TV-Series
Description
Raiga Kudou is one of the two main protagonists of the anime Tomica Kizuna Gattai Earth Granner, appearing from the first episode onward. He is a twelve-year-old boy and the younger of a pair of twins, with his older brother being Kuuga Kudou. In appearance, Raiga has green eyes and short, spiked hair that is primarily red, with a lighter orange tuft at the front. Before becoming a fighter, he spent much of his daily life at Jono Zoo, where his mother worked as a veterinarian, helping care for the animals alongside his brother. His favorite animal is the lion, and he has loved lions since early childhood, to the point that he could not fall asleep without a lion plushie.
Personality-wise, Raiga is energetic, cheerful, and direct, and he approaches everything with full effort. He is impulsive and hot-blooded, often acting before thinking, and his strong curiosity means he tends to jump into situations without hesitation. This tendency sometimes causes him to rush ahead and fall into traps set by his enemies. At the same time, he is kind-hearted and considerate, especially toward animals and younger children, and he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the zoo with visitors. A recognizable trait is his habit of exclaiming "chibiru" when startled or excited. Although his temperament differs from that of his brother, with Kuuga being calmer and more cautious, the two are very close and frequently bicker and reconcile in the way typical of siblings their age.
Raiga's central motivation is to protect the Earth, its people, and its animals from the alien group Dark Spinner, which attacks the planet to steal Earth Energy. His deep love for animals is essential to his role as a fighter, because it generates the strong bond, known as the Kizuna level, needed to operate his partner machine Gao Granner Leo, a lion-themed mecha with its own will. After hearing Leo's voice calling to him and discovering the secret Earth Granner base hidden beneath the zoo, Raiga is chosen as a pilot and gains the ability to transform into the warrior Granner R.
As a member of the Earth defense team, Raiga serves as one of the frontline pilots who respond directly to enemy attacks, and he is the first among the group to perform a bond combination with another machine. Over the course of the story, he develops from a newcomer into an experienced fighter, experiencing both victories and setbacks. After an early run of successes makes him overconfident, a decisive loss against Kakeru Kumaneko and the Gao Granner Saber forces him to confront his limits and teaches him to trust his partner rather than rely purely on his own strength. He later takes part in efforts to persuade Kakeru to return to the team, showing a preference for resolving conflict through understanding rather than force. His journey also includes encounters with a mysterious white lion that appears in his dreams, leading to the guardian figure known as the King of Beasts, who grants him additional power in the later stages of the story.
His key relationships include his twin brother Kuuga, with whom he fights in perfect coordination and develops a combined technique called Twin Burst; his partner Gao Granner Leo, who is both his combat machine and his friend; his father Bariki Kudou, the scientist who developed much of the Earth Granner equipment; his mother Madoka Kudou, the zoo veterinarian; and his grandfather Manriki Kudou, a skilled mechanic who builds new Core Granners for him. He also looks up to the famous racer Mach Gou, who acts as a mentor and older brother figure, and he works alongside fellow Granners such as Kakeru Kumaneko, Joe Pakero, and the operator Rin Kumaneko.
As a fighter, Raiga transforms using the Earth Brace and the Core Granner Leo Tomica, and his transformed body takes on an adult-sized build. In battle, he wields the Earth Handle, a steering wheel-like device that changes into sword and gun modes for close and ranged combat. Through bond combination with additional machines, he forms the robot Earth Granner Leo Cheetah, and he can use type-change Tomicas to grant his machine elemental abilities. Later in the series, he receives the Core Granner GT-R built by his grandfather, gains a Red Custom form after bonding with the flying partner Red Ptera, and ultimately achieves the stronger God Leo Cheetah form. His combat approach relies on quick reflexes, forward momentum, and close teamwork with Leo and his brother.
Personality-wise, Raiga is energetic, cheerful, and direct, and he approaches everything with full effort. He is impulsive and hot-blooded, often acting before thinking, and his strong curiosity means he tends to jump into situations without hesitation. This tendency sometimes causes him to rush ahead and fall into traps set by his enemies. At the same time, he is kind-hearted and considerate, especially toward animals and younger children, and he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the zoo with visitors. A recognizable trait is his habit of exclaiming "chibiru" when startled or excited. Although his temperament differs from that of his brother, with Kuuga being calmer and more cautious, the two are very close and frequently bicker and reconcile in the way typical of siblings their age.
Raiga's central motivation is to protect the Earth, its people, and its animals from the alien group Dark Spinner, which attacks the planet to steal Earth Energy. His deep love for animals is essential to his role as a fighter, because it generates the strong bond, known as the Kizuna level, needed to operate his partner machine Gao Granner Leo, a lion-themed mecha with its own will. After hearing Leo's voice calling to him and discovering the secret Earth Granner base hidden beneath the zoo, Raiga is chosen as a pilot and gains the ability to transform into the warrior Granner R.
As a member of the Earth defense team, Raiga serves as one of the frontline pilots who respond directly to enemy attacks, and he is the first among the group to perform a bond combination with another machine. Over the course of the story, he develops from a newcomer into an experienced fighter, experiencing both victories and setbacks. After an early run of successes makes him overconfident, a decisive loss against Kakeru Kumaneko and the Gao Granner Saber forces him to confront his limits and teaches him to trust his partner rather than rely purely on his own strength. He later takes part in efforts to persuade Kakeru to return to the team, showing a preference for resolving conflict through understanding rather than force. His journey also includes encounters with a mysterious white lion that appears in his dreams, leading to the guardian figure known as the King of Beasts, who grants him additional power in the later stages of the story.
His key relationships include his twin brother Kuuga, with whom he fights in perfect coordination and develops a combined technique called Twin Burst; his partner Gao Granner Leo, who is both his combat machine and his friend; his father Bariki Kudou, the scientist who developed much of the Earth Granner equipment; his mother Madoka Kudou, the zoo veterinarian; and his grandfather Manriki Kudou, a skilled mechanic who builds new Core Granners for him. He also looks up to the famous racer Mach Gou, who acts as a mentor and older brother figure, and he works alongside fellow Granners such as Kakeru Kumaneko, Joe Pakero, and the operator Rin Kumaneko.
As a fighter, Raiga transforms using the Earth Brace and the Core Granner Leo Tomica, and his transformed body takes on an adult-sized build. In battle, he wields the Earth Handle, a steering wheel-like device that changes into sword and gun modes for close and ranged combat. Through bond combination with additional machines, he forms the robot Earth Granner Leo Cheetah, and he can use type-change Tomicas to grant his machine elemental abilities. Later in the series, he receives the Core Granner GT-R built by his grandfather, gains a Red Custom form after bonding with the flying partner Red Ptera, and ultimately achieves the stronger God Leo Cheetah form. His combat approach relies on quick reflexes, forward momentum, and close teamwork with Leo and his brother.