Interesting things about the character: -First Kamen Rider in the Ryuki era, due to either circumstance or destiny (more likely the latter, given the way things were manipulated). It was kind of a do-or-die (or do-or-let-her-die) moment and Ren chose to fight in order to save his fiancee. -Suffers a major internal conflict between needing to win and not having it in him to kill another human being--particularly his now best friend. -More or less resolves this conflict by killing Kamen Rider Odin in self-defense. It doesn't go well. -Has REALLY bad defense mechanisms and will completely shut down under enough stress. -He's more balanced between what he wants to do and what he has to do and can now accept that he's become a much better person, even if it's pretty much ruined him as a Rider. He's willing to believe there may be another way to get what he wants without having to make such difficult sacrifices.
Interesting things about the canon/fandom: -The story is about 13 Kamen Riders fighting one another to the death in another world in order to fulfill their wishes. They use monsters who don't even like them and want to eat them in order to gain power, but the monsters accept it because the contract lets them get stronger too. -Ryuki is Digimon Tamers with Kamen Riders. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is Kamen Rider Ryuki with magical girls. -Ryuki is a mindscrew. No, really. The series is set on a time loop, resulting in the movie and special being alternative timelines that are equally valid as canon. Then you get into the Kanzakis and especially Yui and it gets brain-hurty. -The Kamen Rider universe (Japan originals only, at least) is one massive universe, connected by Den-O and OOO, as revealed in Let's Go Kamen Riders. Yes, this contradicts the implications throughout Decade. But this time, we're blaming Den-O and OOO, so Tsukasa's off the hook. -Ryuki was adapted in America as Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, with a massively simplified storyline to focus on the Rider War only, but with an alien twist. While it bombed in America (much like Ryuki had done in Japan), it was incredibly successful in Japan, where it was dubbed. -Ren's counterpart in Dragon Knight is named Len. They're pronounced exactly the same in Japanese. Furthermore, Len's dub actor is Matsuda Satoshi, who played Ren in Ryuki.
Anything else?: -I'm attempting to make sense of the series by reviewing it here (http://akino-ame.livejournal.com/500689.html).
Kamen Rider
Canon: Kamen Rider (Ryuki)
Interesting things about the character:
-First Kamen Rider in the Ryuki era, due to either circumstance or destiny (more likely the latter, given the way things were manipulated). It was kind of a do-or-die (or do-or-let-her-die) moment and Ren chose to fight in order to save his fiancee.
-Suffers a major internal conflict between needing to win and not having it in him to kill another human being--particularly his now best friend.
-More or less resolves this conflict by killing Kamen Rider Odin in self-defense. It doesn't go well.
-Has REALLY bad defense mechanisms and will completely shut down under enough stress.
-He's more balanced between what he wants to do and what he has to do and can now accept that he's become a much better person, even if it's pretty much ruined him as a Rider. He's willing to believe there may be another way to get what he wants without having to make such difficult sacrifices.
Interesting things about the canon/fandom:
-The story is about 13 Kamen Riders fighting one another to the death in another world in order to fulfill their wishes. They use monsters who don't even like them and want to eat them in order to gain power, but the monsters accept it because the contract lets them get stronger too.
-Ryuki is Digimon Tamers with Kamen Riders. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is Kamen Rider Ryuki with magical girls.
-Ryuki is a mindscrew. No, really. The series is set on a time loop, resulting in the movie and special being alternative timelines that are equally valid as canon. Then you get into the Kanzakis and especially Yui and it gets brain-hurty.
-The Kamen Rider universe (Japan originals only, at least) is one massive universe, connected by Den-O and OOO, as revealed in Let's Go Kamen Riders. Yes, this contradicts the implications throughout Decade. But this time, we're blaming Den-O and OOO, so Tsukasa's off the hook.
-Ryuki was adapted in America as Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, with a massively simplified storyline to focus on the Rider War only, but with an alien twist. While it bombed in America (much like Ryuki had done in Japan), it was incredibly successful in Japan, where it was dubbed.
-Ren's counterpart in Dragon Knight is named Len. They're pronounced exactly the same in Japanese. Furthermore, Len's dub actor is Matsuda Satoshi, who played Ren in Ryuki.
Anything else?:
-I'm attempting to make sense of the series by reviewing it here (http://akino-ame.livejournal.com/500689.html).