This is a partial character sheet for Kamen Rider Gaim. Visit here for the main character index. Subjective trope and audience reactions should go on the YMMV page.
This page deals with tropes for Kaito Kumon of Kamen Rider Gaim.
Warning: Due to the sheer number of spoilers associated with this character, all spoilers are left un-marked. New viewers beware.
Kaito Kumon/Armored Rider Baron/New Generation Rider Baron/Lord Baron
Portrayed by: Yutaka Kobayashi (live), Eitoku (suit)
Young Kaito Portrayed by: Kurando Katayama
- "The weak... are simply prey for the strong! That's why we need power! The power to stand up to any foe, no matter how strong!"
The ruthless leader of Team Baron until #18. Believing that modern society is a rotten system where the weak are persecuted by the strong, Kaito works tirelessly to improve both himself and his team so that they can survive in such a world. He has a very powerful and disciplined work ethic, and tries to pass that along to his team.
Using the Banana Lock Seed and the Sengoku Driver, he can transform into Armored Rider Baron. He later obtains a Lemon Energy Lock Seed and Genesis Driver, allowing him to transform into New Generation Rider Baron.
At the apex of the series, Kaito's growing Helheim infection, combined with being sheerly overpowered by Ryoma, results in him partaking of the Helheim fruit. However, having willed his way through the infection for so long has allowed a certain level of immunity to the fruit's adverse effects, allowing Kaito to retain his mind and become the Overlord Inves, Lord Baron.
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Tropes that apply to him in general
- 0% Approval Rating: Thanks to his ego causing the Inves game to explode out of control, everyone hates him. It gets even worse when he becomes Lord Baron and sets his sights on world destruction.
- Above Good and Evil: Kaito holds power above all forms of morality.
- Absurd Cutting Power: He cut through a tv screen by throwing a playing card at it.
- Abusive Parents: Yggdrasill was responsible for the downfall of his father, turning him into a greedy and abusive man toward his own family, leading to their suicide and Kaito losing trust in anything else, feeling that some of them are related to Yggdrasill.
- Ambiguously Evil: Though he fights against Helheim, he does not care one bit about protecting innocent people, claiming that the weak deserve death. Eventually he does undergo a Face–Heel Turn, though he's a Well-Intentioned Extremist.
- Ambiguous Situation: Did Kaito become a tree spirit in the finale, or was his ghost just talking to Mai similar to how DJ Sagara was able to talk to the spirit of the Overlord Queen?
- Anti-Hero: He can fight on the good side, but he's only concerned about destroying Yggdrasill and Overlords rather than the well-being of the others. Overall he does not seem to think about good or evil, holding his Social Darwinist creed above all morality, and once his targets were out of the picture, he became an Anti-Villain who sets his sights on the very world itself.
- Arch-Enemy: Demushu begins to view him as this. He spends all of #27 violently demanding from any random human his whereabouts so he can challenge him again.
- Becomes one to Kouta in the final episodes. Both want a better world. Kaito believes in destroying the old world is the only option. Kouta obviously disagrees.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Gives a solid one to Kouta in #36.Kaito: If you find nothing in Mitsuzane Kureshima's soul but a monster, would you still refuse to fight? Against HIM!?
- Acquired Poison Immunity: Kaito theorizes that the reason why he became an Overlord instead of a normal Inves is because he filtered Helheim's corruption through his Drivers throughout the show.
- Badass Longcoat: A Team Baron staple, along with regular coats in the same colors.
- Badass Normal: In #2, he takes Gaim's dropped Musou Saber and manages to hurt Shika Inves a little before being swept away.
- Empowered Badass Normal: By #3, courtesy of Rider powers.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: Kouta would have never found a proper way to deal with Ryoma so what better way to solidify Kaito as a villain than to give Ryoma a beat down?
- Berserk Button: Does not approve of cheating to win.
- As shown in #13, hurting one of his teammates (even if they are a cheat) and later in Gaiden, whatever reminded him his dark past (like Shapool, who is identical to Kaito) will be a fatal mistake.
- And in #43, killing Kouta (apparently) and Mai is the last thing someone would ever do. Ryoma found this the hard way.
- The Beastmaster: He's one of the first to figure out that his Sengoku Driver lets him command Inves. Once he becomes an Overlord, he gains it as an innate power.
- Big Bad: Takes the main spotlight in the final episodes (save for the standalone final episode) after becoming Lord Baron and with his plans to claim the Forbidden Fruit and take over the world. You want to know just how big of a big bad he is? After his debut, the Gaim page depicting the Inves updated and Kaito is above the Overlords.
- Big Damn Heroes: After Yggdrasill steps up on its game, Kaito always seems to be there to save Kouta and help him pull off a win. #16 has him and Zack do this for Mai and Chucky.
- Blood Knight: His greatest strength and weakness: Kaito interprets every challenge as an enemy to be defeated, and always has to be focusing his energy on achieving something. Case in point: when he is transported to the alternate reality where soccer is used as a substitute for physical combat, with nothing else to do Kaito puts all of his energy into learning the sport. Unfortunately, this trait of his means that after Kaito has defeated all of his enemies, with no villains left to exert his power against he unleashes it all against the world itself.
- Breakout Character:
- His popularity was actually the reason why the producers decided to give him a Genesis Driver. He wasn't originally supposed to obtain one.
- Even after the end of the season, Kaito makes occasional appearances in the franchise. For Drive, he obviously appeared in Movie War Full Throttle, the crossover with Gaim. For Ghost, he appears as Lord Baron as the show's representative for the Rider's Souls special. For Ex-Aid, he's one of the four returning Riders in the Gorider special, this time accompanied by Yoko. He's the first Heisei Rider excluding the Imagin to appear portrayed by his original actor in material during the three seasons following his debut season.
- Broken Ace: The main reason for his unusual Social Darwinist philosophy is that his parents died when he was young once Yggdrasil had no more use for them.
- The Brute: He becomes muscle for Ryoma's Renegade Splinter Faction in order to obtain more power, getting a Genesis Driver in exchange.
- Bully Hunter: Believe it or not, this is what Kaito intends to do with the power he gains. He believes that the strong prey on the weak, but he wants to crush the strong in order to end this practice.
- Bystander Syndrome: Doesn't give a crap about the Koumori Inves' rampage in #9 and says the other Armored Riders won't care either. He's right.
- Byronic Hero: He hits every mark and keeps on going. Handsome? Check. It's All About Me? Check. Broken Ace? Check. The Cynic? Check. Runs on the Power Of Hate? Double Check. Cunning and charismatic? Check. And the list just keeps on going.
- Cassandra Truth: He points out to Micchy that Kouta will never believe a word he says and even proves it for him. Not that he's bothered by it.
- A meta example were his strength speeches. Kaito constantly spouted cliche shounen rival speeches earlier in the show and nobody ever thought anything would come of it. It turns out that Kaito is 100% serious about his Social Darwinism and isn't backing down.
- Catchphrase: As Lord Baron, "the only truth I believe... is in these fists!"
- Character Tics:
- Just before he transforms, he twirls the Lock Seed on his index finger.
- Using his weapons in a different way than they were intended:
- Using the Banaspear as a sword.
- Using the Mango Punisher as a polearm.
- Wielding the Sonic Arrow with a reverse grip.
- Doing random card tricks whenever he's lounging at home base.
- Char Clone: He's the live-action example in spades. Particularly, being a red-colored rival to the protagonist who often switch sides to deal with a bigger threat until he goes back to his old ways and becomes the final threat the hero has to face.
- Chekhov's Gun: His destroyed Genesis Driver has the Genesis Core still intact. This is what allowed Zack to access his Super Mode in his Gaiden movie.
- Chick Magnet: He's a Love Interest for Yuko Minato, and Team Baron is shown to have a lot of female fans in the first few episodes (possibly due to being a Cast Full of Pretty Boys).
- Childhood Friends: #12 reveals he was this with Mai; he just didn't recognize her as an adult.
- Combat Pragmatist: Tries to attack Gaim while he's in the middle of his transformation.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character:
- The previous Secondary Rider Kosuke Nitoh initially served as Haruto Soma's rival of sorts before he became more heroic and he gets quite along well quickly with Haruto, while Kaito is a proper rival to Kouta and an Anti-Heroic figure who fights to change the status quo of the social darwinist philosophy who often switches sides to deal with the bigger threat before he became the Final Boss to be dealt with.
- Both Kaito and Ren Akiyama/Kamen Rider Knight are the Anti-Hero secondary Riders with a knight motif who often clashes with the more idealistic main Rider. Unlike Ren, who only became a Rider due to his wish to save his fiance from her impending death, Kaito's reason of becoming a Rider is due to his desire for power in order to change the status quo of the social darwinist philosophy.
- Death Dealer: He can pierce a TV screen by throwing one of his playing cards at it. Makes you wonder what would've happened to Ryoma's back had Yoko not intercepted his card attack in #15.
- Dead Person Conversation: Gets a chance to meet a blonde-haired Mai in #45.
- The roles are switched in #47, where Mai visits him as his spirit occupies the Shrine Tree, which is returned to its rightful place
- Despair Event Horizon: Possibly. Consider the fact that, while it may have been perfectly in character for him to get more power by being an Overlord, he didn't do this until he heard that Kouta and Mai were dead; considering he respected them to varying degrees, moreso the latter. The way he talks about claiming Mai, especially after seeing her dead body dissolve and learning what happened to her from Sagara, sounds as if while he definitely wants the godlike power of the Golden Fruit, he also wants to save Mai, and it just so happens that these two intentions intersect.
- Determinator: No matter how many times the world has knocked Kaito down he just keeps on getting back up again stronger than before.
- Deuteragonist: He's the Secondary Rider and is positioned ahead of the other two main Riders as most important after Kouta.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: He's on both the giving and receiving end. Yoko dies in his arms, and he dies in Kouta's one episode later.
- Discard and Draw: He loses access to his Genesis Driver, but soon gained the ability to control Helheim and become an Overlord.
- Enemy Mine:
- Despite his drive to be the strongest, he still gives away a few high class locks he picked up to the leaders of Invitto and Raid Wild.
- In #13, the forms a brief alliance with Gaim to take down Bravo.
- His alliance with Ryoma's faction within Yggdrasil also counts, since Kaito is smart enough to know that they will eventually betray him.
- Working with the other Beat Riders against the Overlords also turns out to be this, as he becomes antagonistic again once they're dealt with.
- Establishing Character Moment: In #2, Kaito helps a little boy who's stuck in a tree by encouraging him to jump down on his own; when the boy does so, Kaito catches him and then tells him that he did well and knows to rely on his own strength from now on.
- Everyone Has Standards: He may be a jerk, but even he finds Micchy's constant treachery against his friends to be distasteful.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: His hair gets noticeably more wild after becoming an Overlord. And that's just part of his new look.
- Expy:
- Of Kyoko Sakura. Both of them are orphaned Jerk with a Heart of Gold Anti-Heroes clad in red who are at odds with another hero in blue.
- To Archer/EMIYA as well. Like Kaito, he's also an Anti-Hero in red clothing and is willing to switch sides if it benefits his goals as well as being irritated many times by their rival's ideology.
- He is also one to Vergil, since both of them are rival characters to the main hero and are obsessed with gaining power at all cost and even having demonic monster forms.
- Face Death with Dignity: With his last words, he praises Kouta's strength.
- Fair-Play Villain: Kaito despises underhanded methods going out of his way to make fights and duels to be as honorable as possible so people can show their true strength. This is one of the reasons that he opposes Yggdrasill: they want to wipe out six billion humans to save the human race while he wants the Helheim Invasion to occur unopposed so each individual human can show their own strength and worth. Kaito is disgusted when Micchy shoots Kouta In the Back, and actually goes out of his way to make sure that he doesn't do anything similar again.
- A Father to His Men: Genuinely cares for the core Team Baron members.
- Fauxshadowing: The Yggdrasill Saga made it look like Kaito was going to become a straight up hero. Turns out that it was foreshadowing how evil he actually was.
- Final Boss: He's the last major opponent Kouta has to face, after becoming Lord Baron and serving as the final Big Bad.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Appears to slowly becoming one towards Kouta.
- Foregone Conclusion: The first scene of #1 implied he would go on to become an enemy of Gaim. Although the final battle didn't play out exactly the same as that scene; it's still Gaim vs. Baron, winner take all.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Choleric.
- Freudian Excuse: Coming from a poor family and being indoctrinated with Might Makes Right ideas after Yggdrasill ruined his life made him the person he currently is.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Kaito was originally a jerkass dancer that made cliche speeches about "Strength". Then he became a powerful Overlord and a prime candidate to gain the Forbidden Fruit and remake the world in his image.
- Godzilla Threshold: Crosses this in #43. When fighting Ryoma, Kaito’s Genesis Driver gets destroyed by an installed failsafe. Fighting using his Sengoku Driver yields no results either since it’s powers are much weaker. Injured and out of options, Kaito devours a Helheim Fruit and becomes an Inves.
- Graceful Loser: When Kouta fells him in their final battle, Kaito acknowledges his defeat and bids Kouta farewell before passing. Even when Megahex brings him back, Kaito rebels against him and takes Kouta's side, acknowledging Kouta as the victor of their duel and encouraging him to protect the future he fought for.
- Gunboat Diplomacy/Appeal to Force: His plan to deal with the Overlords is to become more powerful than them and then force them to do what he wants. It sadly sounds more rational than Kouta's plan given the Overlords' overall behavior (Rosyuo excepted).
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: He joins several different sides throughout the course of the series, but his ideals never actually changed, just the route he was on to realize them.
- Heroic Neutral: Kaito tends to show his good side only after a far more antagonistic character comes knocking.
- Heroic Willpower: Well, some kind of willpower. In Movie Wars Full Throttle, Megahex revives him to be one of his minions. He immediately shows it's not that simple.
- Hidden Depths:
- #12 reveals that he misses the old Shinto culture that Zawame City used to have before Yggdrasill industrialized everything.
- In ToQger vs. Gaim he could see Rainbow Line, which can only be seen by those with a great imagination.
- We see the most of it in #31: Kaito believes that the only thing strong people can do is destroy, that he himself is weak, and that weak people can only struggle to oppose the strong.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: He may make a big show of being a cold-blooded Social Darwinist, but when the chips are down, he either fails to follow through on it or conveniently reinterprets his philosophy so that it'll allow him to do the right thing. This seems apparent basically every time he bails out Kouta. Though once the Overlords are gone, Kaito doesn't back out of what he preaches, though even he is willing to step it down from "only the strong will survive" to "the weak will never be oppressed again".
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He gets killed by his own weapons in both timelines.
- Honor Before Reason: He views deception and subterfuge as cowardly and refuses to utilize such tactics, even when it could benefit him.
- How Do I Shot Web?: More subtle than Kouta, but Kaito obviously doesn't know how to use a lance at first, given how an Elementary Inves almost got the better of him.
- Humans Are Special: He seems to believe this, thinking that humanity will supplant Helheim.
- Hypocrite: Becoming an Overlord he wants to destroy a world where the weak are dominated and exterminated .... by wanting to dominate and exterminate the strong. He's fully aware of it, though, and it serves to highlight the depth of his cynicism in that, in his belief, he's a product of their world.
- I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Kaito's all about power, which contributes a lot to his moral ambiguity and him siding with Yggdrasil once he reveals his true colors. Even then, he outright admits he's only using them to become stronger.
- Instant Expert:
- After taking a few hits in his first fight, he picks himself up rather quickly and finishes off both the monster he was fighting and the one Kouta was having trouble with. By the next episode, he easily wipes out an entire group of Inves.
- When he summons some fully-materialized Inves in #5, he makes it clear that he has been experimenting with what the Sengoku Driver can do, ahead of the other Riders, and even chides Micchy for not doing the same.
- Image Song: Ranbu Escalation, which he shares with Kouta.
- Immune to Mind Control: When he was revived in Movie War Full Throttle and Legendary Riders Souls, Megahex and Frey's manipulation fail to work on him.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How he meets his end in both timelines: He gets stabbed by Kouta in Orange Arms with the broken end of his Banaspear in the potential timeline, and stabbed by Kouta in Kiwami Arms with the broken end of his Guronbaryamu in the proper timeline.
- Improbable Weapon User: Inverted: all of Kaito's weapons are straightforward weapons like a spear, a mace, or a bowsword, but he finds ways to use each of them in improbable fashions.
- Irony:
- Despite seeking absolute power, Kaito is one of the few characters not to have become Drunk with Power at some point.
- Kaito is Kouta's opposite in every way but is also his most reliable and dependable ally.
- Kaito is the classic Shōnen rival character, but he is also a Magnetic Hero, which is a trait that an All-Loving Hero like Kouta would normally possess.
- It's All About Me: Unless you hurt a Morality Pet, he is ridiculously self absorbed and selfish.
- It's Personal: See also Revenge below.
- Jerkass: See himself and his team as being on top of the food chain, has no qualms treating his opponents like scum, and vocally expresses that anyone deemed "weak" only deserve to be squashed underfoot.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Maybe. He clearly disapproved Peko's use of a slingshot to cheat and when Gaim was in trouble, he picked up the Musou Saber and charged in without a second thought.
- Jerkass Has a Point: In #25 he points out how stupid it is to simply ask the Overlords to stop the Helheim invasion because they'd actually have to give a shit for it to work. Then in #36, he points out to Kouta that Micchy might have chosen to become a monster of his own free will and that just because he's Kouta's friend doesn't mean that he should get special treatment.
- Jerkass Realization: He has this when he hears Demushu ranting about how the strong should lord over the weak in a manner no different from his own talks of strength and power.
- Kick the Dog: In #13, his response to a group of people protesting against him being a Beat Rider is to sic some fully developed Inves on them, regardless of if they were begging for it or not.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: When they resent the very people who save them time and time again, who wouldn't blame Kaito for pulling that on some people?
- A much straighter example would be when he nearly kills Ryoma, and probably would have finished the job if Ryoma hadn't taken a dive himself. Given what an asswipe Ryoma was, it really comes off more as a public service than a crime.
- He throws one at Mitsuzane in #44 when he shows he apathetically states that Mai can no longer be saved. Kaito's response?Kaito: Give up on her if you wish. Go back to crawling along like the gutless worm you are!
- Knight in Sour Armor: Insert a pun on his knight theme and Lemon Energy Arms here, but he still qualifies as one who fights for what he believes in despite his cynicism.
- Kleptomaniac Hero:
- While stuck in the Helheim Forest, Kaito learns from Kouta that the fruits around them can be harvested into Lock Seeds. The first thing he does afterwards is picking and harvesting as many Lock Seeds he can carry.
- Does it again in #15, where he grabs a "newer" Sengoku Driver Model that can be used by anyone. He eventually gives it to Zack.
- Kubrick Stare: Gives a scary one just before he eats a Helheim fruit and becomes Lord Baron.
- Leitmotif: Ransen no Hikari
- Let No Crisis Go to Waste: He likes Helheim's invasion, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to divide the weak from the strong.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: Kaito always came off as more heroic than every other villain in the show and is mistaken as an Anti-Hero by other people due to his code of honor.
- Magnetic Hero: Kaito is actually fairly charismatic; best shown in #32 when he got all of the good and neutral Riders to team up against Demushu without really trying.
- Mean Boss: This works against him. His lack of respect for his vassals in the early episodes leads to both desertion and betrayal, though he really doesn't seem to mind because he just saw them as Sycophantic Servants too weak to make their own decisions.
- Meaningful Name: His Gaiden reveals in a flashback that he purposefully chose to name his team after the lowest position in the hierarchy of nobles because being at the bottom means they only have upwards to go and become even more powerful.
- Might Makes Right: He seems to care more about power than any morality. This was the basis for his now once-an-episode strength speech in #6. It later comes out that this is how he believes the world does work, but not how it should.
- Morality Pet: In a very weird way, he's this to Minato. He helps to humanize her and shows that there's more to her than a mere Blood Knight.
- In a way, Kouta and Mai are often this to him, as working with them usually brings out the best in Kaito. It's implied that the reason he even decided to eat a Helheim fruit to become Lord Baron was out of despair of the two's temporary deaths.
- Mundane Solution: He stops Redyue's life machine in #40 by kicking it really hard.
- Near-Villain Victory: Kaito was literally a sword swipe away from victory until Kouta surprises him.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Him starting the Baron Alliance is what started the Inves Game to escalate, allowing Yggdrasill to be able to pin all of the blame of the Beat Riders, which in turn makes everyone hate him preventing important alliances from forming.
- Noble Demon:
- He's a complete Jerkass, but helps out children, keeps his word, and hates cheating.
- Also, in spite of his Social Darwinist views, he actually seems to try to avoid needless violence. His first attempts at contacting the Overlord Inves involved leaving packages containing Japanese dictionaries all over Helheim to try to set up a dialogue with them peacefully. Only when that fails does he actually try to fight them and gets his ass handed to him.
- In #27, he is disgusted when Micchy cowardly shoots Kouta in the back and attacks him.
- Nominal Hero: Cares less about protecting people and more about just wanting to destroy Yggdrasill.
- He seems fine with the idea of working with Yggdrasill for unrivaled power, even if his city has to burn.
- Once Yggdrasill and the Overlords are dealt with, he sheds his alliances with the "heroic" side entirely.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. You may recognize the name Kaito as the last name of a certain dimension-hopping thief.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Despite respecting Kouta's strength, Kaito wants to beat him to see who's the mightiest.
- Parental Abandonment: The prequel story Real Riders reveals that, after Yggdrasill took over Zawame, Kaito's parents couldn't afford to raise him and placed him in an orphanage. He waited for them to pick him up, but they never did. And as revealed in Gaim Gaiden, for good reason.
- Perpetual Frowner: Mainly due to his Dark and Troubled Past, Kaito is usually seen with a serious frown as a highlight to his stern personality.
- Pet the Dog:
- Helps Mai escape the Helheim Forest, even though it doesn't benefit him in #8.
- In #13, he abandons his pride in order to save Peko.
- In #15, he shows genuine sadness over Ryoji's death.
- In #18, he abandons Team Baron, but gives Zack his spare Driver on the way out. While he claims he doesn't want dancing to distract him from his goal of toppling Yggdrasill, you get the sense that the reverse is also true and he doesn't want his team dragged into his quest.
- In #27, he is pissed when he witnesses Micchy shoot Kouta in the back and knock him unconscious. As Micchy draws in the finish the job, Kaito attacks him and defends Kouta. Afterwards, he hides the still-unconscious Kouta in a tree and covers him with leaved branches to protect him from Inves. It's pretty shockingly nice of him to go so far.
- Continuing into #28, Kaito figures out Micchy's next attempt to murder Kouta so he secretly shadows him during a delivery to protect him.
- When Kaito battles Micchy in #41, he argues that Mai is a strong person who doesn't need Micchy's "help."
- In #43 he goes out of his way to save Mai from Micchy and Ryoma.
- His reasons for the Forbidden Fruit are this as well: despite wanting the Forbidden Fruit to remake the world in his image, he also wants to save Mai from the Alternate Dimension she's stuck in... but plans to start a war to get her back. Also, his drive for the Fruit's power itself still counts as this, as he's revealed to create a world not ruled by the strong, but where the weak will never be suppressed.
- Popularity Power: Kaito wasn't originally intended to be quite so prominent, but he proved popular enough the people behind the show decided to make him a New Generation Rider as well so he could stay competitive when the show started to up the ante, and he went on to become the end boss.
- Power Of Hate: Kaito is motivated by his all-encompassing hatred of Yggdrasill and draws all of his power from it.
- Pride: He has to be the best. No exceptions.
- Properly Paranoid: While he may be working for Ryoma's faction, he knows better than to trust them.
- Reconstruction: Urobuchi has finally made a Darker and Edgier version of this trope. Kaito is what happens when The Rival is completely serious about his evil ideology and will follow through on his ideals.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: The Team Baron color scheme. They're not quite evil, but they are Team Gaim's initial antagonists.
- Red Baron: Literally and figuratively - his Driver introduces him with particularly militaristic fanfares and titles.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Kouta's red, despite their suit's colors, with Kaito usually being more stern and serious, with calm, level-headed leadership skills.
- Revenge: Kaito's ultimate long term goal is revenge on Yggdrasill for ruining his and his family's life.
- Rival Final Boss: While normally The Rival to Kouta, once the Overlords are defeated and the last of Yggdrasil are taken care of, Kaito grabs a hold of some Helheim Fruit and bring his power up to the same level as Kouta was, making it so the two have to fight each other in the Final Battle.
- Say My Name: KAZURABA!
- Screw Destiny: In #3, when the Mysterious Woman starts giving him the spiel about being fated to fight endless battles, he interrupts her to say "I make my own fate!"
- Secret-Keeper: For Micchy. It's not because he vowed to keep a secret, but rather because 1) Kouta will never believe a word he says and 2) he prefers to kill Micchy himself for what he did.
- Seeking Ultimate Strength: Kaito is obsessed with "survival of the fittest", which he sees as the most important thing in life after his father's company got taken down by Yggdrasill Corporation. He believes life is as valuable as one's ambition to get stronger, which ironically maintains his moral connection with other Beat Riders. He views strength not as a right for oppression, but as a symbol to strive for, eventually trying to become the Adam of the new world by becoming the Overlord.
- Ship Tease: Zigzagged with Mai to a degree. While
Word of God confirms no feelings between them, the amount of time they spend with each-other is somewhat intriguing.- #33 is more overt as it has her imagining Kaito is right there with her and encouraging her while she's despairing. It's even more overt when you consider that it's one of the only times he has any kind words for anyone.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Ryoma gets a little too full of himself Kaito gets the cathartic privilege to punch him in the face.
- Smug Super: An odd example; while Kaito looks down on the weak, he never boasts about his own power, and more than anything he believes that it's human nature to seek power. The team at Aesir subs has noted that this makes Kaito's dialogue very difficult to translate.
- The Social Darwinist: Kaito is practically an "anti-Social Darwinist", rallying against the idea that people in positions of power are inherently superior to the powerless. At the same time, he believes true strength lies in the moral and emotional, rather than the amount of influence one can exert on their surroundings. Though he recognises that he is bound by the system and takes measures to expand his own influence, his ultimate goal is to overthrow it and install something similar to a benevolent dictatorship.
- The Social Expert: Kaito has a natural grasp of human psychology allowing him to figure out and make accurate deductions of Mai, Kouta, Yggdrasill's and Micchy's Hidden Depthss that even they aren't aware of.
- Starter Villain: He's Kouta's main enemy and rival for the beginning of the story, but quickly pales against true villains that are much worse. Subverted when, once those other villains are dealt with, he becomes the Final Boss with a threat level equal to them.
- Starter Villain Stays: He's Kouta's rival in the early episodes, before becoming his ally later on, and eventually the final Big Bad.
- Stock Shōnen Rival: As the aloof, less moral, initially superior rival to Kouta.
- The Stoic: Even during funny scenes, Kaito remains disciplined and composed.
- Supporting Leader: Of the Rider Alliance.
- Taking the Bullet: For Kouta, against Demushu in #31.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: His solution to dealing with Sigurd? Suika Arms.
- Tragic Hero: For all of his bravado, deep down he has some serious issues. Not only does he lose his family at a young age thanks to Yggdrasill Corporation, but also loses it when he learns that Kouta and Mai died and losing to Ryoma Sengoku/Kamen Rider Duke. Is it any wonder he decides to become an Overlord to ultimately end the cycle of the strong oppressing the weak?
- Troll: Only when talking with Micchy, though.
- Tsundere: Just like his spiritual predecessor Ren. He can frame himself as The Social Darwinist who doesn't care about others' well-being, but he'd frame his actions as actually benefitting them in his own way, said when they can't hear him, like being unconscious.
- Übermensch: Sagara describes him as such. Kouta follows his example and becomes one too, though he has a more virtuous take on it.
- Waistcoat of Style: Part of the Team Baron dress code; best seen when he's hanging around his base and has ditched his coat.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: His obsession with strength is for the purpose of destroying the strong so that they can't oppress the weak. In #45. Kouta agrees with this goal but objects to Kaito tearing down the current world to make it happen.
- Will Not Tell a Lie: Kaito never lies, and despite not shouting his ideals to the world, he will flat out tell someone what he's planning to do if they ask.
- The Worf Effect: Is constantly getting beaten down by every new threat that comes up. Even as he gains new forms, he is quickly knocked back a few notches. Averted in the final arc that he almost wins against Kouta, in Kiwami Arms.
- Worthy Opponent: This is basically how Kaito's entire moral system works. If you stand up for your beliefs and try to be strong, he'll be somewhat courteous and show respect, if you don't meet these standards he'll treat you like garbage.
- He began to see Team Gaim as one in #5. As he explains, he wants to put the weak in their place, but recognizes that some such as Gaim would eventually gather their strength and fight back, which he sees as worthy of respect.
- Shown in #14 where he stays behind to hold off Zangetsu Shin to allow Gaim to try to reach Hase. Granted he also wanted to settle a prior score, but it still shows he respects his rival(s).
- He especially sees Kouta as one. In fact, during their final confrontation, Kaito remarks that only Kouta could "ever decide his fate".
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Repeatedly makes decisions that, while smart on paper, don't work for some reason he couldn't have known. For example, averting Transformation Is a Free Action, only to learn the Riders can move during the transformation and fight back. Or making multiple attempts to break Micchy's Genesis Driver, except they don't break as easily as Sengoku Drivers would, given that Ryoma would make them stronger in case they fight someone just as strong, and would not want his own destroyed.
- You Are What You Hate: Even though he hates how the world is run by survival-of-the-fittest mantra, his actions oftentime promote and encourage Social Darwinism, like how he doesn't care a bit about the weak being oppressed, including by his own actions.
- Your Days Are Numbered: #42 reveals that the wound he received from Redyue is slowly killing him. Becoming an Overlord by using the infection shortens his remaining lifespan even more, making the final act a race to use his new powers to claim the Forbidden Fruit before he dies.
- You're Insane!: Rather hypocritically, Ryoma of all people calls Kaito mad in #43 when he eats the Helheim fruit.
- Zombie Infectee: He was wounded by Redyue, and the wound began sprouting vines. He didn't tell anyone, but Yoko found out quite a bit later. In the end, he gave in to the infection, but on his own terms.
Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Baron
Come on! Banana Arms! Knight of Spe~ar!
Come On! Ringo Arms! Desire Forbidden Fruits!
Soda! Lemon Energy Arms! Fight, Power! Fight, Power! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fi-Fi-Fi-Fi-Fight!
- Badass Biker: Rides on the Sakura Hurricane and Dandeliner with their respective lockseeds.
- Badass Cape: In Mango Arms and Lemon Energy Arms.
- Deadly Upgrade: The Ringo Arms gives him enough power to rival that of an Overlord's, but nearly prematurely turns him into one. Small wonder he destroys it after using it.
- Finishing Move:
- Banana Arms:
- Squash: Baron performs Cavaliend by performing a Rider Kick in the shape of an banana. Alternatively, he can perform the Spear Victory by releasing a spear-shaped beam of energy against an enemy.
- Au Lait: Baron performs a variant of Spear Victory by smashing down his target with a giant banana-shaped energy projection from the Banaspear. Alternatively, he can stab his Banaspear to the ground which results into banana-shaped energy traveling along the enemy's path to skewer them alongside anyone else in their path.
- Sparking: Baron performs his strongest variant of Spear Victory by stabbing his Banaspear on the ground, creating a series of banana-shaped projections that not only provides a defensive wall against other enemies, but also impales those unlucky to stand on it, and also hitting his main target several times from below.
- Mango Arms: Punish Mash: Has three variations.
- Squash: Baron swings his Mango Punisher, sending a projection of the Mango Punisher's head at his target. Alternatively, he can charge it up to increase the Mango Punisher's head projection.
- Au Lait: Baron swings the Mango Punisher around multiple times, growing in intensity, until he stops, making a giant projection of the Mango Punisher's head fire from the mace and slams into the target from an aerial angle.
- Sparking: Baron performs a powerful swing, sending a giant, more solid-looking projection of the Mango Punisher's head straight at the target.
- OOO Arms: Squash: Baron performs OOO's Tatoba Kick by leaping into the air, generating three rings (red, yellow then green), which he then descends through, surrounding him in a different aura, to execute a drop kick. Alternatively, he can perform the OOO Bash, which has him perform a Rider Slash with the Medajalibur.
- Ringo Arms: Sparking: Baron performs an stronger version of Cavaliend by jumping into the air, engulfed by a red apple-like energy focused on his left foot, before descending down on his target by striking them with his left foot.
- Lemon Energy Arms:
- Squash: Baron converts the energy from the Lemon Energy Lockseed into his body and Sonic Arrow before slashing the target.
- Sparking: Baron performs his strongest variant of Cavaliend by converting the energy from the Lemon Energy Lockseed into his body before jumping through a series of three lemon slices and kicking the enemy, not unlike OOO's Tatoba Kick.
- Sonic Arrow: Baron performs his Sonic Volley by locking his Lemon Energy Lockseed into his Sonic Arrow and firing an powerful energy arrow shot that pierces his target. Alternatively, he can perform the Banana Charge by locking his Banana Lockseed into his Sonic Arrow and stabbing his Sonic Arrow into the ground, which then generates an banana-shaped projectile that aims straight for his enemy, which then traps the enemy in more banana projections and then exploding them. The only Sonic Arrow finisher to use an non-energy Lockseed.
- Banana Arms:
- Mid-Season Upgrade: The Lemon Energy Arms.
- Mighty Glacier: Compared to Gaim, he's slower than him, but has increased offensive potential.
- Stealth Pun: He's Baron, and he's red. Of course he'd be depicted as The Ace.
- Possibly unintentional, but his banana-themed armor's European knight influences could be one.
- Also, he's the series' second Armored Rider, with an initial banana theme. No wonder he's always just a step behind Kouta...
- Let's not forget his reaction to cheating is to go bananas, a pun on his default Arms.
Tropes exclusive to him as Lord Baron
I will destroy this world! Then take Mai and the Golden Fruit! Let's settle this, Kouta Kazuraba.
- Animal Motifs: His head is shaped like a Stag Beetle.
- Badass Longcoat: This form grants him a slick red and black one that goes down to his knees, and being an Overlord, he has power rivalled only by Gaim Kiwami Arms.
- BFS: The Guronbaryamu. During their final battle, Kouta breaks Kaito's sword (and the Banaspear in the alternate future) and uses the broken-off end to fatally stab him.
- Cool Sword: He gains a sword, Guronbaryamu, in this form.
- Colonel Badass: Commands a horde of Inves in #45 against Kouta's army.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: A monstrous and horribly-powerful Inves Overlord who seeks to destroy the world with a pair of bright blue eyes.
- Department of Redundancy Department: Guronbaryamu is Femushinmu for Baron.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Kaito's eyes become dull and lifeless, as noted by Oren.
- Evil Makeover: Kaito's human form undergoes an Obviously Evil makeover, with a mean and lean build, Black Eyes of Evil, a raspy voice, and his formerly fabulous hair has become disheveled.
- Evil Overlord: An aspiring one.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Kaito's voice gains a noticeable rasp to it, even in human form.
- Green Thumb: Can control Helheim Plants.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: Lord Baron kicks Ryoma's ass with little effort, resulting to the latter's suicide. He also almost wins against Kouta in Kiwami Arms!
- Horned Humanoid: Has black goat-like horns reminiscent of his old Banana Arms helmet.
- Humanoid Abomination: Upon eating the fruit of Helheim, Kaito forgoes the last of his humanity and becomes an otherworldly monster with overwhelming power and command of the Inves.
- In Their Own Image: Kaito plans to remake the world in his image after destroying it.
- Irony: Demushu, Kaito's Overlord counterpart was considered the weakest Overlord by Sagara. Kaito has become second only to Rosyuo in power after becoming an Overlord.
- Kneel Before Zod: To display his new authority in #44, Kaito makes two Inves bow down to him.
- Monster Knight: Just like the other Overlords, he's distinguished from the other monsters by his armour and weaponry. But unlike the other Overlords who are violent brutes or sadistic chessmasters (Rosyuo notwithstanding), Kaito still fights honourably and seeks to make a better world, albeit by destroying the current one.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Enjoys torturing and slowly killing Ryoma by hitting him with Helheim vines and fists multiple times. Too bad he didn't get his chance to deliver the deathblow since Ryoma killed himself.
- One-Winged Angel: Baron's ultimate form by eating an Helheim Fruit while already at the advanced stages of the infection.
- Satanic Archetype: Played With: As Lord Baron, he serves as this as a contrast to Gaim Kiwami Arms' Messianic Archetype, thanks to his devilish image and his intention to wipe out everything to recreate the world in his own ways.
- Super Mode: Considered Baron's final form in other Kamen Rider media, such as video games.
- Super Smoke: He is able to use a more powerful version of Demushu's old trick.
- Tainted Veins: After becoming an Overlord, green veins grow out of Kaito's body in human form.
- Take Over the World: This became his goal upon becoming an Overlord.
- Walking Spoiler: It's very hard to talk about this form without spoiling Kaito's transformation into an Overlord.
