Kamen Rider Kuuga

Kamen Rider Kuuga
Developer: KAZe Publisher: Bandai Platform: PlayStation Released in JP: December 21, 2000 This game has unused graphics.

Kamen Rider Kuuga is the third fighting game based on the Kamen Rider franchise by KAZe, who also previously made Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider V3 for the PS1.

It's also the first one to be based on a Heisei Era Kamen Rider series, resulting in a rushed adaptation of the first half of the show and the developer having to take artistic liberties with the then-unseen Rising forms and/or Ultimate Kuuga's movesets (or the complete absence of a main character, in the case of the improvised Amazing Mighty form).

Unused Graphics

Yusuke Godai Textures

The game's files contain unused textures for Yusuke Godai, the untransformed form of the show's title character.

It's possible that Yusuke would've appeared very early in Challenge Mode fighting against Xu-Gmun-Ba (the spider Gurongi monster) like he does in the series, since the latter is one of the three monsters who don't appear in it.

While Godai does appear in the ending credits for beating Challenge Mode, he is only shown from behind.

Alternate Character Name

The game's files contain the character name "Xu-Galme-Re". In the show's lore, it's the early name of Me-Galme-Re (the chameleon Gurongi monster) before he was promoted to a higher rank.

It's possible that this would have been used for Me-Galme-Re's Challenge Mode match, since it's one of the three monsters who don't appear in it.

Unused Challenge Mode Indication

The game contains an unused image with the text "Kyōka Mighty Kick (→S) de, taose!", roughly meaning "Defeat them with the Reinforced Mighty Kick (→S)!". This would very likely have been used in the Challenge Mode's second fight against Xu-Zain-Da (the rhinoceros Gurongi monster) with Mighty Kuuga, since in the show, that finishing move was first used against him.

It's likely that the regular "Mighty Kick (S) de, taose!" indication used in the game (used only against Xu-Zain-Da) was originally intended to be used against Xu-Gmun-Ba, who doesn't appear in Challenge Mode and was the first victim of the finishing move.

Oddly enough, the image is duplicated within the game's files, probably as a placeholder for another indication: odds are that it could have been replaced by Mighty Kuuga's Rolling Mighty Kick (↓S) used against Xu-Mevio-Da (the leopard Gurongi monster), or one of Pegasus Kuuga's Blast Pegasus move variations used against Me-Galme-Re.