Live action TV
Description
Mari Sonoda is a central character in Kamen Rider 555. She is a member of the Ryusei School, an orphanage-like institution run by her foster father, Hanagata. As a child, she lost both parents in a building fire and was taken in by Hanagata, growing up alongside other orphans. She has a cheerful and lively personality, but she is also strong-willed and outspoken, often speaking her mind without hesitation. Despite this, she possesses a deeply caring nature, especially toward those she trusts, and she holds a strong sense of justice that helps her distinguish right from wrong.
Her greatest personal ambition is to become an excellent hairstylist, and she works part-time at a beauty salon while also helping at Keitaro Kikuchi’s dry cleaning shop. She is a skilled cook, though her methods can be somewhat haphazard. At the start of the story, she is sent the Faiz Gear and the Auto Vajin motorcycle by Hanagata, but her human DNA prevents her from transforming into a Kamen Rider. After meeting Takumi Inui, who is able to use the equipment, she insists that he accompany her and fight the Orphnochs, a race of evolved humans that emerged from the dead.
Mari serves as the emotional anchor and moral compass of the protagonist group. Her unwavering belief in the goodness of others often drives the plot forward and helps those around her, especially Takumi, who initially is a cynical loner. She shares a bickering but deeply bonded relationship with Takumi, and she forms a close, sisterly friendship with Keitaro. She also has a complicated history with Masato Kusaka, a fellow Ryusei School survivor who becomes obsessively protective of her. She is drawn to Yuji Kiba’s kind and gentle nature, though she is unaware of his Orphnoch identity for most of the series. Additionally, Naoya Kaido develops a one-sided crush on her, which she does not reciprocate.
Mari’s past is marked by tragedy: during a Ryusei School reunion, she and her classmates were attacked and killed by Orphnochs. Smart Brain later resurrected them by implanting Orphnoch DNA, but their memories were altered. She dies a second time at the hands of a fellow Ryusei student but is revived again through a deal Takumi makes with Smart Brain. The revival partially restores her altered memories, leading her to temporarily distrust Takumi, but the misunderstanding is resolved. Throughout the series, she evolves from a victim of these events into a resilient survivor who actively works to bridge the divide between humans and Orphnochs. She remains fiercely loyal to Takumi even after learning he himself is a Wolf Orphnoch. In the later V-Cinema Kamen Rider 555 20th: Paradise Regained, she becomes the Wildcat Orphnoch due to the activation of her implanted Orphnoch DNA.
While Mari lacks the ability to fight directly, her courage, determination, and compassion make her an indispensable part of the team. She is determined to uncover the truth behind the Ryusei School massacre and refuses to give up on her friends, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Her greatest personal ambition is to become an excellent hairstylist, and she works part-time at a beauty salon while also helping at Keitaro Kikuchi’s dry cleaning shop. She is a skilled cook, though her methods can be somewhat haphazard. At the start of the story, she is sent the Faiz Gear and the Auto Vajin motorcycle by Hanagata, but her human DNA prevents her from transforming into a Kamen Rider. After meeting Takumi Inui, who is able to use the equipment, she insists that he accompany her and fight the Orphnochs, a race of evolved humans that emerged from the dead.
Mari serves as the emotional anchor and moral compass of the protagonist group. Her unwavering belief in the goodness of others often drives the plot forward and helps those around her, especially Takumi, who initially is a cynical loner. She shares a bickering but deeply bonded relationship with Takumi, and she forms a close, sisterly friendship with Keitaro. She also has a complicated history with Masato Kusaka, a fellow Ryusei School survivor who becomes obsessively protective of her. She is drawn to Yuji Kiba’s kind and gentle nature, though she is unaware of his Orphnoch identity for most of the series. Additionally, Naoya Kaido develops a one-sided crush on her, which she does not reciprocate.
Mari’s past is marked by tragedy: during a Ryusei School reunion, she and her classmates were attacked and killed by Orphnochs. Smart Brain later resurrected them by implanting Orphnoch DNA, but their memories were altered. She dies a second time at the hands of a fellow Ryusei student but is revived again through a deal Takumi makes with Smart Brain. The revival partially restores her altered memories, leading her to temporarily distrust Takumi, but the misunderstanding is resolved. Throughout the series, she evolves from a victim of these events into a resilient survivor who actively works to bridge the divide between humans and Orphnochs. She remains fiercely loyal to Takumi even after learning he himself is a Wolf Orphnoch. In the later V-Cinema Kamen Rider 555 20th: Paradise Regained, she becomes the Wildcat Orphnoch due to the activation of her implanted Orphnoch DNA.
While Mari lacks the ability to fight directly, her courage, determination, and compassion make her an indispensable part of the team. She is determined to uncover the truth behind the Ryusei School massacre and refuses to give up on her friends, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Cast