Kido and Dr. Riddles

Kido and Dr. Riddles are two characters in the anime and manga series Zatch Bell!, known in Japan as Konjiki no Gash Bell!! (金色のガッシュベル!!), by Makoto Raiku.

Kido

Kido (called nihongo|Kid|キッド|Kiddo) in the original and spelled Kedo in the VIZ manga translation) is a lanky child mamodo who wears a blue jumpsuit with a K on it. He is partly robotic, which is shown in his various spells which involve weapons and changing the size of his body part. Personality-wise, he is childish and cocky, but also very gullible, showcased by a common scene in which Kido explains something with a lie Dr. Riddles had previously made up, and is utterly shocked when Dr. Riddles revealed he had been "kidding".

Despite it all, Kido is very loyal to Dr. Riddles, going as far as to sacrifice himself to protect him, Kanchomé, and Parco Folgore in battle from Belgim E.O.

Kido is voiced by Brianne Siddall in the English version and by Akemi Okamura in the Japanese original.

Dr. Riddles

Dr. Riddles (called nihongo|Professor Riddle|ナゾナゾ博士|Nazonazo Hakase in the original is a tall, old American man with a prominent mustache, a top hat with a floating question mark above it, a monocle and fancy black clothing. He often claims to be the "mysterious professor who knows all", although he is clearly exaggerating. A frequent scene between him and Kido shows Kido explaining something that Dr. Riddles had told him earlier, only for Riddles to say he was "kidding", which causes Kido's expression to become shocked and negative.

He first met Kido when Kido visited his library-of-a-house. Dr. Riddles ended up in seclusion in that house, reading many books because of a failed surgery on a child (grandson in the original version) as a doctor. He quit that job in shame, but felt more pride in purpose with Kido's help.

In the battle with the Ancient Mamodo in South America, their final battle was with Belgim E.O., unlocking a new spell, Mikor Ma Zegaruga. After the battle, Dr Riddles was still upset and grieving over the mamodo. But when Kanchomé and Parco Folgore came around to cheer him up, he reflected about all his happy moments he had and began to embraced it, and no longer feels alone as Kido's spirit will linger around him.

Even though Kido's book is burned, Dr. Riddles continues to accompany the other mamodo teams, and is the primary source of information throughout the series afterward, supplying Zatch and Kiyo with data regarding Faudo.

In the King Festival arc., after defeating Clear Note and Vino, Dr. Riddles adopts the baby Vino as a son.

Dr. Riddles is voiced by Quinton Flynn in the English version and by Rokuro Naya in the original.

The Majestic Twelve

Dr. Riddles leads a league of American superheroes called the Majestic Twelve. They are seen at various points in the series, and although they seem to have great powers, they are mostly shown as humorously incompetent at fighting, preferring to use riddles and confusion to defeat their opponents. They are named after the purported secret committee of American scientists that supposedly investigated UFO incidents in the Truman era.

In order of introduction, they are:
* Lightning Eye (Two-Lighting Eye in the Japanese version), who shoots lasers from his eyes (actually can only shoot light, which has no effect at all);
* Rocket Foot, with a top speed of 300 km/h (but gets tired easily);
* Flying Beet, born able to soar the sky (but cannot steer properly);
* Second Sight, a man with clairvoyance (but can't really do anything with his powers);
* Dinosaur Arm, with the strength of a dinosaur (but being very cowardly);
* Future Wonder (Wonderful to the Future in the Japanese version), who can see into the future (which doesn't help in battle);
* Psychic Jungle (Psycho Jungle in the Japanese version), a wild barbarian with telekinesis (but frequently gets distracted by girls, remarking "You're pretty..." while drooling);
* Fire Elbow, who can use pyrokinesis (but has no control over his abilities);
* Lady Susan (Big Boing in the Japanese version), who smells nice (a bit like lavender, which isn't really a power). Her Japanese name refers to her oversized breasts; her power involves bouncing them up and down to distract everyone (which seems to be the most useful ability of the twelve, though this is edited out in the English version). She is the most prominent of the twelve, appearing occasionally on her own and consistently seen alongside Dr. Riddles.
* Blizzard Thing, a youth who can summon ice (and like Fire Elbow cannot control it);
* Tremor Mole, who can travel freely through the ground (but cannot see underground so constantly crashes); and
* Telepathy Radar who commands them all and enhances their powers (however most of the others have been defeated before he can help at all). He is also the pilot of the plane used by Sunbeam and Ponygon as they rush to take on one of Clear's minions at the time of the final battle.

In the original, Telepathy Radar is voiced by Toshinobu Iida, Wonderful to the Future and Blizzard Thing by Jun Azumi, Second Sight by Kazuhiko Nishimatsu, Psycho Jungle by Satoshi Tsuruoka, Dinosaur Arm by Gou Shinomiya, and Big Boing by Ai Nagano.

Spells

* Zegar/Zagaru: A small cannon appears out of Kido's mouth and fires a beam of energy. (Attack)

* Zerusen: Shoots rocket fists at the enemy. (Attack)

* Zeburuk/Zaburuku: Kido can detach his upper half from his lower half. (Assist)

* Zegaruga: Powerful beam cannon blast from his mouth. (Attack)

* Amu Zegar/Amu Zegaru: Kido fires a big metal fist with a pulverizing punch. (Attack)

* Koburuk/Koburuku: Creates tiny, but powerful versions of himself. (Attack)

* Ganzu Zegar/Ganzu Zegaru: Multiple-gun cannon fired from mouth. (Attack)

* Raja Zerusen/Raajia Zerusen: Giant rocket-like fist shot from his arms. (Attack)

* Gigano Zegar/Gigano Zegaru: Powered-up version of Zegar, but fired from the chest. (Attack)

* Mikor Ma Zegaruga/Mikoruo Ma Zegaruga: A huge metallic goddess is created from Kido's power. (Attack)

* Mikoruo Shin Zegaruga: A strengthened version of Mikor Ma Zegaruga. This spell is seen in Zatch's golden spellbook, but it's released by Kido.

Spell books they burned

* Kalura, on the outskirts of an old village (episode 67)
* Paramakion, on the outskirts of an old village (episode 67)
* Denshin, on the outskirts of an old village (episode 67)
* Belgim E.O., in the Devolo Ruins (Also his book was burned during the fight) (episode 73)
* Kamakku, in a forest near the Devolo Ruins (episode 92, flashback)

References

* [http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=6118 shows Kid's name change to Kedo in the manga]