There's no doubt in my mind that Daichi wasn't the Desaster, especially since, if he was, eliminating him at this point just takes out a lot of the drama. With how Sae reacted when Neon said she trusted Keiwa (conveniently left ambiguous for us, since we couldn't see her face under the helmet), I think it's probably her. She's likely trying to get Neon on her side, or just likes her in general, so went along with what Neon wanted since the Riders were likely going to win that round anyway, and she gets suspicion diverted from her by going along with it and giving Keiwa the Ninja Buckle back. Still like her relationship with Neon, though.

Since the ball game was a lot more character-driven this time, the directing felt a lot more appropriate, and the score didn't really matter this episode since it was more about Keiwa's character and reputation. Helps that the tracking shots weren't nearly as close as last episode, and they did pull the camera back to show the field a bit. Made it a lot more fun to watch the Riders come together as a team, and this time around, the scoring was mostly just an excuse to show off the different trick shots. That last round with Keiwa was cool, but I think that man straight up forgot he had the Raise Buckle! Absolutely better than nothing and he just... didn't use it, even after Ace told him about the Jyamato. This is also after they all stopped using the Feverslot Buckle last time (which at least had fear of RNG as a reason), and Sae didn't do Zombie Ninja (which would've been awesome). I'm kinda worried the character forgetting about the Buckles they have might become a trend.

I really like how Ace and Keiwa's relationship has grown. Ace never just straight-up gives Keiwa help, he gives him the tools he needs to help himself. I knew Ace likely voted for him, but it's cool that he implied to Keiwa that he did so Keiwa would be more motivated. I figured he wasn't even going to tell him. It's a nice dynamic they have, and it makes the times when they do team up with each other all the better.

I was wondering why Ace wasn't using the Gigant stuff last game, since he could just use stuff as giant bats. At least he used the gun, though... but that was some straight-up Deadshot aim, and I fully expect Ace's apparent superhuman aim to barely come up again, if at all. Looked cool, at least.