List of Kamen Rider Kiva characters
This is a list of characters of the 2008 Japanese tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Kiva. The cast of characters is mostly split among two years, 1986 and 2008, and both groups of characters affect one another in their actions and their battles with the vampiric Fangires.
2008 side
Wataru Kurenai
Wataru Kurenai is the son of Otoya Kurenai and the Fangire Queen [|Maya], being an honest yet shy half-fangire youth who isolated himself in his father's estate after his mother left him to protect him from the retribution she would face for the death of the Fangires' King and her affair with Otoya. Initially called Oaketaro for his strange appearance due to his hygiene obsession and belief that he was "allergic to the world", Wataru works at an to continue his father's legacy of violin making with a dream to create the ultimate violin, using strange methods to accomplish it. But after meeting Megumi Aso who convinces him that his "allergies" are all in his head, it enables Wataru to gradually gain self confidence as he becomes Kamen Rider Kiva to protect people from the Fangires while more learning of his family legacy and making amends with his half-brother Taiga. In the events of Kamen Rider Decade, Wataru appears before Tsukasa as a representative of the previous Heisei Kamen Riders to direct him on his mission to save their reality by defeating the Kamen Riders of the Nine Worlds. When Tsukasa ended up befriending the alternate realities' Kamen Rider, Wataru and the others take matters into his own hands to force Tsukasa into carrying out his intended mission to save the multiverse.- : Kiva's default form, later revealed to his sealed form due to the Catena Chains functioning as restraints since Wataru is not a full-blooded Fangire. His armor is made of a supernatural alloy called with his enabling him to see in the dark. Using the Wake Up Fuestle to open up the Catena Chains to temporary unseal his left leg, Kiva executes the which has an impact force of 30,000 kg., leaving a crater imprint of insignia on any surface while shattering a Fangire's body within moments.
- : A form Kiva transforms into when using the Garulu Fuestle to summon the Garulu Saber and access Garulu's power. In this form, becoming animalistic with his strength dependent on the phases of the moon, Kiva's Omnilens and parts of his armor are coated in with the left arm gauntlet. Using the Wake Up Fuestle with the Garulu Saber, Kiva can execute the attack.
- : A form Kiva transforms into when using the Basshaa Fuestle to summon the Basshaa Magnum to access Basshaa's power. In this form, becoming a master marksman able to analyze opponents' weaknesses and manipulate water, Kiva's Omnilens and parts of his armor are coated in with the right arm gauntlet. Using the Wake Up Fuestle with the Basshaa Magnum, Kiva can execute the attack.
- : A form Kiva transforms into when using the Dogga Fuestle to summon the Dogga Magnum to access Dogga's power. In this form, gaining upper body strength to easily overpower normal Fangires, Kiva's Omnilens and parts of his armor are coated in with the chestplate. Using the Wake Up Fuestle with the Dogga Hammer, Kiva can execute the to freeze a Fangire in place before smashing the hammer on them.
- : A form Kiva transforms into when summoning all three Arms Monsters weapons at once. In this form, outfitted with the Garulu Arm, the Basshaa Arm, and Dogga Breast, Kiva can use all three Arms Monster weapons along with his Darkness Moon Break attack. But the form can strain Kiva so he can only use the form for five minutes before it becomes lethal to him.
- : Also known as the is Kiva's true form which Tatsulot unseals when summoned. In this form, using Tatsulot's Imperial Slot roulette to activate one of several "Fever" finishing attacks, Kiva's power increased to the point of completely destroy a Fangire's body and soul. A variant of the form is, which uses the Arm Monsters at his disposal. When Kiva learns to tap into his Fangire blood, he gains the ability to transform into and become the dragon-like. In this form, Kiva uses his wing blades and to execute attacks like the,, and the.
Keisuke Nago
is an elite member of the Fangire Hunters, working as a bounty hunter by capturing criminals and taking a button from them as a memento. He has an intense hatred towards Kiva, making him a loose cannon for his intent to kill Kiva. He also has a prejudice for certain people like Wataru, as he believes they are everything his ideology of "humanity's full potential" is against. Like Wataru, Nago has his own Rider System, becoming Kamen Rider Ixa who is made to counter Kiva. After finding out Wataru is Kiva, he is relieved that the power of Kiva is in good hands.Keisuke Nago is portrayed by.
Megumi Aso
is a famous model and the daughter of Yuri living in the year 2008, born on December 29, 1987. As a Fangire Hunter and as Yuri's daughter, Megumi makes it her duty to hunt down the Fangire as well as finish her mother's unfinished affairs, such as the Rook. She meets Wataru and develops a liking towards him after helping him with his allergy issue, unaware that he is actually Kiva himself. She is also not afraid to tell him off whenever he acts strange. While Keisuke Nago has expressed his interest in her, Megumi cannot stand him and was reluctant to notify him of Kiva's reappearance. Her weapon is a rather small pistol that shoots slugs at high velocities, with an attachment which shoots out a chain that resembles her mother's Fangire Slayer. It seems that she shares her mother's cynophobia.Over time, she starts to see Kiva in a different light as he continues to fight the Fangire, rescuing her on more than one occasion in the process. When her younger brother named, the Fangire Hunters' benefactor, comes to reclaim his sister, Megumi refuses to leave and convinces her brother to let her remain after destroying the Rook using the Ixa System. When Shima orders the elimination of Kiva, together with Nago she tries to assassinate Kiva but cannot do it. After Kiva's Fangire blood reacts he jumps on the bridge and grabs her and was going to kill her when Nago intervenes leading Kiva to regress back to Wataru to her shock. Back at his house she, Shizuka and Nago try to cheer Wataru up but to no luck. Megumi, along with Ryo Itoya, are the only two of the 2008 Ixa users not to use the Rising Ixa form.
Megumi would later play an important role in Nago's life after his eyesight was revealed to be failing, encouraging him to continue as Ixa when he considered quitting the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization. After the final battle was over, she would marry Nago a few days later. After marrying Nago she tried to fight the future threat with her husband and the other Riders only to be stopped by the guests for fear of ruining her dress.
In the S.I.C Hero Saga side story King of Vampire, at the end of the wedding Kivala shows up instead of Masao Kurenai to warn everyone about the threat of the Lion Fangire's Sabbat. Kivala chooses Megumi to become.
Megumi Aso is portrayed by.
Shizuka Nomura
is a 14-year-old girl who able to get around the shyness of Wataru being a motherly figure to him as he teaches her how to play the violin. She seems to be infatuated with Wataru; as a result, she can be jealous of other women in his life and actually sabotages his relation to Mio. Shizuka happens to be one of the few people to know about Kivat, and eventually Tatsulot, though she does not know that Wataru is Kiva, though by the last episode she does. She is also shown to be very adept at drumming.In the net spin-off movies' The Queen of the Castle in the Demon World, Shizuka is the title villain, using her powers to take out both Nago and Jiro for their disrespect towards Wataru before zapping Otoya with her "Shizuka Beam" for being a lousy father. Then enlarging into a giant, she battles Kiva before Wataru wakes up from his dream.
Shizuka Nomura is portrayed by.
Kengo Eritate
is an independent rock guitarist and vocalist from Tokyo who lied about coming from Osaka out of shyness. Although he formed a band called, other members got tired of his character and dropped out. After that, he makes Wataru and Shizuka join and aims at the major debut as a new IKEMENS as part of his lifelong dream to be a rockstar. Though he learns that Wataru's lifelong dream is not like his, Kengo remains Wataru's friend as the two promise to help each other out with their dreams. However, when nearly devoured by the Rhinoceros Fangire, Kengo encounters Kiva and begins to idolize him and then Keisuke after seeing him fight the Ladybug Fangire, wishing to be the latter's apprentice. When he is deputized as a temporary Fangire Hunter, Kengo has to be hospitalized after shoulder and hand injuries from fighting the Crab Fangire.Once released from the hospital, he learns that due to his injuries, he can no longer play the guitar, and as a result, gets angry at Wataru from hiding this truth from him. The rage gets worse when Kengo overhears Nago naming Wataru his apprentice instead of him, with Kengo being taken Shima's wing and made into an official Fangire Hunter, now bitter and harsh with no respect for Nago and very distrustful of Wataru. He even went so far as to cut and dye his hair back to black, along with discarding the Kansai accent he used to maintain the charade of being from Osaka. When Nago is injured in action, Kengo eagerly takes his place as the Ixa System's user. However, due to the incident where Kiva's Fangire nature takes over, Kengo is forced to return the Ixa System back to Nago after he attempted to redeem himself by fighting the Seamoon Fangire and almost getting killed by the Bishop. Kengo, in a last-ditch effort to bring back Wataru to battle, plays his guitar with what ability he has left and then begs Wataru to come back, apologizing for his recent behavior and coming clean about why he behaved like he did recently. It was not that much because of Wataru hiding the fact that he could no longer play the guitar from him, but that he needed to blame someone for his own weakness - he was actually relieved that he could no longer play the guitar as he eventually knew that he has little talent in music, but could not live with himself as someone who gave up on his dreams. At first, Wataru initially refuses, stating that he cannot be friends with anyone due to his heritage, but after Wataru returns to being Kiva, he relents and both he and Kengo become friends again. He later is a guest in Nago's wedding and helped carry the presents to the wedding.
Kengo Eritate is portrayed by.
Kivat-bat the 3rd
is the 3rd generation of the, distinguished among the, possessing two heirlooms, the green on the forehead and the on the face. Called "Kivat" for short, he is a solid character with dry wit, tending to have a bitter attitude. He has a technique called with the which are ornamented with. He formed a partnership with Wataru to give him the power of Kiva, infusing the which is one of the from the before attaching to the to allow his human partner to transform by the Active Force, as well as blow the Fuestles to evoke their power. He likes Megumi because she reminds him of Amedeo Modigliani's masterpieces, particularly the man's works of long-necked women. Kivat also serves as a narrator of sorts, telling the viewer historical facts while scenes from the previous episode play in the background during the early episodes. In the later episodes, with Tatsulot, Kivat tells the viewer of current events during the 2008 storyline.Kivat-bat the 3rd is voiced by.
Mio Suzuki
is a meek and clumsy girl born in 1989 who fell in love with Wataru after they meet at her previous job at a restaurant, where she was fired for being clumsy. However, her encounter with Fangires reveal that she is actually Maya's successor to the title of Queen of the Checkmate Four and the future bride to Taiga, donning an anklet from the Bishop to complete to her full transition into the Checkmate Four. Though in charge of killing traitors, which she has been reluctant to carry out, Mio is given the additional task of killing Kiva to protect their kind from him. Though she was unaware that Wataru is Kiva at first, still having feelings for him in spite of being forced to marry Taiga. After finding Maya and learning she can't rid herself of the title easily, she admits to Taiga she has no love for him before she learns that Wataru is Kiva. Learning that Wataru was half Fangire, she tries to convince him into defeating Taiga and taking his place as the King of Checkmate Four so they can be together. But when Wataru declines her request, Mio attempts to kill Taiga herself after faking that she wants to marry him. However, in spite of this, Mio tries to stop the fight between Kiva and Saga, knocked away from the two as Bishop takes his chance to fatally wound her for her earlier action. On the verge of death, Mio gives Wataru the ring he gave her during their early dating, and he puts it on her finger before she crystallizes and shatters. Mio appears to Wataru as a spirit from the shard he kept as a memento before Wataru traveled to 1986, encouraging him to live on and giving him closure.Just like her predecessor Maya, Mio can transform into the and can utilize all of the previous Queen's powers, though she can turn day into night with a violet moon in the background and her Fangire form is indigo compared to Maya's being a pink color.
Mio Suzuki is portrayed by.
Taiga Nobori
is Maya's first-born son, fathered by the Checkmate Four's original King, and current King of the Checkmate Four. He had met Wataru in their childhood, and the two became good friends. Though by 2008, he founded the company, Taiga developed a disdain for humans and, as the Fangire King, is in charge preventing the progress of humanity if it would pose a threat to Fangires. To meet his goal, Taiga has his own rider form, Kamen Rider Saga, and is aided by. Though his true form was not revealed throughout the series, his power and abilities deal with serpents. He would later gain the powers of Kamen Rider Dark Kiva.Taiga Nobori is portrayed by. Yamamoto also portrays in .
Tatsulot
is a small golden dragon known as the and allows Kiva to become Emperor Form. Tatsulot was resting inside the ceiling of Castle Doran until Wataru's rage from the harm coming to Mio awakens him. After his initial appearance, Tatsulot would go on to live in Wataru's house. Sometimes appearing without being summoned by the Tatsulot Fuestle. He and Kivat do not usually get along because of their differing attitudes. He is known to say. Later, Tatsulot joins Kivat telling the viewer random historical facts while scenes from the previous episode play in the background, although his historical knowledge is somewhat limited. He would later help narrate the current events in the 2008 storyline with Kivat.Tatsulot is voiced by.
1986 side
Otoya Kurenai
is Wataru's father who battles the Fangire menace in 1986, his ideology that "All humans are music" his reason of fighting Fangires was to protect that music. Otoya is a ladies man who retires from being a professional violinist for reasons unknown. It is by accident that he interferes in Yuri's mission and is eventually brought into their group as a result. Though normally a casanova, Otoya is vexed on anything marriage related, things always staying the same, and others getting in his way. He was the first to learn Jiro is actually a Wolfen, although no one believes him until later when Jiro threatened Yuri and reveals himself. He then becomes the second user of the Ixa System when Jiro was exposed, putting up a front of not suffering the suit's. He is also capable of reasoning with Fangires who are not truly evil, he befriending Ōmura/Frog Fangire as he convinces him not to harm others. During his battle with the Fangire Race, Otoya falls in love with Maya, the original Queen of the Checkmate Four, resulting in the chain of events that led to him becoming the second Dark Kiva after forming a pact with Kivat-bat the 2nd to take on the Fangires' King. Otoya, with help from a time-traveling Wataru, succeeds in destroying the King at the cost of being on the verge of death due to the strain of wielding Kiva's power. Otoya would then pay final visits to Yuri and the Arms Monsters before finally dying in Maya's arms after playing her favorite song. He would leave behind the Bloody Rose, a violin that Otoya himself made with Maya's help, for Wataru.However, in a strange turn of events in 2008, Otoya's spirit makes his appearance when he suddenly finds himself in Wataru's body. During that time, he recognized Megumi and Kivat as the children of those from his time. He also starts building a new violin with Wataru unaware that his father is building it through him. He would appear to Wataru in spirit one final time, encouraging his son not to give up as he lives on through him. In the non-canon The Queen of the Castle in the Demon World net spin-off movies, Otoya is brought into the present and bought the Café mald'amour, renaming it the "Café ore'amour" and attempting to remodel it.
Otoya Kurenai is portrayed by.
Yuri Aso
is the founding member of the Fangire Hunters 22 years ago, meeting Otoya by sheer accident. She hates the Fangires with a passion, referring to them as "God's mistakes", as it was the Checkmate Four's Rook who murdered her mother, one of the founding members and designer of the Ixa system. However, her revenge on the Rook was never resolved though she did succeed in providing her daughter an advantage and finally was being able to move on after defeating the Rook personally. After admitting her feelings for Otoya, she moved in with his house to live as his roommate, only to feel betrayed when Otoya is seeing Maya. But once learning of Maya's identity, Yuri starts to track her down with intent to kill her, but after learning that Otoya loves her, she decides to give up and breaks up with him after rescuing him from the King. Otoya would see Yuri one last time to say some parting words before his eventual death from usage of the Dark Kiva power. Yuri seems to be cynophobic, which can be a hassle while she is working at the Café mald'amour; however, she seems to have gotten over this fear as she went out to search for Kido's dog, Buruman, on a rainy day. Her weapon consists of two bars that connect to create a short snake sword named the which is capable of elongating. However, by 2008, Yuri is deceased and buried next to her mother. She would appear before her daughter in spirit to congratulate her on her marriage to Nago.Yuri Aso is portrayed by.
Kivat-bat the 2nd
is the 2nd generation of the Kivat-bat Family, and Kivat's father. As the King's partner, he infuses him with the power of Kiva. However, unlike his son, Kivat-bat the 2nd controls a lot more Demonic Power that enables Dark Kiva to fight at his utmost limit. Eventually, disgusted with his partner's methods, Kivat-bat the 2nd offers Otoya his power to become Dark Kiva. Kivat-bat the 2nd later appears in present-day to forge a pact with Taiga, making him the new Dark Kiva.Tomokazu Sugita voices Kivat-bat the 2nd in a dual role with Kivat-bat the 3rd.
No side
These characters are the few that exist in both the 1986 and 2008 timelines, serving as a link between the 22-year gap.Mamoru Shima
is a mysterious millionaire who is the president of the Shima Foundation, a front for the that funds the Fangire Hunters, spending his spare time at a gym. He also gathers information on any new members of the Fangire Race that the Organization comes across, as well as seeing Kiva as a possible greater threat due to the original's rampage in 1986, believing from his experience with his foster-son Taiga that Fangires and humans cannot co-exist. He let Kengo be part of the organization, training him to be a more suited successor to Ixa System, but fires him after Wataru runs away. It was soon after that Shima suffers an ironic fate when mortally wounded by the Sungazer Fangire and made into a Fangire by Taiga to save his life, forced to turn toward Wataru to be his bodyguard. But after revealing to Wataru the relationship between him and Taiga, Shima attempts to kill Taiga only to be defeated by Saga and taken away to heal his wounds. Shima eventually returns to aid his friends in the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization's final battle against the Fangires. Shima also talks about Wataru's father, Otoya, who he deemed "unique" and how Maya entrusted Taiga to him in order to prevent any retribution in the future. At the end of the series he attends Nago's wedding, retrieving the presents along with Kengo.Mamoru Shima is portrayed by.
Akira Kido
is the owner of the and an acquaintance of Otoya's in the past, a rival with Shima in who has a lower body fat percentage in 1985, with him constantly losing. He owns a Golden Retriever named, a puppy in 1986 and a fully grown dog in 2008. He is the first few to know that Wataru is Otoya's son. Akira and Otoya do not get along, although Buruman took an instant liking to the violinist. Akira was also a fan of the popular at the time song group, Onyanko Club. In the aftermath of the final battle, while Buruman was staying at a vet, Akira took in a black Pug named Sayuri.Akira Kido is portrayed by.
Arms Monsters
The are last of the three of the 13 wiped out by Fangires, whom they hate to be compared to and vowed revenge on the genocide of their races. Though they attacked/helped Otoya on a regular basis, the three eventually grew accustomed to his face when the King offers them a chance to be spared. Refusing to execute their friend, they were sealed away into small statues until Otoya saves them. However, upon making a to Otoya prior to his death, they are marked with orbs on their bodies and their original abilities sealed as they are then placed inside Castle Doran as its caretakers, watching over Wataru and the events of the outside world via tarot cards or playing chess or Hell's Old Maid to pass the time, the later game having a penalty on the loser. As a result of the pact, the Arm Monsters become Kiva's supporters, protecting the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization by allowing Kiva to access other powerful forms, possessing their fighting skills and mentality. They can sometimes get directly involved when needed to support Kiva. During the events of , the Arms Monsters were briefly possessed by Urataros, Ryutaros, and Kintaros in the 1930s. After Wataru became the current Fangire King, the Arms Monsters were apparently freed as they were seen fighting an army of revived Fangires, attending to Megumi and Nago's wedding, and representing Wataru when meeting the titular protagonist of Kamen Rider Zi-O despite being forced to serve Another Kiva.Jiro
is the human form of the violent and impulsive, the last surviving member of the werewolf-like that were decimated by Rook in one of his Time Plays. Like those of his kind, Garulu has heightened senses and uses his claws to rip out human souls from their bodies before eating them. In the human guise of Jiro, Garulu sees the world as a place of utter corruption and usually prefers to be within Castle Doran as its lead caretaker, occasionally playing Dogga in Chess or cards and beating him. He usually triggers his transformation by scraping his fingers against the ground.In 1986, Jiro is a regular at the Café Mald'amour as he enjoys the coffee there. Unbeknownst to the other workers, he begins attacking regulars in secret to feed on them, eventually stopping when his cover was almost blown. Recognizing Yuri as an "ideal wife" to revive the Wolfen Race through, Jiro joins the Fangire Hunters and becomes the first user of the Ixa System, saving Yuri from the Earwig Fangire and also alerting Otoya to his true nature, with the two at odds with each other unless Yuri's in any danger. But after Yuri favors Otoya, Jiro attempts to get revenge on Rook. He eventually warms up to Otoya enough to consider him a friend. Jiro is forced to ask for Otoya's help, with Ramon, Riki, and Yuri also defeating a weakened Rook together. Unable to kill Otoya to save himself, Jiro decides to leave town. However, he returns to aid Otoya and Maya against Dark Kiva but gets sealed into the. He escapes with the other Arms Monsters because of Otoya and runs away after seeing Otoya and King fighting. In the aftermath, before deciding to lead the Arm Monsters in keeping Castle Doran from running amok, Jiro questions Otoya's faith in them as he and the others promise to protect and aid Wataru in his stead.
This leads to Jiro now aiding Wataru in 2008, his Garulu Saber form used by Kiva to assume. Out of the Arms Monsters, Jiro supports his current condition as Wataru's ally out of respect for Otoya, even to the point of directly getting involved sometimes to honor his vows. In the net spin-off movies' The Queen of the Castle in the Demon World, Jiro challenges Wataru to a card game when he accidentally ends up in Castle Doran, losing to him in Hell's Old Maid and suffers a humiliating punishment. He later tracks down Wataru to get back at him, finding Shizuka before she overwhelms his nose with an old fish and manhandles him for threatening Wataru.
While is a Japanese onomatopoeic sound representation of a wolf's howl, the last syllable in Jiro's name contains the kanji for.
Jiro is portrayed by.
Ramon
is the human form of the cheerful, the 127-year old survivor of the gill-man-like. He has a cool yet childish attitude and is able to assume his true form by spinning then snapping his fingers. He can shoot pressurized water bubbles from his mouth and his pupils turn into cross-hairs to increase his aim. Basshaa is Castle Doran's housekeeper, assuming the form of a 13-year-old boy in a School Gakuran outfit while using his cunning and telekinetic abilities to mess with his housemates in their games from time to time. In 1986, he lives in human society as a shoeshine boy while aiding Jiro out of common interest, though confused by the Wolfen's methods as he should be in hiding and feeding off of humans in secret. When the parlor he lived in closed, Ramon started to work at the Café Mald'amour as a greeter until Jiro left and became a kakigoori seller when Jiro asked for his aid. After becoming unable to kill Otoya to save himself, Ramon decides to flee. But he is attacked by the King moments later and sealed into the. This leads to Ramon now aiding Wataru in 2008, his Basshaa Magnum form used by Kiva to assume.The word is a Japanese onomatopoeic sound representation of a splashing effect.
Ramon is portrayed by.
Riki
is the human form of the silent, the last surviving member of the Frankenstein's monster-like. He has unbeatable strength and feeds by grabbing a person and draining the soul out in the form of electrical discharges. He acts as Castle Doran's butler, assuming his true form by pounding his fists together. He can only speak in a slow, monotone voice, and is thus not as talkative as Jiro or Ramon, usually having one of them speak for him. In addition to his habit of popping his neck, Riki tends to eat things that are inedible to normal people. In 1986, he lives in human society as a masseur in Ramon's parlor before moving into the Café Mald'amour to work there for a bit, falling in love with Yuri after eating her food. When Jiro left, Riki joined Ramon to become a kakigoori seller until Jiro asked for their aid. After becoming unable to kill Otoya to save himself, Riki decides to flee. After seeing Ramon sealed by the King, Riki attempts to run away, but is sealed into the. This leads to Riki now aiding Wataru in 2008, his Dogga Hammer used by Kiva to assume.The word is a Japanese onomatopoeic sound representation of a great thud, in the case, a hammer hitting while "Riki"'s name is spelled with the same kanji for.
Riki is portrayed by.
Fangire Race
The are the series' antagonists and the most prosperous of the thirteen, they are stained glass-based vampires with a lifespan of about three centuries who feed on humans' while disguising themselves to live among them. Because of this, humans who were aware of their existence have formed a group to hunt the Fangires. The Fangires are ruled by a King whose rule is enforced by a trio of Fangires, the four all collectively known as the as they each bear a tattoo of the chess piece designating their rank. In 1986, the Checkmate Four were based in Castle Doran until the death of their previous King. By 2008, only Bishop and Rook remained as they recruit a new Queen and King before the Fangires end up with Wataru Kurenai as their King.Normally Fangires only have their physical bodies shattered, with their souls sealed within the Castle Doran's body before they can escape and eventually reform into a new body or clump with other Fangires' souls to form a giant aura monster called a. But Fangires can completely destroyed by stronger Fangires like Kiva and the Checkmate Four or the 2008 version of IXA.
King
The previous of the Fangires is the human form of the. As the Fangires' ruler, King was also the original Kamen Rider Kiva, also known as or simply, a black and blood-red armored version of Kiva's Emperor Form, and posed threat to humanity in 1986. While married to Maya, he only married her to have his son Taiga Nobori. But King disapproves Maya's sudden association with Otoya as he attempted to kill him after sealing the Arms Monsters to use their powers for his use, eventually defeated after Otoya took the power of Kiva from him. King attempts to kill Taiga in act of vengeful rage towards Mio, only to be fatally wounded by his son's counter as he realizes Taiga will succeeded him and vowed that he would avenge him in his final breath. Though Taiga succeeds him as the new Fangire King after his death, the King's power as Kiva is inherited by Wataru. In 2009, disillusioned with Taiga, Bishop attempts to resurrect King by gathering a large amounts of Life Energy before using his own soul to complete the ritual. But the resurrected King appears in more demonic version of his Fangire form without a conscious mind, acting on instinct to kill his two successors before Wataru and Taiga destroy him together as Kiva and Dark Kiva.As Dark Kiva, he uses the and Kivat-bat the 2nd to transform and uses the Fuestles to perform one of three finishing moves depending on the frequency: The punch, the kick, and the self-destruct attack. But as Maya would later explain, the power that Kiva possesses cannot be used by a normal human due to the strain it causes, allowing them to transform three times before they succumb to their deaths, which it ended up happened to Otoya after he used the Dark Kiva powers to defeat the King in 1986.
The previous King is portrayed by.
Queen/Maya
The original of the Checkmate Four in 1986, whose real name is, is the human form of the, possessing the Queen tattoo on her palm. Her powers are similar to Kiva as she can turn day into night with a blood red moon in the background and teleport in black rose petals as well as being the strongest of the Checkmate Four and consort to the King, giving birth to Taiga Nobori. Due to her status, Maya is in charge of executing any Fangire who betrays their kind, accompanied by Kivat-bat the 2nd. She lived for centuries, meeting Antonio Stradivari and Antonio Vivaldi and becoming their pupil, gaining an admiration for their genius and a love for human art. After Vivaldi's death, Maya found no other human like him until she crosses paths with Otoya, questioning her mission and the concept of love. As a result, while accompanying Otoya while he lost his memory, she starts to question humanity. Eventually, Maya is forced to reveal her true identity as a Fangire to Otoya when attacked by Dogga. But when Otoya refuses to kill her, she asks him to let her help him into creating an ideal violin for him to show his true potential, which would be named the Bloody Rose. However, in spite of Otoya telling her that they can never meet again, Maya falls in love with Otoya instead of her initial intent to kill him. This is expressed when Otoya and the King face off and later when she assaults Dark Kiva to hold him while Yuri escapes with Otoya, resulting with Maya being stripped of her title, rank, and powers as the Queen. Soon after the death of the original King, Maya stays by Otoya's side in his final moments.Maya eventually gave birth to Wataru, leaving him as a child in order to protect him from retribution, telling him to become strong. Maya is eventually exiled to a location only the Bishop knows of, to keep her safe from the other Fangires that would intend to kill her as only she can bestow Kivat-Bat the 2nd's power to another. By 2008, now wearing an eye patch, Maya is found by her successor Mio, explaining to her how succession works along with realizing that Mio is following a path similar to her own. Taiga later visits his mother to learn the truth, bringing Wataru to meet her, again, despite her wishes. After being knocked out by a distraught Taiga who takes Kivat-Bat the 2nd as his own and claiming to have killed her, Maya reveals herself and expresses her pride in her sons finally working together.
Maya is portrayed by.
Rook
, named after the Rook tattoo on his hand, is the human form of the whose role in the Checkmate Four is to hunt down potential threats. Rook became an enemy to Yuri for murdering her mother and Jiro for nearly slaughtered the entire Wolfen Race. Having no particular role to play and annoyed with boredom, Rook devised his own personal game: the "Time Play". In a Time Play where he feeds on a select group of people within a time limit with a parfait as his reward, with failure to make the intended number resulting in self-punishment with an electric shock strong enough to literally fry a human to crisp. Eventually he is defeated by Yuri when she tricks him into using the Ixa System to weaken him before Otoya and the Arms Monsters further weaken him for Yuri to deliver the deathblow with the Ixa System. But Rook barely escapes with a severe wound on his right shoulder, entering a deep rest to recuperate from his injuries.By 2008, Rook has lost his memories while resting and possesses a childlike mentality, found by Wataru and Shizuka. Because he cannot remember his name, they call him due to his size. Soon after, Dai-Chan regains all of his memories as Rook upon seeing one of his old battlefields. But Rook becomes bored with his Time Plays, after finding out that he had run out of ideas over whom to hunt and resorts to playing the ultimate game where he does good deeds before getting himself killed to enter the pearly gates. This plan is changed when Rook seeks to destroy Ixa, eventually being destroyed by Megumi as Ixa attacking the old injury on his shoulder.
The Rook is portrayed by.
Bishop
is the human form of the whose task as member of the Checkmate Four is overseeing his peoples' laws, deeming those who form relations with humans as traitors. Bishop served as the previous King's right hand in 1986, overseeing Taiga's development while not leaving Castle Doran to carry out his mission, even reporting to the King of Maya's actions. In 2008, he appears before Mio to have her embrace her destiny as the new Queen before searching for Taiga to complete the Checkmate Four prior to Rook's demise, deeming Taiga as a better King than the last one. After learning Wataru is Kiva, considering him a threat to the Fangire hierarchy like his father, Bishop took matters in his own hands to execute Mio for intending to betray Taiga to make it appears her death was accidentally caused by Wataru to force him in a guilt-driven isolation. But Bishop is forced to flee after proudly admitting his action to a furious Taiga, with a livid Bishop deeming the current king unworthy as he gathers a massive amount of Life Energy to set up a coup d'état and resurrect the previous king to take Taiga's place. In the end, Bishop is mortally wounded by Rising Ixa and uses the last of his strength to uses his own soul to complete King's resurrection, becoming part of the reborn Fangire.The Bishop is portrayed by.
Ryo Itoya
is the human form of the. Because of his encounters with Yuri and Otoya in 1986, he has become obsessed with her. In 2008, his obsession shifts to Yuri's daughter Megumi, making attempts to have her for himself. In his final attempt, he accidentally gains the Ixa Belt and uses it to make Megumi his. But once he loses the Ixa Knuckle due to his attraction to Megumi, Ryo is weakened by the Garulu Fever of Emperor Form and then destroyed by the fully awakened Mio.Ryo Itoya is portrayed by.
Masao Kurenai
is the son of Wataru Kurenai, resembling Otoya Kurenai. Coming from 2031, 22 years in the future, he comes back in time to ask his father's help to fight the menace that are making their way into the present. Being the son of Wataru, Masao can become Kamen Rider Kiva with the aid of the orange-colored, son of Kivat-bat the 3rd, assuming Kiva Form.Kouhei Takeda portrays Masao Kurenai and Tomokazu Sugita voices Kivat-bat the 4th in the final episode.