Striders

A group of Striders as seen in the PC-Engine intro.

Striders (ストライダーズ) is an organization appearing on every one of the series' incarnations. The group plays a pivotal role in both the manga and its NES adaptation, whereas it is only mentioned in the backstory for the arcade games and Strider Returns.

The Striders are a secret clandestine group of freelance mercenaries with no allegiances to any country, working all over the world from the shadows. All agents on the group are professionals of both combat and intelligence said to possess abilities and skills far beyond those of normal humans. The group specialize in underground activities, such as espionage, sabotage and assassination. Strider agents will agree to any mission they are contracted for, and risk their lives for the duration of the contract. They will also keep their contractor's identity in absolute secrecy, even after the contract's termination. This is said to be the Striders' unwritten law.

The Striders have went through several crisis, including Matic's attempt to control the group for his own selfish ends, Enterprise and their plans of world domination through the ZAIN Project and Grandmaster Meio's bid for world domination. During Meio's second rising (events of Strider 2), the Striders were reportedly decimated, rumors claiming a renegade Strider was involved in its sabotage. Hiryu is the sole known survivor of the massacre. During the events of Strider (2014) little is mentioned of the organization as a whole, however by the time of the game's events 11 Striders had fallen in the ongoing fight to dispose Meio.

Origin

The Striders are said to be presumably descended from the ninjas of Japan,  having seemingly inherited several of their techniques and abilities. The group was founded by their only known Director, Kuramoto, a man of advanced age and feared skills. This indicates that, at least in the manga's story, the foundation of the group is relatively recent.

Alternatively, the PC-Engine port offers a different origin story: The Striders are a strictly-confidential organization created by the United Nations in order to deal with the invading forces of Grandmaster Meio, who has crushed any opposition on his bid of power.

The word "Strider" used to refer to their agents is said to mean "He who Runs across Fields" (野を馳せる者), likely a reference to the group covering operations all over the world.

Striders' Mark

File:Striderlogo.jpg

The Striders are represented by a personal mark or logo, shown as a stylized "S" around what looks to be a representative Cypher entwined with two dragon-like serpents reminiscent of the Caduceus, an ancient Greek symbol known as the "herald's staff" and said to represent trades and business among other things.

The mark is seen emblazoned in objects and vehicles of the group, including a stealth jet and the mantle Matic wears. It is also seen tattooed in Kain's left wrist, leaving the impression that its customary of Strider agents to have the mark as a way for identification.

Main Headquarters

The Striders' main base varies depending on the source. Thus far, there are three known bases used by the organization:

The Blue Dragon

The Blue Dragon Station

Appears: NES Strider

The Blue Dragon is a dragon-shaped space station located on Earth's orbit. It is equipped with advanced computer systems and machines, the most notable of which is a transportation device, which is able to send agents instantly to any location on Earth. The station's computer can also decode and analyze data files, which comes specially versatile to discover enemy information.

During Matic's tenure as the Striders' de-facto leader, he had himself designed a second station in secret in order to house the ZAIN Project's main tree, Yggdrasil. This station, known as the Red Dragon, was constructed as an identical copy of the Blue Dragon.

Desert Base

The Desert Base.

Appears: Manga

A desert dwelling located within a rocky formation in the middle of an unnamed desert. This base serves as the Striders' headquarters. The quarters' control room is a large chamber equipped with a highly-advanced computer and several monitor screens, which were used by Matic to observe Hiryu and Kain's progress in their fight against Enterprise. Close to the control room stands Kuramoto's own chambers, a spacious room with a desk, access to an outside balcony and a set of framed pictures in the wall of all active Striders. Kuramoto spent most of his time following retirement here, watching over his favorite Japanese dramas on TV.

Moralos Island

Appears: Mega Drive Strider (English manual only), Strider Returns

A small island found somewhere in the South Seas, Moralos Island houses a secret training location used by the Striders. The inhabitants of this island were the ones picking on the reports of Meio's total annihilation of most of Earth's living beings. Nothing else is known about this location.

The location is mentioned again in the manual for Strider Returns' Mega Drive port, referring to Moralos Island as the Striders' secret base rather than a training facility.

Ranking System

The Striders rank their members using a letter-based ranking system which goes from A to C, with a special elite class known as "Special-A". All trainee members are subjected to a training program of unknown length, after which they are ranked based on their performance and skills. It's said that out of hundreds of candidates, only the 10% is able to come out alive from the training program.

There are two known titles used by the leading figure: The leader and overseer of all Striders' operations carries the title of Director (長官), while the Vice-Director (副長官) stands right below and serves as his second-in-command. It's also implied that, should the Director is incapacitated or unable to continue with his functions, the Vice-Director assumes leadership of the group as his substitute, presumably until a new Director is assigned.

It's stated in the 2014 Strider that Striders of ranks A and above are the only ones allowed certain privileges, such as the use of specialized weapons and being granted animal-based codenames. The latter, however, is not obligatory and a Strider can refuse to accept this honor.

Special-A Class

Special-A Class (特Ａ級, also translated as Super A-Grade or Super-A ranked) is an elite rank only granted to the most talented graduated candidates. Striders that reach this rank are said to possess skills and abilities far beyond those of normal humans, as well as mastery of both armed and unarmed combat. They are the only agents allowed to use the Striders' iconic weapon, the Cypher, a complex plasma-emitting sword that very few people are able to handle properly. Special-A Class Striders are usually tasked with the most dangerous and important missions.

Known members: Hiryu (youngest ever to attain the rank), Hien, Kain, Arana, Ouga, Hinjo (hinted).

A Class

A Class (Ａ級) is the highest normal rank within the group. Striders on this rank have remarkable combat skills and abilities and are shown to be exceptional warriors, being able to take on 10 skilled opponents at once or even armored vehicles by themselves. While not directly stated, it seems A-Class Striders are usually paired up with a Special-A Strider to serve as support during important missions.

Known members: Mariya (first woman to attain the rank), Sheena, Kubira, Hoen, Rouga, Shouyo, Jingei, Koja, Hiyou. Hiryu is referred as the youngest A-Class in some sources for the first game.

B Class

B Class (B級) Striders are first introduced in the 2014 Strider. Not much details are given about this rank's functions, although all known members have been stated to wield the same weapon, a seemingly generic "Plasma Sword".

Known members: Kuga, Raiga, Shinden

C Class

The lowest ranked members of the group, C Class (C級) Striders are still extremely skilled warriors. One C-Class Strider is said to possess strength and skill equal to a whole team of special forces. The most numerous agents, they seem to serve as the grunt force of the organization and appear to wear the same uniform, a dark ninja costume with a face mask. Striders in this rank are almost exclusively seen carrying machineguns, though some also use melee weapons such as concealed claws.

Known members: Ryuzaki (hinted).

Weapons and Technology

Hiryu making use of the glider and climbing hook.

The Striders' organization combines both traditional martial skills with more advanced weaponry and technology to achieve their objectives. The equipment most Striders carry into a mission include a glider and climbing hook. The glider is a special means of aerial transportation; it has a very hi-tech look, albeit it has never been seeing doing nothing outside of carrying Hiryu into battle. The climbing hook, known as the Climb Sickle, is an special sickle-shaped artifact capable of attaching to any surface and geography in the area. It allows its user to move through any wall or even ceiling, providing complete freedom of movement in any position.

Weaponry

Strider agents are allowed to choose any weapon that suits them, besides the limits stated above. Typically lower-ranked Striders are seen employing firearms such as machineguns or basic melee weapons, while those of higher ranks use more advanced weapons like Arana's laser rifle and monomolecular wires, though it's not uncommon to see agents like Sheena and Kain carry normal firearms as well. The Cypher is a weapon only allowed to be used by the group's best members, a very advanced weapons which emit a plasma edge capable of cutting through anything.

Introduced in the 2014 Strider, the organization also possess specialized weapons which have been enhanced with plasma energy. These weapons cover a wide range of types, from short-range blades and daggers to mid and long-range spears and bows, and are identified by the prefix "Cy-" (Cy-dagger, Cy-spear, etc.). They appear to be exclusively issued to A Class agents.

As experts in demolition and sabotage, Striders are also known to carry a number of explosives with them during missions. These appear to be small enough to be easily hidden within structures and buildings, and are activated remotely with a small control. Hiryu, Kain and Matic are all seen using this type of explosive at different times.

Vehicles & Others

The Striders possess state-of-the-art airships to travel across the world. Two such vehicles known to be owned by the organization include a stealth jet used by Matic to reach Mongolia, and a long-distance aircraft used by Kuramoto to reach Los Angeles.

During Matic's confrontation with Hiryu in Mongolia, he threatens him with a satellite stationed in Earth's orbit, which possess a laser cannon strong enough to wipe out an entire village off the surface, though whether it refers to the Blue Dragon or an independent satellite weapon is unknown. The PC-Engine port shows the group also has access to an Army's reconnaissance satellite, used to communicate with Hiryu and scout the area ahead of him.