[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Is it okay if I ask another question instead? Because since Die just finished the only Heisei show without any secondary Riders, I feel like "who would you pair with Kuuga?" is a specific variation on the topic worth talking about.

It is totally okay! I was actually thinking about this, as well.

My simple answer is Accel, since he's basically "what if Ichijou was a Rider". And there's certainly funny ones like Beast, for all the reasons noted.

But I'm going to go with Lazer, and it's not just because Kiriya is maybe the best character in the Kamen Rider franchise. (Maybe it's from rewatching the Ex-Aid movies and Another Endings recently, but he kills in those. He's so great!) It's mostly that he's everything you'd need to help tell a story with Godai as the Primary Rider. He's got the investigative prowess of Ichijou, the scientific and analytical skills of Sakurako, and the medical expertise of Tsubaki, all wrapped up in one snarky package. Plus, he turns into a goddamn bike, so he can even replace BeatChaser2000 and Gouram!

His Secondary Rider credentials are unimpeachable, serving as a stellar foil to empathetic neophytes like Ex-Aid, walled-off assholes like Brave, grumpy martyrs like Snipe, and megalomaniacal lunatics like Genm. He's got sidekick chemistry with everybody.

For the kind of story you could tell with Lazer and Kuuga? I mean, I guess you've got a few. Kuuga as the veteran who acts like a rookie, Lazer as a young guy who sees all the angles. Kuuga teaching Lazer to trust in teammates while Lazer teaches Kuuga the value of keeping a few things close to the vest. Kuuga and Lazer, reminiscing about the times they got killed to become more powerful. A lot of storytelling possibilities with those two characters!