Shotaro Hidari was the protege of the late great Hardboiled Detective Soukichi Narumi. Philip is a mysterious boy possessing the True Gaia Memory and gifted with all the world's knowledge inside his head. Together, They Fight Crime by Sharing a Body as Double.
Kamen Rider Double
The following tropes apply to both Shotaro and Philip as Double.
All Your Powers Combined: CycloneJoker Xtreme's Prism Bicker combines the power of the Cyclone, Heat, Luna, and Joker or Metal Memories to deliver a very potent Maximum Drive.
The Berserker: FangJoker was during its first two uses, due to Philip's difficulty in controlling it.
Bizarre and Improbable Ballistics: The LunaTrigger form fires bullets that do not just home in on the target, but can also travel in curves as Double wants. It might as well be firing bullet-shaped explosive bees...
Explosive Overclocking: Episode 27/28's Twin Maximum Drive. The effects of one person alone trying it makes its usage take on shades of Heroic RROD as well.
Joker Forms: With the exception of FangJoker, forms using the Joker Memory involve Double's body separating.
CycloneJoker: Joker Extreme*
Double splits in half, then the Joker and Cyclone halves kick the target consecutively.
HeatJoker: Joker Grenade*
Double splits in half and delivers a jumping, flaming punch with the Heat and Joker halves consecutively.
LunaJoker: Joker Strange*
Double splits in half, then the Luna half makes four copies of itself that unleash countless chops on the enemy before the Joker half delivers a powerful karate chop.
FangJoker: Fang Streiser*
Upon activation, the Fang Blade appears on the right ankle. Double leaps into the air and does a Hurricane Kick.
Metal Forms: Forms using the Metal Memory usually involve the Metal Memory being spun.
CycloneMetal: Metal Twister*
Spins the Metal Shaft, releasing powerful winds to strike at close-range. Changes to a pincer attack called Metal Stag Break when the Stag Phone is attached to the Metal Shaft.
HeatMetal: Metal Branding*
The tips of the Metal Shaft ignite, and Double smashes it into the enemy with an explosion.
LunaMetal: Metal Illusion*
Double spins the Metal Shaft around to produce Rings Of Death that hit the enemy, then they all converge for one last blow.
Trigger Forms: Forms using the Trigger Memory usually involve the Trigger Magnum firing multiple shots.
CycloneTrigger: Trigger Aerobuster*
Double fires a series of blasts of pressurized air from the Trigger Magnum. Changes to a powerful condensed shot called Trigger Bat Shooting when the Bat Shot is attached as a scope to the Trigger Magnum.
HeatTrigger: Trigger Explosion*
The Trigger Magnum fires a laser beam like flame shot, frying the target. When both Memories are used, it changes to HeatTrigger Supernova, which is more powerful but the Double Driver to the point of catching Double on fire, repeatedly spouting "MAXIMUM DRIVE", and seriously injuring Double's body.
LunaTrigger: Trigger Full Burst*
A massive barrage of homing shots from the Trigger Magnum. Changes to a double pincer ray called Trigger Stag Burst when the Stag Phone Memory Gadget is attached to the gun.
CycloneJoker Xtreme: CycloneJoker Xtreme has a total of five finishing moves.
Double Xtreme: A tornado, larger than the one used by CycloneJoker, lifts Double into the sky and speeds them towards the foe.
Prism Break: A slash from the Prism Sword.
Bicker Charge Break: A slash from the Prism Sword after being charged up by the Bicker Shield using the Cyclone, Heat, Luna, and Joker Memories.
Bicker Finallusion: A laser blast from the Prism Bicker with the Cyclone, Heat, Luna, and Joker Memories. A variation with the Metal Memory replacing the Joker Memory creates a laser shield that protects against powerful attacks.
Double Prism Xtreme: A Twin Maximum Drive with the Prism Memory in the Maximum Slot; a bicycle kick.
CycloneJoker GoldXtreme: Golden Xtreme*
An enhanced version of the Double Xtreme.
A couple of other Maximum Drives without names have been performed with the Memory Gadgets.
Stag Phone with Heat Memory: Engulfs the Stag Phone in fire.
Bat Shot with Luna Memory: Sets off a series of flash bulb bursts that disorient the target.
Fusion Dance: It's not really two people fusing into one, but more like the soul of one person goes into the other's body. So there's a limp body that needs protecting.
Played straight when Double's CycloneJoker Xtreme form fuses both Shotaro's and Philip's bodies together.
What Could Have Been: CycloneAccelXtreme which is the super mode of Ryu if he replaces Shotaro in Double's formation. Only seen briefly, never used.
Shotaro Hidari/Kamen Rider Joker | Actor: Renn Kiriyama
Shotaro was the protege of the private detective Soukichi Narumi. Upon the events of Begins Night he takes up on his mentor's mantle, solving Dopant cases. His Gaia Memories, featured on the left side of Double, grant Double a weapon or a fighting style. In the second movie, he takes on the mantle of Kamen Rider Joker after Philip is kidnapped, using a Lost Driver and the Joker Memory to transform. He resumes the mantle of Kamen Rider Joker in the series finale upon Philip's disappearance.
Arc Words: "Hard-boiled", what with him being a private detective and all. It makes its way into his bike, the Machine HardBoilder.
Badass Normal: Aside from having the Double Driver and training in detective work, Shotaro is more or less a normal human being when not Double. Which is why he can be affected in all manner of negative ways by the attacks of some Dopants such as Old and Terror, which both Philip and Terui can shrug off due to their "unique physiologies", as Shroud puts it.
Arguably carries over into his transformation as Kamen Rider Joker. Not only does he have no special powers or weapons outside of enhanced strength, supplementary materials show that stats-wise it is in every way weaker than Cyclone Joker.
Berserk Button: Don't you dare make anyone cry in his presence.
In particular, the sight of someone crying has lead him to threaten Nasca to never make the children of the city cry and also to attempt a potentially lethalsuicidalTwin Maximum Drive when Ryu breaks down in tears after Isaka gives him a Hannibal Lecture about why he is too weak and pathetic to ever defeat the Weather Dopant.
Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Ryu's Veronica for Akiko's Archie. He loses.
That's most certainly a Your Mileage May Vary since he didn't ever seem to be in the running.
Cannot Spit It Out: He can't bring himself to tell Akiko about her father's death, nor can he tell a little girl her father is in fact dead and not Double. The Movie has Akiko finding out anyway, but she still wants Shotaro to openly say it to her.
In the Director's Cut of the film, there's a new scene where Shotaro promises to sit down with Akiko and tell her everything about her father after they resolve the issue with the Dummy Dopant.
Can't Catch Up: Shotaro gets this after Philip's power boost from the Xtreme Memory. He does manage to get better, unlocking their Super Mode in the process.
Cartwright Curse: A non-lethal variation, but every single time he shows interest in a woman, she's either the Monster of the Week or simply doesn't notice.
Chivalrous Pervert: He's going to do nearly anything for a lady he fancies. Taken to its logical conclusion during the Invisible Dopant arc, wherein Lily Shirogane lands on Shotaro in an, er, compromising pose.
Dark and Troubled Past: Somewhat implied in the Jewel Dopant arc, where his flashbacks show him repeatedly running away from Jinno back when the latter was a beat cop.
The Heart: It's his good heart that makes Philip ultimately reaffirm their partnership, even after the events of the Beast arc. He also manages to transform Ryu Terui from a rage-powered man who hates Futo to a warrior on the side of love.
My Greatest Failure: Sokichi's death, which Shotaro thinks is his fault because he went against direct orders from the boss. Addressed quite directly when the dying Sokichi passing on his cool hat; Shotaro says he's not ready for it, to which Sokichi responds "Then become a man worthy of wearing it."
In the penultimate episode, Shotaro pulls the hat off the wall and wears it when he confronts Kazu, showing that he's finally gotten past the guilt.
Running Gag: His "Half-boiled" lifestyle, used to mock his self-proclaimed hard-boiled image.
Small Name, Big Ego: A mild version; he's somewhat competent, just not as hardboiled as he thinks he is.
Spanner in the Works: Both to Shroud's plans, initially and later to Ryubee's. Ironically Shroud would end up relying on Shotaro being this to Ryubee, calling him a Wild Card. Then, he lampshades this against Foundation X:
Bare Fisted Monk: The Joker Memory, which allows Double to perform Rider Kicks/Rider Punches/Rider Chops. While Shotaro uses the T2 Joker Memory to transform into Kamen Rider Joker in The Movie, he uses his normal Joker Memory in episode 49.
Simple Staff: The Metal Memory with the Metal Shaft. Turns into a whip with the Luna Memory on the right side.
The Gunslinger: The Trigger Memory with the Trigger Magnum.
Philip/Raito Sonozaki | Actor: Masaki Suda
Philip is a mysterious boy, possessing the True Gaia Memory. He was rescued by Soukichi Narumi and Shotaro during the events of Begins Night. He aids Shotaro in solving Dopant cases by accessing the Gaia Library, allowing him to look up endless amounts of information. This ability also lends itself to his obsession with research. His Gaia Memories, on Double's right, grant him an elemental power, or in FangJoker's case, an upgrade. Is kidnapped in The Movie for NEVER's plans, yet Shotaro rescues him and the two defeat Kamen Rider Eternal. Later, Philip is revealed to have died twelve years prior to the series, being resurrected as an avatar of the Gaia Memory. Due to this and Ryubee initiating the Gaia Impact, which eventually failed, Philip slowly broke down into data, until a transformation into Double would make him disappear forever. However, Wakana eventually learns the truth, sacrificing her own body to provide a way for Philip to regenerate in the recreates Xtreme Memory.
Deadly Upgrade: FangJoker set Philip's mind on fire at first, despite it taking the protagonists two minutes after its television debut to get proper control over it.
Lunacy: The Luna Memory; Word Of God gives its power as "Illusions", but it seems that stretching is the primary manifestation of this power. See the main entry for more information.
Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: The Fang Memory, made to protect him, has a Velociraptor-like Live Mode, and allows access to the spiny FangJoker form.
Heroic RROD: His body starts to disintegrate after the initial plan for Gaia Impact is ruined.
Immortality Begins at Twenty: Delusion Diary #11 hints that Philip will forever remain seventeen years old because he's composed of the Earth's data.
Improbable Hairstyle: Very noticeble in episode 16. His hair looks messy after taking off his motorcycle helmet, but in the next shot it's as perfect as always.
Instant Expert: Every now and then the data Phillip searches for will stick in his head for a while.
Of Corpse He's Alive: Whenever his mind is in Double's body, Philip is unconscious, so his lifeless body is a sitting duck. In episode 7, nobody tried to interact with them, but Akiko had to make-believe they were napping sweethearts, so as not to draw attention on the bus.
Phlebotinum Breakdown: After the failed Gaia Impact, Philip's body is returning to data, hastened by transformation.
Scarf of Asskicking: The Cyclone Memory comes with the iconic scarf. Double's scarf is known as the Windy Stabilizer.
Spell My Name with an S: His name is spelt as "Philippe" in the aura that surrounds his body when he enters the Gaia Library, but now Toei seems to have gone with Philip.
Touched by Vorlons: His encounter with the Xtreme Memory gave him a huge power boost that Shotaro can't keep up with. Not to mention that he died as a child and the "green light" of the True Gaia Memory revived him, along with the ability to access the Gaia Library.
Akiko is the Boss's daughter, coming in to replace her father. As Shotaro's landlady she proclaims herself as the Chief of the Narumi Detective Agency, specializing in Dopant cases.
The Idiot From Osaka: Has shades of this, given her quite black and white view of the world, but she does keep Shotaro focused on the case.
Kansai Regional Accent: Akiko refers to herself using the uchi- pronoun. It does help that her actress Hikaru Yamamoto is from Osaka just like her character.
The Napoleon: Don't call her a middle-schooler (but she'll gladly be called beautiful).
When You Coming Home, Dad?: Her relationship with her father was like this when she was a child, with Akiko becoming upset that he was too busy to visit her, including on her birthday (though she wasn't aware at the time that he was a Kamen Rider.)
to sidetrack.]]), as a Get A Hold Of Yourself Man (on Philip in episode 4), then finally gets played straight (used on Wakana as Claydoll Dopant).
In Ep. 14, Shotaro gets payback by hitting her with her own slipper.
In a more meta example, she combines the slipper slap with Percussive Maintenance in the music video for the opening theme song. The results are bizarre, to say the least.
Durning her dream in the Nightmare arc, her slipper serves as CycloneJoker's primary weapon, and she beats the crap out of the Nightmare Dopant with it (or tries to, at least).
And she manages to outdo herself yet again in episode 40 by slapping Wakana in her Claydoll form who had just received the Gaia Progressor.
Sokichi Narumi/Kamen Rider Skull (Crystal) | Actor: Koji Kikkawa
Sokichi Narumi was Shotaro's boss, who taught the young man the trade of a Private Detective. During a mission to liberate a young man he dubbed Philip, he was shot at and was killed. The events of Movie Wars 2010 reveal that he was Kamen Rider Skull, while Movie Wars CORE is a Whole Episode Flashback showing him as Skull Crystal ten years before the Double TV series.
Sokichi: First, I wasn't able to reveal the darkness within a friend who's always close to me. Second, I hesistated for a while in combat. Third, the city cries because of this.
Super Prototype: Skull is the prototype for Double, best illustrated by its being a jack-of-all-trades combination of Shotaro's Memories (melee brawler like Joker, good defense like Metal, The Gunslinger like Trigger).
Touch of Death: Thanks to the Spider Dopant, he can never touch Akiko or she will explode - thus explaining his long absence from his daughter's life.
Ryu Terui is a police superintendent assigned to the Futo Police Department's Paranormal Crime Investigation Division, and is thus Jinno and Makura's superior. His family was murdered by a man with a W memory, giving him a motivation to exact revenge. When he meets up with the enigmatic Shroud, she gives him his gear, allowing him to transform into Kamen Rider Accel.
Badass Biker: Let's see: his attire completely fitting of a biker (leather jacket and pants, riding gloves and boots), he rides around on a motorcyle that's not a Rider Machine (and a Ducati at that*
the first European bike to feature in a Rider series since the Gas Gas bikes in Kamen Rider Kuuga, as well as a break in the recent pattern of Riders owning custom-made bikes from Honda
Berserk Button: He won't listen to reason once the Weather Dopant comes calling. Learning to rein himself in whenever Weather baits him is part of his Character Development.
Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Shotaro's Betty for Akiko's Archie. He wins.
(Unnamed): Accel spins around while slashing multiple targets before stopping a moment to spin into the opposite direction (still slashing) and then stops again to finish them off with normal slashes.
Cyclone: Accel performs a wind-powered slash with the EngineBlade.
Accel Trial delivers multiple kicks that burn a giant letter T onto the enemy.
Trial/Engine: Machine Gun Slasher*
Accel Trial delivers a series of rapid slashes with the EngineBlade to the enemy.
AccelBooster/Engine: Boost Slasher*
The Engine Blade turns into a glowing golden energy blade and Accel slashes through the enemy as he flies through.
Fire, Ice, Lightning: Accel's Engine Blade has settings for steam, fire, and lightning, representing three types of engines (Steam, Jet, and Electric).
Homage: His character design mirrors that of Kaneda. Also, his Rider armor is red and has a monoeye, he holds a high rank despite being young, and is rivals with one who has a W crest... Char Aznable?
It Was a Gift: All of his gear was given to him by Shroud.
Juggle Fu: Part of Machine Gun Spike. He starts the Trial Memory's countdown, throws it ahead of him, runs up to his opponent and kicks them an insane amount of times, then catches the Trial Memory on its way down.
Booster: The Jack-of-All-Stats thanks to its having more armor than Trial but greater speed than Accel, plus the ability to fly. Also be an Eleventh Hour Superpower and possibly not a regular form since it comes from connecting the Enhancement Adapter to the Accel Memory, which doesn't physically change, and he detransformed into Ryu after finishing off the Commander Dopant.
The Rival: Subverted. Ryu was introduced in "The I Doesn't Stop" as a character whose moral stance and personality were fundamentally opposed to Shotaro's, fitting the general pattern of secondary Riders introduced in the Heisei era *
e.g., Kaixa, Leangle, TheBee, IXA, Diend
. A rivalry, however, never developed due to both characters being willing to talk things out and genuine Character Development on Ryu's part, making Ryu more of a genuine friend to Shotaro than The Rival. Since characters in Heisei Rider shows are usually far more willing to fight rather than talk things over, this subverts the typical role of the secondary Rider.
Tranquil Fury: How he ends up ultimately defeating Isaka.
The Worf Effect: Gets hit with this around episode 45 onward.
Somehow justified, considering the fact that he has to deal with TWO absurdly powerful bosses ALONE due to Double's ineffectiveness against Terror, and Shotaro/Philip refuses to henshin against Utopia. They can't guarantee to beat Weather (probably the third most powerful Dopant to date) even when they cooperated, let alone a one-on-one.
Also inverted in that when the two worked togather to divide Terror's efforts, he was able to singlehandedly destroy Terror's Terror Dragon. While still injuried from his previous encounter with it.
Hit with that well before episode 45 as he's usually the guy that gets his butt kicked in order to show how powerful the Dopant of the Week is. Most blatant is the episode right after he gets Accel Trial where he runs into a Dopant that just happens to be even faster than Trial.
If you mean Smilodon Dopant/Mick, it's pretty justified since many episodes earlier (I forgot exactly which) shows it can OUTRUN Luna Trigger's homing bullets. Only Mick and Kirihiko (at Nasca Lv2, which is also where Saeko's Super Speed comes from) can pull off such feat so far.
It is also implied that some of the Smilodon memory's capabilities are strengthened since Mick is a cat. and, to be fair, technically they don't defeat him.
Detective Mikio Jinno | Actor: Takeshi Nadagi
Detective Jinno is a friend of Shotaro's, frequently letting him deal with Dopant cases. He is never seen without his trademark back scratcher.
Actor Allusion: At one point he notes that Takeshi would be a nice name. Also, his use of Gratuitous English mirrors his schtick as a Fake American. And the name "Catherine" pops up later... *
Good Is Dumb: He'll fall for anything (even Look Behind You), but Shotaro says that it's his strength; Jinno is so earnest that people want to believe he's right, and when he believes that rough characters are actually good deep down, they want to be good to prove him correct. A prime example of this is Shotaro himself, as shown in flashbacks in the Jewel Dopant arc.
The paterfamilias of the Sonozakis, he masterminds the entire Gaia Memory operation, using it to weed the weak-minded adults of society. As the Terror Dopant he can produce deadly liquids, literally make people fearful, and summon a dragon from his headdress. After Double defeats him with the Double Xtreme Maximum Drive, he returns to the burning mansion, dying in a maddened state.
Nightmare Fuel: invoked He produces this as the Terror Dopant. Though he can still produce fear just by staring at someone.
Papa Wolf: Don't you dare hurt Wakana, or you will be in a world of pain.
Social Darwinist: His aim is to use the Gaia Memories to weed the weak-minded out of society.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Capable of these without involving Gaia Memories.
Tragic Villain: His Fatal Flaw of ambition ultimately costs his family their happiness and unity, as well as his sanity and, ultimately, his life, as he spends his final moments lauging like a madman in his own burning, crumbling house. He'd be a good fit in a Shakespeare play.
Villainous Breakdown: After the Terror Memory is shattered by Double, he snaps. He dies dancing blissfully as the Sonozaki mansion is burning to the ground around him, laughing insanely.
Ryubee's elder daughter, assisting her father in the Gaia Memory business. She marries Kirihiko the Gaia Memory salesman. As the Taboo Dopant she can fly and shoot energy. She turns on him, killing him after he has a Heel Face Turn. She then got interested in Dr. Shinkuro Isaka, the Weather Dopant, before his untimely demise. After losing the Taboo Memory to Mick, she recovers the Nasca Memory and uses it, unlocking level 3 until she is defeated by Wakana's Claydoll Xtreme.
Black Widow: She killed most of her love interests off, including Kirihiko.
Chickification: She goes through this after taking up with Isaka, though it seems like she's doing it on purpose to make herself seem more attractive.
Even Evil Has Standards: Even Saeko is rather uneasy about Weather modifying Wakana's Driver to not let her safely transform.
Evil Genius: Also a bit of The Dragon, given that she killed off the Boss in the premiere and fights Double at times.
Meaningful Name: Saeko means cold child, and she spends the series being cold and antagonistic to Wakana.
Nevermind how it's pronounced... *
probably not intentional, but to the ears of English speakers, "Saeko" sounds like "psycho"
Palette Swap: After losing the Taboo Memory to Mick and having her Gaia Driver destroyed, she starts to use Kirihiko's Nasca Memory, turning into what is currently called "Red Nasca" (it's actually pretty orange).
Pyrrhic Victory: While she manages to survive the downfall of the Museum and Ryubee's death, she loses the Nasca Memory after being defeated by Claydoll Xtreme.
The Starscream: For most of the first two acts of the series, it was hinted that she had bigger plans for the Memories beyond those of her father. "Beyond R", the conclusion of the second act, shows her and Isaka first plotting to take Ryubee down and then making their move. Isaka didn't survive, and Saeko went on the lam.
Wakana Sonozaki/Clay Doll Xtreme Dopant | Actor: Rin Asuka
The younger daughter of Ryubee, she is a popular idol around Futo, to the point of having her own radio show. Is the least interested in running the family business. As the Clay Doll Dopant she can shoot fireballs from her arm and reform after being broken into pieces. Her Driver was tampered with by Dr Isaka, which now left her mind open to the madness induced by Gaia Memory usage. Her father also manages to fully turn her to evil just as she plans on escaping Futo with Philip, turning her into the new Dragon. She seemingly dies in the wake of the Sonozaki Mansion's destruction, yet her body was recovered by Jun Kazu to be used in Foundation X's plan.
Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: In her first appearance, Wakana wears her hair in a style very similar to her Claydoll Dopant form's head design.
Chewing the Scenery : she copies her father's "XTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEME!" when she unlocks her Super Mode.
Dark Chick: Given that she's the least interested in running the family business... Until Saeko rebels, and Ryubee promotes Wakana into The Dragon.
Devil in Plain Sight: Despite being one of the Museum Dopants she has fans in Shotaro and Philip, who listen to her radio show.
Driven to Madness: After her Driver is tampered with by Isaka, she gradually becomes mad.
Heel Face Revolving Door: Following the The Radio Q arc (Ep. 13&14), Wakana began to regret being involved with the Museum and being the Clay Doll Dopant. Then during the The P Game arc (Ep. 25&26) she directly attacks her sister due to Isaka's influence. Then in the Client X arc (Ep. 37&38), she finally is on the cusp of her Heel Face Turn when something happens and she becomes completely evil.
Magikarp Power: Clay Doll seems to be the weakest of the Gaia Memories used by Museum, primarily useful for its regenerative ability. But once she unlocks its Xtreme form, not only is she able to shrug off a Memory Break, her offensive power goes through the roof.
Name's the Same: Wakana had a namesake with Mion Sonozaki. And indeed is played in the live action by the same actress as Wakana.
One-Winged Angel/Evil Counterpart: The Gaia Progressor she gains from her father grants her Claydoll Xtreme form, which is much more powerful and grants Wakana access to the Gaia Library.
Originally named Kirihiko Sudo, he was a promising Gaia Memory salesman who became engaged to Saeko. In his childhood, he designed the famous mascot Futo-kun, based on a windmill. Marrying into her family, he quickly becomes a Museum commander, assisting Saeko in administering the family business. As Nasca he has Super Speed, flight, and fencing skills. Saeko eventually kills him for attempting to take her with him in a Heel Face Turn she didn't want.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Loves Fuuto as much as Shotaro does, yet is willing to use Gaia Memories to destroy those who wish it harm.
You Have Failed Me: Saeko showed increasing displeasure over his failure to defeat Double in the form of both verbal and physical abuse. Then, just after she forgave him for that, he pulled his Heel Face Turn, and she killed him for it.
Shinkuro Isaka/Weather Dopant | Actor: Tomoyuki Dan
Shinkuro Isaka is a benefactor of the Sonozaki family and high-ranking member of the Museum. He is the wielder of the Weather Memory, responsible for the murders of Ryu's family. Isaka appears on the scene after Kirihiko's death and becomes a love interest to Saeko, initially working as the head doctor of a hospital until Ryu exposes him as a Dopant and he is forced to go underground at the Sonozaki mansion. He is killed when, after Accel destroys his Weather Memory in Trial Mode, Isaka is seemingly consumed by the multiple Memory ports all over his body.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: After Accel finally destroys his Weather Memory, he's left unable to fathom how Ryu managed to defeat him without his hatred, not realizing it was his determination to save Isaka's captive that gave him the strength to master the Trial Memory and win.
Laser-Guided Karma: When the Weather Memory finally breaks, Isaka's Living Connectors kill him from the inside out. Guess that's what he gets for dipping into Gaia Memory research a little too much...
Incidentally, he's the third strongest Dopant in the series and so completely insane that his own Memory couldn't make him worse.
Serial Killer: Not only does he murder people to take their Gaia Memories, when he got the Weather Memory, he went on a series of murder sprees using his various elemental powers. Ryu's family are among his victims.
Ryubee's (originally Raito's) pet British Shorthair cat. Also can become a Dopant through the use of the Smilodon Memory. The Smilodon Dopant can move into high speeds and can discharge electric currents.
Foundation X is a shadowy organization funding experiments on human evolution; this does not just include Gaia Memories but also a certain classof medals.
Jun Kazu/Utopia Dopant/Kamen Rider Eternal Red Flare | Actor: Gong Teyu
A representative of Foundation X, which researches Gaia Memories for the Museum. He rescues Saeko when she is attacked by the Smilodon Dopant and her Taboo Memory is destroyed, and reveals that he wants to help her overthrow Ryubee.
The Blank: This is what he does to everyone associated with Philip in order to jumpstart the Gaia Impact.
Becomes a Brick Joke when you see how he inserts his Gaia Memory.
Dead All Along: Killed by Katsumi/Kamen Rider Eternal in V Cienma, and was then taken back to the headquarters by subordinates, turning him into NEVER.
Light is Not Good: A well groomed, impeccably dressed Man in White who possesses the "Utopia" memory, which transforms him into an elegant gold Übermensch. On the other hand, utterly ruthless, calculating, and barely capable of expressing any emotion. Even before he died.
Notso Stoic: Calm and cold until he finally breaks down out of frustration at Saeko for not returning his feeling or appreciating hi seffort to make her 'Queen' of The Museum.
Power Floats: A variation: the Utopia Memory is so strong it makes everything else float whenever he transforms.
Reality Warper: The Utopia Memory's power is granting the wishes of its user.
The Starscream: Appears to have offered to help both Sonozaki girls overthrow their father.
Weaksauce Weakness: Since Utopia draws power from peoples' hopes, it can't do a whole lot against non-living entities, as seen in the penultimate episode where Shotaro attacks Kazu with his Memory Gadgets and actually keeps him restrained with the Spider Shock long enough to destroy the Gaia Impact machinery and rescue Wakana.
This is also a critical factor in Eternal's V Cienma, where he can't draw power from Katsumi Daido/Kamen Rider Eternal (since Katsumi is Dead All Along, Kazu obviously cannot draw "hope" from a dead person), allowing Katsumi to completely own him when he became Eternal (and Katsumi actually had a pretty close fight against Kazu even before his henshin).
Neon Ulsland | Actor: Maria Theresa Gow
Jun Kazu's superior, a seemingly foreign woman in charge of the Foundation X front Charming Raven.
Shotaro's informants, nicknamed after the Baker Street Irregulars from the Sherlock Holmes series. So far these consist of Watcherman, an anonymous blogger; Santa-chan, a man who dresses as Santa Claus and wanders Futo handing out presents; and Queen and Elizabeth, a pair of "street" teenage girls.
Big Eater: Watcherman and Santa-chan go though several bowls of ramen (eight each, to be exact) in the time it takes for Akiko to make a phone call.
Defictionalization: Queen and Elizabeth are played by two members of idol group AKB48, and when they released their joint single "Love♡Wars", the Liar Dopant arc had them appear on an American Idol-esque contest (Fuuuuuutic Idol) performing the song in order to win a major label release.
Ship Tease: Begins Night and the ending of "The B Carried on the Wind" implied that Elizabeth has a crush on Philip. "If Philip-kun's not going to eat his candy apple, then let ♥ me ♥ do ♥ it! ♥"
Some Day This Will Come In Handy: Santa-chan gives Shotaro a bunch of miscellaneous crap in episode 4, including a deck of cards. Shotaro later plays a winner-take-all game of Old Maid with the Money Dopant, and won in the end with those same cards.
Those Two Guys: Watcherman and Santa-chan count, with Queen and Elizabeth as Those Two Girls.
Others
Shroud/Fumine Sonozaki | Actor: Naoko Kouda
A mysterious woman dressed in a black trenchcoat and oversized fedora, her face covered with sunglasses and bandages. Her main role in the series so far has been as a supplier of gear, particularly to Ryu, Philip, and Isaka. She is later revealed to be Ryubee's wife and is exacting revenge for what happened to Raito/Philip.
Anti-Hero/Anti-Villain: She can be considered either one. She did it all for her son's sake.
Gone Horribly Wrong: Giving Isaka the Weather Memory. Next time, Shroud, check if someone is an evil maniac before giving him a Gaia Memory.
The Gunslinger: Her Shroud Magnum, a Palette Swap of the Skull Magnum.Comes with the Bomb Memory for a rather deadly Maximum Drive.
It Was a Gift: All of Ryu's equipment, Double's Frog Pod and Denden Sensor, Skull's memory, and Isaka's Weather Memory were all handed to them by Shroud to further her plans.
Luke, I Am Your Father: She's Ryubee's wife and the mother of Saeko, Wakana, and Raito (Philip), whose face was burned by Terror's ooze after she refused to have Raito used as a Museum experiment.
Osananajimi: Movie Wars reveals that she's childhood friends with Sokichi, who helped her hide from Ryubee. In exchange, she made the Skull Memory for him.
Woman in Black: Quite possibly as a deliberate contrast to Sokichi Narumi, the Man in White. Both are mentor figures, both wear a fedora and a trenchcoat...
You Have Failed Me: You no longer hate your opponent as much as you used to? Now you're useless to her, and she'll send you off to die.
Dopants
A Dopant is created when a Gaia Memory is inserted into a human body, transforming the user and granting them supernatural powers. Each Gaia Memory contains the culminated knowledge of a single topic extracted from the True Gaia Memory; thus, Gaia Memories can be based on anything from the history of Earth, from natural phenomena to abstract concepts.In normal cases, a human requires surgery before they can use a Gaia Memory. A Living Connector is imprinted upon the skin of the user, through which the Gaia Memory can be directly inserted into the body. While this maximises the power of the created Dopant, it carries a significant risk that the Gaia Memory will consume the sanity of the user and create a strong addiction to its power.Gaia Drivers are external mounts that can be used to insert a Gaia Memory without surgery. While this limits the power of the Memory, it removes the negative side-effects. High-ranking members of the Museum use first-generation Gaia Drivers to transform into Dopants.Tropes embodied by the Dopants include:
Battle Couple: Beast and Zone are a husband-and-wife team who robbed an armored car ten years prior to the series.
Magma and T-Rex were a couple who became Dopants together in order to take revenge on their former employer, but then T-Rex kills Magma when he becomes useless to her because he has been completely taken over by his Memory.
Compelling Voice: Liar, who as the name implies, can literally make anyone believe anything, so long as it's not the absolute truth.
Dangerously Genre Savvy: Cockroach, who instead of fighting fairly, uses its Super Speed to steal W's Gaia Memories from his belt and runs away with them!
I Have Many Names: Some Dopants have aliases besides their Dopant names. Cockroach imagines himself as a superhero named "Roachstar", Violence prefers to go by "Mr. Question", and Liar is known as the "Airwave Clown".
Old is also known as "The Ager".
Invisibility: Invisible, though notably, Lily Shirogane didn't actually become a monster of any sort; Dr Isaka modified the Invisible Memory to allow her to use its power without such a change.
It's Personal: Many of the Dopants. Notable are Puppeteer, who attacks the literary critics that panned the book he wrote in his daughter's memory; Magma and T-Rex, who wanted revenge on their old employer for firing them; and Yesterday, who turns out to be Kirihiko's sister and wants to get back at Saeko for her brother's death.
Knight Templar: Triceratops from the series proper. Commander takes this to ridiculous levels in W Returns: Accel by murdering anyone whose commited a crime, even pickpockets.
Legacy Character: The final episode of the series establishes that multiples of the same Memories do exist; in this case, Anomalocaris and Cockroach.
Love Makes You Crazy: Oh so much. T-Rex killed her lover Magma because he went crazy, Triceratops wishes to avenge her lover, Violence is Wakana's Stalker with a Crush, Nightmare is jealous to the point of putting his supposed rivals to sleep, Jewel set his unrequited crush up as the culprit though he was a monster to begin with. Commander is driven by a desire to avenge his dead wife, but unlike Triceratops, who on her own only wanted to kill those who caused his death, Commander decides to kill all criminals, reguardless of crime.
The award probably still goes to the Spider Dopant from the Kamen Rider Skull prequel in the "Movie Core War". Unable to live with unrequited love and having a well-hidden, but highly homicidal sense of jealousy, he gained the power to turn people into bombs, set off when a carrier touches someone they love, in a rather horrendous expression of If I Can\'t Have You. He ends up detonating a good part of the city in a single go, just to prove the lengths he's willing to go to make everyone as miserable as him.
Monogender Monsters: Averted; people become Dopants regardless of gender. An even funnier detail to this aversion is that some of the more 'manly' Gaiamemories, like T-rex and Triceratops do in fact have female users.
Mook Maker: The Commander Dopant can create Faceless Goons called Masked Soldiers out of thin air.
Two Guys and a Girl: Jewel and his friends. Him finding out that his two friends loved each other didn't go... well with him.
Which was very similar to Isamu Bitou and the Beast and Zone Dopants (he had no problems with them getting together, but still got screwed over for it).
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Other than anyone with a Memory, Dummy can take on the appearance of anyone he wants, usually the dead to take advantage of the dead person's loved ones.
It seems to be this way with the original Cockroach, as he believed he was being a superhero.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Memories used without a Driver madden their user, and Drivers can be modified to mimic the effect of direct insertion.
Using a Memory without the bio-port will cause grievous bodily harm and even death with extended use, as seen with the underage high school students who shared the Bird Memory.
Yandere: Several of the Dopants are this trope, including the T-Rex Dopant, the Violence Dopant, and the Spider Dopant.
Characters appearing in Kamen Rider Double: Begins Night
Characters appearing in Kamen Rider Double Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate
Katsumi Daido is the leader of the terrorist organization NEVER, distributing the T2 Gaia Memories which resemble the Kamen Rider's Memories. With the Eternal Memory and a Lost Driver, he transforms into Kamen Rider Eternal.
All Your Powers Combined: Eternal can channel a 26-memory Maximum Drive with all of the T2 memories.
Badass Cape: Eternal Robe. From the setting, it can block electric shock, fire, blizzard and physical attacks, making him almost imprevious to most type of damage.
Came Back Wrong: According to his mother, before he died, he was actually a good person and loving son, thus why she brought him back to life to begin with. Sadly, this had the result of turning him into a totally insane supervillain.
Dawson Casting: Mitsuru Matsuoka was 40 when he played Katsumi, who appears to be in his early to mid-20s based off the information given. Possibly justified since storywise he was growing up using an artificial chemical.
Driven to Madness: Dr. Prospect's coldblooded murder of the Quark Project subjects drove Katsumi insane.
Early-Bird Cameo: A rather surprising one: SOPHIA was a guest at Anime Expo 2010 in Los Angeles, and during their last song, Eternal came on stage.
Fallen Hero: As portrayed in W Returns: Kamen Rider Eternal, his failure to save Quarks' test subjects shocked him so much (along with Dr. Prospect's actions) that turns him into a Complete Monster.
Hey, It's That Guy!: Fans of the band SOPHIA (which performs the theme for the movie) may recognize him as the vocalist.
An energy wave that nullifies all non-T2 Gaia memories. Can also be used as the power source for a spinning Rider Kick as portrayed in W Returns: Kamen Rider Eternal.
Eternal 2: Bloody Hell Blade*
A Rider Slash using the Eternal Edge.
Unicorn: An unnamed Maximum Drive where Eternal executes a Rider Punch through drill shaped energy.
Zone: Another unnamed Maximum Drive that brings all T2 Gaia Memories (within a certain radius) to Eternal, placing each one in a Memory Slot.
T2 Gaia Memories: Never Ending Hell*
Eternal absorbs massive amounts of energy and can manipulate it to use as a finisher.
Knife Nut: Eternal Edge. He also carries around a combat knife untransformed.
Laughing Mad: Happens after he was driven insane by the deaths of the Quark Project subjects.
Other fans say Eternal looks a little bit like a color-swapped G3 Mild, with acape and no huge arsenal of firearms.
Noble Demon: Sure, Katsumi is a ruthless fighter and killer, but he saved his to-be comrades from death by turning them into NEVER, and also Mina and her Quark's comrades from despair and death, urging them to fight against Foundation X for survival. Even Shotaro and Philip mourned for him after hearing the whole story, saying that he could have become another Kamen Rider protecting Futo had he not experienced those events.
Katsumi: If the past is going to disappear, then at least let me have a tomorrow. That's why we're still struggling! Now, a dead person like me is still fighting for my tomorrow, how can you explain that!?
Palette Swap: Eternal Red Flare from W Returns: Eternal, which is revealed to be the result of using the experimental T1 Eternal Memory. Its resonance with Daido causes it to evolve into Blue Flare before burning out entirely.
Came Back Wrong: Katsumi was Maria's good son, Reika was just an escaping prisoner, Kyosui was a triad member who got betrayed (and without his Camp Gay trait before death), Gozo was a farmer protesting against land development, and Ken was a married SAT member. Subverted by a little that they still retain their kind side even after becoming NEVER , but subsequent events turned them insane (though Reika was still retaining her sanity).
Evil Counterpart: To Double's own Gaia Memories. Although Cyclone isn't evil.
Fallen Hero: The group began acting as mercenaries, still holding onto their ideals. One of the effects from the serum that kept them active was the gradual vanishing of their emotions: by the time of A to Z, most -if not all- of them had already fallen to this, even if most of their personality traits were retained. That and their failure to save the Quark project subjects drove them insane.
Phlebotinum Rebel: Villainous version. Though originally this wasn't the case.
Mad Love: Implied towards Katsumi. The movie OST actually has a track named "Twisted Love", which plays when Reika's body disintegrates after Katsumi rejects her as just a tool.
Kyosui is a man who uses the T2 Luna Memory in order to cast illusions on his body, allowing him to bend. While he manages to best Kamen Riders Double, Accel, and Joker (on separate occasions), he is defeated byKamen Rider OOO's OOO Bash.
Berserk Button: According to him, being called a creepy old guy is a huge insult to a lady.
Bodyguard Crush: Fell in love with Katsumi before his first death.
Camp Gay: And very open about it, to boot. He even calls himself a "lady".
The Cast Show Off: Genki Sudo is both a mixed martial artist and a dancer, so Kyosui spends a lot of time sort of dancing in place just to show off how flexible he is.
Ken Ashihara | Trigger Dopant | Actor: Masayuki Deai
Ken is a man who uses the T2 Trigger Memory to turn into the Trigger Dopant, with a large rifle attached to his arm. Defeated by Kamen Rider Accel Trial.
Called Matsu, he is Narumi Soukichi's friend and partner from 1999. He helps Soukichi on his cases by researching in libraries, which causes Akiko to compare him to Philip. However, his jealousy of Soukichi leads him to become the Spider Dopant, eventually kidnapping Melissa with the intent of marrying her. Soukichi as Skull stops him, however, and defeats him with a Rider Kick, at the cost of Matsu's life.
A Museum agent serving as a Gaia Memory dealer in 1999. Fights Soukichi/Skull as the Bat Dopant, and is defeated after Skull uses the Skull Punisher on a fuel truck she was controlling. She begs for the Rider to rescue her, but he ignores her as the truck bursts into flames and explodes.
Characters appearing in Kamen Rider W Returns: Kamen Rider Accel
Aoi Katsuragi | Actor: Yukari Taki
A member of a pickpocketing ring and a thief's daughter; she saw her father killed by a certain cop later revealed to be the Commander Dopant. Thus she treats police officers with apprehension until meeting Ryu Terui/Kamen Rider Accel. Her involvement with Ryu complicates his marriage with Akiko, yet in the end their relationship recovers and Aoi begins to reform.
Just Like Robin Hood: Subverted in that she only really turns good after vowing to leave her life of crime.
An officer within the Futo police who saw his wife killed in front of him. Thus he became the Commander Dopant, vowing to eradicate crime in the city regardless of life or cost. He eventually acquires the Gaia Memory Enhancing Adapter, increasing his power, and later abducting Akiko to attempt to convince Ryu to follow his path. Ryu decides not to, however, and defeats Sagami as Accel Booster.
Knight Templar: His first appearence? Ruthlessly murdering PICKPOCKETS, even after they're surrendered. In his twisted mind, criminals will never change and he must kill them.
Also, it's not the first time he became a scientistand a one-eyed monster.
Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: He's a very intelligent man, but he's also a complete maniac with no regard for human life.
Sinister Surveillance: One of his powers as the Eyes Dopant is to implant Quarks with an "eye" that allows him to watch their every move. Said eyes also can be used to kill their bearers in case of escape.
Weaksauce Weakness: His creepy floating eyes can also be used to predict his opponents moves in a fight, but Katsumi gets around this by using his Eternal cape to hide his attacks from his sight. Even before that, Kamen Rider Eternal did considerably better against him, like due to him previously using muscle movements and facial expressions to predict his movements, which he couldn't see inside the suit.
