A Look At Professor Tenjuro Banno's Science Without Conscience

While watching Kamen Rider Drive, I remembered the first hint that the Roidmudes were created by Dr. Banno who is none other than the father of Kiriko and Gou (with his unwed relationship with Sumiko Shijima explaining why they carried their mother's surname). I always felt that Drive also explored the science theme similar to Hirohisa Soda's science trilogy. The whole opposition of ideas in Drive occurred in the form of both Professor Krim Steinbelt and his former friend Professor Banno.

Professor Banno was involved in the creation of the Roidmudes. At first, they just felt like rebellious creations but as he resurfaced, he had willfully cast off his humanity. It felt like Doctor Man's rivalry with his former friend Dr. Shinichiro Gou. Banno wanted personal glory while Krim wanted to help mankind. Krim became the Rider Belt responsible for Drive while later, Banno who had become digitized would later become the final villain of the series. While he appeared to be willing to help out the others, but he really willfully cast off his humanity more than once.

Later on, he would acquire a Roidmude body to become Kamen Rider Gold Drive where it's the opposite to Krim's Drive. In his mind, he was the only supreme genius and nothing else mattered. He was willing to start another Global Freeze in order to start his reign as the rightful ruler of humanity even if he cast away his humanity at his own free will. 

What became his downfall was his science without conscience is a ruin to the soul. That's what it exactly did to Banno. In the end, his own vileness towards his own creations would lead to his downfall. After he had no regrets in doing what he did especially with Chase, this caused his own son Gou to finally get rid of him. Instead of having a father/son encounter, this guy proved he was already too dangerous which led the children to have no choice but to get rid of their own father. After being defeated by his own son Gou/Kamen Rider Mach (who got powered up by Chase's viral core), he was soon smashed to pieces by his own son. Gou's act was most likely because he had to choose between his deranged father and other innocent people. In the end, his own heartlessness caused him to be destroyed by his own flesh and blood.