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This article is about a villain in Kamen Rider Wizard. |
Medusa (メデューサ, Medyūsa) was a Phantom born from the body of a young girl named Misa Inamori (稲森 美紗, Inamori Misa), tearing her host apart and assuming her form. Partnered to Phoenix, Medusa is one of the two Phantoms tasked with the desire of the mysterious Wiseman for more Phantoms to be created.
Profile[]
- Gate: Misa Inamori (稲森 美紗, Inamori Misa)
- Mythological Basis: Medusa
- Destroyed by: Kamen Rider Mage's Holy spell and Wiseman
- Height: 218 cm
- Weight: 151 kg
History[]
Background[]
Misa and Mayu Inamori are twin sisters and lived a normal life with their parents. However, Misa was abducted as a sacrifice for the Sabbath ritual. As a result, Misa died with Medusa assuming her original self's form, returning to her home shortly after her rebirth as a Phantom to kill off Misa's parents, leaving Mayu with no family to hold, who until Medusa reveals the truth later, remains oblivious to the fact that the monster born from her sister had killed her parents. Soon after, Medusa works together with the more defiant Phoenix to carry out Wiseman's orders to create more Phantoms from Gates. However, as she held Wiseman's words as law, Medusa never agreed with Phoenix's methods and acting against their leader.
Series[]
Though she originally watched from the side, Medusa fought Wizard twice. She also fought the rampaging Phoenix, only for her petrification power to have no effect as he sends her to send a message to Wiseman that he is acting on his own now. After Phoenix's defeat, Medusa learns that Gremlin played a role in her ex-partner's downfall and since has been wary of his agenda.
After knowing that Misa's younger sister is a Gate, Medusa works on this case herself. Meeting Mayu in the school, Medusa wanted to trick Mayu to believe that Misa is still alive in Medusa. However, she was soon interfered by Wizard and Beast. Though, Medusa already set a trap to tricking the magicians that Mayu's friend is a Gate, rather than Mayu. After meeting Mayu, Medusa soon destroyed Mayu's keychain and revealed the truth, that Misa is now dead and she had killed Mayu's parents, driving Mayu into despair.
Wizard arrives too late, and fights Medusa, only for the Greater Phantom to defeat him by siphoning Wizard's mana from him, leaving him helpless to watch as Mayu sinks further into despair. However, Mayu manages to suppress her Inner Phantom to Medusa's shock before being forced to retreat when the White Wizard appears. Though she informs Wiseman of White Wizard, Medusa is ordered to focus on her current goal.
Movie War Ultimatum[]
Medusa and Phoenix were ordered by Wiseman to work with the Akumaizer, but the Phantoms show no interest in them, instead they let Wizard enter the Gate's Underworld.
End by Betrayal[]
Medusa fought Mayu as Mage in the third time and became her last. After being badly damaged by Mayu's Holy Ring, she was stabbed from behind and much to her surprise, it was Wiseman who did it. Feeling betrayed, she asked him why, until Wiseman showed his true self as Fueki, and White Wizard. She begged him to help her again but Fueki told her that her goal was done and was no longer needed. And with that, Medusa disappeared into dust.
Magic Land[]
An alternate version of Medusa was present along with Phoenix and Gremlin in a altered version of the world called Magic Land. They appeared before the young Gate Shiina, easily overpowering the boy when he transformed into Kamen Rider Mage and forcing him into despair. They were then met by Haruto and Kosuke who proceeded to face them as Wizard and Beast. Beast took on Medusa while Wizard used the Drago Timer to split himself into his four Dragon Styles to deal with Phoenix and Gremlin. Beast assumed Beast Hyper, ultimately finishing Medusa off with his Hyper Magnum Strike. [Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land]
Kamen Rider Wizard: The Promised Place[]
A version of Medusa was evidently consumed by the cannibalistic Phantom, Ogre, who channeled her power while fighting Kamen Rider Beast, using Medusa's power of snake hair to entangle Beast and send him crashing into a building. [Kamen Rider Wizard: The Promised Place]
Video Game appearances[]
Kamen Rider Break Joker[]
Medusa appears as a playable character with other Riders and monsters in Kamen Rider Break Joker.
Kamen Rider Riderbout[]
Medusa appears as an of the many Bosses, with the other Heisei and Showa kamen Riders in Kamen Rider Riderbout.
Personality[]
Medusa is cruel and calculating in personality, and is not above harming a fellow Phantom if they are not doing what she demands of them or behaves in an unruly manner that disrupts her plans. She also shows no tolerance for anyone who gets in the way of her kind's goal or uses her. While other Phantoms might not like being referred to by their original selves' names, Medusa intensely loathes being treated so. She shows immense loyalty to Wiseman and executes his commands to the letter.
Although a powerful combatant, she favors the use of schemes and tricks to get her way, resorting to physical combat only when the situation demands it or if she is sufficiently angered.
Powers[]
In her human state, Medusa has a variety of sight-based powers, such as causing explosions with a mere glare from her eyes. It's because of her variety of ocular powers that Medusa can find ideal Gates who can incubate more of her kind in the first place. To her, Gates emit a large red aura around them. It is possible that the bigger the aura, the more likely a powerful Phantom will be born from said Gate.
In her true form, Medusa's hair can entangle opponents or siphon magical energy out of their bodies, as well as manipulate her magic to fire energy balls. She also uses a snake-themed scepter called Arrogant (アロガント, Aroganto) as a weapon. Her greatest power, however, is the petrification stare her mythological motif is famous for, allowing her to turn any enemy she stares at into stone. For some reason, she considers this unique power as a secret weapon and has only used it once, which was for petrifying an unruly Phoenix.
Behind the scenes[]
Portrayal[]
Misa is portrayed by Erina Nakayama (中山 絵梨奈, Nakayama Erina). As Medusa, her suit actor is Toshihiro Ogura (おぐら としひろ, Ogura Toshihiro), who is best known as the suit actor of Ryutaros in Kamen Rider Den-O and later productions. Like many other female suit roles, her suit actor is in fact male.
Concept Art[]
Medusa was designed by Hiroshi Maruyama (丸山 浩, Maruyama Hiroshi).
Notes[]
- An image of Misa, Medusa's Gate identity, can briefly be seen in the opening credits of Kamen Rider Wizard, and in the flashback of episode 2. She is seen with tears in her eyes, representing the threat of despair in the show.
- Medusa's hair of snakes, aside from staying true to the original Medusa of Greek mythology, is also reminiscent of the Great Leader of Shocker from Kamen Rider the original series. Medusa uses her snake hair to attack Wizard, just as the Great Leader attacked the Kamen Riders in OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders.
- Also, she is similar to Mezool from Kamen Rider OOO as both of their monster form are portrayed by male suit actors and they disguise themselves as an innocent looking teenage girl.
- The role of this character almost went to Hikari Kajiwara, known for her roles in Kamen Rider Blade as Amane Kurihara and Kamen Rider Fourze as Ritsuko Usaka.[Citation needed]
- Due to both Mayu and Misa being portrayed by Erina Nakayama, in order for the crowd to differentiate between the two, Misa keeps her hair down while Mayu has hers tied in a ponytail. However for later appearances, Mayu's hairstyle was changed.
Appearances[]
- Kamen Rider Wizard
- Episode 1: The Ringed Magician
- Episode 2: I Want to Be a Magician
- Episode 3: Transform! Live Broadcast
- Episode 4: The Doll and the Pianist
- Episode 5: The Deciding Match of the Contest
- Episode 6: To a Beautiful Flower
- Episode 7: Buying Memories
- Episode 8: A New Magic Stone
- Episode 9: Dragon's Cry
- Episode 10: National Security Agency's Section Zero
- Episode 11: The Promise to Defend
- Episode 12: The Wagashi of Hope
- Episode 13: The Heir to the Dream
- Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum
- Episode 14: The Film Director Came Back
- Episode 15: After the Last Scene is...
- Episode 16: The Miracle of Christmas
- Episode 17: Another Magician
- Episode 18: The Magic of Food
- Episode 19: Today's Life, the Life of Tomorrow
- Episode 20: Learning the Truth
- Episode 21: The Dragons' Wild Dance
- Episode 22: The Phoenix's Rampage
- Episode 23: The Decisive Battle
- Episode 24: The Magician's Grandmother
- Episode 25: Choosing the Life
- Episode 26: Academy Infiltration
- Episode 27: Big Sister and Little Sister
- Episode 28: The Stolen Belt
- Episode 29: The Evolving Wild Beast
- Episode 30: The Day Magic Vanished
- Episode 31: Tears
- Episode 32: Dangerous Part-Time Job
- Episode 33: Things Money Cannot Buy
- Episode 34: The Reverse Side of a Popular Model
- Episode 35: The Other Side of Sora
- Episode 36: The Myna Speaks
- Episode 37: Wanted: Despair
- Episode 38: The Stolen Hope
- Episode 39: What was Forgotten on the Pitch
- Episode 40: I Want to Ride a Bike
- Episode 41: Magician is Fate
- Episode 42: The Ringed Novelist
- Episode 43: White Wizard's Secret
- Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land
- Episode 44: The Son's Keepsake
- Episode 45: A Smile in the Chest
- Episode 46: Shattered Memory
- Episode 47: Wiseman's Truth (Death)
- Kamen Rider Wizard: Final Stage
- Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle
- Kamen Rider Wizard: The Promised Place (Medusa spirit only)