Takeru Jakuzure

**Takeru Jakuzure** (蛇崩 猛竜, , *Jakuzure Takeru*?), a young man who transforms into **Enjin Knight Zen** (炎刃騎士ゼン, , *Enjin Kishi Zen*?, lit. "Flaming Blade Knight Gradual") to battle. He wields a single-edged magic sword resembling a Blue Dragon Blade as his weapon.

## Biography

Normally, Takeru is a carefree and playful playboy who always hangs out with multiple women and exhibits reckless behavior that is far from a typical Makai Knights. However, when it's time to get serious, he becomes a man who knows how to handle himself. He possesses a kindness that allows him to easily get along with children, and he is friendly and sociable. He warmly interacts with newcomers like Ryuga Dougai and quickly established a close bond with him. He has a somewhat quick-tempered personality, and he often clashes with Aguri Kusugami, who tends to have prickly behavior. Despite their differences, when he senses danger, he shows his good-hearted nature by putting himself at risk to help.

Furthermore, Takeru is emotionally expressive with clear highs and lows in his emotions, which makes him quite prone to tears. Despite being a Makai Knight, he has many scenes where he sheds tears. At times, he may even cry out and roll on the ground, displaying his emotions particularly strongly compared to other Makai Knights.

After meeting a girl in the 7th episode, Takeru develops a pure and sincere affection for her, which is quite unlike his playboy nature. He continues to visit her to check on her well-being. Furthermore, since that time, he has stopped his womanizing ways.

In the 18th episode, Takeru shielded Ryuga, who was about to be stabbed by a Plant, and willingly severed his own right hand, which had been pierced by his own Makai Sword (thus avoiding full-body transformation into a Horror).

In the 22nd episode, he was given a Soul Metal prosthetic arm by Fueki. This prosthetic arm transforms into a giant gauntlet resembling flames during battles, serving as both an offensive and defensive weapon.

After the battle in Bol City in the 24th episode, he received orders from the Watchdog Division and set off for the jurisdiction in the west.

## Behind the scenes

### Trivia

* He's not portrayed as a stereotypical delinquent but rather as a realistic portrayal of a tough character who follows Amemiya's style. They focus on creating episodes and dialogue that fit within a 2-3 meter radius of him, portraying his feelings and human-like qualities, often drawing from the experiences of stuntmen who feel the desire for a girlfriend or wife when they perform life-threatening scenes. This is done to depict the sense of danger that Takeru lives with constantly and to show his human side, which is why they film scenes involving romantic relationships.
* Originally, his costume was a solid red coat, but due to the specification for a pastor-like mao collar outfit, it was redesigned into a single-stand collar rider's jacket-like shape.
* To create a rough atmosphere, he speaks with a rolled tone in his speech and deliberately rasps his voice. Additionally, to incorporate the Chinese martial arts that Ikeda was interested in, his magic sword was designed to resemble the Blue Dragon Blade.