By Katori, Hiroshi and the kids watch the motor parade of Talupsin the crown prince of Talbador. Katori thinks Talupsin looks familiar and Kenta notices that the prince looks just like the former. Momoko reports that despite being a small country, Talbador’s lands contain a rare metal used in the construction of microchips. Talupsin finds this all very boring, and his fiancé Milia reminds him to keep smiling because Japan welcomed them with open arms. Talupsin however retorts that the masses exist only to serve the royalty. His uncle, the Marquis Shebu Hared, tells him not to get so upset for his sake. On a nearby rooftop, Shura tries to snipe Talupsin but Milia moves him out of the way by pure chance. Shura activates a smoke screen in the street and Satsuda quickly orders the officers to protect Talupsin. However, they’re all thrown aside by Zol. Teshitas surround Talupsin’s limousine and prepare to fire, causing the prince to abandon his escorts and run away. Zol and the Teshitas manage to catch Talupsin, but Guard Star transforms to robot mode and surprises them. Talupsin breaks free but he loses his royal clothing. Katori arrives and knocks away the Teshita. He puts his jacket on Talupsin and tells Kenta to take him to safety. Guard Wing arrives and lifts them away, forcing Draias‘ troops to retreat. Katori picks up Talupsin’s clothes and causes Satsuda to mistake him for the prince. Before Katori can explain, Satsuda hauls him back in his car. Guard Wing drops off Kenta and Talupsin back at the Amano Peace labs, where Haruka greets him excitedly. Talupsin thanks them for saving his life, but then starts to order them around like servants. Haruka quite bluntly tells him that he’s not in his castle and his status has no meaning here. Kenta contacts Katori, who tells him that he’s in the prince’s limousine heading back to Talbador for a coronation ceremony. Talupsin is furious that someone is impersonating him and Hiroshi tells Katori to play along until they catch up to him. Hiroshi and the others reach the airport but run into Satsuda. Talupsin tries to walk past him to the plane but gets laughed away and makes a fool of himself. On the plane, Shebu contacts Zol and reminds him that he’s supposed to kill Talupsin in exchange for Talbador’s rare metal. Shura assures him that he’ll succeed next time. After hanging up, Zol asks if they’re really cooperating with him and Shura replies that once Shebu becomes king they’ll kill him too and take the metal for themselves.
Haruka finally has enough of Talupsin’s whining and slaps him. She tells Talupsin that he’s supposed to listen to his people if he’s going to be a loved king. When he finally calms down, they take him down to the Fire Jet’s hangar. Talupsin asks what the labs are being used for and Hiroshi replies that he built it to bring world peace and happiness. Kenta and Talupsin take off and head towards Talbador. At the coronation ceremony, a puzzled Katori is being dressed for the occasion, but Milia finds his behavior suspicious. Just before he is crowned, a giant mechanical elephant bursts out of the ground and starts blasting the courtyard. Zol sends out Teshitas but Katori leaps into action and dispatches them. Katori then summons the Fire Jet and ejects Kenta and Talupsin from it before combining into Fighbird. Shura tries to ram Fighbird but the latter grapples with the monster’s tusks. Talupsin reunites with Milia and they all run from the Teshitas. Fighbird shoots at their pursuers but that allows Shura to blast him to the ground. Before Shura can crush him underfoot, Fighbird summons the Flame Breaster to shoot him off. Shura dodges the Sun Slicer and uses monster’s ear-mounted thrusters to fly and ram Fighbird again. Fighbird recovers and slices off one of the ears with his Flame Sword. Shura fires an energy orb in desperation but Fighbird easily nullifies it and destroys the monster. Shebu tries to shoot Talupsin but Kenta blocks the bullet with his helmet. Milia tries to shield Talupsin with her body but Satsuda shoots the gun out of Shebu’s hand before he can fire again. Afterwards, Talupsin announces in a press conference that he will use the rare metal in Talbador for world peace and happiness. Momoko asks which country he visited was the most memorable, and Talupsin says that it’s Japan thanks to the brave people who saved his life. Satsuda is crying tears of joy when he spots Kenta and Katori leaving. He notes that the latter looks a lot like the prince.
This is a very fun episode. A cliché case of mistaken identity makes Katori switch places with a pampered prince who’s targeted for assassination by his usurping uncle. Talupsin is as insufferable as they come, but Haruka is having none of it and quickly puts him in his place. Interestingly, this marks the first time that Draias has a human collaborator aside from Jango. There are a few oddities though. I once again question how Satsuda’s job as a Japanese detective entails heading off to act as a security chief in another country. Also, the fact that Jango decided to attack a fictional Indian-inspired country with giant pink elephant evokes a similar situation from the Aztec episode. That’s the second time that the monster was designed after the target’s respected cultural icon and makes me wonder if Jango is trying be ironic. On a lighter note, I’d love to live under a monarchy where the royal family defends the country by turning into giant robots.
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