If you’re watching Faiz for the first time, this is the episode where you realize: the suits are cool, but the real monster is loneliness. And loneliness never needs a belt to fight.
The episode opens on a deceptively quiet note. Takumi is struggling, as always, with his place in the world. Yuji Kiba (the Horse Orphnoch) and his found family of outcasts are trying to live a normal life, working at the laundry shop and pretending the monster inside them doesn’t exist. This is the core tragedy of Faiz : everyone is desperate for connection, but their very natures make connection impossible. kamen rider faiz ep 23
The episode’s best moment belongs to Yuji Kiba. Forced to choose between the violent human world and his monstrous identity, Kiba refuses to fight. He’s the moral compass the series doesn’t deserve. When he finally confronts Naoya, you see the heartbreak in his eyes. He’s not angry at the betrayal. He’s angry that he has to feel it at all. If you’re watching Faiz for the first time,
“False Friendship” is an episode about the lies we tell to keep the peace. Naoya lies to himself that he’s strong. Kusaka lies that he’s a hero. Takumi lies that he doesn’t care. And Kiba… Kiba is the only one telling the truth, which is why he suffers the most. Takumi is struggling, as always, with his place in the world
Meanwhile, at the Smart Brain offices, the plot thickens. Kusaka continues to be the most dangerously manipulative character in the series. His "friendship" with Takumi is a performance, a tool to get closer to Mari and eliminate anyone who threatens his fragile ego. This episode does a fantastic job of showing how Kusaka isolates his targets. He doesn't just fight the Orphnoch; he poisons the well of trust.
There’s a particular brand of heartbreak unique to Kamen Rider Faiz . It’s not just about monsters attacking or suits cracking under pressure. It’s the slow, agonizing realization that the people you trust are hiding something. Episode 23, “False Friendship,” isn’t just a bridge between fights—it’s the episode where every strained relationship in this series finally starts to snap.