Tōbei Tachibana

Tōbei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛) is a fictional character appearing in the Shōwa Kamen Rider Series from Kamen Rider to Kamen Rider Stronger and in Kamen Rider SD, acting as a confidant to the various Kamen Riders (later known as the Seven Legendary Riders) and supplying them with their motorcycles and other equipment.

Overview
Originally a racing mentor of Takeshi Hongo, Tobei was the one who helped Hongo during tough times including his parent`s deaths and acted as a father figure for him. He was one of the few humans to know his identity as Kamen Rider 1 and supported him in fighting Shocker. He also acts as a father figure towards Hayato Ichimonji and Kazuya Taki.

During the events of Kamen Rider Amazon, Tōbei is ambushed by the Geddon's Kamakiri Beast Man when he is saved by a man named "Amazon". Wishing to pay him back, Tōbei managed to help Amazon overcome his fear of bikes before providing him his own motorcycle, the Jungler. He plays a bigger role in Kamen Rider Stronger.

Personality and abilities
A friendly man to others, Tachibana acted as a father figure for the Seven Legendary Riders whom they all respect and care in return. Although strict to others when necessary, Tachibana isn`t a cruel person, and is often very humerous. While seemingly not having any powers of his own, he is a very proficient trainer who helped train all Seven Legendary Riders in their time of need and was even forced by Ikadevil to be his trainer.

He also helped upgrade Hongo`s Cyclone as well as seemingly created Amazon`s Jungler by himself. He is also a good coffee maker as not only do the Seven Legendary Riders like said coffee, but even Apollo Geist in human form admitted it was good. Along with these abilities, Tachibana is skilled beyond a normal human as he can easily defeat Shocker Combatmen as well as cut off Inokabuton`s horn with a knife.

Kamen Rider
As the mentor of Hongo, Ichimonji and Taki, Tachibana had quite a huge role in this series. As well as helping the Kamen Riders train against tough opponents, he was also the one who helped them when they doubted themselves or lost their fighting spirit. Despite being harsh at times, Tachibana was the one who would welcome them the most warmly when they passed their trials. He along with the Double Riders and members of the Kamen Rider Squad later go with Taki to the airport as he goes to America.

V3
It was shown that after the defeat of Gel-Shocker, Tachibana went to sell Sporting Goods while along with Hongo, mentored Kazami in bike racing. This would change when Kazami`s life was threatened by a mysterious organization. While he along with Hongo and Ichimonji decided to protect Kazami`s life by keeping a close eye on him, they didn`t realize his family was also in danger. After learning what happened to Kazami, his family and the Double Riders, Tachibana helped Kazami fight this new evil. He would later be relived when he along with Kazami learned of the Double Riders survival as they helped their predecessor fight Destron. He then thought to himself that the Kamen Riders only stay in Japan when evil wasn`t threatening the world. Later on in the series Tachibana helped Riderman when he decided to help Kazami fight their enemies. He later saw Kazami ride off in his Hurricane.

X
When he rides a bike on the road, he notices someone whose driving skills are pretty good. Later he notices something strange with a kindergarten bus which moves to the mountains. At his coffee house a passerby slaps his shoulder lightly but he gets hurt. At first he thinks the passerby is a cyborg from Destron. Hovewever he forgot Destron was destroyed and orders his passerby to leave his shop. He rides to the same area where he saw the mysterious bus which carry the children before. When the bus passed the tunnel, a mysterious girl coming out from the tunnel screaming for help, stating there was an accident in the tunnel. However his previous passerby stops them, telling this is a trap and the mysterious girl shoots them and then escapes to the tunnel. A G.O.D. kaijin named Cyclops attacks them on the tunnel. When he hiding on the grass he witneses the previous passerby transformed into Kamen Rider X and he thinks he is dreaming but he suddenly knocked out by G.O.D. Warfare Agents. After he regains consciousness, he mistakes another woman who looks similar to the one who tried to kill him as an enemy, but his passerby says she is different person. After Kiriko leaves the shop he asks the passerby Are you Kamen Rider? and he introduces himself to the passerby. Telling he is used to be the President of the Rider Team, Kamen Rider 1, 2, V3, and Riderman but he says to the passerby he is not any one of them. The passerby introduces himself as Keisuke Jin, telling he was killed with his father by an organization called G.O.D. and revived as a cyborg, his name being Kamen Rider X. Both of them shake hands and supports him in fighting G.O.D. Later he disguises himself as a truck driver and is captured by G.O.D. soldiers so they can find G.O.D.'s base. Cyclops ordered his soldiers to freeze him until Keisuke Jin interferes and breaks the glass. He saves the rest of the kidnapped children and thanks the Rider. He would later meet Ichimonji and Kazami again when they returned to assist Jin against his enemies.

Amazon
In this series he introduced himself to Daisuke and Masahiko after Daisuke helped him out of trouble. He told Masahiko that he was a friend of his father and knew Masahiko when he was even younger. After calling Daisuke as Amazon Rider, Tachibana helped him overcome his culture shock and his fear of bikes as he built the Jungler for him. He then helped Amazon fight his enemies until they were defeated. As everyone parted with Amazon when he went back to the Amazon rainforest, Tachibana was assured he will come back when his help was truly needed.

Stronger
Tachibana becomes a fellow member of bikers after Kikkaijin Gorongame possessed him with Satan Bugs and interferes with the ambulance carrying the child while he was riding Yuriko Misaki's Tentolaw to chase the bikers who were actually Black Satan Soldiers. He helped Jo through hardships including Yuriko`s death and saw him mature as a man. He would later be overjoyed when he re-encountered Stronger`s predecessors as they defeated the Great Leader and saved the world.

Immortal Kamen Rider Special
Tobei Tachibana visited a Kamen Rider museum where he talked to children about the Kamen Riders. Scenes from Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider X, Kamen Rider Amazon and Kamen Rider Stronger are shown. He's about to introduce a new Kamen Rider when some children remind him that he forgot Kamen Rider V3. The movie Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants is shown. After the movie Tobei Tachibana introduces Skyrider with previews of New Kamen Rider.

Beyond
In New Kamen Rider, Skyrider's mentor was initially Keitarō Shido, a scientist targeted by Neo-Shocker who was responsible for Tsukuba becoming Skyrider. He was last seen in episode 13. He was to be replaced by Tachibana, but Kobayashi refused to return, so a new character called Genjiro Tani was created to take a role similar to Tachibana's. Genjiro Tani was also the mentor to the next rider, Kazuya Oki, in Kamen Rider Super-1.

Kamen Rider SD


Tachibana Tobei: The mentor and racing coach of the Kamen Riders, he is apparently living with them at the same time. He spends his time trying to instruct the Riders throughout the movie, although they do not seem to be listening. He is the only human in the whole movie who actually matches the Riders in height, while everyone else is normal-sized.

Kamen Rider The First


Tachibana also cameos in the reboot movie Kamen Rider The First, where he gives Takeshi Hongo the Cyclone.

Portrayal
From the original Kamen Rider to Kamen Rider Stronger, as well as the Immortal Kamen Rider Special, Tōbei Tachibana was played by Akiji Kobayashi (小林昭二), who was the only actor to reprise his role vocally in the animated short Kamen Rider SD: Strange!? Kumo Otoko, his final appearance in the role before his death in 1996. The version of Tachibana seen in the reboot movie Kamen Rider The First was played by Hiroshi Miyauchi (宮内 洋), who originally played Shiro Kazami/V3 in Kamen Rider V3.

Legacy
A famous character from the Kamen Rider franchises, Tōbei Tachibana had several characters in the Heisei Era Series named after him. All of them portrayed mentor-like figures and, perhaps as homage to the first character, preformed some sort of betrayal.
 * Sakuya Tachibana - Also known as Kamen Rider Garren in Kamen Rider Blade, in an alternate timeline, he founded and served as mentor-like figures to the Ace Riders, Glaive, Larc and Lance.
 * Tachibana Family - Ichiro Tachibana is the head official of TAKESHI's Higashitsukuba branch in Kamen Rider Hibiki. He has two daughters, Kasumi and Hinaka.
 * Kuniteru Emoto - Whom used the alias of Tachibana to guide Ryusei Sakuta as Kamen Rider Meteor to put an end to Mitsuaki Gamou and his Zodiarts in Kamen Rider Fourze.
 * Shingo Tachibana - Genpachiro Otta's senior and mentor before his retirement in Kamen Rider Drive episode 18.