Akihiro Kurata

Akihiro Kurata (倉田 明宏) is the primary antagonist of Digimon Data Squad.

Story
Ten years before the start of the series, Kurata was a member of the Digital World exploration party, whose task was to investigate the Digital World, as well as search for the lost son of Kevin and Michelle Crier (Kenji and Misuzu Noguchi), Keenan Crier (Ikuto Noguchi). In the Digital World, Kurata reacted with nothing but fear towards the strange monsters that appeared before them like Lynxmon and Ikkakumon, a fact that he was chastised for by another member of the expedition, Spencer Damon (Suguru Daimon), the father of the series' main character, Marcus Damon (Masaru Daimon). According to Sampson and confirmed by Kurata himself, he worked under Spencer as his assistant, but himself believed he was better than Spencer. When referring to this he often says it in a spiteful tone.

Eventually, the group became terrorized by SaberLeomon, who chased them to an area of the Digital World that would become known as the Infinite Ice Ridge. There, the frightened Kurata used a sort of make-shift bomb to open a portal to the Real World, which he and the rest of the expedition used to escape to the human world while Spencer held off SaberLeomon.

His experiences in the Digital World left a lasting effect on Kurata—his fear of the Digimon led him to decide that the creatures were a menace and threat to humanity. However, he discovered there are very powerful Digimon he could use to realize his true ambition: Become the ultimate Monarch of the Earth, the Digi-World and the universe, so everyone would kneel down before him.

So, while Spencer negotiated an alliance with the powerful Digimon, Merukimon, Kurata worked to invade the Digital World, resulting in the creation of his own Digimon:, a Digimon without a soul created from Kurata's experiments on other Digimon.

Kurata led an attack force into the Digital World, and used his Gizumon to ravage the Digital World and exterminate as many Digimon as possible. With the Gizumon's ability to permanently delete a Digimon, these actions resulted in the very permanent death of many Digimon, including Keenan's guardian,. Merukimon intervened, believing Spencer and the humans had betrayed him, forcing the fearful Kurata to again escape to the Real World.

Kurata did not factor into the events of the series again until the Digimon led SaberLeomon's army of Boarmon and Pteramon into the real world. Kurata used a massive Digital Gate to return the Boarmon and Pteramon back to their world. After this, Kurata revealed himself to the members of DATS, attempting to pass himself off as an ally. When SaberLeomon himself came to the Human World, Kurata used one of his Gizumon to ensure the Digimon would be permanently deleted. Though others suspected him, only his former expedition member, Richard Sampson, had a true inkling of what Kurata was planning.

After this, Kurata went with the members of DATS, who intended to permanently settle matters with Merukimon. However, once there, Merukimon revealed that Kurata had been responsible for the massacre in the Digital World years before—a fact revealed to the DATS team and Keenan. Kurata turned the tables on them, and used Gizumon AT (which later turned into Gizumon XT) to fatally wound Merukimon. The group fought back, but it was only when Merukimon used the last of his strength to damage Gizumon XT that they were able to turn the tide. Keenan managed to help his partner Falcomon Digivolve into Crowmon, who obliterated Gizumon XT. Kurata escaped again.

In the Real World, Kurata tricked the Confidentiality Ministry, headed by Chief Hashiba, that Marcus and the other members of DATS were traitors. Through this, he had most of the group's memories erased, and had Keenan, Sampson, and all other members of the DATS branch imprisoned. However, thanks to their partners, Marcus, Thomas H. Norstein (Tohma H. Norstein), and Yoshino Fujieda manage to recover their memories just as Kurata sent a Gizumon AT toward them. Undeterred from that defeat, Kurata blew up the DATS building, and with Gizumon XT, escaped to the Digital World, in order to put his plans for genocide into motion. He sent Kouki, Ivan, and Nanami (the same ones that defeated Crowmon) to deal with Marcus, Thomas, and Yoshino whom they ran afoul of. When it came to the Holy Capital invasion, Kurata gave his human henchmen an upgrade to their previous forms.

He planted Digital Gates that brought ElDradimon to the Real World to cause panic and give him control of the military. He had the Gizmon merge with a missile to destroy ElDradimon. Kurata got Thomas's father Franz on his side promising that he will cure Thomas's sister (his daughter); the cure involved performing surgery on Relena to fuse her with Digimon data, thus turning her into a Digimon-human hybrid. In addition, to ensure Thomas would not betray him he secretly had planted before a bomb device inside Relena's necklace (Thomas had to pretend to be on Kurata's side until the bomb was deactivated when the necklace was removed for the surgery to proceed). He later revealed to Thomas the Digimon Belphemon in his Sleep Mode and how he found his Digi-Egg and was using the deleted Digimon data to revive him. He planned to use the Digimon Demon Lord not only to subjugate the other Digimon and the Digital World and destroy them at his leisure, but for his bid to rule the human world as well.

When Thomas breaks the Digimon Control Device, he reveals himself to have never been on Kurata's side to begin with. Enraged, Kurata merges with Belphemon by transforming himself into a DigiSoul and transmitting into the beast, becoming his Rage Mode. He later temporarily loses control of the Demon Lord, regaining control when his face appears on Belphemon's chest. Kurata and Belphemon then drain the city's electricity and swallow the space-oscillation bombs, causing Belphemon to grow and gain the power to rip holes between the Real and Digital Worlds using dark energy. Marcus and ShineGreymon are able to destroy Belphemon when ShineGreymon digivolves to its Burst Mode, and Kurata is returned to human form. Furious, he sets off a space-oscillation bomb to destroy the Digital World, but instead aggravates the spaces between the Real and Digital World. He was then shocked for what he had done as this is not what he had planned at all. As he floated helplessly into the space between the worlds, he then vanishes into an explosion of bright light.

Memories of every atrocity, misdeed and cold-hearted action committed by Kurata himself remain. Despite his downfall, he leaves behind a foul legacy of sorts that haunts just about everyone for the remainder of the series. Because of his ruthless Digimon genocide, Spencer suffers, as well as sparking the conflict with the Royal Knights and Yggdrasill later on. Ultimately, his reckless handiwork left both the human and Digital World close on the verge of total destruction.

Thanks to DATS, with the collision stopped and Professor Kurata deceased, King Drasil apologizes and harmony in the two worlds is finally restored.

Digimon Crusader
When fighting Belphemon Rage Mode, ShineGreymon Burst Mode calls him "Kurata", and Rosemon asks who this is.