Wataru Kurenai

Wataru Kurenai (紅 渡) is a shy young man who never lies, keeping to himself due to his hygiene obsession. He works at an atelier to continue his father's legacy of violin making with a dream to create the ultimate violin, using strange methods to accomplish it. But, Wataru is destined from birth to become the current Kamen Rider Kiva as his mother is Maya of the Checkmate Four, receiving a button with a diamond encrusted crown on it from her as a baby.

He teams up with Kivat to fight the Fangire race and protect humanity from them, only because the Bloody Rose orders him to "fight". But in time, Wataru learns of his family legacy and nature as a Fangire, as well as desiring to change into someone just like his father.

Evidently, Wataru is the one who inherited the mantle of Kiva from his mother, as his full-blooded predecessor was the previous King of the Checkmate Four who attempted to destroy humanity in 1986 with Otoya taking his power and using it to take him down at the cost of his life. His name translates to "crimson going over" possibly a reference to his human and Fangire bloodline.

Fictional character biography
Left by Maya as a child to protect him from the retribution she would face, Wataru lived in the European-style manor that his father lived in. However, as the building has since said to be haunted, Wataru was referred to by his neighbors as Obaketaro (お化け太郎) for his strange appearance, donning a mask and glasses to protect him from the "world's allergies" and using a notebook to express himself without talking. His only friend during his childhood was a boy named Taiga, who helped Wataru when he was bullied and mysterious disappeared.

In 2008, while gathering fish bones in a third attempt to create the ultimate varnish for the ultimate violin like his father, Wataru comes across Megumi Aso, who manages to show him that his "allergies" are all in his head. He later saves her from the Horse Fangire as Kiva, countering her attempt to kill him soon after before leaving her stupefied and later saving her a second time from the Octopus Fangire. During the events of "Climax Deka", Wataru offers some aid to Ryotaro Nogami during his fight against Nega Den-O and the Nega Den-Liner.

When a female lawyer named Aya Natsukawa arrives to Wataru's home with a list of the various people that Otoya had victimized with his antics, Wataru is devastated to know a side of his father his mother never told him. After meeting Keisuke Nago and getting his advice, Wataru performs acts of moral obligation for his father's sins, until he learns that Natsukawa is the Moth Fangire and Otoya's most wounded victim. Unable to fight her, Kivat is forced to summon Garulu to supplant Wataru with his feral rage in Garulu Form so Kiva can kill the Fangire.

When Nago requests that Wataru keep an eye on Megumi in his stead, he meets a young man named Noboru, who is obsessed with Megumi himself. When Noboru reveals himself to be the Sheep Fangire, Wataru learns of Nago's hatred towards Kiva. Saddened but undaunted, Wataru manages to rescue Megumi when she is captured by the Sheep Fangire, destroying him in Basshaa Form. Since the incident, Wataru took to heart what Megumi learned from her mother: the same ideology Otoya follows: "All humans are music". Eventually, Wataru is forced to lose all of Nago's respect for him when he tries to protect the Frog Fangire, Takeo Ōmura. However, Wataru did learn from Ōmura that he needs to make a violin to call his own.

It was later that Wataru meets Kengo, whose rock and roll helps him in becoming more confident in himself. Though Wataru and Kengo have separate dreams, the two promise to help the other out so that both their dreams come true. Wataru ensures his part by protecting Kengo from the Rhinoceros Fangire, accessing Dogga Form. However, Wataru's world is turned upside again when he encounters the Lion Fangire Rook, whom he met when he was suffering amnesia. However by meeting Mami Kurasawa, a former student under his father (of which he is unaware), Wataru learns to cope with the recent Fangire events of who's evil and not by "listening to the voice in his heart."

After begrudgingly following Kengo to a fortune teller to find out who Kiva really is, Wataru loses consciousness. When he awakens, he is more confident in his abilities, but has a very sarcastic attitude. It is revealed that he is possessed, albeit unknowingly, by his father Otoya as a result of the fortune teller's ritual. While using Wataru's body, although unable to maintain possession at times, Otoya teaches Megumi how to overcome her fears of using the Ixa Knuckle and she is able to help Ixa defeat the Ladybug Fangire. When Otoya finally leaves, Wataru has no recollection on what has happened under the influence of his father's spirit.

Soon after this, at a mixer that Kengo set up, Nago has a waitress named Mio fired for accidentally spilling ice cream on his shirt. Feeling sorry for her, Wataru runs after her and finds out that they have a lot in common and they start dating with Megumi's help. However, when a berserk Grizzly Fangire tries to kill Mio, a rage awakens within Wataru that releases Tatsulot from Castle Doran who unleashes Kiva's full power, changing Kiva into his Emperor Form to mortally wound the Fangire. Before Mio took her leave, due to personal issues, Wataru promises Mio that he would get stronger for her. While the Fangire Hunters were being arrested, Wataru remembers Taiga and decides to help them out by him and Kengo joining the Fangire Hunters to battle the Crab Fangire until Nago altered history so that the Cicada Fangire's survival negated the Fangire Hunters' crisis. But in the aftermath of the fight against both Fangires, Nago learns that the button he gave to Maya ended up in Wataru's possession, explaining it to be an heirloom from his mother, setting up the events where Nago learns that Wataru is Kiva.

The fight's aftermath also caused a falling out between Wataru and Kengo when the latter's hand was injured to the point he could never play again and Wataru was trying to keep the truth from him out of not wanting him to worry. Later, Wataru is face to face with a fully grown Taiga, only to be devastated after learning that he and Mio are engaged. This stress, augmented by Kengo's return as the new Ixa user, causes the Bloody Rose to crack. Though he finishes repairing the violin, he realizes something is missing from the Bloody Rose. Then, Jiro appears to him, revealing to Wataru that his father's desires dwell within the violin. When ambushed by a Kukulkan while fighting the Horsefly Fangire, Kivat holds the monster at bay as Wataru plays the Bloody Rose, realizing his father's desires to protect all music. Infusing the violin with his own desire to find his own music, Kiva finally awakens into Flight Style to destroy the Kukulkan. However, this event causes the evoking of a weapon within Castle Doran, the Zanvat Sword of the previous King of the Checkmate Four.

Eventually, Jiro brings Wataru into Castle Doran to pull out the sword. When he discovers that he can't pull it out, he finds Mio running towards him until she is knocked out by the Rat Fangire. After destroying one, he is ambushed by two others before having to fight Kamen Rider Saga. Escaping, he finds Mio, who tells him that she loves him, not Taiga. Wataru becomes happy after this event, until he receives an invitation to Taiga and Mio's wedding. He then appears before Mio and Taiga, defending them from more Rat Fangires, while admitting his feelings to Mio. Found by Jiro, he tries to pull out the blade again, succeeding, though the Zanvat is created to limit the sword's power when it causes his Fangire blood to surface. After a brief fight with Saga, Wataru is exposed by Mio as she is revealed as the Pearlshell Fangire with Saga reverting to Taiga. Wataru runs off in confusion and hysterics before being spirited by Jiro who helps him cope with the revelations. The next day, as he and Mio discuss this, Taiga takes them to meet Maya as Wataru recognizes her. While demanding why she left him to fend for himself, Wataru learns that he is Taiga's younger half-brother.

Although confused as to why Maya never told him about any of this, Wataru slowly accepts his true identity. Wanting to share the truth, he informs Nago that he will tell everyone in the organization that he is Kiva. When Nago arranges a gathering at a restaurant, Wataru also reveals that he is half-Fangire, shocking everyone. Despite this, Shima falsely promises to help him build a world where both Fangires and humans can coexist peacefully.

Later, Wataru is approached by Taiga, who asks him to join the Fangires, and Mio, who asks him to destroy Taiga so he can be the new King. Wataru declines both of these requests, perplexed as to why both sides cannot get along. However, Taiga is persistent in getting his friend to understand his ideology that he asks the Bishop to awaken Wataru's true Fangire powers. This causes Wataru to go berserk and attack his friends, even to the extent of nearly killing Megumi. When he finally returns to normal, he becomes so traumatized from the ordeal that he completely relapses back into a recluse and completely isolates himself within his house, refusing to fight as Kiva anymore.

Though being convinced by Kengo and Nago, it took Maya's intervention to convince Wataru to fight as Kiva again, not as a human or a Fangire but as himself, so that he'll find his own music. Taiga, enraged by Wataru's decision, gives him time to reconsider. When Shima was near certain death, Taiga saved him by transplanting into him a bit of Fangire power. Wataru is appointed as Shima's bodyguard when this is revealed, as Nago was unable to bring himself to kill Shima. Shima then dies in combat with Taiga, enraging Wataru. They battle, and just as Kiva was about to finish Saga off, Mio steps in the way and takes the Emperor Moon Break as she is destroyed. However, finding her after the Bishop fatally wounds her, Wataru is left to think that he killed her and goes into despair with an equally distraught Taiga intent on killing him under the same impression.

But Jiro's interference allows Wataru to go back into 1986, meeting his father face to face just before he dons the mantle of Kiva. Though he originally came to keep his parents apart to negate his existence, Wataru learns that it would be pointless if Mio had never met him and the only way he could honor her is to live a strong life for her sake. He would ultimately play a pivotal role in the death of the original King before returning to 2008 after receiving his father's final words. With a stronger resolve, he charges into battle against the revived Fangires unleashed by the Bishop, saving Shizuka, Megumi, and Nago before confronting Taiga to settle things. In spire of interference, the fight ends with Wataru the winner though he refused to kill Taiga as he take his brother's place as the new King of the Fangires to everyone's shock. Taiga later demands Wataru to fight him again, having claimed to kill their mother to acquire the powers of Dark Kiva.

After their fight is interrupted by the Bishop and his new army of revived Fangires, the two Kivas and the Arms Monsters quickly defeat the Fangires, as the Bishop is destroyed by Nago as Rising Ixa. Wataru reveals that he had taken the mantle of the King for his brother's sake, shielding him from his enemies. By then, the revived Bat Fangire attacks the Kivas, defeating them easily. Wataru is thrown off of a cliff and encounters the spirit of his father near the discarded gauntlet of the original Ixa Prototype, telling Wataru that he lives on inside him and not to lose hope. With his father's encouraging words, both he and Taiga are able to defeat the Bat Fangire with a Snaking Death-Break and Emperor Moon Break combo. When Maya appears, Wataru is put at ease knowing that she was not really killed by Taiga as the two brothers are now on the same page and resume their fight to determine who will be the new King of the Checkmate Four.

Days later, just as he is about to play the violin at Nago and Megumi's wedding, a young man wearing a Kivat Belt resembling Otoya bursts into the reception claiming to be Wataru's son from 22 years in the future (whom the production team dubs Masao Kurenai (紅 正夫)). He warns his father of a new threat to humanity and shows him, Taiga, Nago, the Arms Monsters, and the rest of the reception a portal in the sky. In the end, Wataru, with his son as Kiva, Rising Ixa, Dark Kiva, and the Arms Monsters at his side, transforms into Emperor Form and confronts this new evil.

Kamen Rider Decade
Wataru's role in Kamen Rider Decade is mostly as an observer, along with Kamen Rider Blade's Kazuma Kenzaki. Wataru appears before Tsukasa Kadoya as a representative of the Kamen Riders, explaining to him that something is forcibly merging the parallel worlds of the Kamen Riders and causing their destruction. The Riders give Tsukasa the task of traveling the worlds and saving them as Kamen Rider Decade, while they prevent the destruction of Natsumi Hikari's world by freezing it in time. At the end of Decade's journey, however, Wataru reappears and told Tsukasa that his true mission was to defeat the Nine Heisei Kamen Riders. Wataru transforms into Kiva once more in order to fight Decade and end the crisis. In Movie Wars 2010, following Tsukasa's destruction, Wataru explains to Natsumi and Daiki Kaito that Decade had no story of his own, instead fulfilling whatever role the Rider worlds needed him to be, and that his death has undone the destruction of the multiverse.

OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders
A mishap caused by the Greeed Ankh unintentionally altered the timeline which enabled Shocker to utilize the Core Medal to create the Shocker Greeed which defeated the Double Riders and seemingly erased the legacy of the Kamen Riders from history. In 2011, after Kamen Rider New Den-O's attempt to repair the damage, he along with Kamen Rider OOO and M-Ankh awaited execution. However, it was revealed the Double Riders had their brainwashing removed by a Shocker scientist.

The Double Riders joined with New Den-O and OOO to fight Shocker's forces, but were eventually defeated. When the order was given to kill everyone, V3 suddenly appeared, asserting that there were more than four riders. V3 was soon followed by all the other revived riders that came after him, including Kiva, as even though Rider history was changed, the people's memories haven't changed.

After the riders were united, they faced off against Shocker's Great Leader. Later, when joined by a force of extra riders, Kiva and all the other riders got on their motorcycles and performed the "All Rider Break", ramming into the Rock Great Leader and defeating it once and for all.

Super Hero Taisen
Kiva, among the majority of the Kamen Riders, was caught up in the "Super Hero Taisen" incident which resulted in the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai joining forces to defeat both Dai-Shocker and Dai-Zangyack. Kiva is being shown when he is teamed up with Tsukasa at first (as Decade in 1 form) and later teamed up with the Go-Ongers using the Moonbreak finisher

Kamen Rider Wizard
"I'm going to protect these kids!"

- Kiva

Kiva appears with all the Heisei Riders from Kuuga to Fourze, led by Decade, in a special two-parter after the finale, The Ring of Kamen Rider and Neverending Story.

Kamen Rider Battride Wars
Kamen Rider Kiva appears as a Main Rider in the video game Kamen Rider Battride Wars, which unites the riders of the Heisei era from Kuuga to Wizard.

Novel
In the novel reimagination of the TV series, Kiva is Wataru's Fangire form. With that, Kivat, Basshaa and Dogga do not exist in this story. Meanwhile, Jiro/Garulu, who is in turn, a Fangire Hunter. And Nago never befriends Wataru, who ends up as the final villain. He died after his Rider Kick collides with Wataru's kick.

Forms
Kiva has multiple forms that provide him with different weapons and abilities. Kiva's motif is that of a vampire, with his final attacks inherited from Maya. However, unlike his predecessor, Wataru's nature as a human-fangire hybrid leaves him unable to fully utilize Kiva's full power with the Catena (カテナ) Chains. Additionally, Tatsulot and Zanbat serve as restraints to keep the power of Kiva from taking complete control of Wataru.

Bloody Rose


A unique violin, the Bloody Rose (ブラッディ・ローズ) was created by Otoya and Maya as the "ultimate violin", later rumored to be a product of Otoya selling his soul to the devil himself, which is not entirely false, in a sense. The Bloody Rose only sounds whenever a violent Fangire is detected in the area, its music only heard by Kivat and Wataru, who hears it as a voice commanding him to "Fight", as it pinpoints the exact location the Fangire could be found. When played, the Bloody Rose can also disrupt a Fangire's activity. However, the Bloody Rose is sympathic to Wataru's mentality as it cracked when he fell into a deep depression. However, after repairing it, Wataru learns the Bloody Rose holds the desires of his father, placing in it his own desire to assume Flight-Style.

Kivat Belt


The Kivat Belt (キバットベルト) is Kamen Rider Kiva's means of transforming. To summon and use the belt, Kivat-bat the 3rd says "Let's go Kiva!" (キバっていくぜ！) as Wataru catches him in his right hand and then Kivat bites Wataru's free hand, causing his Fangire nature to surface as the belt materializes out of several ghostly chains. Wataru then perches Kivat upside down on the Power Roost (パワールースト) of the belt's Kibuckle (キバックル) to complete the transformation, separating from the belt when certain conditions demand for it like Fuestle-blowing or attacking the Fangire on his own. The Kivat Belt also has six Fueslots (フエッスロット) to hold the six Fuestles.

Fuestles
Kiva accesses his arsenal through whistles on his belt called Fuestles (フエッスル), which he gives to Kivat to blow into to evoke a power-up. Three of the Fuestles serve to summon an allied Arms Monster from Castle Doran, who allows for Kiva to Form Change and turns into a weapon. These three Fuestles' powers can be evoked immediately before Wataru transforms, enabling him to transform to the respective form directly without going through Kiva Form.


 * Kiva's Wake Up Fuestle (ウエイクアップフエッスル): This Fuestle allow Kiva to perform his Darkness Moon Break attack.
 * Garulu Fuestle (ガルルフエッスル): This Fuestle summons Garulu from Castle Doran.
 * Basshaa Fuestle (バッシャーフエッスル): This Fuestle summons Basshaa from Castle Doran.
 * Dogga Fuestle (ドッガフエッスル): This Fuestle summons Dogga from Castle Doran.
 * Doran Fuestle (ドランフエッスル): This Fuestle summons Castle Doran.
 * Buroon Fuestle (ブロンフエッスル): This Fuestle summons Buroon from Castle Doran and turns the Machine Kivaa into the Buroon Booster.
 * Tatsulot Fuestle (タツロットフエッスル): This Fuestle summons Tatsulot from Castle Doran. It is different from Kiva's other fuestles in that it is red instead of transparent and does not appear to be stored on Kiva's belt.
 * The Zanvat Sword's Wake Up Fuestle (ウエイクアップフエッスル): A Fuestle carried by the Zanvat Sword like a mask used for the Final Zanvat Slash attack.

A "Kiva Says Fuestle" (キバッテフエッスル) was included with the August 2008 issue of Terebi-kun Magazine. When used with the toy Kivat Belt, it makes Kivat say all the phrases said by his current mood.

Machine Kivaa


The Machine Kivaa (マシンキバー) is Kiva's motorcycle given by Kivat and is said to have been made by Motobat the 16th (モトバット１６世), master craftsman of the Kivat Race. The Kivaa is a living motorcycle, possessing the brain of a horse monster in its upper cowl. When running at high speed, it generates the Shadow Veil (シャドーベール) to hide itself from plain sight. The Kivaa can be powered up through the use of the Buroon Fuestle. The Machine Kivaa base is the Honda Shadow&lt;750&gt;.
 * Length: 2510mm
 * Width: 940mm
 * Height: 1090mm
 * Curb weight: 220kg
 * Top speed: 520km/h (323 mph) (0 to 400m/s in 3.2s)
 * Maximum output: 367.5kw/8500rpm

Buroon Booster
The Super-Attaching Combination Buroon Booster (超融合合体ブロンブースター) is what happens when Buroon envelopes the Kivaa, allowing it to perform wheelies and reach greater speeds. When running at high speed, it generates the Air Break Field (エアブレイクフィールド) with the Shadow Veil and reduces air resistance to almost 0.
 * Length: 4360mm
 * Width: 1225mm
 * Height: 1090mm
 * Curb weight: 760kg
 * Top speed: 1550km/h (963 mph) (0 to 400m/s in 1.2s)
 * Maximum output: 4263.5kw/12000rpm

Garulu Saber
The Demon-Beast Sword Garulu Saber (魔獣剣ガルルセイバー) is a weapon that Garulu assumes for Kiva to change into Garulu Form. Though in a statuette form when summoned, the Garulu Saber assumes a Kris form once in Kiva's hand. One of its abilities is to fire a shockwave named Howling Shock (ハウリングショック) from the hilt. The Garulu Saber can be use for the finishing attack Garulu Howling Slash (ガルル・ハウリングスラッシュ). This is done by first having Kivat perform a Garulu Bite (ガルルバイト) on the blade of the Garulu Saber after which Kiva holsters, by way of "biting", the weapon in his mouth as he charges at the Fangire, jumping in the air to slash the Fangire into two as he lands in front of it.

Basshaa Magnum
The Demon Sea Gun Basshaa Magnum (魔海銃バッシャーマグナム) is a gun-like weapon that Basshaa assumes for Kiva to change into Basshaa Form. The Basshaa Magnum's turbine spins to generate bullets made of high pressure water. The finishing attack is Basshaa Aqua Tornado (バッシャー・アクアトルネード). This is done by first having Kivat perform a Basshaa Bite (バッシャーバイト) on the hammer of the Basshaa Magnum. From there, the gun's turbines spin, surrounding Kiva with water as the weapon creates a pressurized ball of water that can home on to enemies upon firing, leaving the Fangire in an extremely fragile state where even the slightest touch can shatter them.

Dogga Hammer
The Demon Iron Hammer Dogga Hammer (魔鉄槌ドッガハンマー) is a fist-like war hammer that Dogga assumes for Kiva to change into Dogga Form. The finishing attack is the Dogga Thunder Slap (ドッガ・サンダースラップ), before which Kivat must perform a Dogga Bite (ドッガバイト) on the shaft of the hammer. The ball of the hammer opens up like a hand to reveal the True Eye (トゥルーアイ) in the palm, which can pinpoint a Fangire's exact location or release a shockwave that weakens the opponent Fangire's glass skin, rendering it immobile. Then the head of the hammer produces a giant energy duplicate of itself called the Phantom Hand (ファントムハンド), which follows Kiva's swings and crushes the enemy with massive collateral damage.

Buroon

 * Height: 2020mm
 * Weight: 540kg
 * Maximum flight speed: 650km/h (403 mph)

The Demon Statue Buroon (魔像ブロン) is a Golem (ゴーレム) made of Lucifer Gold (ルシファーゴールド) which is a tool made by the Fangire. It can merge with the Machine Kivaa and become the Buroon Booster.

Zanvat Sword


The Demon Imperial Sword Zanvat Sword (魔皇剣ザンバットソード) was a sword of great power crafted and used by the previous King until he tossed the weapon into Castle Doran's wall. By 2008, after sensing the power of Wataru as he evokes Kiva's Flight Style, the sword forced itself out of Castle Doran's walls.

The Zanvat Sword is soon after modified with a living hilt named Zanvat-bat (ザンバットバット), called "Zanvat" for short, who was created from the Life Energies of the Arms Monsters to control the unstable powers of the blade from evoking Wataru's Fangire blood. Though Wataru is accepted as an ideal user, he has yet to fully master the Zanvat Sword's true power.

When used by Kiva in Emperor form, its finishing attack is the Final Zanvat Slash (ファイナルザンバット斬) where Kiva's power is focused into the Imperial Blade (インペリアルブレード). The attack is powerful enough to destroy giant monsters such as Sabbats and even a Mother Sagarc. It is shown in OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Rider that Kiva can use the Zanvat Sword without transforming into Emperor Form, but cannot use the Wake Up finisher.

Potrayal
Wataru Kurenai is portayed by Koji Seto (瀬戸 康史), who reprised his role in Kamen Rider Decade for the first and last episodes.

As Kamen Rider Kiva, his suit actor is Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二).