, attempting to regain control of his channel. Luckily for Kouji, the hacker took the bait as he was invited to a meetup. Thus, he enlisted the help of Hapipare to escort him to the hacker and confront him.

When asked why he didn’t told Lakia about the situation, Kouji explained that he didn’t want other people to know his true identity. The kid also asked for Lakia’s help in taking back control of his channel.

Concerned for Kouji’s safety, Lakia urged him to abandon his pursuit of the monster. Kouji insisted, declaring that he’d rather die than let his channel be used for criminal activities.

Sachika asked Lakia to chase Kouji; however, Lakia declined, leading Sachika to pursue Kouji herself.

Meanwhile, Hanto underwent an examination by his personal scientist, Suga, who noted that the Chocold gochizo placed excessive strain on his body. Hanto reported experiencing only minor discomfort outside of combat that disappeared while fighting as Valen. Based on these observations, Suga took the Chocold gochizo for adjustments.

Hanto refused Shoma’s gochizos, preferring Suga’s own gochizos as reminds him of how Shoma’s siblings killed his mother.

Though extremely tired, Shoma managed to return to Hapipare. Deeply worried, Sachika offered him ice cream to help him recover. Sachika also explained why Kouji went to Hapipare and why he stormed off after being scolded by Lakia.

Worried about Kouji’s safety, Shoma ordered his gochizos to find Kouji.

Sachika also expressed to Shoma that she noticed something was off with Lakia. Shoma explained to her that Kouji reminds him of his younger brother who was killed by Stomach Inc., which explains why he was so protective of him.

Shoma and Sachika went to the park where Lakia was staying, hoping he could help them find Kouji. Lakia refused, saying Kouji wouldn’t listen to him. Sachika explained everything about Hapipare, expressing her worries about Kouji’s safety. Touched by her concern, Lakia took the Domaru gochizo and went to find Kouji.

At a hidden alley, Granute Le Beet met up with Lango’s Agent to inform them of Lakia’s whereabouts. The Granute also requested help in capturing Lakia, confident in his ability to lure Lakia once more.

Meanwhile, Nyelv visited Suga, his colleague, in his lab. Suga informed Nyelv that he’s working on making Valen stronger by creating artificial gochizos. This made Nyelv curious about why Suga was so fond of Hanto. Suga told his colleague that Hanto could be his savior.

Nyelv also noticed that Suga’s PC monitor showed images of cells being cloned in his laboratory, hinting that Suga was now creating an army of Bitter Gavvs.

Finding Kouji happily enjoying some pudding, Lakia sat beside him. Lakia was relieved that Kouji hadn’t gone after the monster alone.

Kouji expressed why he made his livestreaming channel and how it holds a special place in his heart. Thus, it made him feel sad to think he might need to give up his channel.

Lakia assured Kouji he’d do everything he could to recover his channel, explaining it meant a lot to him because it reminded him of someone he’d lost. Kouji, pleased with the news, gave Lakia a pudding. Lakia was surprised and pleased by the pudding’s taste.

While Shoma enjoyed ice cream cake at Hapipare, Sachika told him “Helmet Boy” was planning a fan meeting. Shoma immediately informed Lakia, who realized that the Granute organized the meeting to lure him out. Lakia decided to take the bait to confront the monster.

Meanwhile, Hanto’s body was in severe pain because of the side effects of the Chocold gochizo. In an attempt to reduce his pain, Hanto almost changed into Valen’s Chocold form, but he decided against it as it could make things worse.

The fight between Vlam and Stomach Inc. continues as Vlam got overwhelmed thanks to the Granute’s horn. Luckily, Shoma showed up and transformed into Gavv’s Blizzardsorbei form to even the playing field. Shoma also summoned some Ice Whipped soldiers to help him handle the Agents as Lakia focused on defeating Le Beet.

As the fight continued, Lakia asked Le Beet if he would still work for Stomach Inc. until the bitter end. The Granute told Lakia that he prefers death to abandoning his work for Dark Treats. Hearing this, Lakia continued up by beating up the Granute with his Jelly form. He then finished the monster with his Vlam Slash attack when he attempted to escape the fight.

Because of their efforts, the captured fans were rescued by Shoma, and Kouji’s VTubing account was recovered by Lakia.

Working at Hapipare, Lakia developed a fondness for pudding, a treat he bought for himself. He also learned that every human has a unique story.

When Hanto returned to Suga’s lab, he was shocked to see Bitter Gavvs showcasing a Breacookie gochizos. Seeing Suga as Bitter Gavv’s creator left Hanto feeling betrayed.

Final Thoughts

As the first Lakia-centric arc since he joined the protagonists, this episode was surprisingly good. I appreciated the two-parter’s focus on Lakia discovering the individuality of humans, similar to Granutes, with unique interests and stories.

Not to mention, Kouji reminding Lakia of his younger brother Comel also him to understand why the young boy was so persistent in taking back his channel. It also allowed Lakia to connect to him on an emotional level as it brings out his protective side.

Lakia enjoying the food that inspired his Rider form added a nice touch.

This episode showed how VTubers and other creators significantly impact the modern entertainment landscape. Kouji’s dream of sharing sweets with viewers embodies the positive side—connecting with others. Conversely, Granute illustrated the negative: creators exploiting fans for profit. As content creators, while making income is nice, it’s important to foster a nice relationship with the communities we built.

Finally, Hanto continues to experience more of Chocold’s side effects. And with Suga’s connection to Bitter Gavv is revealed, their showdown is inevitable. And I cannot wait to see Hanto put a stop to Suga’s plans.