Shuichi Kitaoka

Shuichi Kitaoka is Kamen Rider Zolda, a character in the tokusatsu production Kamen Rider Ryuki. He is the fourth of the 13 Kamen Riders the story revolves around. However, he served as the third main Rider in the series.

History

He is a self-proclaimed "Super-lawyer", tends to only help someone if he has something to gain. Because he has a terminal case of cancer and was given only several more months to live, Kitaoka accepted Kanzaki's offer to join the Rider war. His prize is to be immortal so that he could continue his extravagant lifestyle. Because of his illness, he suffers from frequent dizzy spells and fainting. He first meets Shinji Kido after he clears the Sakura Company of its credit fraud charges and is later pursued by its bookies after taking their dirty money as added payment for his services.

Publication Information

• Host : Shuichi Kitaoka
• Japanese : 北岡 秀一
• Rider : Kamen Rider Zolda
• Gender : Male
• Season : Kamen Rider Ryuki
• Motif : Buffalo, SWAT Police
• Rider Type : Anti-Hero (Former), Hero (Current)
• Homeworld : Earth
• First Appearance : The Mysterious Rider
• Last Appearance : Kamen Rider × Super Sentai : Super Hero Taisen
• Number of Appearances : 42 (Ryuki), 1 (Decade), 3 (Movie), 2 (Special)
• Portrayer : Ryohei Odai

Though Shinji was unaware of this at first, he attempts to save Kitaoka only to be rescued by his apprentice Goro Yura. Shinji later meets Kitaoka again when he and Reiko wanted permission from the Kawazu Pharmacy to inspect their factory for environmental violations. Interested in Shinji, Kitaoka allows Shinji to hang around with him and understand his ideology until Shinji hit a nerve of Kitaoka's thought to live for one's own desire seemed hollow made Kitaoka kick him out.

Kamen Rider Ryuki : 13 Riders

In the 13 Riders alternate special, Kitaoka went to see Asakura, knowing he was a Rider and bumped into Shinji who revealed he was another Rider. By accident, Asakura succeeds getting his card deck back and transforms, escaping prison. Kitaoka later joins the other Riders and traps Knight and Ryuki in a fight. He with the other remaining Riders activated Final Vent on Shinji, then as Kamen Rider Knight Survive.

Kamen Rider Ryuki : Episode Final

In the movie: Episode Final (alternate ending), Kitaoka puts his grudge against Asakura on hold out of guilt for his actions of defending him when he murdered the sister of Miho Kirishima, who became a Rider to get revenge on her sister's murderer. Though he attempted to protect her from Ouja, Zolda gets the full blunt of her Blanc Visor, injuring his wrist. He later decides to end fighting, stating that he is tired of it.

Kamen Rider Decade

In the special version of episode 31, Kamen Rider Zolda is seen on top of Zero-Liner, using his Final Vent against Decade's Final Attack Ride, but the attack fails, and he dies.

OOO, Den-O, All Riders : Let's Go Kamen Riders

Kamen Rider Zolda was part of a group of reinforcement riders led by Akira Date/Kamen Rider Birth to aid the primary riders in defeating the Rock Great Leader. All the Kamen Riders got on their bikes and performed the All Rider Break attack which destroyed the Great Leader.

Kamen Rider × Super Sentai : Super Hero Taisen

He, along with Kamen Rider Knight, Kamen Rider Black, Kamen Rider G3, Kamen Rider Hibiki and Kamen Rider Gatack were the Kamen Rider team to be defeated by the hands of Gokai Red. It's unknown if he reappeared or not during the final battle.

Fighting Style

Zolda is a master of ranged combat, and the only one whose forte is ranged combat. He uses his Magna Visor and Strike Vent on closer enemies, while destroying his opponents with his heavy artillery in two different Shoot Vents: A bazooka and twin turrets. His defense is surpasses even Ryuki, as he has two Guard Vents: Twin pauldrons called the Giga Tector and a shield called the Giga Armor, leading to a total of three shields.

However, Zolda is weaker in close range, and his Final Vent may be spectacular, but its long charge time prevents it from reliably killing Riders. His far-range style also cannot be duplicated, as proven when Goro, Kitaoka's butler, died battling Ouja, while when Kitaoka was Zolda, Ouja could barely touch him.

Form

Kamen Rider Zolda

• Kamen Rider Zolda
  
  
  • Height: 192cm
  • Weight : 110kg
  • Sight & Hearing : 20km
  • Maximum Running Speed : 100m/7s
  • Maximum Jump Height : 15m
  • Punching Power : 15t (AP: 300)
  • Kicking Power : 15t (AP: 300)
  • Zolda is a far-range Kamen Rider, using different forms of heavy artillery to fight. His default weapon is his Magna Visor which doubles as a submachine gun with a cyclic rate of 120 rounds per minute. Using his Card Deck, Zolda can conjure up additional weapons that form from his Contact Monster's body such as the Giga Launcher bazooka, the Giga Cannon backpack, and a huge Giga Armor shield. In his Final Vent End Of World, Zolda summons Magnugiga in front of him, inserting his Magna Visor into the monster's back to have it fire all of its arsenal at once at the enemy and the surrounding area.

Contract Monster

Magnugiga

• Main List : Magnugiga

Steel Giant Magnugiga is a Mirror Monster that is contracted to Kamen Rider Zolda in Kamen Rider Ryuki. Magnugiga appears as Zolda's Contract Monster. It resembles a Minotaur and is referred to as the Steel Giant as its size and heavy arsenal gives it the appearance of a mecha. Zolda uses multiple parts of Magnugiga for weaponry.

Advent Deck

• Advent (AP : 6000) : Summons Magnugiga.
• Strike Vent (AP : 2000) : Conjures Giga Horn. Never used in the series but it was used in the Kamen Rider Ryuki Video Game.
• Guard Vent (AP : 3000) : Conjures Giga Armor.
• Guard Vent (AP :1000) : Conjures Giga Tector. Never used in the series but this card was made by Bandai in Ryuki collectable card games.
• Shoot Vent (AP : 3000) : Conjures Giga Cannon.
• Shoot Vent (AP : 2000) : Conjures Giga Launcher.
Final Vent (AP : 7000) : Executes End of World. Zolda summons Magnugiga in front of him inserting his Magna Visor into the monster's back to have it fire all of its arsenal at once at the enemy and surrounding area.

Equipment

• Advent Deck - Advent Card holders, also used as a key to transformation. As long as Shuichi holds one, he can detects presents of other Riders and Mirror Monsters inside the Mirror World, as well as surviving without dying when return to real world
• V-Buckle - Transformation belt materialised from a mirror reflection.
• Advent Cards - Trading cards that supply the user powers, weapons and Mirror Monsters (if they catch any).

Weapons

• Magna Visor - Loadgun/Visor used by Zolda to summon the Advent Cards' powers to him and other Riders if he used theirs.
• Giga Horn - Gauntlet modeled after Magnugiga's head. Never used in series but featured in Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes OOO and so on.
• Giga Armor - Shield modeled after Magnugiga's chest.
• Giga Tector - A pair of shields modeled after Magnugiga's knee pads. Never used.
• Giga Cannon - Bazooka modeled after Magnugiga's right arm.
• Giga Launcher - Shoulder Cannons modeled after Magnugiga's legs.

Info:

• Shuichi Kitaoka is portrayed by Ryohei. As Kamen Rider Zolda, his suit actor was Yoshifumi Oshikawa.
  • His name is derived from the French or Russian word, "soldat(Солдат)" meaning "soldier" or "mercenary".
  • Zolda's V-Buckle and Visor toy were used in one chapter of the World God Only Knows in the Swimming Girl Arc.

Related Post :

• Potrayer, Host & Artist Discovery

Source : Wikipedia / kamenrider.wikia