Kamen Rider Kabuto

Kamen Rider Kabuto (仮面ライダーカブト) is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the sixteenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi. The first episode aired on January 29, 2006, and with the final episode airing on January 21, 2007, completing the series with 49 episodes. It aired alongside  for Super Hero Time 2006. The series represents the 35th anniversary of the Masked Rider Series, as indicated by a notice at the beginning of the pilot episode reading, in Japanese, "Kamen Rider 35th Anniversary Production." Kamen Rider Kabuto is the first Kamen Rider Series to be broadcast in high-definition format.

The series' catchphrases are "Walking the path of heaven, to rule everything!" (天の道を行き、総てを司る!) and "I am justice." (俺が正義).

Story
The story revolves around a man named Souji Tendou. He has trained his entire life while waiting for the Kabuto Zecter so that he may properly take up the name of Kamen Rider Kabuto. Making many enemies while at the same time meeting other Riders with mysterious origins of how they got there, Tendou attempts to accomplish his goal at all costs: destroying all Worms that otherwise threaten humanity. He meets Arata Kagami, who later becomes Kamen Rider Gatack, the two work together to save humanity from the alien Worms that arrived from a meteorite seven years ago.

Allies

 * Hiyori Kusakabe
 * Jyuka Tendou
 * Yumiko Takemiya
 * Gon
 * Jiiya

ZECT

 * Negishi
 * Masato Mishima
 * Shuichi Tadokoro
 * Riku Kagami
 * Yuzuki Misaki
 * Renge Takatori

Neo ZECT

 * Shura Hokuto

Allusions
The series made some allusions to the whole Kamen Rider series. Masked Rider Project as mentioned in the course of the series was said to be started on 3 April 1971. The Worm species known as Natives also first arrived on Earth on the same year. In real-life, it was the date the first Kamen Rider show aired for the first time.

Some of the Riders in the series are based on insect motifs previously used in the series to commemorate the franchise's 35th anniversary, mostly from the Showa Era.
 * Kabuto/Stronger: Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle
 * TheBee/Super-1: Vespa family
 * Drake/V3: Dragonfly
 * Kickhopper/Kamen Rider 1 and Punchhopper/Kamen Rider 2: Acrididae Family
 * Kuuga/Gatack: Stag Beetle

Villains

 * Worms

Manga

 * 1) Kamen Rider Kabuto (comic) (幪面超人甲鬥王)

S.I.C. Hero Saga

 * 1) Since 1986

Novels

 * 1) Meet You at the End of the World (世界の果てで君と出会う)
 * 2) Kamen Rider Kabuto (novel) (小説 仮面ライダーカブト)

Cast

 * Souji Tendou, Souji Kusakabe (天道 総司、日下部 総司): Hiro Mizushima (水嶋 ヒロ)
 * Arata Kagami (加賀美 新): Yuuki Sato (佐藤 祐基)
 * Sou Yaguruma (矢車 想): Hidenori Tokuyama (徳山 秀典)
 * Shun Kageyama (影山 瞬): Masato Uchiyama (内山 眞人)
 * Daisuke Kazama (風間 大介): Kazuki Kato (加藤 和樹)
 * Tsurugi Kamishiro (神代 剣): Yusuke Yamamoto (山本 裕典)
 * Hiyori Kusakabe (日下部 ひより): Yui Satonaka (里中 唯)
 * Renge Takatori (高鳥 蓮華): Yuka Teshima (手嶋 ゆか)
 * Jyuka Tendou (天道 樹花): Natsumi Okumura (奥村 夏未)
 * Shuichi Tadokoro (田所 修一): Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi (山口 祥行)
 * Yuzuki Misaki (岬 祐月): Anna Nagata (永田 杏奈)
 * Gon (ゴン): Airu Kanzaki (神崎 愛瑠)
 * Jiiya (じいや): Yasukiyo Umeno (梅野 泰靖)
 * Soichi Kusakabe (日下部 総一): Go Narumi (鳴海 剛)
 * Satomi Kusakabe (日下部 さとみ): Kaori Asano (浅野 香織)
 * Tendou of 7 Years Ago (７年前の天道): Sean Wiig (ショーン・ウィーグ)
 * Hiyori of 7 Years Ago (７年前のひより): Reina Fujii (藤井 玲奈)
 * Rena Mamiya (間宮 麗奈): Hitomi Miwa (三輪 ひとみ)
 * Reiji Nogi (乃木 怜治): Tak Sakaguchi (坂口 拓)
 * Negishi (根岸): Masahiro Kobayashi (小林 正寛)
 * Yumiko Takemiya (竹宮 弓子): Megumi Nishimuta (西牟田 恵)
 * Masato Mishima (三島 正人): Tomohisa Yuge (弓削 智久)
 * Riku Kagami (加賀美 陸): Hirotaro Honda (本田 博太郎)
 * ZECTrooper (ゼクトルーパー): Katsumi Shiono (塩野 勝美)
 * Zecter Voice (ゼクター音声): Surage Gajria (スラージ・ガジリア)
 * Narrator (ナレーター): Eiichiro Suzuki (鈴木 英一郎)

Guest actors

 * Detective (刑事): Maroshi Tamura (田村 円)
 * Yuki Tamai (玉井 ユキ): Mika Kikuchi (菊地 美香)
 * IT President Uemura (IT社長・ウエムラ): Kohei Murakami (村上 幸平)
 * Shogo Higashi (東 省吾): Atsushi Ogawa (小川 敦史)
 * Takeshi Hongo (本郷 猛): Masaya Kikawada (黄川田 将也)
 * Koji Iguchi (井口 浩二): Kenzaburo Kikuchi (菊地 謙三郎)
 * Kazuhiko Sagara (相良 和彦): Hiroyuki Matsumoto (松本 博之)
 * Ichiro Ikesu (生簀 一郎): Shinnosuke Abe (阿部 進之介)
 * Keiko Kobayashi (小林 恵子): Kasumi Suzuki (鈴木 かすみ)
 * Oda (オダ): Katsuya Kobayashi (小林 且弥)
 * Yamato (ヤマト): Mitsuki Koga (虎牙 光揮)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto: Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二)
 * Kamen Rider Gatack, Kamen Rider TheBee: Makoto Ito (伊藤 慎)
 * Kamen Rider Drake, Kamen Rider TheBee: Yoshifumi Oshikawa (押川 善文)
 * Kamen Rider Sasword, Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto: Jun Watanabe (渡辺 淳)
 * Kamen Rider Kick Hopper : Eitoku (永徳)
 * Kamen Rider Punch Hopper :Naoki Nagase (永瀬 尚希)
 * ZECTroopers: Hirofumi Fukuzawa (福沢 博文), Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎), Miho Kojima (小島 美穂)

35th Masked Rider Anniversary File
During episodes 23 through 27, this segment called the 35th Masked Rider Anniversary File, acted as a look back to the franchise and an early advertisement for the God Speed Love movie. These look backs are held in a movie theater and the segment is hosted by Souji Tendo (Kamen Rider Kabuto), Arata Kagami (Kamen Rider Gatack), Tetsuki Yamato (Kamen Rider Ketaros), Yuzuki Misaki, and Masato Mishima. During these five segments, they discuss the history of the Kamen Rider franchise, sometimes in a comedic tone, but always with serious background music.
 * Episode 23 (Rider Kicks): The group watches and Yamato narrates the variations of Rider Kicks during the course of the years. Yamato mentions about the Rider Double Kick of Kamen Riders 1 and 2, Kamen Rider V3's V3 Kick, Kamen Rider X's X Kick, and Kamen Rider Super-1's ten various kicks. In the end, Kagami stands up and does his own Rider Kick (he even shouts the attack name) and falling into his seat with Yuzuki looking. Tendo asks Yamato, "Who are you?"
 * Episode 24 (Criminal Organizations): The group watches and learns about the different criminal organizations the Kamen Riders had to fight. Villains include Shocker & Gel-Shocker in the first Kamen Rider, Destron from Kamen Rider V3, and King Dark (of the Government of Darkness) in Kamen Rider X. Footage of Black Satan, first enemy of Kamen Rider Stronger, is also shown. Tendo then supposes that it is the Kamen Rider's destiny to fight an organization. Mishima tells Tendo that ZECT will show no mercy to anyone who fights them. Yamato then says that he will definitely smash Neo-ZECT for rebelling against and splitting off from ZECT.
 * Episode 25 (Rhinoceros Beetle-Themed Kamen Riders): The group watches Kamen Rider Stronger, and Kagami quickly thinks that Stronger himself is Kabuto, and looks at Tendo confused. Misaki corrects him, informing him that this is a different Rider, using the rhinoceros beetle as a design. Mishima then announces that it is Kamen Rider Stronger. The camera then zooms on Tendo's face as he says that while this Rider may be Stronger, he (referring to himself) is the strongest. Tendo pronounces "Stronger" and "Strongest" in English, (due to the fact that Hiro Mizushima, who portrays Tendou, is fluent in English). Yamato then also speaks of the Kabutech Riders (Caucasus [Caucasus beetle], Heracus [Hercules beetle], and Ketaros [centaurus beetle], the last of whom Yamato happens to be), which are also Rhinoceros Beetle Riders (as the Caucasus, Hercules, and Centaurus beetles are rhinoceros beetle sub-species). Also, despite being a Rhinoceros Beetle Rider, Kamen Rider Blade (also a Hercules beetle) was omitted. At the end, Tendo stands up and miniature hexagons with Tendo's face appear, forming a compound eye pattern as Tendo says once again that he is "the man who walks the path of heaven that will rule over everything."
 * Episode 26 (Riders Everywhere): The group watches Kamen Rider and Yamato comments on Skyrider's Sailing Jump, then says that the Riders can go anywhere around the world. In addition, they are not restricted to the ground. Then, Misaki mentions the Riders can even now go into space. During this segment, they watch footage of Kamen Riders 1 through ZX training with each other in Kamen Rider 1's base on Arizona in the final episodes of Kamen Rider Black RX, followed by footage from God Speed Love. Tendo then coins a variant his trademark quote ("Now, I will truly walk down the path of heaven and rule over all.").
 * Episode 27 (Kamen Rider Ultimate Forms): Kamen Rider Stronger's upgrade is not mentioned (as it is not an "Ultimate Form", but rather a temporary power upgrade) and the short starts with Yamato commenting on Black RX and his modes RX Roborider and RX Biorider. It then moves on to Kamen Rider Kuuga Ultimate Form, Kamen Rider Agito Shining Form, Kamen Rider Ryuki Survive, Kamen Rider Faiz Blaster Form, Kamen Rider Blade King Form, and Kamen Rider Armed Hibiki. Suddenly, Yamato and Tendou are about to duel with the others looking on and showing on screen is Kabuto's Ultimate Form, Hyper Form.

International broadcasts
Kabuto was broadcast in South Korea as Masked Rider Kabuto (가면라이더 가부토 Gamyeon Raideo Gabuto) in 2008. In the Philippines, this show is currently broadcast on Cartoon Network dubbed into English. In Singapore, this show is also dubbed and debut on June 20, 2009, on Okto.In Malaysia,this show was dubbed in malay version on NTV7.