Story
In both the W television series and its related films, Sokichi Narumi, portrayed by singer Koji Kikkawa is the father of Akiko Narumi and the founder of the Narumi Detective Agency in the fictional city of Futo. Sokichi's mantra was to keep the client safe at all costs. He also gave his old friend Fumine refuge after she was forced to leave her Family and become Shroud. He eventually would confront Dopants during the Melissa case. Initially making it a policy of his to never use Gaia Memories even faced with Dopants, a guilt-ridden Sokichi eventually uses the special Gaia Memory and Memory Driver belt that was made by Shroud to deal with Museum, enabling him to become Kamen Rider Skull to combat the Spider Dopant, revealed to be his partner, Seichiro Matsui.
Publication Information
- Protagonist : Sokichi Narumi
- Japanese : 鳴海 荘吉
- Rider Users : Kamen Rider Skull
- Gender : Male
- Related : Akiko Narumi (Daughter), Shotaro's Mentor
- HomeWorld : Earth (Main Timeline Continuity)
- Season : Kamen Rider W
- First Appeareance : Kamen Rider W Episod 1 : The W Search/Two Detectives in One
- Last Appeareance : Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull : Movie War Core
- Number of Appeareance : 3 (W), 4 (movies)
- Potrayer : Koji Kikkawa
- Main View : Full Episod
This policy has since then changed into using his driver and memory only when left with no other favorable options. Since the incident, Sokichi took the motto "Now, count up your sins!" to heart because he saw himself to be unable to realize his ex-partner's madness and stop it before the city suffers as a result. Furthermore, Sokichi's Spider Bomb did not fade after the memory's destruction and he decided to distance himself from Akiko to ensure her safety.
Since then, Sokichi became involved in investigating cases involving Dopants that the police force could not handle, including the armored car robberies performed by the "Beastman". Eventually taking on Shotaro Hidari as his protégé, Sokichi agrees to help Shroud stop Museum by infiltrating a research facility known as the Gaia Tower with Shotaro in order to find the young man at its center. After fighting several Masquerade Dopants and the Taboo Dopant, he and Shotaro find the young man as Sokichi offers him freedom to find atonement for his part in the creation of the Gaia Memories, naming him Philip after his favorite fictional character Philip Marlowe.
Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider W & Decade : Movie War 2010
In Begins Night, Sokichi Narumi and Kamen Rider Skull are among the identities taken by the Dummy Dopant while pretending to be the Death Dopant in a scheme to assume the identities of Fuuto's upper class members, using Sokichi's form to drive Shotaro off from the case before he realizes the truth. However, Shotaro finally overcomes this and Double ultimately defeats the impostor Kamen Rider Skull. After the case is concluded in Movie War 2010, Tsukasa Kadoya uses a Kamen Rider Skull card he has acquired to summon an iteration of Sokichi Narumi from an alternate dimension, giving Shotaro closure.
Kamen Rider W Forever : A To Z/The Gaia Memories Of Fate
Kamen Rider Skull's final appearance is in Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate, where the ghost of Sokichi who transformed into Skull gives Shotaro his Lost Driver as well as helped him realize Philip`s feelings before fading away as he takes his leave, enabling Shotaro to transform into Kamen Rider Joker. The Skull Memory is also one of the 26 T2 Gaia Memories in the film.
Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull : Movie War Core
During Akiko's wedding, Sokichi appears for the final time in spirit, walking with his daughter down the aisle and entrusting her to Ryu.
Other Media Appearances
- Kamen Rider Skull briefly makes an appearance in Kamen Rider W episode 13 "The Radio Q/Targetted Princess". Sokichi Narumi makes an appearance in a flashback in episode 10 "The S Terror/The Great Detective's Daughter", as well as in a flashback in episode 31 "The B Carried on the Wind/The Beast Pursues".
- During the encore at Koji Kikkawa's concert at the NHK Hall, Kikkawa appeared dressed up as Sokichi Narumi and performed the song "Big Sleep". At the same time, he was joined on stage by Kamen Rider Double.
- Sokichi Narumi and Kamen Rider Skull are the main characters in the side-story presented in the "Nobody's Perfect" music video, a song credited to Narumi but sung by Koji Kikkawa. In the music video set during his life and prior to Philip's freeing, Narumi takes on a case of a kidnapping by the Museum of a young girl. He crosses paths with several Masquerade Dopants and the Terror Dopant, fighting and driving away the latter as Kamen Rider Skull.
Abilities
A hard boiled person who helped the citizens of Futo as both a detective and as Skull, Sokichi lived and died while helping others. At a younger age, Sokichi was already a rather cheerful man with his partner Matsu while sometimes showing a comical and stubborn side. As well as helping Shroud through sheltering her, Sokichi still called Matsu his partner despite his betrayal and crimes later on. It seems the confrontation and death of Matsu combined with no longer being able to meet Akiko again has changed Sokichi though, as he seemingly became less cheerful and more cold.
Although he seemingly wasn't with Akiko much in her childhood, Sokichi clearly cared for her which was shown when he became motivated through talking with her on the phone. This fatherly side is also shown through his mentoring of Shotaro whom he acted both strictly and understandingly. He is quite forgiving towards others as he forgave not only Matsu, but Shotaro as well when he indirectly caused his own death. He was also the one who convinced Philip to make his own decisions right before his (Sokichi) death.
While mostly good, Sokichi was also somewhat the opposite of Shotaro as he mercilessly caused the Bat Dopant to die a painful death as well as allowed Bito to lie and turn himself to the police without a word. He also didn't say a word about Matsu's death but instead quietly walked away. Another difference was that Sokichi had a policy about using Gaia Memories which somewhat caused him to die whereas Shotaro uses them quite frequently as well as being proud to be W and Joker. Although Sokichi died, his will continues to live on through Shotaro and the others as he seemingly continues to support them through spirit.
As the man who solved cases for Futo, Sokichi was both a good teacher and detective. He also fought against Museum as Skull. Even without transforming into Skull, Sokichi managed to hold his own against the Spider Dopant as well as defeating him and the Bat Dopant in Skull Crystal Form. He also managed to both lift part of a Shovel car that was crushing him as well as kicked it away when motivated. In his Default Skull Form, Sokichi fought evenly against the Taboo Dopant as well as seemingly overpowered the Terror Dopant himself. This is notable as Skull's stats are much lower than both W and Accel`s strengths showing how skilled he is. He later on appeared as a ghost to Shotaro where he showed him why Philip wasn't acting his usual self as well as giving his Lost Driver for Shotaro to use.
Forms
Skull Default
- Skull Default
- Skull! (Deep guitar riff to high guitar screech)" ― Transformation announcement
- Rider Height : 205cm
- Rider Weight : 110kg
- Punching Powe r: 2t
- Kicking Power : 6.5t
- Maximum Jump Height : 45m
- Maximum Running Speed : 100m/6.3s
- With the use of the Lost Driver and the Skull Memory, Sokichi transforms into Kamen Rider Skull. Skull is unique in that besides wearing a white tethered scarf he also wears a white fedora. It is revealed that he was the original user of the quote "Now, count your crimes!" Sā, omae no tsumi o kazoero!?), a quote now used by his successor. Skull's motif is that of a human skull and the letter S. Like Skull Rider, Skull appears to be a homeage to Skull Man, Shotaro Ishinomori's previous creation, who was adapted for the creation of Kamen Rider 1.
Kamen Rider Skull's primary finisher is the long range shooting attack Skull Punisher, the Maximum Drive ability of his Skull Magnum. In Skull: Message to Double, Skull is shown to have a second Maximum Drive, known only as Finisher Kick, that involves releasing a giant energy skull from his chest, which stuns the opponent and knocks them back before rising into the air.
Skull then puts the Skull Memory into the Maximum Drive Slot, jumps up, and does a roundhouse Rider Kick, which propels the energy skull toward the opponent, whom it bites down on. Kamen Rider Skull also appears as one of the Kamen Riders summoned by Kamen Rider Diend's Complete Form and his Gekijouban Card. In this appearance, his Maximum Drive attack is a generic Rider Kick, similar to Rider 1's famous somersault and kick attack, but with a purple swirling energy around Skull's right foot. In Ganbaride, the name of Skull's generic Rider Kick is Silhouette Kick.
Skull Crystal
- Skull Crystal
- Skull! (Deep guitar riff to high guitar screech) ― Transformation announcement
- Kamen Rider Skull Crystal is the incomplete form of Skull that first appears in the events of Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W featuring Skull: Movie War Core. It differs from Kamen Rider Skull's standard form in that the helmet is iridescent and it lacks the S-shaped "crack". Skull Crystal is able to attack by releasing energy from his chest in the shape of a large purple skull that can bite opponents. This form is named after the crystal skulls.
Equipment
Devices
- Main Article : Lost Driver
Gaia Memories
- Skull Memory:
- The Skull Memory, also called the Skeleton Memory, is the Gaia Memory used for the transformation into Kamen Rider Skull and for Maximum Drives. When placed in the Maximum Drive slot, it performs a Finisher Kick, and the Skull Memory can also be used in conjunction with his Skull Magnum.
- Skull, like Double, also used Memory Gadgets, supplied by Shroud, to combat the Dopant threat.
- Main Article : Stag Phone
Weapon
Skull Magnum
- Main Article : Skull Magnum
Vehicles
SkullBoilder
SkullBoilder is Kamen Rider Skull's motorcycle. It is a modified Honda CBR1000RR resembling its successor, Kamen Rider Double's HardBoilder, but all black in color. It is armed with a series of guns called the Universal Launchers.
SkullGarry
- Main Article : SkullGarry
KamenRide : Skull
.webp)
- Main Article : KamenRide : Skull
Wizard Ring
- Main Article : Skull Ring
Skull Lockseed
- Main Article : Skull Lockseed
See also:
- Main Article : Sokichi Narumi (A.R. World)
