[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Doing it for un-heroic reasons just makes him an anti-hero (of course morally grey hero wouldn't suit original Kuuga other than being its own entity).

I think this was maybe where I was coming from? This is Onodera's origin story, and it's mostly about him really becoming Kuuga. When he decides to fight to protect smiles, that's the moment he becomes a true hero, rather than just someone who enjoys fighting and/or is trying to impress a girl.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

But actually, the one that I hate the most for Onodera is actually not character but the Rider stuff, the fact that they watered down Kuuga power wise, like base Decade going toe to toe with Ultimate Kuuga before at the Hell Bros fight.

That's just a total Legend Rider thing, though, isn't it? A character gets a Final Form at the end of their series that is practically earth-shattering in its power, then six months later that form is barely sufficient to keep up with the newest Rider.

For this series, I think you can squint a little and see it as Onodera only recently being able to tap into all of Kuuga's power, and not really having the full force of any of them yet. Maybe now that he's embraced his role as Kuuga, he'll be able to harness more of that power?

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Anyway, as one of many who started with Decade, Onodera Yuusuke was also my first Kuuga and to this day the one who I most associate with that suit. It helps that unlike most of the AU Riders, he's not just a guest in Tsukasa's show, he's a main character as well. The major thing he lacks compared to Godai is that thumbs up gesture and the friendly attitude that it symbolizes. Not everybody can be as selfless as Godai. But they don't have to be! I don't hold any resentment towards Yuusuke for not being exactly like Godai. Honestly, I think it's a great message to the kids that anybody can be Kuuga, as long as they have the will to fight for justice and freedom. That goes for other Riders as well.

Yeah, there's an easy calm to Godai that Onodera replaces with a kind of nervy exuberance, and I think that can come off a little more relatable? Godai felt almost unattainable, in his coolness, and Onodera is more normal in his flaws. It's hard to enjoy at first, if you're used to Godai, but Onodera's build-up to becoming Kuuga is nicely cathartic.