This article is about a villain group in the Kamen Rider Series. |
Foundation X (財団X, Zaidan Ekkusu) is the secondary antagonistic faction of the Kamen Rider Series. They are an underground network of individuals who fund illegal projects and conduct research on the Kamen Riders in order to oppose them.
All members of Foundation X wear white business suits and are classified as both researchers and business merchants of death (死の商人, Shi no Shōnin).
History[]
Background[]
Foundation X was originally founded by a group of merchants involved in heavy warfare, and used "Foundation X" as a front for their illegal activities to carry out their goals. At some point, they grew large enough to be able to finance other groups.
Working with Museum[]
At some point, Foundation X financed Kai Operation under the direction of Yukiji Bando, and funded his research with Ryubei Sonozaki on Gaia Memories at Museum. Due to their long-term relationship built on trust, researcher Maria Daido received Foundation X's backing for her Necro-Overs, a breed of superhumans created from the undead. However, after her success in reviving her son, Katsumi Daido, Foundation X later dropped all support of her project in favor for the Gaia Memories, resulting in Daido recruiting the rest of the NEVER members on an assault on Futo City. After combating Doctor Prospect, another one of Foundation X’s beneficiaries whose research on Quarks they funded, NEVER obtained the Foundation’s T2 Gaia Memories, to which Katsumi became Kamen Rider Eternal, and the other NEVER members becoming Dopants themselves.[Kamen Rider W Returns: Kamen Rider Eternal]
Due to the defeat of the Dopants, the fall of the Sonozaki family, and the failures of her subordinate Jun Kazu to invoke the Gaia Impact, Foundation X’s Neon Ulsland decided that the organization would drop all funding on Gaia Memory research, and move on to the O Medals.
Astroswitch Research[]
At some point, Foundation X began sponsoring Mitsuaki Gamou into the research of Astroswitches and Zodiarts Switchs at Amanogawa High School.
Lem Kannagi Incident[]
After the existence of SOLU was discovered, Foundation X sent Lem Kannagi and his forces of Masquerade Dopants, Kuzu Yummies, and Stardust Ninja Dustards to find and exploit it. This hunt would bring them into conflict with the Seven Legendary Riders, who learned of the Foundation’s plan to control the world’s energy sources, while Kannagi personally came into conflict with Eiji Hino, Gentaro Kisaragi, Shotaro Hidari, and Philip in Japan. Kannagi himself used the Foundation’s research on Gaia Memories, O Medals, and Cosmic Energy to create the GingaOh Driver, intending to betray the Foundation’s plan for controlling the world’s energy and instead rule over the galaxy from his lab in the Exodus spacecraft, killing his superior Controller Kiima. The Riders would ultimately foil Kannagi’s schemes, defeating his Super Evolved Lifeforms Mutamits, Dummy Inhumanoids, Zodiarts, and Kannagi himself.
Cosmic Energy Research[]
As time passed, Foundation X grew dissatisfied with Gamou's reluctance in turning in his research on Cosmic Energy, despite their funding. On two occasions, Gamou was flanked by a member of Foundation X, an executive member and another female executive member, both whom were defeated by Kou Tatsugami. As they moved in to take replicas of the twelve Horoscopes Switches in return for ¥100,000,000, their plans were interrupted by Inga Blink. Foundation X would later stop funding Gamou after his death from the events of the Day of Awakening.[Final Episode: Youthful Galaxy]
Intermittent Period[]
After three failed projects, Foundation X began to lay low from directly involving themselves in Rider research, though they had kept tabs, to some extent, on Wizard Rings, the Mirror World’s Advent Card Decks, Kivats, and Zecters, as evidenced by the lineup of their Beast Rider Squad. After stealing the Night of Safari Gashat from Genm Corp., they arranged for it to come into the possession of Emu Hojo. It was ultimately used by Hiiro Kagami to defeat the Beast Rider Squad as Kamen Rider Brave Safari Quest Gamer Level 4, following which a member of the Foundation reclaimed Night of Safari and approved commencement into research on the Rider Gashats. [Kamen Rider Brave: ~Let's Survive! Revival of the Beast Rider Squad!~]
Two Worlds[]
One of their scientists, Kaisei Mogami from the World of Ex-Aid, made contact with his counterpart in the World of Build via the latter’s invention of the Enigma fueled by Nebula Bugster essence, and gained knowledge of Fullbottles. Mogami would gain access to a Fullbottle variant known as Gears to use with the Nebulasteam Gun to transform into one of the Kaisers. Foundation X also obtained the designs for the Guardian robots of that universe’s Namba Heavy Industries and mass produced their own model of it, which formed the arms of the two Enigma machines. Mogami used prior Foundation X research to recreate Core Medals and Zodiarts Switches to summon fake Greeeds and Horoscopes as their henchmen, though the Ankh duplicate became host to the real Ankh’s consciousness temporarily and pilfered some of the artificial Core Medals to facilitate Eiji Hino’s transformation into OOO. Mogami and his counterpart were ultimately defeated by Build and Ex-Aid, while the remaining Guardian forces were destroyed by OOO, Fourze, Gaim, and Ghost. [Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Final: Build & Ex-Aid with Legend Riders]
Sector City[]
Foundation X’s Next-Generation Energy Development Division operated Sector City as an island facility for their experiments, with Professor Zeus conducting research on Core Energy and Professor Aida contributing her work on artificial intelligence. Zeus’s Core Energy research saw significant overlap with the research on Gaia Memories, Core Medals, and Necro-Overs to produce soldiers, but many other researchers’ lives had been sacrificed in pursuit of his goal to overcome death, and he often felt that only Aida could truly appreciate his genius.
Following a horrific accident, Professor Zeus survived by turning himself into the Zeus Dopant, and worked on using Core Energy to bring Aida back to life in the immortal Greeed body of Muchiri. Unbeknownst to him, Aida had transferred her consciousness into one of the mass produced navigation robots, though she lost access to her memories and she became the more innocent Ai in the process. [KAMEN RIDER: memory of heroez]
Project Outsiders[]
By 2023, Foundation X had accumulated knowledge and research of the Core Driviars that powered Shift Cars & Roidmudes, Orphnochs [Ep.3 The Battle Fight Resumes and Zein's Birth], Eyecons[Kamen Rider Specter × Blades], Progrisekeys, and Wonder Ride Books. Using their research to conduct Project Outsiders, they resurrected formerly evil Riders such as Horobi, Tenjuro Banno, and Brain in new Humagear bodies. They had also hired Kamen Rider Diend to steal Kamen Rider Odin’s Card Deck during a new Rider Fight and used it in conjunction with a Hiden Intelligence Three Dimensional Printing System to reconstruct Desast’s Alter Ride Book and resurrect him. [Ep.1 Mirror World Treasure and Ouja's Return]
Members[]
Gallery[]
In other media[]
- In the Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taihen – Who’s the culprit?! net movies to promote Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, Foundation X plays a role in Ep. 1: A Challenge from Foundation X. Kouhei Hayami receives a challenge envelope addressed by Foundation X, issuing a question he must answer for fear of being banished to the Dark Nebula. Cheeda Nick brings him to Red Buster to determine what is born when Blue & Yellow combine. Nick briefly considers the Blue & Yellow in question being Hiromu’s teammates Blue Buster & Yellow Buster, but Hiromu refutes this on the grounds that Foundation X is Kamen Rider Double’s enemy and would logically have no reason to know anything about the Go-Busters. From this, he deduces that the answer is Double’s LunaTrigger form, but the sound of the Trigger Gaia Memory announcing its name Trigger (トリガー, Torigā) produces a homophone for the Japanese word for bird (鳥, tori), reminding Hiromu of chickens (鶏, niwatori) and triggering his alektorophobia.
- In the graphic novel adaptation of Cyborg 009, Foundation X is revealed to be a supporter of the death merchant organization Black Ghost and is mentioned several times as "The Foundation". Its name is revealed towards the end when one of its unseen operatives kills Skull on an unnamed space station for his failure to defeat the 00 Cyborgs and his scheming to overthrow them and take over the world.
Notes[]
- Foundation X is implied to have connections with groups such as the Institute of Super Science from Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue.[1] and the "Foundation" in Kamen Rider Gaim, the latter being mentioned to have funded Yggdrasill Corporation.[2]
- Foundation X is considered a "modern-day" Shocker as they have been a recurring villain group spanning several seasons.
- According to the promotion picture of some Premium Bandai products, Foundation X seems to be involved in the project of Buttobasoul Medal, including Energy Items, and solely developed the T2 Buttobasoul Medal (T2ブットバソウルメダル, T2 Buttobasouru Medaru).
Appearances[]
- Kamen Rider W
- Kamen Rider W Returns: Kamen Rider Eternal
- Episode 38: Visitor X/In the Name of the Museum
- Episode 39: The Likelihood of the G/Bad Cinema Paradise
- Episode 40: The Likelihood of the G/You Are Unforgivable
- Episode 41: The J Labyrinth/The Psychotic Villainess
- Episode 43: The O Chain/The Aged Detective
- Episode 44: The O Chain/Shroud's Confession
- Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate
- Episode 45: Who the K Needs/The Devil's Tail
- Episode 46: Who the K Needs/The Last Supper
- Episode 47: The Abandoned U/A Request From Philip
- Episode 48: The Abandoned U/Eternal Partners
- OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders (as part of Shocker)
- Kamen Rider Fourze
- Cyborg 009 (Graphic Novel)
- Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai (as part of the Underground Empire Badan)
- Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3 (as part of Shocker)
- Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
- Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Final: Build & Ex-Aid with Legend Riders
- Kamen Rider Outsiders
[]
- ↑ From the Toei official book General Facts of Kamen Rider
- ↑ Kamen Rider Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Baron
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