Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight

thumb|300px|right Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight is the title of the American adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Ryuki, the twelfth installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It is being brought to television by Steve and Michael Wang. The series had a sneak premiere on December 13, 2008, but started official broadcasting on January 3, 2009

So far Kamen rider Dragon knight is the only kamen rider series in America so far and will play throughout the year, with a wide-release theatrical film expected to release the following year. Adness Entertainment chose to adapt Ryuki over the other Heisei Rider shows as it has a large number of characters (Ryuki had 13 Riders in total) as well as a female Rider. It is also the first tokusatsu adaptation of a Kamen Rider series since Saban's Masked Rider, which was adapted from Kamen Rider BLACK RX. The show currently airs in the United States on The CW Television Network during its The CW4Kids programming block. On December 11, 2009, Steve Wang said in a statement on his facebook, that the show has been cancelled by The CW4Kids due to low ratings. The CW4Kids will stop airing the show on December 26, 2009, only airing 38 of the shows 40 episodes. However, all 40 episodes have aired in English and Spanish on Televisa in Mexico.

Plot
While searching for his missing father, Kit Taylor finds an Advent Deck - a special card deck that allows the carrier to transform into a Kamen Rider and utilize unique weapons and powers - and uses it to become Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. He butts heads with Len, who serves as Kamen Rider Wing Knight, but the pair join forces after Kit learns that the wicked General Xaviax has imprisoned his father and is using him and the other humans that his monsters abduct to gain power and rebuild his homeworld. Later on Kase, a fellow survivor of Ventara like Len, would join forces with Len and Kit to fight Xaviax. In addition to training Kit to fight like a Rider, Len and Kase tell Kit all about the twelve Riders who banded together as the protectors of Ventara - a world opposite to our own - to take Xaviax down. However, due to the traitorous actions of Kit's predecessor, Adam, General Xaviax destroyed most of the Riders via a process called Venting - which traps defeated Riders in the "Advent Void" between dimensions forever - and stole their Advent Decks. Furthermore, Xaviax has also begun using his shapeshifiting abilities to coerce humans into joining him, giving each one an Advent Deck and the corresponding Kamen Rider powers, with which they fight to eliminate Kit, Len, and the Riders who oppose him.

Unaired pilot
A pilot episode of Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight filmed in 2007 featuring Matt Smith in the lead role of Kit Taylor and Kandis Erickson as Maya Young was produced and was later leaked online before being taken down in December 2008.

Kamen Riders
Created by the "Advent Master" Eubulon, the original 12 Kamen Riders were the chosen defenders of the "mirror world" known as Ventara. With the exception of Wing Knight (and later Siren), they were all killed (referred to as being "vented") in battle with Xaviax when one of their own (the original Dragon Knight) betrayed them and their Advent Decks were stolen. Since the Decks were designed to work with only one person, each deck only functions again when given to humans on Earth that are "mirror twins" of their Ventaran counterparts, with matching DNA or when Eubulon reassigns the deck. To access the powers, the chosen deck wielder holds the Advent Deck carrier in front of them to activate a burst of energy that creates the Advent Belt holder for the deck while calling out the words "Kamen Rider". The deck is then inserted in the belt and spins, further activating a pair of rings that surround the bearer and creates the armor for the specific Kamen Rider. The energy emitted from those rings can be used to repel others away while transforming. Each Kamen Rider has a special sense that can detect Mirror Monsters and other Kamen Riders. The decks also give the Riders the ability to travel from one place to another instantly by traveling through any mirror or reflective surface and traversing the mirror world to end at their intended (or at times unintended) destination(s), be it in their Rider armor or human form. They can also travel with other humans or push them through a reflective surface to the other world as long as they keep in contact with them while traveling. If either side of the mirror is blocked or destroyed, they cannot travel through that mirror. Riders usually travel through the dimensions with a specialized motorcycle parked in between the dimensions called an Advent Cycle. A Rider may also travel with their own motorcycle which, upon transforming, will change the motorcycle's appearance as well.

The Kamen Riders will be assisted by their own Advent Beast. Once a Mirror Monster is confined via their contract cards, it forms a Contract with the Rider who captured it. This changes the Rider's armor based on the Advent Beast confined. The Advent Beasts support their human partners through the Advent Decks, usually appearing when an Attack Vent or a Final Vent is used. Should the Advent Deck be destroyed or damaged in combat, the Advent Beast and its owner will disappear to the Advent Void. The Advent Beast can only return if the contract card is reactivated. Because of the nature of the contract, once it is established, a Rider cannot simply quit being a Kamen Rider.

The Riders use their powers (via the advent cards) to battle either the Mirror Monsters or each other. Each card can be slotted into a device the Rider wears to access a "Vent" attack or ability such as Sword Vent, Strike Vent or Copy Vent. Most equipment based cards are based on that Rider's respective Advent Beast for example Dragon Knight's Sword Vent is based on Dragredder's tail. Each Rider has his own deck designed for that Rider only, even if a Rider slots a card belonging to another Rider, it still goes to the card's owner rather than the one who slotted it. Each Rider possesses a card to summon their respective Contract Monster (Attack Vent) and another card for their Final Vent, a devastating attack that involves using the Advent Beast's power to finish off their opponent. Depending on the power of the attack and the strength of the target, the opponent may either be just defeated, or the attack can possibly "vent" them. A vented Kamen Rider and Advent Beast are sent directly to the Advent Void, a world between the mirrors where they are trapped and are never seen again, leaving only their Advent Deck behind. The Advent Void was designed as a fail safe in case a Rider has been badly damaged leaving them there to recover until Eubulon could retrieve them, this allows them to fight without having to worry about being taken out phycially. However, since Eubulon was inactive, the Advent Void ended up trapping Riders rather then simply saving them thus making the war thus far a fight for survival.

In addition to their normal cards in their Advent Deck, one more powerful card can be used called Survive. This allows the Riders to use the powerful Survive Mode. With it, they acquire new armor, new Visor Slots and new cards to accomidate the new form. However, it uses too much energy and therefore, a Rider cannot access the Survive Mode for too long. As a result, it is used in emergencies and taken out of the deck beforehand. Kase only manages to obtain the Survive cards for Dragon Knight and Wing Knight before initially escaping. Thus Kit and Len are the only Riders who can use Survive Mode.

Kamen Riders

 * Kit Taylor (Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, Kamen Rider Onyx)
 * Adam (Kamen Rider Dragon Knight)
 * Len (Kamen Rider Wing Knight)
 * Maya Young (second Kamen Rider Siren)
 * Richie Preston (Kamen Rider Incisor)
 * Drew Lansing (Kamen Rider Torque)
 * Grant Staley (Kamen Rider Camo)
 * James Trademore (Kamen Rider Strike)
 * Brad Barrett (Kamen Rider Thrust)
 * Chris Ramirez (Kamen Rider Sting)
 * Danny Cho (Kamen Rider Axe)
 * Albert Cho (Kamen Rider Spear)
 * Kase (Kamen Rider Siren)
 * Vic Frasier (Kamen Rider Wrath)

Alies

 * Eubulon
 * Trent Moseley
 * Lacey Sheridan
 * Grace Kiefer
 * Michelle Walsh
 * Frank Taylor

Villains

 * Xaviax
 * Minions
 * Sheerghosts
 * Xaviax's Mirror Monsters

Guest stars

 * Kit's Foster Mom: Kathleen Gati
 * Master: T.J. Storm

International broadcasts
Dragon Knight is also shown in Brazil on TV Globo during its TV Globinho programming block, in Mexico on, in Venezuela on Venevisión, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein on RTL II, in Colombia on Caracol TV, in Italy on Mediaset and in Latin America on Cartoon Network.

It is also broadcast in Japan on Toei's satellite subscription channel Toei Channel in the fall of 2009 as part of the Heisei Kamen Rider series 10th Anniversary project. Satoshi Matsuda (formerly Ren Akiyama/Kamen Rider Knight in Ryuki) provides the voice for Len/Kamen Rider Wing Knight. Kamen Rider veterans Yuria Haga (who portrayed Mari Sonoda in Kamen Rider 555 and Mio Suzuki in Kamen Rider Kiva) voices Maya Young, Kōji Yusa (who voiced Urataros in Kamen Rider Den-O) voices Drew Lansing/Kamen Rider Torque, and Tomokazu Sugita (who voiced Kivat-bat the 3rd in Kamen Rider Kiva) voices JTC/Kamen Rider Strike.

Video game
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight: The Video Game from D3Publisher will be available for the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms and will be released November 17, 2009.

Official

 * Official Website
 * 4Kids TV
 * Adness Entertainment
 * Kamen Rider Productions

Interviews

 * Henshin Justice Unlimited - Nathan Long Interview
 * Kamen Rider Generations - Matt Mullins Interview
 * Cold Coffee - Steve Wang Interview
 * SciFi Japan - Steve Wang Interview