| This article is about a/an race of villains in Kamen Rider Drive. |
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The Roidmude (ロイミュード Roimyūdo?) are the antagonists of Kamen Rider Drive. They are a race of 108 artificial life forms created by Dr. Tenjuro Banno as unique androids that were capable of 'evolving' to become more like humans. However, when their development had hit a wall, Banno asked his friend Krim Steinbelt for help. Steinbelt gave them the prototype Core Driviars to continue their evolution. Unfortunately, it caused them to start their plot to destroy the world, evolving by synchronizing with human emotions and using those emotions to transform into more powerful forms.
Overview
The Roidmudes are capable of slowing down time itself to a crawl by emitting specialized particles from their Core Driviars. This is known as the Heavy Acceleration phenomenon, which densifies space to make objects move sluggishly unless they are protected by Core Driviars of their own, such as other Roidmudes or Shift Cars, or by wearing very specialized and fragile equipment sometimes employed by the Special Crimes Unit. They are covered by a membrane similar to the human cerebral cortex that allows them to disguise themselves, as well as camouflaging the particles emitted from the Heavy Acceleration phenomenon that the Roidmudes are so fond of exploiting.
Roidmudes are most commonly referred to by the three-digit number that emblazons their chest, which is pronounce with each digit individually; i.e., 029 is Zero-Two-Nine. A Roidmude whose body is destroyed will persist as a floating metallic version of the number, called the Core, which is immune to destruction save by a Kamen Rider or other Roidmudes. Destroying the Core is the only way to permanently kill the Roidmude, for as long as the Core is still around, the Roidmude can eventually respawn.
So far, there are three types of Low-Class Roidmudes: Cobra types, Spider types, and Bat types. There is also a fourth Human type that is exclusive to Proto-Zero.
Low-Class Roidmudes evolve using dark versions of the Shift Cars called Viral Cores, which like the Shift Cars channel emotional energy. Upon gaining enough of the emotion that drives them, the Viral Core will cause the Low-Class Roidmude to evolve into an Advanced Roidmude, possessing a unique body structure and much more powerful abilities. Viral Cores may also be forcibly overfed to a Roidmude, causing them to mutate into a form known as a Giant Roidmude. This form resembles a mixture of a car and the Roidmude's animal type, possessing high destructive power but at the cost of devolving the Roidmude to animal intelligence.
Another way of evolving into an Advanced form is by forming a pact with a human. By granting the host's desires, the Roidmude can in turn absorb their emotions to undergo evolution. However, the Roidmude's evolved form is initially unstable and cannot be maintained indefinitely after first acquiring it, so they must keep fulfilling the host's desires until they can sustain the form on their own. After their transformation is stable enough, the Roidmude will often turn on their host as their next victim.
001 eventually developed a newer model of Viral Core called the Neo Viral Core, which hybridizes these two methods. Through use of a Neo Viral Core and a willing human, a Roidmude may physically merge with their host, causing immediate evolution into an advanced form. Unlike previous arrangements, this fusion leaves the human in control of the body, with the Roidmude serving as an advisor pushing the human towards acts of violence and destruction. Only certain humans are compatible with this process, requiring a dark or twisted mindset to be able to show no qualms about sharing one's body with a monster. It is unknown, but unlikely given the ultimate goals of the Roidmudes, if the human is intended to remain dominant in these fusions over the long term.
Instead of pursuing evolution, Low-Class Roidmudes may instead be remodeled by Medic herself into a customized variant called the Reaper Legion, whose primary mission is to eliminate unruly and/or rogue Roidmudes. While supposedly the function of these Roidmudes is to reset the unruly Roidmude, as Mashin Chaser did, Medic secretly pushes them to destroy the unruly ones outright as part of her plan to pare down the number of Roidmudes. Reaper Roidmudes are given enhanced combat capabilities in addition to cockroach-like attributes, but do not seem to be able to evolve. Reapers normally appear only under Medic's direct command, but have been seen in the employ of other superior Roidmudes on occasion, such as serving as bodyguards for 001.
An Advanced Roidmude who continues to refine their driving emotion or comes in contact with a truly intense source of it may evolve into a gold-colored state known as Super Evolution, granting them power even greater than their Advanced state possessed. There are numerous potential ways to achieve this state, as Brain did so by merging with Mitsuhide Nira to absorb his decades of jealousy towards Eisuke Tomari, while Freeze evolved through the humiliation he felt at being defeated in battle by Drive.
The ultimate goal of the Roidmudes is to find The Promised Number, a mysterious condition of great significance to the Roidmudes. It is believed that the Promised Number refers to the number of Advanced Roidmudes, but Super Evolution is also involved with the quest for it.
In addition to the 108 Roidmudes, there are others that aren't considered part of this count. Among these are Cyberoid ZZZ, a customized Human-Type Roidmude body originally intended for Krim's personal use but abandoned due to his inability to control it, and Proto-Zero, another Human-Type which served as a Kamen Rider together with Krim as Kamen Rider Proto-Drive. The combined ZZZ Megahex also created a force of numberless Mecha Roidmudes using the data on the Low-Class Roidmudes.
History
The Roidmudes were originally conceptualized by Dr. Banno. The Doctor asked for help from his partner, Krim Steinbelt, to build the Core Driviars for the Roidmudes. Against his better judgment, Krim agreed, but upon installation of the Core Driviars the Roidmudes became rebellious, led in this rebellion by 001, 002 and 003, who would become known as Freeze, Heart, and Brain. The trio killed both Banno and Krim, both of whom were forced to transfer themselves to AI platforms to survive, and orchestrated a worldwide attack known as the Global Freeze, planning to destroy humanity.
After this attack was foiled by Kamen Rider Proto-Drive and the Shift Cars, the Roidmudes went into hiding for twelve years, taking this time to evolve and change their strategy from one of open destruction to one of infiltration. They would learn from humans to find their own driving emotions and push them to their peaks, growing in power until they could achieve the mythical Promised Number. The effort to nurture the growth of the other Roidmudes was left to Heart and Brain, while Freeze infiltrated the Japanese government to become Secretary of Defense, allowing him to cripple any attempt at human resistance by making the police incapable of recognizing or altering the public to the Roidmude threat beyond the token resistance offered by the Special Crimes Unit.
Advanced Roidmudes
Major
- Freeze Roidmude (Roidmude 001) (former leader and boss, deceased)
- Heart Roidmude (Roidmude 002) (acting leader)
- Brain Roidmude (Roidmude 003)
- Medic Roidmude (Roidmude 009)
- Chase/Mashin Chaser/Kamen Rider Chaser (Proto-Zero) (formerly, defected to Riders)
Minor
- Paint Roidmude (Roidmude 010)
- Gunman Roidmude (Roidmude 017)
- Crush Roidmude (Roidmude 023)
- Volt Roidmude (Roidmude 024)
- Imitation Drive (Roidmude 027)
- Iron Roidmude (Roidmude 029)
- Voice Roidmude (Roidmude 030)
- Scooper Roidmude (Roidmude 033)
- Judge Roidmude (Roidmude 065)
- Shocker Buruburu (Roidmude 089)
- Shoot Roidmude (Roidmude 091)
Fusion Minor
- Sword Roidmude (Roidmude 007)
- Seeker Roidmude (Roidmude 050)
- Open Roidmude (Roidmude 067)
- Thief Roidmude (Roidmude 106)
Low-Class Roidmudes
Cobra-types
- Roidmude 001
- Roidmude 006
- Roidmude 009
- Roidmude 014
- Roidmude 023
- Roidmude 029
- Roidmude 034 (Reaper Legion Member)
- Roidmude 037
- Roidmude 057
- Roidmude 065
- Roidmude 067
- Roidmude 074
- Roidmude 082
- Roidmude 085
- Roidmude 094 (Reaper Legion Member)
Spider-types
- Roidmude 002
- Roidmude 004
- Roidmude 008
- Roidmude 010
- Roidmude 012
- Roidmude 018
- Roidmude 020
- Roidmude 024
- Roidmude 027
- Roidmude 028 (Reaper Legion Member)
- Roidmude 030
- Roidmude 044 (Reaper Legion Member)
- Roidmude 050
- Roidmude 054 (Reaper Legion Member)
- Roidmude 042
- Roidmude 046
- Roidmude 060
- Roidmude 064
- Roidmude 078
- Roidmude 084
- Roidmude 089
- Roidmude 093
- Roidmude 102
Bat-types
- Roidmude 003
- Roidmude 005
- Roidmude 007
- Roidmude 016
- Roidmude 017
- Roidmude 026
- Roidmude 033
- Roidmude 043
- Roidmude 051
- Roidmude 061
- Roidmude 066
- Roidmude 069
- Roidmude 071
- Roidmude 072
- Roidmude 076
- Roidmude 087
- Roidmude 088
- Roidmude 091
- Roidmude 092 (Reaper Legion Member)
- Roidmude 095
- Roidmude 096
- Roidmude 103
- Roidmude 104 (Reaper Legion Member)
- Roidmude 106
Non-108 Roidmudes
- Cyberoid ZZZ
- Proto-Zero
- Mecha Roidmudes
Gallery
Advanced Roidmudes
Major
Minor
Normal
Fusion Minor
Low-Class Roidmudes
Reaper Legion
Giant Roidmudes
Other Roidmudes
Roidmude's Cores
- Main Article: Roidmude's Core
Notes
- All of the Roidmudes are designed by Takayuki Takeya.
- The designs of the Viral Cores are associated with three notable monsters of the original Kamen Rider series: Spider Man (the first monster), Bat Man (the second monster), and Cobra Man (the first monster to have an upgraded/revived form).
- The Low-Class Roidmude's ability to shoot bullets out of their fingertips is similar to Deneb from Kamen Rider Den-O.
- The name Roidmude comes from combination of the words "Android" and "Mutant", with the "t" being made into a "d".
- The pact evolution path is similar to the way Yummies from Kamen Rider OOO work, where they drive a person's desire into overdrive, and get stronger from their host's desire.
- The Roidmudes are an inversion of the usual concept of monsters from Kamen Rider. Where the franchise usually has the heroes gain the powers of the monsters they fight and rebel against them for good, it is the Roidmudes who went against their creators and used their powers for evil instead of helping humanity like they were intended to.
- The Roidmudes head design might be a reference to Shotaro Ishinimori's manga creation Skullman.