Double: Shoutaro's lack of back story

[Dark Kabuto]

It's typical for characters like him to just appear in the beginning of the story without the need to learn anything prior to it. And this is Kamen Rider, we had many main characters with no backstory and people never complained about it.

Yeah, Wataru is a prime example of this.

 

[KingRanger]

I think that Shotaro's lack of a "real family" makes him more alienated from the average viewer. Does he have parents? Are they still alive? What happened to them? Why did he turn to Soukichi? Even Kirihiko has a sister and yet it seems that Shotaro just materialized.

Maybe you, but I am not alienated by him at all. And the average viewers are the people in Japan, so you would need to ask them.

 

[musashi03]

Yeah, Wataru is a prime example of this.

LOL, even Kenzaki is another good example. All we know is he's an employee of B.O.A.R.D who happens to have the ability to easily fuse with Undead and would work even for a low pay... And nobody ever asked how the hell does that kind of person appear out of nowhere, yet almost everyone loves him.

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

LOL, even Kenzaki is another good example. All we know is he's an employee of B.O.A.R.D who happens to have the ability to easily fuse with Undead and would work even for a low pay... And nobody ever asked how the hell does that kind of person appear out of nowhere, yet almost everyone loves him.

Well it was said his parents died in a fire and after that, you can assume he was likely raised in an orphanage or with other family members.

 

[musashi03]

Well it was said his parents died in a fire and after that, you can assume he was likely raised in an orphanage or with other family members.

Oh yeah, I remember that. But all his supernatural abilities had no clear explanation at all, even though that was a main point in the series itself. That fire accident in his past contributes to his character development in which he makes it his mission to save people, which in Shotaro's case was the tragic events of Begins Night in which he decides to atone for his mistakes and makes it his mission to follow through on Soukichi's request to continue the Museum case. Almost similar style of character backgrounds, the only difference is the length of time the tragedy has passed.

 

[KingRanger]

Well it was said his parents died in a fire and after that, you can assume he was likely raised in an orphanage or with other family members.

You can assume anything. In stories a full background isn't always the most important part.

 

[Skiks]

So we can assume Shou had a normal life while under Narumi's wing till the event of Begins Night. Narumi is technically his father figure so his past life isn't that important.

 

[SpideyZERO]

Even Shinji from Ryuki has no backstory. He's just a kind and good hearted man wanting to do the right thing. Sometimes, we don't need complicated back story to make a good character. Shotaro is a badass normal. He has no tragic backstory, unless you count indirectly causing the death of Narumi Soukichi. He is a normal young man, like Shinji, with the sense of justice and willing to do the right thing. Look back to episode 2, and there's a flashback to kid Shoutaro, and he was already a good kid and determined to help other people. Shotaro's character proves that power is not everything. You don't need special power to be a Kamen Rider, you don't need to be "chosen" to be a Kamen Rider. You can be a Kamen Rider if you have the heart, and Shotaro has it

 

[musashi03]

You can assume anything. In stories a full background isn't always the most important part.

I agree, the more we can assume, the more number of people can easily put their eyes in the viewfinder and just enjoy the story for what it is.

 

[Scissors]

Would it really make Shotaro's character more interesting if we saw him make a phone call to his grandmother every third ep?

I like Shotaro for what he is: The little man that has been thrown into a situation that he doesn’t fully understand.

People also seem to forget the fact that both Terui and Phillip has started to act more and more like Shotaro. His character is a lot more important in the show that one might think.
Phillip used to be the logical one, who would always analyze and calculate everything before taking action. He has learned from Shotaro that sometimes you have to go against logic if you want to get a result. You can also clearly see how reckless Phillip has become in the later episodes.

Terui was a guy full of hatred, who did everything by the book, until Shotaro taught him to care about others, to have friends and to not always judge a book by its cover.

Shotaro might not be very strong or smart, but he has the kindness that makes a true hero.