Kamen Rider KickHopper

Kamen Rider KickHopper

Kamen Rider KickHopper (仮面ライダーキックホッパー Kamen Raidā KikkuHoppā) is one of the main anti-heroes of the 2006 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Kabuto.

Sou Yaguruma

Sou Yaguruma (矢車 想 Yaguruma Sō, portrayed by Hidenori Tokuyama) was the original TheBee and a 27-year-old agent of ZECT. Yaguruma, while TheBee, had his own personal army of ZECT Troopers called Shadow. He is a perfectionist, believing in a philosophy known as "Perfect Harmony" (完全調和 Kanzen Chōwa). When he's calm, he's a caring person who possesses a strict code of teamwork and demands perfection. He cares deeply for his team members, and in battle he is a brilliant tactician. However, he's also impulsive, brash and quick to anger (when it comes to his beliefs).

This one flaw played a part in his falling out when Tendou managed to infiltrate his flawless security team and upstage him by revealing how a Worm had done the same, immediately challenging Kabuto to a fight to eliminate him as order. Though he defeated Tendou and destroyed his belt, Yaguruma snaps when Tendou later transformed with a repaired belt. His resulting mental state caused him to disregard the safety of his team in favor of getting revenge against Tendou, which led to his Zecter rejecting him and being transferred out of Shadow. After this he was reassigned to another part of the city, he learned that the members of his former team were being eliminated from within by a traitor. Despite his renewed vow to protect his team, Kageyama was made the new TheBee and new leader of Shadow, turning his back on his former superior.

After a series of unknown events, Yaguruma returned as a very different person with a wild leather jacket outfit. The loss of his rank and dignity because of Tendou had driven him very insane, seeing himself as a "loser" unworthy of his previous ideology and he embraces a new ideology around hell and darkness. After bringing Kageyama under his wing once more, Yaguruma attempts to stir his partner on to see things as he does, seeing that Kageyama is only setting himself up for a fall at the slightest glimmer of hope while expressing a bit of envy because he could no longer feel any emotion. As either TheBee or KickHopper, Yaguruma uses a fighting style themed around kicking attacks, but his fighting style as Kick Hopper is much more brutal, meeting every attack with an attack of his own rather than a traditional block or parry.

He manages to force two Executive level Worms to retreat during his first appearance due to believing that they were laughing at him. After destroying multiple Pupa Worm, Yaguruma quickly stripped Kageyama of the TheBee Zecter with a Rider Kick after telling him that he had "been to Hell" and attempted to invite Kageyama to come with him. Though Kageyama is reluctant at first, he accepts Yaguruma's offer when he saved his life, providing his partner with a Hopper Zecter of his own. With Kageyama as Punch Hopper, Yaguruma ambushed Kabuto and Gatack within an abandoned factory, with the two Hoppers easily defeating Kabuto and Gatack in a matter of minutes after the two were weakened by the activation of the 'Red Shoes' system.

He and Kageyama attempt to destroy a confused and weakened Rena Mamiya during episode 40, in hopes of eliminating her early. However, he hesitates at the last moment, as if showing affection for Rena when he sees in her eyes that she has gone through the same darkness as he and Kageyama. Drake and Rena are then saved by Gon who used a fire extinguisher to distract the Hoppers. Their attempt almost works, but Rena is saved by Kamen Rider Drake. Their plan did have a side effect, resulting in a recovery of Rena's Worm memories. When asked by Kageyama later, he says that he has indeed taken a liking to Rena, and therefore did not kill her. Even more so, Yaguruma protects Rena from Subst Worm when she is endangered. This led to an infuriated Kageyama, as it went against their beliefs of abandoning the light. Later, in his encounter with Rena and Daisuke, when Yaguruma says to Daisuke that he will protect Rena, he gets surprised when Rena, who temporarily reverted to Uca Worm, hit him hard which sent him flying away. After that, he shows up with an injured face to a laughing Kageyama and their bond is restored.

During episode 41, Kageyama and Yaguruma fight with a depressed Tsurugi. After defeating Tsurugi, Yaguruma offers him a place as his little brother, which Tsurugi happily accepts. Yaguruma meets Tendou once more, and challenges him to a tofu cook-off, but since the seller is sold out, they would have to reschedule. The trio then encounters Reiji Nogi who makes short work of them using "Freeze" to move out of the way and cause all their Rider Finishers to collide. Continuing from the comical arc of the tofu cook-off, near the end of the episode, Tendou accidentally stood them up, and Yaguruma and Kageyama are left in the street wondering if Tendou will come and if the challenge will still commence. During episode 43, the TheBee Zecter is once again offered to him by Tadokoro, but he declares that he is enjoying his stay in the pitch black hell, as he kicks the case containing the Zecter.

Kageyama and Yaguruma watch as Reiji Nogi advances into Area Z during episode 44, and Kageyama wants to help them fight. Yaguruma laughs at him for trying to be a hero. But later after meeting with Tendou and Kagami as they prepare to face Cassis Worm, he decides to help them as Cassis Worm Gradius defeated Kageyama (who went and fought earlier as TheBee for the last time) and Gatack. Thinking that Cassis Worm laughed at Kageyama, he tells Cassis Worm to laugh at him, as well. They perform a Triple Rider Kick and effectively neutralize his "Absorb" ability. Yaguruma later laughs at Kageyama for straying from the path of darkness and becoming TheBee, and so Kageyama returns to him, as Punch Hopper once again. Yaguruma displays his desire for the darkness during episode 45, he and Kageyama bound themselves with chains and weights so that they would not be able to fight for justice. Ignoring Tendou's request for assistance, he, along with Kageyama sit and meditate, attempting to regain their darkness.

Along with Punch Hopper, KickHopper defeats one of the two Cassis Worm Clipeus in episode 46. The two Hoppers utilize the Rider Jump function to send Cassis Worm flying into the air, destroying him with a Rider Kick and Punch as he falls to the earth. After seeing a picture of the Northern Lights, Yaguruma begins to ponder returning to the light again. Upon seeing Kageyama with a Worm identification necklace, Yaguruma scolds him for using such a device (apparently aware of its effect on humans). In episode 48, Yaguruma realizes that Kageyama has become a Native Worm and can no longer control his form. As a show of pity, he uses a Rider Kick to end Kageyama's suffering. Holding his fallen partner, Yaguruma looks up to the stars in the night sky and says that he and Kageyama will always be partners and that they have to regain the light once again. His ultimate fate was left up to the viewer as he was given an ambiguous resolution.

Kamen Rider KickHopper

Unlike all of the other Riders in Kamen Rider Kabuto, the Kamen Rider Hopper Series Riders only have one form that they transform into. KickHopper has a green Acrida cinerea motif and by raising the legs on the Hopper Zecter (ホッパーゼクター Hoppā Zekutā), KickHopper can jump high into the sky. By lowering the legs on the Hopper Zecter, the energy is concentrated into a tachyon-powered Rider Kick (ライダーキック Raidā Kikku). The impact upon landing on the ground again powers up another kick.[1]

Equipment

References

  1. ↑ "TV Asahi's page on Kamen Rider KickHopper". Retrieved 2010-08-03.
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