Taiga Nobori

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Kamen Rider Saga (仮面ライダーサガ, Kamen Raidā Saga) is a fictional character and the third rider to appear in the tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Kiva.

Taiga Nobori
Taiga Nobori (登 太牙, Nobori Taiga ?, portrayed by Shouma Yamamoto) was born prior to 1986 as the first born son of Maya, the Queen of the Checkmate Four, and the Checkmate Four's original King. He would receive the title of King at infancy after his father's death before he was spirited away by Maya to be raised by Mamoru Shima as a human child, wearing a glove over his hand to conceal his Checkmate Four crest. It would be while as a boy that he encounters Wataru Kurenai and the two become good friends until Taiga was spirited off, his childhood being under heavy watch.

Along with learning of his true nature as the Fangire offspring of the previous King and Queen of the Checkmate Four, Taiga developed a disdain for humans as he attacks Shima, scarring his foster father's back before taking his leave. As the current King, Taiga intends to to prevent the progress of humanity from moving forward to the point of becoming a problem for Fangires like with Ixa. The crime becomes even more unforgivable should the guilty party be a Fangire. When executing an opponent, he says, "The King's sentence is given. It's death!" (王の判決を言い渡す. 死だ！, Ō no hanketsu o iiwatasu. Shi da! ?).

Though his Fangire form is a mystery, he displays impressive powers such as summoning a giant shadowy mass of vipers or conjuring up the Feathered Serpent called Kukulkan (ククルカン, Kukurukan ?) and multiple giant Sagarc under a larger Mother Sagarc (マザーサガーク, Mazā Sagāku ?) as his support.

Fictional character biography
By 2008, Taiga founded the funding company called Development & Pioneer (Ｄ＆Ｐ（ディベロープメント＆パイオニア）, Diberōpumento ando Paionia ?), which serves as a front to attract those who need funding for research of the betterment of mankind. After watching a corporate testing of a new metal, Taiga meets up with his old friend Wataru as the two catch up while he meets with his arranged fiancé Mio before introducing her to Wataru without realizing their relationship, having no idea of Mio's true feelings towards Wataru until overhearing her admit them to Wataru.

Though he acts calm, it is a cover as he sees his marriage to Mio as absolute and is devastated to learn of her relation to his best friend. Although told by the Bishop to kill Wataru, Taiga refuses and instead gives Wataru an invitation to the wedding between him and Mio, explaining that he's too weak to protect her. However, tensions rise more as he and Mio learn that Wataru is the one who inherited his father's power as Kiva. After learning his mother's location, Taiga learns from her his biological relationship to Wataru as his half-brother.

With this information, Taiga decides instead of killing Wataru, he wants his brother to become their ally, having the Bishop awaken the Fangire blood within Wataru for that purpose. Believing he succeeds in winning Wataru on his side as his right-hand man, Taiga sees marrying Mio the final step to his ideal life being realized with Maya giving him his birth-right as his father's successor to Kiva's power. When Wataru informs him that he wishes to live as himself and not as either human or Fangire, Taiga is shocked and infuriated to the point of conjuring up a Mother Sagarc and her offspring to educate Wataru unsuccessfully, before confronting his half-brother. He makes several more unsuccessful attempts to bring Wataru to his side, and when refused each time, he is forced to fight him.

After an incident in which Shima is critically injured by the Sungazer Fangire, Taiga opts to save him. However, this is a front as he instead transfuses Fangire power into Shima's body, fully healing him in the process while making him into another Sungazer Fangire. At the same time, Mio accepts Taiga's marriage proposal (unaware of her own plans), and undergoes the marriage ritual with her, refusing to accept that she made an attempt on his life. When Shima confronts Taiga to fight, he fakes the fight to make it seem like he killed his stepfather in order to provoke Wataru into fighting him. After Kiva gains the upper hand on Saga, he goes in for the kill, only for Mio to intervene and take the final blow in Saga's place. The sudden interference and Mio's subsequent death leaves Taiga to vow on killing Wataru.

However, Taiga learns that it was actually the Bishop, not Wataru, who killed Mio. Enraged, Taiga beats the Bishop to a bloody pulp before the Fangire runs off, now seeing Taiga unworthy to be his King. Later, Taiga encounters Wataru when dropping off flowers at Mio's gravesite, revealing the truth to him before he accepts Wataru's challenge. However, the battle is interrupted by the Bishop who brings an army of revived Fangires to ambush Saga in an act of vengeance.

After he was defeated by Kiva, Taiga loses his standing among his Fangire peers as Wataru becomes the new King of the Fangires in his place. Refusing to let this happen, Taiga knocks out Maya in a fit of rage in an attempt to acquire the power of Dark Kiva. He would use the Dark Kiva power to settle things with Wataru once and for all, but in the end, he relents and uses the power to fight the revived Bat Fangire. The Dark Kiva powers would stay with Taiga after the final battle was over, regaining his position as D&P's president to find a alternate source of energy for the Fangires to thrive on.

Taiga and Wataru eventually fight one last time at the finale of the series, hence showing their rivalry.

Sagarc Belt
The Sagarc Belt (サガークベルト, Sagāku Beruto) is Kamen Rider Saga's means of transforming when the Jacorder is placed into it. It is a form manifested by the ancient UFO-like cobra monster Sagarc (サガーク, Sagāku) who was created by the Fangires in the distant past and has been by Taiga's side as a baby. Sagarc speaks in only the long forgotten Fangire language, with only Taiga being able to understand him, only speaking in modern language phrases when Taiga becomes Saga or when a Fuestle is used. Sagarc's fate after Taiga became the new Dark Kiva is never revealed.

Fuestles
Like Kiva, Saga accesses his arsenal through the Fuestles (フエッスル, Fuessuru), which he gives to Sagarc to blow into to evoke a power-up.
 * Wake Up Fuestle (ウエイクアップフエッスル, Ueiku Appu Fuessuru): This Fuestle allow Saga to perform his Snaking Death-Break.

Jacorder
The Jacorder (ジャコーダー, Jakōdā) is an item that is inserted into Sagarc to evoke the transformation into Saga. In battle, it has two modes, the rapier-like Rod Mode (ロッドモード, Roddo Mōdo) and the whip-like Bute Mode (ビュートモード, Byūto Mōdo). After using the Wake Up Fuestle, Saga turns day into crescent moon night as he executes his Snaking Death-Break (スネーキングデスブレイク, Sunēkingu Desubureiku) attack with the destructive power of Jacorder two modes, piercing the target with Rod Mode before jumping through the Kiva insigna formed in midair to hang the target using the Bute Mode until it is destroyed. As the new Dark Kiva, Taiga continues to use the Jacorder as a weapon.

Motorcycle
Though he does not ride it as Saga, Taiga possesses a modified Honda DN-01 as a personal vehicle.

Dark Kivat Belt
The Dark Kivat Belt (ダークキバットベルト, Dāku Kibatto Beruto) is the King's means of transforming into Dark Kiva. Similar to how Kiva transforms, the King has Kivat-bat the 2nd bite him, and then perch upside down on the Power Roost (パワールースト, Pawā Rūsuto) of the belt's Dark Kibuckle (ダークキバックル, Dāku Kibakkuru) to complete the transformation, separating from the belt when certain conditions demand for it like Fuestle-blowing. The Dark Kivat Belt also has six Fueslots to hold the six Fuestles.

Fuestles
Like Kiva, Dark Kiva accesses his arsenal through whistles on his belt called Fuestles (フエッスル, Fuessuru), which he gives to Kivat the 2nd to blow into to evoke a power-up. Compared to Kiva's Fuestles, his predecessor's emit at a lower pitch.
 * Dark Wake Up Fuestle (ダークウエイクアップフエッスル, Dāku Ueiku Appu Fuessuru): The Dark Wake Up Fuestle allows Dark Kiva to perform one of three finishing moves depending on the frequency.
 * Darkness Hell Crash (ダークネスヘルクラッシュ, Dākunesu Heru Kurasshu): Referred to by Kivat-Bat the 2nd as "Wake Up One," the Darkness Hell Crash is a punch with the force of 65t. When performed, day turns into night with blood red fog. Dark Kiva then does a flying punch with his right arm.
 * King's Burst End (キングスバーストエンド, Kingusu Bāsuto Endo): Referred to by Kivat-Bat the 2nd as "Wake Up Two," the King's Burst End is an Emperor Moon Break-style kick with the force of 180t and green energy blades.
 * King's World End (キングスワールドエンド, Kingusu Wārudo Endo): Referred to by Kivat-Bat the 2nd as "Wake Up Three," a self-destructing attack with an unknown level of destructive power. As the name implies, it could destroy everyone nearby. However, it was understandibly never used.
 * Garulu-Seal Fuestle (ガルルシールフエッスル, Garuru Shīru Fuessuru): This Fuestle seals Garulu by emitting a continuous sound, creating an energy sphere that captures Garulu and converts him into the Garulu Saber.
 * Basshaa-Seal Fuestle (バッシャーシールフエッスル, Basshā Shīru Fuessuru): This Fuestle seals Basshaa by emitting a continuous sound, creating a energy sphere that captures Basshaa and converts him into the Basshaa Magnum.
 * Dogga-Seal Fuestle (ドッガシールフエッスル, Dogga Shīru Fuessuru): This Fuestle seals Dogga by emitting a continuous sound, creating a energy sphere that captures Dogga and converts him into the Dogga Hammer.
 * Doran Fuestle (ドランフエッスル, Doran Fuessuru): This Fuestle summons Castle Doran. However it was never used.
 * Buroon Fuestle (ブロンフエッスル, Buron Fuessuru): This Fuestle summons Buroon from Castle Doran. However it was never used.

Portrayal
Taiga Nobori is portrayed by Shouma Yamamoto (山本 匠馬). Yamamoto also portrays Takato Shiramine/Kamen Rider Rey in Kamen Rider Kiva: King of the Castle in the Demon World. As both Kamen Rider Saga and Kamen Rider Dark Kiva, his suit actor is Eitoku (永徳).

Trivia

 * Saga resembles the king chess piece, and the suit's design also incorporates serpents (specifically the viper) and stained glass.
 * Saga's name may come from the Japanese word for "nature" or "characteristic" (性, saga). The "Ga" in the name may also be based on the kanji for "Fang" (牙) that can be also read as "Kiba"
 * Taiga's Fangire Form was never shown in the series even though he's the king of the Fangires.
 * It is hinted though that he might be the Snake Fangire.
 * As Saga, Taiga has one of the most complex finishers for a Rider.
 * Kamen Rider Saga shares his name with an ultraman.

Reference

 * 1) "TV Asahi's page for Kamen Rider Saga". http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kiva/rider/saga.html. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
 * 2) "TV Asahi's page for the Saga Persona". http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kiva/rider/sagapersona.html. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
 * 3) "TV Asahi's page for the Sagarc Belt and the Jacoder". http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kiva/rider/sagarcbelt.html. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
 * 4) "チェックメイトフォーのキングであり、仮面ライダーサガの登 太牙（山本 匠馬）が普段乗っているバイクは何ですか？". http://www.honda.co.jp/customer/tips/kamen-rider/saga/index.html. Retrieved 2008-11-20.