Kamen Rider Gaim/Characters/Yggdrasil

A powerful organization in charge of Zawame City, and the one responsible for the release of Lockseeds and the Sengoku Drivers. Their inner circle (barring, ironically enough, their Overseer Takatora) are in search of a mysterious "Forbidden Fruit" in the forest of Helheim.

General Trope

 * Arc Villain: In the Yggdrasil and Helheim Saga.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: As a whole, they seem to act as this towards Zawame in general. On the outside, they seem to be a famous Organization who made a better town for everyone, but in reality much of their workers and especially their higher ups are total nut cases who don't lift a finger as their civilians are being attacked by Inves.
 * Disc One Final Boss: They built themselves up to be the ultimate threats in the series, but they eventually get overshadowed completely by and ironically, their own guinea pigs….
 * The Guards Must Be Crazy: Yggdrasil seems to be hyper-competent in pretty much everything except their security detail. The guards forget to watch the cameras, the executives never turn off or log out of computers with sensitive information, and the Kurokage Troopers fail spectacularly during critical moments: They get tricked by making a sharp turn in the halls, allowed three targets escape without a single hit on them, get beat up by a ragtag group of teen/young adult dancers, and get override by a 16-year-old boy on the vehicle they are supposed to be trained specially for…
 * also made a ridiculously complex plan in #17, where he has lead to Oren's cake shop, had Kouta himself go to a nearby empty parking lot where he has to exchange his Driver for  life, where Jounouchi is placed with the duty of attacking  if Kouta doesn't cooperate. In context, either half of the plan would have worked anyway without the other end. Not to mention that their supposed Overseer gets mistaken for Gaim just because they're using the same Lockseed (one that covers much of their body from view, but still shows some of the base armor), said Overseer also can't get the hint that there is something wrong with the people he's working with. Improper thinking seems to run in the organization…
 * Incompetence, Inc.: Pretty much reduced to this by the Helheim Saga.
 * Irony: The same guy who's life they ruined because of their greater power without remorse (Kaito) ends up being the one Also doubles as Laser-Guided Karma in a sense.
 * Meaningful Name: They're named the World Tree of Norse Mythology.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: They encouraged the popularity of the Inves Game by distributing Lock Seeds, hands out Drivers to kids as part of their shady experiments, and later frames them for the outbreak of the Inves Plague. Granted, #16 hints that Yggdrasil might not be so villainous after all, as their means might be justified to save humanity.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: They encouraged the popularity of the Inves Game by distributing Lock Seeds, hands out Drivers to kids as part of their shady experiments, and later frames them for the outbreak of the Inves Plague. Granted, #16 hints that Yggdrasil might not be so villainous after all, as their means might be justified to save humanity.

Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu (Shin)
The older brother of Team Gaim's Mitsuzane Kureshima. As an heir to Yggdrasil Corp., he has already taken on responsibilities within the company and is currently the head of the Research & Development Department. Though ruthless, he loves his brother dearly.

Uses the Melon Lockseed and the Sengoku Driver to transform into Armored Rider Zangetsu. Later, he gets the new Genesis Driver and Melon Energy Lockseed to become New Generation Rider Zangetsu Shin.


 * All There in the Manual: Neither of his Rider names have been referred to in the show. He's only ever referred to as "the white Armored Rider", or just Takatora for those who know him. For added flavor, Oren calls him his "beloved melon" or "the melon prince" depending on the sub.
 * Aloof Big Brother: Is Ryugen's big brother, instead of participating in the conflict between Beat Riders, he works for that big shady company.
 * Anti-Villain->: He has been shown to have standards, loves his brother, is genuinely well-intentioned, and is the only member of the inner circle that hasn't gone out of his way to be a dick in some way.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Is a high ranking member of the Yggdrasil Corporation and strong enough to causally deliver a Curb Stomp Battle to Gaim.
 * Badass: Nearly killing Gaim is the least of his accomplishments to put it lightly. He's the strongest rider, leaving everyone else really far from him.
 * Badass Baritone: This merely accentuates his imposing and foreboding presence.
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: He's a Kiritsugu Expy, what do you expect?
 * Handicapped Badass:
 * Beneath the Mask: At first glance, Takatora is a stoic, arrogant man, but underneath it all he hates himself for what he plans to do but genuinely sees no other choice.
 * Big Bad:
 * Big Brother Instinct
 * Character Development: He started off as an arrogant man who saw the Beat Riders as "street trash" but as he fought Kouta his arrogance wanes and he develops respect and sympathy for them.
 * Comes Great Responsibility: He even makes his own phrase of it called Noblesse oblige.
 * The Comically Serious: Becomes this at times, especially when interacting with Bravo.
 * Corporate Samurai: An almost literal example, since his armor as Zangetsu has a distinctly Japanese motif.
 * Curb Stomp Battle: Delivers a decent number of these in almost all of his fights. First to Kouta in #4, then all five other Riders in #11.
 * Deus Exit Machina: Being the strongest Armored Rider, he mostly stays out of the spotlight unless the situation requires it.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Kouta, big time. Both are the lead characters in their respective factions, considerably more moral than the other Riders they are surrounded with, and are noble men who hold no malice towards others. Their Rider forms are both based off of samurai and wield the Musou Saber as a sidearm, even their main Lockseeds can be seen as anthesis to one another; Orange Arms gives Kouta an extra sword (which can combine with Musou Saber) whereas Melon Arms grants Takatora a shield, which serves as a completely independent weapon, and their armor can be considered a Palette Swap to one another.
 * Foil: To both Kouta and Micchy.
 * Kouta: Takatora is The Cynic while Kouta is The Idealist. {{spoiler|Both men are ultimately well-intentioned and want to protect humanity. Takatora is willing to commit various atrocities in order to make sure that the human race is able to survive, Kouta remains steadfast in wanting to save everyone and disapproves of Yggdrasil's methods. However, the two eventually realize they are Not So Different and Takatora is eager to take a more idealistic alternative when it presents itself.
 * Mitsuzane: {{spoiler|Takatora is originally hinted to be a Big Bad, but ultimately revealed to be a Well-Intentioned Extremist who genuinely wants to protect humanity and doesn't desire power for himself (even believing that it is the duty of the strong to protect the weak), and warmed up to Kouta because of his ideals. In contrast, Micchy becomes Drunk with Power and pulls a Face-Heel Turn, to the point he longer cares about anything except for what he personally wants. He joins forces with Redyue in her invasion of Earth even through her success would most likely bring about extinction to humanity. While initially Kouta's best friend, Mitsuzane becomes bitter and hateful when Kouta's idealism leads to repeatedly (and unintentionally) defy Micchy's schemes, and he starts trying to kill him.}}
 * Four Is Death: His Melon and Melon Energy Lockseeds both have the number 4 added to them.
 * Four Philosophy Ensemble: The Realist.
 * Foreshadowing: Takatora states to Kaito that a Sengoku Driver can't stack up against a Genesis Driver. {{spoiler|In Kaito and Ryoma's last battle with each other, running out of options, Kaito eats a Helheim Fruit and becomes an Overlord to combat Duke and defeat/kill him.}}
 * Also during their fight, he also does a Rider Slash against Baron as a Finishing Move. {{spoiler|This ends up what spells his apparent end by Micchy, by using a Melon Energy Squash (also a rider slash) to strike Takatora by the helmet.}}
 * {{spoiler|Good All Along}}
 * Happily Married: In the Soccer World, he has a sick wife, paralleling him with Roshuo and his queen.
 * Heroic BSOD/Despair Even Horizon: Happens in #28 {{spoiler|after he realizes Ryoma has betrayed him.}}
 * Horrible Judge of Character: This is one of his fatal flaws. He relies on some rather Obviously Evil people, and can find no wrong in his brother. Micchy outright states that Takatora has a habit of trusting people that he really shouldn't in #23.
 * {{spoiler|Imaginary Enemy: Micchy starts to see hallucinations of Takatora after defeating him.}}
 * {{spoiler|It's All My Fault: Takatora blames himself for what Micchy has become in #36.}}
 * The Juggernaut: The only thing that's ever stopped him was his own moral compass. If it weren't for that, the bad guys would've won a long time ago.
 * Made of Iron: {{spoiler|Somehow, being shoved over a cliff without a Driver or Lockseed doesn't kill him, but instead severely injures him to the point where Roshuo had to patch him up.}}
 * {{spoiler|Deconstructed in #46. Although he survived Mitsuzane's attack hitting him into the water, he still received enough brain damage that may as well kill him had it not been for Kouta.}}
 * Man in White: As Zangetsu and Zangetsu Shin.
 * Mid-Season Upgrade: Melon Energy Arms
 * Miles to Go Before I Sleep: {{spoiler|He would have been stuck in a coma forever and probably preferred it that way if it wasn't for Kouta asking him to help Micchy.}}
 * Multiform Balance: Titled "Arms".
 * Personal Arms:
 * Jack of All Stats: Melon, though he fights like The Juggernaut.
 * Mighty Glacier: Watermelon
 * Lightning Bruiser: Melon Energy
 * {{spoiler|Not Quite Dead: TWICE. Having survived Sid shoving him over a large cliff in #28 and Mitsuzane knocking him into a river via a Finishing Move, this guy is practically immortal!}}
 * The Proud Elite: Used to repeatedly refers to Beat Riders as "street trash" that's beneath him and tries to pass this attitude on to Mitsuzane.
 * Reality Ensues: {{spoiler|Takatora might have survived his dip into the sea, but being stuck in the ocean for so long gave him brain damage that would have killed him if Kouta hadn't intervened.}}
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Mitsuzane's Sensitive Guy. {{spoiler|This is most apparent during the Forbidden Fruit Arc even after Micchy had turned evil. Hallucination!Takatora points out to Micchy how the real Takatora was a man who worked hard his entire life for Micchy and everyone else whereas Micchy is a spoiled child who can't accept growing up and things around him being different from his childhood.}}
 * Reality Ensues: {{spoiler|Takatora might have survived his dip into the sea, but being stuck in the ocean for so long gave him brain damage that would have killed him if Kouta hadn't intervened.}}
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Mitsuzane's Sensitive Guy. {{spoiler|This is most apparent during the Forbidden Fruit Arc even after Micchy had turned evil. Hallucination!Takatora points out to Micchy how the real Takatora was a man who worked hard his entire life for Micchy and everyone else whereas Micchy is a spoiled child who can't accept growing up and things around him being different from his childhood.}}