 This article is about a rider in Kamen Rider Drive and Kamen Rider Gaim.
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- "The Kamen Rider name is actually mine for the taking."
- ―Zoruku's words to Shinnosuke Tomari of his full intent to destroy Mr. Belt in order to steal the title from them[src]
- "The nobility do not share their deaths with other people."
- ―Zoruku's last words before dying[src]
Zoruku Tojo (ゾルーク東条, Zorūku Tōjō), also known as the Phantom Thief Ultimate Lupin (怪盗アルティメット・ルパン, Kaitō Arutimetto Rupan), was a thief who was active during the mid-20th century. In the present, when he grew old, Zoruku found and took control of the body of Cyberoid ZZZ (サイバロイド ZZZ, Saiba Roido Surī Zeddo), a Roidmude upgraded into a cybernetic life form, created by Krim Steinbelt. He later gains the ability to transform into Kamen Rider Lupin (仮面ライダールパン, Kamen Raidā Rupan).
Profile
- Motif basis:
- Plain: Human, skeletal system (as Cyberoid ZZZ), Bat (as ghost)
- Human form/synchronize: Zoruku Tojo
- Destroyed by: Core mortally damaged by Roidmude 100
History
Origin
An old photograph of Zoruku during his active days as a thief.
Long ago in the mid-20th century, Zoruku was a notorious phantom thief in his younger days. However as time passed, he grew older and as a result, he was forced to retire from his famed career.
Ultimate Lupin
Zoruku's consciousness transferred into the Cyberoid ZZZ body
Six months after the Global Freeze, he learnt of the Roidmudes and Kamen Rider, the old Zoruku Tojo stumbled upon the Cyberoid ZZZ, a Roidmude that was put into stasis by Krim Steinbelt. It was originally meant to be a body for Krim to use during the threat by the Roidmudes. However it had required a strong will to use, therefore prompting Krim to insert himself into the Drive Driver instead due to confidence issues. Wanting to return to his glorious early days, Zoruku decided to upload his consciousness, which was surprisingly compatible with said Roidmude, and gained the ability to freely manipulate Slowdown. Thus empowered, Zoruku began a new criminal career as Ultimate Lupin. Quickly making a name of himself once more, Zoruku received an imitator in the form of Roidmude 005 who briefly assumed the Ultimate Lupin name for himself in the same vein as his human template, the "Copycat Pirate", Koya Nishihori.
Having dealt with the fake Lupin as Kamen Rider Drive, Shinnosuke Tomari turned his attention towards Lupin himself, [Type TV-KUN: Hunter & Monster! Chase the Mystery of the Super Thief!] who had taken to taunting the Special Investigation Unit with messages declaring the targets of his thefts, Zoruku gradually began to become bolder and more aggressive under his new body's influence, and after an encounter with Drive, he made it his new objective to humiliate both Drive and Krim Steinbelt.
Zoruku casts away his disguise as Kiriko.
He was later defeated by Kamen Rider Drive Type Speed Flare's Speedrop Full Throttle, causing Zoruku's consciousness to leave ZZZ's burned out body. Zoruku finally returned the Kamen Rider title and conceded defeat before getting away. Meanwhile the Cyberoid ZZZ's body was absorbed by Megahex to become ZZZ Megahex. ZZZ's body was destroyed along with ZZZ Megahex by both Gaim and Drive in the Movie War portion.
Later, his consciousness, resembling a Roidmude's Core, fused with a Bat Type Viral Core, allowing him to appear as a hologram. He tells Shinnosuke that he will be back in the future and he stole Kiriko's "smile". [Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle]
Return
Later Zoruku returns, as his promise to return in encountering Shinnosuke has never been forgotten. Prior to issuing his final challenge, he had appeared to Shinnosuke several times before, "challenging" him with petty inconveniences such as stealing Shinnosuke's mini cars and the milk candies that Kiriko gave him. He returns to aid Shinnosuke, alongside Go and Chase in battle with Roidmude 100 of the Reaper Legion, who not only copied Lupin's appearance but also stole the Lupin Gunner and impersonated him. After the battle, Zoruku leaves his Lupin Gunner, his Lupin Blade Viral Core and his farewell letter behind to Shinnosuke, stating that he won't last long, due to his body and core being weakened by Roidmude 100 earlier, and he thanks Shinnosuke for that moment before his weakened body and core disintegrate. Shinnosuke and his team decide to pay their final respects to his worthy rival, Zoruku Tojo, as both Lupin Gunner and Lupin Blade Viral Core are in the possession of the Special Investigation Unit. [Type LUPIN: ~Lupin, The Last Challenge~]
Post-mortem
After the destruction of Gold Drive and the Sigma Circular, they are among the Kamen Rider arsenal locked beneath the Drive Pit alongside Krim Steinbelt himself. [Who Will You Entrust the Future to, My Friend?]
Disguises
Forms
Core (0L0)
The Core is the basic essence or 'soul' of the Roidmude. After being fatally wounded by Roidmude 100, his body disintegrated safely alongside his Core.
Appearances: Movie War Full Throttle, Type LUPIN
Kamen Rider Lupin
- "Lupin! (Jazz music)"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
- Height: 203 cm
- Weight: 131 kg
Availability Perimeters:
- Punching power: 9.2 t.
- Kicking power: 13.1 t.
- Maximum jump height: 22 m.
- Maximum running speed: 100 m. per 6.2 sec.
Kamen Rider Lupin (仮面ライダールパン, Kamen Raidā Rupan) is Zoruku Tojo/Cyberoid ZZZ's Rider Form accessed through the Lupin Gunner via stolen data from Mashin Chaser. This form debuts in Movie War Full Throttle.
Lupin's power greatly exceeds both Mashin Chaser and Drive, so much that he is able to damage the Drive Driver and utterly demolish Chaser in battle. He can also easily destroy Plain Roidmudes and their cores. Another demonstrated ability is that, he can generate energy film layers.
Once his Lupin Gunner is in Blade Mode, he can use the Ultimate Lupin Stlash (アルティメットルパンストラッシュ, Arutimetto Rupan Sutorasshu) attack, a jewel-shaped energy slash.
Appearances: Movie War Full Throttle, Type LUPIN
Cyberoid ZZZ
Cyberoid ZZZ (サイバロイド ZZZ, Saiba Roido Surī Zeddo) is Zoruku Tojo's Plain Roidmude form. Originally intended as the vessel for Krim Steinbelt's consciousness, ZZZ was placed in stasis when attempts to upload failed. The Roidmude gained life when the aged Zoruku Tojo uploaded his own consciousness into it, which soon formed into something resembling a Roidmude's Core after Lupin's defeat.
Prior to the birth of Kamen Rider Lupin, Zoruku took the Roidmude's homunculus as his first battle form while wearing a black cloak as additional clothing. However, as Mr. Belt stated, while he also lacks the strong mentality to use it, his reason is also because the usage of Cyberoid also increases the wearer's aggression.
- Powers and Abilities
- Heavy Acceleration
- The signature ability of the Roidmude is to somehow slow down the movement of surrounding objects', including that of humans, with their unaffected consciousness aware of their impass during this time. One can be protected by the Heavy Acceleration effect by carrying Shift Cars or Signal Bikes on their person.
- Advanced Camouflage
- Roidmudes can generate disguises through film-layers around their body that function similar to the cerebral cortex.
- Steam Generation
- Cyberoid can unleash a high pressure steam as an attack.
- Superhuman Agility
- Cyberoid can perform numerous inhumane tricks, all because of his mind, Zoruku is a phantom thief.
- Superhuman Strength
- While this Roidmude seemed to be a half of Kamen Rider Lupin, but its strength is formidable to counter that of Drive.
- Claws
- Cyberoid can us his claws to generate energy slashes.
- Energy Ball Projection
- Cyberoid can emit yellowish energy ball as offensive means.
- Electricity Manipulation
- Cyberoid can manipulate electricity to his liking, used to shorten out Genpachiro Otta's Pikopiko 2.
- Levitation
- Lupin can levitate himself easily in mid air, as well as lifting heavier objects like cars.
- Data Replication
- Cyberoid ZZZ can replicate data of his opponent and materialize a copy of his own.
- Adaptive Core
- Though not exactly ZZZ's own core, Zoruku's consciousness, which resembles a Roidmude's Core, seemed to be able to adapt and fuse with any type of Viral Cores, allowing him to become any classes of Roidmudes. However, this is only seen during the last scene of the movie, where he becomes a Bat Type Roidmude, though the body produced is only holographic than a solid object.
- Height: 210 cm
- Weight: 0 kg (presumably due to being a ghost)
After Megahex ZZZ was destroyed by Drive and Gaim, Zoruku's consciousness, resembling a Roidmude's Core, would fuse with a Bat Viral Core to allow him to exist as a holographic Bat Type Roidmude. His Roidmude form was briefly seen during the fusion of his core. Also if looked closely, his letter code on the number plate was shown blank instead of visible, like that of one of Megahex's Plain Roidmudes (Lost Number).
He is also able to revert to his Viral Core form at will, without his core being separated from it.
He would, via unknown means, regain a physical form sometime later.
- Powers and Abilities
- Advanced Camouflage
- Roidmudes can generate disguises through film-layers around their body that function similar to the cerebral cortex.
- Holographic Projection
- Zoruku retains his ability to create film reel stripe projections, which he does to project anything from his mind.
Equipment
Devices
- Lupin Gunner: Transformation device
- Viral Cores: Allow Lupin to use weapons
Behind the Scenes
Portrayal
Zoruku Tojo is portrayed by Yuji Ayabe (綾部 祐二, Ayabe Yūji). Disguised as Kiriko, he is portrayed by Rio Uchida (内田 理央, Uchida Rio). As both Kamen Rider Lupin and Cyberoid ZZZ, his suit actor is Jun Watanabe (渡辺 淳, Watanabe Jun).[1]
Concept Art
Cyberoid ZZZ was designed by Takayuki Takeya (竹谷 隆之, Takeya Takayuki).
Notes
- Zoruku's Rider name and appearance are themed after the famous fictional French thief Arsène Lupin.
- Lupin was previously used as the theme of a Akuninkaijin from Kamen Rider X. Motifwise, he would later receive a Super Sentai counterpart in the form of the Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger
who would also become the adversaries of a police force. - Zoruku was a master of disguise just like Lupin, thanks to Cyberoid ZZZ's advanced camouflage ability, but curiously he didn't use this ability when pretending to be Kiriko.
- In tokusatsu, the Phantom Thief theme and motif would ultimately bring birth to the Lupinrangers and the main protagonists of Secret x Heroine Phantomirage!.
- Lupin was previously used as the theme of a Akuninkaijin from Kamen Rider X. Motifwise, he would later receive a Super Sentai counterpart in the form of the Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger
- His rider form's appearance resembles that of Cinema, a villain from Kamen Rider: Battride War II. He also has a pattern on the mantle that looks suspiciously like a film reel stripe.
- This is likely intentional. One of Lupin's abilities is even freezing his opponents within the confines of a film reel, slowing them down.
who would also become the adversaries of a police force.
Zoruku's consciousness being spelled "0L0".
- Zoruku's Roidmude's Core was actually spells out the word "0L0" instead of "ZZZ", due to his Roidmude body being similar to 000's body.[2]
- It is also possible that his existence only as a holographic Roidmude instead of a solid body was because of him only existing as a consciousness, but not only an actual Roidmude Core, due to it's unintentional personality.
- His core also resembles the word "OLD", as a reference to his old age before taking over the body of ZZZ.
- Zoruku uses a gold version of the Break Gunner, the Lupin Gunner, making him the first Kamen Rider since Kiva-la to not use a belt-based transformation device to become a Rider.
- Since his transformation device is the same as Mashin Chaser's, it can be assumed that their powers come from the same source.
- His use of Lupin Blade Viral Core that attached to Lupin Gunner is similar to Kamen Rider Eternal who wields his Eternal Edge. Both Lupin and Eternal are movie-exclusive Dark Riders who uses a dagger as their primary weapon. Both Lupin and Eternal also had a cape on their back.
- His status as a gentleman thief Kamen Rider with a gun-based transformation device also harkens back to the first thief Kamen Rider Diend and the makeup artist Kamen Rider Drake.
- Other than Drake, whose a ZECT Kamen Rider, the other ZECT Riders like TheBee, Sasword and the Kabutech Riders, as well as The Oni Kamen Riders are also counted, due to their non-belt type transformation devices.
- His powers and equipment being generated by copying the data of Mashin Chaser is similar to Nadeshiko Misaki copying the data of Fourze to gain her powers.
- As Cyberoid ZZZ, his costume was soon after repainted for Chase's Protozero suit, ironically mirroring his Lupin powers being copied from Chase's Mashin Chaser.
- Zoruku is the second villain who did not get killed by the Kamen Riders in the movies, the first being Ren Aoi.
- Zoruku is the only evil Movie-exclusive Rider who later becomes good in his own special.
Appearances
- Kamen Rider Drive
- Type TV-KUN: Hunter & Monster! Chase The Mystery of The Super Thief! (mentioned only)
- Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle (first appearance)
- Kamen Rider Drive: The Challenge From Lupin
- Movie War Full Throttle
- Episode 11: Who Can Prevent the Dark Christmas Eve? (mentioned only)
- Type LUPIN: ~Lupin, The Last Challenge~ (death)
See Also
- Lupinrangers - A Super Sentai team who also used Arsène Lupin as motif.