Live action TV
Description
Kamikiri Kid is a kaijin, a monster character, from the original 1971 Kamen Rider television series and its 1972 theatrical film, Kamen Rider tai Jigoku Taishi. As a member of the evil organization Shocker, his design and abilities are based on the longhorn beetle, known in Japanese as the kamikiri mushi. Standing 205 centimeters tall and weighing 71 kilograms, Kamikiri Kid is a humanoid beetle with distinct insectoid features, including antennae on his head and a powerful left hand shaped like a scissor-like pincer.
His personality is defined by a ruthless dedication to Shocker and its goals. He acts as a commander and trainer for other monsters, demonstrating a methodical and cruel efficiency in carrying out his missions. He shows no hesitation in sacrificing his own allies to maintain operational security, viewing failure as a weakness deserving of immediate punishment. His primary motivation is the destruction of Kamen Rider, whom he views as the greatest obstacle to Shocker's ambitions for world domination. Like many Shocker creations, he lives to fulfill his purpose as a weapon and seems to take a measure of pride in his role within the organization's hierarchy.
Within the story of the television series, Kamikiri Kid is tasked with a critical role in Shocker's Devil Festival. This ritual requires human sacrifices to resurrect an army of previously defeated kaijin. To achieve this, he abducts a man named Kato and uses him as a sacrifice, successfully reviving five monsters. Demonstrating his cunning, Kamikiri Kid then shapeshifts to assume Katos appearance and infiltrates the protagonists group to gather information and lay traps. His role in the film follows a similar pattern; he leads an attack on the protagonists' auto shop, using his paralysis gas to kidnap key individuals to ensure the success of Shocker's super destruction light weapon plan.
Kamikiri Kids key relationships are primarily with other Shocker monsters and his human adversaries. He is shown training the resurrected monsters under his command, suggesting a position of authority among them. A notable interaction occurs when he coldly executes a fellow monster, the Cockroach Man, for nearly revealing the location of Shocker's stronghold. His central conflict is, of course, with the hero, Takeshi Hongo, the transformed Kamen Rider. He directly confronts the Rider on multiple occasions, considering himself a formidable opponent.
Kamikiri Kid is equipped with several notable abilities that make him a dangerous foe. His primary weapons include his powerful left claw, capable of crushing and cutting, and his mandibles, from which he can spew a white gas that causes paralysis in his victims. He also possesses the ability to breathe fire. In the theatrical film, his offensive capabilities are enhanced further, as he can fire destructive laser beams from his antennae. A key ability is his power to perfectly disguise himself as another person, which he uses for espionage and sabotage. His antennae, however, serve as a significant weak point; when they are damaged in battle, he becomes severely weakened, leading to his eventual defeat. In the television series, he is ultimately destroyed by Kamen Rider's Rider Screw Kick, while in the film, he is finished off after his antenna is broken by the Flying Rider Punch, followed by a final Rider Kick.
His personality is defined by a ruthless dedication to Shocker and its goals. He acts as a commander and trainer for other monsters, demonstrating a methodical and cruel efficiency in carrying out his missions. He shows no hesitation in sacrificing his own allies to maintain operational security, viewing failure as a weakness deserving of immediate punishment. His primary motivation is the destruction of Kamen Rider, whom he views as the greatest obstacle to Shocker's ambitions for world domination. Like many Shocker creations, he lives to fulfill his purpose as a weapon and seems to take a measure of pride in his role within the organization's hierarchy.
Within the story of the television series, Kamikiri Kid is tasked with a critical role in Shocker's Devil Festival. This ritual requires human sacrifices to resurrect an army of previously defeated kaijin. To achieve this, he abducts a man named Kato and uses him as a sacrifice, successfully reviving five monsters. Demonstrating his cunning, Kamikiri Kid then shapeshifts to assume Katos appearance and infiltrates the protagonists group to gather information and lay traps. His role in the film follows a similar pattern; he leads an attack on the protagonists' auto shop, using his paralysis gas to kidnap key individuals to ensure the success of Shocker's super destruction light weapon plan.
Kamikiri Kids key relationships are primarily with other Shocker monsters and his human adversaries. He is shown training the resurrected monsters under his command, suggesting a position of authority among them. A notable interaction occurs when he coldly executes a fellow monster, the Cockroach Man, for nearly revealing the location of Shocker's stronghold. His central conflict is, of course, with the hero, Takeshi Hongo, the transformed Kamen Rider. He directly confronts the Rider on multiple occasions, considering himself a formidable opponent.
Kamikiri Kid is equipped with several notable abilities that make him a dangerous foe. His primary weapons include his powerful left claw, capable of crushing and cutting, and his mandibles, from which he can spew a white gas that causes paralysis in his victims. He also possesses the ability to breathe fire. In the theatrical film, his offensive capabilities are enhanced further, as he can fire destructive laser beams from his antennae. A key ability is his power to perfectly disguise himself as another person, which he uses for espionage and sabotage. His antennae, however, serve as a significant weak point; when they are damaged in battle, he becomes severely weakened, leading to his eventual defeat. In the television series, he is ultimately destroyed by Kamen Rider's Rider Screw Kick, while in the film, he is finished off after his antenna is broken by the Flying Rider Punch, followed by a final Rider Kick.