User:Trdeathwing/Kouta Kazuraba

"This is my stage now!"

- Gaim's pre-battle quotes

Kouta Kazuraba (葛葉 紘汰), also written as Kota Kazuraba in different publications, is one of the main characters and the main protagonist as well as the titular character of the Kamen Rider Series installment, Kamen Rider Gaim.

When he accidentally finds the Sengoku Driver, he accidentally converts the Fruits of Helheim into a pair of Lockseeds  (Orange and Ichigo) and gains the ability to transform into Armored Rider Gaim (アーマードライダー鎧武 [ガイム]), a name given to him by DJ Sagara due to his affiliation with Team Gaim (チーム鎧武). By doing so, he was labeled Test Subject 01 by Ryoma Sengoku.

Later helping out the fourteen previous Kamen Riders, he inherits the name of Kamen Rider, becoming Kamen Rider Gaim (仮面ライダー鎧武 [ガイム]). However, it isn't until the Showa Rider vs Heisei Rider conflict does Kamen Rider 1 acknowledge him as a true Kamen Rider. For a short period, Kouta becomes Kouta-Yami (紘汰-闇) after being corrupted by Kougane.

In episode 40, after escaping from Redyue's illusion, his Over Lord powers from part of the Forbidden Fruit's power in Kiwami Arms are awakened. After accepting the Forbidden Fruit, he evolves into a new form, referred to by DJ Sagara as the Man of the Beginning (始まりの男).


 * -|Personality=

Kouta is a cheerful person who concerns himself with helping and protecting everyone and due to this, "protecting people" is his very reason in fighting when it comes to his duty as a Armored Rider. This is shown when he rescues the Yggdrasill Corporation scientists from a horde of Elementary Inves despite holding a grudge against them for using the Beat Riders dance crews and their Inves Games as tests and lab rats (this also includes the Armored Riders).

Still learning to live as an adult, his world view is very limited and as such, he is very naïve and can be oblivious to consequences and the price that comes with having great power. He does not have any interest in battling other Riders, or anyone if he can avoid it for the matter and decides that he and other Riders should use their powers to save humanity.

Initially due to his inexperience and naiveté, he foolishly and recklessly used the power of Gaim for his own personal gain such as using it for his part-time jobs (and failed spectacularly to boot) and battling at the Inves Games. As such back then, he regarded himself as nothing more than being lucky to have found the Sengoku Driver and saw the whole thing as little more than a game. But after a short encounter with Zangetsu, Kouta felt stressed and traumatized but recovered and realized the price that comes with such power.

However, during the course of the series, Kouta undergoes numerous changes, becoming a lot more assertive and serious when it comes to innocent lives being taken. Although his naiveté has yet to change, he views himself more than what he was before. Because of this confidence in him, he resolves to become stronger and stronger. When he clashes ideals against Takatora during their second encounter, his resolve and beliefs overpower Takatora. However, Kouta undergoes a breakdown after realizing Yuya died by his hands, destroying his beliefs along with him.

Even after recovering from this breakdown, Kouta's naïve concerns of protecting others allows him to become a wild card in DJ Sagara's plans as he knows that Kouta's act can be almost unpredictable and Kouta himself has no ulterior motive compared to his fellow Armored Riders and New Generation Riders. Despite this unwavering resolve, Yoko asks Kouta what will become of him after he protects everyone to which he has no real way of responding to that.

Despite Kouta wanting to protect people and stop unnecessary bloodshed, Kouta himself isn't without his dark moments. After defeating Sid in a fit of rage realizing that Yggdrasill intends to destroy Zawame City if they ever found out about the Helheim Forest, he intended to take Sid out after his transformation was canceled if it were not for Ryugen summoning an Inves to save Sid. However, since the realization of Yuya's death, Kouta resolves not to kill and not to have unnecessary bloodshed. This is most evident when he had multiple opportunities to kill Sid when trying to find the Over Lords along with the opportunity to kill Yoko Minato after he canceled out her transformation when he was in Kachidoki Arms. In both scenarios, he showed restraint and moved on to more important matters at hand. Along this fact, he tried to cancel the fight between Demushu and Baron and later the fight between Zangetsu Shin (Mitsuzane) and Lemon Energy Arms Baron (Kaito). However, his inner darkness overtakes him during Golden Fruits Cup! where he ruthlessly attacks Mitsuzane, Kaito, and Yoko in his "Black Jimber Arms" with his personality inverted compared to how he normally is.

In his final battle against Kaito, however, he is forced to kill the latter as the latter threatens to destroy the world by obtaining the Golden Fruit, thus making Kaito the only person Kouta kills intentionally.

In his final appearance in the series as the Man of the Beginning, Kouta's friendly, pacifist personality remains the same, but his bearing has changed to that of a ruler, with a constant aura of dignity, power and authority surrounding him. He is more soft-spoken and more mature, able to reassure the doubts of the Kureshima brothers after the events of the final battle strained their relationship.

During battle, he would announce, "This is my stage now!" (ここからは俺のステージだ！) Over the course of the series, Kouta showed a numbered amount of abilities, along with gaining new ones on the way.
 * -|Powers and Abilities=
 * Imagination
 * Being one of the few adults possessing imagination, he can see the Ressha of the ToQgers.


 * Over Lord Powers
 * Being affected by the Forbidden Fruit's powers, Kouta gains some of the Over Lords' abilities, which are then further increased when he eats the Fruit of Helheim:


 * Helheim Plant Generation
 * He has shown the ability to turn an empty lot into a field of Helheim plants.


 * Helheim Plant Control
 * He can freely control Helheim flora, and even override other Over Lords' manipulation over the flora.


 * Fruit Transmutation
 * He can turn a broken Lockseed back into its fruit form, before restoring its intact state.


 * Healing Factor
 * He has increased health regeneration, allowing him to take lethal damage and still able to recover shortly afterwards.


 * Crack Creating
 * He can open countless cracks to summon Inves from the Helheim Forest. Kouta gains this ability when he eats the Fruit of Helheim to stop Kaito's rampage.


 * Godlike Powers
 * After eating the Forbidden Fruit, Kouta gains godlike powers, which can reimagine the world at will.
 * Enhanced Crack Creating


 * He can open a huge crack which leads to a planet at the edge of the universe.


 * Reality Manipulation


 * He can globally control any number of objects, bypasses all physical laws. He used this power to drag all Inves and Helheim flora around the world to the huge crack.


 * Dream Walking


 * He can penetrate anyone's dreams to communicate with them, even through Kouta himself currently is at the edge of the universe.


 * Healing


 * He can heal someone from serious brain damage, even through Kouta himself currently is at the edge of the universe.


 * Teleport


 * He can turn himself into energy and travel to another planet via his huge crack.


 * Exorcism
 * He can remove Kougane from his human host effortlessly.


 * Transformation


 * He can transform into Kiwami Arms directly without the need of a Sengoku Driver or having the Lockseeds on hand. The Driver with attached Lockseeds appear on his waist though, with full functionality.


 * Attack Cancellation


 * He effortlessly stopped and cancelled a Darkness Squash from Kamen Rider Jam.


 * Telepathy
 * He can read other people's thoughts and telepathically communicate with them.


 * Mediumship
 * He can see and presumably communicate with souls.


 * Appearance Changing
 * Is able to change his form to match what he looked like before becoming the Man of the Beginning.


 * -|Arsenal=

Like his fellow Lockseed-using Armored Riders, Kamen Rider Gaim's forms are called Arms (アームズ). His Sengoku Driver plays Japanese horagai music and announces "Soiya" (ソイヤ) before every transformation, except when he transforms into Kiwami Arms, while his personal Lockseeds are styled with a mix of Japanese words and English words. With the exception of Suika Arms, all of Gaim's Japanese Samurai, Ninja, and Shogun-themed Arms' helmets share the title Kabuto (カブト), while his visors are called Pulp Eye (パルプアイ).

By pressing the Sengoku Driver's Cutting Blade down on the Lockseed after transforming from one to three times, Gaim can activate one of three finishing moves based on his current Arms form: Squash (スカッシュ), Au Lait (オーレ), or Sparking (スパーキング). In addition to the Sengoku Driver's finishing moves, Gaim can perform either a Fruits Charge (フルーツチャージ) or Sonic Volley (ソニックボレー) finishing attack by inserting a Lockseed into the attachment slot of either his Musou Saber, Sonic Arrow, or DJ Gun.

Devices


 * Sengoku Driver - Transformation device
 * Removable slots for additional Lockseeds:
 * Genesis Core - Essential to access a Jimber Arms
 * Senyo Joint - Essential to access Kiwami Arms
 * Lockseeds - Gives access to Gaim's Arms changes, depending on which lock is used

Weapons


 * Musou Saber - Gaim's side weapon in every single one of his forms
 * Arms Weapons - Weapons that come with the Arms, besides the Musou Saber:
 * Gaim:
 * Daidaimaru - Gaim Orange Arms' personal weapon and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Pine Iron - Gaim Pine Arms' personal weapon and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Ichigo Kunai - Gaim Ichigo Arms' personal weapons and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Suika Sojinto - Gaim Suika Arms' personal weapon in Yoroi Mode and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Banaspear - Gaim Banana Arms' personal weapon and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Donkachi - Gaim Donguri Arms' personal weapon and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Duri Noko - Gaim Durian Arms' personal weapons and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Sonic Arrow - Gaim Jimber Arms' personal weapon and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * DJ Gun - Gaim Kachidoki Arms' personal weapon and one of Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Mango Punisher - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Budou Ryuhou - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Kiwi Gekirin - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Melon Defender - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Kagematsu - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Kagematsu Shin - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Kurumi Bombers - One of Gaim Kiwami Arms' personal weapons
 * Rosyuo's greatsword - A weapon Gaim Kiwami Arms briefly used during his battle with Redyue.
 * WizarSwordGun - Gaim Wizard Arms' personal weapon
 * Handle Sword - Gaim Drive Arms' personal weapon
 * Drag Saber - Gaim Ryuki Arms' personal weapon
 * DenGasher Sword Mode - Gaim Den-O Arms' personal weapon
 * Ride Booker - Gaim Decade Arms' personal weapon
 * Trigger Magnum - Gaim Double Arms' personal weapon
 * Medajalibur - Gaim OOO Arms' personal weapon
 * Rocket Module - Gaim Fourze Arms' personal weapon
 * Gaim Yami:
 * Musou Saber - Gaim Yami Black Jimber Arms' personal weapon

Vehicles


 * Lock Vehicles - Vehicles that unfold from special Lockseeds:
 * Sakura Hurricane - Gaim's main Rider Machine. It is lost during the final battle against Kaito Kumon.
 * Dandeliner - Gaim's second Rider Machine. Loses it during the the battle against Bujin Gaim, but later receives another one from DJ Sagara. It is lost during the final battle against Kaito Kumon to an evolved Seiryu Inves
 * Tulip Hopper - Gaim's third Rider Machine
 * Rose Attacker - Gaim's unused Rider Machine, which is given to Decade to get Shu Aoi escape with him while Gaim prevents Fifteen from taking his son away from the lighthouse where Saki Aoi is.


 * -|History=

Kouta Kazuraba is portrayed by Gaku Sano (佐野 岳), 2011 Junon Super Boy Contest Grand Prix winner. Sano said that he grew up wishing he could be the character from Kamen Rider Kuuga, and now that he will portray Kamen Rider Gaim which he hopes that he will inspire a new generation of boys.
 * -|Portrayal=

As Kamen Rider Gaim, 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 Gaim, Kouta Kazuraba (Kamen Rider Gaim) is labeled Kamen Rider #30 (仮面ライダー30号) and Heisei Rider #15 (平成ライダー15号).


 * -|Notes=
 * Kouta is the first primary Rider since Tsukasa Kadoya who does not make his debut as a cameo appearance in the Summer Movie of his predecessor, instead debuting in the final episodes of that series.
 * He is also the first primary Rider since Wataru Kurenai who does not meet his successor before the end of his own series at any point.
 * As the fifteenth leading Heisei Rider, the Heisei era now equals the Showa era in main Riders, as Kamen Rider J is officially considered the 15th Showa-Era Kamen Rider. Thus, Gaim is also the 30th main Rider overall.
 * The back of Kouta's Team Gaim jacket has a picture which consists of a samurai that resembles Kamen Rider Gaim's Orange Arms. Considering the half moon crest and one missing eye, the samurai can be proved to be famed warrior and tactician Date Masamune.
 * This also means that Kamen Rider Gaim is also based on Date Masamune.
 * Kouta's first transformation occurs without him saying "Henshin" first, similar to Yusuke Godai when he willingly transformed into Kuuga Growing Form for the first time.
 * Kouta is the first Neo-Heisei Kamen Rider to reveal his transformation to someone close to him; in this case, his sister.
 * Kouta's birthday is revealed to be January 30. Like Kaito, he is 20 years old. With a text message placing the first episode as having taken place on its airdate, October 6th 2013, Kouta's birth year would be 1993.
 * In real life, Kouta's actor, Gaku Sano was born on April 3rd, 1992.
 * Gaim is the first fruit-based Rider introduced since Den-O's Sword Form.
 * Gaim's Kachidoki Arms' battle catchphrase "Iza Shutsujin!" is similar to the battle catchphrase "Iza Mairu!"  from , as both catchphrases are references to battle cries used by the ancient Feudal samurai to lead their armies to the battlefield.
 * The appearance of Kiwami Arms was inspired by the armor of Oda Nobunaga, with the helmet borrowing design choices from Uesugi Kenshin.
 * Black Jimber Arms are similar to previous dark Kamen Riders: specifically, Kamen Riders Ryuga and Dark Kabuto, blacked out versions of the main Rider. Ironically, this means Kouta is the first primary Rider to be his own evil Rider counterpart.
 * Kouta is the first Neo-Heisei Kamen Rider whose Final Form does not have its own exclusive weapon. Even though Kiwami Arms can use all of the Arms Weapons, it does not possess its own personal Arms Weapon.
 * Kiwami Arms is similar to Kamen Rider Kiva's Emperor Form: Both are Final Forms based on figures of royalty (The former a shogun, a military version of royalty, the latter a vampire king) and both forms use weapons from all previous forms. Unlike Kiva however, Kiwami Arms has no unique special weapon of its own (apart from the toy-only DJ Sojinto), while Emperor Form had the Zanvat Sword.
 * Also of note is that the Pulp Lens in Kiwami Arms is translucent and multi-colored, something Emperor Form also shared when in its berserk form.
 * Kiwami Arms' ability to summon weapons from thin air and launch them seemingly via telekinesis resembles the Gate of Babylon power possessed by Gilgamesh, a character from the visual novel Fate/stay night by Kinoko Nasu. Kamen Rider Gaim 's head writer Gen Urobuchi is good friends with Nasu and has written for the Fate series, in particular authoring the prequel novel Fate/Zero.
 * Out of all the Armored Riders, Gaim has used the most Lock Vehicles with three.
 * Kouta eventually shared similarities with Yusuke Godai, Kazuma Kenzaki and Eiji Hino as they are the main characters of their respective series and portrayed as naive and air-headed but kind and heroic people. They are also willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater good, even if it costs them their humanity. Out of these four, Kenzaki still remained a monster, Godai never fully transformed and Eiji regained his humanity. Kouta thus has traits from both Kenzaki and Eiji and seemingly will return if humanity is in danger. The two even shared the same blue dominant color, though in Kenzaki's case, he is navy.
 * He also has a similarity to A.R. Kuuga/Yusuke Onodera during a summer movie, such as being brainwashed by the villains. Although Tsukasa's sister, Sayo Kadoya, was temporarily a villain, until she realized her brother did care for her and was manipulated by their own butler and Dai Shocker, into doing their dirty work.
 * Kouta's costume as the Man of the Beginning contains recycled parts from Gaim's Kiwami Arms, as well as Kurokage's Matsubokkuri Arms chest piece.
 * Kouta can be considered as the second primary rider after Tsukasa Kadoya to imitate the primary Rider's abillity. However, in crossover movie only.
 * He is the first primary Heisei Rider to be dubbed a Kamen Rider by an opponent Monster, although Kamen Rider Beast did indirectly refer to him as one beforehand.
 * Kouta is the first main rider to be married as a result of his final battle with Kaito, he and Mai became King/Husband and Queen/Wife of a new planet.

Legend Rider Lockseeds
 * The following Legend Rider Lockseeds are styled for Gaim, as well as Kurokage, Bujin Gaim, and Kamuro:
 * 1 - "Waza no Ichigō, Let's go!"
 * 2 - "Chikara no Nigō, Let's go!"
 * Riderman - "Kagakusha Met On!"
 * ZX - "Jūgō Cyborg Ninja!
 * Black - "Seiki Oh Black Sun!"
 * Shin - "Kaizou Heishi Level 3!"
 * J - "Shingeki Jumbo Formation!"
 * Shocker - "Jigoku no gundan on Parade! Eeeee!"
 * Great Leader - "Shihaisha of the World!"
 * Shocker Rider Number 1 - "Nise no Hero, Dead Go!"
 * Kabuto - "Ten no Michi My Way!"
 * Den-O - "Iza Climax!"
 * Den-O Climax Form - "Denkamori Climax!"
 * Decade - "Hakaisha on the Road!"
 * Skull - "Otoko-michi Hardboiled!"
 * Fourze - "Seishun Switch On!" (Despite being canonically used by Zangetsu)
 * Wizard - "Shabadoobi Showtime!"
 * Wizard Infinity Style - "Kirakira Infinity!"
 * Gaim - "Fruits Gaim/Yoroi Musha on Parade!"