#(next to ankh human and greeed forms)

[diamondchili]

despite not being very far into ooo i've seen ankh's full greeed form, and tbh i kinda hate it,, so i redesigned him!! feat. some doodles of him not clinically posed and symmetrical :p

character design is a true passion of mine, so i infodumped broke down my process below the cut!! do note i'm not approaching this as someone who would have to consider fight choreo and stunts and whatnot. just a disclaimer lol

id in alt text as always! <3

The thing i immediately hated was how human-like his face looked?? or at least his mouth. yuck. while i get wanting to set Ankh apart from the other greeeds, there's a difference between uniqueness and breaking the rules of design you've put in place for a set of characters. Uva, for instance, has a very bug-like face, whereas Mezool has almost no face thanks to the orca's mouth framing it. That means there's two major ways for a greeed's face to look, and i think where they went wrong was trying to do something entirely different for ankh.

i kindof get what they were going for by making the bird face frame Ankh's *real* face, but imo they added too much detail to both. if youre making the big face's mouth frame the actual face, don't give the actual face a mouth lol, it crowds the design too much and looks confusing. Plus, he's a suit character, he doesn't exactly need a mouth to talk from!! So for this redesign, i made both faces much more simple and gave the primary face a sortof stand-in mouth.

Next thing was the hair. why, why, WHY on EARTH does the hair on Ankh's full form not match the hair he gives the people he possesses?!?!?!? that was the first visual hint we get as to Ankh's full appearance when he changes Shingo's physical attributes upon possessing him, and when he possesses Eiji it does the same swoopy thing. so. i made my design have hair that does that. this is basic shit yall come on 😭

Then i saw the dinky lil drab half-cape they gave him and i said oh no. oh honey. this is a BIRD. you've Gotta give him more drama than that. i kept the black to break up the ocean of red in the design (and i'll admit it is still a little red-heavy up top), but since he is a bird-based character with a triad color scheme, i made the back of it have that gradient. the tatoba/traffic-light/analogous color pattern is repeated all over the suit in Ankh's canon design, and i did want to stick to that so he's still recognizable as the same character.

Speaking of sticking to canon, i actually think the chest piece and waist armor is the only thing i didn't majorly change. i simplified the color placement, but tbh that can be chocked up to the quick-and-dirty art style i did for this, i was mostly just feeling the design out. But i did include the gradients down the chest, again to break up the red. not sure if i like it if i'm 100% honest-- it doesn't quite line up the way i want. The only other thing i added here were the bird claw pauldrons, mostly to make him match Uva bc i LOVE Uva's weird bug leg pauldrons, and I love when design elements are repeated across different characters in unique ways. not sure if you can really see them under his fluffy feather cape, but oh well

I kept the thigh pieces fairly simple, omitting the green from the gradient as it's present on the loincloth-like piece just between them. For the kneepads, i repeated the flying bird motif on the iconic forearm armor, because it's such a fun element and is the first thing we see of Ankh, so i knew repeating it somewhere on the design was essential, even if it didnt match exactly. i see they did this on the canon design, but the shape was just too different to solidify it. it weirdly looks like a face? and again this isn't practical suit design-- i'm sure having kneepads in this shape would Not Work from a stunts standpoint.

Lastly, i don't have much to say about the shoepieces honestly? Aside from the fact that in Ankh's canon greeed form his bird claws more resemble owl feet. which. i guess isn't incorrect? they're still bird themed. just looks odd with the tropical bird everything else. So i just made them a bit daintier lol. kinda wish i'd kept the green painted nails tho, thats cute.

ANYWAYS if you read this far, thank you!! i love getting to analyze character design-- what works, what doesn't, all that!! so this was a lot of fun. whether you agree or disagree with my decisions, i hope you enjoyed seeing my art and reading my ramblings!! <3

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Do you have any Greeed headcanons

I think the Greeed are desperately alarming to anyone with supernaturally augmented senses--Kouta, for example, or Takeru, or any Agito. On a basic level, most kaijin register to supernatural senses as “weird, but alive” (or in the case of, say, Roidmudes or Bugsters, “inorganic but sapient”). Greeed, however, come across as gaping voids in the fabric of reality where there should be no such thing, like if you found a black hole in the mall bathroom next to the Orange Julius.

Greed can generally speak any language they’re exposed to in short order, due to a sort of low-level psychic resonance with the humans around them. Mostly said psychic resonance is there to make the wanting more painful, but it does have some uses.

Since any given Greeed is, on a basic level, their central Core Medal, and any physical form they take is functionally a suit they put on, theoretically any of them could bond with a human the way Ankh did with Shingo. In fact, it’s potentially a good idea, as inhabiting a human body will allow a Greeed to grow and change in a way that’s impossible in their natural state. Of course then there’s the issue of getting a human to agree to this.

Most animals strongly dislike Greeed, except for corvids, which inherently perceive the Greeed as large collections of shiny things and thus want to be friends with them.

Kazari can call me.

[crackupcharge]

Reasons why Kamen Rider OOO absolutely slaps

The driver: the OOO driver is one of the best drivers in the whole franchise. One of the things that annoys me the most in a rider series is when someone pulls a huge chunky driver and gimick items completely out of their ass. But with the OOO driver compacting to just that core section and Eiji's baggy pockets it's totally believable that he always has it on him. As a side the fact that Ankh stores and gives Eiji core medals is also a nice way to deal with hiding all the medals.

Another beautiful thing about the driver is the putotyra medals. In every series since probably ryuki the final form has needed something that breaks the gimmicks form. Either a bigger version of the gimmick, or something that attaches to / changes the shape of the driver or is a totally independent item such as Kiva's or Faiz final forms. Now don't get me wrong I love me a big chunky bottle or ridewatch as much as the next guy but in OOO they don't need all that. The dinosaur medals aren't bigger, or a different shape, they don't even have a different colour ring around them. All of the grandness, power and upgrade item "feel" comes entirely from the story. The plot and lore alone makes it very clear that these are something special, something terrifying I'm strength that should be feared. And the fact that they can pack all that punch into three ordinary looking medals just goes to show how amazing the writing is in OOO.

The Villans: the Greeed are the most interesting villans I've seen in the series I've watched (rivaled only be metsubojinrai.net) because they're almost pitiable. They're creatures that were forced into creation as mindless slaves and only became sentient by having a part of them torn away, leaving an burning desire to be whole again that can never be fully satisfied.

Their entire existence is numb and dull. Colours are washed out, sounds are muffled, food has no taste or texture and they can't even feel complex emotions like love no matter how hard they try. Throughout the series we see them trying to feel and experience the world like a human would through Gamel's constant eating even though to him eating rocks and sweets makes no difference. Through Mezool's dreams of having a family and feeling real love, you really start to feel sorry for these guys and can understand why they're so desperate to get their core medals back.

And then there's Uva. Now it's been a few years since I've watched OOO but from what I can remember he gets continuously tricked, betrayed and generally screwed over. He even takes the time to very sneakily and slowly gather enough cell medals (though a way that the humans don't even notice) to revive his fallen allies and immediately gets screwed over by them. Throughout the whole series he felt like the Greeed that wanted to be there the least. He seemed disgusted when the other Greeed started mixing medals and left them all. And in the end he was terrified of being turned into the medal vessel begging maki to stop. He will always stick with me as the villan that really deserved better.

The Gadgets: for me the medajalibur and ride vendor carry along the same subtle sleak design aspects that the driver and dinosaur medals do. Neither the sword or bike of this series really scream OOO but I think that gives them a special charm. A lot of rider swords and bikes have the riders face or gimmick designs plastered all over them and while yes the sword does take core medals it's pretty subtle and can really stand on their own when taken out of the context of the show and could be placed in nearly any rider series (in the best way possible). And as rider robots go the vandroids are great. They blend in great story wise with the ride vendors, they're used pretty frequently. More than say the foodroids of fourze and unlike most rider robots like wizards Ws or Fourzes they didn't even come with the core gimmick item, making them much more of a fun option than a nessesary collectable.

I know o haven't even touched on the story or even the main characters really here but it just goes to show how much thought and effort was put into OOO with even in the little details like these. With the 10th anniversary of OOO being this month I implore you to give it a try if you get the chance, it's truly an amazing series.

[shewasanamericangirl]

kamen rider OOO review

a young man, having dozed off a night on security guard detail, awakens to find an odd red coin engraved with a bird motif. assuming the coin is payment for his work, he goes to change into his civilian clothes and oh fuck there’s a giant hole in the wall.

after a quick police interview revealing that our hero 1. is thoroughly naive and 2. has an unusual fixation with underwear, he puts his clothes on and goes to spend his “payment” in a vending machine and--whoops, dropped the coin under the machine. fortunately, a very strong (and CUTE) young lady is nearby to help lift up the machine...and nearly drops it when they see the monstrous disembodied arm crawling out from beneath! then the arm, who can talk and has a terrible personality, starts giving underwear boy orders. oh yeah, and i totally forgot to mention the opera rendition of “happy birthday” played over a bunch of weird monsters terrorizing civilians as a snappily dressed executive decorates a birthday cake on his office desk.

welcome to the world of kamen rider OOO! (pronounced “ohs”--like cheeri”os”.)

^ oh, the sexual tension.

plot: there’s two other fictional worlds that OOO has brought to mind for me multiple times. the worldbuilding and unique magical elements of OOO combined with a heaping cupful of absurdity and a pinch of homoeroticism reminded me quite a bit of jojo’s bizarre adventure--crazy and ridiculous stuff happens, but it’s built up in such a way that you generally understand enough of what’s going on that it isn’t too confusing. furthermore, the themes of desire, evolution, beginnings, endings, and nihilism bring to mind the dilemmas at play in the shin megami tensei games--many of the platitudes expressed in OOO could’ve easily been quoted from lucifer...and others from smtiv’s white. you’ll want to learn the truths. you’ll want to see what happens next.

characters: despite what ankh may claim, this show is not about him, as evidenced by the fact that its title is not bird greed ankh. he sure is a Character, though. heisei kamen rider is great at giving its viewers morally iffy or outright bastardy characters so unique and interesting that you wind up cheering for as much as if not more than for the heroes, and ankh is a primo example of this.

i love him, but also fuck that guy.

eiji hino definitely fits into the tradition of himbo tokusatsu protagonists. he’s not a complete dumbass so much as he is a pollyanna. like others in said tradition, he’s endearing, and i believe in him. you learn a lot about him over the course of the story, and how you see him closer to the end may surprise you.

the cast is colorful and fun. hina izumi, the super strong girl from earlier, becomes inexorably entwined in this drama of medals and monsters when her beloved older brother shingo winds up possessed. shintaro gotou, a former police officer, now works on behalf of the mysterious kougami foundation with the aim of fighting evil and protecting the innocent--but isn’t so sure how he’s going to do so. akira date, a roguish bad boy doctor and self-professed slave to desire, takes on a very special job to fulfill his goal of earning 100,000,000 yen. more oddballs can be found in service of the kougami foundation as the story continues...

oh, and the greed. or greeed. i’ve seen it both ways. i believe i’ve said a bunch of times before that i like a toku series with good fucking villains--you learn who they are and what drives them, you get how what they’re doing fulfills those goals, and you see how they relate to those around them beyond the customary shit-talking of the heroes. not only that, but the greed are a novel concept with fascinating aesthetics. i greatly enjoyed learning their secrets.

fights: instrumental to every battle is the abilities OOO has access to, which are determined by the medals he has in his possession--ancient coins which act as the DNA of the greed, and grant OOO different animal-themed powers. he equips the cheetah medal, and he can move at great speeds. he equips the hawk medal, and he can see great distances. naturally, such powerful artifacts are in high demand--OOO and the greed are constantly stealing them from each other, meaning what he’s capable of can vary greatly from episode to episode. only being able to switch out different hands is so 1980.

abilities that change again and again throughout the series make for some awesomely unique fights. mix that up with the various greed and the unique monsters they create using the power of human desire--yummies--and the fights don’t get dull.

visuals: the fact that i started watching kamen rider w with @shylax while still watching OOO made me notice something interesting: OOO appears to be the point that neo-heisei kamen rider became the bright shiny lightshow we see today in zi-o. w, while not visually lacking, still has the sort of drab, overcast quality to it that i’ve also noticed in ryuki and decade. i don’t know the technical terms needed to describe this phenomenon more accurately--just that something changed in 2011, and kamen rider really brightened up.

OOO’s suit forms are colorful and bold. many of the characters are associated with color motifs. cous coussier, the eccentric costume cafe that becomes eiji’s base of operations, is constantly switching up its theme and outfits. and as always, toei provides lots of visually striking sets.

music: the unusual opening theme, “anything goes”, will definitely make an impression; i initially found it weird, but damn, it gets me fired up now. strong inserts and moving incidentals are included too. “anything goes”, along with inserts “time judged all” and “reverse re;birth” have their own music videos, the latter two featuring the characters singing.

if you actually read all that, it should come as no surprise that i had a blast watching kamen rider OOO and highly recommend it. kobayashi knocks it out of the goddamn park once again!

as for my next series...i’m looking at a few possibilities. kamen rider 555 is one, as it’s a series @shylax definitely enjoyed. i’m also curious about other yasuko kobayashi series, seeing as they’ve proven great investments of my time so far. i’ve also grown curious about metal hero after seeing the new space sheriff gavan on kyuranger, though i’m at a loss for where i’d start with it. in the meantime, however, i’m going to watch the OOO movies!

[maki-ryota]

Release (Ankh/Eiji)

Title: Release Pairing: Ankh/Eiji Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4500+ Summary:  Eiji finally found a way to bring Ankh back. Now they have to make up for lost time. Notes:  This takes place some time after the Heisei Generations Final movie. It's my first OOO fic, despite watching it back in 2011. I'm kind of terrified to post this, considering how well-loved and popular the series is. I've been working at it for a while now and I hope you guys like it. Comments (no matter how small) and kudos/likes are appreciated. Special thanks to @pottagaldrars for editing and support! !!!AO3 LINK!!!

Flying was a rush; one that Eiji wasn't quite used to. After all, he'd only managed to restore Ankh's core recently. Ever since that day, his avian partner had wanted to fly as much as possible. How could he blame him? By the time Ankh had returned to his full form all those years ago, he only had a few days to enjoy it before he…

Eiji didn't like to think about that day. To think about the countless years he had spent searching for a way to bring him back. It was a painful period of his life; spent learning more about himself and his feelings. What else could he do when he was alone?

Though, technically, he hadn't been. Ankh had let him know, the night he had returned, of how he had followed him in spirit. So close and yet so far. He insisted, after the 800 years he had spent sealed, it had been nothing.

It had all been worth it in the end, Eiji thought, as he soared through the air on Ankh's back. The other said it was much easier to fly when in his full Greeed form. More aerodynamic. Eiji didn't mind it in the least. Tightening his hold, he nuzzled his nose into the white feathers on the back of Ankh's neck.

They were now on a small island off the north coast of Hokkaido. The summer weather was refreshing and cool, the water was deep blue, and the forests were bountiful. There was plenty of space for them to fly and explore. They had been doing just that since noon.

It would soon be evening, if the setting sun was anything to go by. The sky was pink and orange, reflecting off the ocean. It was enough to take Eiji's breath away. Ankh swooped down low, soaring over the treetops towards where they had set up camp.

------------------------

The sun had set by the time they had landed back at their campsite. Ankh gradually morphed back into his human form, and stretched his limbs. It must have still been weird for him to have a corporeal form again. Eiji watched him every now and then as he got the campfire started.

As he started to cook some kebabs over the fire, he spotted Ankh rummaging through the small cooler for ice candy.

"Ankh! You can eat one after a proper dinner, alright? Be patient!" Eiji scolded.

The other man clicked his tongue and closed the cooler. Despite himself, Eiji felt a little guilty for denying him of his favorite food after how long he was without it.

"I'm not occupying that policeman's body any longer, why do you insist on feeding me this stuff?" Ankh asked with a huff.

Pain flashed across Eiji's features as he shook his head. "Because you're a human. And humans can't live off of a diet of ice cream."

He might have been seeing things, but he swore he saw a smile pull at the corner of Ankh's lips as he looked away.

When the kebabs had cooled, Ankh stopped his impatient pacing and sat down next to Eiji. It was a bit more close than usual. Eiji handed him one of the sticks with a smile. Their eyes met for a moment before the other man took it.

It's not like things were completely awkward now, but there was a definite air of hesitation between the two. They had exchanged a few quick messy kisses in the last few days, but hadn't yet done anything intimate.

Eiji wanted to…he really did. But the other had only just gotten back, and he was worried of overwhelming him, of making him upset in some way. So he waited. He was sure Ankh would make his feelings known. He always did; whether for better or worse.

"What are you spacing out for?" Ankh suddenly said as he chewed, looking directly at him.

"Oh, ah...it's nothing!" He replied with a smile. Taking a bite of the kebab, he made a soft sound of approval.

Eiji could feel Ankh's eyes remain on him for a moment longer before the other continued eating. Was there something he had wanted to say? His free hand slowly inched towards Ankh's, which was resting on his knee.

As Eiji's hand rested over the other man's, he intertwined his fingers in the gap between Ankh's. The Greeed was looking at him again, with an expression devoid of his usual annoyance and anger. The fire cast his face in orange, lighting a glimmer in his eyes. It was familiar in a way, that wide-eyed look.

Sensing the tension between them, Eiji felt he needed to say something. "I'm so glad you're back, Ankh." His voice was laced with emotion, threatening to bubble up from under his calm facade. He squeezed Ankh's hand.

"...I never left, you fool. Not completely."

Despite his best efforts, those were the words that did him in. Warm tears spilled from his eyes and down his cheeks. He hadn't cried on the day Ankh returned. There were too many emotions at once going on. The need to cry had lodged itself deep inside, only drawn out now when he had time to think and reflect on the events of the past few days...and the past 7 years.

"I....I know..." Eiji gasped out, sniffing and wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "It's all sinking in now. You're here...you're really here." As if to emphasize his point, he squeezed Ankh's hand once more.

The Greeed looked down at their hands, then back up at Eiji's face. His eyes were wide and bewildered and his mouth was half-open, as if there were words he wanted to say but didn't know how. That's right, Eiji remembered. It wasn't unlike the look Ankh had given him that day, on the beach.

In the next instant, Ankh's lips were on his. It was messy and a bit rough, but it was just what Eiji had been wanting. He brought his other hand up to cup Ankh's cheek, kissing him back and letting the warmth of his lips melt away his anxieties.

---------------

The rest of their meal went by without a hitch, and the wood skewers were thrown into the fire. There was no clean-up required, which was a fact Ankh no doubt appreciated. Eiji stretched, letting out a sound of satisfaction when his bones popped in the process.

"Hey, Ankh? I spotted a small waterfall on our flight earlier. It looked pretty close by." As he talked, he started to remove his shirt. "I think I'm gonna go wash up. Could you watch the fire in the meantime?"

The Greeed looked up from his new iPhone; a welcome-back gift from Hina. His eyes stayed on Eiji for an oddly long amount of time before he simply grunted in response. He would take that as a victory; it was hard enough to get Ankh to tear his eyes away from phone at all sometimes.

Dropping his pants as well, Eiji left them with his shirt and made his way into the forest. Lantern in hand, he cut a careful path through the trees, being careful not to tread on any of the island's creatures. Using the sound of rushing water as his guide, he hiked up the incline.

After about fifteen minutes, Eiji stepped into the clearing. Moonlight shone down, lighting the rushing waterfall and river below. He wasted no time stripping out of his underwear and wading into the water. A shiver ran through his body; it was a little colder than he had been expecting.

Giving his body a moment to adjust, he approached the waterfall. The water poured onto his head and shoulders. With a satisfied sigh, he pushed his hair up out of his eyes. It felt amazing to take a shower out in nature.

Just as Eiji was about to start washing his body, he heard a sound. A rustling of leaves, perhaps. He wondered what sort of wildlife was native to this island. Listening closely, he thought nothing of it when no further sounds occurred.

Turning his attention back to himself, he began to wash his body. After the warm summer day, and especially after the hike, he longed to wash the sweat from his skin. Craning his neck, he let the waterfall spill down his back.

That's when he saw it. A flash of red in the trees above. He squinted his eyes. "What the hell...?" It was much too big to be a bird, surely. Stepping forward, away from the waterfall, he tried to get a better look. The red slowly took shape, and he realized they were legs. Red skinny jeans to be exact.

"Ankh!" Eiji yelled, heart pounding in his chest at the realization. "I told you to watch the fire!"

Now that his eyes had gotten more used to the darkness, Eiji could make out Ankh's full form lounging on one of the tree branches, grinning widely.

"I did watch it. It was boring, so I followed you instead." Ankh said simply.

Eiji could only manage to groan and pout, despite the blush present on his face. How long had he planned on staying and watching? Turning back to the waterfall, he ignored the Greeed and continued what he was doing. Ankh hated to to be ignored. He hated a lot of things.

Once more, the water soothed away the stress, and cooled down his burning cheeks. It was almost like a form of meditation; setting his mind and body at ease. He focused on the flow of water, as if he could feel each and every drop.

When he opened his eyes, his heartbeat had slowed down. His cheeks no longer burned. He also came to find that Ankh was no longer in the tree. Eiji looked around curiously. How did he manage to leave so fast, and without a sound? Had he actually hurt his feelings by ignoring him?

"Ankh?"

He took a few more steps away from the waterfall, looking up at the treetops. A warm summer breeze blew through the clearing, rustling the leaves. Eiji took a step, and froze as he felt something against his back. Arms wrapped around his waist and held him close.

"Do you know how hard it was? To watch you for seven long years...and be unable to touch you?" Ankh's breath was hot against the shell of his ear, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Do you have any idea?"

Eiji's breath caught in his throat. The last few years had been hard for him...unbelievably so. Looking for a solution, not being sure if he would ever get Ankh back. Even so, he had been alive all that time. What had it been like for Ankh, to be in limbo like that? He couldn't even begin to imagine.

"I-I'm sorry..." he gasped out.

"Idiot. I wasn't asking for your sympathy." Ankh replied, clicking his tongue. "I saw the way you were looking at me earlier, at the fire. Why do you think I took the initiative and kissed you first?"

All Eiji could manage to do was shake his head.

"How many times have I told you to just be honest with yourself, Eiji?" His lips were practically on his ear now, and he swore he felt a brush of teeth as he spoke. "Release your desire. Tell me what you want."

He was practically melting back against the other's body at this point, head spinning. Ankh was right. Why did he always hold back? His lover had finally come back to him, and he'd been tiptoeing around the topic of intimacy for days now. But, the need had been there, laying dormant underneath his skin. With Ankh's words and touch lighting a fire inside him, his facade was fading fast.

"It's not a want. It's a need." His voice lacked the nervousness of earlier. "I need you, Ankh. Now. Please."

Within an instant, Ankh had spun Eiji around to face him. He saw a flash of a grin before the other's tongue was in his mouth and his hand was in his hair. It was a far cry from the kiss they had shared earlier; now open-mouthed and desperate. Ankh's hand tightened in his hair, and he tugged his head back.

Showing that devilish smirk of his, he began to kiss and bite along Eiji's neck and jaw. There was no doubt that there would be marks, Eiji thought, as Ankh bit and sucked at his pulse point. The burn and the pleasure aroused him to his core, and he moaned softly

Ankh pulled away and admired his work. His wet lips formed a grin in the moonlight. "You can moan louder than that, can't you? Though, I guess it's fine. We have all night after all." The Greeed caught Eiji's bottom lip between his teeth, and he bit down almost playfully. His hand slowly released from his hair.

"Let's go back, Eiji. We're not doing this here. You know how much I hate water."

Eiji nodded, a bit dazed. As he watched, Ankh gradually took his Greeed form. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around Eiji and took off to the skies. It took him a few moments to notice what had just happened; he was still reeling from all the kissing and biting. All it took was a look to the side to send him back to reality as he saw the ground was now far below him.

"A-Ankh! This is dangerous!" He cried out, desperately clinging and fidgeting in his arms. "Wouldn't riding on your back be better?"

The Greeed kept his gaze fixed forward. "Don't squirm, I've got you." His arms tightened slightly around him, but not enough to hurt. "I want to do it this way."

Eiji could only blink at his response. He wanted to hold onto him? This was the first time Ankh had admitted such a thing. Feeling his heart swell, he held on tighter and nuzzled against his lover's neck.

------------------------

The couple soon landed back at the campsite, and Eiji felt his heart hammering in anticipation for what would be happening the night. Ankh had reverted to human form and was standing at the smoldering fire. With an outstretched hand, he released a small burst of fire and re-ignited it. The look in Ankh's eyes when he turned around made him shiver. He then slipped out of his jacket, which only served to remind Eiji that he himself was still naked. He'd left his underwear at the waterfall.

"Should we go inside the tent?" He asked, voice a bit shaky.

Ankh shook his head, grabbing a blanket from the bag he'd brought. Walking in front of Eiji, he rolled it down on the grass and gestured to it.

"Out here?!"

"Isn't that what you guys like? Laying under the stars...isn't that romantic or something?"

Eiji couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him. Ankh was truly adorable. "Where did you learn that?"

"I've had a lot of spare time in the last seven years, alright? Shut up!"

Closing the distance between them, Eiji shook his head and smiled. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. You're making a conscious effort. I like that."

In the next moment, he found his ass hitting the ground, softened by the blanket and grass beneath. As he watched, Ankh shed his clothes in the dim light of the campfire. Eiji would probably never understand how he could remove those tight pants so quickly. Or why the Greeed chose to not wear underwear. The very thought was unfathomable.

He couldn't linger on that for long, however, as Ankh crawled on top of him. Eiji reached up to wrap his arms around his neck and pull him down, kissing him slow and deep. The other man growled deep in his throat. His hands were now braced on either side of Eiji's head.

His heart skipped a beat when Ankh's mouth opened without resistance, allowing his tongue entrance. He was still uncontrolled in his kissing, but the messiness of it only managed to excite Eiji more.

Suddenly, he felt something sharp pressing against his chest, and he pulled away with a gasp. Ankh's right hand had reverted to it's Greeed form, and he was tracing a sharp talon down his body. The touch was feather-light; not enough to break the skin. It was, however, enough to raise goosebumps to Eiji's skin.

It was true that Ankh was able to revert his body at will, but Eiji had learned after his return that parts of him would revert on their own in moments of intense emotion. He'd first noticed such on the day the other had returned. He had stood before him with half of his face human and the other half Greeed. One of his arms and one of his legs were also in the same state. It had faded after a while.

Was this the same situation, or had he done it on purpose?

"W-What are you doing?" Eiji asked, voice soft against Ankh's lips.

"Teasing you. Drawing out your desire. Marking you a little bit." As if to emphasize the last statement, he leaned over a bit to bite and suck at the side of Eiji's neck.

Sure enough, the pressure of his talon against his skin had increased, adding just the slightest hint of pain. When Eiji looked down, there were pink lines across his chest and abdomen. It was beautiful, in a way.

"Marking me?"

"You're mine, aren't you Eiji?" His hand was now dangerously low, teasing his thighs, but refusing to touch where he needed it the most.

"Ankh...I"

"You're my fool...my human...isn't that right?"

Eiji choked out a breath as his hand ghosted over his length, barely able to speak.

"Say it, Eiji."

Ankh's eyes were on his own now, his gaze unwavering and intense. He wasn't used to him being like this; staking his claim on him. It made his heart pound and his blood rush.

"I'm yours...all yours..." He finally replied.

He swore he saw a flash of red in Ankh's eyes as he looked at him then, the air shifting slightly as took him in his hand and began to pump. The texture of his Greeed hand was strange, but not bad at all. It was smooth and a bit cool to the touch.

"That's right..." He cooed with pride. Eiji couldn't remember the last time Ankh had looked that pleased about anything.

The Greeed slid down the length of his body, until his nose was nuzzled against his inner thigh. He bit and licked at the tender sensitive skin, hand still moving at a steady pace. Eiji watched, entranced.

All thoughts slipped from his mind the second Ankh's tongue flicked out over the head of his cock. Eiji squirmed for a moment, gripping back at the blanket. The Greeed was undeterred by the movement, flattening his tongue and licking a stripe up the underside. When he eventually took it into his mouth, he held the base gently and began to stroke.

"Oh...my god, Ankh I-" The words came out disjointed.

His hips bucked ever so slightly, causing him to hit the back of Ankh's throat. The other man squinted and stopped for a moment before breathing in deeply through his nose, now looking up at Eiji with a glare.

Worrying that he had ruined the mood, and that Ankh was angry, Eiji tensed up. To his surprise, Ankh simply gripped hard at his hips and continued. His cheeks hollowed as he took him deep. It was all too much, and Eiji threw his head back with a moan.

As Ankh continued, he could feel himself about to teeter off the edge. He gritted his teeth, bucking his hips and anticipating the release, when suddenly-

Ankh pulled off with a pop, a string of saliva connecting from his lips to the tip. Eiji winced and gasped, looking at him with wonder. Was he angry at him, after all? Why had he stopped?

The Greed simply sat up on his heels, swollen lips in a pout. There was something expectant in that look of his.

"A-Ankh?"

"Didn't you want to cum? Weren't you close?" He asked with a smirk.

"What? Of course I did-"

"Then tell me. I want to hear you beg for me to give you what you want."

Eiji stared at him wide-eyed, not knowing what to say. Even if he did know, Ankh was already leaning over and retrieving something from his bag again. A travel-sized clear bottle.

"No matter. I'll have you begging soon enough." He settled back between Eiji's legs, and slipped the bottle of lube into his hand.

Looking at Ankh, Eiji scowled. He knew the other wasn't exactly romantic, but still. Shaking his head, he handed the bottle back. "No. I want you to prepare me." His voice was stern and unwavering.

The Greed stared blankly at him for a moment, before smiling. He popped open the top of the bottle and coated his fingers, which had now returned to their human state. Eiji hugged his knees to his chest, feeling butterflies in his stomach. It seemed like it had been forever since he had been intimate with anyone. But he couldn't imagine doing this with anyone but Ankh, not anymore.

The other slipped a digit inside slowly, and much more gently than Eiji expected. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. The feeling, that searing stretch, was so familiar and yet so distant. Ankh's face was unbelievably serious and focused as he worked him open, almost as if he was being as careful as possible. Eiji's face burned at that realization.

Though Ankh was careful, his movements weren't exactly slow. Within no time he had slipped two more fingers inside. They curled inside him, teasing him in just the right spot and making him squirm. He could feel pre-cum leaking onto his stomach.

"Ankh, enough...I'm ready...please..." He gasped out, brow furrowed.

The Greeed immediately pulled out. His eyes were clouded with lust as he sat upright for a moment, towering over Eiji.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Opening the bottle once more, he poured the gel into his hand. It was applied to his length hastily, bottom lip caught under his teeth as he fisted his cock. Then, with one hand keeping Eiji's legs open, he pushed inside.

Eiji groaned softly, gripping back at the blanket. With a low hiss, Ankh slid in deeper and deeper. His eyes squinted when he was in to the hilt, seemingly overwhelmed with the feeling of being inside. When his eyes opened moments later, his soft expression nearly made Eiji's insides melt.

Wordlessly, Ankh began to move. He held Eiji's hips, his hands had once more returned to their original form. Talons and nails dug into his skin. The feeling of them nearly piercing him left him breathless and hungry for more.

Ankh leaned forward until he was face to face with Eiji. Soft warm breaths puffed against his cheek, contrasting with the cool summer air. Naturally, he raised his arms to wrap his arms around the Greeed's neck and keep him close. In return, Ankh him down pulled down harder onto his cock.

His pupils were blown out, surrounded by crimson irises. The usual perfectly coiffed hair was mussed, leaving strands of it stuck to his forehead. Seeing him like this, imperfect and messy, stirred something deep inside Eiji. He was sure he had never looked quite this beautiful before.

Eiji let him re-discover his body at his own pace, even as his thrusts got even faster and deeper. He embedded his teeth into his lower lip, desperately trying to muffle the embarrassing sounds Ankh was coaxing out of him. But it was no use, especially when he knew exactly how to hit him in his sweet spot. He brought his legs up, hooking his heels in the divots of his lover's lower back.

A clawed hand now clasped the back of his head, Ankh's lips nearly touching his. He was looking directly in Eiji's eyes, gaze intense.

"Why are you hesitating?" He growled, "Isn't this....what you wanted? You never stopped...wanting this." The words were punctuated with thrusts, as if to emphasize his point.

Eiji's lip slipped from between his teeth, letting a loud moan ring out. Ankh was right. He had longed for his touch for years, and he knew nothing else could ever satisfy him. The desire had nested inside his heart and refused to let go. He had tried to deny it all this time for in fear of appearing selfish, but now that it was here in his grasp, he-

"More, more!" He mirrored Ankh's hold on him, gripping at the back of his head. "Give me all of you!"

Fiendish laughter filled the air as the Greeed obeyed, hips pounding against him with hopeless abandon. His hand wrapped around Eiji's arousal and began to pump it at the same unforgiving pace.

"That's what I like to hear!" Ankh grunted, still holding his intense gaze. "Tell me what you want!"

Eiji was completely dazed, heart pounding in his ears. He wanted to drown in the other; to have in surrounding him until he didn't know anything else.

"Make me cum! Please!"

There was no more laughter to be had then, as Ankh buried himself inside him faster and faster. His strokes became more frantic. Eiji was hungry for release, and it was so close. Being denied earlier had only made the need greater.

The warm feeling in his abdomen got stronger and stronger, until his orgasm rippled through him. He cried out his lovers name, feeling himself clench around his as he rode out his pleasure.

Ankh didn't skip a beat, hips slamming against him as he too chased his climax. His breathing became ragged and his face was flushed beyond. Eiji dug his fingernails into his shoulders, anticipating what was to come. Or so he thought.

The Greeed roared out as he came. There was a shockwave as his wings shot out from his back, scattering feathers through the air. Eiji looked on in wonder at the glowing and shifting hues. He had never seen his wings quite this close.

Without hesitation, Eiji pulled Ankh close and held him tight. He could feel how his lover's back heaved with exertion. Such a strong release after all this time must have taken a lot of out of him, he thought. So Eiji simply held him in silence, until his breathing returned to normal and his wings had folded back inside him.

Then and only then did Ankh slip out of Eiji, flopping onto his back beside him. They were both covered in and surrounded by feathers. Eiji picked one up and blew on it gently, sending it floating away.

"If that's gonna happen every time, we better make a habit of doing this outside." He spoke up finally, voice hoarse.

Ankh laughed dryly, shifting onto his side and looking at him. He looked truly peaceful; a look Eiji wasn't used to seeing. Reaching out, he took his lover's hand and squeezed it.

"Welcome home, Ankh."

For once, the other man didn't have a smart retort. He simply held on tight.

[norihisahyuga-archived]

An Experiment

Hino Eiji/Ankh Kamen Rider OOO 2500~ words. Sfw.

Based off of this post by @replica-the-rice-cooker. Ankh decides to see if he can make a Yummy from himself to fulfill a desire he never saw coming and isn’t quite sure he can explain with his limited human experience.

Waiting for Eiji to leave the restaurant and put enough distance between the two of them for this to be a proper test takes patience. It is a virtue Ankh lacks most of the time; his frustration tends to get the better of him, but considering how much time it takes for the other Greeed to make Yummies, and then to fight them and successfully gain their Cell Medals. And with Akira Date around and showing no signs of leaving anytime soon, he has to come up with other ideas.

He knows this might not work. Of the five of them, only Gamel has ever been able to perform this trick. He lacks the ability to form a Yummy from anyone else, though. Ankh cannot say the same for himself. He knows he can do that, but a Yummy formed from any human would not have his desire written into their being. That is what he needs here.

Sighing softly, he turns the Core Medal around, examining every inch of its familiar surface. He knows he’s stalling. Eiji only went out for a few things for the restaurant, and once he returns, this experiment will not be able to work. If Ankh waits on it any longer, he might find himself risking the Core Medals to Date once again. He doesn’t plan on letting that happen.

At the same time, he isn’t sure that he wants to let Eiji know this way. The concept of caring for another being is foreign to him. The last person he had felt any bond to… He doesn’t want to think too hard about her. Truth be told, he doesn’t like feeling attachment to humans, and he doesn’t really want to, but that doesn’t mean he can just deny the way he feels about Eiji Hino. The human has captivated him, and until this ends, they are partners.

Still, he doesn’t know if this will work. It’s a theory he’s never had to test before since the Yummies formed from the desires of humans always brought him plenty of power. But he needs to test it now, if for nothing other than the power boost and to finally get the weight off of his shoulders that his growing affection for his second OOO has caused him.

He thinks about Eiji, about his soft smile and his messy hair and the inherent warmth in his eyes, warmer than Tajador’s flames. He keeps this image firmly in mind, projecting his power and his desire into it, before tossing the Medal toward himself.

He doesn't feel the familiar tingling weight of the Medal becoming a part of himself as he does when he absorbs them. Instead, he feels strangely warm for just a moment, swaying on his feet, before the Yummy spills forth in an array of bright green feathers and an indignant squawk.

A peach-faced lovebird Yummy. Ankh scoffs at the sight of it, shaking his head at himself. Is this what Eiji’s presence in his life has reduced him to? Not something large and brilliant or fearsome and strong. No, just this. He should probably be more offended that his inexplicable feelings for the human have spawned such a harmless-looking creature, but in a weird way, he’s charmed by it. Lovebirds tend to mate for life, after all. Not that he could offer something like that to Eiji, considering the fact he has no idea how this will end, but still. It’s a comforting thought, and a comforting image, and they’re short on those these days.

He knows the only way to call this experiment off is to destroy the Yummy before it can depart. Instead, he climbs back into his nest, pulling his tablet closer. He needs to try to pinpoint where his fellow Greeed are hiding so they can better prepare for the enemy to strike once again. “You know what I want. Go fetch him. Do not harm him, and bring him to me in one piece.”

The Yummy’s voice is strangely soft and feminine as it replies to him. “I will return as soon as possible to fulfill your desire.”

Desire. For the longest time, his only true desire was to get his body back, to be a fully restored Greeed with all nine of his Core Medals once again. It had been with this single goal in mind that he reached out to the human with one of his Core Medals, to give him the OOO Driver and employ him in this battle. Even while exploring the human world and the sensations offered to him by his human host body, he’d never really thought about wanting or needing anything else.

He wonders what this means, that Eiji could even tempt a Greeed into desire.

Ankh has no way of knowing where Eiji is now, but he knows without the Core Medals, Eiji will not be able to fight back. He might want to, he might try to call for help, but a human is helpless against a Yummy and it should be no trouble to return him to the restaurant in due time. All he has to do now is wait.

The thing is, Shotaro wants to believe Ankh would have nothing but good intentions at least as far as their partnership is concerned. But he has learned that the Yummies tend to resemble the Greeed whose Cell Medals create them. Kazari spawns cats, Uva spawns bugs, Mezool spawns sea creatures, and Gamel spawns large mammals. Which would mean the brightly-colored green birb Yummy in front of him belongs to Ankh.

It’s an upsetting thought to have. As far as he knows, they had an understanding. Ankh hadn’t created any Yummies during his partnership with Eiji thus far, but the creature in front of him unmistakably belongs to Ankh. The fact it’s closing in on him— at a time when he doesn’t have his partner nor any Core Medals to rely on— is that much more frightening.

He can only fight so much before he runs out of stamina, and without the boost of even his reliable TaToBa combo, he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to rely on. Fighting Yummies bare-handed is hardly recommended, and the talons he sees on this Yummy only makes him more anxious. If it tries to harm anyone, he might not be able to stop it without losing a limb, and what good will he be to Ankh missing an arm or a leg?

He wishes he had his Driver, or the Core Medals, or even his cell phone, but he’d been thoughtless and left it behind in his haste to pick up groceries for Chiyoko. He can’t even call Date for assistance, and he badly needs it right now.

“There you are,” the Yummy sing-songs at him before fluttering its wings, stepping closer to him, almost within arm’s reach. “You were not so difficult to track after all. Well, we’ll be going now.”

Eiji doesn’t get a chance to fight back or even put up a struggle; he doesn’t even have time to set the groceries down before the Yummy plucks him off of the ground and takes to the air. All he can do is cling tighter to the groceries and hope this Yummy isn’t taking him to another one of the Greeed. As soon as he finds Ankh, he’s going to question him until they’re both blue in the face until he gets a proper explanation as to why Ankh made a Yummy.

He doesn’t want to know what human out there would have wanted him picked up and delivered like take-out. He barely knows anyone in the city as it is.

He’s pleasantly surprised when they end up back at Cous Coussier, the Yummy managing to neatly fly them both through the bedroom window, setting Eiji down carefully on the floor of the room he shares with Ankh. From his nest, Ankh surveys the scene silently before setting his tablet aside, sliding down onto the floor to stand across from Eiji.

“You made a Yummy.” Eiji points to the Yummy still watching them, furrowing his brows at Ankh. “Why did it bring me back here, anyway? Where’s the human you made it from? Oh, no, Ankh, don’t tell me you made a Yummy from Hina or Chiyoko—”

Ankh cuts him off, the sharp tch making him pause mid-sentence. “Of course I didn’t do that. You would be furious and that’s hardly something we have time to deal with right now. I made the Yummy from myself. It was an experiment to see if it was possible.”

“Yourself? But then why did it come get me?” Eiji glances back at the Yummy, then at Ankh, not sure what to make of the situation. Yummies are supposed to fulfill the desires of the hosts they are created from, but bringing Eiji back here seems like a strange desire.

“Obviously because it was my desire that it would go and find you. You are more dense than you look, you know.” Ankh gestures toward the Yummy, one sharp brow raised. “Don’t you recognize what kind of bird this is? You’ve traveled all over the world and you can’t even name a simple breed like this? Look more closely.”

The sharp tone and the harsh words are hardly unusual for Ankh, but there seems to be more force behind them than usual. So Eiji turns to examine the Yummy, taking in the bright green feathers of its body, the reddish-pink feathers around its face. Now that he looks more closely at it, in the safety of his bedroom and now out on the street thinking he’s being attacked by an enemy, he recognizes it instantly. He’s seen dozens of them in his travels.

“It’s a peach-faced lovebird,” he says firmly, frowning at Ankh. “That’s a little tame for you, isn’t it? Or do you not really have any control over that?”

Ankh scrubs a hand over his face, leaning back against the wall. “It’s shaped that way for a reason, Eiji. I wanted it to bring you to me because I wanted to talk to you about something. I also wanted to conduct this experiment. It seemed like the perfect way to do both at the same time. Now, like I said, I wanted to speak to you.”

“Oh. Okay, I guess.” Eiji sets the groceries down out of the way— out of the line of any possible fire— and sits down on his bed. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

To his surprise, Ankh sits down on the bed next to him. “I still understand very little about what being human means, but I do understand how desire works. And this might not appeal to you, considering… Well. Everything, really. My goal is to get my body back and your goal is to protect the body I’m currently residing in.”

“Yes. We’ve talked about that a lot, already. Do we need to go over something we missed?” Eiji racks his brain, but he can’t recall any missing details. As far as he knows, they’ve discussed every single angle of this agreement more than once.

Ankh shakes his head. “No, no. I was just… Reminding you. Anyway. Like I said, I understand desire. And though I don’t understand quite how human desire works, at least feeling it for myself, I believe through this body I’m able to feel it.”

“Well, yeah. Like the ice pops,” Eiji says, and the thought makes him smile a little. It’s kind of cute, the way Ankh’s found something for him to really enjoy like this.

“Yes. But this is far more than that. At least that’s what I’ve come to learn.” Ankh is quiet for a moment, and Eiji takes that moment to really examine him right now. There is an almost tentative expression on his face, and the sunlight spilling in through the curtains shines up gold on his hair. It’s a beautiful sight, one that moves Eiji in ways only some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world has. “I don’t know how long our partnership will last. I can’t give a definite answer as to how long this battle will last. But I do know… That I would spend the time we have remaining by your side, if you would want the same.”

Eiji is on the verge of telling Ankh that he’s already by Eiji’s side through thick and thin as it is, but then Ankh looks at him, dark eyes filled with some emotion Eiji doesn’t quite have a name for, and his hand slowly finds Eiji’s own on the bedspread between them. This, with the addition of the peach-faced lovebird Yummy, is what makes him realize exactly what Ankh means by these words. His throat closes up before he can speak, so he’s left staring at Ankh with his mouth open for a moment, before he gives himself a full-body shake.

“You’re saying you’re in lo—” Before he can finish the sentence, Ankh cups a hand over his mouth.

“Let’s not go using the most extreme of your human emotions to label this just yet. I’m not quite sure of the extent of it myself.” Ankh drops his hand, and he offers Eiji the most tentative smile. “But we could explore that with time. We still have some of it left to learn more about this.”

Eiji ducks his head to hide the idiotic smile that spreads across his face, taming it down into something calmer before he chances meeting Ankh’s gaze again. “I’d really like to do that, yeah. Since I’m the one with more experience, why don’t you let me take the lead this once?”

Ankh studies his expression for a moment before giving him a slow nod, and Eiji tries to move as cautiously as possible so as not to startle him. It’s not difficult to draw Ankh forward into a hug, smoothing his hands down Ankh’s slender back, muffling a smile against his shoulder when he feels Ankh reach around him to squeeze back. And with their arms still around each other, when they lean back, it’s so easy for Eiji to close the space between their faces, pressing his lipis softly to Ankh’s.

He would be lying if he said he never thought about this. The sheer amount of time he’s spent in Ankh’s presence has been enough for him to get to know Ankh better, to see the softer and warmer sides of him that he tries to hide away from everyone else. Maybe Eiji loves too easily and too deeply. Maybe he just cares too much about Ankh because he can empathize with him, because he spends each and every day with him… He doesn’t know the particulars of it, and as he feels Ankh’s lips tentatively move against his in return, he decides he doesn’t care.

It’s enough for him to know that he cares about Ankh, that he loves him, and that Ankh, though skittish, is willing to follow him down this road. One they can pave all by themselves without the influence of the other Greeed, without Medals or Drivers or anything.

When he pulls back, Eiji does something he’s been wanting to do for too long. He runs his fingers through Ankh’s hair, burnished golden curls sliding soft and warm between his fingers.

Truth be told, he isn’t expecting the Yummy to explode. He knows what happens when a Yummy is defeated, of course, but swept up by his first kiss with Ankh, he had entirely forgotten about the Yummy’s presence in the room. Where it stood now lies a pile of Cell Medals, far more than Eiji has seen come out of some of the stronger Yummies he’s defeated.

“That’s impressive,” he admits.

Ankh chuckles, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it worked out after all.”

“Well, it did. Your experiment paid off big time.” Eiji takes Ankh’s face in his hands, pressing another kiss to his soft lips, unable to stop himself. “And not just for you. For both of us.”

[tokupedia]

Kamen Rider 45th Anniversary File: OOO

2011:

Kamen Rider turns 40 and reaches its 1,000th episode! 

Hiroshi Fujioka, Takeshi Sasaki and Hiroshi Miyauchi return to voice Kamen Riders 1, 2 and V3 in Let’s Go Kamen Riders, a 40th anniversary film.

Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle sees the Goseigers try to take back their powers from the Gokaigers and later try to defeat a revived old foe of the Super Sentai: the Black Cross King from Gorenger! We also get a bit more on the events of the Legend War at the start of the film.

Tensou Sentai Goseiger vs. Shinkenger: Epic on Ginmaku has the Goseigers team up with the Shinkengers and the Gokaigers get in on the fun in one showy scene. (Which is made canon to the Gokaiger TV show later in a brilliant way.)

Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: Movie War Mega Max puts Koichi Sakamoto back in the director’s chair for a Kamen Rider movie.

All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation starts the All Kamen Rider series of handheld Nintendo arcade beat em’up games.

See Fourze for the rest.

Kamen Rider OOO! Three Events happened in the tenure of the show!

First: Naomi Takabe became head producer and Yasuko Kobayashi became head writer for the season!

Second: Preparations were being made for the 40th anniversary of Kamen Rider.

Third: Bandai made record-breaking toy sales on Kamen Rider this year!

(I just noticed this...this commercial is the only time they got the whole Black/Black RX thing right as Black isn’t there and RX is.)

(April 3, 2017: Kamen Rider is now 46 years old!)

OOO was the proud first representative of a celebration of the legacy of a group of superheroes who had endured for 40 years.

OOO first appeared on the scene in Double’s Summer Movie: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate. 

Double was trying to get to Kamen Rider Eternal to stop his plans, but the Luna Dopant interfered. While on a rooftop, a clumsy man wearing a belt had dropped an odd looking red coin and went chasing it onto the battlefield. Double gives it back to him and tells him to run, but the young man refuses and offers to help. 

He then puts the red coin in the belt and slides two more coins into it and uses a scanner to activate the belt and coins. Much to Double’s surprise, the man he just helped was a Kamen Rider!

He introduces himself as Kamen Rider OOO and tells Double he will handle the Luna Dopant and more or less to go stop Eternal. Double thanks him as he leaves, but OOO says no thanks are needed as Riders should help each other out. He then destroys the Luna Dopant with his sword.

Kamen Rider OOO is another Fan Favorite, as it has many elements that gel together well. Great characters, a good theme in how desires can motivate us as a species for good or ill and great music as Avex chose to mix ska with a variety of music styles such as big brass horn instrumentals, rock and the vocals of a tokusatsu anison legend.....

AH! Kussy-San! Akira Kushida of Super Sentai and Metal Heroes fame, who previously sang the opening theme to ZX; Dragon Road. He also voiced the belt and weapons! TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TaToBa! TaToBa ~TaToBa!

This series is where the belts started to vocally sing their activation. Which was a divisive decision at the time among fans, some thought it removed dramatic tension while others started making files to make those earworm tunes their ringtones or put them on their music players. 

Since Toei was a client of digital and telecommunications company Softbank, they insisted they plug thier phones and showcase their latest partnership: Softbank had teamed up with Apple to sell iPhones and iPads in Japan as a carrier. Thus Ankh or someone in the supporting cast is sometimes seen carrying or using an Apple product. (ex. Miss Satonaka relaying video communications from her boss on not-Skype via an iPad.) 

The Rider himself utilizes form changing to a whole new level of insane as OOO has over 129 possible forms he can attain in terms of medal combinations! This plus the two forms of the second Rider in the series make the series the record holder for most form changes, a record previously held by Kuuga!

The concept of OOO was the chimera fusing of animal powers (real or fictitious) into a mix of three powers or a certain set would be all one color and have extra powers to go with the matching set. This is where the “Belt number gimmick” would be recognized as fans noticed Decade had one card, Double had two slots for Memories and OOO had three slots for medals. 

This was intentional for a bit by Toei, but they dropped the gimmick after Fourze and went back to a Rider who used one trinket device at a time, but could multitask by having the belt, gadgets or weapons quickly read the other trinkets for combination attacks. Mostly because Fourze went a bit overkill and having a belt with 5 toy insertion slots would be absurd and extremely bulky. There, the number gimmick existed but does not anymore, PLEASE STOP WITH THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

Bandai wanted to go all out with the medal gimmick by showcasing as many animals as possible, but sadly they had a budget to keep (which was reminiscent of Gaoranger as it shared the same problem of great ambition but lack of a big enough budget to make all the animal toy concepts they designed real to fulfill it). Among the medals not used were:

An arctic set with a walrus, a penguin and a polar bear

A bovine set with a bull, deer and a gazelle

A bee medal (My God!)

A centipede Medal

A hermit crab Medal

But this hasn’t stopped fans from utilizing almost the entire animal kingdom in fanart to create new forms! There were also medals only seen in the Expanded Universe based on the evil organizations of the Showa Era, as the SIC story was sequel of sorts to Let’s Go Kamen Rider. 

There was also an in canon novel that explains the origins of the show’s monsters, Date getting bored and writing a silly short story and last how Eiji is doing after Mega Max and how he became the tragic but loveable traveling rainbow underwear hobo we all know. In an epilogue, he uses his powers as OOO to help Africa. 

In Kamen Rider Decade: World of OOO, Tsukasa meets an alternate Eiji Hino who can utilize the powers of Kamen Riders Habataki, Tiger and 1 with his Legend Core Medals.

The 45th Anniversary may be over, but let’s meet our tomorrows with a fresh pair of underpants and one last file!

Let’s count the medals one, two and three! Life goes on! Anything Goes! Comin’ up OOO!

The first OOO

A painting of the King.

In 1211 A.D., there was a corrupt and powerful king in Germany who desired to rule the world by becoming a god. He commissioned his Alchemists to create powerful mystic medallions called Core Medals that imbued the natural and mystical abilities of animals of the world into a human. His alchemists created the OOO Driver, a belt that could utilize any of the three medals to make their King an invincible warrior who had a power that was Over Infinity, also known as OOO (a lemniscate with a third loop on it).

This experiment resulted in the Greeed, beings born from a desire to be completed as their sets of medals were taken away for the King to use. To ensure his own desires would go unchallenged, the King killed his Alchemists. He went on a reign of terror around Europe using OOO’s various powers and conquered most of the land. To ensure the Greeed would not defy him after they rebelled to try and stop him, he tried to absorb their power in an effort to attain godhood. But it backfired as the power overwhelmed him, turning his body into a stone coffin and his Driver into a seal for the Greeed and the medals. 

Despite being dead, his soul tried one more time to gain god-like power by sealing and absorbing the power of multiple OOOs from parallel times and universes..only to be bested and destroyed by the Prime OOO from the main universe and the 7 OOOs of the alternate realities. 

(Mr. Hino circa 2012)

The Second OOO

Real Name: Eiji Hino

Eiji Hino was the son of a politician who traveled around the world with him along with his grandfather. During his time in Africa on the political trail, he befriended a young girl and tries to use his family’s money to help her village and she taught him about her home and a little about world culture. However, during a bloody civil war conflict that erupted, the little girl died in an explosion and Eiji could do nothing to save her. He was taken captive by the hostiles until his family paid ransom. This combined with the little girl’s violent death right in front of him left Eiji broken and suffering from PTSD. His father on the other hand saw it as a means to get more votes, caring little about what went on. 

Eiji left his family and their ties to him and traveled the world, taking odd jobs and raising enough money to move onto the next town or country. All the while, Eiji selflessly tries to help others in need as he had lost all impulse for selfish desires. 

During a return home to Japan to seemingly fund more of his travels, he took a job as an art museum security guard for the Kougami Foundation. Eiji is drugged by robbers posing as guards and they find the coffin of the King. A mass of coins near the coffin forms into a hand and undoes the seal, waking up the Greeed and they wreck the museum and go on a rampage. (A nice anniversary hat tip to Kuuga minus the bloody mess)

Eiji wakes up and finds a red coin on the floor, thinking its his pay for the day. After a chain of events and Eiji being terrorized by a floating hand, one of the Greeeds then creates a monster to find a Greeed named “Ankh” and the monster attacks and kills a police officer with Eiji witnessing it. Realizing that “the others” are after him, Ankh (the hand that opened the coffin) gives the stone seal to Eiji and it turns into a belt. Ankh then gives him medals and Eiji becomes Kamen Rider OOO! 

After the fight ends, Ankh possesses the police officer’s body and after an encounter with the officer’s sister named Hina and a bit of tension, the duo decide to work together, with Ankh the reluctant party, to try to achieve their own goals. While Eiji still has no desire of his own, he uses this opportunity to help others using his new powers at the risk of his own life.

They are later supported by the Kougami Foundation’s eccentric cake loving chairman Kousei Kogami and Eiji and Hina get jobs at the Cous Coussier, a cosplay restaurant run by Chiyoko (It is revealed later to seemingly be located where the Snack Amigo once stood, Kamen Rider 1′s original hangout).

Eiji, Ankh, Hina, the Kougami Foundation and later a second Kamen Rider work to fight the Greeed while protecting the desires of humans from becoming twisted by the evil minions of the Greeed!

Powers:

Being a world traveler, Eiji has picked up a lot of things during his journey such as understanding various languages and culture as well as various skills such as how to spot a pick pocket. Later after the series, he seems to have had training in various styles of combat as his ability to fight gets a serious upgrade.

As OOO:

Super Strength of varying degrees, agility, speed and senses. Flight, energy blast projectiles, Rocket Punch (Gorilla), Elemental powers, healing Factor (BurKaWani only), time stopping (Super TaToBa), cloning (GataKiriBa)....way too many to list! (See O Medals and Eiji’s wiki profile)

OOO main power though can be summed up in a phrase: a one man army and an army of one. 

OOO is capable of using his various animal powers in different combinations to maximize his near limitless combat potential . OOO also has GataKiriBa’s Cloning ability which allows him to use all his Medals at once in different combos as an army of Kamen Rider OOO to destroy anything in his path. The medals, when placed in a set of three of the same color, give OOO extra powers and in some cases new weapons.

Gear:

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/OOO_Driver

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/O_Medals - O Medals are divided into two classes: Cell which are expendable in use and Core, which give OOO his powers.

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/O_Scanner

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Ridevendor - Unlike other Rider Machines, the Ridevendor is a mass production vehicle, so if OOO trashes one, he can get a replacement somewhere in Tokyo disguised as a vending machine.

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Medajalibur

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Candroids

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/O_Medal_Holder

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Taja_Spinner - Time Judged ALL!

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Medagabryu - POWER TO TEARER!

Weaknesses:

Eiji at the start was not the best fighter, often relying on his powers and weapons to do the work for him. But he steadily improved, so this isn't a big deal.

The Medals give different parts to OOO’s armor, each section of the body seems to operate on some kind of “hit points” system. Taking too much damage to one section will cause that part of the armor’s color to “flicker” indicating weakening power fluctuations caused by heavy damage. Any further damage to that area will result in the medal ejecting and the risk of either losing that medal or having it stolen for keeps by enemies. (In other fandom words...Function ceased! The winner is... the Greeed! )  Heavy damage on all sides will knock Eiji out of transformation.

Eiji is vulnerable to mind altering effects, as seen when a woman’s desire to become beautiful comes true thanks to the Greeed. That makes Eiji fall madly in love and briefly talk about a “Love Combo”. He was also brainwashed by Shocker in an alternate timeline, but we don’t talk about that, it is a safe place here. 

Combos, the forms that utilize a matching color and animal set, cause tremendous strain to Eiji’s body. In some cases, using them leaves him exhausted and in the case of GataKiriBa, it was hard for the split hive consciousness among his clones to will themselves back into a single Eiji. However, Eiji is improving as he is able to handle the strain of using multiple combos in rapid succession.

The PuToTyra combo was a danger unto itself, as it fed on Eiji’s lack of desires to slowly turn him into a Greeed (though he managed to be cured of it at the end). The purple Combo also regressed his mind to a savage state when first used, as he attacked his friends and foes. Considering he had to deal not only with the strain of using the combo but also trying to keep his mental state stable, this combo was more trouble than it was worth.

However, a new set of Purple Cores were seemingly made post-series that have no visible negative side effects.

Eiji’s PTSD and impulsiveness to help others is also somewhat of a weakness, as he will put himself in harm’s way just to help someone and does not seem to care for his life and hurts himself constantly. His trauma is something he still had a bit of difficulty getting over until he found purpose in his life by gaining a desire of his own: protect the world and bring back a friend he had lost along the way. However, he seems to be a little better by Movie War Ultimatum, maybe time will heal the wounds. 

Enemies:

The Greeed and Yummies

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Category%3AGreeed

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Yummy

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/White_Yummy

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Waste_Yummies

The Greeed (no that’s not a typo) are a race of coin homunculi who are a chimera mishmash of specific species or type of animals. They were sealed 800 years ago and now wish to continue their plan to “complete” themselves by gaining back all of their lost medals (aside from the 10th of each set which were destroyed) and want to feel the desires of humans that so many take for granted.

Their methods of doing so however are harmful to humans. Each Greeed can spawn a Yummy based off of the type of species they are based on (Ex. Uva makes insect Yummies). Each Greeed’s Yummy is spawned from a human in different ways:

Uva’s emerge from the host and then “molt” into stronger forms

Kazari’s parasitically feed on the desires of the host until that desire literally consumes them into the Yummy 

Mezool’s indirectly influence the human and grow from Roe-like eggs until they hatch.

Gamel’s are born from himself.

When Yummies die, they rain cell medal coins down that were part of their bodies (ala Scott Pilgrim).  When a Greeed dies for good, their medal bodies break apart and are scattered about and the core that hold the consciousness shatters.

Dr. Maki

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Kiyoto_Maki

Dr. Maki was the creator of the Birth System, a Kamen Rider who acted as a support unit. But he is also a man who sees only the value of “Endings” to determine the worth of something. As such, Dr. Maki sought to end the world and joined with the Greeed, even becoming one himself. 

He meets his end in a way I won’t spoil, but he does come back in Ghost to briefly fight Kamen Rider Specter and dies again.

SEIYA!

Well, that was fun wasn’t it? 45 years of Riders showcased! 

Sure there were some stumbles and hiccups by me writing this along the way, but now you have been fully aquatinted with this franchise with this last file of the preceding anniversary show. And to think, there is still more to talk about in the future, like in Kamen Rider’s 50th anniversary on April 3, 2021! (If humans haven’t blown the world up by then.)

But now let’s combine the two anniversary seasons in a farewell mashup!

GASHAT! Kimewaza! Megane Musical Finish!

[maki-ryota]

Kamen Rider OOO Novel: Chapter 2

Previous Chapters: 1

This chapter confuses me. Either the human is: 1) King OOO, who speaks exactly like Kougami or 2) Kougami IS King OOO ? What do you think?

When I came to, I was laying on top of a stone sarcophagus. It was dim. Could it be night....? No. It wasn’t actually dark. .....I had lost all senses in my body. Everything around me was cast in a dull grey. Color. Temperature.  Smell. I couldn’t feel a thing. I couldn’t move my body. I could no longer fly freely, as my body felt as heavy as lead. I remembered my dream. This was the polar opposite of it. I became impatient. That beauty that had snatched away my heart was fading. My satisfied heart became empty. That emptiness made impatience swell within me. That impatience turned into anger. After that anger had overflowed, it became despair. Soon, these emotions had taken control of my heart. “What? What is this feeling?!” Just as I screamed out, I suddenly realized there was a human standing to my side. They began to talk to me, with a loud and irritating voice. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ANKH-KUN!” My head spun as his loud voice penetrated my ears. I immediately wanted to kill this human. If I still had my sharp claws, he wouldn’t last two more seconds. I’d kill him in one blow.  However, I couldn’t move my body. More accurately, my body wasn’t following what I was asking it to do.  I rolled off of the sarcophagus and landed on the floor. The human walked up to me and looked at my face. An unpleasant smile spread across his lips.

“You’ve only just been born as a Greeed. Don’t do anything unreasonable.” “Greeed? What the hell is that?” “You’re a newborn baby.  Before you regained consciousness, you were dreaming of flying around, weren’t you? You were the King of the Birds. But, in this world, that isn’t the case. Even human’s strength far surpasses yours in your current state.” “Let’s test that, huh?” Anger was brewing inside of me, and I attempted to move. The human simply continued looking at me with that unpleasant smile of his. “Here, I’ll lend you some power.” He took out silver medals and showed me. “These are Cell Medals. Your body is made of them. Like this.” After he said that, he threw them at me. I attempted to dodge them. However, my body didn’t move as my mind willed it to. The medals fell into my body. It didn’t make any sense, and yet...My body sucked them inside.  In the next moment, I felt filled with power. The human looked very amused with how surprised I was. He threw more medals at me. I felt the power overflow from me. Soon, I felt I would be able to move again. “Why would this human give me more power, allowing me enough strength to be able to kill him?” I wondered. But, wasn’t this for the best?  This stupid human was giving me back my power. My head became full of thoughts of killing him.  I began moving, with annihilation as my goal. I began to attack the human. M power was regained, just as I thought. However, the human swiftly evaded my attack. He laughed at me. “Such wonderful power, Ankh-kun! Wouldn’t you like more?” He continued dodging my attacks as if it was some kind of game, and threw more medals at me. As my body absorbed them, it became easier and easier to move. I thought back to flying in my dream. This feeling was close to that feeling of freedom. I wanted it more power. I wanted freedom. “I’ll kill this human. Then I can have all of his medals....if I do that...” The need to kill this annoying human swelled inside of me. I wanted to end his life. “If I do that, I can return to the form I held within my dream...” “Wonderful! That’s a desire.” “...Desire?” “That’s right, desire. It’s the driving force behind everything. You’ve obtained it.” While he was in the middle of talking, I attacked him with all my might. The timing was perfect. There was no way such a weak lifeform would survive sucha  thing. However... The attack of my talons had been blocked with a large belt the human had brought out of nowhere. “This is called the OOO Driver. It’s a very important item, that allows me to have powers like you.” He wrapped it around his waist, and then placed three medals inside of it.  “I’ll show you my power. The power of OOO.” “OOO...? What is that?” “HENSHIN!” He yelled that, then took something off the side of the belt and scanned the three medals. Then, a strange voice sang a song that echoed through the air. “TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA TO BA TATOBA TA TO BA!” A light enveloped him, and then a strange figure appeared. It’s head was  a hawk. It’s arms ended in large tiger claws. Lastly, it’s legs were bent at an unnatural angle.  “My legs have the power of a grasshopper hidden within them. How about I give you a taste?” He said, as if he could tell what I was thinking. And then.... The strange figure jumped high into the air, and hit me with a hard kick. A large amount of medals flew out of me.  “I went through great pains to give you those medals as a present. Hurry and pick them back up.” “S-shut up!” I recklessly approached him. It was more like desperation. My attacks...my talons weren’t hitting him. “Shit! Why? Why?!” I screamed. He attacked me, and his claws plunged deep in my torso.  “This is the OOO Tatoba combo. It’s a warrior that borrows the power of your Core Medals to fight.” “...Core Medals....?” Something about that was familiar. That’s right, in my dream. In my dream, my medals had fallen out of me. This man had stolen them from me! “Stop!” The human pulled his claws from me. In between each claw, there were medals. However, they weren’t Cell Medals. I felt much more exhausted than I had when I’d lost those. “These are Core Medals. Your kind are made up of 9 of them. But don’t worry; you’ve only lost six. You won’t die from that. But you felt enormous power just now, didn’t you?” “Give them back!” “Entertainment time is over. Now, let me introduce myself. I am the King who owns everything in this world.” “King? But I’m the king!” “Of course, you’re also a king. But I created all of you guys. So, it’s quite obvious which one of us holds more wisdom.” “You guys?” “That’s right. I’ll introduce you.” After he said that, other humans brought in a large amount of cell medals. Fior the first time, I realized there were four other stone sarcophagi in the room, each with nine Core Medals on top. “They are your comrades.” On his signal, the other humans began to pile huge amounts of cell medals on top of each of the sarcophagi. They suddenly became wrapped in light. The Cell Medals and Core Medals began to wriggle as if they were alive. The piles of medals suddenly took on more strange, human-like forms. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY! UVA! KAZARI! MEZOOL! GAMEL! They are Greeed, just like you, Ankh. You are each a reigning  king of a different world. The king of birds. The king of insects. The king of the strongest beasts. The king of aquatic creatures. The king of the largest, heaviest creatures.  I’m happy to be surrounded by so many other kings. This is truly wonderful!” There were so many questions in my head. But, I couldn’t ask them. All I could do was stare at my fellow Greeed in astonishment. “So, do I now also look as ugly as them?” In my dream, I had beautiful red wings. I was the most beautiful bird in the world. But now, I no longer had my soft wings. I stared dazedly at my right hand. On my wrist was ugly, scraggly wing.  ��So these are my wings...I can’t fly...” I was shocked at the feeling of loss I felt. Soon, that emotion completely overtook me. “I need to get it back....all of me...I need to get back everything that I lost...” I became a prisoner to that unbearable desire. END OF CHAPTER 2