Kamen Rider Agito (仮面ライダーアギト ,Kamen Raidā Agito?) is the primary protagonist character of the 2001 Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Agito. He is the 2nd of the Heisei Kamen Riders to possess many forms. His motif was based on the Chinese Dragon, though his features exhibits many similarities to Kamen Rider Kuuga. Though a term relating to anyone who exhibits similar traits, "Agito" is based on the Latin word for "I engage in motion", referring to the Kamen Rider's evolutionary nature.
Shōichi Tsugami
Shōichi Tsugami (津上 翔一 ,Tsugami Shōichi?, portrayed by Toshiki Kashū) is a young man with no memory of his past and is living with the Misugi family. A generous, simple, all around nice guy, Shōichi's ideal life is to just work in his garden and please his foster family. He had a funny habit by addressing someone that he didn't know as Koungouji-san. He fights as Agito due to the Unknown being somewhat tied to his forgotten past.
Fictional character biography
His real name was Tetsuya Sawaki (沢木 哲也 ,Sawaki Tetsuya?), the younger brother of Yukina Sawaki whom fell in love with the real Shōichi Tsugami. Yukina and Tsugami participated in a research study conducted by Prof. Nobuyuki Kazaya (Mana's father) on human paranormal abilities. Yukina found herself as the subject for the study as she possessed such capabilities. The two pursued a romantic relationship, but as her powers matured (showing evidence of her awakening as an Agito), she committed suicide. After hearing of his sister's suicide, Tetsuya attempted to contact Tsugami, with his search leading him aboard the Akatsuki (a ferry). Unaware at the time that Tsugami himself had committed suicide, Tetsuya searched for him to no avail. Instead, he discovers the lifeless body of a young man, who eventually reveals himself as the Overlord of Light. The deity, sensing his brother had sent one of his emissaries to the boat, awakened Tetsuya as the second Agito before vanishing, just as the El of Water arrives. The El assaults Tetsuya, sensing his churning power, but just as the final blow was about to be dealt, Tetsuya transformed into Agito for the first time. The ensuing battle ended with Tetsuya being tossed overboard, where he was labeled "lost-at-sea" by the authorities. But, Tetsuya had survived and washed ashore but was left with amnesia. He would be found by a trio of schoolgirls and brought to the hospital to be cared for by Dr. Higashi Kunieda, and going by the name on letter in his possession, he assumed the alias of Shōichi Tsugami, who had died at the time.
Now Shōichi, Tetsuya would be placed under Dr. Kunieda's care for some time until he was transferred to Misugi. There he would live a quiet, somewhat normal life, with no cares of whether he'll remember his past or not. That was until the presence of the Jaguar Lord Panthras Letus re-awakened him as Agito. However, Shōichi was in a feral state of mind at the time, attacking G3 only to regain himself before he could land the deathblow. The incident left Shouchi fearful about the changes, but the fact he has a place he belonged to gave him the courage to use his new found power to protect those he befriended, with Mana the only one in the Misugi household to know of Shōichi's transformation. By accident, Shōichi cross paths with Tomoko Miura, one of the Akatsuki's surving members who later called him to meet her the next day at East Park for the answers he's looking for. However, due to Tomoko being murdered, Shōichi never meet her, resulting in with him being arrested on the charge of her murder until he was eventually cleared when Mana pointed Hikawa to the actual culprit, the Overlord.
On the day of Mana's birthday, Shōichi attempts to protect her from the Scorpion Lord Leiurus Acutia, only to be poisoned as a result. Fortunately, he was cured in time and eventually kills the Unknown. Later on, by chance, Shōichi momentarily recovers his memory after his fall into the reservoir during his battle with Gills, recovering a large portion of his memories and facing Tetsuya. The recovered memories were enough for Shōichi to access his Trinity Form but eventually his amnesia returned before he could make any progress. After countless battles, Shōichi would come face-to-face once again with the El of the Water, who stalked him at every juncture. The anxiety and fear of confronting his 'killer' ultimately broke his fighting spirit. But with the help of Mana, Shōichi rekindled his bravery and assumed the ferocious Burning Form and defeat the El.
Coping with his constantly evolving powers proved difficult at first. When his old caretaker, Dr. Kunieda, came to pay a visit Shōichi transformed into Agito Burning Form, losing his composure in a fit of rage, and inadvertently attacks Dr. Kunieda. The shame of the accident weighed heavy on Shōichi's soul as he fell into self-loathing, sulking over his actions. But thanks to Dr. Kunieda's tough love, he was able to cast his shame aside and arise to embrace his existence as an Agito. Dr. Kunieda's words served as a reminder to stay true to himself and the value of his life, which gave him the clarity of mind and heart to achieve Shining Form and defeat the Beetle Lord. This new conviction and form would prove essential when the El of the Water returns more powerful than before. Its presence enabled Shōichi to recover his memory and, in their final encounter, finally destroy his nemesis once and for all.
After recovering his memory and tells his past and real name to his foster family, Shoichi decide to stay with them and continue to live as Shoichi Tsugami. Everything went smoothly, until Mana try to asking Shoichi about her death father, because Shoichi is the last person that her father met before died. This series of event finally reveal a shocking truth, that Shoichi's Sister is the one that killed Mana's Father, Nobuyuki Kazaya. Though by accident, because she could not control the Agito power. This is leading to Shoichi begins to doubt the Agito power inside him and making him believe that he should be amnesia forever. Things getting worst when Mana finally begins to hates him, this is causing Shoichi didn't want the Agito power anymore and willingly relinquished it to the Overlord. Despite this however, Shoichi couldn't let the Lords continue their killing as Ericius Liquor begins to targeting Mana. Shoichi then accidentally getting hit by the lord quill, but successfully saved by Kino before the wound kills him. Shoichi and the gang arrived at the scene to be confronted by the Overlord who choosing to kill all of them. Mana who have learning the truth from Ryo, encourages Shoichi to once again fight as Agito, as he runs to the Overlord and able to land a punch on him through Hikawa's aid. Shoichi, along with Ryo and Kino, finally regains their respective power. And together defeats the Hedgehog Lord.
Sometime after, he bumps into his old cooking teacher, Kuramoto, who offered a job to work in his restaurant. With supernatural murders at a low, Shōichi takes the job under his mentor. While working there, he meets Kana, a distant reclusive young lady who dreams of succeeding as a chef in honor of her father. But Kana begins showing signs a becoming an Agito herself. Unable to comprehend the change, she tries to commit suicide, much like Shōichi's sister. History begins to repeat itself, with Shōichi holding onto Kana for dear life. But just as he is about to give up, Tetsuya Sawaki, the real Shōichi Tsugami and Yukina's resurrected former lover, comes to his aid and helps Shōichi pull Kana to safety; while simultaneously redeeming himself for not saving Yukina from the same fate long ago. The group then shortly confronted by El of Earth, Shoichi transform in front of Kana and pleads he will fight for himself, for human and for the Agito's. Continue to fight the El, Agito is overwhelmed by the lord in Ground and Burning Form, but able to fatally wounded the El in Shining Form. Agito then followed the escaped El and discovers the Overlord, who is trying to genocide all human. He is then overwhelmed by the combine effort of strengthened El of Earth and El of Wind, by the time both Hikawa and Ryo appears to aid him, Shoichi assumes Agito Shining Form one last time and step into final battle to reclaim back humanity's fate from the Overlord . After easily defeating the El of Earth with the Shining Rider Kick, Agito then continue to attack the Overlord, causing a great explosion with the fate of both are not known. However, Shoichi proven to be alive. In the series epilogue, Shoichi opens his own restaurant named the Agito.
Forms
Statistics & Performance Data
Statistical Data Ground Form Storm Form Flame Form Trinity Form Burning Form Shining Form Head height: 195 centimeters -- -- -- -- -- Base weight: 95 kilograms -- -- -- -- -- Punching power: 7t (norm.); 15t (max.) 7t (left); 3t (right) 5t (left); 10t (right) 7t (left); 10t (right) 25t 25t Kicking power: 15t 5t 7t 15t 15t 45t Highest jump: 30m (broad) 50m (broad) 20m (broad) 50m (broad) 15m (broad) 75m (broad) Top speed: 100m/5s 100m/4.5s 100m/5.5s 100m/4.5s 100m/6s 100m/4s Vision: 10 km approx. 10 km approx. 30 km approx. 30 km approx. 30 km approx. 35 km approx. Hearing: 10 km approx. 10 km approx. 30 km approx. 30 km approx. 30 km approx. 35 km approx. Defense Rating: 6 7 8 8 10 10
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Ground Form
The Ground Form (グランドフォーム ,Gurando Fōmu?) is the first of Agito's numerous forms. This form harnesses the power of the earth, turning Shoichi's entire body into a lethal weapon, with bone-crushing blows and crippling locks. Of all the forms, the golden Ground Form is the most balanced, with power, speed and strength working in harmony to make the most of its capabilities. At its peak, the crest horns upon his head opens, pushing all of Agito's capabilities to their fullest, emanating beneath his feet, into his legs to execute his Rider Kick (ライダーキック ,Raidā Kikku?), a jump kick of incredible raw power and force; with a force of 30-tons, or with the Machine Tornador, the Rider Brake (ライダーブレイク ,Raidā Bureiku?), jumping off the Machine Tornador at full speed, and Dragon Breath, which involves ramming the side of the Machine Tornador into the enemy. Ground Form has also been shown to be able to use a Rider Punch (ライダーパンチ ,Raidā Panchi?).
Storm Form
The Storm Form (ストームフォーム ,Sutōmu Fōmu?) is the second form of Agito, triggered when Shōichi activated the left switch on the Alter Ring, 'opening' the "Blue Dragon's Eye." The blue "Storm Form" harnesses the power of wind through the left arm, and imparts the form with supernatural agility and reflexes. The most nimble of forms, Storm Agito maneuvers with such swiftness and cunning that its movements parallel foresight. This form also carries a signature Storm Halberd (ストームハルバード ,Sutōmu Harubādo?)--a folding double-bladed pole arm that serves as Agito‘s primary means of attack while in Storm Form. But, however superior in overall speed and agility, the Storm Form is by far the weakest in comparison to the other forms, in terms of power and strength. His final attack is Halberd Spin (ハルバードスピン ,Harubādo Supin?), whipping up a powerful gale by twirling the open Storm Halberd at rapid speeds, blowing away everything in the general vicinity, and gaining swing-momentum for a finishing strike, and with the Machine Tornador, the Halberd Brake (ハルバードブレイク ,Harbādo Bureiku?).
Flame Form
The Flame Form (フレイムフォーム ,Fureimu Fōmu?) is the third of Agito's forms to be revealed, triggered by activating the right switch on the Alter Ring, 'opening' the "Red Dragon's Eye." The searing power of flame flows through the right arm and blesses the red body of the Flame Form with incredible strength. Aside from its apparent superiority in the areas of power and defense, the Flame Form possesses phenomenal heightened senses; his senses have increased to point where an enemy's presence - whether distant, hidden, and/or invisible to the naked eye - can be detected with frightening precision. This form also has exclusive access to the Flame Saber (フレイムセイバー ,Fureimu Seibā?), using it in his Saber Slash (セイバースラッシュ ,Seibā Surasshu?) attack which anything he slices with the blade is reduced to ashes, or the stronger Double Saber Slash (ダブルセイバースラッシュ ,Daburu Seibā Surasshu?) with an additional Flame Saber to deliver a double saber-stroke attack. With the Machine Tornador, Flame Form is able to use Saber Brake (セイバーブレイク ,Seibā Bureiku?).
Trinity Form
In the brief instance when he was able to recover his memory, Shōichi revealed the power to invoke a new level of transformation possessing extraordinary properties of Ground, Storm, and Flame forms: the Trinity Form (トリニティフォーム ,Toriniti Fōmu?). This form's capabilities, a combination of all three, harness the strongest qualities of Agito's powers and execute the forms' finishing attacks. In this form, Agito can wield both Storm Form's Storm Halberd and Flame Form's Flame Saber. Unfortunately, when Shōichi once again loses his memory, the power of the Trinity Form was sealed away. But by this time, he was able to route the forces of the Dark Army and the Crow Queen Lord using the Trinity Form's awesome powers. His final attacks are Fire Storm Attack (ファイヤーストームアタック ,Faiyā Sutōmu Atakku?), using both the Storm Halberd and Flame Saber in one decisive strike, and Rider Shoot (ライダーシュート ,Raidā Shūto?), a stronger version of the Rider Kick infused with the powers of Storm and Flame Forms.
Burning Form
Burning Form (バーニングフォーム ,Bāningu Fōmu?), known as "the power awakening to infinite possibilities," is born when Shōichi learned to channel his fighting spirit into power. The transition was rough on Shōichi's body, as he was virtually incapacitated during the emergence of this new power. But as they manifest, the nature of the power became clear; and it is one not easily controlled. The Burning Form amplifies and translates Agito's fury into power; thus the greater his rage, the more powerful the Burning Form became, as seen in his Burning Rider Punch (バーニングライダーパンチ ,Bāningu Raidā Panchi?) attack. His signature weapon, the Shining Caliber (シャイニングカリバー ,Shainingu Karibā?), is a dual-bladed weapon capable of two modes: Single Mode (シングルモード ,Shinguru Mōdo?), as a dual-blade sword and Twin Mode, as paired blades. Burning Form uses the "Single Mode" exclusively for his "Burning Bomber" (バーニングボンバー ,Bāningu Bonbā?), cutting down the enemy with lethal blazing strokes.
Shining Form
Shining Form (シャイニングフォーム ,Shainingu Fōmu?), known as the "evolution of infinite possibilities," was awakened by the light of the sun. It was an evolution unlike anything ever anticipated by the Over Lord, born when Shōichi molts after having mastered his power in Burning Form. Although the power of his fists remain unchanged, all other attributes being pushed to their peak make this Agito's greatest form. In Shining Form, Agito wields the Shining Caliber in Twin Mode (ツインモード ,Tsuin Mōdo?) as paired blades for his high-speed "Shining Clash" (シャイニングクラッシュ ,Shainingu Kurasshu?) attack. His final attack is Shining Rider Kick (シャイニングライダーキック ,Shainingu Raidā Kikku?), concentrating the Agito Power before him to accelerate to supersonic speeds as he attacks with his strongest flying kick, piercing his enemy with extreme force.
Equipment
Alter Ring
The Alter Ring (オルタリング ,Oruta Ringu?) is a mysterious belt bestowed upon Shōichi by the Over Lord of Light. It holds the "Seed of Agito" and is the source of his power. As he grows in strength, he would unlock its full powers.
Wiseman's Monolith
The Wiseman's Monolith (ワイズマンモノリス ,Waizuman Monorisu?) is a relic of unknown purpose, fitted onto Agito's breastplate.
Storm Halberd
The Storm Halberd (ストームハルバード ,Sutōmu Harubādo?) is a double-bladed pole arm that serves as Agito‘s primary means of attack while in Storm Form. When its blades are unfolded, the Storm Halberd can stir up gale-force winds powerful enough to halt most adversaries with a barrier of wind.
Flame Saber
The Flame Saber (フレイムセイバー ,Fureimu Seibā?) is the signature weapon of the Flame Form, a sword of unparalleled sharpness. Its lethality is further increased when all 6 "Flame Horns" are opened; a Saber Slash while in this state would literally reduce an adversary to ashes.
Shining Caliber
The Shining Caliber (シャイニングカリバー ,Shainingu Karibā?) are Twin saber weapons available to Agito when in Burning Form (Single Mode, as a dual-bladed sword) and Shining Form (Twin Mode, as paired blades).
Machine Tornador
The Machine Tornador (マシントルネイダー ,Mashin Toruneidā?) is Agito's motorcycle that can transform into a hovercraft for him to surf on. With Slider Mode (スライダーモード ,Suraidā Mōdo?), Agito can execute a finishing attack depending on the form he is in. In Ground Form, he uses Dragon Breath to careen toward the enemy and mow them down with the side of the Machine Tornador. He can also execute Rider Brake, speeding Machine Tornador to boost his Rider Kick with added momentum. Agito can execute similar boosted attacks in Storm and Flame Forms with Halberd Brake and Saber Brake.
Kamen Rider: Seigi no Keifu
In this semi-canon video game, Shōichi finds himself trapped in what he discovers to be a headquarters of the former terrorist organization known as "Shocker." After encountering Shocker soldiers and a kaijin, he is confused as to why they refer to him as a "Kamen Rider." Shōichi eventually discovers Shocker's plan to manipulate time in order to empower an alien being discovered long before Shocker's initial fall to Kamen Rider 1, as well as discovering the origin of the Kamen Rider mantle. Agito is eventually introduced to Kamen Riders 1, V3, and BLACK via Shocker communication technology, and travels to 1988 to assist Kamen Rider BLACK in defeating the alien being. As with every Rider, Toshiki Kashū returns to voice his role as Shōichi/Kamen Rider Agito. Kamen Rider Gills also makes an appearance as a non-playable character. The game gives an indication that Agito may indeed be set in the same universe as the Showa Riders, but still has yet to be proven.
Ryuki vs. Agito
Agito makes a non-canonical appearance in this brief short to the Kamen Rider Ryuki series. After discovering that several Mirror Monsters are apparently being led by Kamen Rider Agito Burning Form, referred as the King of Mirrors, Kamen Riders Ryuki, Knight, Zolda, and Ouja fight to destroy him. Eventually, the real Agito appears in Ground Form and teams up with Kamen Rider Ryuki, who imitates Agito's Rider Kick to destroy the impostor. In the end, this is revealed to be Shinji's dream.
Kamen Rider Agito is voiced by Seiji Takaiwa (who was also the main suit actor for Agito during the series' run), while the impostor Agito is voiced by Kōji Yusa.
References
1. ^ http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/8481/631ecdfcfy3.jpg. Page 62 of the "Masked Rider Agito Hybrid File" book confirms Agito's first form as being named "Ground Form" not "Grand Form".
2. ^ http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4194/s0582c2082wz5.jpg. Page 57 of the S.I.C. Super Collection Hobby Japan Mook further confirms "Ground Form" as the official name of Agito's first form.