Kamen Rider Ixa

Kamen Rider Ixa (仮面ライダーイクサ, Kamen Raidā Ikusa?) is the secondary protagonist and fictional character that appears in Kamen Rider Kiva, a Japanese tokusatsu television drama in the Kamen Rider Series. Ixa is the second Rider in Kiva. "IXA" is an acronym for "Intercept X Attacker." Whereas Kiva is based on various monsters, Ixa's motif is that of a knight and the Christian cross. Ixa's name in Japanese comes from one of the readings of the kanji for "fighting," "war," and "battle" (戦, ikusa?).

Users
1986

While the Ixa System is promised to Yuri Aso, Jiro is the first user of the System in 1986, using it to save Yuri from the Earwig Fangire. It is initially meant for Yuri to use as she sees it as a memento of her late mother, but after learning of its flaws and seeing Jiro's resolve, Yuri allows him to keep the Ixa System. When he learns of Jiro's plans, Otoya Kurenai takes the Ixa System to fight Jiro as its second user. After Basshaa's intervention between Jiro and Otoya, Jiro once again acquires the Ixa System, using it to fight the Lion Fangire Rook in revenge for the slaughter of the Wolfen Clan. However, Otoya briefly regains the System after the Rook defeats Jiro as Ixa, with he and Jiro arguing who is its rightful user soon after. After Yuri's attempt to use the Ixa Knuckle, and Jiro leaving after revealing his true identity to her, Otoya becomes the official user of the Ixa System. After briefly being used by Rook, Otoya regains the belt and then lends it to Yuri to use against the Rook in battle, succeeding in wounding the Lion Fangire instead of the intended goal to kill him. Although the system is returned to Otoya afterwards, Yuri steals it once more in her attempt to destroy Maya, the Fangire Queen, out of jealousy. During Yuri's third attempt to destroy Maya, the King of Fangire, Dark Kiva, interfered and forces Yuri to retreat. Otoya uses the system to battle Dark Kiva, but is defeated easily and held captive within Castle Doran. He is rescued by Yuri and uses the system to defeat the Silkmoth Fangire. Otoya would use the Ixa system one final time to battle the Bat Fangire in a beachside battle, but he is again overpowered and the armor is damaged severely with the belt ends up landing in the lake. Over time, the Ixa System is retrieved and perfected, with Keisuke Nago eventually becoming the system's main user in 2008.

2008

In 2008, the original official user for the Ixa System was Keisuke Nago. Megumi borrowed the System once to kill the Rook to finally finish what her mother started years ago. Due to Nago's incapacitation, Kengo Eritate was appointed the new primary user for Ixa, although his ability to use the system was quickly cast into doubt after his failure to destroy Kiva. After being defeated by Bishop, Nago relieves Kengo of the Ixa System, becoming its primary user once more.

Keisuke Nago
Keisuke Nago (名護 啓介, Nago Keisuke?) is a 22-year-old elite member of the Blue Sky Organization and former member of the 3WA (World Wide Wing Association), a loser at that time who left the organization due to his animosity towards it's top agent Takato Shiramine who never respected him. He is the current user of the Ixa System, working as a bounty hunter by capturing criminals and taking a button from them as a memento. He originally had an intense hatred towards Kiva due to what he heard of the previous one, intending to kill him until he learns of Kiva's true identity and sees him as an ally to mankind. He also has a belief in "humanity's full potential", which gives him the impression of a superiority complex to some people with the ideal that he's always right. He has a prejudice for certain people like Wataru, as he believes they are everything his ideology of "humanity's full potential" is against. Because of this ideology, he has a distaste for music, as he feels it is a waste of that potential. It was due to his intolerance for sinners that Nago played a part in the suicide of his father years ago, exposing him to the media for taking a bribe. However, though he has a sense of righteousness, Nago's perspective on it is warped in his desire to purge the world of evil, refusing to accept the world in grey and going berserk whenever he loses a fight or is denied his quarry. Over time, most of these personality traits would eventually wane, although his sense of justice has not changed. When Nago transforms to Ixa, he first says, "Fangire… The life you took, return it to God!" (ファンガイア…その命、神に返しなさい！, Fangaia… Sono inochi, Kami ni kaeshinasai!?).

Fictional character biography
Nago encounters Wataru when he is after a German fugitive, gaining the young man's praise for his confident exterior. When he learns Kiva has returned and that Shima had known all along, he demands permission to take Kiva out with the Ixa System. However, Shima assigns him the task of keeping Megumi safe, deciding to use that to have Kiva come to him and kill him. However, when Megumi threatens to file a restraining order, Nago uses Wataru to do the job for him instead. When he finally faces Kiva, Nago is about to become Ixa without permission until the Sheep Fangire kidnaps Megumi in the confusion. He is currently unaware that the person he is mentoring, Wataru, is the individual he is trying to kill. When encountering Kiva, Wataru manages to evade him, not engaging in any form of combat against the person he looks up to. However, when he was ultimately left with no choice, Wataru reluctantly transforms into Kiva and soundly defeats Ixa. Since then, Nago becomes mentally unstable to the point of attacking criminals without mercy while proclaiming that the Ixa System lost, not himself. Attempting to snap Nago back to his usual self, Shima presents him the Powerd Ixer, which is completed by the time the Rook fully reawakens. Unfortunately, Nago's encounter with the Seastar Fangire only drove Nago even more insane as he became obsessed with obtaining one of the Fangire's buttons as a memento of defeating him. Nago eventually got the button and added it to his collection, seemingly snapping back to reality.

After unsuccessfully trying to find out who Kiva really is by way of a fortune teller Kengo Eritate knew, Nago scolds Kengo for calling him 'old man' repeatedly (even though there is only a year's difference between them in age) and fights with Megumi against the Ladybug Fangire, with him and Kengo being kidnapped in the process before he shatters the Ladybug Fangire, forced to work with Kiva to destroy the Sabbat born from the remains. Since the Ladybug Fangire incident, Nago gains the admiration of Kengo who desires to be his apprentice to perfect his musical skills. While eavesdropping on a conversation between Megumi and Shima regarding his erratic behaviour, Nago finds out that a new upgrade being developed for the Ixa System, and is even more pleased that he will retain the Ixa System even after losing it briefly to Ryo Itoya, the Spider Fangire. Though he came close to being removed as Ixa's user, Nago succeeds in fooling Shima to let him stay as the user by pretending to admit he was flawed, becoming the first to use the upgraded Ixa System and its stronger form, Rising Ixa.

However, a man named Tanahashi uses his connections with the police to arrest all Wonderful Blue Sky organization members for the previous Ixa disregarding him in a Fangire attack and put him in the hospital, leaving him in a coma and unable to finish a painting of Maya he was working on. With Nago forced to run on the lamb, he encounters Jiro who him shows to Castle Doran's Time Door to give him the means to travel back in time. In 1986, he encounters Otoya and Yuri, learning that Otoya is the previous user of the Ixa System and tries to get the Ixa Knuckle from him. Nago then encounters Maya and quickly falls in love with her, though denies it, though he failed to her question about human love and gives her his good luck charm, his very first button as a bounty hunter, with a diamond-encrusted crown on one side. After learning that she was actually a Fangire, Nago manages to steal the Ixa Knuckle from Otoya and alter time by allowing Tanahashi to get away from the Cicada Fangire without injury. Once back in his time, after aiding Kiva in his fight against the Crab and Cicaida Fangires, Nago learns that the button he handed to Maya in the past now belongs to Wataru, who informs him that his mother gave it to him as a child. The revelation ultimately led Nago to learn that Wataru and Kiva are one and the same, seeing Kiva is not as much of a threat as he was told and deciding to take Wataru as an apprentice to ensure that while not caring about Kengo's feelings. Since then, Nago has been making regular visits to Wataru's house and joining him in his baths to advise the "right course" to take. However, Nago soon sees the consequences of his past actions when Kengo returns, trained by Shima to be a more suited user of the Ixa System when Nago gets injured in his fight against the Horsefly Fangire. Since losing the Ixa System, Nago made various attempts to either spite Kengo for taking over as Ixa or to help him, with Kengo thwarting each attempt at every turn.

Nago helps Wataru formally reveal his identity as Kiva to the rest of the organization, but also informs them that he is not a threat. However, he becomes stunned when Wataru reveals that he is half-Fangire. When Shima orders the members to eliminate Kiva, Nago pretends to follow orders and shoots near Kengo's (as Ixa) feet instead to delay his battle with Kiva. However, the battle becomes more intense when Taiga has Bishop awaken Wataru's Fangire nature until Nago calms him down. Although he was attacked by Kiva, he still trusts him, especially when he defends Kiva in front of Shima. After hearing that Wataru has become a recluse again, Nago desperately tries to get Wataru out, from coaxing him at the gate to even breaking into his house. However, when he calls Wataru to help Kengo, who is fighting the Seamoon Fangire and losing when Bishop arrives, Wataru informs him that this is his last battle. Realizing that Wataru is serious, Nago takes the Ixa Knuckle to decides to fight the Seamoon Fangire in Wataru's place until he is simultaneously attacked by both the Swallowtail Fangire and Saga. After being saved by Kengo, Nago manages to defeat the Swallowtail Fangire before Wataru returned as Kiva.

After Shima's death, Nago attempts to succeed his leader as the president of the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization, wishing to become stronger as a manifestation of Shima's will. He manages to defeat the Swallowtail Fangire again as a display of his newfound strength. However, while trying to protect Megumi from the revived Fangire, Bishop manages to seriously injure him. The blow was severe enough to cause Nago to gradually lose his eyesight. Due to this handicap, Nago considered quitting the Blue Sky Organization if not for Megumi intervening and encouraging him to continue as Ixa. He realizes his true feelings for Megumi as he finally defeats the Swallowtail Fangire for good and regains his eyesight. Days after the final battle, Nago marries Megumi prior to joining Wataru in a battle against a mysterious evil from the future.

Modes
Ixa does not have forms as the biologically/mystically powered Kiva does, but instead has two Modes as he uses a Rider System (ライダーシステム, Raidā Shisutemu?). Ixa's default mode is Save Mode (セーブモード, Sēbu Mōdo?) and can transform into Burst Mode (バーストモード, Bāsuto Mōdo?) where the faceplate that covers Ixa's eyes in Save Mode open up.

Although the Ixa System prototype was present in 1986, it had only Save Mode as Burst Mode was still in development. As such, technical problems were frequent like the armor shooting out steam, a constant beeping, a different tone of voice for the Ixa Belt, a bronze projection for the Ixa System's transformation and the availability of only one Fuestle: the Knuckle Fuestle. The Ixa prototype exhausts a qualified person's body considerably even if they are not human, as the System still managed to harm Jiro despite being a Wolfen, and it harmed Otoya to the point of total memory loss. Ixa has been continuously updated since 1986 and with the tenth model used until it is upgraded to the eleventh model with a new mode.

Both Ver.X and Ver.XI have a golden projection of the Ixa System instead of the original's bronze color. A total of six Fuestles are available to the user as well as a new weapon: Ixa Calibur. It does not exhaust the user's body like the prototype, though any other side effects are still unknown.

Save Mode

Save Mode (セーブモード, Sēbu Mōdo?) is the mode used by Ixa mostly in the year 1986 in one of its early prototypes.

Burst Mode

* Rider height: 220 cm   * Rider weight: 160 kg    * Ability perimeters: o Punching power: 7t o Kicking power: 3t o Maximum jump height: 30m

Burst Mode (バーストモード, Bāsuto Mōdo?) is the first of Ixa's modes to appear. As the name suggests, Burst Mode creates a burst of heat that damages everything in range when transforming from Save Mode. It uses the Ixa Calibur to perform Ixa Judgement (イクサ・ジャッジメント, Ikusa Jajjimento?) and the Ixa Knuckle to perform Broken Fang (ブロウクン・ファング, Burōkun Fangu?). When performing the Ixa Judgment, a vision of the sun appears behind Ixa.

Rising Ixa

* Rider height: 215 cm   * Rider weight: 120 kg    * Ability perimeters: o Punching power: 20t o Kicking power: 12t o Maximum jump height: 70m o Maximum running speed: 100m/3s

Kamen Rider Rising Ixa (仮面ライダーライジングイクサ, Kamen Raidā Raijingu Ikusa?) is the upgrade to Ixa System, known as Intercept X Attacker Ver.XI. As it is the perfected version, Ixa's power is at maximum strength. This mode is accessed through the new Ixariser and the Ixa Knuckle Ver.XI. After inputting the code, Ixa's outer armor is ejected and the head crest changes once again. In this form, Ixa can perform the Final Rising Blast (ファイナルライジングブラスト, Fainaru Raijingu Burasuto?). The armor of this form has far more blue on the arms, legs, and head. The chest is primarily white with a red sun-like shape in the center, the core exposed due to the removal of most of the armor plating. The Ixa system would receive one final upgrade which allows for the user to access Rising Ixa from the initial transformation.[1]

Users
A total of eight users have utilized the Ixa system, either as official users or for their own purposes:

1986

* Otoya Kurenai (Main user; abandoned after entering pact with Kivat-Bat the 2nd to become Dark Kiva)

* Yuri Aso (Used to defeat Rook; also tends to steal for her own use)

* Jiro (First user)

* Rook (Used once, unaware that using it was a trap)

2008

* Keisuke Nago (Main user)

* Megumi Aso (Used to destroy Rook)

* Kengo Eritate (Main user after Nago was injured; forced to relinquish after he was ruled unfit by Shima)

* Ryo Itoya (Stole it from Nago and used it in an attempt to impress Megumi; tricked by Megumi and the system was returned to Nago soon after.)

Equipment
Ixa Belt

The Ixa Belt (イクサベルト, Ikusa Beruto?) is a necessary piece of equipment for the Ixa Rider System. In conjunction with the Ixa Knuckle, the Belt lets the user transform to Ixa. The belt's change announcement is "Fist On" (フィストオン, Fisuto On?). It also stores the Fuestles designed for the Ixa Rider System. Unlike Kiva, the ones who become Ixa are seen to manually put the belt on themselves. The way a user wears the belt varies; Jiro tends to wear it with the Fueslots attached while Otoya wore it on his first two occasions (against Jiro) without them. Every other time after that, Otoya had the Fueslots attached.

Ixa Knuckle

Ixa also has an item called the Ixa Knuckle (イクサナックル, Ikusa Nakkuru?) that serves as his transformation device and becomes the Broken Fang (ブロウクン・ファング, Burōkun Fangu?) with the use of the Knuckle Fuestle (ナックルフエッスル, Nakkuru Fuessuru?), where the Ixa Knuckle charges up and releases a spreading burst of heat energy on the target, leaving the Fangire in the fragile state without the Knuckle coming in contact with the target. This burst of energy can also take the form of a sphere that flies into the target. When used without the Knuckle Fuestle, even while not transformed into Ixa, the user can use a much weaker but still effective version of the Broken Fang. When the user pushes the knuckle into another part of their body (typically the other hand, although Kengo used it against his boot), it announces "Ready" (レディー, Redī?). Unlike most devices with electronic voices in the franchise, the Ixa Knuckle says its phrases one character/syllable at a time. In the 2008 storyline, it undergoes an upgrade from Ver.X to Ver.XI.

Capacities

Ver.I

* Hard-Disk Space: 50GB * Virtual Memory: 10MB * Operating System: IXA-OS-PLT-01 * Mother Board: IXA-00086 * CPU: 80MHz/HI-BRAIN-X

Ver.X

* Hard-Disk Space: 20TB * Virtual Memory: 80GB * Operating System: IXA-OS-10.2 * Mother Board- IXA-080127 * CPU: 7GHz/MACH-BRAIN-RX-IV DUAL

Ver.XI

* Hard-Disk Space: 35TB * Virtual Memory: 120GB * Operating System: IXA-OS-11.0-RISING * Mother Board: IXA-080193R * CPU: 9GHz/MACH-BRAIN-RX-IV DUAL

Fuestles
Ixa has six Fuestles like Kiva, stored in silver Fueslots. They include:

* Knuckle Fuestle (ナックルフエッスル, Nakkuru Fuessuru?): This powers up the Ixa Knuckle to become the Broken Fang. When activated, the Ixa Belt announces "Ixa Knuckle - Rise Up" (イクサナックル・ライズアップ, Ikusa Nakkuru Raizu Appu?) prior to the execution of the Broken Fang finisher, primarily used in 1986.

* Calibur Fuestle (カリバーフエッスル, Karibā Fuessuru?): This powers up the Ixa Calibur in Calibur Mode. When activated, the Ixa Belt announces "Ixa Calibur - Rise Up" (イクサカリバー・ライズアップ, Ikusa Karibā Raizu Appu?) prior to the execution of the Ixa Judgement finisher, primarily used in 2008.

* Powerd Fuestle (パワードフエッスル, Pawādo Fuessuru?): This Fuestle summons Powerd Ixer.

* Garulu Fake Fuestle (ガルルフェイクフエッスル, Garuru Feiku Fuessuru?): A Fuestle that copies the frequency of Kiva's Garulu Fuestle, with the Ixa Belt announcing "Garulu Fake" (ガルルフェイク, Garuru Feiku?) as Ixa hijacks the Garulu Saber when it's summoned.

* Basshaa Fake Fuestle (バッシャーフェイクフエッスル, Basshā Feiku Fuessuru?): A Fuestle that copies the frequency of Kiva's Basshaa Fuestle, allowing Ixa to hijack the Basshaa Magnum when summoned. This Fuestle was not used in the series' run.

* Dogga Fake Fuestle (ドッガフェイクフエッスル, Dogga Feiku Fuessuru?): A Fuestle that copies the frequency of Kiva's Dogga Fuestle, allowing Ixa to hijack the Dogga Hammer when summoned. This Fuestle was not used during the series' run.

* Riser Fuestle (ライザーフエッスル, Raizā Fuessuru?): A Fuestle found in the grip of the Ixariser that allows Rising Ixa to perform the Final Rising Blast (ファイナルライジングブラスト, Fainaru Raijingu Burasuto?) finisher.

Ixa Calibur

Ixa's weapon is known as the Ixa Calibur (イクサカリバー, Ikusakaribā?) which has a Gun Mode (ガンモード, Gan Mōdo?) and a sword-like Calibur Mode (カリバーモード, Karibā Mōdo?). While in Calibur Mode and after using the Calibur Fuestle (カリバーフエッスル, Karibā Fuessuru?), the Ixa Calibur can perform its finisher known as the Ixa Judgement (イクサ・ジャッジメント, Ikusa Jajjimento?), where Calibur Mode is charged, showing the sun (instead of the moon in Kiva's case), blinding the target before Ixa hits with a powerful slash. When Megumi uses the Ixa System, she defeats the Rook with an alternate variation of the Ixa Judgement finisher. While Ixa is in Rising Ixa mode, the Ixa Calibur can perform Ixa Judgement without the use of the Calibur Fuestle, performed in a forward-flipping slash. The name of the sword is based on King Arthur's sword, Excalibur.

Garulu Saber

The Demon-Beast Sword Garulu Saber (魔獣剣ガルルセイバー, Majūken Garuru Seibā?) is a weapon that Garulu assumes for Kiva to change into Garulu Form. However, due to the Garulu Fake Fuestle tracing Garulu's frequency, the Garulu Saber can be used by Ixa. Although it does not cause Ixa to change into a new form as Kiva does, it retains its power and effect regardless. Ixa is capable of doing this with the Bashaa Magnum and Dogga Hammer as well, though it was not shown in the series' run.

Ixariser

The Ixariser (イクサライザー, Ikusaraizā?) is a cellphone-like gun weapon that detaches from Ixa's mouth piece, allowing him to transform into Rising Ixa along with the new Ixa Knuckle Ver.XI. By inputting several numeric codes known as Ixariser Blast Commands (イクサライザー・ブラストコマンド, Ikusaraizā Burasuto Komando?), Rising Ixa accesses multiple modes of the Ixariser. In its gun mode, accessed by inserting a fuestle into the fuestle slot on the back and rotating the slot around the side to become the handle, the Ixariser has massive recoil, evidenced by Nago forced to revert to human form after just one blast. Nago would offset the recoil if he vaulted off of a nearby wall, but by the time he went into battle against Rook, the recoil is no longer an issue. The Ixariser is no longer necessary to transform into Rising Ixa as the feature is now available within the Ixa Knuckle, but it is still effective as a sidearm.

* 1-9-3 followed by Enter initiates Rising Ixa Rise Up (ライジングイクサ・ライズアップ, Raijingu Ikusa Raizu Appu?) for the transformation into Rising Ixa. In goroawase, "193" can be read as "Ixa" (イクサ, Ikusa?).

* 5-6-7-8 followed by a pull of the Ixariser's trigger initiates Scouter Mode (スカウターモード, Sukautā Mōdo?)

* 0 followed by a pull of the trigger initiates Corona Flame Mode (コロナフレイムモード, Korona Fureimu Mōdo?), which can overheat.

* 2 followed by a pull of the trigger initiates Rise Blizzard Mode (ライズブリザードモード, Raizu Burizādo Mōdo?).

* 4 followed by a pull of the trigger initiates Laser Net Mode (レーザーネットモード, Rēzā Netto Mōdo?).

Ixalion

* Length: 2030 mm   * Width: 720 mm    * Height: 1120 mm    * Curb weight: 172 kg    * Top speed: 753 km/h (0 to 400m/s in 2.1s) * Maximum output: 477.75kw/21000rpm

The Ixalion (イクサリオン, Ikusarion?) is Ixa's motorcycle, a MotoGP style bike, dubbed as the "Stallion" to his White Knight motif. The Ixalion is a modified Honda CBR1000RR.[2]

Powerd Ixer

* Height: 7.5m * Length: 12.7m * Weight: 152t * Top speed: 320 km/h * Maximum output: 41895kw/58000rpm

The Powerd Ixer (パワードイクサー, Pawādo Ikusā?) is Ixa's mechanical dragon developed by the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization as a means to combat a Sabbat, and Kiva's Castle Doran. Piloted by Ixa, the Ixer's mouth functions as a robotic arm to either fling Sabbats and Castle Doran around or like a catapult to launch orbs at an enemy. Although only half as large as Castle Doran, it has proven to be both a formidable ally and nuisance to it. The arm can also propel Ixa towards a Sabbat, enabling him to perform a high speed Rider Kick.