Kota Kazuraba

"This is my stage now!"

- Gaim's pre-battle quotes

Kota Kazuraba (葛葉 紘汰) 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 found the Sengoku Driver and a pair of Lockseeds (Orange and Ichigo), he gained the ability to transform into Kamen Rider Gaim (仮面ライダー鎧武 [ガイム]).

Mysterious Forest and First Transformation
Kota was once the 2nd-in-command dancer for "Team Gaim" along with Mitsuzane Kureshima whom he sees as a little brother figure. But he eventually quit the team for two jobs in order to help provide for his lonely older sister, Akira Kazuraba as their parents have died. After some time of no contact with his old team, he saves his old friend Mai from a rampaging Inves released by the cheating ways of Team Baron's Peko. Later, Kota and Mai receive a message from Yuya Sumii about the Sengoku Driver, saying that the device will save Team Gaim's reputation.

When they arrived at the location Yuya mentioned, Yuya was nowhere to be found, but there was a portal to the mysterious Helheim forest. There, he found the Driver on the ground. He plucked a pair of unknown fruits from the trees in the forest. Witnessing the Inves eating it, Kota tried to do the same when suddenly, an Inves evolved due to overeating and chased them. Kota and Mai returned to the human world but the Inves pursued them. The fruits Kota picked had transformed into Lockseeds as a Mysterious Girl (whom he mistook as Mai) tells him about his fate using its power as he defeats the Inves.

Testing New Abilities and Pine Arms
Kota returns home upon defeating the Inves and begins trying to figure out how he can use his powers for his own benefit, posing in the mirror and transforming again and again in the mirror. He tries to use his new powers to aid in his part time jobs, but it causes a mess at his painting job, and it makes him crash his delivery cart. After that troubling day, Mai calls him about Yuya, telling Kota that he didn't return from the Helheim Forest.

They visit the area where they first entered the Helheim Forest, only to find the portal to the forest was gone, and the foliage that accompanied the portal was now replaced with dirt. Mai demanded Kota to return the Sengoku Driver to her, as he had no place on the team any more. To the shock of Kota and Mai both, when she tries to wear it, nothing happens. At Kota's suggestion, they then go to Druper to ask Sid about the Driver. Sid tells them that the Driver locks on the person who first wears it, and from then on will work for no one else, meaning that Kota is the only person who can use it. Sid offers up a Class-A Lockseed to the pair, something to help them to battle Team Baron, but they couldn't afford it.

After parting with Mai, Kota sees a child in a tree, and decides to use his powers to save him. However, before Kota can find his Lockseed, Kaito Kumon, leader of Team Baron, intervenes and coaxes the child out of the tree instead. Not long after, Kota receives a call from Mitsuzane that Team Baron is in Gaim's garage attempting to strike a deal with them. Kota arrives and offers the deal; if Gaim wins, Kota gets the Class-A Pine Lockseed. If Kaito wins, then Gaim loses their stage. Kota accepts, effectively stepping in for Yuya as leader of Team Gaim.

The battle begins, Kaito using three lower-class Lockseeds as Kota uses his Class A Ichigo Lockseed, earning Team Gaim an easy win. However, one of the members from Team Baron, Peko, shoots something at Kota's hand, causing him to drop the Lockseed, freeing the Shika Inves. The Inves attacks people, and in the panic, Kota loses track of the Lockseed that unleashed the creature. He realizes that his jobs went awry because he used his powers in selfishness, and that his powers were meant to protect people from the Inves. He transforms into Gaim and attacks the Inves. The Shika Inves, cornered, sees the Lockseed that freed it and eats the Ichigo Lockseed, changing the Inves into its monstrous Berserker form. Kota tries to fight it off, but it is too powerful for the balanced Orange Arms. Kaito charges in, only for Gaim to save him from certain death. Gaim tells Kaito to give him the Lockseed that he was promised, which Baron's leader reluctantly does. Gaim uses the new Lockseed to change into the powerful Pine Arms, destroying the Shika Inves with ease. Team Gaim celebrates, and the story of the Inves' defeat spreads like wildfire, earning Kota the name of Armored Rider Gaim.

Baron Enters the Fray
As he starts to become popular as Armored Rider Gaim, Kota rejoins his team after he quit his part-time jobs. Despite his teammates openly accepting him back, Mai doesn't really accept Kota is back, thinking they are relying too much on Kota. Also, Kota's sister rejects the money he got from Inves Games. She states that the money Kota got is just from playing and not from the real jobs she wanted.

When Kota is thinking about his sister's words, Kaito decides to duel him when he gets his own Sengoku Driver from Sid. Before they could battle, Sid changed the rules as he gives them both Lockseeds, which form their vehicles. As they ride their bikes, they started racing until a portal appears which sent them to the Helheim Forest. In the forest, they encounter some Inves. Gaim tries to run, but Baron decided to stay behind and fight them.

Encounter with Zangetsu
While Kota is trying to search for Yuya, he encounters some scientists in the forest. He tries to ask them about Yuya, but Zangetsu appears and attacks him. Kota transforms to fight Zangetsu, but he overpowers Gaim, only for the Rider to knock him off a ledge into a river where Kota de-transforms and then exiting from Helhiem Forest as he convince him that his Sengoku Driver was no good. He then goes to his home as he thinks about his defeat and experiences. Kota felt worried about using the Sengoku Driver, so he decides to quit Team Gaim once more by relinquishing the Sengoku Driver and the Lockseeds to Mai. Some time later, he sees that his team have another Armored Rider: Ryugen.

Transform as Gaim Once Again and Ichigo Arms
He then visits the garage as he knows about the new Armored Rider, which Mitsuzane reveals to him that he is the new Armored Rider. Kota tells him that the Sengoku Driver is like a curse and the true purpose of using the belt, but Mitsuzane thinks that he can fight his own battles with the Sengoku Driver. He then went to Mai and ask why did she didn't stop Mitsuzane from getting the Sengoku Driver. She replies to Kota that they can handle things by themselves and she will support him. Mai got a call from Chucky that Team Baron and his alliance are challenging Mitsuzane. As they arrive, Ryugen was getting hurt as Kota tells him to retreat. However, he refused to give up when Kota and Mai is watching him fight. Kota was curious until Mai tells him that he made Mitsuzane strong which inspired him. Kota decides to fight with his own power as he transforms into Gaim and helps Ryugen. While fighting, he tells Baron that people don't use strength to show off power, instead it can inspire others to get back up. Ryugen then throw the Ichigo Lockseed to Gaim, which change him into Ichigo Arms. With the new form, Gaim and Ryugen finishes off the two Inves. until Ryoji and Hideyasu appears and transform into Armored Riders Kurokage and Gridon respectively, which shock Gaim, Ryugen and the members of Team Gaim. After they transform into Gridon and Kurokage, they betrayed Baron and finishes him off. Gaim and Ryugen attack the new Armored Riders and finishes them which they gain their Lockseeds.

Meeting Kamen Rider Wizard
"Did somebody call for help?!!"

- Kota hearing the children's plea

Some time after the conflict with Team Baron, Kota hears two children crying for help and enters the portal, which takes him to the location of Wizard and Beast. When he arrives, he is immediately transformed and fights off the monsters. Afterwards, he introduces himself as Gaim to the other Riders.

Inheriting the "Kamen Rider" Name
After introducing himself to the Riders, Gaim goes back to his world just before the portal closes. He later re-appeared to help the Riders in the final battle with Amadum. During the battle, he learns of the Kamen Riders, and learns from Kamen Rider Wizard that he himself has inherited the title of Kamen Rider, promptly dubbing himself "Kamen Rider Gaim". After Amadum is defeated, Gaim, along with the other riders (except for Decade who is on a journey, while Wizard had an important business with his counterpart before leaving.) vanishes back to the main world.

Looking for a new job and the appearance of Bravo
While looking for a job, Kota finds a pastry shop called Charmont where he finds that they are hiring. He asked the chef about a job as a pastry chef. The chef calls the head chef Oren Pierre Alfonzo to assign Kota for employment. Kota is then teased by Oren for being a pretty boy with no style and due to his birthday being January 30th, making him an Aquarius, which Oren dislikes, thus he rejects Kota's candidacy for the position, which angers Kota. He comes home frustrated that Oren is being such a jerk. When Mai brought a box of cakes from Charmont where Kota originally planned to work, his hatred of the head chef causes him to drop his cake from his plate.

Exhausted from looking for a job, he heard there's an Inves Game between Kurokage and Gridon. However, they are actually training until Oren appears to confront Kurokage and Gridon. When Oren reveals his Sengoku Driver, it was originally from Team Red Hot when they were being loud in his shop. After Bravo transformed ready to fight Kurokage and Gridon, Kota tells him that he is not even a Beat Rider and asked why he joined Inves Game. Bravo states that he does not care if he's not a Beat Rider and all that matters to him is to make the battle entertaining. When Bravo easily defeats Kurokage and Gridon, he sets his sights on Kota.

The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle
A battle royale is being held exclusively for the Armored Riders in Zawame City. Kamen Riders Gaim, Baron, Ryugen, Kurokage, and Gridon decide to enter the competition. While fighting, a crack opens in the sky and mysterious monsters pour out from it. One of the monsters captures Mai and returns to the crack, with the Riders giving chase. Soon, they find themselves in a Warring States Period-esque world where the Kamen Riders are called Bujin (武神) and are fighting each other. The confused Kamen Rider Gaim then gets attacked by the strongest Bujin Gaim (武神鎧武).

Personality
Similar to Eiji Hino, Kota 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 Kamen Rider.

But unlike Eiji, 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. Like Shinji Kido as well, he does not have any interest in battling other Riders, or anyone if he can avoid it for the matter.

Due to his inexperience and naïveté, 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 he regards himself as nothing more than being lucky to have found the Sengoku Driver and sees the whole thing as little more than a game.

He only realizes the price that comes with such power after meeting Zangetsu, who went at him with murderous intent and came close to finishing him off.

Arms
Kamen Rider Gaim's forms are called Arms (アームズ).

Devices

 * Sengoku Driver - Transformation device
 * Musou Saber - Gaim's standard side weapon
 * Lockseed-exclusive weapons:
 * Daidaimaru - Gaim Orange Arms' personal weapon
 * Pine Iron - Gaim Pine Arms' personal weapon
 * Ichigo Kunai - Gaim Ichigo Arms' personal weapons
 * Suika Sojinto - Gaim Suika Arms' personal weapon in Yoroi Mode
 * WizarSwordGun - Gaim Wizard Arms' personal weapon
 * Lockseeds - Gives access to Gaim's form changes, depending on which arm the lock is

Vehicles

 * Sakura Hurricane - Gaim's Rider Machine

List of Appearances

 * Kamen Rider Gaim
 * 1-7
 * Kamen Rider Wizard
 * Episode 52: The Kamen Rider Rings (debut)
 * Episode 53: Neverending Story
 * Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle
 * Kamen Rider Gaim: Sengoku Battle Royale
 * Sengoku Movie Battle

Portrayal
Kota 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 he hopes that he will inspire a new generation of boys.

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).