Is it too late for a new cyborg Rider?

[Painted_Outlaw]

Faiz can be accepted by regular human society without any worries that he will hurt his friends.

[hide]Until the unfortunate day when say, Takumi's at the movies with his friends and his body collapses into ash right in front of the popcorn stand. =X[/hide]

 

[shingamyeonblack]

That issue of sympathy would be important, I think. On the one hand, children would look at this character and want to be like him. After all, he's a superhero fighting bad guys. On the other hand, people will feel sympathetic once they learn how his transformation into a cyborg came about. And I think dealing with emotional issues like that can be helpful.

As far as emotions go, it could be good to explore how a cyborg would view the world and how introspective they are about their own emotions and motivations. Since morals and ethics have become such an ambiguously gray area in our day and age, it may be interesting to see how a cyborg might try to understand what kind of moral code they would develop. With all this power, things can become easier, right? What is the role of responsibility when it comes to my powers? What standard for my behavior do I adhere to? Maybe they would develop a black-and-white view of justice by the end, but exploring their emotional shift would be intriguing.

Granted, these are heavy topics coming from a children's show, but Japanese culture can be quite subtle in that way.

Thanks for continuing the conversation, I like discussing things like this.

Right, but I'm thinking that it's easier to bring in the sympathy if you already know why the Rider is having a hard time. That is, to show parts of his previous life then showing how he no longer can be accepted as he once was would make the audience feel more sympathetic. I only see withholding his cyborg origin to be helpful when it really is his choice because the audience can explore his life and his reasoning.

Yes, yes. The development of the moral code as the development of the moral character is an excellent idea. It actually is one of the restrictions of the first Kamen Rider. The audience sees that he wants to help people and fight SHOCKER while dealing with his own issues, but he actually accepts it within the first episodes, and it's more about facing SHOCKER. Kamen Rider X actually had more of a focus on Keisuke being "volunteered" to be everyone's X-Rider and his struggles with losing his father, his girlfriend, and his humanity all at once. He even loses his freedom by becoming X-Rider. Even then, he decides to take a moral code that is like the original's code.

Well, the first Kamen Riders were made for the entire family to watch. It's not the culture that makes it subtle. The simplest of things can be the most complex of things.

I'm glad to see that people are heavily contributing.

 

[Glamador]

Are things usually so bad around here that an active thread inspires a thank you at the end of posts? That's...kind of sad. (Literally, not in a belittling way)

I don't think sympathy is that necessary. Some of the most unlikable characters in KR have been quite popular. Houjou from Agito comes to mind. I *really* hate that guy. Him, the character, his decisions and actions. But he's a GOOD character.

Mind you...I can't think of a situation where the main rider is detestable. Although some might want to argue about Tendou from Kabuto. But it doesn't even have to be detestable, that's taking it further than I'd want to see it go. I just mean people, in general, aren't all likable. And sometimes the guy that fights for truth and justice and all that can have selfish motivations. They touched on that in Faiz and Blade.

I think it can be just as compelling a story if the cyborg rider is angry at whatever turned him into a cyborg. Maybe it was his fault partially and he's lashing out at whatever evil organization is his enemy in the series because he's as angry with them as he is with himself. There are so many ways to get an intense emotional reaction from a character and the cyborg angle opens up a LOT of them.

 

[shingamyeonblack]

Well, it's been civil here and the topic hasn't stopped, so yeah, I thank you all.

Yes, good characters don't require sympathy, but a character with inner struggles usually gets it and dynamic characters usually have struggles. Most argue that a character with inner struggles is the best type of dynamic character.

A protagonist is not always the most dynamic character. You can see Kido in Ryuki. The thing is that he actually changes the other characters. That's why I like Ryuki. Ryuki actually breaks away from the regular storytelling that most people see, so many of the things that come from the series aren't very similar by comparison to others.

The originals are angry at the evil organizations that transformed them. X-Rider also resents his father at times although he respects his father too much to express it most of the time. He actually transfers that resentment toward G.O.D. for initiating all the events that changed his life.

If it's just because he's angry, then it's not as interesting for the audience and that anger fades. You've seen people punch at walls with decreasing intensity? That's just it.