Players Who Bet on Survival

is the twenty-sixth episode of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. It features the debut of Kamen Rider Poppy.
==Synopsis==
Kamen Rider Chronicle has already begun! Para-DX has joined the game and defeated the first round of the general players, giving them a Game Over as Emu watched them disappear before him. Kamen Rider Chronicle is being sold at an extremely fast rate, which catches the attention of the Ministry of Health. To avoid any form of confusion, Kyotaro Hinata orders a temporary halt on the actions of the doctors in CR. However, a game disease patient escapes from CR in an attempt to cure his own game disease, which leads Emu to chase after him. Then suddenly, Poppy Pipopapo appears before them with a new Driver and a Rider Gashat of her own…
==Plot==
Commercials for Kamen Rider Chronicle play across town, and the new reports it selling fast, Ren Amagasaki thanking himself for the game's success; Poppy, however, sees that the Ministry of Health is banning and recalling it. At CR, Ministry Director Hinata discusses the hardly controlled situation with Emu and Hiiro; players are infected with the game illness upon using the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat, and many have already died of Game Overs. Emu wants to warn everyone of the danger, but Hinata says it would cause uncontrolled panic and places the doctors on standby. The patient, Tenma, overheard this and mocks the doctors' lack of help, taking the Gashat to cure himself by defeating Salty; Emu chases him despite being on standby.
A Ride-Player is fighting Salty Level 10 and losing as Tenma arrives and transforms into a Ride-Player. Emu arrives and transforms into Ex-Aid Action Gamer Level 2 to stop them, but Tenma attacks him for interfering. Salty leaves as Ex-Aid says he won't fight Tenma, but the Game Area flashes red with a buzzer; Ex-Aid and Temna are shot back by the Gashacon Bugvisor II, held by Poppy. She reports that Kamen Riders must fight players and that saving players who are patients is against the rules; to punish Ex-Aid for this violation, she uses the Bugvisor II as a Driver and transforms into Poppy Toki Meki Crisis Gamer Level X and attacks. Tenma leaves, but Snipe Shooting Gamer Level 2 arrives and shoots Poppy, drawing her attention to him. Snipe says Ex-Aid has to fight with his all against all opponents, but Poppy is too agile to bet hit and uses the Bugvisor II Chainsaw Mode to attack the Riders before buffeting them with Critical Crews-Aid, knocking them out of their transformations. Emu tries reminding Poppy how much she'd helped them, but she finger-flicks him and leaves. Parado arrives to tell Emu that Poppy's memories ("save data") have been reset; she was made by Kuroto only to gather data from CR, and was now back as her true Bugster self. He also explains that game villains were made evil so that players could relieve stress by fighting them: Bugsters were made the threat to humans they are by humans. However, Bugsters are living beings, not just pawns, and Kamen Rider Chronicle will determine whether humans or Bugsters are more fit to survive.
The Ministry of Health announces a press conference to address the issue; at the same time, Tenma decides that allies are needed to win, and gives an all-call for other players that CR won't help them and they need to band together. Nico relays this to Taiga, but Graphite appears. At CR, Hiiro explains to Emu that they were put on standby to prevent the Ride-Players from fighting them, and they can't operate properly when their patients see them as enemies, however much it may frustrate them; Emu, however, is determined to help even if he isn't wanted, and leaves. Graphite tells Taiga to play and win Kamen Rider Chronicle until he encounters him in the game, and they can fight then. Director Kagami arrives at CR criticizing Emu's actions, saying they are only doctors because the Ministry recognized them, but Hiiro questions if a medical degree alone makes one a doctor; deciding a true doctor needs something more, he follows Emu.
At the press conference, Hinata states vaguely that Kamen Rider Chronicle has a health risk defect, giving the user the game illness; at the same time, Tenma and 5 other Ride-Players find and attack Salty and Aranbura. Reporters bring up the Bugster virus's fatality and rumors of Zero Day, but Hinata refuses to elaborate; he is then told secretly of the doctors in the field. Salty and Aranbura easily fight the Ride-Players, knocking them back with their electricity and fire attacks. Para-DX Puzzle Gamer Level 50 joins them, but Emu runs up; he knows he can't save every patient, but he'll fight to save as many as he can. Knowing Emu's action against his word, Hinata follows him and announces to the reporters that their rumors are true; as Taiga and Hiiro join Emu, Hinata goes on to press that the CR doctors are there to help and save all those infected. The doctors transform into Brave Hunter Quest Gamer Level 5, Snipe Simulation Gamer Level 50, and Ex-Aid Maximum Gamer Level 99, and Hinata says the doctors are experienced at fighting the Bugsters and to please trust them. As Salty fights Snipe and Aranbura fights Brace, Para-DX attacks Ex-Aid to no effect, Ex-Aid leaping out of the Maximum Gamer to fight Para-DX directly. Snipe brushes off Aranbura's spells, and Ex-Aid retreats to the Maximum Gamer to keep fighting Para-DX, who switches to Fighter Gamer Level 50; Ex-Aid leaps from the Gamer again to avoid a fire wave and lets the mech attack on its own. Brave easily fights Salty and knocks him to Aranbura, he and Snipe hitting and defeating them with Drago Knight Critical Strike and Bang Bang Critical Fire. Ex-Aid hits Para-DX with Blade Mode Maximum Mighty Critical Finish, forcing him out of his transformation and to teleport away.
Emu confirms that the six Ride-Players are cured of their game illness and asks that they return their Gashats; they hesitate, but Tenma stands up for the CR doctors' credibility and hands his over, the others following his lead. Parado stumbles back to his hideout, saying to his servants they can't let the Ministry make players quit; Ren says they won't once they discover all that Kamen Rider Chronicle can offer.
==Cast==
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*Ren Amagasaki (Voice): 
*Narration: 
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===Guest Cast===
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*Announcer: 
*Gamer: 
*Kyotaro Hinata's Assistant: 
*Reporter: 
===Suit Actors===
*Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Level 2, Level 99: 
*Kamen Rider Brave Level 5: 
*Kamen Rider Snipe Level 50: 
*Kamen Rider Para-DX: 
*Kamen Rider Poppy: 
*Ride-Players: , 
*Salty Bugster: 
*Aranbura Bugster: 
==Rider Gashat==
*Gashat Used:
**Ex-Aid
***Mighty Action X, Maximum Mighty X
**Brave
***Taddle Quest, Drago Knight Hunter Z
**Snipe
***Bang Bang Shooting, Gashat Gear Dual β (Bang Bang Simulations)
**Para-DX
***Gashat Gear Dual
****Perfect Puzzle, Knock Out Fighter
**Poppy
***Toki Meki Crisis
*Level Used:
**Ex-Aid
***Action Gamer Level 2, Maximum Gamer Level 99
**Brave
***Hunter Quest Gamer Level 5 (Full Dragon)
**Snipe
***Shooting Gamer Level 2, Simulation Gamer Level 50
**Para-DX
***Puzzle Gamer Level 50, Fighter Gamer Level 50
**Poppy
***Toki Meki Crisis Gamer Level X
==Energy Items==
*Energy Items Used:
**Unused
***Invisible, Speeding-Up, High-Jump, Muscular, Instigate, Recover, Giant, Emission, Confusion, Liquefaction, Dark, Iron-Body
==Errors==
*to be added
==Notes==
*As part of Super Hero Time, this episode aired alongside episode 9, .
*Viewership: 3.1%
*Closing Screen:
**Text Color: Pink
*Count at episode end
**Gashats in Ex-Aid's possession: Mighty Action X, Gekitotsu Robots, Shakariki Sports, Bakusou Bike, Giri Giri Chambara, Mighty Brothers XX, Maximum Mighty X, Tenma and others' Kamen Rider Chronicle
**Gashats in Brave's possession: Taddle Quest, DoReMiFa Beat, Drago Knight Hunter Z
**Gashats in Snipe's possession: Bang Bang Shooting, Jet Combat, Gashat Gear Dual β
**Gashats in Para-DX's possession: Gashat Gear Dual, Dangerous Zombie
**Gashats in Poppy's possession: Toki Meki Crisis
**Gashats in the Ministry of Health's possession: Proto Mighty Action X, Proto Taddle Quest, Proto Bang Bang Shooting, Proto Bakusou Bike, Proto Gekitotsu Robots, Proto DoReMiFa Beat, Proto Giri Giri Chambara, Proto Jet Combat, Proto Shakariki Sports, Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z
**Gashats in unknown possession: Ju Ju Burger
*Video Game References in this episode:
**Parado tells Emu that Poppy was 'reset'. Resetting a game's save data will restore things to the default setting, losing all progress made.
*Aranbura again tries to use his "Fracture" spell, and is again defeated before he can do so.
**As of this episode, Aranbura has been defeated three times by three different Riders, being the first Bugster to do so. In his debut he was defeated by Brave Quest Gamer Level 2, then when he showed up again he was defeated by Ex-Aid Double Action Gamer Level XX, and in this episode he is defeated by Snipe Simulation Gamer Level 50.
*Final appearence of Brave Hunter Quest Gamer Level 5 (Full Dragon) .
==DVD/Blu-ray releases==
*Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Volume 7 features episodes 25-28: Start the New Game!, Players Who Bet on Survival, Love & Peace for the Winner! and Beyond Your Identity.
*Blu-ray Collection 3 comes with 12 episodes.
Ex-Aid Vol 7.jpg|Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Volume 7, DVD
81OSoTyJZ4L SL1184 .jpg|Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Collection 3, Blu-ray
==External Links==
*TV Asahi's official episode guide for 生存を賭けたplayers
*Toei TV's official episode guide for 生存を賭けたplayers
==References==
Category:New Kamen Rider Episode