Shinnosuke Tomari

"I'm in Top Gear!"

- Shinnosuke's main catchphrase when his brain is in "top gear"

"I am Kamen Rider, Drive! Let's go for a ride!"

- Shinnosuke's declaration as a Kamen Rider before his fight

Shinnosuke Tomari (泊 進ノ介) is a former elite police officer and detective who lost all his motivation after he accidentally injured his partner during the catastrophic Global Freeze. Recent events, however, have slowly started to put his life back together again after he's placed into the Tokyo Special Unit. Together with Mr. Belt, his partner/manager Kiriko Shijima, and the Shift Cars, he fights against the Roidmudes with as the warrior Drive. Once he hears of his predecessor's legacy as a Kamen Rider, he embraces the name Kamen Rider Drive (仮面ライダードライブ).

Pre-series
Shinnosuke's father was a police officer and explained to Shinnosuke the hardships of working as a cop.

Global Freeze
Six months prior to the series, during the "Global Freeze" incident, Shinnosuke and his partner Hayase were apprehending criminals. Hayase was cornered in between a flammable generator and one of the two criminals. Panicking, Shinnosuke pulled out his gun and tried to aim at the criminal, but due to the Slowdown effect, he accidentally shot the generator, causing it to explode and in the process, causing some pipes to collapse. As he tried to save Hayase from the falling pipes, the Slowdown effect happened once again, causing him to be unable to save his partner from being crushed. Shinnosuke thus lost his motivation as a police officer, and was transferred to a special investigations unit.

Obtain the Kamen Rider Torch
A slack-off police officer, Shinnosuke is sent to investigate a "Heavy Acceleration" case involving Roidmude 029. Shinnosuke realizes he's fighting a monster, so the Drive Driver gives him the ability to transform into Drive. By utilizing his Tire Exchanges, he defeats Roimude 029. With the sudden return of Roimude 029, Shinnosuke theorizes that his powers are connected to the Roidmudes. Visiting his injured partner Hayase, Shinnosuke receives encouragement from the latter and realizes the truth of the victims left behind by Roidmude 029. As Drive, he destroyed Roidmude 029 permanently with the latter calling him a "Kamen Rider". In a heated discussion with Kiriko and Shinnosuke in the background, Mr. Belt approves of the naming scheme of Kamen Rider, thus dubbing Drive as "Kamen Rider Drive".

The Arrival of Reaper and Kiriko's Past
Later on, Shinnosuke in a case about humans turning into data to be applied onto paintings, he learns that Kiriko was traumatized like him during Global Freeze. He also learns of the previous Drive before him, Proto-Drive, who saved Kiriko from the Roidmude who attempted to turn her into data. Shinnosuke destroys Roidmude 084 and has a confrontation against Mashin Chaser, before retreating. Roidmude 10 is laterf destroyed by Driver's new armament, the Handle Sword alongside the Shift Car: Dream Vegas.

Learning What a Warrior Has to Fight for and the Born of Wild
Afterwards, Roidmudes start to attack food trucks, led by the Crush Roidmude. Shinnosuke tries to fight them with Rumble Dump, but the incompatibility with Type Speed prevents him from finishing them off. Shinnosuke continues the investigation, feeling good about the Special Unit's recognition as well as his status as a Kamen Rider. He vows to protect the food trucks and their drivers from getting hurt, especially to Font-R. However, he is constantly interrupted by Mashin Chaser, who says he is a fool and that mankind is evil after gaining knowledge. This is proven later on when, during a confrontation with Chaser, he finds out Font-R has been smuggling explosives. Discouraged by this revelation, he is unable to transform into Type Wild, and is thus beaten by Crush and Chase, and then poisoned by Brain.

Shinnosuke somehow escapes and survives with the help of the Shift Car: Mad Doctor, granting him the ability to sustain himself from the poison's power. When the Special Unit is shut down, Shinnosuke learns that the Superintendent shut it down to cover his tracks as well as being paid to remove further investigation on the Font-R President. Shinnosuke manages to reveal this treason and confronts both Mashin Chaser and Crush. Shinnosuke reveals that he fights people not in the name of justice, but simply to protect others. Using Type Wild and the Shift Car Rumble Dump, he easily defeats Chase and also destroys Crush. He also learns that Rinna is the technician behind Drive's armaments.

Reuniting The Separated Bond of the Depressed Photographer
TBA

The Mysterious Fire Case and the Cool Technique
TBA

Personality
Shinnosuke was once an elite officer within the force with his partner Hayase, known for his great police work. He inherited his sense of justice from his father, who said police officers have the heaviest burden of all: protecting the people. However, after accidentally injuring his partner, he turned into a shade of his former self: Constantly running off to laze around, and more often seen eating milk balls than actually working. Because of this, even after assuming the guise of Drive, he has yet to fully recover back into what he refers to as "top gear", remaining aloof and takes situations and other matters lightly.

He would often say "I'm done thinking about it!" whenever he's come to a conclusion. Whether these conclusions are helpful (throwing away his hesitation to help people) or not (forgetting his problems to continue lazing around) is a matter of luck.

Under his aloof attitude and lazy facade is a man who holds a strong bearing of justice. Shinnosuke refers to see people around him be hurt and shifts himself and his brain into "high gear", reverting to his former self. His appearance while under this attitude is often shown with him straightening his tie. However, after this attitude adjustment is temporary and he will revert back to his normal self with his tie mysteriously undoing itself at times.

As Drive, Shinnosuke has the archetype of a proud, snarky superhero, creating puns or bantering his opponent when he has the opportunity, apparently toying with his opponents. Similar to Faiz, he would often close his right hand and flick it open as a hand gesture.

Types
Kamen Rider Drive's forms are called Types (タイプ). Some Shift Cars alter the suit based on a certain attribute, whereas other Shift Cars arm Drive with a certain element or weapon, by changing the tire on Drive's suit for a Tire Exchange (タイヤ交換). These two types of Shift Cars can be used in conjunction with each other, but some Tires can only work with certain body Types.

After turning the Advanced Ignition on the Drive Driver, Drive can perform one of two actions in each Type: Lifting the Shift Car placed within the Shift Brace between one and three times initiates either a special ability or an attack, while pressing the Igniter on the Shift Brace and lifting the Shift Car once unleashes the Type's Full Throttle (フルスロットル) finishing move.

Devices

 * Drive Driver - Belt-based transformation device
 * Shift Brace - Bracelet-based transformation device
 * Shift Cars - Gives access to Drive's forms and powers, depending on which car is used. They also allow Shinnosuke/Drive to move normally during a Slowdown

Weapons

 * Handle Sword - Drive's steering wheel-based weapon
 * Door Gun - Drive's driver-side door-based weapon
 * Trailer Cannon - Drive Type Formula's semi trailer-based weapon
 * Tire Exchange Weapons - Weapons that come from specific Shift Cars:
 * Justice Cage - Drive's jail cell-based weapon via the Justice Hunter Tire
 * Drum Shields - Drive's slot machine wheel-based weapons via the Dream Vegas Tire
 * Monster - Drive's car boot-based weapons via the Massive Monster Tire
 * Rumble Smasher - Drive's drill-based weapon via the Rumble Dump Tire
 * Cure Quicker - Drive's first aid kit-based "weapon" via the Mad Doctor Tire
 * Capture Hook - Drive's winch-based weapon via the Hooking Wrecker Tire
 * Ladder Expander - Drive's ladder-based weapon via the Fire Braver Tire
 * 10-ton Weight - Drive's weight-based weapon via the Rolling Gravity Tire
 * Musou Saber - One of Drive Type Fruits' personal weapons
 * Daidaimaru - One of Drive Type Fruits' personal weapons

Vehicles

 * Tridoron - Drive's Rider Machine

Portrayal
Shinnosuke Tomari is portrayed by Ryoma Takeuchi (竹内 涼真)

As Kamen Rider Drive, his suit actor is Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二) who has been the suit actor for the majority of leading Heisei Kamen Riders (except Kuuga and Hibiki).

Rider No.
As the leading Rider protagonist of Kamen Rider Drive, Drive is labeled Kamen Rider #31 (仮面ライダー31号) and Heisei Rider #16 (平成ライダー16号).

As noted by producer Shinichiro Shirakura in the run-up to the release of Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai, with the 15 Showa Riders and then 15 Heisei Riders facing off being "the point in which Heisei has finally aligned with Showa and in which both are equal", Drive, as the Rider following Gaim, marks the point where "Heisei Rider history will actually surpass Showa, making it a massive turning point for the whole franchise's history".