Here is a list of characters from the Four Riders, a four-Pony group of Henshin Heroes who were active during the Second Age.
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The Four Riders
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In General
- Band of Brothers: Implied. Because of Genius Builder/Build Rider's association with Silversmith, the World's Smartest Pony, he also often find himself helping his mentor fight his enemies - most infamously Overmare, his arch-nemesis. Overmare is widely considered the greatest Super Villain of the 'Second Age', one of the most dangerous individuals alive on Tellus/Equus and one of the biggest threats to world peace with her incredible genius and implacable ambition for world domination. Despite this, and despite having every good reason to not get involved, the other three Riders all didn't hesitate to help Genius Builder/Build Rider and other heroes battle Overmare, partly because this trope and partly because their heroic character would not allow them to act otherwise.
Genius Builder/Build Rider
Character: Heroic
Alignment: Neutral Good
Type: Super Genius, Armored Hero, Scientist Hero
Faction: The Four Riders/Silversmith Solutions
"I've found the winning formula!"
Genius Builder (his entry here
) is one of the Four Riders, and a heroic associate of Dr. Silversmith.- Amnesiac Hero: Genius Builder was originally found in an alleyway in Neighpon by Silversmith, the World's Smartest Pony, with no memory of who he is, where he came from or what the special device he was holding does. He would gradually discover a new identity and rediscover his old, the latter of which he was decidedly not happy with.
- Arch-Enemy: Has several.
- He together with the Four Riders are one for the infamous Void Traveler, and is notable for being one of the first and few mortal Ponies that the arrogant Omnicidal Maniac truly fear, especially after the spectacular final battle that put Void Traveller out of action for the rest of Genius Builder/Build Rider's lifetime.
- Build Rider shares an enemy alongside Cyborg-009 and his team in the 'Black Ghost' organization, being opposed to warfare and seeing technology turned into weapons for killing and destruction. This is especially once it was revealed that he worked for them in the past, but had his memories wiped when his past-self had a crisis of conscience and turned on Black Ghost.
- With his mentor Doctor Silversmith, the World's Smartest Pony and Metamare, the Paragon from Beyond, he is noted to be one of Overmare's nemeses, being likely the third smartest Pony on Equus after her and Silversmith and helped the two superheroes foil her ambitions of world conquest. Overmare especially despise him for getting under her skin with HIS enormous ego and genius, while Genius Builder/Build Rider disliked her for turning some of his inventions into weapons for world domination, which is a massive Berserk Button for him.
-
Awesome Ego: Given who he is based on, one of his defining traits is his large ego, which is said to equal that of his mentor Doctor Silversmith and Overmare, which galls the latter in particular to no end, given it makes him a positive reflection of herself. - Awful Truth: He was originally a major leader/researcher in the war-profiteering super-villainous Black Ghost organization who had his memory wiped. Albeit, the awfulness was downplayed by the fact that the reason it happened was because he was already having a crisis of conscience at what he helped brought about and was about to turn on them anyway. Still, Genius Builder carries guilt from the role he played, and the need to make amends contributes to his heroic drive.
- Badass Boast: Because of his ego, he constantly dishes these out, and like Doctor Silversmith and Overmare can actually live up to it.Genius Builder: I'm fantastic! I'm at the top! I'M A GENIUS!note
- Has another in response to Overmare's "The Reason You Suck" Speech calling him out for his foolishness in thinking that he could save the world (or stop her for that matter) with 'cheap tricks and reckless courage', and telling him that compare to her, he is still 'just a Pony'.
Overmare: You are no different from all the others, believing you can save the world with some cheap tricks and reckless courage. Yet you surpass even the other fools with your audacity, presuming to challenge ME! I had broken NATIONS, humbled GODS, and made the HEAVENS itself TREMBLE. And you, Genius Builder, are still just a mere PONY!
Genius Builder/Build Rider: Well, I don't know about you, Overmare-san, but all that doesn't sound too hard! I mean, my mentor and I are among the smartest Ponies on this planet, and he and his friends had foiled you and protected the world time and time again. If he can do it, why can't I with my own magnificent mind? Today, I plan to help them out and show the world what I can do! This 'mere Pony' don't plan to just challenge you - he plans to KICK YOUR FLANKS! - Berserk Button: He considers turning innovations, especially HIS inventions, into weapons for war as this, given his Dark and Troubled Past and his heroic, peace-loving character. Whenever it happens, he stops being boastfully confident and sinks into a Tranquil Fury that would see him putting all his efforts in stopping whoever evil bastard which did that.
- Expy: Of Sento Kiryu/Kamen Rider Build from Kamen Rider Build, who is similarly boastful, confident and egotistical but undeniably good, noble and heroic, with a forgotten Dark and Troubled Past.
- Powered Armor: Like his inspiration, he dons one into battle through the special device that he possessed when he was found without his memories, and is even classified as an 'Armoured Hero'.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Genius Builder detests killing, and as Build Rider he adamantly refuses to kill his villainous foes, which complements that of Metamare and many other heroes and superheroes of the era.
- Tranquil Fury: While egotistically confident and cocksure most of the time, he goes into this if he finds out some-pony reverse-engineered his inventions and innovations for warfare and destruction, which is a massive Berserk Button for him. One time Overmare did something like this, he spent the entire episode in a state of cold rage as he helped Metamare and Doctor Silversmith defeat Overmare's scheme again, making sure to destroy every piece of reverse-engineered weapons.Genius Builder: "Can't we at least agree war is something we should want nothing to do with?"
Dragon Claws/Dragon Rider/Magma Rider, the Herald's Spawn
Character: Heroic
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Type: Brawler, Hybrid Lifeform, Armored Hero
Faction: The Four Riders/Silversmith Incorporated
"My temperature's rising! I feel undefeatable!"
Dragon Claws, later known as Dragon Rider (his entry here
) is a member of the Four Riders and a close associate of Dr. Silversmith.- The Ageless: Inherited biological immortality from his father and is still alive today.
- Antagonistic Offspring: Being heroic at his core and his true parent's evil being responsible for tragedies in his life, his animosity towards his true father Void Traveler is completely understandable and not portrayed negatively. Goes to the point that Dragon Rider makes it clear he would punch his face in the moment they are done with an Enemy Mine situation, and helped Build Rider put him down for a life-time in their final battle against him as a team.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Being not very bright and more action-oriented in personality, Dragon Rider is more inclined towards charging straight into combat with his foes and slugging it out with his opponents. Sometimes it makes him bite more than he can choose, but thanks to his powers as well as his smarter teammates planning their engagements with this in mind, it's a lot more effective than it normally would had.
- Badass Boast: Drops this in battle on many occasions, usually about his raging soul and combative passion.Dragon/Magma Rider: My soul is burning! LET'S LIGHT A BLAZE!
- Book Dumb: Dragon Rider's... not very bright, and he is the first to admit as such, though mostly in this trope's sense that he's not very well-read or possess much in technical knowledge. Otherwise he's quite smart when it matters, especially in terms of combat and tactical intelligence. By the 'Fourth Age' he's know enough to maintain his own gear and that of his passed-on teammates.
- Crazy Enough to Work: Thanks to his powers, some of Dragon/Magma Rider's strategies (or complete lack of), normally insane under any other circumstances or characters, are likely to become this. Best exemplified during the 'Final Ragnarok' Arc when his entire plan to attack Ragnarokkr, the High King of Shadows in his true form essentially consists of him climbing the mountain-sized Fallen deity and punching him in the face. Thanks to him getting more powerful the more angrier and combative he is, it WORKS.Dragon/Magma Rider: This is for making me climb all the way up here! [Punches one of Ragnarokkr's antlers clean off].
- Dumb Muscle: Downplayed, but he would be the first to admit that he's not very smart and his impulsively confrontational style and sheer strength caters more towards taking on the enemy head-on and ask questions later. This had bit his flank on more than one occasion, with smarter enemies such as Overmare playing him for a fool and requiring his smarter teammate Build Rider to cover for him, but it had also worked to the team's advantage on many occasions, as Build Rider often build his counter-plan precisely on the knowledge that Dragon Rider is an idiot and his enemies KNOWS he's an idiot, resulting in more than one spectacular Gambit Pileup, while the unique nature of his powers meant that his unsubtle Attack! Attack! Attack! tactics can actually make him even stronger and more effective.
- Gathering Steam: His hybrid nature means the longer he fights, the more powerful he gets.
- Hot-Blooded: He had been described as very intense, hot-blooded, and passionate, highly confrontational and aggressive, partly as a result of the tragedies he had went through such as the deaths of his parents and girlfriend at villainous hooves and partly due to being In the Blood. Has tapered off in the millennia of ageless immortal life since then, but still present.
- Hybrid Power: The intense emotions of an Earth Pony and a Child of Void's Anti-Mana generation makes him pretty much a living anti-matter reactor who's as strong as Metamare at his most powerful. Notably, this actually gives him an edge over those likes Oblivion Flame, who while infused with the Void's power and possessing something similar, aren't as efficient and effective as his due to their biology being altered rather than natural. Thus while she increases in power over time, Dragon Claws does it quicker than her.
- Megaton Punch: Is capable of extremely powerful punches, which increases in strength exponentially the more angry and combative he is in battle. This even enabled him to legitimately hurt even the Fallen Primeval god Ragnarokkr, the High King of Shadows by repeatedly punching him in the face during the 'Final Ragnarok' Arc, tens of thousands of years after the Second Age, doing nothing but annoying the mountain-sized Ancient Evil at first, but each punch gained more power until Dragon Rider was able to punch his teeth out, and even break one of its titanic antlers. The Terran commander at the scene who questioned his strategy earlier is left completely flabbergasted, though others who are similarly hot-blooded approved.Prince Fanged Paw: [Hearty laugh] Well, I'm not one to question a good punch!
- Tomato in the Mirror: His true father's the gods-damned Void Traveler, albeit by complete accident on his end and every-pony, even him, are surprised by this.
- Yin-Yang Bomb: Due to his hybrid biology, he possesses both mana and its Anti-Matter counterpart, anti-mana, inside him. This results in him essentially being a living matter/anti-matter reactor.
Perfect Kingdom/Robot Rider
Character: Anti-Villain (Formally)/Heroic
Alignment: Neutral Good
Type: Super Soldier, Armored Hero, Every-stallion Hero
Faction: The Four Riders
"The fire of my heart... is my passion."
Perfect Kingdom (his entry here
) is a member of the Four Riders and a former soldier-turned-hero of Neighpon.- Determinator: His defining trait. He's so determined even Overmare respected him for it and he was literally too stubborn to die on several occasions.
- Heroic Willpower: One of Perfect Kingdom's most notable abilities is his sheer, unbreakable determination and willpower. It's to such a degree he has been literally too stubborn to die and pulled his body back together out of sheer force of will.
- Point of Divergence: Unlike Kamen Rider Grease, he survives using his equal of Grease Blizzard because Sweetheart was in the area and healed him.
- Pragmatic Hero: While a genuinely heroic, strictly moral pony, he's still a trained soldier. Thus unlike his allies, while he'll avoid it if possible, he's willing to kill if necessary, and be extremely efficient and pragmatic in the process. This includes making very sure if someone is dangerous enough that he has to kill them to stop them that they're definitely dead.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Subverted, as unlike his allies and Metamare, he's a trained soldier. While he doesn't kill if there are other options, he's willing to do so, and quite efficiently at that.
Black Rogue/Commander Rogue/Rogue Rider
Character: Villainous (Formally)/Heroic
Alignment: Lawful Evil (Formally)/Lawful Good
Type: War Profiteer (Former), Enemy Commander (Former), Well-Intented Extremist (Former), Cyborg, Armored Hero, Atoner
Faction: Black Ghost (Former)/The Four Riders
"You cannot break my conviction!"
Black Rogue (his entry here
) is a member of the Four Riders, and a former Black Ghost commander who eventually became heroic after seeing the error of his ways.- Byronic Hero: Fits the trope to a T: brooding, introspective, passionate, straddling the line between good and evil, cynical in his methods even for the most idealistic of goals, both honourable and pragmatic in equal measures.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Very clearly loves his father and sees him as the most qualified person to lead Neighpon towards a better future. This goes to the point that much of his villainous scheming and actions were made with the intent to put his father into power, even though his father would never had approved of his methods.
- War for Fun and Profit: Is classified as a 'War Profiteer' owing to his former allegiance to Black Ghost. This ends once he definitively ditched the Black Ghost and join the Four Riders in opposing them and taking down Void Traveler.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Even officially classified as such, for all his initial villainous scheming as a member of Black Ghost organization and a commander in one of the factions of the 'Neighponese Civil War' was to arrange events such that his father, an idealistic politician and a capable leader, would be placed in power in Neighpon and be in a position to lead the country to greatness. He has a change of heart once his father sacrificed his life to save him from Void Traveler, rendering all his efforts moot, and also realizing his father would never approve of the way and things he did to achieve this goal, even if it is out of the best of intentions.
