is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the tenth installment of the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows and the first of the series to air entirely in the Heisei period, as well as the first standalone Kamen Rider TV series since Kamen Rider Black RX and the first series of the revived run of Kamen Rider, bringing Kamen Rider into the 21st century.
It was a joint collaboration between Asatsu-DK and Toei, and was shown on TV Asahi from January 30, 2000, to January 21, 2001, replacing Moero!! Robocon in its timeslot. Kamen Rider Kuuga is the first Kamen Rider Series to be broadcast in a widescreen (letterboxed) format, albeit cropped during airing. It aired alongside Mirai Sentai Timeranger.
Synopsis Long ago, the Gurongi Tribe terrorized the Linto Tribe until a warrior acquired the power of Kuuga and defeated the Gurongi, sealing their leader within a cave along with him. In the present day, Kuuga's mysterious stone belt is excavated, freeing the Gurongi as they resume their murderous game on the Linto Tribe's descendants: humanity itself. But a multi-talented man named Yusuke Godai finds himself drawn to the belt and becomes the new Kuuga. He helped assemble the Science Police to fight the Gurongi to ensure the happiness and safety of others. But as the endgame draws near, Yusuke learns of a horrible revelation between Kuuga and the Gurongi Tribe's leader.
Characters Main/Supporting
A 24-year-old (later 25-year-old in episode 9) young, multi-talented adventurer. He is a happy-go-lucky and honest person that fights to "protect everyone's smiles". Yusuke helps out at the Pole Pole while staying at the shop, and continuously attempts to master 2000 different skills and talents which he uses to help others. He lost his father, a war photographer, when he was a sixth-grade elementary school student, before losing his mother at the age of 18. He was born in Hokkaido on March 18, 1975. After putting it on for the first time, the belt fuses with Yusuke. It contains a , which is the belt's power source that allows Yusuke to transform into the warrior .
As Kuuga, Yusuke has access to a number of different colored forms, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. He is also able to morph certain objects into weapons for his various forms. He later gains the ability to temporarily enhance his four main forms into gold-accented forms after getting electric shocks, which Yusuke refers to as the . The police refer to Kuuga as until Yusuke reveals his identity to them and begins officially working with them.
During his fight against the Gurongi Tribe, Yusuke rides the and later police motorcycles provided by the Metro PD. The , a stag beetle-like entity assisting Kuuga, can attach itself to Yusuke's motorcycles as armor to form the and later the , which can also combine with the energy of his Rising forms to become the . : Yusuke's incomplete form, also known as , that he is forced to assume whenever he is injured, after which he is unable to transform again for two hours. His finisher in this form is the . The police initially refer to this form as and believe it to be a separate being from Kuuga's other forms until they learn about Kuuga's form-changing powers. : Yusuke's default form, also known as , that grants superhuman athleticism. His finisher in this form is the . : An evolution of Mighty Form that that equips Yusuke with the , which increases the power of his Mighty Kick into the . : A black-colored evolution of Rising Mighty and Yusuke's super form that equips him with a second Mighty Anklet, which increases the power of his Rising Mighty Kick into the . : An auxiliary form, also known as , that grants superhuman speed. In this form, Yusuke can morph any pole or stick-like object into the staff, which allows him to perform the finisher. : An evolution of Dragon Form that enhances the Dragon Rod into the double-bladed , which increases the power of Yusuke's Splash Dragon into the . : An auxiliary form, also known as , that grants superhuman senses. In this form, Yusuke can morph any gun-like object into the , which allows him to perform the finisher. However, he can only use this form for 50 seconds before succumbing to sensory overload and being forced into Growing Form. : An evolution of Pegasus Form that enhances the Pegasus Bowgun into the rapid-fire , which increases the power of Yusuke's Blast Pegasus into the . He can also use this form 30 seconds longer than Pegasus Form. : An auxiliary form, also known as , that grants superhuman strength. In this form, Yusuke can morph any pole or stick-like object into the , which allows him to perform the finisher. : An evolution of Titan Form that enhances the Titan Sword into the longer and broader , which increases the power of Yusuke's Calamity Titan into the . He can also produce a second Rising Titan Sword for dual wielding and to perform the stronger finisher. : Yusuke's black-colored final form, also known as the , that grants the combined powers of his four main forms. However, he risks losing control in this form, which changes its eye color from red to black. : A gold-colored evolution of Ultimate Form that is exclusively used by Yusuke's A.R. World counterpart Yusuke Onodera.
A 25-year-old (later 26-year-old in episode 15) assistant police inspector of the Security Division of the Nagano Prefectural PD. He is sent to the Unidentified Life Form Joint Task Force Office, which is set up in the Metro PD to investigate and counter the Gurongi. Like his father, who died on his tenth birthday, Ichijo is a model policeman who firmly believes in doing the right thing. Though he is very strict with himself, he will do everything he can, even bend police rules, to help Yusuke fight the Gurongi. After the Gurongi were defeated, Ichijo returns to Nagano. He was born in Nagoya on April 18, 1974.
A 23-year-old friend of Yusuke from a university and a graduate student at Johnan University who translates the ancient "Lintonese" transcripts that tell of Kuuga and the Gurongi. At first, she was against helping because she was worried about Yusuke, but now she believes in him fully and works hard to help Yusuke understand his powers by deciphering the writings. She was born in Gunma Prefecture on October 30, 1976.
Yusuke's 22-year-old younger sister who works as a teacher at Wakaba Nursery School. Yusuke occasionally visited her there to entertain the kids. Like Sakurako, she was at first apprehensive about her brother transforming into Kuuga, but she believes in Yusuke and helps out however she can. She was born in Hokkaido on September 4, 1977.
A 26-year-old forensic doctor at Kanto Medical University Hospital and a trusted friend of Ichijo from high school, he is the doctor who looks after Yusuke and treats him when he becomes injured, while also researching the effects of Yusuke's fusion with the Arcle. Though he is a light-hearted person, he was very serious and worried when talking about Yusuke's future transformations because of the constant dangers that surrounded the Kuuga legend. He also performs the autopsies of the Gurongi victims to determine the causes of death.
A 34-year-old researcher of the National Research Institute of Police Science, she studies the biology of the Gurongi to develop effective weapons against them. She also assists in the study of Kuuga and the Gouram. Because of the massive amount of work required of her to fight the Gurongi, she was away from home quite often and her child felt lonely and neglected.
A 44-year-old former adventurer, he was friends with the father of Yusuke and Minori, who affectionately refer to him as like everyone else. He owns and runs the Pole Pole. He is a goofy, light-hearted character that keeps a scrapbook of all of Kuuga's exploits from the newspaper, though unaware of Yusuke being "ULF 04" and thinks that the name "Kuuga" is some nonsensical word made up by Yusuke. After learning the truth, however, he dons the Kuuga mark on his apron in the series epilogue. He was born on June 9, 1955.
Tamasaburo's 17-year-old niece from Kyoto Prefecture, who helps out at the Pole Pole while aspiring to be an actress. However, since the death of her acting teacher at the hands of Gurongi, Nana has been troubled until Yusuke finally helps her overcome her sadness.
A 27-year-old graduate student at Johnan University from France that shares the work office with Sakurako. He researched the broken fragments that later formed into Gouram. He has a crush on Enokida and hoped to help her reconnect with her child.
The 57-year-old head of the Security Bureau of the Metro PD and the head of the Unidentified Life Form Joint Task Force Office.
A 37-year-old detective of the First Investigation Division of the Metro PD who is also a member of the Unidentified Life Form Joint Task Force Office.
A 26-year-old detective of the First Investigation Division of the Metro PD who is also a member of the Unidentified Life Form Joint Task Force Office.
A 21-year-old policewoman of the Unidentified Life Form Joint Task Force Office who sends communication from headquarters.
The 14-year-old daughter of Professor , and one of Daguva's victims, she was greatly depressed when her father's murder was being overlooked for the Gurongi attacks, taking the findings her father had at their house. But after Yusuke reasons with her, Mika decides to aid in the Gurongi matter as Jean's assistant. However, she is unable to follow and decides to take up playing the flute her father gave her. But while attending the 12th Arikawa Group Flute Competition, a hostage situation by a disgruntled government worker traumatizes Mika as Yusuke tells her not to run from her fear and continue. Three months later, Mika attended a special college.
Yusuke's 52-year-old elementary school teacher, he served as an inspiration to Yusuke, and the two of them visit on certain occasions.
A 22-year-old young troubled man, he saw the Gurongi as salvation until he was saved by Kuuga. He later researched trying to make a living until he was knocked out by while on his way to a contest.
Gurongi Tribe The is a mysterious ancient civilization whose members can transform into monsters to kill people for their ruthless game, referred to in their language as the . The 200 members of the Gurongi made their rival civilization the , humanity's ancestors before they were defeated and sealed by the original Kuuga, Riku. However, the seal was undone in 2000 with the Gurongi resuming their Gegeru on the human race that are the Linto's descendants to bring about the , when humanity will become as violent as the Gurongi.
The Gurongi are classified as , while those that have a human form are labeled . Each of the Gurongi possesses a stylized belt with a . The naming pattern of the Gurongi is "Group·Species·Creature type": the first part denotes their rank, the second part is the personal name, and the third part indicates the type of animal they resemble. Only 25 out of the 200 Gurongi appeared in the course of the series.
In the series, the Gurongi speak in their own native language (originally created by the producers as a cipher of the Japanese language) which was left purposely unsubtitled during the original broadcast to prevent the audience from learning the series' mysteries and plot twists (as it was referred by them in the early episodes). The Xu Group is the first to play in the Gegeru, then the Me, and finally the Go in the . The Gegeru is overseen by the two La Gurongi, and the winner of the Gerizagibas Gegeru receives the right to challenge their leader, N·Daguva·Zeba, to a duel known as the for the leadership of the Gurongi.