Takeshi Asakura

Takeshi Asakura (浅倉 威) is Kamen Rider Ouja (仮面ライダー王蛇), a Rider in the Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Ryuki. He is the sixth of the 13 Kamen Riders the story revolves around and serves as one of the main villains in the series.

Series
Asakura was born in 1977. At age 13, he murdered his entire family in a fire, though his younger brother survived. Since, Asakura developed a reputation as a sadistic felon with a love to fight, maim and otherwise destroy anything in his random fits of rage. As a result of his sadistic nature, prior to becoming a Rider, Asakura was personally responsible for both ending the piano career of Tezuka's friend Yuichi Saito and murdering the older sister of Miho Kirishima. Eventually, his arrogant personality results with his defense attorney, Shuichi Kitaoka refusing to represent him and left him to rot in jail. Because he was in prison and could not feed his destructive nature, Takeshi gladly accepted Kanzaki's offer to join the Rider War and forms a pact with Venosnaker, using his newfound powers as Ouja in its many forms to break out of jail, avoid the law, and get his revenge on Kitaoka.

Ouja fought only to fight and was the first Rider to actually kill other Riders, killing Kamen Rider Gai and Kamen Rider Raia and taking their Contract Monster afterwards. Ouja also destroyed Kamen Rider Imperer's deck, causing him to die in the Mirror World. While the other Riders had a desire that would be granted if they won the Rider War, Asakura was simply having fun, and said that if he won, he would wish for the Rider War to start over so he could keep enjoying himself.

Ren helped Asakura fake his death once so he can fight in the Rider War without police interference. But when he was publicly revealed to be alive, Asakura was soon later captured, going in and out of jail for several instances. In one such case, he uses Metalgelas while in a police van to dispose of his police captors before escaping into the Mirror World. After a fight with Kamen Rider Ryuki Survive and Kamen Rider Tiger, he had been seriously injured and handed back to the authorities once again by Shinji. Soon he escaped again, with aid of his lawyer at that time whom he had knocked out and switched clothes with the lawyer to escape.

In the process of learning of Kitaoka's identity as a Rider, Asakura attempted to lure him by staging a hostage situation to get Kitaoka. Asakura had Venosnaker kidnap Goro Yura so Ouja can pressure Zolda into bringing Knight, Ryuki and Raia to a specific meeting place. However, Goro escapes by picking the lock of the handcuffs. Though he lost to Zolda, Ouja survived and senselessly killed Kamen Rider Gai in the process.

Upon learning of Kitaoka's identity as a Rider, he formed a personal grudge against him that manifested in many attempts to harm Kitaoka. The two would fight many times throughout the series. Miyuki Tezuka (Kamen Rider Raia) also held a personal grudge against Asakura for ending the piano career of his friend, Yuichi Saito.

During the series, he came under fire from his three monsters when they were hungry for life energy. They came close to devouring Asakura if not for his strong determination. After hunting down three Mirror Monsters, Ouja was able to feed his contract monsters. Kamen Rider Knight and Zolda tried to prevent his monsters from feeding so that they would turn on him and remove Asakura from the Rider War. but Kamen Rider Ryuki intervened and allowed the monsters to feed because Asakura had actually saved a small girl from the three monsters they hunted.

At the end of the series he finally has his showdown with Zolda. Ouja, using his "Doomsday" Final Vent, destroys Magnugiga before fatally injuring Zolda. Though happy with his victory, Ouja finds out seconds later that "Zolda" was actually Goro, as Kitaoka gave him his vent deck prior to succumbing to his cancer during the fight. Just as he returned to the real world in utter disarray of being denied the right to kill the man he hated the most, Asakura finds himself surrounded by the authorities in the warehouse he was in with snipers covering them. Defiant to the end, Asakura grabs a metal rod and runs at the cops screaming as they gun him down, brought to justice at last.

But because Kanzaki restored time to its proper course after Yui's death, Asakura was given a second chance in life with no memory of being a Rider and keeping a low profile, but still having a rude personality, as he was kicking Shinji's bike because it was in the way.

13 Riders
In the 13 Riders Special, Asakura was already a Rider and in jail until Venosnaker busted its master out. He later kills Kamen Rider Scissors. He reappears at the end where he activates Final Vent together with the others in one ending.

Kamen Rider Ryuki: Episode Final
In the movie, Episode Final, Asakura was targeted by Miho Kirishima, who became Kamen Rider Femme to hunt him down for revenge. Though she was outmatched by the stronger opponent, Kamen Rider Ryuga's destroying of Genocider reverted Ouja to Blank Form. Weakened, Femme stabbed right at Ouja's blank deck, destroying it. Shortly, Ouja's armor disintegrated and Asakura dissolved in the Mirror World as he attempted to take Miho down with him.

Kamen Rider Decade
In Kamen Rider Decade, Ouja is summoned in the World of Hibiki by Kiva-la, wielding a kanabō which he uses to summon a Bakegani from the mountain side after knocking Kiva-la aside.

Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker
Asakura later appears in All Riders VS Dai-Shocker to fight the organization. However due to his sadistic nature he sides with Dai-Shocker along with KickHopper (Yaguruma). He attempts to stop Diend and Natsumi only for Diend to summon Gai, Raia, and PunchHopper to fight him and Yaguruma. He fought Gai and Raia, the two riders he killed in the series. The outcome of the fight is unknown.

OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders
Kamen Rider Ouja 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.

D-Video Special: Kamen Rider 4
Due to the re-alterations of time made by Shocker, Ouja later appeared, along with Kamen Riders 4, Sasword, Dark Kiva, and Baron to fight against the Kamen Riders as they catch onto Shocker's latest schemes. During the final loop, Ouja is destroyed alongside Dark Kiva by Deadheat Mach's Hit Macher Full Throttle.

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid


"Fight! Keep fighting! If you don't fight...you will die..."

- Asakura's last words before fading away once again

Asakura was later revived along with the Beast Rider Squad as part of Foundation X's scheme in researching the Rider Gashats. He attacks Hiiro Kagami's nurse assistants, Mizuki and Satsuki, as well as Emu Hojo. Asakura as Ouja would later be defeated by Brave's Level 4 form, leading to Asakura fading away once again.

Personality
Asakura is a violent and sadistic man, finding joy in fighting, maiming, killing, or otherwise destroying anything in his random fits of rage. He has no sympathy or remorse for his actions, and will attack anyone simply because he was "vexed". He also didn't seem to even care when taking other user's contract monsters.

Fighting Style
Ouja is a melee based Rider like majority of the Kamen Riders. However, he is extremely sadistic, showing no mercy as well as superior tactics over his opponents. He fights relentlessly, but only if he is sure he will win, and isn't hesitant to use other Riders as factors or pawns in his battles. His Sword Vent is his most frequently used weapon. He becomes even more powerful when he forms Contracts with Metalgelas and Evildiver. This allows him access to Gai's Strike Vent and Raia's Swing Vent, making him a more versatile as well as a more deadly force. His Contract Monster Venosnaker participates in his battles, and is often seen as Dragreder's evil equivalent in the series (this has been replaced by Dragblacker).

However, Ouja is not without weaknesses. He's more vulnerable towards long-ranged opponents, his own unstable nature outclasses his fighting potential, he rarely uses his special card Steal Vent (possibly because he is comfortable with his choice of weapon, as well as only using it to disarm Riders, which is an ineffective strategy), and he rarely takes advantage of the more powerful Genocider, using the united Contract Monster as a more menacing or intimidating distraction in the battlefield. This may also prove that the united Contract Monster is difficult to control, but is restrainable.

Advent Cards
Kamen Rider Ouja had the most Advent Cards out of any of the Riders. This was because he obtained two extra decks of cards by contracting with two of the Mirror world monsters that were previously contracted with Riders he defeated.

Rider Cards

 * Kamen Ride: Ouja: A Rider Card containing the power of Kamen Rider Ouja. Used by Diend to summon Kamen Rider Ouja. First used to battle the Oni Rider Brothers, Ouja is quickly possessed by Ryutaros. This card is also included with the DX Diendriver toy and also used by Diend in Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride and Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes.

Portrayal
Takeshi Asakura is portrayed by Takashi Hagino (萩野 崇). As Kamen Rider Ouja, his suit actor was Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎), his sub was Keizo Yabe (矢部 敬三).

Name

 * Ouja's name is variably written as "Oja", "Ohja", and "Ohjya" in media released by TV Asahi, Toei Company, and Bandai.
 * His Rider name, Ouja, could also literally meant "King Evil" (王邪), as he is the long standing evil Kamen Rider in this series.
 * Asakura translates to 'Morning Storehouse.' It is the name of a former village, a city, and a district in Japan, as well as that of a daimyō clan.
 * He shares his first name with Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1, the first Kamen Rider.

Dub names
In the Korean dub of Kamen Rider Ryuki entitled Masked Rider Dragon, which aired in South Korea, Kamen Rider Ouja is renamed Masked Rider Viper (가면라이더 바이퍼 Gamyeon Raideo Baipeo).