User blog:Pat141elite/PE Proposal:Kugai Kudo

If you thought Ryoma Sengoku is a messed-up villain within Kamen Rider Gaim? But, his predecessor from his Gaiden movie. Kugai Kudo/Kamen Rider Saver might fit the bill per this proposal.

What is the Work?
The Kamen Rider Gaim Gaiden movies are V-Cinema spin-offs of Kamen Rider Gaim. The second set, Gaim Gaiden: Duke & Knuckle was released on November 11, 2015, following the success of its first set, Gaim Gaiden: Zangetsu & Baron. On the Duke section of the V-Cinema, it focuses on Ryoma Sengoku's backstory before he developed the Genesis Driver, set before the Sengoku Movie Battle crossover with Kamen Rider Wizard.

Who is the villain?
The main antagonist of the Gaim Gaiden: Duke, the Greater-scope villain of Gaim Gaiden: Knuckle, and once again the main antagonist of the tie-in novel set after the events of the latter movie, Kugai Kudo was a former researcher of Yggdrasill Corporation before Ryoma. He took part of a Lockseed experimentation per orders of Amagi Kureshima, the father of Takatora and Mitsuzane, who at the time was the CEO of Yggdrasill before Takatora inherited the company. However, said experiment goes horribly wrong and Kugai dies, but enters in a state of Limbo, aware of the world and managed to gain a physical appearance due to the Sengoku Driver he was equipped with. Kugai also managed to keep the Zakuro Lockseed after his death and facilitated his own mass production laboratory with data stolen from Yggdrasill, creating blank pomegranate Zakuro Lockseeds that explodes upon activation. Kugai establishes a cult group called the Black Bodhi along with other members which were civilians that were brainwashed by the aforementioned Zakuro Lockseed. Its warehouse has an artificial Helheim where the blank Zakuro and other artificial Lockseeds were made. After Kugai's demise, this organization became defunct and was never heard of again.

What he has done?
Where to begin? Let's see, this nigh-omniscient being conveys his will through mass-produced Zakuro Lockseeds, where he mind-controls them and turn them into suicide bombers, much to Ryoma's disgust upon examining a sample of a Zakuro Lockseed. One of the brainwashed suicide bombers nearly killed Ryoma himself had Takatora never intervened to save his life.

Even after Ryoma kills Kugai, and after the events of the Forbidden Fruit Saga, with Yggdrasill now defunct; the Black Bodhi apparently is active underground, similar to Foundation X when it was never seen after Wizard all the way to Ex-Aid. The cult's influence lived on a fight club called Neo Baron, led by Shura, a disgraced former Team Baron member kicked out by Kaito for his underhanded tactics, this is because Kaito has a sense of honor and detests cowardice. Shura carries on Kugai's legacy, owning several Sengoku Drivers for himself and his fight club, and wishes to enact the Saver System, which will wipe out any unwanted humans who are not worthy.

On the Gaim novel, set after the events of Gaim Gaiden: Knuckle, it's revealed that Kugai formed connections with Russian mobsters and the head of a Foundation (NOTE: not to be confused with Foundation X, but an organization led by Shapool's (Kaito's doppelganger from Gaim Gaiden: Baron) father) in a South Asian country, providing them with Sengoku Drivers and Zakuro Lockseeds. Meanwhile in Zawame City, more mayhem ensued when street thugs wreak havoc when they use Zakuro Lockseeds to cause destruction. Additionally, from Ryoma's video diary, he mentions that Kugai possesses a power similar to the Overlords and his form cannot be restricted by matter. He could be defeated over and over again, and he would still be resurrected. However, he is unable to interfere with the matters of the living. The only reason why he is able to gain a physical appearance is due to the Sengoku Driver he is equipped with. Although Ryoma had previously destroyed Kugai's rider belt, Kugai was likely able to control his believers using the Zakuro Lockseed to replicate a new Sengoku Driver for him. Kugai declares his intention to assimilate all human beings, and turn them into Overlords.

Mitigating Factors
The movie didn't show anything redeemable about Kugai, let alone seeing himself as a "guidance" for Ryoma's delusions of godhood. But, Ryoma really hates him with passion, and his own V-Cinema shows that he used to be a decent person before becoming a delusional sociopath that we love to hate about him. As Ryoma elaborated, Kugai idea of brainwashing civilians into suicide bombers had him unsettled, something of all things that he'd never do.

In short, Kugai is the Jungian embodiment of everything Kaito Kumon and Ryoma Sengoku are. Kugai has the two Riders' Social Darwinist mindset, but take out Kaito's redeeming qualities with more emphasis on Ryoma's god complex.

Heinous Standards
Good Lord... Brainwashing civilians and turning them into suicide bombers? That's f***ed up. Planning to assimilate all of humanity and turn them into Overlords? That's ultra-f***ed up! Even Ryoma of all people is unsettled by this to the point that Kugai wants him to stoop to his level, which is likened to a Deviot-fused Trakeena using her own mooks as suicide bombers. And his assimilation plot to turn humans into Overlords, it's like Kamen Rider's take of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Final Verdict
An easy yes. You are free to comment if you have objections.