Kamen Rider Stronger (character)

nihongo|Kamen Rider Stronger|仮面ライダーストロンガー|Kamen Raidā Sutorongā is a fictional character from the Japanese tokusatsu television series "Kamen Rider Stronger". His true identity is nihongo|Shigeru Jō|城　茂 |Jō Shigeru, portrayed by Shigeru Araki.

higeru Jo

Fictional character biography

Shigeru Jō joins the evil organisation Black Satan after the death of a close friend, one whom he considered his mentor. Promised power, and fueled by a desire for revenge, he undergoes surgery to become one of Black Satan's super warriors. However, Shigeru knows that Black Satan were in fact the murderers of his friend; he was using Black Satan in order to gain new powers. The newly powered up Shigeru escapes from the Black Satan headquarters before they can brainwash him into following their campaign of evil.

Frustrated, Black Satan scientists devise a plan to capture and kill the warrior they have just created, along with continuing the goal they've had all along: world domination. Shigeru plans on fighting back in his new form, called Kamen Rider Stronger. While escaping from Black Satan, Stronger meets Yuriko Misaki (played by Kyōko Okada) another cyborg warrior created by Black Satan. They team up, with Yuriko now becoming Electro Wave Human Tackle. The two eventually meet Tōbei Tachibana as well.

Stronger, Tackle, and Tōbei fight valiantly against the evil cyborg forces of Black Satan, continually meeting the head agents General Shadow, and the One-Eyed Titan. The Titan is defeated in episode 13, but manages to return in episode 17 as the One-Hundred Eyed Titan, posing an even greater threat than before. Despite sharing the similar goals of defeating Stronger and conquering the world, General Shadow and the Titan cannot seem to agree on a few other issues—for instance, which one of them gets to kill Stronger. Often, their bickering inadvertently allows him to escape their wrath.

In episode 26, Stronger is able to topple Black Satan once and for all. With his former organization in ruins, General Shadow forms the "Delza Army" to continue his malicious goals. There were two further defining moments for the series: first, in episode 30, Tackle sacrifices herself to save Stronger from Doctor Kate, a Delza Army general. Her death affects Stronger greatly, and he vows to keep fighting until evil is defeated. Tackles' death is sometimes compared to Riderman's sacrifice in "Kamen Rider V3". In the following episode, Stronger's fight against evil is greatly assisted when he undergoes surgery and gains a devastating new power—the ability to power up into a new, stronger, form—"Charge Up!".

Ultimately, all the former Riders, Kamen Riders 1, 2 from the original "Kamen Rider", V3 from "Kamen Rider V3", X from "Kamen Rider X", and Amazon from "Kamen Rider Amazon", all appear in the final few episodes to help Stronger finally defeat the Delza Army and General Shadow. This sequence of episodes has attracted some praise from fans. [cite web|url=http://www.japanhero.com//forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=1980&view=findpost&p=21612|title=Post on Japan Hero Access forums.|author=Paul "Igadevil" Sullivan]

Themes

Stronger's primary motif was that of electricity. All his attacks were based on electricity, and the cyborg aspect of his body is much more prominent than in the previous series; for instance, his hands were metal coils that had to be covered when he was not transformed. Stronger was not based on a grasshopper or grasshopper-like insect as with the previous Riders; he is based on the "Kabutomushi", or Japanese rhinoceros beetle.

The other primary characteristic of the series is Shigeru's bravado and eccentric personality. For instance, in the first episode, he instructs some Black Satan henchmen he encounters to call him Jō-san or Shigeru-san, the informal forms of his name, due to the fact that he'd already introduced himself. He wears various t-shirts emblazoned with the letter "S", along with numerous other items of clothing, including a denim jacket with a rose emblem. Stronger's entrance is also a hallmark of the series, with his opening serifu and accompanying whistle a particular highlight. [This translation comes from the region 2 DVDs.] :

"The heavens call...
The earth cries out...
The crowds roar...
All calling on me to strike back against evil.
Now listen up, villains!
I am the warrior of justice,
The Kamen Rider Stronger!"

This recurring sequence has been compared to a similar one in "Kikaider". [cite web|url=http://groups.google.com/group/alt.tv.sentai/browse_frm/thread/1c40dfa71a6fe72b/4cf098859c21f8ff|title=alt.tv.sentai thread from November 17, 1999|author=Stuart Johnson]

Indeed, "Kabuto" was greatly influenced by "Stronger". Not only are both Stronger and Kabuto based on the same type of beetle, Stronger's Rider Machine is named "Kabutoroh". Beyond these superficial similarities, Kabuto and Stronger, or, more accurately, Shigeru and Tendō Souji, the title character of "Kabuto", share a similar philosophical outlook and eccentric attitudes toward life and others, often commenting wrly on combat as it occurs.

Forms

Additionally, the "form changer" motif makes its first appearance in "Stronger". Stronger's "Charge-Up!" mode predates Robo Rider and Bio Rider of "Kamen Rider Black RX", and the primary themes of "Kamen Rider Kuuga", "Kamen Rider Agito", "Kamen Rider Den-O", and Kamen Rider Kiva where the main characters' ability is to change forms during battle to adjust varying situations. "Kamen Rider Kabuto", where each Rider character can shift between a bulky armoured form and a lightly covered, fast form, also features this concept prominently.

Earlier Kamen Riders had "charge up" modes but without a change in appearance. Riders 1, 2 and V3 simply had a charge up sound effect. Kamen Rider X had smoke pour out of his body.

tandard Form

Stronger's default form.

Charge Up Form

In episode 31, a scientist operates on Shigeru Jô placing a dynamo inside his body. This gives Kamen Rider the ability to "Charge Up!". Parts of him would turn silver and the "S" on his chest would spin.

Charging up gave Kamen Rider Stronger more powerful combat techniques:

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There was a price to pay for this increased power however, Stronger had 1 minute to disperse the extra energy, by using it against his enemy or he would explode.

Notes