History Characters / KamenRiderGaimYggdrasillCorporation

* DarkChick: A more subtle example than previous ones, but she's very good at reading others, is an expert spy, and later develops a warm relationship with Kaito.

* BladeOnAStick: The Kagematsu, the signature weapon associated with the Matsubokkuri Lockseed.

* EvilIsPetty: Ryoma's whole motivation is that he can't handle the idea that Helheim might be able to make humanity evolve better than he can.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:A villainous example. He kicks Micchy's ass after revealing his XanatosGambit. Also doubles as a KickTheDog moment, since Micchy is already emotionally broken from Kouta and Mai's supposed deaths at this point.]]
** [[spoiler:Moments later gets his own at the hands of a powered up Kaito.]]

* TheManInFrontOfTheMan: By the time the series begins, Ryoma has undercut Takatora's authority so severely and kept him in a bubble so that Takatora is unknowingly going along with what Ryoma wants, instead of what's best for humanity.

%%* EvilLaugh

* AntiHero[=/=]AntiVillain: Her equally gray morality makes her very similar to Kaito.

* BodyGuardBabes: To Ryoma, though he doesn't really need one.

* FlatCharacter / SatelliteCharacter: There really isn't much to Yoko unless she's with Ryoma or Kaito. Instead of acting independently, she's seen pulling bodyguard duty for people she considers worthy of [[spoiler:obtaining the Forbidden Fruit]]. ...And that's really her sole motivation.

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Just ''why'' is he helping out the Beat Riders when the rest of Yggdrasill's left them for dead? [[spoiler:Played with later on, as he and Yggdrasill shift away from one another; after that point Sagara's ''nobody'''s Dragon.]]

[[center: [- [[Characters/KamenRiderGaim Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimBeatRiders Beat Riders]] ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKoutaKazuraba Kouta Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKaitoKumon Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimMitsuzaneKureshima Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen]]) | '''Yggdrasill Corporation''' ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimTakatoraKureshima Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu]]) | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimHelheimForest Helheim Forest]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimOthers Others]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimCrossoversAndMovies Movie Characters]]]] -]

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:In #43, thanks to Kaito. At that point he had ''more'' than earned it.]]

%%* BadassLabcoat: His outfit when on the job.

%%* ChewingTheScenery

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Wants Kouta's and Kaito's help in creating a new Driver that exceeds even the Genesis Drivers in power.
** Not his only agenda, either. [[spoiler:He also WANTS the Helheim Forest to invade the Earth, knowing that it would cause the deaths of thousands and not giving a damn.]]

* FourEyesZeroSoul: #27's flashbacks show he used to wear glasses.

* SarcasticClapping: To herald his return in #38.

* {{Transhuman}}: His other ultimate goal.

* VillainProtagonist: He's the main character of his own Gaiden story.
* VillainRespect: Towards Takatora. Even if Ryoma views him as a fool for wanting to save everyone, he still can't help but respect his strength and admits to being impressed by him during the events of ''Movie War Full Throttle''. It's the closest he comes to actually caring about Takatora.

%%* DarkIsEvil

%%* BadassInANiceSuit: An Urobuchi staple.
%%* BattleButler[=/=]NinjaMaid

%%* BoyishShortHair

%%* KickChick: A signature for Minami Tsukui.

* MagicSkirt
** Defied in ''Gaim Gaiden: Duke'' when she scales an apartment building for an investigation and she's shown wearing pants.

%%* ShipTease: With Kaito.

* VillainousFriendship: Type III with Ryoma. She respects him and admires his vision. Ryoma doesn't give a crap and dumps her the second things go south.

* AuthorAppeal: Anyone who has seen Urobuchi's [[LightNovel/FateZero previous]] [[Anime/PsychoPass works]] should know he just loves nietzschean philosophy and Sagara loves to go on filibusters filled to the brim nietzschean undertones.

* YouGotSpunk: A rather dark take on this trope. The reason why he gave Mitsuzane his Sengoku Driver was because he was impressed by his dark side. He also gave out the last three Drivers to teams willing to break away from Baron's alliance.

* BadassLabcoat: His outfit when on the job.

* ChewingTheScenery

* WeHaveReserves

* DarkIsEvil

* PsychoForHire: Unlike the other Yggdrasil employees, who either view their actions as a NecessaryEvil or a means to an end, he ''enjoys'' his heinous actions, including killing Hase and trying to kill Kouta. While he talks a heroic talk, it seems to be only an excuse to perform heinous acts because he ''wants'' to.

* TheSociopath: Is charismatic enough to have easily convinced the Beat Riders to take his wares, takes a sadistic pleasure in screwing with people's heads, and has [[LackOfEmpathy zero empathy for anyone else]]. He also escalates the Inves Game seemingly on a whim without orders from his superiors more than once. He also shows a violent, homicidal streak when he's actually enraged, to the point of [[spoiler:outright trying to kill Baron and Gaim]] in anger when they get the slip on him. He also seemed to ''enjoy'' killing Hase as opposed to his comrades, who either viewed it as a NecessaryEvil or were indifferent.
* SoftSpokenSadist: While he has charisma and speaks calmly most of the time, the guy is notably the only Yggdrasil member to outright ''enjoy'' his heinous actions instead of seeing them as a NecessaryEvil or a means to an end.

* BadassInANiceSuit: An Urobuchi staple.
* BattleButler[=/=]NinjaMaid

* BoyishShortHair

* KickChick: A signature for Minami Tsukui.

* ShipTease: With Kaito.

* {{Troll}}

* BreakoutCharacter: Has become one of the more popular characters and gets enough post-show appearances to rival the main four, such as ''Movie War Full Throttle'' and some of the ''Gaim Gaiden'' specials, with one of which was slated to have Ryoma as the main character, which he got by winning a poll.

* BeardOfEvil

* BackAlleyDoctor: Serves as this role during #42-43 while he attempts to extract the Golden Fruit from Mai as Micchy found this out the hard way in the latter episode. This is something we don't see someone [[Series/KamenRiderAgito who does a medical work without a license]] until [[Series/KamenRiderExAid three years later]].

* BigBad: By #25 it's pretty obvious who's really in charge of Yggdrasil.

** However, Ryouma is ultimately the most evil of all the villains in the series, and he survives the events of the story longer than [[spoiler:the Overlords]] do. His actions and crimes still have major impact and lasting consequences on the story, so it could be argued that he's the BigBad, [[spoiler:even if he's not the FinalBoss]].

* FalseFriend: [[spoiler:He sees Takatora as a tool and nothing more.]]

* MilkingTheGiantCow

* NoSocialSkills: Of the slimy {{Jerkass}} variety.

* VillainTakesAnInterest: He thinks that either Kaito or Kouta could become the next Big Thing.

* RedIsHeroic: He ''insists'' he's heroic, but [[InvertedTrope he's far from it]].

* WeaponOfChoice: [[EnergyBow The Sonic Arrow]], a bow and arrow compatiable with energy lockseeds he designed himself.

%%* WeaponOfChoice:

* WeaponOfChoice:
** EnergyBow: The Sonic Arrow.

%%* WeaponOfChoice: the Kagematsu, as mentioned above, as well as flamethrowers.

* ShesGotLegs: Short skirts are part of her standard outfit.

** FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler:#20 reveals his views are exactly the same as Kaito and he wants Helheim to invade. He maintains his politeness, but that revealed him as a complete villain.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: His social skills are similar to someone with high-functioning autism. Also, he's a total nutcase.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: His surname translates to something like "Extreme War" and is a homonym for one of the most infamous eras of Japanese history.

* HateSink: His overall actions has made him far worse than Sid (though probably because [[spoiler:Sid was already killed before he could demonstrate his own true villainy]]), since he almost put the world into utter destruction due his experiments and his ambitions of grasping the Forbidden Fruit. In fact, Ryoma seems to outright ''enjoy'' making everyone around him hate him as much as physically possible.

* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Yggdrasill is hyper-competent about everything except with their security detail. The guards forget to watch the cameras, the executives never turn off or log out of computers with sensitive information, and the Kurokage Troopers spectacularly fail during critical moments: Not only can they be tricked by simply making a sharp turn; they manage to let three targets escape while not landing a single hit with their cannons, as well as how a 16-year-old boy flying a Dandeliner for the first time does a better job than the mooks specifically trained for it.

* SadClown: Ryoma is an '''''inversion''''' of this. One such example in #39, being TheSociopath that he is, his antics are most likely at the expense of Kouta and company. But [[DudeNotFunny none of them are buying his crap]]. [[spoiler:#43 takes this UpToEleven when he snarks at a seemingly-depressed Mitsuzane after his PyrrhicVictory against Kouta, which is also the final straw to cause Micchy to break down at the mere sight of the dead remains of Mai.]]

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Minato even says he'll betray anyone for power.

* HatedByAll: After he returns in #38, everyone hates him. Even [[AllLovingHero Kouta]] acts like he wants to throw him out a window.
* HateSink: His overall actions has made him far worse than Sid (though probably because [[spoiler:Sid was already killed before he could demonstrate his own true villainy]]), since he almost put the world into utter destruction due his experiments and his ambitions of grasping the Forbidden Fruit.

* ItsAllAboutMe: As a narcissistic sociopath Ryoma is incapable of caring about anyone but himself or those he deems extensions of himself (Like Takatora used to be).

* ItAmusedMe: The ''real'' reason for all those Sengoku Driver voices.

* {{Troll}}: This is how he acts around Kouta and the others when he offers them help in #38.

* NiceHat: A DastardlyDapperDerby. It's ultimately used for a [[spoiler:DeadHatShot.]]

* HateSink: Sid is such a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal slimy, smug, soulless, scumbag]] that AllLovingHero Kouta openly hates him, telling the audience to direct their hate onto Sid. His stint however was outmatched by Ryoma who outlived him for many episodes.

* SkunkStripe: Has a whitish streak in his hair.

* MsFanservice: Due to her kicking ass and climbing stairs in a DangerouslyShortSkirt.

[[center: [- [[Characters/KamenRiderGaim Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimBeatRiders Beat Riders]] ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKoutaKazuraba Kouta Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimMitsuzaneKureshima Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen]]) | '''Yggdrasill Corporation''' ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimTakatoraKureshima Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu]]) | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimHelheimForest Helheim Forest]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimOthers Others]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimCrossoversAndMovies Movie Characters]]]] -]

[[center: [- [[Characters/KamenRiderGaim Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimBeatRiders Beat Riders]] ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKoutaKazuraba Kouta Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimMitsuzaneKureshima Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen]]) | '''Yggdrasill Corporation''' | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimHelheimForest Helheim Forest]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimOthers Others]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimCrossoversAndMovies Movie Characters]]]] -]

!!Takatora Kureshima/Armored Rider Zangetsu[[note]]"slaying moon"[[/note]]/New Generation Rider Zangetsu Shin[[note]]"true slaying moon"[[/note]]/[[spoiler:Armored Rider Gridon II[[note]]Phonetic anagram of "donguri," the word for "acorn"[[/note]]]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Yuki Kubota (live), Jun Watanabe (suit)
[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/takatora_kureshima.png]]

-->''"This world is full of evil. Evil beyond purpose or reason."''

The older brother of Team Gaim's Mitsuzane Kureshima. As an heir to the Yggdrasill Corporation, he has already taken on responsibilities within the company and is the head of the R&D Department. Though ruthless, he loves his brother dearly.

He initially uses the Melon Lock Seed and the Sengoku Driver to transform into Armored Rider Zangetsu. Later, he becomes the first[[note]]''Duke Gaiden'' revealed him to actually be the second, after Sengoku.[[/note]] user of the next-generation Genesis Driver, which, along with the Melon Energy Lock Seed, allows him to transform into New Generation Rider Zangetsu Shin[[note]]"Shin" = "new". Often used as a prefix to indicate the new (and perfected) iteration of something, much in the same way "Super" was added onto videogame sequels like Super Mario Bros. or Super Metroid.[[/note]].\\
\\
Voted #1 Kamen Rider in the ''Kamen Rider Gaim'' franchise, #34 Kamen Rider in the Heisei era, and #53 Kamen Rider overall in NHK's All Kamen Rider Popularity Vote.

* AllAccordingToPlan: According to him, Gaim getting the Sengoku Driver has advanced Yggdrasill's agenda in some way.
** Shown in #12: the various Riders using the Sengoku Driver has allowed Yggdrasill to both mass produce Drivers in the "form" of Kurokage for their mooks, and allowed the creation of both the Genesis Driver, and Energy Lock Seeds.
* AllThereInTheManual: Neither of his Rider names have been spoken in the show. He's only ever referred to as "the white Armored Rider".
* TheAllegedBoss: While he's supposedly TheLeader and BigBad of the New Generation Riders, none of them actually follow his commands and really defer to Ryoma.
* AlmostDeadGuy: [[spoiler:Takatora might have survived his dip into the sea, but being stuck in the ocean for so long gave him brain damage that would have killed him if Kouta hadn't intervened.]]
* AloofBigBrother: Is Ryugen's big brother, but instead of participating in the conflict between Beat Riders, he works for that big shady company.
* AntiRoleModel: He comes to consider himself one. [[spoiler:He thinks he provided a poor example for Micchy and unintentionally inspired him to become the ruthless, two-faced villain he is today after he was so easily fooled over the course of the series. Kouta later gives him another chance, though he needed some convincing after being so discouraged with both his own incapability and how far Micchy had fallen.]]
* AntiVillain -> AntiHero: He has been shown to have standards, loves his brother, is genuinely well-intentioned and is the only member of the inner circle that hasn't gone out of his way to be a dick in some way.
** [[spoiler:He is very uneasy about his decisions and wants Kouta to despair out of the belief that it would validate Takatora's own actions]].
** [[spoiler:He eventually develops a high opinion of Kouta, and is willing to work with him when a more idealistic alternative to his original plan presents itself. While Takatora is willing to go to dangerous extremes, he is ultimately well-intentioned and firmly committed to saving humanity.]]
*** [[spoiler:In Gaiden side episode has him begin into CharacterDevelopment after meeting Kouta, especially when he finds out his father's dark secret within an abandoned Zawame's Child Care by Yggdrasill, the place where Touka was (though he didn't know Ryoma was one of those orphans there), turning them into a guinea pigs to make them work for Yggdrasill forever, thus may processed into TheAtoner.]]
*** [[spoiler:While still firmly a hero, both the stage show and the Gridon Vs Bravo special show he's still capable of manipulating others if he feels the need to.]]
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Has the arrogance down, most likely due to his wealthy upbringing and role in Yggdrasill's grand plan. His combat ability is unquestionable.
* TheAtoner: If he didn't clash with Kouta, who turns out has a same ideal to safe humanity, yet powerful than Takatora, he and Mitsuzane could have been a family friend. This was shown when he finds out [[spoiler:his father's dark secret]], in which almost affects his life. However, was too late, as his father's influence affects [[spoiler:[[TurnOutLikeHisFather Mitsuzane]]]] instead.
** This eventually make matters right when he finally sees his sister in person after Kouta and Mai's departure in saving Earth, Kaito's death and Mitsuzane's [[spoiler:redemptions]].
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Is a high ranking member of the Yggdrasill Corporation and strong enough to causally deliver a CurbstompBattle to Gaim.
* BadassBaritone: This merely accentuates his imposing and foreboding presence.
* BadassInANiceSuit: His main outfit. Justified since he was an high ranking member of Yggdrasill.
* BeneathTheMask: At first glance Takatora is a stoic, arrogant man, but underneath it all he hates himself for what he plans to do but genuinely sees no other choice.
* BigBad: [[spoiler:Subverted. While presented as the major enemy at first, as the show goes on he's shown to be neither very Big (other forces can easily manipulate him) nor Bad (he's committing what he feels are {{Necessary Evil}}s).]]
* BigBrotherInstinct: For all of his faults, Takatora does genuinely care about his brother's future and well-being.
** He did not take Sid's suggestion that Micchy took the Suika Lock Seed well.
** His reaction to finding out Micchy is an Armored Rider... was not very good. He then also put two and two together about the Suika Lock. An episode later, he angrily demands answers out of Sid as to why he gave his brother one of the Drivers. When he confronts Mitsuzane about it, he even outright admits that he's upset because he wanted to protect him from the entire conflict with Helheim.
* BigGood: Post-series, with Kouta's absence leaving him the strongest Rider on Earth, he seems to be moving into this role. He travels the world trying to undo the harm Yggdrasil carried out and with the Shin Kachidoki lockseed giving him an end-game tier final form, he's actively accepted his role is to fight for the rest of his life as a protector.
* BishieSparkle: How he's seen through Bravo-Vision.
* BossWarningSiren: A subtle example. Before he steps out of the elevator in #10, a siren seems to alert his employees to his Incoming Badass...
* BreakTheCutie:
** Takatora wants to do this to Kouta. A rare example where he doesn't really want to do so out of outright hatred or malice, but because [[spoiler:he has genuine doubts about his actions and Yggdrasil's agenda. Takatora believes that seeing someone as heroic and idealistic as Kouta back down from challenging him would help ease his conscience and prove his course of action to be correct.]]
** He also unintentionally did this to his own brother. Takatora showed Micchy the truth about the Helheim Forest in order to convince him to join Yggdrasil and help Takatora. However, it ended up causing Micchy's StartOfDarkness.
* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: In #36 [[spoiler:he regains his old Sengoku Driver to become the original Zangetsu to try to finish things with his brother.]] Considering the power difference, he does amazingly well.
* BreakThemByTalking: In #22 [[spoiler:he breaks Kouta by showing Kouta's fight against Yuya and pointing out how everything worked out because he killed his friend.]]
* BrokenPedestal: To Ryoma in a really weird way. Ryoma used to hero worship Takatora, seeing him as the next God Emperor of mankind. However, after finding out that Takatora wants to use his powers for altruistic reasons, he turns against him.
* CainAndAbel: With Mitsuzane, though surprisingly [[spoiler:he's the Abel, as Mitsuzane ends up being much more antagonistic than he is.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Takatora started out as an arrogant man who saw the Beat Riders as "street trash" but as he fought Kouta his arrogance wanes and he develops respect and sympathy for them.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Touka Akatsuki, who was also his personal maid servant, and they were very close, at that. [[spoiler:The truth of her origins sours things]].
* CartwrightCurse: An alternate version of Takatora has a wife who's comatose and in hospital in the Gaim summer movie. And in ''Gaim Gaiden: Zangetsu'', a girl he once knew [[spoiler:gets one of the Forbidden Fruit Lockseeds, turns into an Armored Rider and tried to kill him, but failed... so Ryoma finishes her off]].
* ComesGreatResponsibility: He believes that it is the duty of the rich and powerful to protect the weak, even referring to it as ''Noblesse oblige''.
* TheComicallySerious: Becomes this when interacting with Bravo.
** Also used in specials and movies, in the crossover with ''[=ToQger=]'' he admonishes his underlings for telling him about a giant Inves fighting a mecha, unaware that said battle is happening right behind him, and in the crossover with ''Wizard'', his reaction to the Fourze Legend Arms he gets is:
-->'''Takatora''': [[BorrowedCatchphrase SPACE IS-]]... and that's as far as I'll humor ''that'' notion.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: He considers himself the one who turned [[spoiler:Micchy]] into the scumbag he is today.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Delivers one to Kouta in #4, then curb-stomps ''all five'' other Riders in #11.
** Does it again in #12 when testing the Genesis Driver against a squad of Kurokage mooks. It appears that "curb stomp" is his default setting.
** #14 has him do this once again to Baron. However according to him, the Sengoku Drivers and Base Riders can't hope to equal an New Generation Rider.
** In #19 this happens again: Kouta holds out for a while but ultimately couldn't touch Takatora at all.
* CutenessProximity: His reaction to Ichigo Arms in the Hyper Battle Video.
--> '''Takatora:''' This is too cute for me.
* DarkMessiah: In direct contrast to Kouta.
* DeclarationOfProtection: During his fight with Megahex he says this word for word, stating he'll protect the world he's inherited. Similarly, as she dies Kamen Rider Sylphi says that there'll always be someone like her and he'll never stop fighting. He merely responds that he's well aware of this.
* DisneyDeath:
** In #28 Takatora "dies" by being thrown off a cliff. To no one's surprise he's shown to be alive the very next episode.
** Zigzagged in #36, where he's blasted into the river and his Driver's wrecked. Normally in ''Kamen Rider'', being thrown into the water is the result of a harsher-than-usual beatdown, but it's generally not fatal. But then he's not seen ([[spoiler:other than as a hallucination]]) for over two months... [[spoiler:He eventually turns up alive, but not until the series epilogue; and as a deconstruction of the usual ''Rider'' practice in that his time in the water caused brain damage that left him in a coma for months.]]
* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: In #29 [[spoiler:Takatora meets Rosyuo, King of the Overlords, who saves his life and regales him with his life story.]]
* DoesNotLikeGuns: Zigzagged. He prefers katanas over guns, despite the fact that his Musou Saber doubles as a gun.
* DramaticIrony: In #20 he makes a speech about how one evil person can ruin the hard work of a hundred virtuous efforts... cue a scene where [[spoiler:the rest of the New Generation Riders gleefully admit that they plan to screw Takatora over when the time is right.]]
** The irony is furthered in the following episodes: he accuses Kouta of being naive, but [[spoiler:Takatora now seems to be the only major player who doesn't realize that his associates are planning to betray him, as well as being the only major character oblivious to the existence of the Overlord Inves]].
** Takatora genuinely cares about and wants to protect his brother, but showing Mitsuzane the truth about the Helheim forest and bringing him into Yggdrasil has set the latter on the path to outright villainy.
* TheDreaded: Kouta is scared to death of him. And after #11, this also applies to everyone but Micchy and Oren. Even the other New Generation Riders fear him. [[spoiler:When the time comes to betray him, Minato is actually cautious and after his supposed death Sid feels confident enough to betray Ryoma.]]
* EducationMama: Male example. He continuously reminds Mitsuzane about the importance of his education and advises him to avoid any "distractions" in his life.
* EtTuBrute: In #28, after [[spoiler:getting betrayed by Sid and then Minato, Takatora applies this trope on Ryoma (who he honestly saw as his closest friend) when he finds out that the scientist is part of the coup.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: The term evil may not be the right word for him, but Takatora does genuinely love his younger brother and wants what is best for him. In the two earliest tie-in films, he even sides with Mitsuzane and the other Armored Riders in the conflicts. This comes back to [[spoiler:bite him in the ass in the most tragic way possible and leads to his supposed demise.]]
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** He openly says that a trained soldier having a Sengoku Driver is too dangerous during #7 and requests the Driver be returned. Everyone else, however, seems to entertain the idea of Oren having the belt in one way or another.
** He shows disgust whenever his other members do things ForTheEvulz.
** He also doesn't aim to kill when fighting other Armored Riders. In #15, he makes it clear that without their belts the Beat Riders should even be protected. Unfortunately Sid seems to disagree...
** After [[spoiler:Takatora breaks Kouta by revealing the truth about Yuya's death to him, he simply lets him go since he doesn't think he's a threat to Yggdrasil's plans anymore. This is in spite of Sid's skepticism and the fact that he could probably kill Kouta easily in is depressed state.]]
* EveryScarHasAStory: Has a prominent one on his right shoulder, inflicted during his first transformation into Zangetsu. [[spoiler:#27 reveals that it still very much hurts, meaning that he has been fighting with a handicap the entire time]].
* EvilCounterpart: To Kouta, big time. Both are the lead characters in their respective factions and noticeably more moral than the other Riders - in fact, the only real difference between them is that Zangetsu has accepted having to ShootTheDog; Gaim hasn't. As for their Rider forms, they're not only both samurai; but they both have the Musou Saber as an extra sidearm and their armors are in many ways {{Palette Swap}}s of one another.
** Later subverted; [[spoiler:Takatora's not evil, he's just more cynical. As soon as Kouta shows him the potential for a more idealistic solution, he's all in.]]
** He's initially presented as one to Micchy. Both brothers come from a rich and powerful family, but while Micchy is friends with the hero, Takatora is built up as a villain. [[spoiler:However, it's eventually [[InvertedTrope inverted]]: Takatora ultimately has selfless motives and a strong moral compass, while Micchy is extremely selfish and becomes more and more twisted.]]
* FatalFlaw: By the halfway mark, it's made pretty clear that his fatal flaw is that, while he talks a big game about killing, he's pretty hesitant around it, [[spoiler:having Sid kill Hase instead of doing it himself, wanting Ryoma to make just a ''few'' more Sengoku Drivers for Project Ark, and sparing Micchy and Touka are all examples of this]]. He also has major flaws in being a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter and being too trusting of people; and having TheoryTunnelvision, too committed to his beliefs and slow to recognize conflicting evidence.
* AFatherToHisMen: Shown to genuinely care for the mooks directly under his command.
* {{Foil}}: Takatora is one to both Kouta and Micchy.
** Kouta: Takatora is TheCynic while Kouta is TheIdealist. [[spoiler:Both men are ultimately well-intentioned and want to protect humanity. Takatora is willing to commit various atrocities in order to make sure that the human race is able to survive; Kouta remains steadfast in wanting to save everyone and disapproves of Yggdrasil's methods. However, the two eventually realize they are not so different and Takatora is eager to take a more idealistic alternative when it presents itself. Both men also follow a ThouShallNotKill mentality, though whereas Kouta actively adopts it after he learns the AwfulTruth and is willing to drop it when it comes to fighting the Overlords, Takatora subconsciously has it in his mind and never dropping it, even when his job requires him to at least kill ''some'' people.]]
** Mitsuzane: [[spoiler:Takatora is originally hinted to be a BigBad, but is ultimately revealed to be a WellIntentionedExtremist who genuinely wants to protect humanity and doesn't desire power for himself (even believing that it is the duty of the powerful to protect the weak). In addition, Takatora gradually warms up to Kouta and is moved by his idealism. In contrast, his brother Mitsuzane undergoes a FaceHeelTurn as he becomes increasingly DrunkWithPower, to the point that he doesn't care about anything except what he personally wants. He joins forces with Redyue in her invasion of Earth even though her success would most likely bring about the end of human civilization. While he's also initially best friends with Kouta, Mitsuzane becomes bitter and hateful when Kouta's idealism leads him to repeatedly (and unintentionally) defy Micchy's schemes, and he starts trying to kill him.]]
*** It gets worse: [[spoiler:when Takatora was willing to carry out Project Ark, he honestly saw it as a NecessaryEvil and felt immense guilt for planning to carry it out. Once the possibility of a more idealistic option presented itself, he eagerly took it and joined forces with Kouta. In contrast, when Mitsuzane starts carrying out his own version of Project Ark in #35, he doesn't seem to express any sort of remorse; he gives some lip service to it being the key to humanity's survival, but he doesn't seem to actually care that massive amounts of people will die. Even worse, he treats Kouta's idealism with nothing but hatred, seeing it as a threat to his plans that needs to be destroyed.]]
* FourIsDeath: His Melon Lock Seed is LS-04, while his Melon Energy Lock Seed is ELS-04. [[spoiler:He loses access to Zangetsu Shin after Ryoma's betrayal, and later is presumed dead after his fight against Mitsuzane... Though it's subverted that he's actually revealed to be in a coma for a long time.]]
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Melancholic.
* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:He's revealed to be an unwilling AntiVillain during the middle point of the series... ...just in time for the other New Generation Riders to betray him. ]]
* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler:It's revealed that he has a scar on his right shoulder, and that it still pains him to this day.]]
* HappilyMarried: In the Soccer World, he has a sick wife, paralleling him with Rosyuo and his queen.
* HeroWithAnFInGood: Oh, ''holy God yes.'' [[spoiler:Every attempt he's made to try to stop Helheim has either shifted power back towards the people trying to manipulate him or somehow ended up making the entire situation worse for both sides.]]
* HeroicBSOD[=/=]DespairEventHorizon: Happens in #28; after he realizes [[spoiler:Ryoma has betrayed him]], he loses the will to fight.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Kept his plans hidden for a significant portion of the story.
* HiddenDepths: During his CurbStompBattle with the other Riders, he takes extra caution to not actually ''kill'' anyone, even Oren who he thinks shouldn't be a Rider, by [[SetSwordsToStun holding his Musou Saber backwards]]. He's actually horrified when he winds up destroying one of the Sengoku Drivers.
** Furthermore, he tried to stop Ryoji from eating a Helheim Fruit, and after his transformation, he made Sid take him down in order to try to make him feel responsibility for his actions... He just didn't think that Sid would even care.
** In #21, he admits that [[spoiler:he has genuine doubts about his more morally questionable actions and Yggdrasil's plans, and respects Kouta's heroism and resolve.]]
** #36 shows that he's not as cold and absolute as one may think. [[spoiler:He fails to deliver the final blow on Mitzusane and is coldly struck down because of his hesitation.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: This is one of Takatora's {{Fatal Flaw}}s. He relies on some rather ObviouslyEvil people, and can find no wrong in his brother. Micchy outright states that Takatora has a habit of trusting people that he really shouldn't in #23.
* ImaginaryEnemy: [[spoiler:Micchy starts seeing hallucinations of Takatora after defeating him.]]
* ItsAllMyFault: Takatora blames himself for [[spoiler:what Micchy has become]] in #36.
-->'''Takatora''': That's right. I'm the one who [[spoiler:made Mitsuzane like this.]]
* JerkassRealization: After learning about [[spoiler:Micchy's FaceHeelTurn, Takatora realizes that his cold aloofness helped turn Micchy into the monster he's become. In particular, he flashes back to his earlier lecture to Micchy about how he needed to cut out "unimportant things" from his life.]] Takatora realizes just how cruel this was and deeply regrets it.
* TheJuggernaut: The only thing that's ever stopped him was his own moral compass. If he wasn't a good man, the bad guys would have won a long time ago.
* KnightOfCerebus: In-universe for Kouta. Once he shows up in his life, he stops taking his life as an Armored Rider as a game.
* KnightTemplar: The Melon Lockseed's jingle, ''"Tenka Gomen!"'' is a Japanese idiom referring to the Chinese concept of the Mandate of Heaven, and initially Takatora seems to fit the bill, being ruthless in his pursuit of his goals and repeatedly emphasizing that he is fighting evil without purpose or reason. He's actually a subversion, however, as his resolve is far from certain about Project Ark and once another option is presented to him, he immediately takes it even though it comes from Kouta.
* KubrickStare[=/=]PerpetualFrowner: His default expression.
* LargeHam: Minor example: Though we the audience only see it once, his pre-transformation pose as Zangetsu is the most grandiose of all the Armored Riders, using CGI even before the transformation is initiated. He does no pose or gesture as Zangetsu Shin, however.
* LaserGuidedKarma: He's the one who showed Mitsuzane the truth of Helheim and therefore started his downfall. [[spoiler:It makes sense that he'd nearly die from the end result's hands]].
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: By #23, he had become by far the most unaware major player. He didn't realize that [[spoiler:his associates were plotting behind his back, and he was the only major character who didn't know about the Overlord Inves.]]
** Likewise, even before that, chronologically, he was unaware that, as part of the Lockseed project, [[spoiler:his father had commissioned experimentation on children. Incidentally, the two confirmed survivors, who he each considered his friends, unaware of their connection to this, both bit him in the ass within a short time of each other. His former childhood attendant Touka and then Ryoma himself]].
* MadeOfIron: Takatora is consistently portrayed as ''insanely'' durable, surviving multiple incidents that would have killed anyone else.
* MilesToGoBeforeISleep: He would have been [[spoiler:stuck in a coma forever and probably preferred it that way if it wasn't for Kouta asking him to help Micchy]].
* MirrorCharacter: Both Takatora and Kouta have doubts about fighting the Inves, care for those close to them, and ultimately want to protect people; the key difference between them is that [[spoiler:Takatora has accepted the idea that innocent people must be sacrificed for the greater good, while Kouta wants to save everyone.]]
* NamedAfterSomeoneFamous: After [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dd%C5%8D_Takatora Toudou Takatora]].
* NecessarilyEvil: How he perceives all of the morally unjust things he does. He still feels immense guilt for them, though.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Attacks Bujin Double right as he was about to finish off [[BigBad Bujin Gaim]], resulting in Double's defeat, thinking Bujin Gaim was the Gaim he knew. While he wasn't exactly a 'hero' at the time, he was still on the hero's ''side'' during the conflict at hand.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Gives Kouta one so brutal in #4, it leaves the poor guy [[TheDreaded absolutely terrified of him]].
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:TWICE. Having survived the fall in #28 and being knocked into a river by Mitsuzane in #36]]
* NotSoAboveItAll: In #22, he chuckles before showing Kouta that [[spoiler:he killed Yuya.]]
** Takatora purposefully tries to invoke this on Kouta: when Kouta calls him out on being willing to sacrifice lives in #22, Takatora turns it back on him by explaining that Kouta and other people are only alive today because he [[spoiler:took ''Yuya's'' life]]. However, Kouta soon regains his resolve, rejects Takatora's belief, and [[spoiler:destroys Yggdrasil's Scalar System with Kachidoki Arms.]]
** In #27,[[spoiler:his backstory reveals his goal to save as many people as possible from the Helheim invasion, similar to Kouta. Both of them also have a villainous sidekick that they genuinely view as their friend, while their sidekicks have their own goals and are willing to betray them any time (Ryoma to Takatora, and Micchy to Kouta).]]
* OffscreenTeleportation[=/=]VillainTeleportation: Demonstrates this ability in Helheim Forest in #4.
* OnlySaneMan: For Yggdrasill. He's the only one who hasn't done something solely ForTheEvulz and is focused on their main objective while the other members of the inner circle tend to prefer making the Armored Riders suffer for fun.
** Becomes more pronounced as time goes on: Takatora is the only New Generation Rider [[spoiler:who actually wants to save humanity and acknowledges that Yggdrasil's actions are cruel; the others all see the Helheim invasion as a good thing and don't care that their plans will cause the deaths of billions.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Takatora admits in #36 that because their parents were always overseas, he had to raise Mitsuzane.
* PetTheDog: Out of his bond to two people, he's shown to be unable to kill them when forced to fight them. Sparing either of them don't pay off: [[spoiler:Ryoma murders Touka anyway once he lets her go, and Micchy takes advantage of his hesitation and seemingly kills him]].
* TheProudElite: Repeatedly refers to Beat Riders as "street trash" that's beneath him and tries to pass this attitude on to Mitsuzane. He [[TookALevelInKindness got better after a while]].
* PsychoticSmirk: Flashes a Sid-worthy one when [[spoiler:he shows Kouta that he killed Yuya]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unfortunately, none of his subordinates are what you'd call "reasonable".
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly Man to Mitsuzane's Sensitive Guy.
* ShirtlessScene: In #27, his bare shoulders and part of his back can bee seen during a shower scene. It shows that EveryScarHasAStory.
* SiblingTeam: In ''Movie War Full Throttle'', he and Mitsuzane fight together against Megahex's invasion.
* SkilledButNaive: While he's not technically naive, he's a very oblivious person due his [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter tendency]] of relying on some extremely untrustworthy people and his inability to notice his brother's downward spiral.
* SoProudOfYou: To Mitsuzane's shock, he actually applauds him for going behind his back and going against his planned out life by telling him that [[ItRunsInTheFamily "you definitely have Kureshima blood in you"]].
* SympathyForTheHero: He seems to have gained a soft spot for Kouta, admiring his resolve and idealism, despite setting out to break his will.
** [[spoiler:Upon meeting Demushu and having Kouta tell him the truth about the Overlord Inves, Takatora immediately believes Kouta and the two join forces. Despite Kouta destroying the Scalar System, he seems to be more than willing to let bygones be bygones and give Kouta's idealism a chance.]]
** Eventually, Takatora develops a very high opinion of Kouta and genuinely wants to help him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Micchy has other plans.]]
* TakeUpMySword: In #28, right before [[spoiler:Sid sends Takatora plummeting to his doom, Takatora sees Mitsuzane in the distance and tells him to help Kouta and save humanity. Too bad Takatora doesn't know his little brother has made a FaceHeelTurn.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome
* [[{{Deuteragonist}} Tetragonist]]
* TheoryTunnelvision: This is Takatora's other FatalFlaw, as he tends to ignore whatever challenges his worldview or inconveniences his plans unless he can't avoid it anymore.
** He initially refused to consider the idea that his beloved little brother wasn't the stoic, diligent student he pretended to be [[spoiler:and fails to notice that showing Micchy the truth about Helheim has had a very horrifying effect on his sanity]].
** He fails to realize that all his trusted allies aren't [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremists]] like him and are conspiring against him. By #23, he appears to be the only major character who hasn't figured out that they're ObviouslyEvil.
** He's also so far into the "sacrifice the many to save the few" plan (in spite of the guilt it brings him) that he has trouble accepting anything else. Takatora also assumes that his allies are all just as dedicated to the plan as he is.
** PlayedForLaughs in the ''[=ToQger=]'' crossover, when he's completely oblivious to a giant mecha battle going on outside his window.
* ThrowingYourShieldAlwaysWorks: Demonstrated in #11 when fighting against Ryugen.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Though ruthless and rather amoral in his methods, he's the only one of the New Generation Riders to have humanity's best interests at heart.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: A PG version, with some similarities to [[LightNovel/FateZero Kiritsugu Emiya.]]
* UnwittingPawn: To [[spoiler:Sid, Ryoma, and Yoko, who all ''want'' Helheim to invade and are using Takatora to become stronger.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:With Micchy during his childhood days.]]
* UselessProtagonist: [[spoiler:Micchy accuses him of being useless without Yggdrasil.]]
* WeakButSkilled: Even when there's an obvious power difference between him and his opponent, Takatora simply proves himself the better fighter. Case in point? [[spoiler:He goes up against Micchy, who is currently using his Melon Energy Lockseed, with his base Melon Arms]]. Guess who ends up getting the upper hand? If it wasn't for Takatora hesitating, he would have ''won''.
** Later on, in ''Gridon Vs. Bravo'', he gets stuck with [[spoiler:the ''Donguri Lockseed'' of all things when he faces a corrupted Bravo with King Durian Arms]]. And despite the horrendously weak equipment he's stuck with, he still manages to hold his own and get into a back and forth. He ultimately loses, but the fact that he managed to cope that well with [[spoiler:quite possibly the weakest Lockseed that isn't the Matsubokkuri Lockseed]] against such a strong opponent says a lot.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Identifies as one, as he claims his plans are all for the good of helping humanity. He also goes on to say all of Yggdrasill is this, as it is their role in the world.
** #16 shows that whatever he is trying to do is meant to save the world and has something to do with what's at the heart of the Helheim Forest.
** Confirmed in #20. [[spoiler:Takatora is trying to prevent Helheim from spreading over the earth]], and in #21, if he has no other option to stop the spread, [[spoiler:they use the ring on the tower to destroy all of Zawame]]. Sid, when revealing the latter to Kouta, pretty much states that [[TheNeedsOfTheMany it's a necessary evil if it means saving mankind]].
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets called out by Micchy in #36 for being oblivious.
-->'''Micchy''': [[spoiler:All you ever did was order me about, without ever seeing the bigger picture. And now you come waltzing back in!?]]
* WhereDidWeGoWrong: He asks himself where he went wrong in #36 after he sees how far the brother he helped raise has fallen.
* WorldsBestWarrior: It's pretty much agreed upon by both the Beat Riders and Yggdrasil that he is impossible to beat one-on-one. Case in point? [[spoiler:It took ''every'' other New Generation Rider working together to beat him, and even then Ryoma implied that, had Takatora not been knocked off balance by Ryoma's betrayal, he still might have won. Although as ''Movie War Full Throttle'' shows, those with the power of the Overlords can be on par, if not outright defeat him, as Megahex demonstrates. It also gets removed once he obtains Kachidoki Arms.]]
** Kachidoki's debut had Gaim going up against Zangetsu Shin in a one on one. The other energy riders are completely surpassed by Kachidoki to the point of curb stomp and we'd just seen Kouta walk through dozens of kurokage troopers. Zangetsu not only holds his own, he's ''on top'' for the brief fight, successfully knocking Gaim off the building.
** Similarly, he takes on [[spoiler:his brother and almost wins despite using the Sengoku Driver and basic Melon Lock Seed against Micchy's Genesis Driver and Melon Energy Lock Seed, and the only reason he loses is hesitating due to his memories of the younger Micchy.]]
** During ''Movie War Full Throttle'', [[spoiler:he takes on Cyborg!Ryoma one on one. Ryoma is connected to Megahex at this point and is using Dragon Energy Arms while Takatora has only the basic Melon Lockseed and the Sengoku Driver. Takatora still wins. ]]
** In the ''Gridon Vs. Bravo'' Gaiden Movie [[spoiler:Takatora fights Bravo in his corrupted powered up King Durian form...using the ''Donguri'' lockseed (by far the weakest lockseed outside the Kurokages). He's hold on against Bravo in an impressive back and forth, even if the Gridon form ultimately proves to be too weak to win. He then goes up against Sylphi using his own belt, which puts her up against Zangetsu Kachidoki, his latest form which seems to greatly surpass Kouta's version in power. He ''annihilates'' her.]]
* WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: G-Rated version. Yggdrasill does not "control" Zawame City, they enhance and improve it.
** And of course, [[spoiler:he never uses the actual G-word when discussing killing six-sevenths of the world population, possibly to assuage his own hang-ups over the moral implications of saving humanity through such actions.]]
* {{Workaholic}}: Shows shades of this. When he's not working, what little interaction he has with his brother is interrupted by his phone ringing. He also shows disgust towards most of the youth of Zawame City and especially the Beat Riders, since in his eyes they contribute nothing to society.
* YankTheDogsChain: Takatora was actually happy in #28, smiling and basically acting like an adult Kouta. [[spoiler:Cue his brother and comrades' [[SarcasmMode completely unexpected]] betrayal.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness:
** After the Genesis Driver is finished, he declares that Yggdrasill has no need for the Armored Riders and plans to make them "face reality". Thankfully, he takes a non-lethal approach (in contrast to his allies).
** [[spoiler:Takatora is on the receiving end of this trope when his allies finally betray him]] in #28.

!!!Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Zangetsu
[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krgaim_zangetsumelonarms.png]]
[[caption-width-right:210:''Soiya![=/=]Iyo! Melon Arms! Tenka Gomen![[note]][=Yeah!/Finally!=] Melon Arms! Acknowledged By Providence![[/note]]'']]
[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krga_zangetsuwatermelon.png]]
[[caption-width-right:210:''Soiya![=/=]Iyo! Watermelon Arms! Midare-dama, Ba-Ba-Ba-Bang![[note]][=Yeah!/Finally!=] Watermelon Arms! Rumbling Ball, Ba-Ba-Ba-Bang![[/note]]'']]
[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krga_zangetsukachidoki_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:210:''Soiya![=/=]Iyo! Kachidoki Arms! Iza Shutsujin! Ei, Ei, Oh![[note]][=Yeah!/Finally!=] Truimphant Arms! Into the Battlefield! Hip, Hip, Hooray![[/note]]'']]
* BroughtDownToBadass: [[spoiler:After losing his Genesis Driver and the Melon Energy Lockseed during the coup, which allowed him to become Zangetsu Shin, Takatora's only able to become the regular Zangetsu when he has to fight Mitsuzane, who took his brother's Genesis Driver and Lockseed. Despite this disadvantage, Takatora's fighting skills allow him to overpower Mitsuzane as Zangetsu Shin, only stopping himself with the finishing blow. However, ''Movie War Full Throttle'' has him outright win against Sengoku's Dragon Energy Arms before he can take his Genesis Driver to become Zangetsu Shin again.]]
* CorporateSamurai: An almost literal example, since his armor has a distinctly Japanese motif.
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: Minor case, but in ''Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke'', Takatora's Sengoku Driver makes an "Iyo!" sound rather than the "Soiya!" sound that all Gaim-themed lockseeds have. This is further enforced with the CSM Sengoku Driver also making this noise when the Zangetsu faceplate is inserted and a certain command is performed.
* ExactWords: [[spoiler:Zangetsu is considered the Ouja of the series. Turns out they weren't talking about THIS Zangetsu...]]
* LegacyCharacter: Not Takatora or Zangetsu per se, but Zangetsu Kachidoki is meant to be the inheritance of the powers the Lockseed once gave Kouta, [[SuperiorSuccessor re-engineered for Takatora's own Rider form and to surpass the original model]].
* PaletteSwap: Watermelon Arms from ''Zangetsu Gaiden'' is basically Melon Arms recolored in dark red and green.
* SuperMode: The novel gives him Jimber Melon Arms as an alternative to Zangetsu Shin. The theatrical play ''Kamen Rider Zangetsu -Gaim Gaiden-'' gives him his own melon-based version of Kachidoki Arms.
* SuperiorSuccessor: Zangetsu's Kachidoki Arms are meant to surpass Kouta's version of the Arms, hence why it is encoded as "SKLS" ('''S'''hin ("True") '''K'''achidoki '''L'''ock'''s'''eed) instead of KLS-02. [[spoiler:Since Kouta himself gives Takatora the Lockseed, it only makes sense]].
* WeaponOfChoice:
** Personal Arms:
*** MixAndMatchWeapon: The default [[CoolGuns/{{Handguns}} Musou]] [[CoolSword Saber]] sidearm.
*** LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: The Melon Defender in Melon Arms.
*** GatlingGood: The Watermelon Gatling Gun in Watermelon Arms.
** Borrowed Arms:
*** RocketPoweredWeapon: The Rocket Module in Fourze Arms.
*** CarryABigStick: The Mango Punisher in Mango Arms.
*** HandCannon: His green version of the Hinawa Daidai DJ Ju in Kachidoki Arms.[[note]]Becomes a [[{{BFS}} big sword]] when combined with the Musou Saber.[[/note]]
*** ImprobableWeaponUser: As with Kouta's version, he can fight using ''flags'' in Kachidoki Arms.

!!!Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin
[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krgaim_zangetsushinmelonenergyarms_9.png]]
[[caption-width-right:210:''Soda! Melon Energy Arms! (Japanese techno music)'']]
* MidSeasonUpgrade: Switches his Sengoku Driver in favor to the more advanced Genesis Driver.
* RainOfArrows: Assuming the abilities shown of the Sonic Arrow aren't shared by all New Generation Riders, Zangetsu Shin's arrows can do this, as shown in #12.
* WeaponOfChoice:
** EnergyBow: The Sonic Arrow.

!!!Tropes exclusive to him as [[spoiler:Kamen Rider Gridon]]
* CallBack: [[spoiler:Becomes Gridon to ferry the powers back to Hideyasu, much like how Kouta used Aym, the user of Proto-Gaim, to ferry the Shin Kachidoki Lockseed to Takatora himself]].
* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler:Technically serves as an emergency form similar to [[Series/KamenRiderZeroOne Zerozero-One]] and [[Series/KamenRiderDrive Super Dead Heat]], being weaker than Takatora's other forms. Takatora very quickly switches back to Zangetsu after the situation necessitating Gridon's use is resolved]].
* DropTheHammer: [[spoiler:The Donkachi]].
* MacGuffinEscortMission: [[spoiler:The Donguri Lockseed and unlocked Sengoku Driver in Takatora's possession needs to be delivered to Hideyasu in time. Also an exploited case of the trope, as the lack of a DNA lock means that it isn't entirely useless while in transit and Takatora can become Gridon II to hold off any attackers]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ryoma Sengoku/Kamen Rider Duke]]
!!Ryoma Sengoku/New Generation Rider Duke
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Tsunenori Aoki (live), Kenji Tominaga (suit)
[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ryoma_sengoku.png]]
[[caption-width-right:210:[[note]] In ''Movie War Full Throttle'' https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mecha_ryoma_sengoku.png[[/note]]]]

-->''"I think I can go higher. More powerful; more versatile; power worthy of a god."''

A scientist working in the R&D Department of Yggdrasill under Takatora. He is the creator of the Sengoku and Genesis Drivers, and is studying the expansion of Helheim Forest with great interest. Although he is technically the subordinate of Takatora, he speaks to his boss with a overly-familiar tone and is not afraid to undermine him for the sake of his experiments.

He later becomes a user of the next-generation Genesis Driver, using the Lemon Energy Lock Seed to transform into New Generation Rider Duke.

!!!Tropes that apply to him in general

[[center: [- [[Characters/KamenRiderGaim Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimBeatRiders Beat Riders]] ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKoutaKazuraba Kouta Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim]], [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimMitsuzaneKureshima Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen]]) | '''Yggdrasill Corporation''' | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimHelheimForest Helheim Forest]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimOthers Others]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimCrossoversAndMovies Movie Characters]]]] -]

[[caption-width-right:210:''Soiya![=/=]Iyo! Melon Arms! Tenka Gomen![[note]]Acknowledged By Providence![[/note]]'']]

-->'''Takatora''': [[BorrowedCatchphrase IT'S SP-]]... and that's as far as I'll humor ''that'' notion.

* FourIsDeath: His Melon Lock Seed is LS-04, while his Melon Energy Lock Seed is ELS-04.

[[center: [- [[Characters/KamenRiderGaim Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimBeatRiders Beat Riders]] ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKoutaKazuraba Kouta Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim]]) | '''Yggdrasill Corporation''' | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimHelheimForest Helheim Forest]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimOthers Others]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimCrossoversAndMovies Movie Characters]]]] -]

[[center: [- [[Characters/KamenRiderGaim Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimBeatRiders Beat Riders]] ([[Characters/KamenRiderGaimKoutaKazuraba Kouta Kazuraba]]) | '''Yggdrasill Corporation''' | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimHelheimForest Helheim Forest]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimOthers Others]] | [[Characters/KamenRiderGaimCrossoversAndMovies Movie Characters]]]] -]