Orphnoch (Reynoman)

300px-Faizorphnoch — From Left to Right: Snake, Crane, Horse, Wolf, Mantis

An Orphnoch is a human evolutionary stage seen in the Kamen Rider 555 series. Orphnochs are supposed to be the next stage in human evolution. They are stronger, tougher, & faster, with various other special abilities. The term Orphnoch is the combination of the names of Greek mythological hero Orpheus & biblical character Enoch.

Background[]

There are two types of Orphnochs in the most of series: the Original Orphnochs, who are "born" when a certain human goes through a violent near-death experience & 'resurrected' into an Orphnoch, & Sired Orphnochs that are created when certain humans survive being attacked by an Orphnoch & become ones themselves, though weaker than the Original Orphnochs. But the most unique of type that appear in the series finale are the Evolved Orphnochs, the first of this type is the Orphnoch King, which are genetically perfect to the point of being unable to resume human form. An Orphnoch King can remove the genetic flaw from other Orphnochs, evolving them as well at the cost of their humanity.

All Orphnochs have their senses enhanced to a superhuman level, able to hear, smell or see great distances, tuning out background noise to focus on their target. They can also regenerate an ability as well as a first sense when the Orphnoch survived its human death, with the regenerating abilities depending on the Orphnoch in question. The stronger Orphnochs may fire energy blasts from their hands, though used a surprise attack due to its attack speed being slow & inaccurate for long distance attacks. But the Orphnochs' greatest ability is to 'siring' other Orphnochs (similar to Vampires or Werewolves) by attacking humans & (usually) stabbing them through the heart. This has a very low success rate, & usually results in turning the human into stone in question. Some Orphnochs seem to be capable of using long, skin piercing tentacles specifically for siring others. However, most cases of siring occur when the "sirer" is in Orphnoch form.

Every Orphnoch can interchange between their original human form & a unique Orphnoch form, light grey in colour with characteristics of either a plant or an animal with a body armour resistant to standard small firearms blasts & its strength varies wildly among Orphnochs as good measure of one's power. Only more powerful conventional weaponry can penetrate the body armour & harm or even kill some Orphnochs, while others can withstand even the basic attacks of the Rider Gears. Orphnochs can also generate signature weapons from their bodies. While in Orphnoch form, some of their kind can assume a Hybrid Form, becoming more creature-like in form. Few Orphnochs can assume a Secondary Form, increasing their standard Orphnoch form abilities at the cost of losing self-control. An Orphnoch can change their shadow into a hologram of their human form.

It is uncertain when or how Orphnoch die or lose their powers of natural causes due to the infinite lifespan, but they are almost invulnerable to just about untimely demise ranging from various injuries that would be fatal to humans. In addition, their wounds recover quickly; Orphnochs can be seen injured when (a) small blue flame(s) burst(s) from their wound. Unfortunately, it seems that they can only be destroyed at the hands of a Rider or another Orphnoch; possibly because they're powerful enough to defeat or kill them, often disintegrating back to a human as a result. This would also result with their stone-turned hosts turned back to normal.

Former chief of Smart Brain, Luther, learned a revelation that only few Orphnoch know of, that "the human body cannot stand such a rapid evolution", & that as such, they were doomed to die of inevitable break down & disintegration within any number of years of becoming an Orphnoch depending on their transformation into & out of Orphnoch form or use of the Rider Gears, which takes an amount of time from that person's lifespan. Others, however, have exhibited signs of early disintegration (the process starts with the skin turning grey, & slightly ash-like, before their entire body is destroyed) but subsequently showed a recovery. The only known solution to this problem is the Orphnoch King, who can "complete" Orphnochs' evolution, apparently forcing them to remain in Orphnoch form, but granting long life & a higher level of power.

Although the Orphnoch King was defeated in his final battle against the Kamen Riders, Orphnochs no longer seem to suffer a limited lifespan.

Orphnoch List[]

Orphnoch King[]

The Orphnoch King is of a special type who possesses the power to "complete" Orphnoch evolution, removing all traces of humanity in the process while granting long life. Unlike others, the Orphnoch King can disintegrate them instantly. The Rider Gears were originally created to protect the Orphnoch King.

Abner Bell/Arch Orphnoch (Grasshopper): An anti-social young boy who was orphaned when his parents died in a fire caused by the Barnacle Orphnoch. Abner was placed in the Age of Discovery Children's Home orphanage run by Smart Brain until Saral took him to his home & later stayed & lived in Kendrick's laundry mat. Soon, Abner began to act strangely & was eventually revealed to be the Orphnoch King. Whenever Abner blacks out, the Orphnoch persona emerges from his shadow to consume the lifeforce of Orphnochs, in which to fully mature. After being taken by Carter, Abner eventually transformed completely into the Arch Orphnoch. Fully awaken, the Arch Orphnoch fully evolved Anissa after beating Phi. It took Carter's sacrifice & Phi Blaster Form's Blaster Crimson Smash to defeat the Arch Orphnoch. But Arch Orphnoch barely survived & was mortally wounded, placed in the stasis tank under Smart Brain by Anissa.

Renegades[]

Renegades are Orphnochs that not aligned with Smart Brain, and each follow their own agenda. Most Renegades wish to continue with their normal human lives, thus they are branded as traitors that deserve death. Some use their new found powers to kill people who have wronged them (in real or imaginary ways), while others fight to protect humans.

Luther/Goat Orphnoch: The foster father of the Meteor Academy students & former chief of Smart Brain, Luther was intent to find the Orphnoch King. He is also responsible for creating the three Rider belts & the six Riotrooper belts. The origin of his Orphnoch nature remains untold in the TV series, however it assumed that he is perhaps a 'natural' Orphnoch due to his great speed & strength (that surpasses even the Dragon Orphnoch). He disappeared under Smart Brain HQ upon learning the fatal nature of humans' rapid evolution into Orphnochs, stealing the Rider Gears & entrusting them to his surviving students. Before he disappeared after his rapid evolution, Luther returned to Smart Brain to strip Midgley of his duties & appointed Kiba as the permanent head of the company to fulfill his final request: to terminate the Orphnoch King.
Nathan Yap/Wolf Orphnoch: A long time 'natural' Orphnoch who has hidden his Orphnoch nature since an automobile accident during his boyhood & is currently Kamen Rider Phi. Revealed his true form in later in the series & near the end of the series, as well as appearing in the Meteor Academy reunion in the series. Survived in the end of the series. It should be noted that the "Violent Emotion" version of Wolf Orphnoch has a pair of more wolf-like animalistic legs as opposed to the Orphnoch-humanoid legs in the TV series. Its speed & agility appear to be greater in the VE version as well.
Shannon Jeanes/Dolphin Orphnoch - Nathan & Carter's boss at a pizza parlor; was forced by Smart Brain to hunt down humans. He was defeated by Phi but was spared, told to remain living as a human.
Crab Orphnoch: A experimental guinea pig used by human scientists until he heard Violet's scream & broke out of confinement to free Violet. He had no interest in fighting the humans who held him prisoner & simply ran for life after giving Violet to Carter. Despite Phi's interference to save him from Chi & Delta, the Crab suffered genetic breakdown & died.

Horse[]

Main article: Carter Womack

Crane[]

Violet Dean is a teenage girl whose desire is to go to a place where there is no fighting. Originally a normal human, Violet was bullied terribly by her younger half-sister Calla & other girls in her school's female basketball team. The bullying worsen as Violet's parents favoured Calla over her, with only her messaging to Kendrick keeping her happy. However, the extreme emotional stress Violet suffered from caused her to fall down the snow covered stairs, leaving her unconcious & thus reawakening as the Crane Orphnoch. Though she attempted to use her power to help, it backfired when Calla had her as a scapegoat for her injury & having Violet kicked out of the family as a result. But when the mistreatment got worse after the school basketball team teased her for the last time, Violet finally "snapped" & single-handedly knocked out the entire girls basketball team, including her sister. Horrified of her actions, she runs out of the school, disgraced, & soon meets Carter, who joins her in learning of their new-found existence. Though she agrees with Carter's ideals of protecting humans, Violet occasionally attacks humans who seem bad (bullies, etc.) on reflex without others knowing, a habit that would eventually gain interest by Lucky Clover. She exchanged e-mails with Kendrick to a lesser extent after becoming an Orphnoch, as she later developed a strong crush on Saral, though he did not reciprocate. Eventually she & Kendrick come to realize who the other was, & they had a brief relationship before she was weakened by police's shots & escaped Anissa though Violet was unable to assume Orphnoch form. At the end of the series, Violet was impaled by the Elasmotherium Orphnoch.

SPECIAL NOTE- the second version of Crane Orphnoch's design is also dramatically different than that of the first. The shape of the crane head design has a more feminine look as the face is more human-like. Her winged collars are also extended & protruding upward in a flying pose. One more significant change is the addition of crane-like legs that appear in place of the original Orphnoch-humanoid legs during Crane Orphnoch's flight.

Snake[]

Main article: Saral Seymour

Smart Brain[]

A company that is a front for a group of Orphnochs that sees themselves as the master race & are dedicated to the genocide of the human race & increase of the Orphnoch population. They experiment in making their race even more powerful & developing weapons that only Orphnochs can use. This is the largest coordinated group of Orphnochs ever seen, & near the end of the series, they seem to have formed a de-facto world government after the Orphnoch Revolution.

Jordan Midgley/Rose Orphnoch: The temporary president of Smart Brain after Edmund Porter's death. Midgley was the one who assigned Lucky Clover to do his dirty work until Luther took back the company & gave control to Carter Womack. Despite losing his place in Smart Brain, Midgley had a trump card in the Orphnoch King, whom he had waited for & learn of his human host. To that end, Midgley attempted to abduct Abner, fighting the Riders on his own & barely escaped their attacks. In his weakened state, Midgley offered his life to Abner to awaken the Arch Orphnoch so he can correct the Orphnoch's genetic instability. Afterwhich, Midgley somehow ended up decapitated & his head is kept alive in a tank until it was smashed by Smart Lady under orders for his failure in the end. He never had the chance to turn into a 'Rose Head' Orphnoch, dying with a loud scream.
Smart Lady): Smart Brain's "mascot", she works closely under the company's chief & helps fledgling Orphnochs. She never exhibits Orphnoch powers in the series, & her species is left ambiguous despite her association with morpho butterflies. She acts friendly & playful towards the many workers at Smart Brain, although she doesn't realize that no one enjoys her company.
Edmund Porter/Squid Orphnoch: The temp head of Smart Brain, Porter uses a staff that he uses to Sire & can move in a blink of an eye. Originally tracking down the Phi Gear until it came to the city, Porter was reasigned by Smart Lady to educate Carter & Violet in the nature of Orphnochs. After the two refused to Sire, Porter goes on siring rampage starting with Saral until he sees Nathan & Maria. After chasing them down, Porter is fatally injured by Phi's Crimson Smash, dying after telling Carter & Violet their final lesson.

Lucky Clover[]

An elite quartet of Orphnochs within Smart Brain who are "cream of the crop"; in other words, elite assassins, & answer to the Chief. Only two of the original four survived.

Ansel/Dragon Orphnoch: The most powerful & youngest of the Lucky Clover group, referring to himself as the "strongest lifeform", he is able to turn anything he touches into ash. This talent also made Ansel withdrawn from society & have a childish outlook on others' suffering as fun. He was the one who attacked all members of the Meteor Academy. Upon making his presence known, Ansel used the Delta Belt until he got tired of it & gave it to Albert. Ansel had a flawless victory streak until he battled Nathan as Phi & suffered his first loss, driving him more insane. Later, Ansel was intent on killing Abner to prove his superiority, with Anissa & Jack forced to fight him to protect the boy. In the end, a very weakened Ansel was killed by the Arch Orphnoch before the monster ripped his face off & ate it (off-screen).
Anissa Horn/Lobster Orphnoch: The calmest of the group, she works as the proprietor of the Clover Bar. Her calling call to her victim is to send them a bottle of soda, as their final drink. She enjoys seeing others suffer & comforts them in a somewhat disturbing fashion. Upon learning of the breakdown & the Orpenoch King's power, Anissa was intent to survive. Anissa succeeded by allowing the Arch Orphnoch to completely evolve her (turning her into a permanent Orphnoch making her unable to turn back to human) & thus became his caretaker after he was left close to death after his defeat by Phi.
Jack Auttenburg/Centipede Orphnoch: A prideful man who enjoys reading poetry. Though he acts calm, Jack was very much fearful of Ansel most of the time, acting tough whenever Ansel is not around or is too injured to fight back. His repeated defeats during the series costed him a great deal of stability in Lucky Clover, becoming a whipping boy for Ansel to pick on. Eventually, after seeing the Arch Orphnoch kill Ansel & later evolve Anissa, Jack ran off during the final battle & decided to join human society as a construction worker.
Mr. J/Crocodile Orphnoch: Also known as just "J", a black man who is usually seen with his pet dog, Chico. He has three lives, though was able to regenerate from attacks that would kill normal Orphnochs. After being killed by Kamen Rider Chi's Xeno Clash twice, Mr. J was reluctant to continue his pursuit on Phi until Midgley threatened him with being named a traitor & what would come of Chico if he didn't complete his mission. Though J was finally killed by Phi's Grand Impact, Chico ended up in the care of April Kimberly.
Albert Summerfield/Spider Orphnoch: Formerly of the Meteor Academy, he was mortally wounded by Ansel on the night of the school reunion & soon revived in a Smart Brain experiment as an Orphnoch. Before his change, Albert was a kind-hearted figure as Maria remembered him. Turning his back on his former friends & humanity, Albert took out Qiana to get the Delta Gear in order to become the new member of Lucky Clover. He has a habit of crafting animal origami & lighting them on fire just before going on an attacking spree while listening to rap music, with the flame dying out the same time Albert took out the last person. He was eventually branded a traitor by Midgley for giving the Delta Belt to the surviving Meteor Students, before going after them one by one. No longer a member of Lucky Clover as he still had a shred of humanity left in him, Albert was seeming killed by Nathan upon revealing his Orphnoch form. But Albert survived & begins to regain a bit more of his humanity, eventually beginning to feel the breakdown while taking Nathan's place in fighting the other Lucky Clover members, sustaining injuries from fighting all three of them & being hit by Chi's Gold Smash. Albert eventually crawled out of the battlefield & saw Maria one final time before vanishing.

Minor Orphnochs[]

Harold Lum/Stingfish Orphnoch: Able to assume a merman-ish form, Harold is sent to retrieve the Phi Gear, posing as a traveler while turning his two traveling companions to stone before going after Maria to accomplish his mission. However, he was defeated by a simple sidekick by Phi to the stomach.
Coated Man/Elephant Orphnoch: Able to assume a centaurish form, the Elephant Orphnoch was after the Phi Gear, encountering Maria when she took Nathan's bag by mistake. When he attempted to crush Maria, the Elephant Orphnoch was defeated by Phi's Crimson Smash.
Ash/Ox Orphnoch: One of the three bounty hunters sent to take back the Phi Gear, Ash steals a motorcycle to hunt down Maria. But he fights Phi & is fatally wounded by his Grand Impact.
Monroe/Mantis Orphnoch: One of the three bounty hunters sent to take back the Phi Gear, Monroe is a senior bounty hunter over Adam. Once learning the location of the Phi Gear, he & Adam go after it & take the Phi Gear. Nathan was forced to fight the Mantis Orphnoch until Adam gets the Phi Gear & uses it to backstab Monroe.
Adam/Cactus Orphnoch: One of the three bounty hunters sent to take back the Phi Gear, Adam is an impulsive partner of Monroe who intercepts Kendrick with the Phi Gear. Taking the belt from Kendrick, Adam uses the Phi Gear to backstab Monroe before going after Nathan & company. But with the AutoVajin's aid, Nathan regains the Phi Gear & defeats the Cactus Oprhemnoch with Crimson Smash.
Professor/Owl Orphnoch: A instructor at the Uptown Music University, he targeted the best of his students, as he saw humans unfit to have such talent. It was because of his acts that Saral's musical talent was destroyed. When Carter Womack learned the truth, he fought & defeated the Owl in Orphnoch form.
The Man of Glasses/Scarab Orphnoch: Defeated by Phi's Sparkle Cut.
The Masked Man/Snail Orphnoch: Originally one of the few Orphnochs not to harm humans, but he did burgled people's food. But once Phi was given to Saral, with Smart Lady telling him that Phi will exterminate Orphnochs that refuse to harm humans, the Snail was frightened enough to attack someone & developed a love for it quickly. Defeated by Phi's Crimson Smash.
Equisetum Orphnoch: Destroyed by Chi's Blaygun - Burst Mode.
Bicycle Rider/Flyingfish Orphnoch: He turned Tony Lockwood into an Orphnoch. He attacked the Armadillo Orphnoch. Defeated by Phi's Crimson Smash.
Tony Lockwood/Armadillo Orphnoch: Tony Lockwood was the older brother of Brittany, who Carter attacked & wounded. Tony, intent on finding his sister's assaulter pleaded Carter to aid him, but Carter refused out of regret. No sooner than that happened that Tony was attacked by the Flying Fish Orphnoch & became one himself. However, Tony was overcome by the powers he gain & went insane, going on a random attacking spree after being offended by what others thought of his sister. Nathan overcame his doubt in time & defeated Tony as Phi with Sparkle Cut.
Clown/Toadstool Orphnoch: Pursed a young girl named April Kimberly. Defeated by Phi's Crimson Smash.
Oliver/Scorpion Orphnoch: Offered his aid to Anissa for the vacant position in Lucky Clover. Defeated by Phi Accel Form's Accel Grand Impact.
Kermit/Worm Orphnoch: A candidate for the Lucky Clover position, placed under Anissa. Defeated by Chi's Xeno Clash.
Wind-Salaried Man/Sea Cucumber Orphnoch: A candidate for the Lucky Clover position, placed under Jack's care. Defeated by Phi Accel Form's Accel Crimson Smash.
Justice Knaggs/Rabbit Orphnoch: A young man who just became an Orphnoch. He attempted to commit suicide but was saved by Saral who brought him under his wing. The two managed to trick the Phi & Chi belts away from Nathan & Cameron. However, Midgley told the pair that only one of them could join Lucky Clover, offering the position to the one who kills Carter Womack. By then, Justice took Saral's words to heart & got dirty by abducting Violet, which vexed Saral. Though he escaped retribution from the Renegade Orphnochs, Justice was defeated by Chi's Gold Smash.
The Man in a Club/Frog Orphnoch: Was among the victims attacked by Albert. He was later defeated by Delta (Qiana) off-screen.
The Man who was in the Shrine/Stinkbug Orphnoch: First defeated by Carter Womack & Phi. Stinkbug later attempted to kill Maria & Kendrick before he himself was defeated by Carter Womack in Horse Orphnoch form.
A (not so) Gorgeous Man/Swordfish Orphnoch: Defeated by Phi Accel Form's Accel Sparkle Cut.
Midgley's Subordinate/Rhinoceros Beetle Orphnoch: Destroyed by Delta (Cameron)'s Lucifer's Hammer.
Midgley's Subordinate/Stag Beetle Orphnoch: Destroyed by Delta (Eric)'s Lucifer's Hammer.
A Young Man/Octopus Orphnoch: Destroyed by Phi's Crimson Smash.
Jack Auttenburg's Subordinate/Pigeon Orphnoch: Destroyed by Carter Womack in Phi Gear's Crimson Smash.
Smart Brain Employee/Barnacle Orphnoch: The man responsible for causing the fires that killed the parents of Maria & later Abner's. He was eventually fired by Midgley for his incompetence & marked for death when his actions attracted attention from law enforcement, with Ansel given the task of killing him. Barnacle was unaware of this & attempted to retrieved the Rider Gear until he was defeated by Carter Womack using Phi's Grand Impact.
Okra Orphnoch: Human identity unknown. Aided Ansel until he was defeated/destroyed by Phi Blaster Form's Photon Breaker.
Delano/Sloth Orphnoch: An Orphnoch who was a member of the Meteor Academy & was involved in the mass-assault of his classmates until he was taken down by Nathan Yap in Wolf Orphnoch form.
Frilled Lizard Orphnoch: Aided Anissa in testing Violet's abilities. Destroyed by Chi's Crimson Smash & Chi's Xeno Clash.
The Sunglasses Man/Bat Orphnoch: The only known Orphnoch that carries guns in the TV series. Assigned by Midgley to aid a human scientist, he managed to wound Violet to the point of negating her transformation. He later fought Saral when Abner wounded his friend until Delta (Eric) arrived. It took Phi Accel Form's multiple Accel Crimson Smash to defeat him.
The Leather Jacket Man/Coral Orphnoch: Targeted by Abner, he revealed Abner to Midgley before attempting to kill the kid before he awakens as the Orphnoch King. Defeated by Phi's Grand Impact & Delta (Eric)'s Lucifer's Hammer.
Smart Brain Lady Employee/Butterfly Orphnoch: Defeated by Chi's Grand Impact.
A Couple's Woman/Giraffe Orphnoch: Defeated by Chi's Xeno Clash.
A Couple's Man/Longhorn Orphnoch): Defeated by Chi's Xeno Clash.
Smart Brain Employee/Pelican Orphnoch: Defeated by Psi's Phone Blaster Burst Mode.
Smart Brain Employee/Wild Boar Orphnoch: Defeated by Psi's Phone Blaster Burst Mode.
Smart Brain Employee/Slug: Paralyzed after neck snapped by Psi.
Omicron member/Mole Orphnoch
Omicron member/Moose Orphnoch
Omicron Commanding Officer/Lion Orphnoch: Defeated by Chi (Kendrick)'s Gold Smash.
Elasmotherium Orphnoch: Destroyed by Phi Blaster Form's Photon Buster.