The JNPD Rapid Response and Rescue Force (The Rider Corps)
Aug 11, 2017 22:25:24 GMT -5
Post by Mani4c on Aug 11, 2017 22:25:24 GMT -5
If you look at the mythology of any culture, you'll always find tales of heroes, men above men (and women above women, in some cases) who battle monsters, save lives, and who's exploits are carved into the vast fabric of their homeland's lore and history.
Hercules, Beowulf, Momotaros...these heroes were the superheroes of their day, achieving incredible feats and slaying beasts who's very NAMES were enough to inspire fear. But, like all legends and tales, they were slowly pushed aside, adapted, or used as inspiration for NEW tales of heroes and monsters. Batman, Superman, Judge Dredd, Zoro. Masked men, super beings, gritty, blood soaked officers of a brutal brand law...THESE were the myths of the 20th and 21st century, and for many, they INSPIRED real heroes to stand up and risk their lives to save others.
Japan was not exempt from this rule, Super Sentai, Metal Heroes, Ultraman. All of these shows, movies and books were filled with stories of monsters, costumed heroes and battles of good versus evil. But for many, one shined among them, a symbol of strength and justice...the Masked Rider, or, to use the Japanese name...Kamen Rider.
Kamen rider started off as a show in the 1970's, detailing the battles of Takeshi Hongo, a genius with a knack for motorcycle riding, against a monstrous (literally, in this case) organisation known as SHOCKER. This simple tale quickly grew, first with Takeshi taking on a partner in the form of Hayato Ichimonji, who took on the mantle of Kamen Rider 2. But it was only the beginning, for decades, Kamen Rider became a phenomenon, raking in BILLIONS of yen for the entertainment company Toei.
But, eventually, the show faded from memory, though not before lasting well over 80 years and spawning just as many riders. Toei was eventually folded into another company, and the rights to the series were shuffled around for close to 150 years...until a coup ressurected the idea of heroes battleing nebulous, evil organizations, and the Riders and their kinsman rose from the dust of history to battle evil again. (More information on the Coup itself can be found in it's respective thread)
The Kamen Rider franchise's resurgence was a massive boom to the Fujiyama conglomerate, a company owned by Ryuji Matsumoto, my grandfather. My family went from a reasonably wealthy group of game creators and anime producers to multi millionaires within a generation (I suspect that this is also because all large Japanese conglomerates are required to provide at least a small amount of their resources and planning to assisting the Japanese government in it's cyber policing and maintenance programs, government contracts in japan are particularly juicy because of the emphasis on self sufficiency.)
Eventually, my grandfather passed, and my Father and Mother moved to the United States, leaving my Uncle Kurusu to lead the company. But it was during his tenure that the Riders went from fictional heroes and modern myths to real life soldiers in the battle against the wicked.
The Fujiyama corporation instituted a very, VERY public partnership with the JNPD's Cyber-defense and warfare brigade, their answer to the US division's Net-Ops group. The program, officially known as "The Tokusentai Project" (Or "The Special Fighting Task-force Project...yes, Japanese is very dense in terms of vernacular, don't remind me.) was nothing short of brilliantly mad. taking the armored, Technicolor heroes of Japanese pop culture and turning them into a real life combat battalion? If I didn't know my uncle, I'd have said that he'd lost his mind, but, the military LOVED it.
Powerful, public, and damn effective...perfect for recruiting or soothing the public in times of crises both minor and catastrophic. It was as if Superman or Captain America could show up at your door and save you from a house-fire, or rescue you from a mugger. It made the people safe, and their record shows that they're devastatingly effective in combat despite their odd appearances.
They recently provided a great amount of support in the War against Abraxas' army, and have been patrolling the recovering Red Light districts while we set up a proper precinct and taskforce for the area, leading to plummeting crime rates and a boost in morale that's VERY much needed.
The current leader of the Rider Corps is Ichigo, who is based of of Takeshi Hongo, Kamen Rider 1. Other members include Ebon, who is designated as Kamen Rider Black (Update: Ebon has Recently upgraded to the Black RX armor, leaving the Kamen Rider Black armor open for use.), and, most publicly, the newest member of Corps, who goes by the codename "D.va", is utilizing the experimental "Ex-Aid" armor, which is specially programmed to resist viral infections. She's a loudmouth and a bit of a brat, but her skills in the Arena lend well to her ACTUAL career...if only she'd stop LIVESTREAMING during battle...
Hercules, Beowulf, Momotaros...these heroes were the superheroes of their day, achieving incredible feats and slaying beasts who's very NAMES were enough to inspire fear. But, like all legends and tales, they were slowly pushed aside, adapted, or used as inspiration for NEW tales of heroes and monsters. Batman, Superman, Judge Dredd, Zoro. Masked men, super beings, gritty, blood soaked officers of a brutal brand law...THESE were the myths of the 20th and 21st century, and for many, they INSPIRED real heroes to stand up and risk their lives to save others.
Japan was not exempt from this rule, Super Sentai, Metal Heroes, Ultraman. All of these shows, movies and books were filled with stories of monsters, costumed heroes and battles of good versus evil. But for many, one shined among them, a symbol of strength and justice...the Masked Rider, or, to use the Japanese name...Kamen Rider.
Kamen rider started off as a show in the 1970's, detailing the battles of Takeshi Hongo, a genius with a knack for motorcycle riding, against a monstrous (literally, in this case) organisation known as SHOCKER. This simple tale quickly grew, first with Takeshi taking on a partner in the form of Hayato Ichimonji, who took on the mantle of Kamen Rider 2. But it was only the beginning, for decades, Kamen Rider became a phenomenon, raking in BILLIONS of yen for the entertainment company Toei.
But, eventually, the show faded from memory, though not before lasting well over 80 years and spawning just as many riders. Toei was eventually folded into another company, and the rights to the series were shuffled around for close to 150 years...until a coup ressurected the idea of heroes battleing nebulous, evil organizations, and the Riders and their kinsman rose from the dust of history to battle evil again. (More information on the Coup itself can be found in it's respective thread)
The Kamen Rider franchise's resurgence was a massive boom to the Fujiyama conglomerate, a company owned by Ryuji Matsumoto, my grandfather. My family went from a reasonably wealthy group of game creators and anime producers to multi millionaires within a generation (I suspect that this is also because all large Japanese conglomerates are required to provide at least a small amount of their resources and planning to assisting the Japanese government in it's cyber policing and maintenance programs, government contracts in japan are particularly juicy because of the emphasis on self sufficiency.)
Eventually, my grandfather passed, and my Father and Mother moved to the United States, leaving my Uncle Kurusu to lead the company. But it was during his tenure that the Riders went from fictional heroes and modern myths to real life soldiers in the battle against the wicked.
The Fujiyama corporation instituted a very, VERY public partnership with the JNPD's Cyber-defense and warfare brigade, their answer to the US division's Net-Ops group. The program, officially known as "The Tokusentai Project" (Or "The Special Fighting Task-force Project...yes, Japanese is very dense in terms of vernacular, don't remind me.) was nothing short of brilliantly mad. taking the armored, Technicolor heroes of Japanese pop culture and turning them into a real life combat battalion? If I didn't know my uncle, I'd have said that he'd lost his mind, but, the military LOVED it.
Powerful, public, and damn effective...perfect for recruiting or soothing the public in times of crises both minor and catastrophic. It was as if Superman or Captain America could show up at your door and save you from a house-fire, or rescue you from a mugger. It made the people safe, and their record shows that they're devastatingly effective in combat despite their odd appearances.
They recently provided a great amount of support in the War against Abraxas' army, and have been patrolling the recovering Red Light districts while we set up a proper precinct and taskforce for the area, leading to plummeting crime rates and a boost in morale that's VERY much needed.
The current leader of the Rider Corps is Ichigo, who is based of of Takeshi Hongo, Kamen Rider 1. Other members include Ebon, who is designated as Kamen Rider Black (Update: Ebon has Recently upgraded to the Black RX armor, leaving the Kamen Rider Black armor open for use.), and, most publicly, the newest member of Corps, who goes by the codename "D.va", is utilizing the experimental "Ex-Aid" armor, which is specially programmed to resist viral infections. She's a loudmouth and a bit of a brat, but her skills in the Arena lend well to her ACTUAL career...if only she'd stop LIVESTREAMING during battle...