[SPLIT LIP]

Zolda, next to Ryuki, was the character of the show for me. He was my favourite of course, and the character I was most interested in. He was a sleezeball, a lawyer (though we never saw him in court IIRC) and a womanizer. But, despite all these stereotypical jerkwad properties, he had moments of true humanity. He was never really interested in the rider war, prefering more to play the slow game and wait for the herd to thin, at least that's how I saw it. I don't know how Magnugiga stayed well fed, but it was such a laid-back monster maybe it also liked to play the slow game. Really, given his attitude, Kitaoka was likely the jerk he was because, with mortality right around the corner, he was merely enjoying life without inhibitions. No point in being nice if you're gonna die soon anyway.

Yet, his relationships painted a different picture of him. While Gorou was basically a manservant, they clearly had a relationship of mutual respect. It was almost like a samurai and their retainer. One is clearly below the other, but they are amicable and respect one another. Even his doggish hounding of the reporter lady eventually resolved and even had him land that elusive date with her. The most blatant example of his humanity was when he paid for a sick girl's medical bills, purely out of empathy. It was the one clear moment of charity without gain for him. Even his feud with Asakura showed commitment.

Plus, he was just so damn charming, in a total fucking asshole way. I think if he wasn't as harmless as he was he could've easily become insufferable. But instead he was a useful source of non-physical conflict. The fact that he died at peace after he got the date with her, but before actually going on it, to me showed a possible sadder side of him. Aside from the immediate tragedy, it's almost like his pursuit of her was what kept him going. He didn't need to go out with her or be in a relationship with her, he just needed her approval of him. And with that, he died content. I also agree with him: he didn't get to use his cool finisher enough.

And yes, Oxen/Bisons/Bulls are cool. Plus, his rider outfit was one of the best of the show, having a super utlitarian feel to it, befitting someone who was very practical-minded. Really, all the riders had motifs that reflected them in some way. Ryuki and Knight were knights, obviously, as the two heroic/noble characters. Zolda was efficient, practical, and not slanted one way or another morally speaking, so having his suit be the only one not animal themed in some way, but instead mechanical, reflected his impartial attitude. Ouja being a snake is pretty obvious, but even Tiger being vicious or Odin having a pheonix-like bird personified his constant resetting of the timeline, like death and rebirth. The only one that never fit too well for me was Raia, who was a stingray because... I dunno, maybe I just forgot or something. (though TBF, the deck wasn't supposed to be his... but neither was Shinji's) Imperer's to me always reflected how expendable/pointless he was, being based on one of the generic mirror monsters Knight first fought. You know you suck if you're based on a generic.

Ryuki had it's weight in flaws, for sure, but honestly... I have a hard time remembering it anyway but fondly. Hell, it's not my favourite series, but I still have Ryuki as my sig.