[Sunred]

So some of the newssites in Japan are hyping Takeda's return to the franchise as well, and they have revealed some stuff about his upcoming role so from yours truly here are some basic info:

source: https://news.nifty.com/article/entam.../12206-132154/


- Kouhei Takeda will play Kazumi Sawatari, a Hokuto native
- In the midst of the tension rising between Touto and Hokuto, Kazumi was picked as a secret weapon of sorts and shows uneven power that overwhelms both Build and Cross-Z

And here is the comment from Takeda himself:

"I was very honored and truly happy to get the offer to once again play the role of Kamen Rider, hero to all and adored as well. At the same time I am surprised at how fast time flies as it has been a decade since Kiva. When I entered the filming location I had the feeling of 'I'm back' and was deeply emotional. I was also relieved that many staff members I knew were present. It felt like returning home.

I sense a level of depth as a person from my character Kazumi Sawatari. He doesn't talk much and does not share his inner feelings, but on the contrary he has the weight of his hometown, family, and comrades, those that he love. You can really feel that he is suppressing himself as well as indulgences. I think he will be admired by men as well because of these qualities. When transformed you can see that he lets go of his emotions and fight, but I think this is more of a 'I carry so much weight on my back, so therefore I shall roar' than going berserk. To put it in simple terms, a polar opposite of a certain 'genius who appears once every thousand years' from a decade ago(smiles). But his love for those he love is equally deep.

For the transformation pose I feel like it is similar to Ryuga's... but I made sure to include rider-esque mannerisms in it as well. I was nervous when working on my pose(smiles). A transformation pose is surely a unique experience no matter what age.

Grease's design is cool! It is based off a robot, has a clear black mask, and red shiny eyes. Also it is gold. I am pressured because I am wearing the color mostly reserved for ultimate forms yet at the same time there is a sense of euphoria there. Please look forward to Grease's speedy and sharp actions as well.

Inukai(Sento's actor) and Akaso(Ryuga's actor) are 'junior riders' to me but I have not a single word for them as a senior rider(smiles). If there is one it would be 'I will love both of you'. Wait, that sounds familiar(smiles).

Please check out Kazumi as he carries with him all the weight on his back. Contrary to what he seems, he has a very old-fashioned Japanese male aspect to him as well. Please root for him!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So personal thoughts after translating his little note to the best of my skills:
- He is gonna be NOTHING LIKE OTOYA. It will be like seeing Brian Cranston go from Malcolm's dad to Joe Brody from Godzilla it seems.
- I am speculating that when he goes Grease he will go 50% Broly on whatever of whoever he needs to beat up