Thursday, March 17, 2016

My Favorite Kamen Rider Characters

Well since I did a least favorite/most aggravating Kamen Rider characters list, I think its time I do one that is more positive. Time to show you all the characters I look up to or think it would be cool to just hangout with.

4. Shotaro and Philip from W:
Of course the hard-boiled detective pair was going to make this list. These two hold the same spot because they legitimately feel like one whole character to me and they have some great chemistry. The way they play off of each other is fun to watch. Shotaro is the goofier of the two with Philip being the more naive one. Shotaro is also the more rash of the two with Philip having to provide a bit of insight and thought during some of the early fights. Philip apparently has a habit of getting engrossed in researching things to the point where its all he can think about until he knows everything about it. Both of their roles are actually summed up rather well in the end of the Money Dopant arc.

3. Kouta from Gaim:
I like him because of his ideals. He believes in a world where you don't have to step on other people to get what you want out of life. The man is a true hero as even in the face of terrible odds and danger he does not deter from his chosen path. Its was nice seeing him grow as a fighter and hero as well as finding his own reason for fighting other than just helping his friends. Even in the darkest of times, he never gave up hope, even going so far as to sacrifice his very humanity to save the world. Seeing everything he went through was sort of heart-breaking but it makes him very endearing to me. He is also pretty forgiving and understanding when it comes his friends. He forgave Micchi even though Micchi essentially tried to sell out the entire human race when Helheim invaded.

2. Kiba from Faiz:
Now you're probably thinking "Wait! Why is a Faiz character here? You don't like Faiz!"but hear me out. Faiz was a dreary and depressing show for me but Kiba was the one ray of hope in the show and he is the main thing I am still able to like about Faiz. Kiba was a guy who lost everything. His parents died in the car crash that left him in a coma and while he was in the coma, his girlfriend left him. The guy basically died during the coma and became something that was no longer human, yet the man still found the will to cope with his new situation. When other Orphenochs carelessly tossed away their humanity and kept telling him to let go of his, he refused to do so. He stuck to his ideal of "I may be dead but I'm still human". He even went so far as to urge fledgling Orphenocs to hold on to what they once were and telling them that they were only monsters if they chose to be. Unfortunately, Inoue made him do a complete 180 during the final arc that made no sense given who Kiba was. I like to remember him for what he was before that though. In light of his actor's death, my thoughts go out to his friends, family, and fans. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. He shall be missed.

1. Gentaro from Fourze:
You all had to have seen this coming. If you know me then you know just how much I love this character. The guy is just a fun overly energetic goofball who likes making friends. He is the ideal of friendship personified and he fits the message of Fourze perfectly. Gentaro is what I view the meaning of friendship to be. He is always there for anyone no matter what their problems are. He shows how friendship can help even the most messed up of people. Take the kids at Ama High for example, a lot of them were going through some very bad problems even if they didn't physically show it. Some of them sought out the switches power as a way to solve their problems. Gentaro saw the problems they were going through and helped them through it even if they had just tried to kill him. He never gave up on any of them. That is true friendship right there. Some people will complain that Gentaro doesn't grow as a person but in all honesty, it is fine that he stays the same. It isn't his role to be changed by people, his entire purpose is to help others grow and overcome their problems.