![]() In episode 41, “Control,” there is further emphasis on how Yusuke doesn’t enjoy hurting others, despite his similar powers to the Grongi. This scene highlights how the powers of Kuuga can go either way - as a light or a threat to his own happiness. The music becomes eerie, indicating that Kuuga is now the hunter but at the same time emphasizes the emotional pain Godai feels. Not letting up, Kuuga continues punching the Grongi and uses a large amount of his arsenal against him. Pushed by the fears of the student he is trying to guard, Godai fights against this Grongi. Yusuke, aka Kuuga, becomes overcome by rage at the number of people he hasn’t been able to save from the previous episodes. Such events include episode 35, “Emotion,” where Yusuke fights a Grongi hunting and hurting school kids for fun. This connects to the main protagonist, Godai Yusuke, who is a carefree individual who can be considered a paragon character (a type of hero that is regarded as the “ultimate” champion of concepts, such as truth, justice and honor) in regards to fighting for the smiles of others - making certain that later events are even more impactful. Thus, the show does well in setting up ideas such as, “If violence is needed to stop violence, how does it stop?” This is explained later in the series with how humanity is still fighting with one another even without the Grongi, despite the fact the Grongi were defeated to avoid such violence. Starting with Ichijo, he experiences the distorted views of the villains first-hand when working with his fellow officers to fight an invisible Grongi in episode 22, “Game.” The Grongi describes his happiness with killing people, stating that it’s “fun.” In the same episode, Ichijo encounters one of the leaders of the Grongi, Ra-Baruba-De, who states that the humans they faced long ago have now changed. Some of the main antagonists include N-Daguva, the strongest of the Grongi, and Ra-Baruba-De, the judge of the Grongi’s “game.” This lethal game developed by the Grongi is the central conflict of the series as it showcases the pain that can be inflicted on others when fighting for happiness. Some of the main characters who try to help stop the Grongi consist of Godai Yusuke, aka the new Kamen Rider Kuuga, and Kaoru Ichijo, an officer of the Science Police force who works with Kuuga. They end up returning after being sealed away by the ancient warrior Kuuga. They are, in reality, an ancient tribe of people that terrorized the ancestors of modern-day humans in the show’s universe. “Kamen Rider Kuuga” revolves around the hero, Kuuga, fighting monsters known as the Grongi. ![]() Episodes of this show can be found on YouTube and on the ShoutFactoryTV site. With 49 episodes and a short running time of 20 minutes for each, only some of the main plot points will be reviewed below to emphasize the theme of fighting for others’ happiness rather than simply the happiness of oneself. ![]() ![]() I recently decided to look back to this old show to appreciate the themes found within its story. The Toei Company produced the show in 2000 but released it in the United States just last year in May 2020. Photo from IMDb.įor some background,“Kamen Rider Kuuga” is a Japanese Tokusatsu show featuring superheroes and special effects, and is one of the first installments of the series in the Hesei Era of Japan (The Heisei era is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from Jan. Kuuga, the main character of “Kamen Rider” dedicates himself to fighting monsters guilty of terrorizing ancient humans. ![]()
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