Kabuki, also known as Kamen Rider Kabuki, is a character from the Japanese film Kamen Rider Hibiki and the Seven War Demons, which is set during the Sengoku period. He is a young man from Edo, the historical name for Tokyo, who possesses the ability to transform into an Oni, a demon-fighting warrior. As a Taiko Oni, his fighting style is themed around drumming, which serves as the source of his purification abilities.

On the surface, Kabuki presents himself as a charismatic and righteous hero. He speaks using anachronistic, slightly odd phrases and appears to be a noble warrior who fights the monstrous Makamou to protect ordinary people. He is seen giving food to a hungry village boy, showing a genuine and soft-hearted fondness for children, which is one of his most defining traits. However, this heroic facade masks a deep-seated bitterness and resentment. Kabuki is disillusioned with humanity, having experienced relentless persecution and rejection. He laments the relationship between Oni and humans, stating, No matter how hard I fight and risk my life for them, they just call me an Oni, a monster, an animal. This pain has twisted his original sense of justice into a desire for revenge against those who shunned him.

Kabuki's primary motivation is to end his suffering and get back at the humans who scorn him. He is driven by a profound hatred born from discrimination and ultimately decides to betray his own kind. To achieve his goals, he forms a pact with the Makamou, the very monsters he once fought, intending to help them eliminate all other Oni. Despite this turn to evil, his affection for children remains a point of contradiction within him, hinting at the good person he might have been before his heart hardened.

In the story, Kabuki initially acts as a guide for the young protagonist Asumu and two sisters, leading them on a quest to recruit a team of Oni to defeat a giant monster called Orochi. He uses this position to manipulate the group, gaining their trust while secretly working with the enemy. His treachery involves framing other Oni for attacking humans, such as planting a fellow warrior's weapons next to a murdered villager to cast suspicion on him. This sows discord and allows Kabuki to weaken the Oni forces from within. He serves as a primary antagonist and a direct foil to the main hero, Hibiki. While Hibiki is a seasoned but weary Oni who has retired out of a sense of responsibility, Kabuki is one who has abandoned his duty out of spite and despair.

Kabuki's most significant relationships are with Hibiki and Asumu. He is revealed to have been a friend and comrade of Hibiki in the past, which makes his betrayal all the more poignant. Hibiki represents the path Kabuki rejected: continuing to fight for humanity despite the personal cost. Asumu, the boy who initially hates Hibiki for a perceived failure, becomes a figure who sparks Kabuki's last vestige of humanity. Kabuki sees himself in the angry boy and tries to offer him advice, and even in his final moments, his concern for Asumu's safety overrides his own survival.

Kabuki's character arc is one of tragic downfall. A once-just warrior who held a high reputation among his peers, he is gradually consumed by his hatred. After years of being feared and labeled a monster, he chooses to become a true monster in body and spirit. His development is not one of redemption but of a poignant fall from grace. He allies with the Makamou and is even said to transform into one of them. In the film's climax, he is defeated in battle by Hibiki. His end is grim: as he lies weakened, he is devoured by a Makamou, a final, ironic death at the hands of the monsters he chose to side with. In his last act, his only plea is to ensure the safety of Asumu, confirming that his love for children was the one genuine remnant of his former self.

As a warrior, Kabuki possesses a range of notable abilities common to Oni, such as superhuman strength, agility, and the power to purify and destroy Makamou using sound-based attacks. He transforms into his Oni form using a black Henshin Onsa (transformation tuning fork). His design is unique, featuring asymmetrical face coloring with green on one side and red on the other, symbolizing his dual nature as both a stylish performer and a wrathful demon.

His primary weapons are a pair of drumsticks called the Ongekibou Ressui, which he can also use to fire flame bullets. His signature finisher, which he executes by attaching a drum to the enemy, is called Ongekida Goukakenran. He can transform his tuning fork into a long sword known as the Meito Onsaken. Beyond his standard sound-based gear, Kabuki employs unorthodox weapons that reflect his theatrical motif, including a demonic whip for his Kibenjutsu technique and a traditional Japanese umbrella for his Kisanjutsu defensive and offensive style. He also commands several shikigami, or spirit familiars, which take the form of animals like a crow called Keshizumi Karasu, a wolf named Ruri Wolf, and an ape named Ryoku Oozaru, which assist him in combat and reconnaissance.