Strider Matic Unit

Evil Organization
Full Name	Strider Matic Unit
Alias	Strider's Matic Force
Origin	Strider
Foundation	Unknown
Headquarters	Red Dragon Station
Commanders	Vice-Director Matic
Agents	Strider Araña Strider Kubira Badger Dragon Fiend Flash Blade
Powers / Skills	Mastery of martial arts Superhuman abilities Ninjutsu Weapon proficiency
Goals	Protect the ZAIN Terminals. Eliminate Hiryu and Cain (failed).
Crimes	Attempted world domination Attempted coup d'état Attempted murder
Type of Villains	Traitorous Mercenaries

“	Commander-in-Chief Mr. Faceas Clay, we, the Strider Matic Unit, will protect the ZAIN in Africa.	„
	~ Matic's message to Faceas Clay in File #5.

The Strider Matic Unit, (Japanese: ストライダーのマティックぶたい), is a villainous organization featured in the original 1988 Strider Hiryu manga and its NES video game adaptation. A faction within the Striders under the command of Vice-Director Matic which is for the most part assigned to various tasks as part of Matic's evil plans in association with Enterprise.

About

The Strider Matic Unit is a separate faction within the Strider organization led by the group's Vice-Director and de-facto leader, Matic. The unit is loyal to Matic and follow him in his plans to betray Kuramoto, assassinate him and take over full control of the organization as part of Matic's larger plans of world domination.

During Hiryu and Cain's battle against Enterprise, Matic offers his men's services to protect the ZAIN Terminals after the two rogue Striders made quick work of the mercenaries the company contracted beforehand. Hiryu, however, faces and eliminates any member of the unit he crosses path with. By the end of the conflict, Kuramoto tells a cornered Matic that there is no one else on his side, indicating that all members of the unit either died or renounced him.

List of Unit Members

High Ranks

• Araña: A Special-A Class Strider assigned by Matic to guard the ZAIN Terminal found in Enterprise's Amazon Research Institute, deep within the Amazon jungle. In the manga Araña attempts to ensnare Hiryu and Kain with a trap using flesh-cutting sharp wires, but his plan is thwarted and he is killed by Hiryu. In the NES adaptation, Araña instead appears as a minor enemy in the Africa and Australia stages.
• Kubira: An A-Class Strider assigned by Matic to assist Araña in their defense of the Amazon Institute. Kubira sports a reptilian appearance with his body covered in scales. He fights Hiryu and Kain as they attempt to cross the Amazon River, but is bested by Hiryu in combat and killed. In the NES adaptation Kubira appears to be absent, although there are crocodile enemies in the same area Araña appears that may represent him.

Unknown Ranks

• Dragon Fiend: A Strider of unspecified rank dressed in samurai-like armor, exclusive of the NES video game. He is first seen in front of Kuramoto's residence in Japan under orders from Matic to kill anyone trying to see him. Hiryu fights him in order to reach the Director. He's later faced again during the second visit to Africa and twice at the Red Dragon station, the last time as part of the last defenses before reaching the Mother ZAIN terminal.
• Badger: A Strider of unspecified rank who fights with a sword and a large shield that blocks all attacks from the front, exclusive of the NES adaptation. Badger first appears in the Chinese Base as he attempts to impede Hiryu's attempt to destroy the ZAIN Terminal found there. He is encountered three more times, once in the second trip to Africa, where he reveals that ZAIN cannot be destroyed while the main tree is active, and twice more on the Red Dragon stage. In his first encounter at the Red Dragon he calls Hiryu a traitor, in spite of siding with Matic who betrayed both the Strider Organization and Director Kuramoto.
• Flash Blade: A quiet Strider dressed in a full-body purple ninja suit, exclusive of the NES adaptation. He wields dual blades he uses in his signature attack, where he starts spinning like a whirlwind and moving all over the screen. Hiryu faces him twice during his infiltration of the Red Dragon, the second time as part of the final defenses before the ZAIN Mother. The fact that he is encountered on the Red Dragon Base is an indication that he is a close subordinate to Matic.

Low Ranks

• Clawed Striders: A group of low-rank Striders who wear full-body dark uniforms, concealing face masks and fight using two-pronged claws. In the manga, a number of them accompany Matic to Mongolia in order to force Hiryu out of retirement, and two are ordered to attack the civilians observing the scene in an attempt to force Hiryu into stopping them, which he does. In the NES video game they appear as minor enemies in the Striders HQ and Red Dragon stages.
• Strike force: A group of 4 low-rank Striders wearing the same dark uniform and wielding machine guns. Once the unit's coup against Director Kuramoto's symphatizers starts, they force their way into Kuramoto's chamber and forces the senile man to broadcast to all active operatives that he's stepping down as leader of the Striders and Matic is to take his place. They were also ordered to kill him afterwards and frame Hiryu and Cain for the murder. Kuramoto, having faked his senility to root out the traitors, makes quick work of them. Exclusive to the manga.