Ryo/Hakaider
Ryo
Portrayed by: Yuji Kishimoto
Voiced by: Dai Matsumoto
Ryo
Ryo, the main character of the film, an Android who happens to not like Gurjev's regime, and wants people to have free will on their own.- Adaptational Heroism: This film sees him become an Unscrupulous Hero fighting against a tyrannical regime. He's even shown freeing a group of people held prisoner by Gurjev at one point in a 100% selfless act.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: An extremely small change between the dub and original versions of when he frees a group of civilians from Gurjev. In the dub, he simply does so without hesitation, assuring all of them that they are free, while in the original, he first asks if they have a will of their own and a desire to live freely and frees them only when given a yes.
- Badass Biker: Hakaider has his very own motorcycle (called "The Guilty") and we'll be damned if he doesn't look badass while riding on it.
- BFG: His "Destruction Gun", a massive gun implanted in his chest in the movie.
- Canon Character All Along: Maybe. If Michael really is a reprogrammed Kikaider, then nothing stops Ryo from being the original Hakaider also reprogrammed.
- Composite Character:
- Ironically, this incarnation borrows more than a few traits from the original Kikaider, being a robot created by an evil organization who was taken by a group of scientists and used to fight for good instead.
- Dark Is Not Evil: He is a ruthless but well-meaning Anti-Hero, contrasting the Light Is Not Good of Gurjev and Michael.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Oh yeah, his outfit it's pure leather, in all it's 90s glory
- '90s Anti-Hero: The movie definitely makes him a lot more Darker and Edgier, though while unscrupulous in his mission Hakaider in the film is ultimately out to save everyone from a regime using Mind Control to create a forced "peace".
- Phlebotinum Rebel: He was originally created by Gurjev before rebelling and going rogue.
- Rage Helm: The "mouth" of his robotic head is in a permanent scowl.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: His iconic Hakaider Shot is reimagined as a shotgun for this movie. One shot can blow up a meters tall door, shoot through an entire row of robot soldiers, and even fly through a building to hit a control module to cripple Jesus Town's robot army.
- Terminator Impersonator: While Hakaider has always been an unbuilt example of the trope, the version in this movie takes more than a few cues from The Terminator. With his chained leather jacket, inhuman stoicism, laser-like focus and sheer determinism on his mission, and fighting like a humanoid tank. He moves almost exclusively in The Slow Walk when not riding on The Guilty and the only being that can match and best him is his Evil Counterpart Michael. His Hakaider Shot even takes the form of a shotgun in this movie, not unlike the T-800 wielding his own Winchester model shotgun in T2. Perhaps not coincidentally, the movie was released only a few years after Terminator 2.
Jesus Town
In General
- Crapsaccharine World: While it may not seem so bad on the outside, entering the walls of Jesus Town is enough to see that something is very wrong. The masses all live in poverty, are ruled over by a quasi-religious Evil Overlord and kept in line by Mind Control chips implanted in their heads.
- Light Is Not Good: Coupled with the above, everything throughout the city is designed to give off a bright, heavenly appearance.
- Mooks: The city is patrolled by a number of white-armored Faceless Goons who act as its military-police force.
- People's Republic of Tyranny: Called Jesus Town and styled as a utopia, when in fact it's a dictatorship that brainwashes its people into subservience.
- Propaganda Machine: TV screens are placed throughout the city all for the sole purpose of broadcasting Gurjev's speeches.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: The name "Jesus Town" is just the tip of the iceberg.
- Skeleton Government: The most we see of Jesus Town's government is Gurjev, Michael and their dozens and dozens of Mooks. Jesus Town is mentioned to have a parliament but nothing of it is really shown.
Kaoru
Kaoru
Portrayed by: Mai Hoshio
Kaoru
A member of La Résistance against Gurjev who befriends Ryo/Hakaider.- Deuteragonist: She's the main human character in the film, serving as the face of the resistance and the one who carries the plot when Hakaider isn't on screen.
- Heroic BSoD: After Hakaider seemingly dies, she starts wandering through the streets of Jesus Town, shouting at the civilians and blaming them for his death. Luckily, Hakaider soon shows up alive.
- La Résistance: Is a part of one that seeks to overthrow Gurjev and free the people of Jesus Town from his control.
- Love Interest: Develops a romantic interest in Hakaider, viewing him as the Knight in Shining Armor she saw in her dreams who would come to rescue her from Gurjev. Hakaider seemingly reciprocates towards the end, only for her to pass away soon after.
- Nice Girl: Is quick to befriend Ryo after encountering him and acts friendly to him all throughout.
- Sole Survivor: Subverted. She seemingly escapes from Michael unharmed and reunites with Hakaider, only to pass away from her injures after taking him to her "secret spot", the last oasis in Jesus Twon.
- Token Good Teammate: Kaoru is the only member of the resistance who's truly selfless in seeking to free everyone, while her companions, though not evil, mostly just want to overthrow Gurjev so they can do whatever they want.
Gurjev
Gurjev
Portrayed by: Yasuaki Honda
Gurjev
The Seraphim-like ruler of Jesus Town, who seeks to create a utopia by using Mind Control to suppress his people's emotions and turn them into his obedient followers.- A God Am I: He styles himself after an angel, yet clearly sees himself as a god and his ideal world is one where everyone reveres him as such.
- All There in the Manual: While his background is left mysterious in the film, supplementary materials reveal he is actually a former DARK scientist and follower of Professor Gill.
- Back from the Dead: In the video game sequel, he gets rebuilt as Blue Hakaider.
- Big Bad: Of Mechanical Violator Hakaider. He's the ruler of Jesus Town and Hakaider's nemesis throughout the film.
- Bloodless Carnage: In stark contrast to the Gorn throughout the film no blood squirts out from Gurjev when Hakaider jams his arm into Gurjev's chest, possibly as a sign of how inhuman Gurjev has become.
- Canon Character All Along: A bit of a strange example, but the video game sequel sees him return as Blue Hakaider of all characters.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Professor Gill. Whereas Gill was a Card-Carrying Villain with a dark wardrobe, Gurjev dresses in angelic attire and truly believes he is doing the right thing.
- Create Your Own Hero: He built Hakaider originally, but disposed of him after he developed a sense of free will.
- Dark Messiah: He clearly styles himself a holy man and refers to his people as his "children", claiming to want peace and prosperity for them.
- Dissonant Serenity: Gurjev could be the poster boy for this trope. In every scene he's in he's perfectly calm and polite to an uncanny and almost inhuman degree, even as he's ordering the lobotomization of dissenters against his rule. He's composure starts to slip when he's faced by Hakaider at the end, though only partway.
- Emperor Scientist: Gurjev is both the ruler of Jesus Town and knowledgeable in the field of robotics, having created both Hakaider and Michael.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Say what you will about Gurjev's ruling methods, his society is shown to accept people from all races, sexes and creeds, with his oppression being evenly distributed between them.
- The Generalissimo: The post-apocalyptic equivalent of one, ruling over a futuristic settlement with an iron fist.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He's ultimately slain by the very robot he created.
- Knight Templar: Gurjev wants peace, he really does. It's just that his method of achieving it is to lobotimize his citizens with Mind Control chips that remove all their emotions and turn them into his obedient followers.
- Light Is Not Good: Projects the image of a savior, wears a suit styled after a seraphim and has a handsome, angelic face, yet at the same time he's a brutal dictator seeking to enforce order through any means necessary.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Never actually fights Hakaider himself, instead relying on Michael to do most of his dirty work.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: For all his talk of wanting to create a utopia, it's clear Gurjev is concerned most of all with wanting to stay on top and he later admits his ideal is simply for everyone to bow down before him.
- Not Worth Killing: Hakaider says these exact words to him after destroying Michael before turning away. Despite this, Gurjev doesn't take the hint and tries one last time to attack him while his back is turned, leading to his demise.
- The Evils of Free Will: Seems to believe in this, given how his ideal utopia is one where everyone's free will is overwritten by Mind Control.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: Does everything he does in the name of creating a peaceful utopia without any violence...because everyone's emotions have been suppressed.
- Villainous Breakdown: His calm demeanor noticeably slips when Hakaider faces him at the end, with his speech becoming ever so slightly more frantic.
Michael
Michael
Portrayed by: Kazuhiko Inoue
Michael
Click here to see Michael Tank
Gurjev's Killer Robot enforcer.
- A Father to His Men: Subverted. At one point he's seen closing the eyes of one of his soldiers who just died. However, when he sees an injured soldier who survived he shoots and kills him, deeming him a failure for not dying in battle like the rest of his men.
- Adaptational Villainy: The original Kikaider was a hero dedicated to protecting the innocent. This Kikaider is the reprogrammed enforcer of a Dark Messiah who has no compunction with butchering people on his master's command.
- The Brute: His main function is to serve as Gurjev's muscle and kick the ass of whoever Gurjev doesn't like.
- Canon Character All Along: After he's defeated it's implied that Michael is really Kikaider, having presumably been captured and modified by Gurjev to enforce his own twisted belief of justice on Jesus Town.
- Decomposite Character: Though Hakaider is The Protagonist of the film, Michael also bears a few similar traits to the original Hakaider, Saburo, being the Superior Successor of a prototype Killer Robot who rebelled. Made all the more ironic by the similarities in backstory between movie Hakaider and the original Kikaider.
- The Dragon: He's Gurjev's right-hand man and the head of his security forces.
- Dragon-in-Chief: Gurjev is no slouch, but he's an administrator rather than a fighter and thus its Michael who carries out things like crushing dissenters.
- Evil Counterpart: Given that he was built to be his Superior Successor, he's almost a Made all the more
- Foil: To the film's version of Hakaider. Hakaider is a '90s Anti-Hero with a dark color scheme, while Michael is a Knight Templar with a light one. Hakaider believes in freedom over forced peace, Michael believes the opposite.
- Killer Robot: He's Gurjev's robot assassin, created to kill anyone who defies his utopia.
- Knight Templar: He's just as committed to enforcing Gurjev's vision of "peace" as Gurjev is.
- Light Is Not Good: Has a white and silver color scheme, and is a ruthless enforcer of "justice".
- Meaningful Name: Named "Michael" after Archangel Michael, the angel who led the armies of Heaven against Satan's Legions of Hell.
- Mook Lieutenant: He leads the Heavy Armored Soldiers of Jesus Town in keeping order.
- Off with His Head!: How Hakaider defeats him. He knocks it off again after Michael becomes Michael Tank.
- One-Winged Angel: After being defeated by Hakaider, his head is placed on Gurjev's Death Angel weapon to continue fighting against Hakaider.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's far stronger than the Mooks he commands. When Hakaider - who killed dozens of them with little effort all throughout the movie - finally confronts him, he very nearly gets killed by Michael and only manages to defeat him by catching him off guard with his arm cannon.
- Superior Successor: Was built as the successor to Hakaider after Gurjev deemed him a failure. As a result he proves much stronger than Hakaider when the two encounter each other, and Hakaider only triumphs over him through some quick thinking.
- Tom the Dark Lord: While he's named after the Archangel Michael, to a western viewer the name "Michael" might sound a bit odd for a Killer Robot without context.
Heavy Armored Soldiers
Heavy Armored Soldiers
Heavy Armored Soldiers
The military police of Gurjev's regime in Jesus Town.- Ambiguously Human: It's unclear whether they're humans, robots or something in between. It doesn't help that some soldiers are shown shedding blood, while others seem to have mechanical wiring beneath their armor.
- Doom Troops: Of a different, almost Inverted sort than most. These white-armored, seemingly inhuman Faceless Goons give off a very uncanny feel while marching together.
- Faceless Goons: They all wear face-concealing visors.
- Light Is Not Good: They all have a white color scheme, yet are enforcers for an evil dictatorship.
- Mooks: They're Gurjev's main grunt fighting force.
- Mook Lieutenant: A mook with a modified set of armor is shown leading larger squads of them.
