In MY-TH’s third episode, Sora and Yuna investigate the disappearance of a girl’s father. Their investigation leads to another encounter with a Fukashigi, but the fight becomes more complicated when a mysterious black cat Rider appears. Tatsuomi also moves closer to the truth about Sora, and the episode begins developing the idea that more than one Rider may have a claim to the mission of protecting humanity.

BLACK’s third episode, Strange? Strange Cyborgs, continues the show’s exploration of Gorgom’s disturbing world of artificial transformation and monstrous enemies. Its early stories reinforce the unsettling idea that ordinary human life can be interrupted by a hidden system of experimentation and mutation. Kotaro’s mission is tied to exposing and fighting that danger, even as the full scale of Gorgom’s plans remains to be revealed.

The interesting contrast is how the shows use their mysterious Riders and monsters. MY-TH’s black cat Rider creates a question of identity and competing ideas of justice: is this newcomer an ally, a rival, or both? BLACK’s early cyborg horror instead emphasizes the frightening consequences of the villains’ activities. Both use mystery to keep viewers interested, but MY-TH’s mystery increasingly revolves around relationships among Riders, while BLACK’s is closely tied to the nature of the enemy.