Learn what tie-ins Team TokuNet member Ayaku found between the Kamen Rider OOO novel and the new film.

NOTE: This writing contains spoilers for the Kamen Rider OOO novel and the Kamen Rider OOO 10th movie.

After watching Kamen Rider OOO 10th: Revival of the Core Medals, I felt a sudden urge to reread the Kamen Rider OOO novel that was released ten years ago. Both the film and novel are written by Nobuhiro Mouri, so it makes sense that he’d write the film in a way that has parallels and references to the Ankh section of the book.

Ankh Waking Up

The Movie: At the beginning of the film, we find Ankh sleeping and hearing Eiji’s voice calling out to him in his dream. 

The Novel: This is similar to how the novel ends: Ankh wakes up from a dream because he could hear Eiji calling out his name. In fact, when a Greeed’s nine Core Medals are given enough Cell Medals to bring them to life, they begin dreaming, so it’s not surprising that the film would begin with Ankh sleeping the moment he regains consciousness.

The Kougami Foundation

The Movie: The Kougami Foundation experiments with creating artificial life and has even created artificial Core Medals. More background on the “family business” is given in the novel.

The Novel: The country where the story takes place flourished because it exported medicine with effective healing attributes thanks to its alchemists. Many alchemists from around the world traveled there in search of work. When the Ancient King (Kougami’s ancestor) ascended to the throne, he gathered all of the alchemists to encourage them to pursue their desires: to create artificial life. Although it’s not explicitly stated, we can assume that the Kougami Foundation’s history started out as a medicine production business that evolved into developing other things such as artificial life.

By the way, the Ancient King is exactly like his descendant Kougami. When the Ancient King greeted Ankh the moment he was born, he wished him a “Happy Birthday”. He also encouraged everyone to be motivated by their own desire and spoke in a very obnoxiously loud and gleeful voice. He also addressed everyone with the -kun honorific and has a very similar speech pattern like using ~tamae.

The Ancient King’s Hubris

The Movie: There’s a flashback scene of the Ancient King’s demise in the past taken right out of the TV series. This scene appeared in the novel as well, and it took place in a church where Ankh and the Greeeds tried to defeat the King.

The Novel: The King’s desire was to ascend to godhood so he observed religions around the world. All the Cell Medals and the Core Medals that floated around him was from the Greeeds and the Yummies that were created out of the King. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to control that power and it turned him into a sarcophagus. 

Saving Those Within Reach

The Movie: Just like in the TV series, there was a girl that Eiji risked his life saving.

The Novel: In the novel, Ankh meets a little girl who was blind. This is really dark, but the reason she was blind is because her own father “took” her eyesight away. Her desire to see beauty in the world was powerful which drew Ankh towards her. He wanted to create a powerful Yummy out of her because he needed one to fight the Ancient King (and eventually the other Greeeds), but she unfortunately dies in a fire.

Uva’s Core Medal

The Movie: When Goda, in Eiji’s body, transformed into OOO for the first time and fought Uva, he picks up one of his Core Medals and attempts to crush it until Ankh stops him.

The Novel: This same thing happened when The Ancient King, as OOO, fought the Greeeds when they tried to kill him in the novel. Unlike Goda however, the Ancient King does snap Uva’s Core Medal in half.

Ankh’s Name

The Movie: Goda, in Eiji’s body, calls Ankh in an overfamiliar tone. Ankh gets disgusted by this and tells him not to say his name in such a way.

The Novel: Near the end of the novel, the Ancient King says Ankh’s name in a way that made him describe it as “creepily intimate”.

Ankh and the King

The Movie: Lastly, when Ankh and the Ancient King finally exchange words in the film, the latter calls the former “right-hand man”.

The Novel: In the novel, the King assigns Ankh to be one that collects all the Cell Medals from the other Greeeds to deliver to him personally. The King admits to Ankh that he likes him out of all the other Greeed because his desires were stronger than theirs.