Kamen Rider

Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー), is a weekly science fiction story created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi). A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine around the same period. The series has spawned many sequels and evolved into a franchise. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider #1, and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series itself. It is the longest Kamen Rider series to date, with 98 episodes.

Story
The story took place in a world plagued by Shocker, a mysterious terrorist organization. To further its plans for world domination, Shocker recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning their victims into mutant cyborgs and, ultimately, brainwashing them. However, one victim named Takeshi Hongo escaped just before the final brainwashing. With his sanity and moral conscience intact, Hongo battled Shocker's minions as the grasshopper-themed altered human (改造人間) superhero Kamen Rider 1. Another of Shocker's victims, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, had also been given cyborg implants, but was saved by Kamen Rider from the brainwashing process to become Kamen Rider #2. Assisted by motorcycle race team manager Tobei Tachibana and FBI agent Kazuya Taki, the Kamen Riders fought in both solo and partnered missions against both Shocker and its successor organization Gel-Shocker.

Allies

 * Tōbei Tachibana
 * Mayu Tachibana
 * Kazuya Taki
 * Professor Midorikawa
 * Ruriko Midorikawa
 * Hiromi Nohara
 * Snack Amigo
 * Tachibana Racing Club
 * Mari
 * Yuri
 * Michi
 * Goro

Shocker

 * Great Leader of Shocker
 * Colonel Zol/ (a.k.a. Gold Werewolf)
 * Doctor Shinigami/Ikadevil
 * Ambassador Hell/Garagaranda
 * Shocker Combatmen
 * Big Machine

Gel-Shocker

 * Great Leader of Gel-Shocker
 * General Black/Hiruchameleon
 * Shocker Riders

S.I.C. Hero Saga
Published in Monthly Hobby Japan, the S.I.C. Hero Saga stories illustrated by S.I.C. figure dioramas portray stories featuring the characters from Shotaro Ishinomori series. Kamen Rider has had three different stories: Missing Link, Special Episode: Escape (SPECIAL EPISODE -脱出-), and From Here to Eternity (ここより永遠に). Missing Link ran in the July to October 2002 issues, From Here to Eternity was featured in the special issue HOBBY JAPAN MOOK S.I.C. OFFICIAL DIORAMA STORY S.I.C. HERO SAGA vol.1 Kakioroshi, and Special Episode: Escape was featured in the October 2006 issue of Hobby Japan.

New characters introduced during the Missing Link story are the twelve Shocker Riders (ショッカーライダー) and the Shocker Tank (ショッカータンク).

Missing Link chapter titles :


 * 1) Infiltration (潜入)
 * 2) Disappearance (失踪)
 * 3) Awakening (覚醒)
 * 4) Puppet (傀儡)

Cast

 * Takeshi Hongo (本郷 猛): Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡 弘)
 * Hayato Ichimonji (一文字 隼人): Takeshi Sasaki (佐々木 剛)
 * Tōbei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛): Akiji Kobayashi (小林 昭二)
 * Kazuya Taki (滝 和也): Jirō Chiba (千葉 治郎)
 * Colonel Zol (ゾル大佐): Jirō Miyaguchi (宮口 二郎)
 * Dr. Shinigami (死神博士): Hideyo Amamoto (天本 英世) (Played as Eisei Amamoto)
 * Ambassador Hell (地獄大使): Kenji Ushio (潮 健児)
 * General Black (ブラック将軍): Matasaburō Niwa (丹羽 又三郎)
 * Ruriko Midorikawa (緑川 ルリ子): Chieko Morigawa (森川 千恵子) (Played as Chieko Maki (真樹 千恵子))
 * Hiromi Nohara (野原 ひろみ): Yōko Shimada (島田 陽子)
 * Mari (マリ): Linda Yamamoto (山本 リンダ)
 * Yuri (ユリ): Wakako Oki (沖 わか子)
 * Michi (ミチ): Katsumi Nakajima (中島 かつみ)
 * Emi (エミ): Emily Takami (高見 エミリー)
 * Mika (ミカ): Yōko Sugibayashi (杉林 陽子)
 * Tokko (トッコ): Machiko Nakajima (中島 マチ子) (Played as Machiko Nakajima (中島 真智子))
 * Yokko (ヨッコ): Yoshiko Nakada (中田 喜子)
 * Choko (チョコ): Mimi Hagiwara (ミミ 萩原) (Played as Mimy (ミミー))
 * Gorō (五郎): Yasuharu Miura (三浦 康晴)
 * Naoki (ナオキ): Tomonori Yazaki (矢崎 知紀)
 * Mitsuru (ミツル): Hōichi Yamada (山田 芳一)
 * Shirō (史郎): Jō Honda (本田 じょう)
 * The Great Leader of Shocker/Gel-Shocker (ショッカー/ゲルショッカー首領): Gorō Naya (納谷 悟朗)
 * Narrator (ナレーター): Shinji Nakae (中江 真司)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider #1 - Hiroshi Fujioka
 * Kamen Rider #1, Kamen Rider #2 (understudy), Kamen Rider #2 (part of episode 72), Monsters (Spider Man, etc.) - Masaru Okada
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider #2 (main), Monsters - Fumiya Nakamura
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider #2 (understudy), Monsters (Saboteguron, etc.) - Tatsuyoshi Sejima
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider #2 (understudy), Monsters (Hitodanger, etc.) - Kenji Amari
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider New #2, Monsters - Kazuo Niibori
 * Kamen Rider #1 (Sakurajima #1), Kamen Rider #2 (understudy; episode 46), Kamen Rider New #1 - Tetsuya Nakayashiki
 * Kamen Rider #2 (Episodes 14-15, 25) - Tsuyoshi Sasaki
 * Kamen Rider #2 (understudy) - Minoru Iizuka
 * Kamen Rider New #1, Monsters - Yutaro Osugi
 * Kamen Rider New #2 - Keisuke Chiyoda (Episodes 72-73), Hiroo Kawarazaki (Episodes 93-94, 98)
 * Monsters, Combatmen - Tsuyoshi Ishimaru
 * Monsters (Bat Man, etc.) - Boshin Sano Boshin
 * Monsters (Jaguar Man, etc.) - Hiroshi Namekawa

Songs

 * Opening themes
 * "Let's Go!! Rider Kick" (レッツゴー!!ライダーキック)
 * Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Hiroshi Fujioka with Male Harmony (メール・ハーモニー)
 * Episodes: 1-13
 * "Let's Go!! Rider Kick" (レッツゴー!!ライダーキック)
 * Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony
 * Episodes: 14-88
 * "Rider Action" (ライダーアクション)
 * Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Episodes: 89–98


 * Ending themes
 * "Kamen Rider no Uta" (仮面ライダーの歌)
 * Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony
 * Episodes: 1–71
 * "Rider Action" (ライダーアクション)
 * Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Episodes: 72–88
 * "Lonely Kamen Rider" (ロンリー仮面ライダー)
 * Lyrics: Mamoru Tanaka
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Episodes: 89–98