| “ | The King's sentence is given. It's death! | „ |
| ~ Taiga Nobori's catchphrase when executing an opponent. |
Taiga Nobori, also known as Kamen Rider Saga, was the King of the Fangires in 2008 and the main antagonist turned into tritagonist of Kamen Rider Kiva. He later becomes Kamen Rider Dark Kiva. Initially the fiance of Mio Suzuki, he learns that she becomes willing to abandon her Fangire heritage and her future as Queen of the Fangires to be together with his half-brother, Wataru Kurenai.
Overview[]
Taiga was born prior to 1986 as the first born son of Maya, the Queen of the Checkmate Four, and the Checkmate Four's original King. He would receive the title of King at infancy after his father's death before he was spirited away by Maya to be raised by Mamoru Shima as a human child, wearing a glove over his hand to conceal his Checkmate Four crest. It would be while as a boy that he encounters Wataru Kurenai and the two become good friends until Taiga was spirited off, his childhood being under heavy watch.
Along with learning of his true nature as the Fangire offspring of the previous King and Queen of the Checkmate Four, Taiga developed a disdain for humans as he attacks Shima, scarring his foster father's back before taking his leave. As the current King, Taiga intends to prevent the progress of humanity from moving forward to the point of becoming a problem for Fangires like with Ixa. The crime becomes even more unforgivable should the guilty party be a Fangire. When executing an opponent, he says, "The King's sentence is given. It's death!" (王の判決を言い渡す。死だ!, Ō no hanketsu o iiwatasu. Shi da!?).
OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders[]
Kamen Rider Saga was part of a group of reinforcement riders led by Akira Date/Kamen Rider Birth to aid the primary riders in defeating the Rock Great Leader. All the Kamen Riders got on their bikes and performed the powerful All Rider Break attack which destroyed the Great Leader.
Family[]
- Wataru Kurenai - Half-brother, Kamen Rider Kiva
- Maya - Mother, Pearlshell Fangire
- Otoya Kurenai - Step-on father, Kamen Rider Proto-ixa (Later Kamen Rider Dark Kiva)
- Masao Kurenai - Nephew, Kamen Rider New Kiva
Abilities and Personality[]
As the offspring of the Fangire King and Maya, Taiga has inherited some parts of their personality and powers. While mostly cool and calm like the both of them, he is also capable of having a fiery temper like his father. He was also very commanding, arrogant and proud of his status as the King of Fangires. Unlike his father who tried to show no emotion concerning love though, Taiga was somewhat the opposite.
Taiga originally hated most humans (aside from Wataru whom he later found out was his half brother) because of his past with them and saw them as livestock like most Fangires. He also originally tried to prevent the humans from evolving and becoming a threat to Fangires. It was presumably this side of his personality which led to him having a falling out with both Mio and Wataru.
Although somewhat sharp, he can sometimes be oblivious as well. When he lost almost everything, Taiga showed a desperate side and went to Maya despite his earlier comments about her, hinting a helpless side as well. Despite these faults, Taiga wasn't truly evil and showed some loyalty towards others he cared about. He also cared about Maya and Shima despite holding a grudge against the both of them. As Shima stated later on, Taiga actually has some kindness in his heart which he showed from time to time. He also showed guilt and repentance when he knocked out Maya to steal Kivat-bat the 2nd. After changing for the better thanks to Wataru, Taiga became more accepting of other species and created a project which will nourish the Fangires (and presumably the rest of the Demon Races which require life energy) without human life energy. He also seemingly became more humble and kind
Rider Powers[]
Kamen Rider Saga
| “ | Henshin! | „ |
| ~ Sagarc's Transformation announcement |
- Rider height: 205cm
- Rider weight: 110kg
- Ability perimeters
- Punching power: 12t
- Kicking power: 35t
- Finisher Power (Snaking Death-Break): 40t
- Maximum jump height: 90m
- Maximum running speed: 100m/2s
Saga's only form is accessed by inserting the Jacorder into Sagarc after the Sagarc Belt is formed. It is with this same item that Saga performs the Snaking Death-break (スネーキングデスブレイク, Sunēkingu Desubureiku?) finishing attack, where he impales the target with the jacorder in whip mode, and hangs them until they are destroyed. Taiga then abandons his power as Saga to gain the power of Dark Kiva.
Kamen Rider Saga's ending theme is entitled "Roots of the King".
Kamen Rider Dark Kiva
| “ | Gaburi! | „ |
| ~ Dark Kivat's transformation announcement |
- Rider Height: 205cm
- Rider Weight: 112kg
- Ability perimeters
- Punching power: 20 t.
- Usual kicking power: 35 t.
- Maximum jump height: 250 m.
- Maximum running speed: 100 m. per 1.2 sec.
Dark Kiva only appears to have one form, similar to that of Kiva Emperor Form in black and red. However, Dark Kiva does not require the use of a being such as Tatsulot to achieve this form, and has no chains on his body as Kiva needs to control his power. As Dark Kiva, Taiga is pretty much like the King of the Checkmate Four, yet he retains his weapon, the Jacorder.
As Maya would later explain, the Kiva power cannot be used by a normal human, as usage would ultimately result in death. This would prove to be true, as Otoya had used the Dark Kiva power a total of three times before finally dying due to the strain it put on his body. Shima also mentioned this when Wataru revealed his heritage to him.
Kamen Rider Dark Kiva's ending theme, entitled "Supernova", also doubles as the ending theme for Kamen Rider Kiva's Emperor Form.
Equipment[]
Saga[]
- Sagarc Belt - Transformation belt
- Jacorder - Personal weapon
- Fuestles - Whistle-like devices that activate a function, depending on the Fuestle
Dark Kiva[]
- Kivat-bat the 2nd - Taiga's Kivat partner
- Dark Kivat Belt - Transformation device that forms when Kivat bites Taiga
- Fuestles - Whistle-like devices that activate a function, depending on the Fuestle
Gallery[]
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 Heroes
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