Shroud

This article is about an ally in Kamen Rider W.

Template:Characterinfo Shroud (シュラウド, Shuraudo) is a character in Kamen Rider W, acting as a benefactor for both Ryu Terui and Philip (the latter of which she knows as her son Raito Sonozaki) in her mission to destroy the Museum and Ryubee Sonozaki, seeing the former as a tool. Ryubee refers to her as the embodiment of rage.

Synopsis

Her name comes from the fact that she hides her true identity from others by wearing a large black fedora, a black trenchcoat, sunglasses, and bandages that completely obscure her burned face.

Fumine Sonozaki

Fumine was attacked by Terror Dopant.

In the past, she was originally Fumine Sonozaki (園咲 文音, Sonozaki Fumine), wife of Ryubee and mother to Saeko, Wakana, and Raito (Philip). It is also revealed in Skull: Message to Double that Fumine was a childhood friend of Sokichi Narumi. As a member of the Museum, Fumine developed the several refined Gaia Memories that the Kamen Riders use as well as overseeing the research that produced the 26 T2 Gaia Memories. But when Fumine refused to allow Ryubee to use Raito as a tool, he scarred her face while in his Dopant form using his Terror Field ooze. Soon after, Fumine left her family and the Museum to spend the next several years plotting her revenge.

As Shroud

Soon after she left her family, Fumine bandaged her face, attached a voice changer to her trachea, and became Shroud, a being sworn on taking down the Museum. When she first assumed this identity, Shroud was taken in by Sokichi Narumi, due to their past together. She stayed in the secondary room of the Narumi Detective Agency, which she and Sokichi would later build the hangar that housed the SkullGarry in, as well as giving him the first Memory Gadget, the Stag Phone. During this process, the Museum began distributing Gaia Memories, and the Spider and Bat Dopants were wreaking havoc. She offers Sokichi the Lost Driver and Skull Memory, but he refuses. She and Sokichi soon went to fight the Dopants, and seeing that her friend was about to die at the hands of the Spider Dopant, Shroud tosses Sokichi the Lost Driver, and he transforms (against his will) into Skull Crystal for the first time. After Skull later defeats the Dopants, Shroud goes into hiding.

Some time after, she gave Shinkuro Isaka the Weather Memory, planning on using him to kill her ex-husband, but she did not expect him to cause so much death and destruction. It is revealed that Shroud was the mysterious client who gave Sokichi Narumi and Shotaro Hidari the job of rescuing Philip from the Gaia Tower. Later Shroud assisted Ryu Terui by providing him the means to become Kamen Rider Accel and later provides Philip with blueprints for the Frog Pod and Denden Sensor and saves him from the Weather Dopant by taking him into the Xtreme Memory. Although she tries to convince Philip to end his partnership with Shotaro Hidari because he is only holding back his powers, he refuses and later becomes Kamen Rider Double CycloneJokerXtreme with Shotaro, surprising Shroud at Shotaro's abilities. Shroud also gives Ryu the Trial Memory to train him to become AccelTrial, planning to have him die due to his inability to use the Gaia Memory properly and his change of heart in his anger towards Isaka. But he survives and defeats Isaka.

Shroud then tries to get rid of Shotaro again by giving Takashi Soma the means to become the Old Dopant and Shotaro becomes an old man. Shroud notes that both Philip and Ryu are immune to its attacks and tries to convince them that only they can defeat the Old Dopant by combining as CycloneAccelXtreme. However, Ryu learns from Saeko how she indirectly orchestrated his family's murder but also her true identity as a member of the Sonozaki family. Confronted by Ryu he refuses to be her puppet and Shroud apologizes for indirectly causing his family's murder. He then finds out that it was supposed to help Philip and Ryu as Accel with Double shows Shroud that they can fight without revenge by defeating the Old Dopant. Shroud then takes her leave after seeing the Riders determination not to use hate to stop Ryubee, leaving the rest of the fighting to them.

Shroud appears at the Sonozaki Estate for one final dinner with her family before leaving and giving Philip advice that Shotaro is his only family. She is seen with Saeko watching the estate burn to the ground. Shotaro then goes to find her in order to find a way to keep Philip from disappearing. She tells him that she was the client from the Begin's Night case and that she wants to have Shotaro let Philip rest easily and smile when his time comes and disappears. After the final battle with Foundation X, Shroud is seen in a flashback where she speaks with Wakana who seeks to initiate the Gaia Impact on her own. After telling her daughter the information she needs is in the Gaia Library, Shroud quietly passes away at Wakana's side. Shroud is last seen within the Gaia Library with the rest of her family, saying their goodbyes to the revived Philip and stating they will keep watch over him from as parts of the Earth.

Personality

Shroud appears as a cold individual, thinking only of her revenge against the Museum. She does not seem to care about the individuals she aids or others, thinking only of them as tools to further her goal, evident by the fact that she didn't care if Ryu was killed from the side effects of the Trial Memory after lying about mastering its powers. Shroud usually formulates plans that usually gets more people than just her objective people harmed. She does seem to care about her son, refusing to let him be used as a tool and convince him to find a better partnership with someone who can release his true powers as Double. After hearing about what Isaka caused as the Weather Dopant, she apologized to Ryu for getting his family involved. While seeing that fighting with revenge was unnecessary, Shroud allowed the Kamen Riders to fight as they wished. Shroud also gave Wakana advice on how to initiate the Gaia Impact, well aware of her intentions to revive Philip even though Wakana had never explained her reasons to her.

Abilities

Knowledge

Shroud exhibits an extensive knowledge over the Museum and Gaia Memories and has developed equipment such as the Accel Driver. During her time as a researcher she developed the Kamen Rider's Gaia Memories as well as starting the research that produced the T2 Gaia Memories.

Other Abilities

Shroud also has several supernatural powers that do not have a basis in Gaia Memory use. She is able to summon up rings of fire that produce various objects, as well as appear out of thin air, and disappear just as easily. How she is able to do so is never explained. It is possible that she is actually a Quark though, as her abilities seem to be quite similar. It is also possible that she gained those powers from Gaia Memories like how her husband and youngest daughter seemed to have.

Arsenal

• Shroud Magnum - Firearm and the only weapon

Behind the scenes

Portrayal

Shroud was voiced by Naoko Kouda (幸田 直子, Kōda Naoko) and portrayed by suit actor Yuuki Ono (小野 友樹, Ono Yuuki).

Appearances

• Kamen Rider W
  • Kamen Rider Skull: Message for Double
  • Episode 20: The I Doesn't Stop/Kamen Rider Style
  • Episode 28: The D Was Watching/Twin Maximum Suicide
  • Episode 30: The Nightmarish H/Who Is the Prince?
  • Episode 31: The Wind Called B/One Must Chase The Beast
  • Episode 32: The Wind Called B/Now, in the Radiance
  • Episode 35: Beyond the R/The Rain Called Monster Approaches
  • Episode 36: Beyond the R/Surpass Them All
  • Episode 37: Visitor X/The Bridge of Promises
  • Episode 43: The O Chain/The Aged Detective
  • Episode 44: The O Chain/Shroud's Confession
  • 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
  • Episode 49: Goodbye to the E/A Bouquet of Justice to This City