Kotaro Minami

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 is the main protagonist of Kamen Rider Black Sun. As a child, he was transformed into the using one of the Kingstones. He was an intended candidate to succeed the Creation King, along with Nobuhiko Akizuki. In 1972, he and Nobuhiko joined Gorgom, but Kotaro later defected after the group split. In the present, he protects Aoi Izumi from Gorgom and evolves into .
==History==
===Background===
Kotaro Minami was born in an unspecified year as the son of Kozo Minami, a scientist. As a child, he was childhood friends with Nobuhiko Akizuki, both of whom were the children of two scientist colleagues in charge of studying the Creation King. When the two boys were then chosen to be the next candidates to succeed the Creation King, their fathers implanted the Kingstones into their bodies, turning them into Kaijin. 
===Fighting for Kaijin Equality===
At some point in the 1970s, an older Kotaro and Nobuhiko joined the Gorgom alongside Yukari Shinjo, a young woman with ambitious plans to equalize rights for both humanity and the Kaijin race. After they followed through with her plan to kidnap Shinichi Donami, the grandson of the then-current Prime Minister, Kotaro and Nobuhiko discovered that she had actually planned to kill the Creation King to stop any further creation of Kaijin, so they entrusted their Kingstones to her. After Yukari was killed, Kotaro attempted to kill the Creation King on his own, but was crippled by it. After the Gorgom Party was formally founded by the government and Nobuhiko was captured, Kotaro went into hiding for the next 50 years, opting to no longer take Heat Heaven so he could live his days out in solitude. 
===Return to Battle===
Come 2022, Kotaro had been residing in an abandoned bus away from humanity, working as a debt collector of sorts to get Ketamine for his crippled leg. One day, he was asked to kill Aoi Izumi - a young pro - Kaijin activist - for a high price, but ended up saving her from the Spider Kaijin upon seeing one half of the Kingstone on her necklace. Bringing the girl back to his place, Kotaro met his old friend Nobuhiko again there, who told him to remember his duty to kill the Creation King.
Aoi, frightened by Kotaro’s aggressive questioning regarding the necklace, ran away back home. Kotaro chased after the girl, only to find out that her caretaker had been killed by the Anemone Kaijin. After the monster was dealt with by Nobuhiko, Kotaro decided to take Aoi under his wing, and the two began to form a close bond. The Kingstone on her necklace would eventually draw enemies to him, with Kujira being the first one sent by Gorgom to retrieve it by force. Thanks to the power of the Black Locust Kaijin form, Kotaro was able to fend off Kujira, telling him that he wished for Kaijin as a species to end in the process.
When Aoi’s father came to the bus to pick her up, Kotaro sensed something wrong with the man and gave chase, but was stopped by Nobuhiko, who also wanted the Kingstone for himself. Kotaro managed to win the fight against his friend and find Aoi with Kujira. To his surprise, Kujira had already saved the girl from her father, who had been forcibly transformed into the Crab Kaijin by Gorgom earlier. 
Kotaro transformed into Kamen Rider Black Sun for the first time when he saw that Bilgenia had turned Aoi into the Mantis Kaijin against her will. He soundly defeated Bilgenia with the new transformation, even managing to cut one of his arms off. Before he could deal the final blow, Bishum swooped down and saved the villain, abducting Aoi with her. Out of options, Kotaro decided to join forces with Nobuhiko, who had also been preparing troops to mount an attack on Gorgom’s headquarters. Wandering off alone in the main building, he eventually found Aoi, freed her from Darom, and proceeded straight into the Creation King’s room. Resolving to finish his mission, Kotaro transformed into Black Sun and tried to kill the Kaijin. While Kotaro did succeed in tearing out the heart of the Creation King, he also lost his left leg to the telekinesis of the monster. Koumori, seeing a grievously injured Kotaro, took him away from the building to Kujira and Nomi’s place, so that the Rider could recover.
Unbeknownst to Kotaro, Nobuhiko, having become disillusioned with the prospect of peacefully coexisting with mankind, became Kamen Rider Shadowmoon with a new desire to eliminate humanity in favour of the Kaijin race’s survival. He barged into Kujira’s place and demanded the Kingstone from Kotaro. Due to the injuries sustained from his previous battle with the Creation King, Black Sun was overpowered by Shadowmoon and put in critical condition. Before Shadowmoon could deal any further damage, Koumori and Kujira worked together to escort Kotaro from the place, denying Nobuhiko the Kingstone. 
In due time, Kotaro was revived by the efforts of his comrades. Knowing that Nobuhiko intended to become the new Creation King himself and eliminate humanity if left unchecked, Kotaro chose to consume a pack of Heat Heaven, for the first time in half a century, so that his body could regain enough strength to stop Nobuhiko before it was too late. Travelling to Gorgom’s headquarters again, Kotaro transformed into Kamen Rider Black Sun for the final battle. Despite being stabbed through the abdomen by Shadowmoon, Black Sun was able to defeat his former friend with a Rider Punch. After a tearful exchange of words, Nobuhiko died in Kotaro’s arms, entrusting him with his Kingstone.
When all was thought to be over, the heart that had been ripped out earlier suddenly crawled to Kotaro, whose hands were holding the two Kingstones. Kotaro stabbed the heart one more time, but he was unexpectedly assimilated and turned into the new Creation King himself. Kotaro, even as the Creation King, retained enough free will to ask Aoi to end his life. The girl complied and reluctantly stabbed him with the blade of the Satansaber, permanently killing both him and the Creation King as a result.
==Personality==
Born on the day of the solar eclipse, he was altered to become a candidate for the Creation King, the pinnacle of Kaijin. A warrior with a sad fate, torn between monsters and humans, with kindness in his heart. Kotaro is very blunt and harsh in nature, having grown bitter from the hardships he endured as a Kaijin. If needed, he will resort to excessive violence without hesitation. 
As a young adult, while somewhat standoffish, Kotaro did show a sense of camaraderie towards his friends. Alongside Nobuhiko and Gorgom's members, Kotaro fought to stop the discrimination which plagued society. Though quite sadistic and violent against his foes, Kotaro did not actively wish for another individual's death, even towards xenophobic humans. In fact, he and Nobuhiko explicitly made their distaste for needless violence known ever since the beginning of the Gorgom movement. He was also somewhat playful, going along with his friends' antics for a good laugh.
In his later adult years, Kotaro has grown disillusioned with society, traumatized from his failed crusade. No longer believing that humanity and Kaijin can co-exist, Kotaro has stated that the world would be better off without any of his kind. Gruff, stoic and nonchalant, Kotaro at first only fends for himself, without a care for any of the current affairs regarding Kaijins and humans. Such is this cold attitude that Kotaro even agrees to dabble in dirty business if it means he can get his hands on a steady supply of Ketamine for his bad left leg (i.e. physically assaulting a helpless Kaijin as a debt collector or willing to harm Aoi - only stopping once he sees her Kingstone).
In truth, Kotaro still retains a sliver of his former ideals beneath his apparent stoicism, which is exemplified by his relationship with Aoi, who has come to see him as a father figure of sorts after the deaths of her parents. In turn, Kotaro is compassionate enough to take the young girl under his wing and comfort her during hard times, teaching her how to defend herself in the process. He would also rush to protect Aoi's safety whenever he senses danger around her. As a matter of fact, it is Bilgenia's act of turning Aoi into the Mantis Kaijin that becomes the emotional trigger for Kotaro to transform into Kamen Rider Black Sun for the first time. Aoi even manages to bring out some of his old jolly side, as shown when he gleefully pranks her in one of their training sessions. 
Unlike the vast majority of his peers, Kotaro is seemingly aware of the cruel fate of his race as artificial anomalies, and he wishes to see his mission to the end, killing the Creation King so that no new Kaijin can be born, and the rest may be able to live their remaining lives in peace. He has also sworn off Heat Heaven despite that such an act would only make him physically weaker and bring him to death sooner over time, emphasizing his resolve to cut off all ties of his days as a monster. As a further testament to this sentiment, the first and only time he has resorted to consuming the substance in 50 years is when he needs emergency strength to stop his former friend Nobuhiko from becoming a new Creation King and perpetuate the vicious cycle.
==Powers and Abilities==
===Powers===
*Kaijin Physiology: Possessing powers far beyond even the High Priests, Kotaro is one of the strongest beings in Kamen Rider Black Sun, with only the Creation King his definite superior. Like the Creation King and Nobuhiko, Kotaro possesses immense psychic powers and physical prowess although the latter was not used much due to his reliance on his physical capabilities both as a Rider and as a Kaijin.
**Durability: Black Sun's body is more durable than most kaijins and humans. He was able to survive Spider Kaijin's stab on his back and fight without needing any medical help. This durability also seems to apply to his human form to an extent, as was able to withstand the Anemone Kaijin's razor petals while untransformed.
**Grasshopper Legs: The grasshopper legs on Black Sun's back can be used to propel him from the ground and to hit enemies. He can rip off his grasshopper legs to form either leg into the Century King Black Blade. However, the legs do not seem to grow back under normal conditions, making them one-time weapons.
**Superhuman Strength: Kotaro possesses superhuman strength that can far surpass other Kaijin, as he could break apart the Spider Kaiijn's webbing as the Black Locust Kaijin and could break the Creation King's arm when the latter attempted to crush him.
**Claws: Both in his Rider and Kaijin forms, Kotaro possesses claws that are able to slice through and tear through the hardened flesh of other Kaijins, as shown when he was able to effortlessly rip into the Spider Kaijin's abdomen to tear out his intestines and rip apart the hardened exoskeleton of the severely weakened Creation King.
**Enhanced Jaws: Black Sun's jaws have an incredible biting power, being capable of cutting through the flesh of kaijins such as the Creation King himself.
===Abilities===
* Skilled Combatant: Being trained in combat by Bilgenia, Kotaro is an experienced fighter, having defeated Nobuhiko and Bilgenia on separate occasions. This is notable, since for the majority of his time in the present day, he has fought with a limp resulting from his bad leg, which is exacerbated given his aversion to Heat Heaven.
===Former Weaknesses===
*Crippled Leg: Kotaro's left leg was damaged by the Creation King in his first assassination attempt. Due to his unwillingness to consume Heat Heaven, the leg never fully healed, causing Kotaro to limp in his human form and rely on ketamine shots to subside the pain. The leg is later amputated as a result of his failed assassination attempt the Creation King, though it is restored and healed by Kujira's efforts and a dose of Heat Heaven.
*Anemone Kaijin: The Anemone Kaijin could produce flowers that released pollen which would prevent Black Sun from transforming.
==Kamen Rider Black Sun==
==Equipment==
===Devices===
*Century King Sun Driver: The Transformation Belt that allows him to transform into Kamen Rider Black Sun.https://twitter.com/bandai_ridertoy/status/1580487296130121728
===Weapons===
*Century King Black Blade - Personal weapon
===Vehicles===
*Battle Hopperhttps://www.kamen-rider-official.com/blacksun/news/6/
==Relationships==
===Allies===
*Yukari Shinjo: She was Kotaro's friend in his early days with Gorgom, and was the one who illuminated the necessity of killing the Creation King to him. Kotaro is motivated by her words even after many decades of her death, but it is unknown whether he is aware of the fact that she may have been a government spy sent to sabotage the Kaijins.
*Aoi Izumi: Initially, Kotaro agreed to an offer to kill her, and would have followed through with it had he not seen the Kingstone on her. After seeing her become a target for Gorgom, however, Kotaro began to protect and eventually form a bond with her, caring about her well - being greatly. Aoi returned the favor, looking up to Kotaro as her new caretaker and was deeply saddened by having to kill him once he had become the new Creation King. In fact, Aoi was inspired by Kotaro to take up arms against social injustice, having formed a new resistance to do so after his death.
*Koumori: He had known Kotaro ever since the 1970s, and proved to be a loyal and dependable ally, having helped save Kotaro from Nobuhiko's assault.
*Kujira: The two were enemies at first, but once Kujira was defeated in battle by Kotaro, he gradually had a change of heart and became allied to Kotaro. He was the one who transported Black Sun's unconscious body away from Shadowmoon to be revived.
*Nomi: Following Kujira, he also had a hand in reviving Kotaro from near death.
===Enemies===
*Nobuhiko Akizuki/Kamen Rider Shadowmoon: Nobuhiko and Kotaro had been childhood friends prior to joining Gorgom together in the 1970s. Both of them shared Yukari's ideals of ending the Creation King, but Nobuhiko ultimately turned into his enemy by wishing to exterminate all humans. Consequently, Kotaro was forced to kill his childhood friend in battle, and was able to get through to him in his last moments. 
*Bilgenia: In the 1970s, Bilgenia trained Kotaro in combat, and the two had a somewhat neutral relationship. After Kotaro had gone rogue, Bilgenia was intent to hunt him down for the Kingstone and went so far as to kidnap and transform Aoi into the Mantis Kaijin to lure him into a trap. This only resulted in Kotaro's transformation into Kamen Rider Black Sun, who would promptly cut off his left arm as retaliation. Despite this, he did not attempt to kill Kotaro for vengeance when the latter was unconscious and weak.
==Behind the Scenes==
===Portrayal===
Kotaro Minami is portrayed by .https://twitter.com/KR_BLACKSUN/status/1462240947530436609 portrays a younger Kotaro Minami in the year 1972. As Kamen Rider Black Sun, his suit actor is .Uchusen Vol.180
==Notes==
*During the design process, Kamen Rider Black Sun's eyes were considered to be red like the original. But at the suggestion of Shinji Higuchi, who was in charge of the concept visual, the eyes became black. However, the eyes emit a red glow during transformation.宇宙船178 2022, p. 78, 「[インタビュー]白倉伸一郎」.宇宙船179 2022, pp. 92–95, 「仮面ライダーBLACK SUN キャラクター造形の世界」
*Due to Kotaro being based on a migratory locust, it is likely that due to the black and red colouration of his Rider form, he is a migratory locust in its gregarious phase.https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Gregarious-migratory-locust-fifth-instar-nymph-Photo-A-Latchininsky_fig2_258794835 This could be representative of how despite everything that happens over the course of the story, he was able to reconnect with people and make friends.
*Kotaro's Creation King form reuses the arms and legs of the previous Creation King's original appearance, except in black.
==Appearances==
==See also==
*Kohtaro Minami
==External links==
*Kamen Rider Zukan page on Kotaro Minami.
*Kamen Rider Zukan page on Kamen Rider Black Sun.
*Kamen Rider Zukan page on Black Sun (Black Locust Kaijin).
*Kamen Rider Zukan page on the New Creation King (Large Locust Kaijin).
==Navigation==
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