Characters / Kamen Rider Gaim Beat Riders

Main Character Index | Beat Riders (Kouta Kazuraba | Kaito Kumon | Mitsuzane Kureshima) | Yggdrasill Corporation (Takatora Kureshima) | Helheim Forest | Others | Movie Characters

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.

The Beat Riders are rivaling dance crews formed by the youths of Zawame City, named so by DJ Sagara. Originally competing in the Inves Games with their fellow cremates for fame and glory, things escalated when one Kouta Kazuraba found the Sengoku Driver and Lockseeds, leading to the birth of the legend of the Armored Riders. As more Riders start to emerge from the woodwork and strange monsters called Inves come out of the mysterious Helheim Forest, the teams find themselves at the center of the conflict in Zawame city.

Beware unmarked spoilers. You Have Been Warned.

---

Team Gaim

Kouta Kazuraba/Kamen Rider Gaim

• See here for more details.

Mitsuzane Kureshima/Kamen Rider Ryugen

• See here for more details

2

Mai Takatsukasa

Mai Takatsukasa/Woman of the Beginning/The Priestess of Fate

Portrayed by: Yuumi Shida, Shiori Saeki (child)

The strong-willed second-in-command/acting leader of Team Gaim, and main female protagonist. Mai is a professional dancer who works hard to improve Team Gaim into the best Beat Rider gang on the street.

She also has a blonde doppelganger only known as "the Woman of the Beginning"; see her entry on the Gaim - Other Characters page. This woman is a future version of Mai, trying to warn her friends and past self.

---

• All-Loving Hero: Like Kouta, she has no ill contempt towards her oppositions to the point of forgiving them, including Micchy, who she tries to sympathize with his actions.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: What the team interprets her bickering with Kouta as.
• Broken Masquerade: This becomes her new goal when she learns the truth about everything.
• But Now I Must Go: She leaves with Kouta when Kouta takes all of Helheim to a dying planet in #46.
• Character Tics: Whenever Mai gets depressed or worried, she stands still, tilts her head to the ground, and keeps her hands close to her waist.
• Childhood Friend Romance: In a more extraordinary example of this trope, she and Kouta become king and queen of the Helheim Planet Kouta creates in the finale.
• Childhood Friends: With Kouta.
• Damsel in Distress: Near the end of the series, Micchy blackmails her into coming with him, spurring Kouta and Kaito to rescue her. Before they do so, Rosyuo entrusts her with the Forbidden Fruit, but when she uses its power to Time Travel she soon traps herself; giving the two another incentive to settle the fight for the Fruit.
• Determinator: Nothing will stop Mai from dancing and using it to spread joy. Not Inves, or Oren, or hatred. Nothing.
• Expy:
  • To Madoka Kaname and Hitomi Shizuki, the first in that they are both All Loving Heroines who were the main motivator for a gun-wielding Character. And the other was that their actions played a huge part in the downfall of one of the main characters.
  • She is also this to Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou, The first being a Tsundere who has become a target of a Smug Snake. And the other is that they are close childhood friends with the main hero (two in Mai's case) and becoming a keeper of a McGuffin.
• Fangirl: Of Bravo, of all people, to Kouta's anger.
• Forgiveness: Forgives Micchy even afer everything he did.
• Forgotten First Meeting: It's implied this happened with Kaito. She was the daughter of the priest at a shrine Kaito used to play at when he was a child.
• Girlish Pigtails: Among her wide repertoire of hairstyles.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Deconstructed. She slapped Mitsuzane, hoping she'd get through to him and snap him out of his obsessive phase. Unfortunately, much like how slapping an emotionally distraught person in real life would work, this only served to make him even worse.
• The Heart: She's the member of the cast most concerned with helping others, and in turn all three of the main protagonists have her as one of their main motivations.
• The Leader: Takes over as Team Gaim's leader after Yuya's disappearance.
  • After #18, she could be seen as the leader of all remaining Beat Riders
• Locked Out of the Loop: Mitsuzane is dead-set against telling Mai that Yuya's dead, preferring her to be happy and ignorant. He even convinced Kouta to keep the secret from her as well. Kouta isn't happy with this and tells her the truth in #26.
• Macguffin Super Person: Becomes this after Rosyuo puts the Forbidden Fruit in her for safe keeping.
• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Masculine Girl to Mitsuzane's Feminine Boy.
• Meaningful Name: Her first name is written with the kanji for "dance". Her surname is inspired by the Takatsukasa clan, but written differently: "Taka" meaning high or grand, and "Tsukasa" meaning a person, usually a woman, who oversees religious rituals. Or, to put it simply, "high priestess".
• Miko: Used to be one as a child.
• Mission Control: After Helheim takes over the city, she acts as coordinator for the Riders protecting it.
• Morality Pet:
  • She gradually becomes this to Kaito, who tends to show his softer side, explain his more sympathetic motives, or performs a good deed after talking to her.
  • She along with Kouta are this to Micchy, since one of his primary motivations is to keep them safe. Unfortunately, neither of them realize this, and Micchy degenerates into a Manipulative Bastard and Psycho Supporter as the series progresses.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She called Micchy out on his behavior and for not respecting Kouta's point of views in battle before slapping him. This is the final straw for Micchy and leads him to go fully evil.
  • It happens again in #35: Mai begs Micchy to not give up hope in Kouta; this is the last thing Micchy wanted to hear, so he resolves to kill Kouta once and for all.
• Only Mostly Dead: #44 has Sagara state that Mai isn't dead, just not in this reality... stuck in a parallel world. He states the only way to bring her back is to fight for the Golden Fruit.
• Official Couple: With Kouta as they're the Woman of the Beginning and Man of the Beginning, respectively.
• Only Sane Woman: Takes up the mantle as Kouta becomes Drunk with Power early in the series. Well, unless Oren is involved.
  • She tries to get the other Beat Rider Teams to quit using Inves in #15, so people would see that the teams aren't behind the attacks/illness. It fails but she gets points for trying.
• Physical God: Becomes the Woman of the Beginning after Rosyuo gives her the golden fruit.
• Power Dyes Your Hair: After becoming the Woman of the Beginning, Mai goes blonde.
• Precocious Crush: On Oren, for being a famous pastry chef.
• Put on a Bus: Defied. Kouta attempts to send her away from the city with the ToQgers in an attempt to protect her from the potential dangers he learned of in the past few episodes, but once she learned of the plan, she immediately got off the train and decided to walk back home.
• Ship Tease: With Kaito and Kouta. Word of God says she's in love with Kouta. She and Kouta even hold hands at the end of the series and in the Gaim X Drive crossover movie.
• Stepford Smiler: Downplayed; while she does express some sadness over the loss of the old-fashioned Zawame City and her own past, she nevertheless finds happiness in trying to dance to spread joy to others.
• Supporting Leader: She becomes the acting leader of Team Gaim after Yuya's disappearance, but Kouta is still their main Armored Rider and the star.
• Tsundere: Shows some signs of this towards Kouta for leaving their group.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Both Kouta and Mitsuzane point out how foolish she's being when she continues to fangirl over Bravo after he becomes a full time villain who demonizes the Beat Riders.
  • Mai calls out Micchy after he assaults Kouta for telling Mai the truth about Helheim and Yuya, and gives him a slap. Ironically, Kouta then argues that she's going too far, explaining Micchy's motives in a sympathetic light. Unfortunately, this whole incident helps cement Micchy's slide into villainy.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: See Get A Hold Of Yourself Man and Nice Job Breaking It, Hero above. It's especially worse since (like Kouta) she never knew about Micchy's manipulative nature and how such an action would affect his sanity. Micchy's anger only grew worse after this confrontation with Mai, leading him to leave his brother to die, take up the role of Zangetsu Shin, outright try to murder Kouta on several occasions, and aid Redyue in her invasion of Earth.
  • It happens again in #35, though it really isn't Mai's fault: Micchy explains his deal with Redyue, his plan to carry out Project Ark, and expresses his frustration with Kouta, all the while expecting Mai to do what he wants. Mai declines to go along with his plans and implores him to have faith in Kouta like she does. Micchy decides that, since Kouta is giving Mai hope, he needs to get rid of Kouta once and for all so that he can "save" her.
  • Revealed in #43, in a rather odd way: Mai becomes the Woman at the Beginning, and after her body is killed and her spirit is put in the Forbidden Fruit, she goes back in time to try and warn Kouta, Kaito and Micchy of things to come. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in changing time, she's unable to be more specific and only fuels their reasons to fight with her vague speeches... whoops.

Yuya Sumii

Yuya Sumii/Byakko Inves

Portrayed by: Hiromi Sakimoto

The leader of Team Gaim, who goes missing after receiving a Sengoku Driver from Sid. It's later revealed in #14 that he was the Byakko Inves that Kouta fought in the first episode.

---

• Big Brother Mentor: To Team Gaim, with Kouta in particular looking up to him.
• Chekhov M.I.A.: He goes missing in the first episode after getting a Sengoku Driver. The trope is then zigzagged: while it's played straight in that he reappears with a major impact on the plot, it's subverted in that he was killed after going missing and only "returns" in flashbacks.
• Killed Off for Real: He's the first monster to go up against Gaim.
• Missed the Call: He got a Sengoku Driver, but never used it and Kouta picked it up after he dropped it.
• Plot-Triggering Death: He ate a fruit and transformed into a Inves that Kouta fought. This caused Kouta to become Gaim for the first time, stepped up Yggdrasil's plans, escalated the Beat Rider Inves Games to new and uncontrollable levels, and (once Micchy found out about it) caused led to tension between Kouta and Micchy.
• Present Absence: Even though he hasn't been seen for months, his friends haven't forgotten him and continue to try and pick up the search for him as opportunities arise. When the truth does come out though, it manages to be a hard sticking point for everyone involved. Kouta actually had to accept his death twice before he could finally forgive himself.
• Seeking the Missing, Finding the Dead: And just to twist the knife, it was by Kouta's hand.
• Small Role, Big Impact: His disappearance and transforming into the Byakko Inves lead to Kouta becoming Gaim and everything else with it.
• Tragic Monster: Turned into a feral monster after eating the fruit of Helheim.
• Walking Spoiler: Hello, #14...
• We Hardly Knew Ye: He goes missing in the very first episode and, as we later discover, perished in that same episode too.

Chucky

Chucky

Portrayed by: Kanon Hanakage

---

• Combat Medic: Acts as the team medic when someone gets hurts (even though she is just a normal teenager)
• Locked in a Room: She gets stuck in a abandoned hospital with Peko on #42.
• Satellite Character: She really only exists to fill out Team Gaim's numbers.
• Tomboyish Name: On top of being an obvious non-Japanese nickname like many of the other Beat Riders, "Chucky" is known as a masculine name in English-speaking territories. Her actress Kanon and Japanese fans have speculated it might be a nickname for the feminine name "Chiaki" (therefore making the nickname more like "Chakky").
• You Are in Command Now: 3 months later after Helheim left Earth, she acts as the leader of Team Gaim

Rica

Rica

Portrayed by: Miina Yamakawa

---

• Damsel in Distress: She and Rat are captured after trying to escape Yggdrasil Tower in #39. Both are then hooked up to Redyue's life-draining machine.
• Living Prop: Even more than the other ancillary members of Team Gaim. Her main importance to the story lies in her being a Damsel in Distress.
• Say My Name: Rat!, Rat!

Rat

Rat

Portrayed by: Ren Ozawa

---

• Casanova Wannabe: Shown hitting on the girls of Team PopUp and immediately failing.
• Dude in Distress: He and Rica are captured after trying to escape Yggdrasil Tower in #39. Both are then hooked up to Redyue's life-draining machine.
• Taking the Bullet: Gets wounded by the Hekija Inves while trying to protect Rica. Luckily, he avoids getting infected with the plague that some Inves carry.

Team Baron

Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron

• See here for more details.

Zack/Kamen Rider Knuckle

Zack/Armored Rider Knuckle

Portrayed by: Gaku Matsuda (live), Jiro Okamoto (suit), Daisuke Satō (sub)

Team Baron's second-in-command who becomes the new leader after Kaito leaves. He later becomes Armored Rider Knuckle, transforming using a stolen mass-produced Sengoku Driver given to him by Kaito and the Kurumi (Walnut) Lock Seed.

Tropes that apply to him in general

• Arch-Enemy: Is one for Shura in his titular Gaim Gaiden movie, for making a mockery of the Team Baron name as well as Kaito's legacy on a more personal level.
• Ascended Extra: At first just a member of Team Baron, he eventually became its leader and an Armored Rider, helping the other Riders thwart Yggdrasil's plans. He became so popular with fans that he eventually gained his own Gaiden story.
• Badass Longcoat: Part of the Team Baron dress code.
• Batman Gambit:
  • Pulls an apparent Face–Heel Turn on Oren and Hideyasu so he could stop Kaito running amok.
  • He even tells an injured Kouta to retreat during the latter's fight with Kaito.
  • And in #45, he asks Oren to make a bomb so he could blew up the building where Kaito and Yoko are held. It doesn't end well.
    Zack: I'll stop Kaito myself.
• Became Their Own Antithesis: A rare, good example. Zack starts out as nothing but a Smug Snake Jerkass but evolves into a heroic Nice Guy.
• Berserk Button: Desecrating the Team Baron name and Kaito's legacy is a huge one for him, so much so that Shura has made it personal for Zack.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Is introduced from the first episode but doesn't become a Rider until #18. Till then most casual viewers wouldn't remember him too much.
• Comes Great Responsibility: The reason why Zack became a Nice Guy was because the responsibilities of being Team Baron's leader caused him to mature.
• Dirty Business: His assassination attempt in #45. He hates himself for performing such a cowardly act, but knows that he doesn't stand a chance against Marika or Lord Baron in a fair fight. Oddly enough, Kaito doesn't think of him any less for this. Likewise, this later sets him up against Shura in Zack's Gaiden story, as Zack admitted his cowardly act, yet Shura never recognizes that his cowardice, not his weakness, was why Kaito kicked him out.
• Fake Defector: Part of his Batman Gambit.
• Foil: To Shura in his own Gaim Gaiden. Both wish to try to understand Kaito's philosophy, but while Shura misinterprets it as simply being weak (and ironically becomes the kind of person Kaito despises), Zack admits he doesn't fully understand yet shows more understanding of it, while earning and never losing Kaito's respect, even when he himself committed a cowardly act as part of his Fake Defector gambit the last time he ever saw Kaito.
• Game-Breaking Injury: His hopes of becoming a dancer in New York failed because of the injuries he sustained from his battle with Kaito in #45.
• Heel–Face Turn: After Kaito leaves Team Baron and he becomes a Rider, he and the team as a whole stop being antagonistic towards the others and Zack in particular becomes an ally of Kouta.
• Hidden Depths: As shown in #18 all he really wants to do is dance and have fun.
• Hot-Blooded: Redyue's taunt in #34 almost sent him on a suicide attack.
• Irony: Zack started out as Kaito Junior, but developed more into a person like Kouta. Furthermore, at first Kaito reprimanded Zack and Peko for their cheating actions, likely establishing Kaito as a better person compared to Zack, but Zack becomes a Nice Guy while Kaito sheds his remaining noble traits to become an Anti-Villain that Zack himself opposes.
• Jerkass: At first, but he later grows out of this by the time he becomes Kamen Rider Knuckle.
• Large Ham: "BANANA!? BANA-BANANA?!"
• The Leader: Becomes this for Team Baron after Kaito quits the team.
• Morality Pet: Peko's sister, Azami, was this to him, rescuing him from being beaten up by thugs, and teaching him dancing. Kaito taking over the team and her subsequent exclusion from it was likely why Zack returned to being antagonistic when we first meet him. His Gaiden story shows that the two were and still are very close.
• Nice Guy: Through Character Development he becomes the nicest and most heroic Rider besides Kouta. Other than Micchy's former teammates, he's the one who is shown to had Easily Forgiven him at the end of the series, giving him another chance.
• Not Quite Dead:
  • In #45, it seemed like he was killed by Kaito. But in #46, it was shown that he survived.
  • The ending of his personal Gaim Gaiden, however, gives us another ambiguous death, with no indication that he didn't succumb to his severe injuries fighting Shura. Turns out that he didn't die, and is last seen dancing with "Kaito".
• Number Two: To Kaito.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: "Zack" isn't a Japanese name, so it seems to be a nickname like the ones used by Micchy and the other Beat Riders.
• Only Sane Man: He's the only Rider besides Kouta that doesn't have some ulterior motive or agenda. Until #45, though even then, he was trying to save everyone from Kaito.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: A Team Baron staple.
• Ship Tease: With Azami.
• Smug Smiler: At first, before his Character Development.
• Took a Level in Badass: After getting his Driver. He's also later shown fighting off an adult criminal along with Micchy in #21.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Also after getting his Driver.
• The Unchosen One: One of the few Armored Riders to get his Driver without Sid's involvement.
• Waistcoat of Style: Again, it comes with being in Team Baron.
• You Are in Command Now: Kaito makes him the new leader of Team Baron so that he can focus on Yggdrasill.

Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Knuckle

(Guitar riff) Kurumi Arms! Mr. Knuckle Man!

• Appropriated Appellation: His Driver announces him as "Mister Knuckle Man!" Soon after, he names himself Armored Rider Knuckle.
• Composite Character: Looks like a cross between Kurokage and Gridon.
• Finishing Move:
  • Kurumi Arms:
    • Squash: Knuckle jumps into the air while golden walnut-shaped energy surrounds his right foot as he strikes the target with a powerful front kick.
    • Au Lait: has two variations.
    • When Knuckle activates the Au Lait function, he jumps into the air as a projection of a walnut covers him before he strikes the target with a super powered punch.
    • Knuckle launches an average sized energy shaped-like walnuts at the target.
    • Sparking: Knuckle punches in the air, creating giant energy spheres shaped like walnuts at the target.
  • Jimber Marron Arms:
    • Squash: Knuckle jumps up and fires the Marron Bombers' spikes at the enemy, shedding off gauntlets' outer shells, before dashing forward and landing two fiery punches at once.
    • Au Lait: Knuckle charges the "peeled" Marron Bombers with flames and delivers an explosive punching attack.
• Fragile Speedster: Knuckle has less attack power than Gridon, but is more agile.
• Good Old Fisticuffs: As expected from a Rider named Knuckle. Even when he uses the Suika (Watermelon) Arms, he attacks with punches rather than using the Suika Sojinto.
• Line-of-Sight Name: "Knuckle" comes from the Lockseed's roll call, "Mister Knuckle Man".
• Megaton Punch: Considering his main weapon, he dishes these out a lot.
• Super Mode: In his Gaiden story, he gets Jimber Marron Arms.
• Weak, but Skilled: His Lock Seed is C+, falling between Kurokage and Gridon, but he's a much better fighter than either of them.

Peko/Kamen Rider Kurokage Shin

Peko/New Generation Rider Kurokage Shin

Portrayed by: Saku Momose (live), Hajime Kanzaki (suit)

Liquid! Matsubokkuri Energy Arms! Sei, Yoishō, Wasshoi!

The third major member of Team Baron. He has a true love of dancing.

In Great Soccer Battle! Golden Fruits Cup!, he wields a Genesis Driver and the Matsubokkuri (Pinecone) Energy Lockseed, allowing him to transform into New Generation Rider Kurokage Shin.

---

• A Taste of Power: Gets a taste of being a Rider in the summer movie. A New Generation Rider one in that...
• Badass Longcoat: Part of the Team Baron dress code.
• Brats with Slingshots: Occasionally uses one against opponents.
• Canon Immigrant: Canon-wise, Kurokage Shin's weapon, the Kagematsu Shin ^note  A dual sided spear; one side have the blade of Hase's Kagematsu, the other side has a jumonji yari, can be summoned by Gaim in Kiwami Arms despite Peko only transforms into Kurokage Shin in the movie (and the movie's set in an Alternate Universe), implying it's possible that there's a Matsubokkuri Energy Lockseed lying somewhere in the real world. It is also the only movie/Gaiden-exclusive Rider weapon to appear in the main TV series.
• Character Development: Starts out as nothing but one of Kaito's Smug Snake Co-Dragons, but after his Hidden Depths and motivations are revealed, he becomes Kaito's Morality Pet and The Heart of Team Baron.
• Foreshadowing: Kagematsu Shin actually made its debut earlier than Peko as Kurokage Shin.^note Kagematsu Shin made its debut in #33 of the TV series, which aired on June 8. Golden Fruits Cup! (Kurokage Shin's first and only appearance) first aired on 19 July
• Locked in a Room: He gets stuck in an abandoned hospital with Chucky on #42
• The Heart: Grows into this.
• Heel–Face Turn: Becomes less antagonistic towards the other teams during the events of #18.
• Jerkass: At first, going out of his way to cheat and use underhanded tactics.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Becomes one as time goes on.
• Keet: Very energetic.
• Large Ham: He seems unable to even speak without chewing the scenery.
• Hidden Depths: It turns out that he's one of the few Team Baron members that truly cares about dancing.
• Morality Pet: Kaito may be gruff, but he does look out for Peko and his other followers.
• My Sister Is Off-Limits: Averted. We meet his sister, Azami, in Gaim Gaiden: Knuckle, and it's apparent that she and Zack are close, and he doesn't mind, considering it's Azami who helped straighten Zack out through dancing, and was how he met Peko.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: "Peko" is a "cutesy" name that rarely sees use as a real name (and when it is used, it's usually for girls), so it's likely that it's actually a nickname like the ones many of the other Beat Riders use.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: A Team Baron staple.
• Spell My Name With An S: His name is spelled "Peko" on the back of his soccer jersey in #37.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The Armored Riders would never had gotten so popular and things wouldn't have spiraled even more out of control if he didn't dislodge the Lockseed in Kouta's hand in #2. Didn't think this through, huh?
• Waistcoat of Style: Again, it comes with being in Team Baron.
• Unexpected Character: Peko getting a Driver isn't too far out of left field - him getting a Genesis Driver, though...
• You Are in Command Now: In Gaim Gaiden: Knuckle, a year after the final battle, Zack leaves for New York to pursue his dancing career, leaving Peko in charge of Team Baron. It somewhat backfires, though not completely because of Peko's actions.

Other Beat Riders

Hideyasu Jonouchi/Kamen Rider Gridon

Hideyasu Jonouchi/Armored Rider Gridon^note A phonetic anagram of "donguri" ("acorn")

Portrayed by: Ryo Matsuda (live), Kazuya Okada (suit)

The cunning leader of Team Invitto. He compensates for his physical weakness through the use of underhanded tactics, and by manipulating more powerful people such as Ryoji to do his bidding. However, he quickly comes to realize this isn't enough, and so goes to Oren to ask for combat training.

Using the Donguri (Acorn) Lock Seed, he can transform into Armored Rider Gridon.

Tropes that apply to him in general

• Advertised Extra: Gridon was part of the original series reveal alongside Gaim, Baron, Ryugen, and Zangetsu, even going as far as having a cameo in the first scene where all the Riders revealed were featured. While the others are the series' main characters, Gridon became merely the Plucky Comic Relief and he's often absent from episodes. He hasn't even been a major part of the plot since he became Bravo's lackey.
• Alone in a Crowd: Realizes this in the beginning of #25 now that all the Beat Riders are working together and the battles are over. It doesn't help when he overhears Mai, Chucky and one of Invitto's girls mocking him.
• The Atoner: His primary motivation for taking the last Kurokage Trooper belt from Takatora, especially after he also gets the truth out of the latter about Ryoji's mutation and euthanasia at Yggdrasill's hands.
• Atrocious Alias: Neither he nor the members of Team Gaim care for "Gridon". Making matters worse, it wasn't Hideyasu's name; Ryoji came up with it, not five seconds after giving himself the name "Kurokage". Gaim Gaiden: Baron, which takes place around #20, however, shows that, as part of his Character Development, he is quick to defend his name when it's made fun of by Kaito-lookalike Shapool.
• Bash Brothers: With Ryoji.
• "Blackmail" Is Such an Ugly Word: When he challenges Team Gaim in #4, Mitsuzane mentions how Hideyasu is well known for his underhanded trickery; he says he prefers the term "tactics."
• Booby Trap: A non-lethal example in the fake Donguri Lockseed that Oren created and (unknowingly to Jonouchi) gave to him in #17 and #18.
• Brains and Brawn: The Brains; Ryoji's the Brawn. Hideyasu has shown he's much smarter and cunning than Ryoji, but is clearly not that competent as a fighter.
• Bulletproof Human Shield: This is what Ryoji sees him as after he becomes Gridon.
• Butt-Monkey: He starts out presented as a cunning schemer, but once he becomes Gridon this pretty much vanishes. First of all, he can't fight at all. Kurokage uses strategies that involve Gridon as a human shield and stepping stone, and gave him a lame name to boot. Working with Bravo is even worse.
• Cerebus Retcon: His comedy routine with Ryoji becomes this when he reveals that he was planning to betray him the whole time.
• The Chew Toy: Gets beat on all throughout the show, though he eventually starts to grow out of this.
• Co-Dragons: Him and Ryoji become this to Kaito for about two episodes after becoming his vassals.
• Character Development: The Hideyasu at the beginning of the show vs. the Hideyasu in #32 definitely behave differently, and for the better.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Easy to miss, but Gridon is visible on Baron's side during the Sengoku Rider War sequence in the opening of #1, Foreshadowing his presence in the show.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Plots to betray everyone he throws his lot in with, starting with Kaito and followed by Hase. He plans to betray Oren too when he throws his lot in with him, but Oren beats that out of him.
• The Dandy: Dresses and talks rather flamboyantly.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: His real motivation, and the drive behind his own Coming of Age Story.
• Determinator: While it doesn't come up in how he actually fights, Jonouchi's belt isn't exactly lying when it says he never gives up. When it became clear his team couldn't continue on its own without a Sengoku Driver, he went and got one, and kept it even after being beaten up by Team Gaim and Bravo. Even getting trashed by Zangetsu didn't keep him down long, and he's next seen asking for training from Bravo of all people. Even at the end, he stays true to his now-destroyed Donguri Lockseed call as he takes on Kamen Rider Jam with the last remaining Kurokage Trooper belt and Lockseed, even though he's outclassed and quickly loses. Wanting to atone for his role in Ryoji's death helps.
• Dirty Coward: Best shown when Bravo's mere presence sent him running. He slowly and eventually grows out of it after a long time without becoming Gridon, the first thing he does when he's able to again is save Kouta and Oren from a horde of Inves by Taking the Bullet. No longer the case in #47, when he willing goes on to take on Jam with the last Kurokage Trooper set despite likely knowing he'd be severely outclassed, just to give himself some closure with Ryoji.
• Dramatic Irony: In #25, he admits that he misses Ryoji and asks Kouta how he's doing having no idea that he was one of the key factors that caused his death. Taken to Tear Jerker levels at the end when he realizes and accepts Ryoji is dead, and does learn from Takatora of what exactly happened to him, he knows his responsibility in it.
• Evil Costume Switch: After he and Oren become agents of Yggdrasil, or more specifically agents of Mitsuzane, he is shown wearing a dark scarf and black jacket as opposed to the bright clothing he wore before.
• Evil Counterpart: Of Micchy, as the calculating Armored Rider that was partnered with a more physical fighter before betraying him, at first. Micchy eventually becomes Hideyasu's Shadow Archetype, each showing what the other could have become. Hideyasu had Oren to set him straight and he eventually accepted his guidance, while Micchy spurned both of the people he looked up to who tried to save him from himself, even trying to kill them. In the end, Hideyasu is content with his life, a changed man able to live his life well, freely accepting being Oren's apprentice; while Micchy has nothing to show for all his actions, solidified by Hideyasu discussing with Oren about Micchy's fate. Fittingly, he also has access to the Double Arms.
• Evil Duo: With Ryoji. He's the scheming superego.
• Evil Genius: Much smarter and more cunning than Ryoji, and was the first to point out just how beneficial becoming a vassal of Baron would be for all parties. He then is also the first to realize how a continued alliance with Baron would eventually lead to the detriment of the teams allied to Baron.
• False Friend: Ryoji genuinely sees Hideyasu as a friend...Hideyasu doesn't. At first, at least, though by the time this is the case, Ryoji's dead, and as Hideyasu eventually learns, he's partially responsible and regrets it. Appropriately enough given his two-faced status, he has access to the Double Arms in Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing.
• Gang of Hats: Gaim and Baron wearing blue and red is one thing, but from what we've seen of Team Invitto, they're all in glasses.
• Heel–Face Turn: After finishing his training and learning what's really going on, he and Oren stop their Jerkass actions and start helping.
• Hidden Depths: #25 shows that he's completely aware of how much of a loser he is causing his villainous behavior.
• Hypocritical Humor: Is known for underhanded schemes, but when Ryugen fires on him he complains that ranged weapons aren't fair.
• Irony:
  • He's one of the first Riders who opposes Kouta for reasons other than a team rivalry. He's also the only rider who Kouta never fights - during his debut, he fights Ryugen, and by the time Kouta probably would have come into conflict with him, he's on Kouta's side.
  • In his Freeze-Frame Bonus appearance in the first scene of #1, he's shown fighting on Baron's side. By the time the equivalent in-series scene happens, not only is he on Kouta's side, but Kaito has destroyed his Sengoku driver, preventing him from transforming into Gridon.
  • His lockseed announces "Never Give Up" when he transforms...yet for a good chunk of the series, he's cowardly, often cowering early on. Although despite heavy losses to Gaim/Ryugen, Bravo, and Zangetsu, he never does give up being a rider, so it's not as ironic as it might seem at first.
• Jerkass: A bit more passive than most examples of this, but there is no denying that this guy is a dick. He grows out of it.
• Joke Character: In theory, he should at least be stronger than Hase, due to his Donguri Lockseed being stronger than Hase's Matsubokkuri Lockseed, but since he's not a very powerful fighter (he would be better off as a strategist than an actual Rider), he's probably the weakest named Rider in the show (not counting the numerous unnamed Kurokage Troopers). Subverted once he finally gets his Golden Super Mode, at which point he's able to take a berserk, powered up Bravo one on one.
• Laser-Guided Karma: He ditches Ryoji after he loses his Driver and looks for a new doormat... Said doormat makes him his new doormat.
• Leitmotif: Particularly in comedic moments, Hideyasu is heralded by his Donguri Arms' transformation chant "NEVER GIVE UP", even if it does tie in to his character arc. It's so closely associated with him that, even months after the Lockseed's destruction, it plays in his first appearance in the finale.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Bravo and Gridon haven't been kept appraised of the latest plot developments (well, Kouta tried but Bravo refused to listen). In #25 they start getting a clue that they're about twelve episodes behind.
  • And in the end, Hideyasu still has no idea what happened to Ryoji and is still looking for him, until he learns from Takatora after the Time Skip.
• Made a Slave: What Oren basically does to him and he totally deserves it. It becomes a true mentor-apprentice relationship after #25, their shared Character Development episode.
• Manipulative Bastard: Ryoji never realized that Hideyasu was only feigning friendship.
• Miles Gloriosus: Sees himself as a cunning tactician and great warrior, but every other faction has successfully manipulated him at some point and he can barely beat a mook Inves. #12 shows he's more than aware of this by now - the first thing he does after cutting ties with Ryoji is go beg Oren to teach him how to actually fight. It's tempered, but still there after accepting his life under Oren's wing, and does pay off in #47 when he correctly guesses Takatora still has one last Kurokage Trooper belt and knows the latter is in no shape to fight full on.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: While Kaito hasn't been outright abusive, in #5 he talks about how he hates the weak and how Team Gaim might be a possible Worthy Opponent by standing up to him. Hideyasu realizes this doesn't bode well for the teams that haven't done so, including his own; so he takes Ryoji and they go behind Kaito's back to get their own Drivers and break off from Baron's alliance. Turns out being an ass doesn't earn loyalty, Kaito.
• Negated Moment of Awesome: In #34 he had the chance to go Suika Arms, but he panicked which caused Oren to have to pick up the slack.
• Obliviously Evil: Jonouchi has no idea about the consequences of a lot of his more villainous actions, seeing all of the bad things he does as part of the Inves Game.
• The One Guy: He is the only male member of Team Invitto.

• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Ryoji's red. Hideyasu is (initially) calmer and more level-headed, preferring to resort to trickery rather than head-on fighting.
• Redemption Promotion: As a villain, Jonouchi is a useless Slime Ball. As a hero, he's an effective warrior who's well on his way to making something out of his life.
• Sissy Villain: As a dandy, he was always kinda effeminate, but he was less a villain and more selfish. The after he went under Bravo's control he seems to become more feminine and more and more villainous.
  • Though in #25, he tries to shake it off. He ends up staying with Oren, but he regrets what he did to Ryoji.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He's a lot less of a cunning mastermind than he thinks of himself as.
• Smug Smiler: Prone to smirking, though it usually doesn't last long.
• The Starscream: To Kaito, along with Ryoji.
• Survivor Guilt: He has this moment in the final episode upon learning Ryoji's fate.
• Supreme Chef: After his training is complete, Takatora and Akira consider his pastries to be as good as Oren's.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Says this pretty much word-for-word in #11 when he convinces Ryoji to go after Ryugen while he just sits back and collects Lock Seeds.
• Tsundere: He's only helping Kouta because Oren told him to, not because he actually cares...Riiiiiight.
• Underestimating Badassery: Thought he could make a tool out of Oren like he did Hase. Turns out he couldn't be more wrong.
• Western Zodiac: A Virgo (born August 30) as revealed in #12.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: While he doesn't kill anyone, he decides to abandon Ryoji after his De-power. He severely regrets this, especially after learning what happened to him.
• Villainous Crossdresser: Done in #25 as part of Oren's training to become a true man.

Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Gridon

Come on! Donguri^note Acorn Arms! Never Give Up!

Come on! Lychee Arms! You Are The Hero!

• Badass Biker: Well, he has a bike. The badass part is lacking though.
• Cool Sword: Gains the Shine Lychee Sword through the Lychee Arms.
• Finishing Move:
  • Donguri Arms:
    • Squash: After activating the Squash function, Gridon performs his Rider Thrust, Donkachi Giant Rotation through being launched by someone else (most notably Bravo) while spinning against the enemy with the Donkachi, forming an acorn projection in the process.
    • Au Lait: Gridon performs another version of his Rider Thrust, Gridon Impact, by diving from above and striking down the enemy with the Donkachi.
    • Sparking: Gridon sends a pulse of energy against his target.
  • Lychee Arms:
    • Au Lait: Gridon performs a Rider Thrust by jumping and stabbing the ground, encasing the enemy in energy Lychees.
    • Sparking: Gridon throws his Shine Lychee Sword against an enemy, then jumps into the air charging his Shine Donkachi, then hits his Shine Lychee Sword with it, resulting in his enemy exploding from the energy.
• Golden Super Mode: Lychee Arms, which has regal white, red, and gold color scheme. It's also a gigantic upgrade for him, going from the weakest surviving Rider to being able to fight and defeat a powered up, corrupted Bravo in a one on one fight.
• He's Back!: He finally transforms for the first time since abandoning Ryoji in #25, where he saves Kouta and Oren from an Inves attack after thinking over his actions.
• Irony: Hideyasu prefers the intelligent approach, but his weapon as Gridon is anything but subtle. Going purely by the numbers, Gridon is a Mighty Glacier on par with Gaim's Pine Arms or Baron's Mango Arms;^note Gridon's running speed and jumping height are equal to Pine Arms, while he has stronger punches but weaker kicks now recall that this set of Arms ended up in the hands of a Dandy who's not really a fighter.
• Taking the Bullet: For Bravo, defending him from an assault by a swarm of Komori Inves.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • Spends most of the series taking one, as he took the bullet for Kouta and Oren in #25. The level is fully taken in #32, where he fought alongside other Riders against Demushu and his horde of Inves. To further point it out, back near the beginning of the series, Hideyasu had trouble even with minor, common Inves, but now he went up against stronger ones, among them a red Lion Inves, which was first seen when Kouta had to use Jimber Lemon to fight it.
  • He and Bravo then held back dozens upon dozens of Inves on their own, and actually doing a good job at it (even if Bravo still has to save his ass every now and then). In the very next episode, the two work together and hold off Micchy/Zangetsu Shin II. They don't completely defeat him, but they succeed in repelling him before making their escape. Considering how poor a fighter Hideyasu started as, this is very impressive.
  • Getting Lychee is a gigantic upgrade for him, making him strong enough to fight and defeat a powered up and corrupted Bravo in a one on one fight.
• Unskilled, but Strong: A case where the "Unskilled" completely eclipses the "Strong". He's a Mighty Glacier, but he can barely stand up to mook Inves. Training from Bravo helps, and eventually he gets Lychee Arms.

Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Kurokage II

• Legacy Character: Gets to be Kurokage in the last episode.

Ryoji Hase/Kamen Rider Kurokage

Ryoji Hase/Armored Rider Kurokage^note "black shadow"/Hekija Inves

Portrayed by: Atsushi Shiramata (live), Yasuhiko Imai (suit), Yuki Anai (Hekija Inves voice)

The hot-headed leader of Team Raid Wild. Using the Matsubokkuri (Pinecone) Lock Seed, he can transform into Armored Rider Kurokage. Unfortunately, during the first major battle of the series, his Driver is destroyed; and along with his Rider powers he loses the respect and friendship of the other Beat Riders. This drives him to desperation, and in so doing shows the first signs of what's truly at stake...

Tropes that apply to him in general

• Always Someone Better: Teams Baron and Gaim seem to have become this to him as he's been trounced by Kaito and Kouta, resulting in Raid Wild moving lower on the teams' ratings system and Gaim to pass them by.
• Ax-Crazy: As the Hekija Inves, he's nothing more than a wild animal obsessed with power.
• Bash Brothers: With Hideyasu.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: He wanted power after losing the ability to transform. Well, he got it when he was turned into a new Inves.
• The Berserker: Devolves into being feral after eating Helheim's fruit, right before becoming an Inves.
• Brains and Brawn: The Brawn. Hideyasu's the Brains. Ryoji's certainly not bright, but he's a better fighter than Hideyasu, and even tries to implement strategies in battles.
• Brought Down to Normal: Zangetsu accidentally destroys his Sengoku Driver and he loses respect from just about everyone.
• The Brute: Becomes this for Baron after becoming a vassal. He is much more hot-headed and was initially going to start a fight when he heard Kaito's offer.
• Can't Catch Up: He wants to show that he and his team are strong, but he gets painfully defeated two episodes in a row. In #2, he challenges Team Baron to an Inves game, where Kaito uses three Inves to Ryoji's one to beat him easily, and in #3, he adopts the multiple Inves strategy as he challenges Team Gaim, only for his two Inves to be easily defeated by Kouta in his Rider suit. He gets a bit better once he becomes Kurokage, but his transformation Lock Seed is at the second-lowest rank (Class C), which doesn't help that much. And then he loses what he does have in #12, which makes him desperate...
• Co-Dragons: Him and Hideyasu become this to Kaito for about two episodes after becoming his vassals.
• Despair Event Horizon: He loses everything between #11 and #13. His powers, his friends, his dignity; no wonder he gets desperate.
• Determinator: Despite his crappy state his determination and tenacity can make him a threat at times. Best shown when he forced Zangetsu to go on the defensive, even if it was only temporarily.
• Drunk with Power: He practically gets high on being a Rider.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: After losing his powers, Ryoji's behavior has many parallels to a person going through a drug withdrawal with a sidedish of PTSD.
• Delinquent: Dresses like one.
• Delinquent Hair: He has a somewhat American greaser style.
• Evil Duo: With Hideyasu. He's the id.
• Foreshadowing: His Inves form is very similar to the Byakko Inves... Oh, Crap!.
• Hot-Blooded: Extremely fiery.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: At times you get the feeling that he's both stronger and smarter than Hideyasu.
• I Just Want to Be Badass: He loves being Kurokage. Losing his powers drives him to become an Inves to be badass again.
• Irony:
  • In his first battle, he tries to destroy Baron's Sengoku Driver so Kaito can never transform again, but fails. This exact thing happens to him later on.
  • He has an incredibly strong desire for power. The Matsubokkuri Lockseed is the weakest one that any Rider uses in the series.
  • In the arcade game Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing, he has access to the Blade Arms, legend arms based on the titular rider from Kamen Rider Blade. Hase is the first Rider to die in Gaim, whereas Kazuma couldn't die, no matter how much he wants to.
  • In Gaim Gaiden: Gridon vs. Bravo, Hideyasu is put through his scenario, which he already feels guilty of playing a part in by now, and almost driven into eating a Helheim fruit like him, but Hase's apparent spirit stops him at the last second.
• Killed Off for Real: Was taken down permanently by Sid during his first fight as Sigurd.

• Meaningful Name: Not his actual name, but the name of the team he's with: Raid Wild. After becoming an Inves, he raided Drupers and was more like a wild monster.
• Nominal Importance: Inverted, he was the only Armored Rider who had no individually assigned suit actor (he was played by Yasuhiko Imai, Bravo's suit actor), meaning that he wouldn't be in the series long enough to specifically assign someone to it.
• Not Too Dead to Save the Day: Gaim Gaiden: Gridon vs. Bravo has what might be his spirit stop Hideyasu from making the same mistake he made from eating a Helheim fruit, and helps turn it into the Lychee Lockseed for him.
• Panthera Awesome: As the Hekija Inves.
• Playing with Fire: Can breathe it as the Hekija Inves.
• The Power of Friendship: He genuinely seems to believe in this and is trying to pass it on to Hideyasu. It fails. At least until he becomes his Morality Chain from beyond the grave.
• Present Absence: Much like his fellow human-turned-Inves Yuya, his death and existence is brought up from time to time, with his death even serving as a Chekhov's Gun for one more Inves transformation. In fact, one of the main points of closure that the Grand Finale addressed is Hideyasu learning of his death, taking responsibility for it, and accepting his death.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Hideyasu's blue. Ryoji is more hot-headed and eager to fight head-on.
• Red Right Hand: After becoming an Inves, his Wolverine Claws stay when he takes human form.
• Sacrificial Lion: Ryoji's transformation into an Inves and subsequent death marks the biggest turning point of the series.
• Sanity Slippage: Ryoji starts to hallucinate Inves, Zangetsu, and Bravo all around him after losing the ability to transform. And not long after, he is turned into an insane Inves.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Those creepy hallucinations in #13 can remind a guy of PTSD.
• The Starscream: To Kaito along with Hideyasu.
• Tragic Monster: After Zangetsu damaged his belt and everyone wrote Ryoji off as worthless, he sought out power and was turned into an Inves for his troubles....and then killed off.
• Unwitting Pawn: #12 reveals that he was this to Hideyasu all along.
• Walking Spoiler: Being turned into an Inves and killed early on is his main contribution to the plot.

• Wolverine Claws: As the Hekija Inves.

Tropes exclusive to him as Kamen Rider Kurokage

Soiya! Matsubokkuri Arms! Ichigeki in the Shadow!

• De-power: Gets his belt smashed by Zangetsu, rendering him powerless.
• Finishing Move:
  • Kage no Tsuki: has two variations.
    • Sqaush: Kurokage jumps and charges with his Kagematsu, forming a giant energy pinecone on the tip to stab the opponent with.
    • Sparking: Kurokage jumps and spins rapidly while diving at his opponent with the Kagematsu.
• Master of None: Stat-wise, Kurokage is the weakest Armored Rider; his attack power is comparable to Gaim's Ichigo Arms, but he lacks the speed and agility that balances it out. That said, he's a good enough fighter to keep from being a total Joke Character.

Team Red Hot

Team Red Hot

Portrayed by: Takashi Kitadai (Sonomura), Yugo Fujii

Sonomura, the leader of Team Red Hot

One of the Beat Rider teams led by a kid named Sonomura, and the only one to get any screentime while not being involved in the Rider conflicts (though not for lack of trying - Sid sold them a Sengoku Driver but Oren caught them gloating and beat them up to take it from them). They're, to put it bluntly, irresponsible idiots; and their appearances are basically the few occasions that the show needs an example of a less-than-sympathetic team.

---

• Big Red Devil: Team Red Hot's insignia has a depiction of a devil.
• Butt-Monkey: It's generally karmic payback for their stupider actions, though.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: They haven't been seen since Jimber Arms debuted and the whole Beat Rider plotline ended. Their absence during the latter half of the series is justified by the mass evacuation of Zawame, but they disappeared much earlier than that and didn't reappear even when other characters came Back for the Finale.
• Delinquents: Of the non-romanticized thug variety.
• Even Evil Has Standards: When Sonomura actually makes the Lion Inves attack Kouta, the rest of Team Red Hot looks rather disturbed.
• Flat Character: Group example. They have no estabilished personalities other than being presented as a group committing alot of stupid things.
• Foreshadowing: Sonomura was more than willing to use his Sengoku Driver to fight a human who wasn't a Rider. It won't be the first time he'd stoop to that low.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Goes from a low level team with not a lot of screen time to the first people in the series to use Inves for criminal actions obtaining an Inves powerful enough that it almost beats Gaim easily.
• Hate Sink: Averted as a whole team, but for Sonomura, played straight since he never shows any form of redeeming qualities his teammates have.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Sonomura nearly gets killed by his own Lion Inves when it escapes his control.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: They represent this trope.
  Kouta (to Sonomura and the gang): I've watched a man turn into a monster. I never wanted to see that again. But you guys, you may look human, but your actions are just as monstrous!
• Jerkasses: Sonomura especially.
• The Leader: Sonomura.
• Refused by the Call: Sonomura had a Driver, but made the mistake of causing a ruckus in Oren's bakery, leading him to confiscate it.
• Unwitting Pawn: Of Sid.
• We Can Rule Together: Sonomura makes this offer to Kouta. Kouta's answer should be obvious.
• Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: Team Red Hot are pretty much a group of social miscreants who were doing alot of stupid things, ranging from disturbing Oren's customers up to taking part in crime and vandalism.

---