[KamenRiderOOO]

In our culture, sometimes a hero needs a tragic backstory to help motivate them to try and find justice. These heroes come in all shapes and sizes…and these heroes happen to be shaped after vehicles. It’s motorcycles VS cars! Two police officers that look good in red, Ryu Terui, also known as Kamen Rider Accel and Shinnosuke Tomari the eponymous Kamen Rider Drive. This thread is to see which of the two can best the other with their most basic gear and their own strength in a Kamen Rider Brawl.


-Ryu Terui was an ordinary investigator until he came home to find his family and home frozen in ice. Just before his body shattered into pieces, Ryu’s father warned about confronting “The Man With The W Memory.” Rather than take his father’s warning, Ryu swore revenge, eventually encountering the mysterious Shroud. She provided him with the means to try and hunt down that man in the form of the Accel Memory and AccelDriver, allowing him to transform into the red motorcycle themed Kamen Rider Accel. As Accel, he is well armored and a proficient fighter. Despite the bulky look of him, he is fairly maneuverable. His finishing move, AKA a Maximum Drive, in this form is the Accel Glanzer kick, engulfing him in flames as he hits his opponent with a jumping spinning heel kick.


-His primary weapon of choice is the Engine Blade, a gunblade that is shown to be incredibly heavy when Ryu isn’t transformed. This is a testament to his added strength in rider form, as he is able lift and swing the blade with ease. The Engine Blade is further strengthened with the use of the Engine Memory, a pseudo-Gaia Memory that is linked to the Accel Memory. This Memory has various abilities imbued within it- Steam, which unleashes a wave or wall of hot steam, Jet, which allows him to release bursts of super heated slashes and Electric, allowing him to use electrical slashes to shock opponents or use like a defibrillator if used carefully enough. With these, he can also initiate two additional Maximum Drives- the A-Slasher, where energy is concentrated into the shape of an A and shot at the opponent, or the Dynamic Ace, where he slashes the air in front of him three times, forming an A that collides with the opponent.


-Despite not having Half Changes like his fellow Rider Kamen Rider W, Ryu has his own unique form. By taking off the Accel Driver Buckle from his belt, Ryu is able to assume Bike Mode, where his body morphs, turning him into a living motorcycle. This gives Ryu a speed boost and another option in battle, increasing his maneuverability to the point that he was able to go over frozen roads and scale up the side of a building. He is also able to use the Engine Memory in his Accel Driver in this form to utilize a Maximum Drive known as the Bike Engine Dasher, increasing the power of the impact made by him ramming his opponent. People are able to ride Bike Mode and not have any problems with steering, as Ryu can control himself with ease.


-Ryu is not alone in his fights, as he has a little buddy robot known as a Memory Gadget. The one he uses is his Beetle Phone, able to transform from Gadget Mode to Live Mode, their mode that resembles an animal. In this case, his Beetle Phone takes the form of small Rhinoceros Beetle. While it can attack for Ryu, he mainly uses it for surveillance, often using it to spy on others and learn things about them. While this may be his only Memory Gadget, it is not the only ally Ryu has in battle.


-The Gunner A is tank-like support droid with its own AI, allowing it to help Ryu in battle. It is notably strong, able to knock a giant Dopant over. Its secondary function is to combine with Accel’s Bike Mode to turn him into the-

-Accel Gunner. In this form, Ryu’s back wheel folds upward, turning it into a small machine gun, while the parts of the head of the Gunner A turn into a large rail-gun like cannon, known as the Gaia Cannon. The Gaia Cannon is perhaps Ryu’s best weapon in his basic arsenal, able to use the Gunner Full Break finisher, which unleashes a blast of energy similar to a Maximum Drive, capable of destroying/damaging giant Dopants. While Ryu started off having anger issues and a loner attitude, he eventually warmed up to his fellow Rider(s), defeated the man who killed his family and even got married to the very girl that annoyed him from when he first appeared. Even with this calmer demeanor, whose to say his rage will be unleashed against his opponent? Saa, furikiru ze!


-When he was just 12 years old, tragedy had struck Shinnosuke Tomari- his father was killed in the line of duty. Following his father’s footsteps and becoming a police officer, at the age of 24, Shinnosuke was on active duty when the worldwide phenomenon known as the Global Freeze occurred. It was during this event that another life-changing event occurred- having shot at a criminal to protect his partner Hayase, the Global Freeze’s effects caused his bullet to slow down, instead hitting a flammable tank, causing an explosion that knocked Hayase down. Rushing to his injured partner, Shinnosuke felt the effects of the Global Freeze again, preventing him from saving Hayase from being crushed under several metal girders. Despite the fact that Hayase survived the ordeal, Shinnosuke was still riddled with guilt that he had a hand in causing those severe injuries and lost the drive to do anything. When asked to take part in the investigation of the “Heaviness,” Shinnosuke opted to go rest inside a car outside, where he encountered the very thing that changed his life: the Drive Driver. Attaching itself to Shinnosuke, the odd looking belt allowed him to move around when a Roidmude, a monster capable of causing the “Heaviness”. Shinnosuke regained his motivation and began to investigate before fighting the monster again to protect a civilian. Outnumbered when the Roidmude called for back up and fearing he would fail someone again, Shinnosuke was saved by Kiriko Shijima, who, along with “Belt-San” suggested that he should transform. And thus, Kamen Rider Drive was born! In his base Type Speed form accessed through the Shift Speed Shift Car, Shinnosuke is able to move quite nimbly despite the big tire on his body. When he uses the Shift Lever three times, he is able to increase his speed, allowing him to slide on the ground and punch faster than normal. This form’s finishing move is the SpeeDrop, a rider kick that starts with him increasing the power of his right leg as he kicks his opponent.



-Drive’s standard side arms are the Handle Ken, a sword/steering wheel hybrid and the Door-Ju, a gun/door hybrid. Silly as they may be, these weapons are quite effective, with each having a way to increase its power. For the Handle-Ken, Shinnosuke can “turn” the wheel to increase the power of its slashes. When turning a third time, the Handle-Ken announces “U-Turn”, allowing Drive to drift around his surroundings before he attacks his opponent with a more powerful slash. The Door-Ju’s capable of firing multiple rounds before it needs to be reloaded using an easy method- by opening and closing its door. This is often a problem though, as if the door is left ajar, Shinnosuke cannot reload the shots, leaving the gun useless. Besides having those abilities, each can utilize a Shift Car for a Full Throttle. Speaking of Shift Cars-


-Shinnosuke is able to utilize Tire Koukans, giving him a new Tire and powers that come along with them. For this battle, we’ll take a look at the first three he ever used: Funky Spike, Max Flare and Midnight Shadow. Funky Spike is a green tire covered in spikes, which it can shoot at opponents or, if they are within range, can impale them as the tire spins rapidly. Max Flare is his most commonly used Tire Koukan Shift Car, imbuing him with the orange Max Flare tire and the ability to engulf his fists or feet with fire to deliver fire-enhanced punches and kicks, as well as create a concentrated “fire tornado.” The purple Midnight Shadow allows him to duplicate himself and create energy shuriken that he throws at his opponents. Shinnosuke will have to think hard about which one he will use in this battle, as he can only use one at a time. Despite having this handicap, the Shift Cars themselves can attack for Shinnosuke if needed, able to utilize their powers. Though they have this limited AI, they are still pretty small and graspable, leaving them vulnerable to those who can grab hold of them.


-Shinnosuke is one of the few riders to not have a motorcycle, but rather, a car. The Tridoron was built to be Drive’s ultimate support, being his transportation as well as the source of the Tire Koukans. Large and fast, it has three modes, but for the sake of this battle, we’ll stick to the one that Type Speed is affiliated with most- the Type Speed mode. Resembling a sports car, the Tridoron can be controlled by “Belt-San” remotely, calling it to aid Shinnosuke in battle, often driving into the area and hitting opponents/blocking attacks. The Tridoron also shoots lasers, and is capable of using a Tire Fueru, giving it the powers of whatever Shift Car is used inside it. While Shinnosuke has multiple powers, will he be able to have a nice drive with just this basic arsenal? Shinnosuke, START YOUR ENGINE!

Now that the facts are known, place your votes and discuss on which of these two true blue fighters will take victory for their own. Tune in two weeks from now to learn the results and see who is next up, for the Kamen Rider Brawl!