Kamen Rider Spirits Chapter 6: Memories of a Right Arm

Memories of a Right Arm is the sixth chapter of the manga Kamen Rider Spirits and the first story of the second tankobon.

It serves as a follow-up to the events of the 51st episode of Kamen Rider V3, detailing how Riderman survived the Pluton Rocket explosion while introducing him to the reader. It also features the debut of supporting character Annrietta Birkin, Interpol agent and future member of SPIRITS.

Synopsis
An amnesiac Joji flees from a monster after landing in Tahiti and is being helped briefly by a mysterious woman out to kill him. The two wash up on another island and spend time with the local natives including a young girl. Despite wanting to live an idyllic life of peace, Joji soon has to face his sins as a former scientist of Destron and a ghost from his past who has come back for revenge!

Plot
After a brief description of the organization Destron, the story begins a few days after Destorn's fall on a stormy night in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. A man in the jungle is fleeing from a terrifying creature trying to kill him. The man wonders what this thing is and why it is after him and does not remember anything about himself. He is especially horrified to see he has a cybernetic right arm on his body and wonders how he got it while hiding behind a tree. A voice explains to him that he is Joji Yuki, a scientist of Destron and a former executive officer of the organization. The voice belongs to a woman, who rushes in and opens fire on the shadowy figure chasing him, but the bullets of her gun have no effect. She drags Joji and tells him to jump off the cliff with her and both fall into the seas narrowly escaping the monster. The monster speaks, saying that it is of no consequence that Joji escaped, as they will reunite soon at a more "dramatic" time.

The next morning, the two wash up on the beach of another island and are found by a native girl who sees Joji's arm and a bag containing Riderman's helmet. Joji has a memory in the form of a dream of him heroically trying to sacrifice himself by stopping the Pluton Rocket, which startles him awake when the memory of the explosion occurs. He finds himself in a hut with a little girl staring at him and gleefully happy that he's finally awake. Joji tries to get up but his injuries cause him a large amount of pain. The little girl tells him not to get up so fast and he needs time to heal. Joji asks where he is and her grandfather says he is on a small island off the coast near the island of Tahiti. The little girl wonders whats wrong with Joji and her grandfather says its amnesia. She doesn't quite understand but tells "George" "Aita Peh-a Peh-a", which is the native's way of saying "Don't Worry" and to take it easy. The girl introduces herself as Hinau and Joji introduces himself, only to find that the woman from before is there too and her name is "Anri" according to Hinau. Anri leers at Joji with cold eyes but this awkwardness is interrupted by a dispute outside.

A big burly islander is arguing with Hinau's grandfather about the number of pearls he is bringing in as it should be double of what the old man has. The two continue to bicker, with Hinau even stepping in trying to help her grandpa, only for the man to hold her down. Joji tries to politely ask the brute to stop, much to the bewilderment of Anri, but the native named Piella gets enraged and tries to attack him. This results in his knife getting broken when Joji blocks Piella's knife with his cybernetic hand, which scares Piella and his thugs away. The village rejoices at their new hero. Joji then remembers having a helmet with him and asks Hinau if she has seen it, she hesitates but says no. Joji tells her it is important as that as is the first thing he found when he arrived here and it might give him a clue to who he is. Hinau tells "George" not to worry, while her grandfather says not to rush and that it is probably for the best as some things are best left forgotten.

Joji helps the villagers fix the motors of their fishing boats while Anri asks Hiau's grandfather about his family. The old man says that he used to have a son and a daughter-in-law, but they were murdered during a festival on the main island. He says that while the French government has given this land some peace after years of conflict, looting and hoarding are common, he yearns for the old days when the islanders were like family. Hinau doesn't have her family and the old man feels sad she will never know the face of her parents. He gives her a bag and says that it belongs to her. Later that night, Anri gets her guns out of the bag and loads them while Joji is sleeping with Hinau.

The next day Anri and Joji spend time with Hianu, helping her gather fruit and playing with her. When Hinau falls lseep as they watch the sun set on the beach, Anri pulls out her gun and points it at Joji. She apologizes but says it is time to resume her mission. At the village, Piella asks Hinau's grandpa if the two are going to stay with them and be Hinau's new mom and dad, nervous about Joji from their last encounter. Deep in the sea, the shadow from the other island creeps closer toward where Joji and Anri are by finding Joji's scent.

Anri tells Joji at gunpoint since he can't remember who he is, she will tell him before she pulls the trigger: he is a murderer. She also says that Interpol is on the way to pick her up. She gives his backstory as a scientist of Destron, whose research indirectly killed tens of thousands of people. While he defected and joined Kamen Rider V3's crusade of justice and saved lives by destroying the Pluton Rocket, she says he is a monster and that nothing will atone for his sins. Joji on the other hand thinks he survived so he could atone further for what he has done. This angers Anri and she pulls back the safety of her gun preparing to fire, only to hear a loud noise and see Hinau sleeping. Hinau calls the two "papa and mama" in her sleep, realizing she can't kill someone in front of a child, Anri stops herself. Anri tells Joji she hates Destron as they killed her family, so as long as he is alive she won't forgive him.

As night falls, the three head home only to see the village burning and buildings exploding. Piella runs toward them begging for help, only to be impaled to death by a giant claw. Anri recognizes the monster who murdered Piella: Marshal Armor. Joji stands in horror, saying it is impossible for Marshal Armor to be alive, but the giant kaijin tells him he had a spare body ready in case of his death. Memories flood back to Joji about how Marshal Armor destroyed his right arm and he then rushes at him while Hinau's grandfather is trying to get away from Marshal Armor. Anri tells Joji not to rush in and that he needs his helmet to become strong enough to defeat Marshal Armor. Upon hearing this, Hinau hesitates and worries.

Marshal Armor wonders if Joji remembers him now, only for Joji to respond that the only thing he remembers is how his arm feels hatred towards him. Hinau runs into the burning hut as Joji loses his cybernetic arm by being cut off by Marshal Armor's pincer. Marshal Armor says that as a gift to his new benefactors who revived him, he will kill Joji and rip out his brain as a trophy. Anri tries to help by shooting, but it is useless. Hinau then gives Anri something as Joji gets beaten down by Marshal Armor, she then tries to shield him using a rifle but gets impaled after revealing the thing Hinau gave to her was Joji's helmet, which she hands to him. As she struggles clinging to life, Anri tells him that Joji has a second name: Riderman. Joji transforms and regains all of his memories, saving Anri and engaging Marshal Armor after reattaching his arm. He uses his Rope Arm to get Anri to safety, with Hinau running to Anri and telling her "Papa" to beat up the monster for hurting "Mama".

Riderman switches to his Power Arm and tries to slash Marshal Armor, but the kaijin's modified shell breaks Riderman's claw. Riderman then switches to his Drill Arm and drills through the hard shell but gets knocked back by Marshal Armor's spiked arm. Riderman strikes the same spot again and it actually starts to crack the armor, telling Marshal Armor that although he is strong on the outside, a direct attack to this inside will cause massive damage. Marshal Armor realizes what he is going to do but Riderman quickly changes to his Machine Gun Arm and fires at point blank range at the weak point in the armor. This causes all the bullets to go into Marshal Armor and ricochet inside him, eventually causing a bullet to burst out of his head, killing him. Marshal Armor's body then explodes.

As dawn arrives, a seaplane from Interpol lands and they quickly get Anri in it to receive medical attention. Hinau apologizes to "George" for keeping his helmet, but she thought if he found it he would leave her and if she took it, he would stay forever. She realizes though that he cannot stay and isn't sad anymore about it, as Riderman's arm is made to protect everyone.

The story jumps ahead to the present as Joji meets up with Shiro in Cairo, Egypt. Joji notes from a piece of the remains of the black pyramid that the electronics are not from any kind of modern technology and wonders what even made it. Shiro apologizes for calling him all the way out here, but Joji says: "Aita Peh-a Peh-a". Shiro is confused and asks what the heck that means, but Joji says it is a long story and he will tell it some other time much to Shiro's confusion.

Allies

 * Annrietta Birkin
 * Hinau

Enemies

 * Marshal Armor