Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Kamen Rider Opening Themes

…Y’know what I haven’t talked about in a while? Kamen Rider. And really, why shouldn’t I? Kamen Rider is one of, if not the, greatest series of the Tokusatsu genre. It’s lasted for four decades (ignoring a television hiatus that lasted from 1989 to 2000), has had crossovers with a number of different series in Japan, including Super Sentai, Ultraman, and Metal Heroes, and has spawned dubs in other countries, including two in English. But, as many people know, one thing that’s needed for an action show is for it to have a kickass opening theme that gets the audience ready for the half-hour that’s about to ensue. Now, other than the opening themes, Kamen Rider HAS had a number of insert themes that are really good too, and I’ll go over some of my favourites later on down the road as well. For now, though, let’s look at my 5 Favourite Kamen Rider Opening Themes, and I think I’m gonna do these in the order in which each season aired, starting with probably the most obvious…

Yeah, you knew this was gonna be up here. While I admittedly prefer the 2000 version of Let’s Go Rider Kick, this is the version used for the official intro, so it’s the one I’m posting. And I’m sure everyone’s wondering what I think of the 2011 cover by Kamen Rider Girls, and…I don’t really have an opinion. I didn’t really care when it was first released one way or the other beyond “Oh, that’s neat, they did a cover for the movie”. I neither really like it, nor am I in the group of people that practically called death down on these women. It’s just a cover, you guys. Get over it. Despite being one of my favourites, though, if I WAS going to rank these, this would probably be near the bottom. No disrespect, it’s just I like the others on this list a lot more. Still, it continues to maintain its position as the definitive Kamen Rider theme. Just, uh, don’t pull a Neo Saban era Power Rangers with us and have a remix of this theme for every season anytime soon, ‘kay?

BLACK! 😀 Okay, while I haven’t watched most of this season, there’s just something about the general aesthetic of Black’s suit that I really love. And dammit all, I LOVE the opening theme to his season. It really gets you in the mood to see this guy lay down some hurtin’ on some Gorgom scumbags. I actually really love the closing theme, too, if we’re being totally honest. That’s why I can’t help but giggle and hum that theme when I watch the net movie for Kamen Rider Decade where all the suit actors are dressed as Showa Era Riders for a race, and Black is just walking like in the end credits. Funny stuff.

YES, for the 150th time, I actually like Kamen Rider Kiva! Honest to God, I don’t get the hate for this series, and I DEFINITELY don’t get the Twilight jabs at it, especially since, while the books had been out for a few years, the first movie didn’t come out until November of the same year Kiva started airing, by which time we’d already had 40 episodes of the series. Really, it just comes off as people being vampired out by that point, and not wanting to give this show a chance. But anyway, getting back to the theme song, I think it’s a really catchy theme, and fits the tone of the series pretty well. Also, good God, the weird-ass imagery. If that didn’t make you wanna watch just to find out what the frak was going on, I don’t know what would do it for ya. Still, as catchy as this theme is, it pales in comparison to the next two on my list, in particular…

FUCK YEAH! I have said before that Kamen Rider W is my favourite season, it has my favourite Rider of all time in Kamen Rider Skull, and Goddamn it, it has probably my favourite opening theme of any Kamen Rider season. It’s energetic, it fits the tone of the series, and the imagery produced gets you ready for this combo of a superhero show and a detective story that balances comedy with tragedy in all the right ways. The only theme I would stack up against it is the last one on this list…

While I don’t think it’s the BEST theme that was produced for OOO, and we’ll talk about THAT later on, the intro theme does exactly as is required: Get your pulse pounding. Granted, with some of the later episodes and some of the more tragic elements of the plot, hearing this energetic and happy theme can kinda result in mood whiplash. And while it’s true that other themes have done this, none quite to the level of OOO. Still, it’s a solid hit, and the opening credits sequence that accompanies the music definitely does a good job of highlighting these three individuals that are caught up in this hectic chase for the Medals.

So, those are my 5 Favourite Kamen Rider Opening Themes. Have a favourite that wasn’t on here? Lemme know in the comments below, and I shall see you guys the next time I talk about Kamen Rider, when I list my 5 Favourite Insert Themes. Ja né!

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Henshin Devices From Kamen Rider

Have I mentioned how much I love Kamen Rider? *ducks thrown objects* Alright, once or twice. Well, one staple of Kamen Rider that I always like to see them experiment with and upgrade from series to series is the henshin (transform) device, nowadays referred to as Drivers. In a nutshell, it’s a belt (most of the time, anyway) that is used to transform the wearer into their Kamen Rider form. In modern versions, it also unlocks different attacks, power-ups, and form changes to adapt to different opponents. The past few seasons have also used additional items in tandem with the Driver to do these things (cards, medals, rings, etc.). And here are five of my all time favourites here for you all. Oh, and before anyone says anything, the first series I ever watched anything of (not counting Saban’s Masked Rider) was Kamen Rider Kiva, the first season I watched from beginning to end was Kamen Rider Decade, and my personal favourite is Kamen Rider W. So, before anyone accuses me of this, yes, I’m going to be at least slightly biased to the more recent ones. Guilty as charged, let’s get this over with. lol

#1 – The Double Driver

The personal henshin device of Kamen Rider W, the Double Driver is unique among all henshin devices in that it essentially connects two people into one. It is first strapped onto Shotaro, then a copy appears on Philip. It utilizes purified Gaia Memories, USB port-looking devices that contain the memories of the world. To transform with it, Philip places a Memory in the right side (usually the Cyclone Memory) which causes his consciousness to travel with the Memory to Shotaro’s Driver. Shotaro then plugs it and a second Memory (usually the Joker Memory) in and slides the two apart to form a W shape, thus becoming…

By switching Gaia Memories in and out (Shotaro’s Metal and Trigger Memories and Philip’s Heat and Luna Memories), Kamen Rider W can execute half-changes, turning one side of his body a different colour to reflect the different power-ups granted. Also, a special Maximum Drive slot on the right side is used to allow W to execute a finishing move, accessed by plugging a Memory into said slot. Now, there does exist a Driver similar to this called the Lost Driver, first used by Kamen Rider Skull, that allows a single person to become a Rider that uses the power of whatever Gaia Memory is inserted, but since it works essentially the same, looks the same (minus a plug-in for a second Gaia Memory), and has actually been used by Shotaro and Philip on occasion to become Kamen Rider Joker and Kamen Rider Cyclone, I’m basically grouping it in here.

#2 – The IXA Belt

Kamen Rider IXA is probably my second favourite Kamen Rider, just behind Kamen Rider Skull, and naturally, I really like his Driver too: The IXA Belt. Simply take the Knuckle section, slap it to part of your body (preferably one that won’t hurt like a bastard later), then one it signals that it’s ready, clamp the knuckle back into place to become…

The IXA Belt also comes equipped with its own Fuestles, much like the ones Kiva has. They allow him to hijack Kiva’s weapons, summon his personal vehicle, power up the knuckle section into an attacking weapon, and more. Since the IXA Belt doesn’t lock itself down to a specific user, it means that, in theory, anyone can be IXA. However, that also means that, in practice, only the best for the job could be IXA.

#3 – The Diendriver

As I said before, MOST Drivers are belts. Here’s an exception: The Diendriver used by Kamen Rider DiEnd. Again, transformation is simple: Insert the DiEnd Kamen Ride Card into the slot on the left side of the gun, load, and pull the trigger, thus transforming into…

Now, wherein Kamen Rider Decade’s Decadriver allows him to assume the forms of other Kamen Riders and mimic their powers, the Diendriver has a different purpose: It summons Riders by having their cards inserted into the slot. Now, whether these are the actual Riders who then do as DiEnd asks, or copies based on their memories that do DiEnd’s bidding, or something else entirely isn’t 100% confirmed. In fact, many times, it feels like they’re one thing, then another thing another time. Like many things in Kamen Rider Decade, they choose not to explain this function too much…which is probably why a lot of people really don’t like that season, because they never frakking explained what the hell was going on most of the time. Still, it’s an awesome Driver/weapon, so I’m not gonna deduct points over that.

#4 – The V-Buckle

The V-Buckle (leave me alone, I don’t know what it’s called in Kamen Rider Dragon Knight) is different among most henshin devices in that it is actually used by a vast number of Riders. Which ones? EVERY SINGLE RIDER from the Kamen Rider Ryuki (Kamen Rider Dragon Knight) series, though obviously one in particular…

There’s an alternate design for the Alternatives, but it pretty much works the same way: Slide the Advent Deck in, and it transforms you into a Rider possessing the powers of said Advent Deck, each one based off a different creature. There’s just something ominous about when one of the Riders from that series drawing a certain card from their Advent Deck, in particular the Final Vent card that allows them to use their finishing move. They make it look as dramatic as possible, especially when they’re about to use it on each other, because you know someone’s about to die (or be Vented in Dragon Knight).

#5 – The OOO Driver

The OOO Driver, belonging of course to Kamen Rider OOO, it can be somewhat complicated to use at times. Basically, slide three Core Medals in, each one in the proper position, and run the O Scanner across all three in sequence to become…

So, why is this complicated? Well, there are seven sets of Medals, plus a few extras found here and there, each colour coded to their set and belonging to different sets of animals (birds, insects, reptiles, etc), and each Medal only works in a specific slot on the OOO Driver, granting a different armour piece to OOO. For example, let’s take my favourite Medals, the red ones. There’s Taka, which is a Head Core Medal, Kujaku, which is an Arms Core Medal, and Condor, which is a Legs Core Medal. To transform, you need Head, Arms, and Legs Medals, and while most of them can be mixed and matched, there’s one set that work entirely as a set only. If you’re missing one, you’re screwed. Plus, there are so many Medals, and at least two extra copies of each Medal, so handling them all can be troublesome. Still, if you can work around it, it’s one of the most powerful Drivers around, as using all three of a specific set grants power equal to the advanced forms of most Riders…although they also can cause you to lose consciousness if you use too much power and aren’t used to it…Yeah, that’s kind of a trade-off. o.O

So, there’s my 5 Favourite Henshin Devices. Got a favourite that isn’t on here? Or perhaps you prefer henshin devices from another series? Drop a line below, and I’ll see you guys next time when I talk about my 5 Favourite Morphers from Power Rangers/Super Sentai. Ja né!

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Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider OOO

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen and others, to the Kamen Rider Spotlight. Today, we count the medals as well look at my girlfriend’s favourite Rider (Should I be jealous? lol), Kamen Rider OOO!…This is gonna be a LONG one…-_-

“I’ll transform!!!”

Kamen Rider OOO is a travelling young man named Eiji Hino. The victim of a tragedy that caused him to lose all selfish desires, he became the perfect individual to become OOO when a group of creatures made up of strange Medals called the Greeed awaken and begin to feed off of the desires of humans. OOO is assisted by the bird Greeed, the enigmatic Ankh, who provides him with and safeguards the Medals required to become Kamen Rider OOO.

OOO’s henshin device is the OOO Driver. For 800 years, it served as the seal on the Greeed, but with the seal on the Greeed broken and the secondary seal on the Driver itself undone by Eiji, he and he alone can become OOO by inserting three Core Medals into the Driver and scanning them with the O Scanner found to the side of the belt formed by the OOO Driver.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/268/1/8/kamen_rider_ooo___core_medals_by_w_double-d3bfywr.jpg

The Core Medals that make up the Greeed are also used to transform Eiji into Kamen Rider OOO. Each Medal represents a different animal, and also provides Eiji with a different head, arms, or legs amour piece as OOO. The initial five coloured Medals (red, yellow, green, silver, and blue) can be mixed and matched, whereas the purple Medals only work with themselves, as do the orange Medals, though with the latter I’m willing to bet that’s only because they appeared in one of the movies. The Kangaroo, Imagin, and Shocker Medals were each one-time appearance Medals as well, the Panda Medal only appeared in a game, and the black Medals also only appeared in one of the movies and were not used by OOO, but rather by the villains of that movie. But yeah, suffice to say, there are a LARGE number of possible random combos OOO could use, but to save time since this is already likely to be my longest Spotlight yet, let’s look at the primary Medal Combos.

“TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA TO BA, TATOBA, TA TO BA!”

TaToBa Combo is likely OOO’s most used form. This is likely due to the perfect balance of speed, power, evasiveness, and accuracy. The Taka Head grants OOO improved senses and can even lock onto otherwise invisible targets, the Tora Claw gauntlets grant razor sharp claws that stab and slice enemies, and the Batta Legs grant enhanced jumping and kicking power. His finisher is the TaToBa Kick, wherein after bouncing high with grasshopper-like legs, OOO dives through a series of red, yellow, and green rings to deliver a powerful Rider Kick.

“TRIPLE SCANNING CHARGE!”

The Medajalibur is a powerful sword that was crafted for OOO by the Kougami Foundation. It’s usually used in TaToBa Combo, but has seen use in others on rare occasion. My own personal theory on this is that the Tora Arms with the claws retracted can get an easier grip on it than the others. By inserting three Cell Medals and scanning them, OOO can use the OOO Bash, a powerful slash that can cut through anything, though strangely when it cuts through inanimate objects (buildings, vehicles, etc.), they reform as the attack ends.

“Hey! Transform already!”

The Ride Vendor is-Wait, that’s not right…

There we go! The Ride Vendor is OOO’s motorcycle. It starts off as a vending machine (seriously) that can be activated by OOO by inserting a Cell Medal into it. The wonderful part of that is that the Kougami Foundation has them set up all throughout the city, so there’s no shortage of them. They also carry the Candroids, little robotic buddies that can assist OOO in a variety of ways, but we’ll discuss one in particular a little further down.

“KUWAGATA! KAMAKIRI! BATTA! GA–GA–GA–GATA KIRI BA, GATAKIRIBA!”

GataKiriBa Combo is the green Medal Combo. The Kuwagata Medal allows OOO to send out lightning blasts from the horns, and the Kamakiri Medal grants him blades on his gauntlets that can also be held and used like swords or scythes. In GataKiriBa Combo, OOO also possesses the power of multiplication, creating copies of himself to either overwhelm a single opponent or even the odds against many. Apparently, according to Eiji, the hard part of that ability is actually putting himself back into a single one of him. His finisher is the GataKiriBa Kick, where all of the duplicates aim Rider Kicks at a single target. Also, apparently the reason this combo didn’t appear all that often was because it was taxing for the CGI. lol

“LION! TORA! CHEETAH! RA TORA TAH, RATORATAH!”

RaToraTah Combo is the yellow Medal Combo. The Lion Medal can send out a massive wave of heat and light (so insects must LOVE this combo), and the Cheetah Medal lets OOO run super-fast and deliver lightning-quick kicks. Overall, RaToraTah lacks a lot of the power of the other combos, but makes up for it with its speed. Its finisher, the Gush Cross. After running through a series of Yellow Rings, the Tora Claws are infused with the Lion Head’s light and heat, creating a massively powerful cross slash.

Shortly after gaining access to RaToraTah Combo, OOO was also given the new Tora Candroid. Through it, the Ride Vendor is turned into the Toride Vendor, a feral jungle cat of a motorcycle. In this form, its speed and power are enhanced, and it can fire medal-shaped projectiles at targets. The downside is rather steep, as it’s usually impossible to control, but thanks to a special ability of the machine’s, it siphons out the excess energy of RaToraTah Combo while simultaneously taming the beast, making this combo all the more potent.

“SAI! GORILLA! ZOU! SA GO ZO! SAGOZU!”

SaGoZou Combo is the silver Medal Combo. The Sai Medal grants OOO a hard and pointed horn for head-butting, the Gorilla Medal gives him massive gauntlets for punches, lariats, or even for rocket punches, and the Zou Medal allows him to create small quakes with every step at the cost of pretty much all of his running and jumping power. In SaGoZou Combo, he can pound his chest to create shock-waves and manipulate gravity with his horn. Obviously, SaGoZou Combo makes OOO the stereotypical strongman, granted with immense offensive and defensive strength while unable to run fast or jump high at all…which makes his finisher, the SaGoZou Impact, all the more insane to watch. He rockets himself up into the sky using his gravity control, then stomps down hard to send a wave through the earth that pulls the opponent down into it and toward OOO, who then bashes the hell out of him with a simultaneous double punch and head-butt.

“TAKA! KUJAKU! CONDOR! TAAAAA JAAAAAA DORUUUUUU!”

TaJaDol Combo is the red Medal Combo, and honestly, it’s my personal favourite. The Kujaku Medal grants OOO the use of a powerful weapon called the Taja Spinner, while the Condor Medal gives OOO talon-attachments. In TaJaDol Combo, OOO’s Taka Head becomes the Taka Head Brave, further enhancing his sight, he can generate small blasts in the form of Peacock tail feathers, and even sprout wings for fast and easy flight. His finisher in this form is the Prominence Drop, wherein he swoops in from high up and grows large talons to crush the target in their razor sharp grip. But probably it’s greatest feature is…I LOVE its insert theme. 😀

And yes, that IS the actors playing Eiji and Ankh singing the song. And the fangirls start a creamin’. ^_^

“GIGA SCAN!!!”

The Taja Spinner is one of OOO’s greatest weapons. It acts as a shield while also granting him the ability to shoot flames at his opponent, either in small fireballs or in long streaming infernos. But beyond that, the Taja Spinner opens to reveal seven Cell Medals inside. These Cell Medals can be exchanged with Core Medals for different elemental attacks, via scanning them with the O Scanner. In particular, using the Red Medals allows OOO to use the Magna Blaze, projecting a phoenix around him before delivering a powerful Rider Punch. And somewhere, Captain Falcon is shaking his fist in anger. lol

“SHACHI! UNAGI! TAKO! SHA–SHA–SHAUTA! SHA–SHA–SHAUTA!”

ShaUTa Combo is the blue Medal Combo. The Shachi Medal allows OOO to send and receive sonic waves, fire blasts of water, and allow him to breathe underwater for up to three hours, the Unagi Medal grants him electrified whips, and the Tako Medal gives him legs covered in suction cups that can cling to walls or split into eight tentacles. In ShaUTa Combo, while OOO doesn’t possess nearly the punch and kicking power that the other Combos, he has incredible flexibility and even the power to completely liquefy, not unlike Black RX’s Bio Rider form. His finisher, the Octo Banish, sees him shooting into the air in liquefied form, wrap the Unagi Whips around the opponent, and drag himself and the target together while the Tako Legs form tentacles that spin like a drill, drilling straight through the enemy.

“PTERA! TORIKERA! TYRANNO! PU TO TYRANNOSAURUS!!!”

PuToTyra Combo is the purple Medal Combo. Unlike all other Medals, the purple Medals cannot be used for Random Combos, only working together for PuToTyra Combo. This form essentially makes OOO a berserker unless he’s able to keep complete concentration during a fight, which is easier said than done. The Ptera Medal allows OOO to see Medals and auras within a Greeed’s body, as well as grow wings for flight or for sending waves of ice cold winds that freeze targets in ice upon contact. The Torikera Medal grants him the Wind Stinger horns on his shoulders that can stretch out near endlessly and stabbing into targets. The Tyranno Medal gives OOO clawed feet and can grow a long, thick tyrannosaurus tail for harsh swings and slams. OOO’s finisher in this form is the Blasting Freezer, wherein the Wind Stingers stab into the target, keeping them in place so he can freeze them in a block of ice and then shatter them apart with a massive swing of his tail.

“PU TO TYRANNO HISSATSU!!!”

The Medagabryu is an axe that becomes a bazooka, made to channel the purple Medals’ power to destroy other Medals. The axe form can be used with any Combo, while the bazooka can only be used by PuToTyra. By inserting Cell Medals into the tyranno mouth of the weapon, it can perform a finisher. In the other combos, the finisher is a slash of purple Medal power also powered by that Combo’s elemental powers called the Ground of Rage. In PuToTyra Combo, it allows OOO to fire a massive burst of energy called the Strain Doom.

“COBRA! KAME! WANI! BURA KAAAAAAAA WANI!”

BuraKaWani Combo is the orange Medal Combo. The Cobra Medal doubles OOO’s eyesight, even granting him infra-red, the Kame Medal gives him a two-piece shield split on the gauntlets, and the Wani Medal equips his legs with saws that create the image of a crocodile head chomping on enemies when he kicks them. In BuraKaWani Combo, OOO can play a flute to turn the ponytail-like attachment into a snake that attacks according to OOO’s will. His finisher is the Warning Ride, wherein a series of orange rings are projected that OOO slides through feet first before sailing up and delivering a Rider Kick that creates the image of a giant crocodile head crunching the target.

“TAKA! IMAGIN! SHOCKER! TA MA SHII, TAMASHII, TA MA SHII! RIDERRRR DAMASHII!!!”

TaMaShii Combo is a special Medal Combo. The Shocker Medal was created through the sheer evil power of SHOCKER, the original foes of the Kamen Riders, while the Imagin Medal is somehow crafted from a part of Momotaros. The Imagin Medal gives OOO massive shoulder-mounted horns, while the Shocker Medal grants legs similar to the Condor Legs but using the same energy that SHOCKER tends to channel. This combo only appeared once, as the Medals vanished after a single use, likely because they were incomplete somehow. Its finisher is the Tamashii Bomber, basically a mighty ki blast using the combined powers of OOO, the Imagin, and SHOCKER.

“TAKA! KANGAROO! BATTA!” “TAKA! TORA! KANGAROO!”

The Kangaroo Medal is a unique Medal used only once. Unlike most Medals that grant a different head, arms, or legs piece only, the Kangaroo Medal could be used to grant both an arms or a legs piece depending on which slot it was placed in. In the arms slot, it granted OOO boxers gloves with which to throw super-fast and powerful punches. In the legs slot, it gave him spring-like legs that actually gave kicking and jumping power surpassing the Batta Legs, and could manifest a Kangaroo tail. It stands to reason it could be mix and matched with any of the other standard Medals, but there’s no way to tell. Much like the Imagin and Shocker Medals, it vanished after a single use.

“SUPER TAKA! SUPER TORA! SUPER BATTA! SU–U–PA, TATOBA, TA TO BA! SUPER!!!”

Super TaToBa Combo is arguably OOO’s ultimate form. This form possesses all the same strengths as TaToBa Combo, but its speed, power, and defensive prowess are all increased dramatically. Even the Super Tora Claws are longer and sharper than the originals. Also, because these Medals come from the future and now exist outside of their original point in the space/time continuum, OOO can actually freeze time for a few seconds. His finisher is the Super TaToBa Kick, and just like everything else with Super TaToBa Combo, it possesses far more explosive power than the original.

…WOW, that was a long one. For the next Kamen Rider Spotlight, I think we should maybe get a little…dark. 😉 Ja né!

Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider Kiva

Okay, so this hasn’t exactly turned out to be the happiest Halloween ever, but nonetheless I wanted to give you the Kamen Rider Spotlight I promised earlier this month. So today, we look at a Rider whose Spotlight is all too fitting to occur on this day (and I swear, if I hear one Twilight related jab at this guy, I’m not gonna be held responsible what I do in rebuttal, lol): Kamen Rider Kiva.

“Wake up! Break the chains of destiny!!”

Kiva is a young man named Wataru. Living on his own, Wataru shy and obsessed with his own hygiene, and while he never lies, he does hide a secret: He is in fact Kamen Rider Kiva, a title passed down from father to child among the race of creatures known as the Fangire Race, beings similar to vampires, but with a stained glass motif, and each belonging to an animal class, being able to take on a monstrous form of said animal. However, because they feed off human life energy, Wataru fights to protect humans, and ends up meeting several friends and allies from all walks of life, be they human, Fangire, or other monstrous beings. His story is of course a bit more complicated than that, but we’re not really here to give complete spoilers to the show.

“Kivatte Ikuze!”

As I’ve alluded to, most Riders use a Henshin Device in the form of a belt, and Kiva is no different in that regard. However, Kiva’s belt is summoned in a very different manner. His partner, Kivat-bat the 3rd, bites into Wataru’s hand, awakening his Fangire blood and summoning a series of chains that form the Kivat Belt. Once hung from the belt upside-down in true bat fashion, Kivat transforms Wataru into Kiva.

Kiva’s motorcycle is the Machine Kivaa, his own personal variant of the Honda Shadow 750, as built for him by Motobat the 16th. It’s actually a living creature with the brain of a horse installed inside, and has the ability to vanish from plain sight when travelling at higher speeds. Using the Buroon Fuestle, Kiva can upgrade the Kivaa with the Buroon Booster, upgrading its speed and making it capable of multiple motorcycle tricks, and at top speeds creating a field that cuts air resistance on the motorcycle almost completely.

Kiva’s natural form, termed simply as Kiva Form, is a fairly well rounded basic form. He has access to all the Fuestles in his arsenal, and possesses a powerful Rider Kick called the Darkness Moon Break, wherein he kicks the target against a surface so hard that he leaves a indentation in the surface in the form of his emblem.

“Garulu Sabre!”

Garulu Form is formed when Kiva summons the Garulu Sabre. In this form, Kiva is an almost rabid werewolf-like swordsman. His speed is much higher and he fights with a ferocity unseen in his other forms. His mouthpiece can also open to place the Sabre in his ‘mouth’, and then execute the finishing manoeuvre, the Garulu Howling Slash.

“Basshaa Magnum!”

Basshaa Form is formed when Kiva summons the Basshaa Magnum. Despite the loss of most of his attack power and agility in this form, his long range attacks and quick analysis of enemy weakpoints can make up for such losses. He can also manipulate the water and rain, creating his finisher, the Basshaa Aqua Tornado.

“Dogga Hammer!”

Dogga Form is formed when Kiva summons the Dogga Hammer. In this form, Kiva’s speed is cut down harshly, but his physical prowess is increased dramatically. He can also see invisible foes and manipulate electricity. His finisher, the Dogga Thunder Slap, creates an effigy of the Dogga Hammer out of lightning that slams into the target HARD.

…Erm, pile on? lol

DoGaBaKi Form is formed when Kiva summons all three of the Arms Monsters weapons, combining the base elements of his Dogga, Garulu, Basshaa, and Kiva Forms. In this form, Kiva’s power is increased to such a high level that he can only assume it for five minutes. Any longer and it can be deadly to him. He can summon any of the weapons in this form, and presumably can use any of the finishers from his other forms.

“Pyunpyuun! Tension fortissimo!”

Demon Imperial Dragon Tatsulot is a small dragon that becomes something of a second partner to Kiva along with Kivat. He also serves as a Henshin Device that allows Wataru to assume Kiva’s Emperor Form and utilize his upgraded finishers in Emperor Form.

“Wake Up Fever!”

Emperor Form is Kiva’s true form, awakened through Kivat and Tatsulot. Because Tatsulot also provides upgraded versions of all of Kiva’s other finishing moves, Wataru eventually grew to use this form over the others, often-times transforming straight to Emperor. On one occasion, Emperor Form was powered up into a berserker form when Wataru’s Fangire blood went out of control. He later receives a weapon called the Zanvat Sword that, when used with Emperor Form, allows him to execute the Final Zanvat Slash.

Holy clusterfuck, Kivaman! XD

DoGaBaKi Emperor Form is a very rare form that Kiva has only used once. It requires him to transform using Kivat, Tatsulot, and the Arms Monsters weapons. It possesses the abilities and powers of all Kiva’s forms, but presumably possesses the same limitation as the standard DoGaBaKi Form. His finisher is the DoGaBaKi Emperor Break.

…Yeah, go ahead and make a joke. We’ll see if it’s still funny when he roasts your ass. lol

Flight Style is a powerful dragon-like form that Kiva can assume while in Emperor Form. Rarely seen, it gives Kiva supersonic flight, bladed wings, flame breath, and deadly finisher called the Bloody Strike.

Well that’s all for today. Next time on the Kamen Rider Spotlight, we regret nothing as we tighten up, because we got to keep it real and ride on right time when the sun goes up, and remember that time judged all and shout out the power to tearer since anything goes. Ja né!

Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider Den-O

Ore sanjou! It’s time for another instalment of the Kamen Rider Spotlight, and this time we’re riding on the train that travels time with Kamen Rider Den-O!

“Ore sanjou!”

Den-O is a kinda weak kid with horridly bad luck named Ryotaro Nogami. Through a series of events, he learns of the Imagin, humans that lost their physical forms due to their histories being erased and possess other humans to gain new forms from their imaginations, eventually taking the person’s life to travel backward in time in search of the one responsible for the erasure of their history, destroying everything in their path. However, there are some Imagin that are willing to help stop the damage to time, teaming with Ryotaro as he boards a time travelling train and becomes Kamen Rider Den-O.

The Den Liner is Den-O’s time travelling train, made up of eight cars, each also equipped with a varying array of defence mechanisms and weapon systems. The DenLiner can be accessed by anyone with a Rider Pass opening ANY door when time lines up so that the hour, minute, and second are the same (2:02:02, 6:06:06, 12:12:12, etc).

The Den Bird serves both as Den-O’s personal motorcycle and can also plug into the main cockpit for the DenLiner. Once plugged it, it allows Den-O to take manual control of the DenLiner.

The Den-O Belt is Den-O’s Henshin device. By sweeping his Rider Pass past the Set Touch, the scanner in the centre, he transforms into Den-O. His natural form is his Plat Form, but by pressing one of the other four buttons and sweeping the Rider Pass, he transforms into one of his forms, provided one of his ally Imagin are available to possess him. It’s also possible for the Imagin to become their matching Den-O form themselves provided they have a copy of the Den-O Belt and Rider Pass.

Plat Form is the basic form of Den-O. Ryotaro rarely ever uses this form, really only ever appearing in transition between forms. This is due to Ryotaro’s frail physique and lack of any kind of self-defence training. He has access to the weapons of the other forms, but they do him little to any good whatsoever.

“From the start to the finish, I’m at a climax!”

Sword Form is likely Den-O’s best known form, and is assumed while being possessed by the Imagin Momotaros, arguably the most popular character of the Den-O series. Momotaros is a hot-headed and warmongering Oni-like Imagin, but he can be a good and goofy individual to his close friends. As the name suggests, Sword Form provides Den-O with a powerful sword. His standard finisher, the Extreme Slash, sends his blade launching out from the sword, connected by a chain of electricity, which he slashes across the foe. He has multiple variations of this move. He also has a roundhouse Rider Kick he’s utilized on rare occasion.

“Mind if I reel you in?”

Rod Form is accessible by letting the flirtatious turtle-like Urataros possess him. Armed with a long shaft that can also be utilized as a harpoon and a fishing rod. He’s a bit more defensive than Sword Form while lacking a bit of Sword Form’s attacking power. For his finisher, the Solid Attack, he pins the opponent by using the rod as a harpoon and executes a Rider Kick on it.

“My strength has made you cry!”

Axe Form is formed when Ryotaro allows the bear-like sumo/samurai to possess him. He’s armed with a mighty axe that makes him the most powerful short range form and has increased strength, power, and durability. The downside is that he’s slowed insanely down. His finisher is an all-powerful falling slash with the axe known as the Dynamic Chop.

“Mind if I defeat ya? I can’t hear you!”

Gun Form is formed when Ryotaro is possessed by Ryutaros, a dragon-like, childish, reckless risk-taker with a love of break-dancing. Armed with a high-powered gun and able to utilize his break-dancing for ducking and dodging, he should be the superior of all four original forms. The problem is that Ryutaros’ lack of accuracy combined with the power of his ammo can make Gun Form a bit unreliable. His finisher is the Wild Shot, which is a powered up shot that will blow away just about ANYTHING, provided that Ryutaros can get his aim right.

“Advent! To the top!”

Wing Form is a rarely used form brought about by Ryotaro being possessed by Sieg, a swan-like regal-minded individual whose need for the others to treat him in a princely manner can make him something of an annoyance. The special Wing Buckle also must be placed over the Den-O Belt for this form to be achieved, as there is no button for this form. Wing Form is equipped with a hand-axe and a boomerang, and possesses agility surpassing even Gun Form. His finisher, the Royal Smash, is a pincer attack with the twin weapons.

Momo–Ura–Kin–Ryu! CLIMAX FORM!

The Climax Cellphone K-Taros is a cellphone/henshin device. When three of the four Imagin were turned to dust, Ryotaro’s feelings for them turned the dust to the K-Taros and allowed for the Imagin to return later, as the K-Taros kept them connected, both by letting Ryotaro call them from anywhere and by attaching it to the Den-O Belt to allowed him to transform to Climax Form.

“Pile on!”

Climax Form is summoned by using the K-Taros to call Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros together. It’s essentially an improved form of Sword Form, but the combined effort and powers of the four Imagin with Ryotaro grants him power beyond all of his other forms, save for the later further upgrade to Super Climax Form. It has a number of finishers, such as the Boisterous Kick and Boisterous Punch, which lines the masks of the other Imagin along the leg or arm for a devastating blow, the Boisterous Shout, which opens Ryutaros’ mask open to launch a barrage of missiles, and finally the Boisterous Slash, which channels all their power through Sword Form’s sword for a massive Extreme Slash.

Liner Form is powerful upgrade to Plat Form that Ryotaro can use for situations where the Imagin are unable to possess him for whatever reason, be it some outside force keeping them away or in the case of one of the movies where Ryotaro and the Imagin all transformed into the different forms of Den-O. It is accessed by inserting the Rider Pass into the DenKamen Sword. While it is definite improvement to Plat Form, and the DenKamen Sword allows Ryotaro to imitate the fighting styles of the Imagin, it still leaves Ryotaro on his own in the field, and given his bad luck and lack of real fighting skill, this can be a problem at times. His finishing move, the Densha Giri, comes in five variations. The first four are imitations of the main four forms’ finishers, while the final is a massive slash dubbed the Fullthrottle Break, but each attack produces the illusionary form of the matching Imagin’s car from the DenLiner, with the Fullthrottle Break producing all of them at once.

“…What’s with this fluttery thing? Chicken bastard, is that you?!”

Super Climax Form was used once when Wing Form used the K-Taros to bring the other four Imagin together with Sieg. This is generally considered to be Den-O’s ultimate form. It functions much in the same way as Climax Form, only with extra power, likely best demonstrated with the Super Boisterous Kick, wherein Sieg’s mask on the back sprouts into full spectral wings and the power of all five Imagin come together for a massively powerful kick that obliterates the target.

Well that’s all for this edition of the Kamen Rider Spotlight. The next one will be a special Halloween edition wherein we take a look at the Rider who breaks the chains of destiny. Ja né!

Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider Skull

It’s time for another instalment of the Kamen Rider Spotlight, and this time we’re going hardboiled as I look at my all-time favourite Kamen Rider of all time, Kamen Rider Skull!

“Saa, omae no tsumi wo kazoe!”

Mentor to Shotaro Hidari, Soukichi Narumi was a true hardboiled detective, but an incident in dealing with the Spider Dopant led to him becoming a Kamen Rider, as well as isolating himself from his daughter when a miniature Spider Bomb implants in him, which would go off if he ever came in direct contact with the one he loved most. He later took on Shotaro as an apprentice and began solving Dopant related cases as Skull, until his tragic end that also began Shotaro and Philip‘s story as W.

SKULL – MAXIMUM DRIVE!

Much of Skull’s tech is later passed down to W, or inspires the creation of similar tech. The Lost Driver that the Skull Memory is inserted into looks like a broken half of W’s Double Driver, and in fact was later passed down to Shotaro so that he could become Kamen Rider Joker in case of emergencies where Philip wasn’t available to transform with him. Like with W, it possesses a Maximum Drive slot that allows Skull to his finisher, the Skull Banisher Rider Kick. Also the Skull Magnum, his personal side arm, would later give inspiration to the creation of the Trigger Magnum, and as such operates in much the same fashion. It also grants Skull an additional finisher called the Skull Punisher.

The SkullBoilder is Skull’s modified Honda CBR1000RR motorcycle. It’s kept inside of the mobile garage, the tank-like SkullGarry, which can be called out with the press of a button on the Stag Phone. Both the SkullBoilder and the SkullGarry would later be reconfigured into W’s HardBoilder and RevolGarry.

It’s also worth noting that Skull has an incomplete form that appeared once: Skull Crystal. It’s relatively the same, except that it lacks the S-shaped crack in the helmet, which would usually be covered by Soukichi’s fedora anyway…and by the way, I would just like to note once again for the record that it’s because of W and Skull that I myself have taken to wearing fedoras myself, as a sign of my everlasting fanboyism to these two Riders.

Well, that’s all for this edition of Kamen Rider Spotlight. Next time, we start and finish at a climax. Ja né!

Kamen Rider Spotlight – Girls Night Out!

Okay, here’s the thing. I wanted to cover a female Rider, but sadly there aren’t many and usually only appear one time, usually in the movies. So you know what, fuck it, I’m gonna do them all in one go, it’s girls night out here on Kamen Rider Spotlight! And real quick, this only counts towards Riders that are predominantly female, so IXA and Birth and whatnot being used by women don’t count, and sadly Electro-Wave Human Tackle doesn’t count either, but don’t worry, I WILL cover her at some point.

FINAL VENT!

The original female Rider. Sadly, Kamen Rider Femme only appeared in the Ryuki movie “Episode: Final” and in the TV special “13 Riders”. She’s probably better known in North America as Kamen Rider Siren in the adaptation of Kamen Rider Ryuki entitled Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. In a rare instance in Tokusatsu where the English version is actually better than the Japanese, they decided to make her a full character and part of the “big three” that formed the main protagonists.

Like all Riders of that season, Femme used an Advent Deck, possessing a series of cards that gave her different abilities and equipment, and based around a Contract Monster, in her case the swan-like Blancwing. Her Advent card summoned Blancwing for an attack, the Sword Vent brings out a much more powerful sword called the Wing Slasher, the Guard Vent summons the Wing Shield, and the Final Vent allows her and Blancwing to perform the Misty Slash.

CHANGE~!

The second female Rider, Kamen Rider Larc falls into the same category as Femme, in that she originally only appeared in Kamen Rider Blade‘s movie, “Missing Ace”. However, a second Larc would appear in DiEnd‘s World in Kamen Rider Decade, giving the Rider a second chance to appear. She typically served as part of a trio with Kamen Riders Lance and Glaive.

Again like Femme, her powers come from cards. Her Change Keroberos (Red) card transforms her into Larc, and her Mighty Ray card lets her perform the Ray Bullet attack with her signature weapon, the Larc Rouser crossbow (and by the way, L’arc is French for “the bow”).

Kamen Rider Shuki only appeared in two episodes, dying in her second episode. And I can’t help but notice a pattern in that almost every single female Rider died, save for one that I’ll get to later. Heck, even Tackle died. But anyway, I digress. Shuki used a harp called the Ongekigen Kitara, since the Riders of Kamen Rider Hibiki used weapons in the form of musical instruments since the monsters they fought were weak to sound-waves. Not much else to say besides that.

Kamen Rider Amaki is actually an interesting topic, in that she wasn’t really classified as a Kamen Rider originally, just Transformed Akira. She wasn’t made a full fledged Kamen Rider until the appearance of her alternate reality self in Hibiki’s World in Kamen Rider Decade. She’s armed with the Ongekikan Reppu, a trumpet that also doubles as a blaster.

“Kiva-la ikuse!”

Despite appearances, Kamen Rider Kiva-la did not appear in Kamen Rider Kiva. Instead, she’s actually Natsumi Hikari, a girl who had nightmares of a future where Kamen Rider Decade destroys the other Riders in a massive battle, and later travelled with Decade in his  journey through the Alternate Reality Worlds as they saved each one from different disasters. During Movie War 2010, she teamed with a Kivat from Kiva’s World called Kiva-la to become Kamen Rider Kiva-la, first to stop Decade when he goes on a rampage, and second to stand alongside Decade, DiEnd, and the other Riders against Super Shocker, a massive force born of Shocker, the original enemies of Kamen Rider Ichigo. Oh, and she’s also the first Rider to not die in action, and is presumably still operating as Kiva-la along with Decade, DiEnd, and Kuuga.

Not much else to say about her except that she’s got a wicked-ass rapier called the Kiva-la Saber, which I gotta believe is a weaker version of Kiva’s Zanvat Sword. However, what makes hers a bit more easy to wield is that she doesn’t require any Fuestles to perform her finisher, the Sonic Stab. It has been guessed by fans online that she could use Kiva’s Fuestles to summon his weapons, but I dunno. Kiva-la is a lot smaller than Kivat the 3rd, and I don’t know that she can hold those in her mouth.

“Uchuu KITAAAAAAAAAA!”

The girl who fell from the sky created from SOLU, Kamen Rider Nadeshiko is the newest female Rider. Her powers are the same as Fourze’s, except that she only has compartments for the Arm-based Astroswitches. Her belt comes with her own copies of the Rocket and Radar Switches and she’s only ever seen using Rocket, but since her Driver is based off of Fourze’s, it stands to reason she can use any of the Arm-based Astroswitches he can, leading to fan art of her in his different forms being created on deviantArt and the like. Oh, and her motif is a Japanese schoolgirl… … …Nuff said. lol

So yeah, that’s all of the female Kamen Riders. Honestly, I wish there were more, and I actually kinda hope someday we see the main Rider of a season be a woman. But for now, I will give you a hint as to the identity of the next Rider in the Spotlight…

And no, it’s not Michael Jackson. lol Ja né!

Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider IXA

Well, time for another instalment of the Kamen Rider Spotlight, and for our second Rider, I’m taking a look at one of my all-time favourites, Kamen Rider IXA. Also, I noted that in the past, I hadn’t spent a lot of time covering the additional weapons and vehicles of Kamen Riders, so I will attempt to make up for that in this and future Spotlights.

“Fangaia… Sono inochi, Kami ni kaeshinasai!”

IXA was the secondary Rider from Kamen Rider Kiva‘s season. Unlike most Riders, a number of people have become IXA over time, including the Wolfen Jiro, Kiva’s father Otoya, Fangire Hunter Yuri Aso, the Lion Fangire Rook, the Spider Fangire Ryo Itoya, Yuri’s daughter Megumi, and Fangire Hunter Kengo Eritate. However, the primary user of the IXA System throughout the show was Keisuke Nago, who at first battles against Kiva until learning his true identity and seeing him as an ally in protecting humanity.

“RED-DI-I! FIS-SU-TO ON-N!”

The IXA System is operated with the IXA Belt and IXA Knuckle. By first pressing the Knuckle to another part of their body (Nago typically pressed it in the palm of his other hand) and then sliding it into place on the Belt, a projection of the armour appears in front of the user’s body and then overlaps it, materializing over them.

http://nagoixa.deviantart.com/art/Nago-Keisuke-Henshin-IXA-164482176

IXA only has three forms that are seen. The basic, original form is known as Save Mode. Back when IXA was still in the prototype stages, Save Mode was all it had, and it kinda blew. Steam would burst out for no reason, the thing constantly beeped, and it could actually harm the user. These problems would later be fixed as the system underwent upgrades over the years to the point that it also received it’s next form, Burst Mode. Like Kiva, it comes with a Fuestle that unlocks additional power. The Knuckle Fuestle allows IXA to use his primary finishing move with the IXA Knuckle called the Broken Fang.

Burst Mode is so named because it sends of a wave of intense heat that damages everything in the immediate area. It also gives slight upgrades to all areas that Save Mode usually gives increases to. He’s also armed with several more Fuestles, some of which actually allow him to borrow or even outright steal Kiva’s weapons. He also comes equipped with the IXA Calibur, a high powered gun that turns into a sword, because as we all know, guns that turn into swords and vice versa are frigging awesome. His finisher is a high-powered slash called the IXA Judgement.

As is the case with nearly every other Rider in existence, IXA has his own motorcycle. The IXAlion is modified from a Honda CBR1000RR and possesses a max speed of 753 km/h. But if you’re more the type that likes combat vehicles, IXA doesn’t leave you disappointed there either.

Anybody ever played the crane game?

The Powerd Ixer is a massive dragon-like crane on wheels. It was originally designed to combat the massive Sabbats or Kiva’s Castle Doran, but has since proven to be a helpful ally to Castle Doran in combat. It flings enemies around, can toss massive orbs at targets, or can even lob IXA himself at opponents for a high-powered Rider Kick.

RI-U-SIN-GU I-KU-SA!

But when all else fails, IXA has one final trick hidden up his sleeve, or rather his mouth-plate: The IXA Riser, a cellphone that turns into a gun and can also transform IXA into his final form, Rising IXA. This pumps IXA up to maximum strength, able to stand up to the strongest of opponents. Before the end of the series, IXA received a final upgrade that allowed him to bypass his other forms and go straight to Rising IXA, as the enemies were growing too numerous and too powerful for his weaker forms. The IXA Riser grants him his new finisher, a massive shot of energy called the Final Rising Blast. The only downside is that the finisher has one hell of a recoil, knocking IXA on his ass and cancelling out the transformation. IXA later managed to brace himself properly, but until then learned to vault himself off a nearby wall and follow the blast up with a Rider Kick.

As mentioned before, IXA is not locked down to a single chosen user and can technically be used by anyone. Because of that, it means that the one using it has to be stronger, faster, smarter, wiser, and more humane than any other in order to prove he is the one best suited for it, the one true Kamen Rider IXA.

Well, that’s all for this edition of Kamen Rider Spotlight, and I’ll see y’all next time. Ja ne!

My 99th Post! Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider Fourze

Well, time for another instalment of the Kamen Rider Spotlight, and in honour of both the season that just ended and the memory of the first man to land on the moon, Neil Armstrong, today’s Rider is none other than Kamen Rider Fourze.

“Uchuuu…KITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Gentaro Kisaragi. Fourze. The high school-er. The spaceman. The one who can and will befriend all others. Call him what you will, but above all else, he has earned the title of Kamen Rider, being able to stand strong alongside OOO, W, the Seven Legendary Riders, Decade, and even Gokaiger and Gobuster.

Fourze took the mix/match style of OOO and added a fourth dimension to it, being able to use four different powers at once, one on each hand and foot. With Fourze, he uses the Astroswitches, specialised switches that he inserts into the Fourze Driver that grant him different weapons and tools, even whole new forms called States. The standard ones come in a set of 40, but there are also a few extra ones that have popped up from time to time. The 40 Astroswitches are: Rocket, Launcher, Drill, Radar, Magic Hand, Camera, Parachute, Chainsaw, Hopping, Elek, Scissors, Beat, Chain Array, Smoke, Spike, Winch, Flash, Shield, Gatling, Fire, Stealth, Hammer, Water, Medical, Pen, Wheel, Screw, Hand, Schop, N Magnet, S Magnet, Freeze, Claw, Board, Giantfoot, Aero, Gyro, Net, Stamper, and Cosmic.

“Rider Rocket Drill Kick!”

Base States is his default form. He has a hoverpack on his back that’s actually carried onto his other forms, and can mix and match any of his Astroswitches except for Elek, Fire, N and S Magnet, and Cosmic, as inserting those switches changes his State. His most typical finisher, or Limit Break as it’s called, in this form is the Rider Rocket Drill Kick, which uses the Rocket and Drill switches to send a jet-propelled drill through the target. In the finale, he used this finisher while pulling the level for the Limit Break three times, giving it enough power to defeat the last enemy of the series.

“Rider 10 Billion Volt Break!”

Elek States is the result of using the Elek Switch. In this form, he possesses a higher level of defence, as well as a weapon called Billy the Rod, a rod that has multiple settings allowing for different electrical attacks and manoeuvres, his trademark being the Rider 10 Billion Volt Break. An alternative Limit Break to that is the Rider Lightning Drill Kick.

“Rider Exploding Shoot!”

Fire States is the result of using the Fire Switch. Gosh, I wonder what this does?! Well okay, it DOES give him a gun that shoots flames called the Fire Module Hee-Hackgun, but the gun can also change modes into a fire extinguisher, meaning he can put out any fires started in battle as well. His main Limit Break is the Rider Exploding Shoot, but he also has used an unnamed Limit Break that also adds Launcher and Gatling to the mix for an all out storm of long-range attacks. He kinda redefines the term “fire fighter” in this form.

“Rider Super Electromagnetic Bomber!”

Magnet States is the result of using the NS Magphone in its separated form, the N Magnet and S Magnet Switches. His sheer power goes way higher, as he has dual shoulder cannons that fire high-powered long range blasts and can manipulate magnetic fields. His Limit Break in this form is the Rider Super Electromagnetic Bomber. He can also use the Rider Super Electromagnetic Tackle, wherein he charges up the cannons and tackles the enemy hard.

“Rider Super Galaxy Finish!”

Cosmic States is the result of using the Cosmic Switch, which then absorbs all other switches not currently plugged into the Fourze Driver. The chest plate has buttons for each switch, allowing him to mix and match any of the Astroswitches’ powers, like giving Launcher Freeze’s power for freeze missiles. He can also plug in the Rocket, Elek, Fire, or several other of the right-hand switches into his new weapon, the Barizun Sword, for different effects. His Limit Break in this form is usually two-fold, as the Barizun Sword comes in two modes: Boost and Slash. Using the Limit Break in Boost Mode lets him open up a wormhole into space, then flies his opponent through it. He then follows up by switching to Slash Mode and using its Limit Break, the Rider Super Galaxy Finish. Finally, he has one other Limit Break that uses no other switch: a simple Rider Kick that fuels off the natural power created by the merging of all 40 Astroswitches.

“Rider Tailspin Crusher!”

Rocket States, or Double Rocket States as it’s also been called, is the result of using the special Rocket Switch Super-1. It gives him two rockets for the price of one, and the rockets can even temporarily de-materialize so that he has a hand to changes switches or pull the Limit Break lever. He has two Limit Breaks, the default of which is the Rider Tailspin Crusher, a high-speed corkscrew kick. The other is the Rider Double Rocket Drill Kick, which is an advanced form of the Rider Rocket Drill Kick.

“Rider Rocket Drill Blast!”

Rocket Drill States is the result of using the Clear Drill Switch. Because of it’s unique and unbalanced form and the fact that he’s only used it once, I’m going to guess that it’s somewhat unstable. Nonetheless, the Limit Break is the Rider Rocket Drill Blast, a huge punch from the rocket powered and propelled drill.

“Rider Fusion Drill Kick!“

Meteor Fusion States is the result of using the Fusion Switch with Kamen Rider Meteor’s Meteor Switch. In this form, he can use Meteor’s Jeet Kun Do style martial arts, as well as wield both Meteor’s Fingerprint Authentication Brace Meteor Galaxy and Barizun Sword from Fourze’s Cosmic States. His Limit Break is the Rider Fusion Drill Kick. Gee, I wonder what switch he uses for that? lol

Anyway, that’s all for now. Ja ne!

Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider W

Well I decided it was time to start blogs about Kamen Rider, and what better way to give my thoughts than to give each Rider their own spotlight and give my thoughts on each of them individually? So with that in mind, let’s take a look at Kamen Rider W.

"Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!"

Two men, one Rider. Detective Shotaro Hidari, and an amnesiac with the ability to enter the ‘Planetary Bookshelves’ Philip. Together, they form a Rider with speed, skill, power, and an uncanny ability to adapt to nearly any situation.

While I probably shouldn’t make claims as far as who I feel is the strongest, weakest, fastest, smartest, etc. Riders are, I will say that W is likely one of if not the most well-balanced of the Kamen Riders. With two minds in one body and the ability to change the two halves of his, or more precisely THEIR, body to better suit his opponents and/or environment, W rarely finds a situation that’s beyond their ability to adapt to. The only real weakness they have overall is that if Shotaro and Philip aren’t able to stay focused and united, their combo can break down. With that said, let’s take a look at W’s various forms.

Cyclone! Joker!

CycloneJoker is a swift hand-to-hand fighter that can move like the wind. W generally starts battles in this form to start the feeling-out process against opponents and likely due to Shotaro’s affinity for the Joker half. Finishing move is Joker Extreme, a gusty dropkick that sends the two halves splitting apart and then colliding into the opponent before recombining.

Heat! Metal!

HeatMetal is a heavy fighter with a steel rod that burns enemies with intense flames. Although likely the slowest of the different W forms, the blazing Metal Shaft more than makes up for it, as it acts as a powerful weapon from both on offensive and a defensive perspective. Finisher is Metal Branding, focusing all the searing fire into one powerful smack from the Metal Shaft.

Luna! Trigger!

Probably my favourite form, LunaTrigger is a gunslinger that can curve his energy shots to always hit his opponents and no one else. The only real weakness it has is that the blasts aren’t as powerful as HeatTrigger‘s, and should the opponent get through them, W is somewhat defenceless. W’s finishing move in this form is Trigger Full Burst, which sends a barrage of charged up homing blasts at the target.

Heat! Joker!

HeatJoker is hand-to-hand fighter with fists and feet furiously aflame. While not as fast as the other Joker Half Changes, HeatJoker packs the most power behind W’s blows. Finishing move is Joker Grenade, which sees W doing a jumping somersault before splitting in half and delivering a pair of burning punches.

Cyclone! Metal!

CycloneMetal is a fighter that is both speedy and tough. While it doesn’t offer W with as much speed or power as other forms do, it does grant a decent balance. Finishing manoeuvre is the Metal Twister, a flurry of swings from the Metal Shaft that carries a small tornado of energy along with it.

Heat! Trigger!

HeatTrigger is a super-powered-up gunslinger that can shoot bursts of flame from the Trigger Magnum. While it lacks the sheer inability to miss that LunaTrigger possesses, the blasts have far more power. The finisher is Trigger Explosion, a massive stream of flame and magma that burns away anything in its path. An upgraded form of this attack was used once in a Twin Maximum, but the resulting blast also burned away at W, injuring Shotaro and forcing them to never attempt it again.

Luna! Joker!

The last of W’s hand-to-hand fighting forms, only this one has more range…a LOT more range. LunaJoker gives W the ability to stretch out limbs near-infinitely. While his blows don’t pack as much power as in other forms, that W can attack from such a range is certainly helpful. Finisher is known as Joker Strange, wherein the two halves split apart with the Luna half duplicating itself and sending out a barrage of extended slaps and chops, followed by two super-powered chops from the Joker half.

Cyclone! Trigger!

CycloneTrigger is a speedy gunslinger that can fire concussive blasts of wind out of the Trigger Magnum. Fast and furious, this form lets W move in fast and get a quick volley of windy blasts in. The finisher is Trigger Aerobuster, which shoots a small tornado of energy at the target, blowing them away.

Luna! Metal!

LunaMetal is a powerful warrior with near-infinite reach, the Metal Shaft now being able to stretch itself to hit anything anywhere. While it loses some of the power once backing it, being able to stretch out that far is a definite plus. Finisher is called Metal Illusion, wherein the Metal Shaft creates golden razor-sharp rings that slash away at foes.

Fang! Joker!

FangJoker is a touch more unusual a form for W, as with this form Philip forms the body instead of Shotaro. As such, it cannot be used for long before Philip’s weaker body gives out. However, in the time that it works, FangJoker provides W with a more ferocious fighting style that cuts down all before him with a series of blades that can be used for close-up and ranged attacks. Finisher is a spinning, slashing roundhouse kick called the Fang Streiser.

XTREEEEEEEEEEMEEEE!!!

CycloneJokerXtreme is the evolved form of W, given new strength and abilities from the Xtreme Memory. In addition to powering up CycloneJoker form’s natural strengths, transforming the Joker Extreme in the massive-tornado-empowered Double Extreme, it also grants access to the Prism Bicker, a sword and shield that can unite the various elemental powers of W’s into a focused blast, the Bicker Finallusion, or a powerful slash, the Bicker Charge Break.

"Philip! We've become a CG effect!"

CycloneJokerGoldXtreme is the final and most powerful form of W, so powerful in fact that he cannot achieve it naturally and must be empowered further by an outside force strong enough. It grants W wings with which to fly, and W’s finisher is evolved once again into the Golden Extreme, a shining dropkick that obliterates any foe.

Anyway, that’s all for my first installment of the Kamen Rider Spotlight. Lemme know what you think and if there’s any Riders you’d like me to check out in the future.