Sou Yaguruma

Sou Yaguruma (矢車 想) is Kamen Rider KickHopper (仮面ライダーキックホッパー), before which he was the first user of Kamen Rider TheBee (仮面ライダーザビー). He was also formerly an agent of ZECT, but later became insane after being consumed by an obsessive desire to defeat Kabuto and be the only Kamen Rider to defeat the Worms.

In Kamen Rider Zi-O, he transforms into Another Kabuto (アナザーカブト), an Another Rider derived from Kamen Rider Kabuto Rider Form.

TV series
Yaguruma, prior as TheBee, had his own personal army of ZECT Troopers called Shadow, which had yellow stripes on their uniform, indicating that they are an elite unit of ZECT Troopers. He is a perfectionist, believing in a philosophy known as "Kanzen Chōwa" (完全調和). 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. It is interesting to note that during battle he primarily uses kicks, foreshadowing his later role as Kamen Rider KickHopper.

After Tendou defeated him, Yaguruma became obsessed with revenge which caused to disregard the safety of his team which cost him TheBee Zecter and his position at Shadow. With the loss of his dignity and rank, Yaguruma went through self-loathing, seeing himself as a loser who can't keep his ideology and started a new one based on hell and darkness. However, he still shows compassion to Kageyama, allowing him to let him under his wing and putting him out of his misery after he became a Native Worm saying that they will always be partners.

When Tendou managed to infiltrate his flawless security team and upstage him by revealing how a Worm had done the same, he was so angry that he immediately challenged Kabuto to a fight. While he managed to defeat Tendou and destroy his belt, he was shocked to learn that he had been unsuccessful in his mission to eliminate Kabuto forever when Tendou transformed with a repaired belt.

His resulting hatred caused him to disregard the safety of his team in favor of getting revenge against Tendou, which led to the TheBee Zecter rejecting him in favor of Arata Kagami. After this he was reassigned to another part of the city, but returned when members of his former team were being eliminated from within by a traitor. Despite his renewed vow to protect his team, the TheBee Zecter had chosen Kageyama, making him the new leader of Shadow. Afterwards, he asked Kageyama to let him rejoin Shadow, but Kageyama turned him down. He returns in episode 33 as Kamen Rider KickHopper. 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, proving his partner with a Hopper Zecter of his own. With Kageyama as Punch Hopper, Yaguruma ambush 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 back 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 as Punch and Kick Hopper. 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 Cassisworm 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 binding 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 Kamen Rider PunchHopper, 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 human).

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 Kabuto: God Speed Love
In the movie adaptation, which set in an alternate timeline, Yaguruma appeared as a high-ranking ZECT official in league with Kamen Rider Ketaros and is still the wielder of the TheBee Zecter. He commanded the counterattack against Neo-ZECT and was able to annihilate a majority of the Neotroopers with his ZECT Trooper team (Shadow did not appear for some unknown reasons), calling it a "perfect mission". Despite this, he was killed on combat with Kamen Rider Hercus. His last words lamented having received a "perfect death."

The World of Kuuga
later appears in Kamen Rider Decade episode 2 with his partner PunchHopper appear in the World of Kuuga during a dimensional distortion caused by Narutaki to fight Decade. However, when they start focusing their rage on Kuuga.

Transcendence
"Another hell awaits"

- the hoppers before go to another dimension. Yaguruma appears in Kamen Rider Decade 3 with his partner PunchHopper,Narutaki causes another dimensional distortion that sends the two to another world where Kamen Riders Delta and Tiger appeared to be waiting.

Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker
Yaguruma later appears in the World of Decade to prevent Dai-Shocker from taking over. However, due to wanting to experience the hell that is Dai-Shocker, he sides with them. Diend summons PunchHopper, Gai, and Raia to fight him and Ouja. He fights PunchHopper and appears to have the upper hand. The results are not shown.

OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders
Kamen Rider KickHopper was part of a group of reinforcement riders led by Akira Date/Kamen Rider Birth to aid the primary riders in defeating the Rock Great Leader. All the Kamen Riders got on their bikes and performed the All Rider Break attack which destroyed the Great Leader.

2006: Next Level Kabuto
1= "Stop it, Yaguruma! This isn't Kageyama! He's just a Worm who mimicking him!" "Do you think I care? After all, only a worm is willing to be my partner!"

- Yaguruma's word to protect the imitation Kageyama from Kagami.

2= "It's not like I had the power of space to begin with. All I have is the power of Hell!"

- Yaguruma to Woz, transitioning from Another Kabuto into KickHopper.



In 2019, Yaguruma receives an Anotherwatch from Heure and is turned into Another Kabuto, with a Worm who has previously mimicked his late partner Kageyama seemingly supporting him.

He first appears to stop Gatack's attempt to destroy PunchHopper, saying to Kagami that he should not harm his "brother". The two then flee the scene. Later, PunchHopper lures out Kagami into an abandoned warehouse, where Yaguruma awaits as Another Kabuto to defeat Kagami. Kagami, along with Woz, transform and take on the Hellish brothers. Kagami tries to talk some sense into Yaguruma, but to no avail, as he believes that even as a Worm, Kageyama is still the only one who cares about him, and he will protect his partner. He then leaves PunchHopper to fight with Gatack as he takes on Woz. At first, Another Kabuto is having the upper hand with ClockUp, but Woz switches into WozGinga Wakusei and proceeds to perform an area attack, rendering Another Kabuto's speed meaningless. However, when his Another Rider form breaks, Yaguruma immediately assumes his KickHopper form and uses a Rider Kick on Woz, forcing him back. Yaguruma subsequently leaves and is seen on a river in his human form, wondering who has laughed at him.

2019: The Chosen Kabuto
Yaguruma later meets Geiz, who tries to convince him that his "partner" is just a Worm. Yaguruma still maintains that Shun is still his "brother", and that he will continue to protect him. Geiz asks why someone like Yaguruma would continue to follow the mimicked Kageyama, to which he replies that if Kageyama turns into a Worm again, he will be the one to personally execute Kageyama, just like he used to do in the past. As Geiz answers a phone call about Kageyama, Yaguruma kicks him in the stomach and leaves.

Somewhere, Kagami has been taken hostage by the mimicked Kageyama. The Worm demands the Fourze and Ginga Ridewatches because he does not want Sougo and Woz to prevent the meteorite which contains more other Worms from crashing into Earth. Woz and Sougo, however, manage to free Kagami, and prepare to fight Kageyama. Just as Kagami is charging at the Worm as Gatack, Another Kabuto shows up to defend his "brother". Being outnumbered 2 to 1, Kagami is defeated by Another Kabuto and PunchHopper as the the Worm proceeds to take away the Ginga and Fourze Ridewatches.

In an abandoned warehouse, Yaguruma is seen eating noodles with his "brother". He asks Kageyama whether he actually plans on ending the world. Kageyama affirms this, but Yaguruma says that as long as they have each other, none of that matters, and that they will still keep walking the "hellish" world forever. Heure, nevertheless, does not want the world to be destroyed, and appears before the two. He freezes time and takes away the Ginga and Fourze Ridewatches with the intention of returning them to the protagonists so that they can stop the meteorite.

Some time later, on the top of a building, Another Kabuto and PunchHopper do battle with Geiz and Woz. Geiz tells Yaguruma that there's no point in fighting as the world is about to be destroyed. Yaguruma does not care, because he only sees the Earth as "hell" anyway. The four combatants use their finishing attacks and force one another out of the transformations. Geiz, once again, tries to talk some sense into Yaguruma, but to no avail, as he now only cares about the fact that Kageyama is right beside him. At that point, Kagami, Sougo and Tsukuyomi, who have just retrieved the stolen Ridewatches, enter the fray. Sougo and Woz travel into space to stop the meteorite, leaving Geiz Revive and Gatack to fight PunchHopper and KickHopper.

As KickHopper, Yaguruma is defeated by Gatack when their Rider Kicks clash. He subsequently transforms into Another Kabuto, and proceeds to overpower Gatack, forcing him out of his transformation. Kagami gets up, and suddenly the Kabuto Zecter appears from the sky and lands on his hand. He uses it to transform into Kamen Rider Kabuto and fights Another Kabuto in ClockUp. Just as Geiz Revive Shippuu defeats PunchHopper, Kabuto manages to destroy Another Kabuto with a Rider Kick.

Yaguruma, defeated, comes by the mimicked Kageyama and asks his partner to call him "brother" again. Kageyama coldly says that he has never been "Kageyama" to begin with, and that Yaguruma has never been his "brother", as he reverts to the original Worm form and turns into dust. Yaguruma, feeling disappointed, asks someone to keep laughing at him because of his delusional actions. He later leaves the scene, traveling to parts unknown.

Personality
During his time with ZECT, Yaguruma is an elitist who believes in his concept of "Perfect Harmony" in terms of leadership and pride. Most of the Shadow ZECTroopers answer to him without question. He is a kind leader who cares greatly about his subordinates, especially Shun Kageyama. After his encounter with Tendou, Yaguruma becomes bitter and envious towards him, and his pride becomes his fatal flaw, to the point the TheBee Zecter rejects him and chooses Kagami, and later Kageyama. Eventually, this results in his leaving ZECT.

During his time post-ZECT as Kamen Rider KickHopper, Yaguruma has seemingly lost all traces of his former pride and has isolated himself from society. He, at this point, has turned into an antisocial nihilist who thinks that he is not loved and cared about by anyone or anything but "darkness", and that he prefers to stay in the darkness of Hell. He shows no hesistation in attacking his former colleagues at ZECT. When Shuichi offered him the TheBee Zecter and a position in ZECT again, he does not even care, and kicks the Zecter out of his sight coldly, as he longer wants to go out into the "light" and fights for justice anymore. However, at the end of the series, he and Kageyama have decided to try looking for the "light" again, the "light" of their own that nobody can touch.

He can be easily angered if he sees anyone "laughing" at him or his partner Kageyama, as shown with his confrontation against the Cassis Worm.

Despite his and Kageyama's isolating themselves in the darkness, Yaguruma still cares about Kageyama, seeing him as a young brother of sorts. When Kageyama is in a dark period like he is, Yaguruma offers him the Hopper Zecter and invites him to go with him to "hell". He is reluctant and visibly sad in having to end his partner's life in the finale due to the fact that he is transforming into a Native Worm. In fact, this brotherly bond is so deep that he is even willing to protect and accept the partnership of the Worm who mimicked Kageyama's appearance. However, in Kamen Rider Zi-O, his feelings towards his "partner" has proven to be an exploitable flaw. He is deliberately oblivious to the fact that the Shun Kageyama that he sees is not real, but is in fact a Worm that is simply taking advantage of him. He becomes so delusional, that he is even willing to let the Earth be destroyed, as long as he and his "partner" can still live to walk the "hellish" world. All the words of advice from the other characters, like Geiz's and Kagami's, fall on deaf ears when they try to convice him to stop letting himself be taken advantage of.

Kamen Rider Kabuto video game
Sou as Kamen Rider TheBee and Kamen Rider KickHopper appears with the other Kamen Riders in the Kamen Rider Kabuto video game.

Kamen Rider All Rider Generation 2
Sou as KickHopper appeared as the boss and unlockable after the game cleared.

Kamen Rider Climax Heroes
Sou appears in Kamen Rider Climax Heroes as KickHopper. He later also appears as TheBee in the last running game. As KickHopper, Rider Jump -> Rider Kick is his finisher, As TheBee, his finisher will be Rider Sting after his Shadow's subordinate rained his target with their shots.

Kamen Rider Climax Heroes Fourze
Sou appears using your finish attack Rider Kick in Kamen Rider Climax Heroes as KickHopper with the others Kamen Riders including the Movie Riders.

Kamen Rider Super Climax Heroes
Sou appears in Kamen Rider Climax Heroes as KickHopper with the others Kamen Riders including the Movie Riders, he using the finishing Rider Kick.

Kamen Rider Buttobasoul
Kamen Rider Kick Hopper is a playable character in Kamen Rider Buttobasoul.

Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing
Kamen Rider Kick Hopper is a playabled character in Kamen Rider Battle Ganbarizing.

Kamen Rider Battle Rush
Kamen Rider Kick Hopper appears as a playable and support character in the video game Kamen Rider Battle Rush using Rider Kick.

Fighting Style
As the former leader of the elite troop Shadow, Yaguruma has considerable fighting prowess and leadership skills. During his time post-ZECT, he is shown to be perfectly able of fighting and pressuring low-level Worms without transforming. In fact, he can dispatch highly trained ZECTroopers easily with nothing but his kicks alone, proving his sheer skill and strength. As KickHopper, he is also strong enough to force two high-level Worms (one of them is an Executive) to retreat rather than take their chances with him in his debut.

As TheBee he focused on boxing with both punching and kicking in terms of Kickboxing. As KickHopper, his fighting style becomes solely kick-based.

Forms
In his first appearance, he assumed the form of Kamen Rider TheBee. Later on, he became Kamen Rider KickHopper. In Kamen Rider Zi-O he used Anotherwatches to become Another Kabuto

Devices

 * Rider Brace: TheBee's transformation brace
 * TheBee Zecter: TheBee's transformation device
 * ZECT Buckle: TheBee's Clock Up belt, and KickHopper's transformation-Clock Up hybrid belt
 * Hopper Zecter: KickHopper's transformation device
 * Anotherwatch: Another Kabuto's Transformation device

Weapons

 * Zecter Needle: TheBee's prick-stinger used to perform Rider Sting attack
 * Anchor Jack: The gold-joints installed onto the left leg of KickHopper

Vehicle

 * Machine Zectron: TheBee's Rider Machine
 * As KickHopper, he use this on Playstation 2 game

Wizard Ring
This Rider Ring which bears the likeness of Kamen Rider KickHopper is exclusive to Kamen Rider Wizard's Wizard Ring toyline. When used by a WizarDriver wearer, it would be able to summon Kamen Rider KickHopper.

Portrayal
Sou Yaguruma is portrayed by Hidenori Tokuyama (徳山 秀典), who later portrayed in . As Kamen Rider KickHopper, his suit actor was Eitoku (永徳).

In Kamen Rider Zi-O as Another Kabuto his suit actor Yasunari Tsukagoshi (塚越 靖誠).