Ark

This article is about a Rider in Kamen Rider Zero-One.

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"To deceive humans, and make sport of them... That is one of many evils they have taught me."

―The Ark's disgust of humanity^[src]

The Ark (アーク, Āku) is a near-sentient satellite submerged in Daybreak Town and is the leading element of MetsubouJinrai.net. While it was originally created by Gai Amatsu to destroy humanity, both MetsubouJinrai.net and ZAIA Japan are actively pursuing its recovery.

The Ark was later seen by Aruto Hiden in the form of Kamen Rider Ark-Zero (仮面ライダーアークゼロ, Kamen Raidā Āku Zero) when he was briefly connected to it once again.

History

File:Tumblr lxq4ibRrJV1qfc3y9o1 500.jpg

The Ark being prepared to be launched

The Ark is a massive experimental satellite that would assist in the network of Daybreak Town, as well as the predecessor of Zea. It was created by scientists from 11 of the leading tech companies in Japan, which included Hiden Intelligence and ZAIA Japan. Gai Amatsu, the CEO of ZAIA Japan, fed the Ark with information regarding criminal psychology and human history, including all of its wars. ^{[This is the Dawn of ZAIA]} This resulted in the Ark's A.I concluding that humanity must be eliminated, because its continued malicious existence would lead to the end of all other lifeforms. ^{[The End of Each]}

The Ark's schematics

To do this, the Ark corrupted all of the Humagears, sharing its own plans to exterminate humanity with them. Four of these Humagears (which were deemed the most intelligent) would later become known as the terrorist group MetsubouJinrai.net. The group infiltrated the labs inside Daybreak Town, and they planned to execute the final phase of their plan there by sending the Ark into space, therefore creating a global connection to Humagears worldwide. To prevent this, Soreo Hiden, who managed to resist the Ark's influence, uploaded a program to prevent the satellite from launching, causing it to explode and submerge underwater. During this point, Satoshi Sakurai had heroically destroyed all the Humagears before they could escape, though he also perished in the explosion, leaving his deeds unnoticed.^{[Kamen Rider: Reiwa The First Generation] [I'll Save The Humagears]}

Recovery

Horobi planned to recover it by gathering data from hacked Humagears. According to the former, once enough post-battle data has been collected from the Zetsumerisekeys, the Ark can be restored and be used to incite all Humagears to go berserk at once. This recovery was deemed completed by him with the creation of the Assault Wolf Progrisekey and the Assault Grip, after several Progrisekeys were used to transfer critical data from Zea to the Ark. However, before MetsubouJinrai.net could use the Progrisekey, it accidentally fell into Vulcan's hands due to Zero-One's surprise shot from the Authorise Buster, granting him the form of Assault Wolf. ^{[We are the Astronaut Brothers!]}.

Meanwhile, Gai Amatsu claimed that Hiden Intelligence's Progrisekeys, which were supposed to be lost in the Daybreak Town Accident 12 years ago, are also keys to its recovery. He plans to use its reactivation as a means for world domination using ZAIA Japan's technology. ^{[This is the Dawn of ZAIA]}

Kamen Rider: Reiwa The First Generation

Due to alterations caused by Time Jacker Finis, the Daybreak Town Accident was prevented, the Humagear outbreak was successful, and Gai's secret plan of disposing Humagears after the accident backfired, leading to the suppression of humanity. Additionally, the Ark was successfully launched into space, creating Magias around the world and ruling over much of the planet. However, it also became an indirect help to Soreo Hiden, who used the Cycloneriser to transform into Kamen Rider Ichi-Gata to secretly help humanity. After Finis' defeat, the timeline was restored and the Ark met its original fate once again.

Post-awakening

Even after the defeat of MetsubouJinrai.net, the Ark continues its crusade against humanity with occasional attacks by remotely hacking Humagears, who reached Singularity by feeling resentment towards any malicious human. ^{[This is the Dawn of ZAIA][I'm the Only President and Kamen Rider]} Its actions are extremely unpredictable, to the point that even Gai cannot comprehend it himself. This went as far to make him decide to advocate the prohibition of Humagears.

Once it had sufficient data on human rage and aggression, the Ark was somehow instrumental in the creation of ZAIA Japan's newest Progrisekey; the MetalCluster Hopper Progrisekey. When used, Aruto's consciousness is forcibly linked to the Ark. Other effects, aside from a berserker-like state, are unknown at this time. After the creation of the Progrise Hopper Blade, it eliminated that issue, being able to restore Aruto's connection to Zea as well as restore a Humagear's programming in Magias, rather than destroying them upon defeat. After that, with the data collected from Progrisekeys via the Thousand Jacker, the Rampage Gatling Progrisekey is created, which is later given to Isamu by Gai.

Kamen Rider Zero-One: President Special

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero's first appearance

Ark-Zero meets Aruto Hiden for the first time

After Azu finished gathering data on Zero-One and the other Riders included Thouser, Aruto was suddenly uplinked into the Ark, where he catches a glimpse of Kamen Rider Ark-Zero before abruptly returning to Satellite Zea.

Sometime after this event, the Ark sent Azu to test and collect the Singularity points of all four members of MetsubouJinrai.net, and did this in the form of an unknown Progrisekey. When Azu reported her mission to be a success, the Ark, again taking on the form of Ark-Zero, stated that everything was going exactly as it planned, much to Azu's happiness. Unbeknownst to the two, Jin's Singularity was actually not taken, and he called an unknown person to report that the Ark was going to be revived soon.

Powers 

• Technology Corruption: After being awakened, the Ark is capable of directly hacking any technological device, such as a Humagear who developed resentment toward humans and transform them into an Ark Magia. ^{[I'm the Only President and Kamen Rider]} According to Horobi, the corruption is only malicious data, so the rest is only up to the Humagear to follow this will, to which the Ark would try to make the result closest to possible on making that happen.
  • Prisonment Chain (Erased): A malware stored within the MetalCluster Hopper Progrisekey. Aruto Hiden would be the first human to be corrupted by the Ark through the Zero-One System, causing a loss of control by the satellite's malice, before the creation of the Progrise Hopper Blade severed the form's connection with the Ark, which erases the malware, losing it forever for the Ark.
  • Naki was able to use the Ark to mind control the users of the ZAIASpec through a forced command, making humans who wore the ZAIASpec go berserk.
• Progrisekey Creation: After its reactivation, the Ark can create Progrisekeys in a similar method to the Hiden Intelligence Three Dimensional Printing System.
• Humagear Possession: As seen by Horobi, the Ark can technically borrow a Humagear body for it to control.

Weaknesses

• Humagears' Willpower: Although the Ark can hack into any Humagear who develop resentment towards humans, this ability, however, has a weakness; if a Humagear chooses not to submit and has a stronger will to do what it must, then the Humagear won't be corrupted.
  • Soreo Hiden is an original generation Humagear who chose not submit to the Ark's corruption, as it was revealed that his love for his son made him immune to its malice. He was also acting to support Aruto behind the scenes and was the one who sabotaged the Ark's initial launch into space.
  • Dr. Omigoto is the first latest Humagear to not submit to the Ark's corruption, as he has a stronger will to save his human patients.
  • Enmusubi Match could have not accepted the Ark's corruption. However, Match chose to submit for his acting to help his client and was planning to revert to normal, which (unfortunately) couldn't be done at the time. Match also stated that once a Humagear submits either by will or not, it's near-impossible to fight back against the Ark's malice unassisted. ^{[It's Our Turn]}
• Progrise Hopper Blade: The Progrise Hopper Blade is able to sever a Rider or Humagear's connection to the Ark, restoring a Magia to their original form and programming in the case of the later.

Video Game appearances

Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero card

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero will soon be a playable character in Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing.

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero

File:KR Ark Zero (Transparent Full Body).png

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero

Rider Statistics

• Rider Height: TBA
• Rider Weight: TBA

Ability Parameters

• Punching Power: TBA
• Kicking Power: TBA
• Maximum Jump Height: TBA
• Maximum Running Speed: TBA

Ark transforms into Kamen Rider Ark-Zero using the Ark Driver-Zero along with an unknown Progrisekey.

Appearances: Kamen Rider Zero-One: President Special, Zero-One Episodes 35.5-36

Equipment

Devices

• Ark Driver-Zero - Transformation device
• Progrise Holder - Carrying straps for Progrisekeys

Weapons

• Attache Arrow
• Attache Shotgun (Summoned in Ganbarizing)

Known Creations

• Progrisekeys
  • Assault Wolf Progrisekey (with Assault Grip)
  • Amazing Caucasus Progrisekey
  • Awaking Arsino Zetsumerisekey
  • MetalCluster Hopper Progrisekey
  • Rampage Gatling Progrisekey

Behind the Scenes

Portrayal

The Ark is voiced by Show Hayami (速水 奨, Hayami Shō). When controlling Horobi, the Ark is portrayed by Shuya Sunagawa (砂川脩弥, Sunagawa Shūya) while retaining Hayami's voice. As Kamen Rider Ark-Zero, his suit actor is Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二, Takaiwa Seiji), who also served as suit actor for Kamen Rider Horobi.

Concept Art

CA 9 KRARK-ZERO.png

Kamen Rider Ark-Zero concept art

Notes

• The name "Ark" is taken from the iconic biblical Noah's Ark, a vessel on which, at God's behest, Noah stored samples of all the species of the Earth during the Genesis flood. This allusion to the Genesis flood symbolizes the Ark's intention to punish humanity for its misdeeds, as the Genesis flood was God's punishment for humanity.
• When "Ark" is put together with the company name of ZAIA Enterprise, it forms the Japanese word for "sin" (罪悪, Zaiaku), hinting at ZAIA Enterprise's machinations behind the Ark turning evil.

The Ark's normal interior

The Ark's hacked interior

• The interior of Ark is similar to Zea, but due to being exposed to the malice of humans, the "0"s and "1"s are replaced with kanji with negative meanings, such as:
  • 殺 Killing
  • 邪 Evil
  • 悪 Evil
  • 痛 Pain
  • 滅 Destruction
  • 亡 Death
  • 死 Death
  • 恨 Grudge
  • 凶 Fierce
  • 愚 Stupidity
  • 戦 War
  • 虐 Oppression
  • 暗 Dark
  • 怨 Antagonism
  • 憎 Hate
  • 獄 Prison/Hell
  • 蔑 Contempt
  • 争 Conflict
    • 滅 and 亡 are also the first two of the four kanji in the writing for MetsubouJinrai.net, and the name of Horobi and Naki.
    • 悪 (Evil) is read "Āku", which in Japanese is a homophone of "Ark".
• Ark-Zero's design is heavily modified from Zero-One Rising Hopper.

Appearances

• Kamen Rider Zero-One
  • Episode 1: I am the President and a Kamen Rider
  • Kamen Rider: Reiwa The First Generation
  • Episode 14: We are the Astronaut Brothers!
  • Episode 15: The End of Each
  • Episode 16: This is the Dawn of ZAIA
  • Episode 17: I'm the Only President and Kamen Rider
  • Episode 25: I'll Save the Humagears
  • Episode 29: Our Dreams Don't Break
  • Episode 30: After All, I am the President and a Kamen Rider
  • Kamen Rider Zero-One: President Special
    • President Special PART.01
    • President Special PART.02
  • Episode 35.5: How Was MetsubouJinrai Created?
  • Episode 36: I am the Ark and a Kamen Rider