Skull Man Addendum

Somehow, even after typing all that stuff about The Skull Man, I forgot all about this guy:

Kamen Rider SPIRITS's own other skull-themed hero, who is the alter-ego of longtime Double Rider ally and FBI agent Taki Kazuya. Though you could be forgiven for overlooking him too since the Skull Man influence extends only to the helmet design, and it's really patterned after that unused skull-ish Kamen Rider design, as opposed to Skull Man Proper (well, it's REALLY patterned after Rider 1 & 2, but with a nice nod to that unused design.) Also, I think the "Skull Rider" name is more of a fan concept; the character is officially just referred to as "Taki Rider", and I don't think that's ever even in the story itself (he just goes by "Kamen Rider" or, well, Taki.)

In the opening chapter of the manga, Taki puts on this suit to mimic the appearance of Kamen Rider, and do battle with some Man-Bats (they're everywhere!) He mixes his own martial arts prowess with sophisticated weaponry trying to emulate the Rider Punch & Kick (plus a good 'ol trusty shotgun.) Of course he's still just a normal guy, and takes a pretty severe beating until an old friend shows up...

In later chapters he dons the skull-themed combat gear yet again, teaming up with Riderman to fill evil with bullet holes. I like to think he used it to scare his daughter in later years. In addition to the comic appearances, they actually have made a Taki Rider suit for promotional purposes, and photos of it are included in one of the trades.

Now me, I've always thought part of what makes Taki cool is that he isn't a Rider. Like Ichijô or Kengo, much of his appeal is that he's a normal guy who happens to be best friends with the hero, and to an extent he can roll with the punches in a way your average civilian extra couldn't (literally, he can take a punch in the gut from Rider 1, which technically should kill you since punches from Rider 1 are measured in tons.)

However, I like the idea of him putting on a suit when there's no Riders around, trying his hardest to be a Kamen Rider, even if he knows he's in over his head. The mask is more about the meaning behind it than the powers it gives, I guess you could say. Or as Rider 1 tells him, "Tonight, you and I will be the Double Riders."

Also, I realized this morning that Ishinomori Week 2012 started up just shy of the 40th Anniversary of Jinzô-Ningen Kikaider, which I totally planned on happening. Stay tuned for Part 2 later today.