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| “ | Do not talk back to the game master! Both Emu Hojo and Tsukuru Koboshi made a new Gashat without my permission. How dare they create their own Gashats! Gashats are a product of my mind! It should be something only I can make! The same goes for you Bugsters. You're nothing but pawns, useful tools to make my plans a reality. I designed game characters from scratch. Designed their thought processes, controlling them as I will. I am the game master! I am God! | „ |
| ~ Kuroto Dan's rant to Parado. |
| “ | I am God! My dreams are...IMMORTAL!! | „ |
| ~ Kuroto Dan's last words before his first death. |
Kuroto Dan is the CEO of Genm Corp and the central antagonist of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. He is capable of using his Gamer Driver to become Kamen Rider Genm. He serves as the main antagonist of the first half of the series and the Kamen Sentai Go-Rider miniseries. He later returns as an anti-hero in the series' second half and True Ending film. In the Another Ending trilogy, however, Kuroto returns to his own pursuits and serves as the movie trilogy's main antagonist.
Kuroto is the one responsible for the outbreak of the Bugster Virus, having made Emu Hojo patient zero for it when he sent him a game containing it and later employed the Next Genome Institute to extract it. Defined by his extreme egotism and psychotic god complex, his ultimate goal is to trap everyone in the game Kamen Rider Chronicle, where humans and Bugsters will be forced to fight it out as a testament to his genius. However, Kuroto secretly plans to use the game to bring back his mother who died of the Bugster virus, as should the human side win, all those who have vanished due to the Bugster virus will be revived.
Kuroto later returns in Kamen Rider Zi-O as Another OOO and the antagonist of the "OOO" arc. In the alternate timeline of Zi-O, Kuroto became the CEO of the massive business conglomeration, the Dan Foundation after killing his father and usurping his assets. After receiving the power of OOO from Uhr, Kuroto declares his company's independence from Japan and begins seeking to bring the whole world under his rule as king.
He was portrayed by Tetsuya Iwanaga.
History
Origin
At 14 years old, Kuroto was a game developer for the Genm Corp and created numerous successful games. While he was developing a game one day, Kuroto discovered a mysterious glitch that emerged from the Y2K bug and showed it to his father, the CEO of Genm Corp, Masamune Dan. This glitch would then take shape as the Bugster Virus.
One day, Kuroto received a fan mail from Emu Hojo suggesting a new idea for a game. Though impressed, Kuroto was angered that someone else was as talented as him and thus he sent him a game called Mighty Action C that contained the Bugster Virus. When Emu played it, he became infected with the virus.
Zero Day
In 2010, Kuroto hired the Next Genome Institute to abduct Emu after the Bugster virus within him fully matured, with Kuroto having secretly observed the virus' development for the past decade.
With the virus now in his hands, Kuroto used it to trigger Zero Day, where the Bugsters emerged from the glitches of 10 games produced by the Genm Corp. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Kuroto designed the Gashats and Gamer Driver to counter the Bugsters. He gave a Gamer Drive and the Proto Bang Bang Shooting Gashat to Taiga Hanaya, a doctor from the CR, so he could become the first doctor rider to combat the Bugster virus. However, Kuroto was secretly using Taiga to finalize the Gashat. The effects of the Gashat on Taiga later caused his defeat at the hands of Graphite, resulting in him leaving the CR.
Kuroto managed to avoid punishment for the outbreak by framing his father Masamune Dan for it. With his father out of the way, Kuroto became CEO of Genm Corp. While the truth remained under wraps for some time, two years after Zero Day, Kuroto was confronted by Kiriya Kujo, a coroner who had discovered the truth about Zero Day after his friend Jungo was infected by the Bugster virus and died in an accident. In exchange for his silence, Kuroto gave Kiriya a Gamer Driver and the Bakusou Bike Gashat.
Second Bugster Outbreak
A second Bugsters outbreak occurred following the release of Genm Corp's new game, Mighty Action X. Unbeknownst to everyone, Kuroto was secretly collaborating with the Bugsters, needing their help to develop his ultimate masterpiece, Kamen Rider Chronicle, a game where people in the real world would be forced to fight against Bugsters for his amusement.
Dan first appears at the press release for Mighty Action X, where the Salty Bugster emerged from Sota Suyama. After Salty was defeated by Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Dan called Poppy Pipopapo and told her to record Emu's specs as the Action Gamer using his specialized VR for later use.
While acting as an ally to the CR, Dan secretly menacing them as the mysterious "Black Ex-Aid". He first appeared as the Rider when Kamen Riders Ex-Aid and Brave were fighting the Alhambra Bugster. Genm attacked the two, giving the Bugster time to flee the scene. Later on, Kuroto Dan was approached again by Taiga Hanaya, who bought a new Driver and Bang Bang Shooting Gashat from Kuroto with a large pile of cash. This sale caused Hiiro Kagami to confront Kuroto about selling a Driver to a doctor who had his medical license revoked but Kuroto defended his decision by saying that Taiga was both compatible and capable.
After Taiga took Emu's Gashat, Kuroto came to CR later to apologize for giving Taiga a Driver again and assured Hiiro that there would be more Gashats ready within a few days. Later on, Kuroto as Kamen Rider Genm interfered in Brave and Snipe's fight to deplete their Rider Gauges. After Ex-Aid and Lazer defeated the Motors Bugster, Genm finished off the Bugster to prevent Lazer from getting a sample to study. Genm the used the Shakariki SportsGashat to upgrade to Sports Action Gamer Level 3, which he used to defeat Ex-Aid and Lazer with one move.
Kuroto Dan called Poppy Pipopapo to tell her that the newly-developed Gashats were all stolen by a hooded man. Dan also secretly informs Taiga and Kiriya, giving them the special stethoscope. He later came to the CR and asked Emu if he knows who Kamen Rider Genm really is, with Asuna stating that the thief is Genm. After Emu got in a fight with Hiiro, Dan goes to comfort Emu in private at a helipad. Dan tells Emu that it's only natural for a doctor to have a desire to save the patient, but that he agreed with Hiiro, since the man is responsible for the stolen Gashat. He then compares Emu to a crystal which, once shattered by a malicious patient, couldn't shine again. However, to Dan's surprise, Emu said that he'll regret the day he can't save a patient and left. Deciding to teach Emu a lesson, Dan, transformed into Kamen Rider Genm Sports Action Gamer Level 3, and Robots Collabos attacked and beat down Kamen Riders Brave Quest Gamer Level 2 and Lazer Bike Gamer Level 1. As Emu questions Genm as to why he attacked the doctors, the thief appears and Genm directs Emu to him, with the thief later being revealed to be Graphite.
Genm then lectures Emu that his idealism doesn't work on a real battlefield and that survival is only for the strongest. Angered by Genm's remarks, Emu transformed into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Action Gamer Level 2 and defeated Robots Collabos using Mighty Critical Finish before shifting to Robot Action Gamer Level 3 and beating Genm with the Gekitotsu Critical Strike, causing Genm to retreat. Canceling his transformation, Dan meets with Graphite and Parado. Graphite asks Kuroto if he was afraid of Emu, but Dan psychotically proclaims that his genius is the only thing to be feared.
As Emu and Hiiro were attempting to extract the Collabos Bugsters that had infected Yoshio Okada, Kamen Rider Genm enters the scene and fights off both Emu and Hiiro as Sports Gamer Level 3 to give the Bugsters an opportunity to escape. Afterwards as Brave is fighting the Chambara Collabos Bugster, Genm intervenes again to fight the Rider, buying Emu and Kiriya time to obtain the Giri Giri ChambaraGashat. His identity exposed, Genm then fights Kiriya as the now Chambara Bike Gamer Level 3 and is defeated by Lazer's Giri Giri Critical Finish. However, Parado then appears and creates a protective barrier to allow Dan to escape before pretending to have been the Black Ex-Aid to fool Emu and Hiiro, causing them to lose trust in Kiriya. Back at his office, Kuroto had his Gamer Driver and Proto-Mighty Action X Gashat returned to him by Parado.
Kuroto was later warned by Parado that while the Proto Gashats have great potential, prolonged usage would damage his body. Right after, Dan received a call from Kiriya Kujo and went to go meet him under a bridge the next day. Kuroto denies knowing anything about Parado to Kiriya before transforming into Genm Sports Action Gamer Level 3 to fight Kiriya as Kamen Rider Lazer Chambara Bike Gamer Level 3. However, the two prove evenly matched and are unable to gain an advantage over the other. Kiriya then asks Kuroto why he is on the side of the Bugsters, to which Dan states that he is working with them to figure out why they came into their world and that that is the reason why he developed the Gamer Drivers and Rider Gashats. He then states that one has to undergo a compatibility surgery in order to use the Gamer Drivers and hints to Kiriya that one of the Doctor Riders has not received the compatibility surgery. Upon hearing this, Kiriya quickly identifies the Rider as Emu Hojo.
Meeting with Parado in his office, Kuroto informs him that he had Graphite take the Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z so he could give the Kamen Riders their most challenging fight yet as he went on a rampage, causing Parado to jokingly state that Dan had scared him. Kuroto then went to CR to show Drago Knight Hunter Z to Emu and Hiiro, which he stated was the key to defeating Graphite. Dan informed the two that Drago Knight Hunter Z would need to be completed by defeating the Hunter Gamer and warned them that Drago Knight Hunter Z was a 4 Player co-op game and required teamwork to avoid the danger of using it alone. In spite of Dan's warning however, Emu took the Gashat for himself and stayed he would clear the game. Watching from afar, Dan and Parado observed Emu as he initially failed to convince his fellow Riders to cooperate. Dan assured Parado that they would collect their data either way and that they could eventually replace the troublesome doctors with new candidates. Eventually though, Emu and his fellow Doctor Riders were able to collaborate by dividing and using the Hunter Gamer together to terminate Graphite. After Graphite's destruction the Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z was recovered by Parado, Dan allowing Dan to use it to complete tests and data recording so they could to move on to the next stage.
Kuroto Reveals Himself
Revealing himself as Kamen Rider Genm to the other Riders, Dan taunts them with the fact that a large amount of people were infected with the Bugster virus and that a break-out could happen at any moment. He then proceeds to say to the Doctor Riders that it was up to them whether the people with the ten Gashats would be saved or not before using the Gashacon Bugvisor to make his escape. Returning to his office, Dan reveals Dangerous Zombie, the newest Gashat he had created.
Kuroto later learned that Kiriya had met with his father and was planning to tell the other Riders what he had learned. Before Kiriya could meet with the other Doctor Riders to reveal Dan tracked Kiriya down and offered him the Dangerous Zombie Gashat supposedly in exchange for Kiriya's silence. As Dan had intended, Kiriya took Dangerous Zombie and when Kiriya attempted to use it, he was instead severely weakened. Dan took the Gashat back and used it to become Kamen Rider Genm Zombie Gamer Level X. Genm then took the Giri Giri Chanbara Gashat as well and, just moments before CR and Snipe arrived, mortally injured Lazer.
Ex-Aid Double Action Gamer
As the "test players" were no longer needed, Dan decided it was time to take back all the Gashats from the Doctor Riders. While Kamen Riders Ex-Aid and Brave were fighting the Level 3 Alhambra Bugster, Kamen Rider Genm appeared to confront them and summoned the Gashacon Sparrow for himself to use. Upon seeing Kiriya's weapon, Ex-Aid became enraged and, assuming Hunter Action Gamer Level 5 Full Dragon, struck Genm will the full force of his power, only for Genm to quickly recover in a cloud of purple smoke. Revealing that his Rider Gauge was stuck at zero, Dan declared that he had surpassed death with no attack being able to slow him down. In spite of this, Ex-Aid continued to fight against Genm until Genm triggered the Critical Dead and sent a horde of shadowy zombie figures to eliminate Ex-Aid. Right as the zombies exploded however, Brave tackled Ex-Aid out of the way and canceled both of their transformations to remove the Game Area so they could escape.
At his hideout, Dan presented to Parado a blank, double Gashat he had created for him to use. Dan informed Parado that it would need to be inserted into a Bugster to obtain data to finish it and that a human who used it would die instantly from a massive Bugster virus infection. As Snipe and Brave were facing Alhambra, Genm joined the fight and quickly defeated both Riders. Before he could kill the two Riders, Genm was confronted by Emu who was holding the blank double Gashat he had given to Parado. Emu attempted to used the Gashat but was overwhelmed by the Bugster virus. However, rather than succumb to the virus, Emu was somehow able to transform the blank Gashat into a new game, Mighty Brothers XX, shocking Genm. Transforming into Double Action Gamer Level X, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid managed to stand up to Genm with his new powers. Ex-Aid then advanced up to Level XX and was split into two separate Level 2-shaped Riders.
However, the split also divided Emu into two distinct individuals. While the two Ex-Aids conflicted with one another, Genm used the distraction to escape with Alhambra. Back at his hideout, Dan spoke with Parado about the new Gashat Emu had created, which Dan declared to be a bootleg and stated he would erase.
As the Level 2 Action Gamer, Kamen Rider Genm went to fight and defeated the familiar Emu. Declaring himself the Game Master once again, Kuroto demanded the new game be deleted. However, Emu then transformed into Ex-Aid Double Action Gamer Level XX again and fought Genm and Alhambra. Achieving a perfect co-op, the two Ex-Aids were able to destroy Aranbura, whose data was promptly salvaged by Genm with the Gashacon Bugvisor used by Genm. Telling Ex-Aid fate was out of his control, Genm made his leave.
After Revol re-emerged as a Level 5 from Nico Saiba, Dan transformed into Kamen Rider Genm Zombie Gamer and faced of Emu again, intent on deleting the data of Mighty Brothers XX. After fight Ex-Aid for a short while, Genm opted to instead escape with Revol rather than continue fighting. Soon after, Kuroto was confronted by Taiga, who revealed he had obtained the information that Kuroto had killed Kiriya to cover up, Emu had Game Disease. Kuroto then revealed how Emu was the first person to ever be infected with the Bugster virus and that it had spread and caused Zero Day six years ago after the Next Genome Institute extracted it. Before leaving, Kuroto told Taiga that he only killed Kiriya because he intended to use this information to destroy the Bugsters. Returning to his hideout, Dan deduced from viewing recorded battle data that each side of Ex-Aid's Level XX (20) form had the power of Level X (10). He then gave a new Gashat he had created to Parado, who was excited to use it to have fun in his first battle.
When Parado returned to his hideout after easily defeating all three Doctor Riders, Dan criticized him for not bringing Emu's Gashats with him. Parado simply responded that he was only helping Kuroto so he could play Kamen Rider Chronicle and Dan agreed to let Parado defeat Ex-Aid his own way. After Revol returned, Dan transformed into Kamen Rider Genm Zombie Gamer to take Ex-Aid and Brave's Gashats himself. By initiating a Critical Dead before the two Riders could Level Up, Genm was able to defeat both Riders and cancel their transformations. After taking the Taddle Quest and DoReMiFa Beat Gashats from Hiiro, Dan went to steal Emu's Gashats but was prevented from doing so when Emu emitted a surge of Game Disease. Parado then arrived up and told Genm not to attacked Ex-Aid before they both left the scene. Later on, Dan showed up while Parado was fighting Ex-Aid to take Snipe's Gashats. Nico attempted to fend him off with a mop, but Genm swiftly shoved her aside. Snipe attempted to take down Genm with a Drago Knight Critical Strike, but Genm was not slowed down by the attack. After Kamen Rider Para-DX destroyed Revol as punishment for interrupting his "fun", Genm quickly collected Revol's data in the Gashacon Bugvisor, annoyed with Para-DX's decision to destroy the Bugster before leaving with Para-DX.
Burgermon Incident
Dan was informed by Parado of a new Bugster who had come from Ju Ju Burger, a game which Tsukuru Koboshi developed in Dan's absence that was dropped from the Genm Corp.'s line-up. Initiating a Stage Select, Dan and Parado confronted Emu and the Burgermon Bugster. After assuming their Rider forms, Kamen Riders Genm and Para-DX fought Kamen Riders Ex-Aid and Snipe to recover the Ju Ju Burger Gashat from the Riders. After Para-DX defeated both Riders, Dan triggered a Critical Dead and sent it to terminate both Tsukuru and Burgermon. However, Burgermon took the full brunt of the attack, sacrificing himself to save his creator. Though Dan could have saved the Bugsters data, he did not preserve Burgermon's because he was what he labeled as an "illegal Bugster". Emu then raged at Genm for his cruel action but quickly collapsed. Genm taunted Emu by suggesting that something within him was making him favor Bugsters before leaving with Para-DX left and returned to their hideout. Parado asked Kuroto why he had terminated the Bugster, to which Dan responded that by saying that while Ju Ju Burger belonged to him, the Bugster within was a bootleg.
Falling Out with Parado
Dan proclaiming himself as god to Parado.
Seeking to claim Snipe's Gashats next, Kuroto infected Tsukuru with the Motors Bugster to lure out Emu and Taiga. After distracting Kamen Rider Ex-Aid by triggering an outbreak to upgrade Motors, Genm defeated Snipe and took back the three Gashats. With the games he had taken, Dan was able to create a new Level 50 Gashat. When Parado insisted that he be the one to beat Emu, Dan warned the Bugster not to talk back to the "Game Master" and went on a rant where he claimed both the Gashats and Bugsters were nothing but tools in his master plan and declared that, as the Game Master, he was God. Later on, when Ex-Aid showed up to stop Motor's rampage, Dan appeared and revealed his new creation, Gashat Gear Dual β. Using the Fantasy Gamer from the Taddle Fantasy side, Dan defeated Ex-Aid with one hit. Disposing of the now-useless Motors, Genm demanded Emu turn over his Gashats and threatened to kill him if he refused. Para-DX then arrived to confront Genm, having grown tired of his narcissistic egotism and disregard for the Bugsters. Declaring Parado a worthless game character, the two began fighting in a battle that ended with Kuroto being brutally defeated. To spite Parado for acting out against him, Dan attempted to rob the former of his wish to fight Emu and revealed to Emu that he was the patient zero of the Bugster virus, laughing psychotically as Emu began to freak out and be overwhelmed by the virus.
However, instead of disappearing Emu fainted from the stress. Fleeing to his hideout, Dan eventually confronted Ex-Aid again when the next outbreak occurred. While managing overpower the Rider at first, the tide of the battle turned when Hiiro intervened in it, causing Genm to lose three Gashats, including the Gashat Gear Dual β.
Completing Kamen Rider Chronicle
Dan later met with Parado again in his office, still hostile to him after their last encounter. Following this, Kuroto stage selects with Vernier Bugster, Emu, and Poppy in a deserted valley and transforms into Kamen Rider Genm to kill them both. However, Taiga then arrives, armed with the Gashat he "took" from Hiiro at the abandoned hospital. While Kamen Rider Snipe Simulation Gamer Level 50 takes on Vernier, Emu uses the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat to face off against Genm. After absorbing Vernier's data, Kuroto leaves and returns to his hideout, where Parado was waiting for him to finish Kamen Rider Chronicle. Kuroto then reveals to Parado that the reason that he chose Dangerous Zombie as his Gashat is because it's not only Level 10 but also Level X, the undetermined variable.
Observing Kamen Riders Ex-Aid and Brave fight the Kaiden Bugster, Genm goes to battle against Kamen Rider Snipe Level 50 but is defeated. Returning to his office, Kuroto reveals that he needs one more piece of death data from a Bugster to access Level X. Kuroto then confronts Emu and Asuna after Masamune Dan reveals to them that Kuroto was the true cause of Zero Day. Kuroto laughs at them and admits that he pinned the blame for it on his father. When Emu learns that Kaiden is out again, Kuroto faces off against Emu as the two transform and fight while Taiga and Hiiro take on Parado and Kaiden. As Hiiro defeats Kaiden with the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat, Ex-Aid defeats Genm. Absorbing the data from Kaiden's demise, Kuroto gloats that both the Bugsters and Kamen Riders are pieces in "the ultimate game" and reveals to them Kamen Rider Chronicle, in which civilians will transform into Kamen Riders to do battle with Bugsters. Emu expresses disgust at Kuroto for his twisted game idea and for how so many people including Kiriya, Saki Momose and Uesegi's son have died because of him before using the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat and the Gashacon Key Slasher to defeat Genm, causing Genm to disappear.
As Kuroto observes that only three more Bugsters, Doremifa Beat, Shakariki Sports and Drago Knight Hunter Z, are needed to complete Kamen Rider Chronicle, the Ministry of Health closes in on his hideout. To evade being incarcerated, Kuroto infects himself with the Bugster Virus, turning himself into the Charlie Bugster. After being defeated by the Doctor Riders, Dan pretends to express remorse for his actions and convinces Emu to take him to the Seito University Hospital to be treated. While there, Kuroto reveals to Emu that he was the one who infected him with the Bugster virus 16 years ago because Emu came up with a better idea for a game than him, seemingly apologizing and expressing regret for his actions. However, after the Charlie Bugster is destroyed by Ex-Aid, Kuroto absorbs its data into the Gashacon Bugvisor and reveals that he was just acting in order to collect the rest of the data he needed to complete Kamen Rider Chronicle. Dan then transforms into Kamen Rider Genm and beats down Emu before going to the Genm Corp building and returning to his office.
First Death
Kuroto then attempts to infect every civilian with the Bugster Virus of DoReMiFa Beat and Drago Knight Hunter Z in order to complete Kamen Rider Chronicle. However, before Kuroto can complete his diabolical plan, Emu creates the Maximum Mighty X Gashat and transforms into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Maximum Gamer Level 99. With the new power from his level upgrade, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, alongside Brave and Snipe, are able to finally defeat Genm Level X. To finally stop the Zombie Rider, Ex-Aid uses Maximum Gamer's reprogramming ability to delete the Bugster Virus antibody sample in Kuroto's DNA, revoking his ability to transform into his Rider form. Emu then attempts to take Kuroto into custody instead of killing him, only for Parado to then appear. Parado at first appears to assist Kuroto but instead knocks him to the ground and steals his Gashacon Bugvisor, with which he uses to infect Kuroto with the Dangerous Zombie Gashat, filling him with both lethal amounts of the Bugster Virus and countless data of his own death. As Parado declares that Kamen Rider Chronicle now belongs to him, Kuroto psychotically proclaims that he is god and that his ambitions will go on forever before dying and disintegrating from his "Game Over".
Kamen Sentai Gorider
However, Kuroto had set up a contingency plan to revive him in the form of Kamen Sentai Gorider, a game designed to flood the world with a horde of continuously reviving Bugsters and gather despair in order to revive him in the real world. Assuming the identity of Kazuma Kenzaki, Dan posed as Ao-Rider of the Kamen Sentai Gorider, a team comprised of dead Kamen Riders. After revealing his true identity, Dan's scheme is foiled by Emu Hojo and the real Kazuma Kenzaki. Dan then dies when the deceased Riders sacrifice themselves to allow Emu and Kazuma to leave the Game World.
Return
Dan after being revived.
Needing someone with Level 0 in order to save Emu, Poppy brought back Kuroto by entering the Proto Mighty Action X Origin Gashat where she found a Bugster virus that contained the data of Kuroto Dan. Placing the Gamer Driver on the Bugster, Poppy inserts the Proto Mighty Action X Origin Gashat into it and restores Kuroto as a Bugster. Though brought back as a Bugster, Kuroto was gleeful that he had achieved immortality. Kuroto then transforms into Genm Level 0 and heads to the Next Genome Institute to get revenge on Parado. He attacks Parado just as he is about to finish off Emu, saving the heroic Rider in the process.
Kuroto later attempts to threaten the doctor Riders once they are back at CR, but Poppy absorbs him back into the Bugvisor II.
Fight against Masamune Dan
Once his father stepped into the picture and hijacked Kamen Rider Chronicle for his own plans, Kuroto was forced to stayed aligned with Emu and co. to stop him. He collaborated with Kiriya Kujo to develop a vaccine for the Gamedeus Virus. with the data they had gathered from fighting each other, Kuroto was able to create the Doctor Mighty Double X Gashat, which Emu could use to cure people of the Gamedeus Virus.
However, after the cure was finished development Kuroto was handed over the Ministry of Health by Poppy and Kiriya, though because of his role in developing the cure Kuroto only received a light sentence of house arrest.
Final Battle
Kuroto later discovered that Poppy had sacrificed herself to cure Super Gamedeus' horde. A distraught Kuroto was comforted by Poppy who told him not to cause trouble and to keep making games before fading.
As Zombie Action Gamer, Kuroto fought alongside Ex-Aid and the other Riders against Super Gamedeus. Though they were initially unable to do anything, Kuroto figured out that they could separate Masamune from Gamedeus by reverting back to Level 1. After Gamedeus was neutralized by Doctor Mighty XX and Parado's sacrifice, Kuroto as Zombie Action Gamer fought Cronus, but was ultimately beaten down by his father. However, Cronus was then overpowered by Ex-Aid, who revealed that Cronus had been weakened by Parado's sacrifice. Switching to Level 0, Kuroto joined the other Riders in fighting Cronus and together they were able to defeat him. In one last act of spite, Masamune killed himself to prevent any of the Game Disease victims from being revived.
Aftermath
Kuroto later managed to revive Poppy from the sample of her virus that he had absorbed into his hand. He also revealed to Emu that he had been infected with a fragment of Parado, which was why he could still transform into Ex Aid. Parado then returned from within Emu right after.
Kuroto later created a new game called Kamen Rider Build and revealed it to Poppy, Parado and Emu, allowing Emu to test its Gashat.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: Another Ending Trilogy
Kamen Rider Brave & Snipe
Kuroto goes missing, mystifying Emu, Hiiro and Poppy. In fact, Kuroto had revived Lovelica Bugster and Saki Momose to battle Hiiro and Taiga. While the Riders were fighting, Kuroto used the opportunity to steal Cronus' Gashat and the Bugvisor II.
Kamen Rider Para-DX with Poppy
Teaming up Saiko Yaotome, the daughter of Michihiko Zaizen, Kuroto works with her to revive his father Masamune Dan so they can extract Another Parado out of his body. The two also kidnap Poppy and keep her tied up to a lawn chair. After Para-DX defeats Another Parado, Kuroto uses his Bugvisor II to extract the defeated Bugster's data. Kuroto then tells Saiko that he no longer needs her and announces his intention to create the "ultimate game" before leaving. Later on, Kuroto, standing naked at the top of some falls, creates his own ultimate Gashat God Maximum Mighty X as he maniacally laughs and declares himself to be a god of all gods.
Kamen Rider Genm vs. Lazer
Kuroto creates his own game Zombie Chronicle to summon Kamen Rider Genms in their Zombie Gamer Level X and reveals to everyone that defeating every Genm Zombie Gamer would revive their loved ones who succumbed to Game Disease as a Bugsters. Disturbed by Kuroto's plans, Kiriya swears to defeat Kuroto but Kuroto uses God Maximum Mighty X to transform into his Level 1,000,000,000 form and defeat Kiriya. However, Masamune then shows up, having escaped Kuroto's imprisonment, and transforms into Kamen Rider Cronus to do battle with his son. The two fight and Genm manages to overcome Cronus' power to fatally would him. Before dying, Masamume gives Kiriya his Bugvisor II which Kiriya uses battle Genm for a final time. Because Masamune imbued the Buggle Driver II with the Reset ability, Kuroto's God Maximum Mighty X was negated due, allowing Kiriya to finally defeat Kuroto and end Zombie Chronicle, restoring the infected Zombie Bugsters back to normal. As he's fading away, Kuroto denounces his title as "Shin Kuroto Dan" and says he's just Kuroto Dan before vanishing, leaving behind only his Driver and Gashat.
After being restored to human by Saiko, Kiriya goes to pays his respects to Kuroto. There he witnesses a vision of Kuroto who tells him that his games never end.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: ~Mighty Novel X~
Kuroto Dan appears as the main antagonist of novel where he tricks Emu Hojo into playing a new Gashat he created called "Mighty Novel X", causing Emu to be trapped inside it. Throughout the novel, Kuroto mostly acts through a backup of his data he created through God Maximum Mighty X called "Kuroto Dan II". Through getting Emu to play the new Gashat, Kuroto will be resurrected upon Emu's completion of it, though at the cost of Emu's life since Mighty Novel X is based on Emu's life and he will die once he reaches the end of it.
It is revealed in the novel that Emu's father Kiyonaga Hojo played a part in the emergence of the Bugster virus, as it was his simulation calculations on the Y2K virus that caused it to emerge. Kiyonaga partnered with Masamune Dan to develop medical equipment capable of combating the virus, but Masamune and Kuroto ended up blackmailing Kiyonaga with the information that he was responsible for the virus. Kiyonaga was forced by Kuroto to turn over his son to the Next Genome Institute so they could separate the virus from him.
After Kiyonaga stops Mighty Novel X, Kuroto Dan II appears and terminates him with the Bugvisor II before facing off against Emu as Kamen Rider Genm God Mighty Maximum Gamer Level 1000000000. By disabling Hyper Muteki, Genm gains the upper hand over Emu until Emu merges with Parado and uses the Mighty Novel X Gashat to transform into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Novel Action Gamer X. With his new transformation, Ex-Aid defeats Kuroto and finishes him off with a Novel Critical Destiny.
However, Kuroto Dan II did not die from the attack despite disintegrating. In the epilogue, the real Kuroto Dan is revealed to be alive and residing within the Proto Mighty Action X Origin Gashat. He talks with Kuroto Dan II and states that Emu's new form will be useful in his future games.
Kamen Rider Zi-O
King Kuroto Dan.
Kuroto Dan appears as the antagonist of the Kamen Rider OOO tribute arc, where he is given the Another OOO by the Time Jackers after they observe his lust for power. Using the watch, Kuroto transformed into Another OOO and killed off his father Masamune Dan, allowing him to assume control of their company the Dan Foundation. Kuroto would then lead the company into becoming a successful megacorporation within two years.
Kuroto Dan holds a press conference where he announces that Dan Foundation will rule as its own sovereign nation independent from Japan with him as King and that all of their properties will become their own national territory where the laws of Japan become null and void. A member of the National Diet rejects Kuroto's rule, but Kuroto tosses a Cell Medal on him, transforming him into a Waste Yummy.
After they rescued civilians from Waste Yummies, Sougo, Geiz and Tsukuyomi meet Kuroto Dan who transforms into Another OOO to attack them. Before he can do so, the Taka Watchroid suddenly shows up out from nowhere and attacks Another OOO. The Genm Ridewatch drops from Another OOO while Tsukuyomi glances at Another OOO's year number at the back, which she initially perceives 2016. Kuroto Dan then flees his castle, but Sougo decides to pursue him.
After examining the Genm Ridewatch, Geiz and Tsukuyomi travel to the year 2016 in order to confront Another OOO. Geiz uses the Genm Ridewatch to become Geiz Genm Armor and defeat Another OOO, but his efforts prove futile as Another OOO revived soon after. Tsukuyomi then realizes that Another OOO was not created in 2016 but in 2010.
Back in 2018, Kuroto decides that the motif of his next royal garb will be based on a zombie. His costume designer, Hina Izumi, then questions his rule. Applauding her boldness, Kuroto tries to take her as his queen, but she refuses. Angered over her objections, Kuroto brutally assaults Hina but is interrupted by Sougo. Sougo informs Kuroto of his own ambitions to become King, leading to Kuroto appointing Sougo as one of his loyal retainers. After observing Zi-O's battle with Geiz, Kuroto promotes Sougo to captain of the royal guard and orders his Yummy servants to imprison Hina in the same room as the Diet member he captured, who turns out to be Eiji Hino.
Eiji and Hina later enter Kuroto's office, where Eiji tells Kuroto he will stop him no matter what. However, Kuroto finds Eiji's defiance amusing and asks him if he believes if it is worth risking his own life for. Eiji responds that as long as people are suffering under Kuroto's reign he will not rest until he has defeated him. Just then Sougo enters the room and asks Kuroto what kind of country he seeks to create as king, as well as why his subjects regard him as evil. Kuroto states that he desires to conquer all of Japan and rule over it as Supreme Kuro-king Dan, proclaiming he will make all of Japan's citizens bow to him. Eiji then states that no person has the right to take people's freedom but Kuroto tells him he already has because he is a king. Kuroto then orders his Waste Yummies to eliminate Eiji and Hina, but Sougo steps in and captures Eiji instead, asking Kuroto to leave Eiji to him. Kuroto agrees and walks off to another area of his castle.
However, Sougo is revealed to have simply pretended to be loyal to Kuroto in order to discover what kind of king he was. Kuroto eventually discovers Sougo's treachery when he discovers him untying Eiji and Hina. As Kuroto expresses disappointment at Sougo's betrayal Sougo asks Kuroto if he ever thought about reaching out to his subjects. However, Kuroto finds the idea disgusting and proclaims that his subjects are lowly filth that should never lay a hand on him. Repulsed by Kuroto's elitism, Sougo prepares to transform to fight Kuroto, but Kuroto becomes Another OOO first and attacks him before he can become Zi-O, knocking his Zi-O Ridewatch from his hand. Kuroto then prepares to finish him off but Eiji interferes alongside Hina is able to knock back Another OOO. Eiji then helps Sougo up and gives him his OOO TaToBa and Tajadol Ridewatches, before Sougo goes outside to confront Kuroto.
Kuroto later confronts Sougo again outside. Sougo changes into Zi-O to face off against Kuroto, but their fight to be interrupted by Ora piloting a Time Mazine of Castle Doran. Geiz then appears and transforms into Geiz GenmArmor to fight the Doran Time Mazine while Zi-O heads to 2010 to confront Kuroto after he obtained the OOO Anotherwatch. After equipping his OOOArmor, Sougo overpowers Kuroto's Another Rider form, declaring that who becomes king is not Kuroto's choice but the choice of the people, before finishing off Kuroto's Another Rider form with the Scanning Time Break. Upon his defeat Kuroto freaks out and is thanked by Woz for being "good fertilizer" for the path of Zi-O to become ruler of the world. Kuroto then passes out from exhaustion.
Personality
Kuroto Dan laughing.
| “ | As if! What's terrifying...is my own talent! | „ |
| ~ Kuroto shows his unhinged nature to Graphite and Parado. |
Though appearing as a polite and affable man to the public, Kuroto is a psychopathic and malignant individual who cares little about anyone not himself, including his own father whom he was willing to frame and get thrown in jail in order to further his own goals. Kuroto views himself as being equivalent to a god and sees both the Doctor Riders and the Bugsters he allied with as nothing more than pawns for him to use and dispose of. Similar to Ryoma Sengoku, Kuroto views his genius as being the only thing of worth and sees all others as disposable, placing little value on human life. His ultimate goal reflects his extreme egotism, he seeks to trap thousands in the augmented reality game Kamen Rider Chronicle to serve as a testament to his skills as the "game master".
Kuroto displays many traits of narcissism, having an inflated opinion of himself and viewing himself as a god, and prone to immense fury when something is introduced to his game that is not of his design. He also derives a sadistic glee from murdering people for small slights. Despite this, Kuroto is highly intelligent and a very competent schemer, setting up several fail-safes for himself to be revived in case he died even while he had achieved immortality. He is also capable of being charismatic when necessary, eluding the suspicions of the Doctor Riders at first for his involvement in the Bugster virus and successfully feigns remorse for his actions in order to get the last of the data he needed for Kamen Rider Chronicle.
After his revival as a Bugster, Kuroto's mental state is shown to have deteriorated to become much more deranged and he is prone to acting in more ridiculous (and often humorous) ways. Upon his return Kuroto demands everyone call him "New Kuroto Dan" (which he later changes to "God Kuroto Dan") and frequently has psychotic outbursts where he delusionally proclaims himself as God. Despite being even more unhinged and narcissistic, Kuroto also displays a more caring side and is revealed to have held a genuine love for his mother, Sakurako Dan, while she was alive. This love also extends to Poppy Pipopapo, the Bugster who spawned from Sakurako, with Kuroto even sacrificing himself to block an attack from Para-DX in order to save Poppy (though he was quickly revived due to his 99 extra lives.
In spite of this, in the "Another Ending" movie trilogy, Kuroto is revealed to have only allied with the Doctor Riders to remove any threats to his plans and returns to his old ways, teaming up with Saiko Yaotome and the Next Genome Institute and attempting to trap everyone in his new zombie apocalypse war game, Zombie Chronicle. Kuroto is also shown to have regained some of his competence in the two years following the "Kamen Rider Chronicle" crisis and nearly succeeds in his plans. After losing his final life and seemingly dying in his fight against Kiriya, Kuroto appears to accept his fate and find peace.
In Kamen Rider Zi-O, Kuroto retains much of his old personality, though he now seeks to become a king instead of God and to subjugate the entire world beneath him. Kuroto views everyone around him as being inferior due to their lack of royal status and does not even care for his own servants, frequently abusing them with little provocation and allowing them to be terrorized by his Waste Yummy minions. Kuroto is shown to react violently to any slights against him, turning a member of the Diet into a Waste Yummy when he protested his rule and beating Hina viciously when she refused to become his "queen".
Forms
Quotes
| “ | Emu Hojo!!! How are you able to transform into Ex-Aid...without undergoing the compatibility surgery? How are you able to create Gashats?! Why does your head hurt after transforming?! There is only one answer. Emu Hojo! That's because...you were the very first person in the world...to be infected by the Bugster virus! | „ |
| ~ Kuroto revealing Emu to be the first one who was infected with Bugster Virus. |
| “ | I'm God! My dreams are...IMMORTAL!!! | „ |
| ~ Kuroto's lasts words before his first death |
| “ | I no longer go by the name of Kuroto Dan. I'm now... New Kuroto Dan! | „ |
| ~ Kuroto renaming himself as New Kuroto Dan after his full resurrection. |
Trivia
- Ironically, while Kuroto is the creator of the Bugster Virus in the show, his actor Tetsuya Iwanaga is a licensed pharmacist.
- Dan's hamminess and exaggerated facial expressions have made him one of most memetic Kamen Rider characters and popular in reaction gifs.
- Kuroto Dan's massive popularity led to him getting his own figure of his un-transformed state, a rarity for Kamen Rider.
- Dan's character was not conceived to be a maniacal god wannabe until his actor Tetsuya Iwanaga ad-libbed him doing an evil laugh.
- Iwanaga has stated that his portrayal of Kuroto was also inspired by Light Yagami, the villain protagonist of the manga Death Note.
- Kuroto can be considered the Albert Wesker of the series, considering that his Zombie Gamers took inspiration from Resident Evil series and in one of his other appearance has a slick back hair similar to Wesker.
- Among the Another Riders in Kamen Rider Zi-O, Kuroto is the first of them to be a major character from a previous Kamen Rider series returning in Zi-O.
- He is soon followed by Mirror World's Shinji Kido/Kamen Rider Ryuga as one of the two known veteran Evil/Dark Riders to be Kaijin Riders. However, they have few different contrasts, the corresponding identity status as Kaijin Riders.
- Kuroto is also the only returning character to use the Another Rider powers of a Rider from a different series than his own.
- His wish for immortality, bragging about his "godly" talents and being rivals to the protagonists are similiar to Vegeta, one of the characters from Dragon Ball Z.
 Villains
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Bugsters Genm Corp. Next Genome Institute Foundation X Machina Vision Shocker Others | ||
