Kamen Rider W

Kamen Rider W (仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル）) is a 2009-2010 Japanese tokusatsu drama, the eleventh series in the Heisei period run of the Kamen Rider Series. It premiered following the finale of Kamen Rider Decade on September 6, 2009, and aired alongside Samurai Sentai Shinkenger in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block. Following Shinkenger's finale, it aired alongside Tensou Sentai Goseiger, until W concluded on August 29, 2010. The series is described as the "Heisei Kamen Rider 10th Anniversary Project: Fall Campaign" (平成仮面ライダー10周年プロジェクト 秋の陣). The catchphrases for the series are "We are the two-in-one Kamen Rider" (俺たちは/僕たちは、二人で一人の仮面ライダーさ) and "This clinches it!" (これで決まりだ!).

Promotion
Advertisements throughout the months of May, June, and July 2009 built up to the debut of Kamen Rider W, who first appeared at the 10th Anniversary Project MASKED RIDER LIVE & SHOW event, and also featured in Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker.

Hiroshi Tanahashi of New Japan Pro Wrestling is a self-admitted fan of Kamen Rider W, and in June 2010 made a new costume designed after Kamen Rider Double FangJoker's design and wore it to a match in Osaka on June 19. Rin Asuka also appeared at the match to promote the show.

Production and casting


The series' main writer is Riku Sanjo and the main director is Ryuta Tasaki. The theme song titled "W-B-X ~W-Boiled Extreme~" is performed by Aya Kamiki with former JUDY AND MARY guitarist TAKUYA as the unit "Aya Kamiki w TAKUYA" (上木彩矢 w TAKUYA). The creature designer is Katsuya Terada, previously the character designer for Blood: The Last Vampire, the designer of Monster X for Godzilla: Final Wars, the designer of Cutie Honey's costume for Cutie Honey, and the mechanic and character design refinement for Yatterman.

Newcomer Masaki Suda portrays the mysterious Philip. Drama actor Renn Kiriyama, who made his acting debut as Bunta Marui in Musical Prince of Tennis: Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service, joins the cast as Shotaro Hidari. Hikaru Yamamoto, who made her acting debut in Watashitachi no Kyōkasho as Chiharu Nobue, portrays the female lead Akiko Narumi. Comedian and actor Takeshi Nadagi portrays Mikio Jinno and veteran actor Minori Terada, known for his leading role in The Human Bullet, portrays Ryubee Sonozaki.

Story
In the ecologically-minded city of Futo (風都), where nearly everything is powered by windmills, the people live in harmony. However, the Sonozaki Family sell mysterious devices resembling USB flash drives called Gaia Memories to criminals and other interested parties who use them to become monsters called Dopants, committing crimes with the police force powerless to stop them. To make matters worse, the Gaia Memories carry a dangerous toxin that cause their users to go insane to the point where they could die from the life-threatening devices. After the death of his boss, the self-proclaimed hard-boiled (actually half-boiled) detective Shotaro Hidari works with the mysterious Philip, who possesses the true Gaia Memory, to investigate crimes which involve Dopants. Using their own Gaia Memories, Shotaro and Philip use the Double Driver belts to transform and combine into Kamen Rider Double to fight the Dopant menace and keep Futo safe. While joined in their fight by investigator Ryu Terui, who transforms into Kamen Rider Accel, the mystery of Philip's past, his relation to the Sonozaki Family, and their Museum organization are revealed.

Narumi Detective Agency

 * Akiko Narumi
 * Seiichiro Matsui

Futo Irregulars

 * Santa-chan
 * Watcherman
 * Queen & Elizabeth
 * Isamu Bito
 * Stone

Futo Police Department

 * Mikio Jinno
 * Shun Makura

Others

 * Shroud
 * Master of Fumen
 * Melissa
 * Kozo Yaguchi
 * Aoi Katsuragi
 * Mina

Sonazaki Family

 * Dopants
 * Magma Dopant
 * T-Rex Dopant
 * Money Dopant
 * Anomalocaris Dopant
 * Cockroach Dopant
 * Sweets dopant
 * Virus Dopant
 * Violence Dopant
 * Arms Dopant
 * Bird Dopant
 * IceAge Dopant
 * Triceratops Dopant
 * Liar Dopant
 * Puppeteer Dopant
 * Invisible Dopant
 * Nightmare Dopant
 * Beast Dopant
 * Zone Dopant
 * Yesterday Dopant
 * Quetzalcoatlus Dopant
 * Hopper Dopant
 * Gene Dopant
 * Jewel Dopant
 * Old Dopant
 * Oyakodon Dopant

Foundation X

 * Tabata
 * Neon Ulsland
 * Doctor Prospect
 * Lloyd
 * Shion
 * Lem Kannagi
 * Katal
 * Solaris
 * Kiima

Others

 * Father Roberto Shijima
 * Eren Komori
 * Hiroshi Sagami

Wind Wave Internet radio
To tie into the show, TV Asahi, Toei, and Avex Trax have produced the Wind Wave FM Internet radio station. Only one of the shows, Wakana's Healing Princess (園咲若菜のヒーリングプリンセス), also exists within the fiction of Kamen Rider W. The other programs, DJ Hurry Kenn's FU-TO Hit on Groove music show and Tsuyoshi and Ayano's Head Wind: One-Game Match!! (向い風 一本勝負!!) show, treat the television series as fiction, explicitly referring to the songs they play as theme songs (as part of a mail in request, DJ Hurry Kenn played AAA DEN-O form's "Climax Jump", and referred to it as the theme song for Kamen Rider Den-O). All of Double's theme songs have been played as part of the various radio shows, several of which were first heard on the "radio" before being utilized as part of an episode's soundtrack. On March 7, a new radio show featuring Queen & Elizabeth titled Queen & Elizabeth's White Hearts!! (QueenとElizabethの白抜きハートマーク!!) began "airing", but was discontinued a month later. To mirror the current events in the show's story, Healing Princess was cancelled on June 13, 2010.

Mini-Dramas
As part of the special features on the DVD releases, a series of short films are included called "Shotaro Hidari Hardboiled Delusion Diary" (左翔太郎ハードボイルド妄想日記) in which Shotaro daydreams about what life would be like if he, Akiko, or Ryu acted differently. These feature a Dopant from the DVD volume in a completely different role than it had in the series proper. These are then followed by members of the cast discussing their favorite parts of the episodes included on the DVD volume.
 * Volume titles
 * 1) If Akiko Was Actually an Excellent Secretary (もしも亜樹子が優秀な秘書だったら)
 * 2) If Akiko Was Actually a City Councilwoman (もしも亜樹子が市議会議員だったら)
 * 3) If Akiko Was Actually a Maid (もしも亜樹子がメイドだったら)
 * 4) If Akiko Was Actually a Phantom Thief (もしも亜樹子が怪盗だったら)
 * 5) If Ryu Was Actually a Private Investigator (もしも竜が探偵だったら)
 * 6) If Akiko Was Actually an Idol (もしも亜樹子がアイドルだったら)
 * 7) If Akiko Was Actually a Magician (もしも亜樹子がマジシャンだったら)
 * 8) If Akiko Was Actually an "Extreme Wife" (もしも亜樹子が【極妻】だったら)
 * 9) If Akiko Was Actually a Younger Sister (もしも亜樹子が妹だったら)
 * 10) If Akiko Was Actually a Hit Man (もしも亜樹子が殺し屋だったら)
 * 11) If Akiko Was Actually an Old Woman (もしも亜樹子がおばあちゃんだったら)
 * 12) If Everyone Was Actually Hard-Boiled (もしも誰もがハードボイルドだったら)

Planetarium film
At several planetaria throughout Japan, Toei had produced a film called "Kamen Rider: The Fearful Global Warming Plan" (仮面ライダー 恐怖の地球温暖化計画) to teach children about global warming (with narration by Hirohiko Kakegawa). Shotaro Hidari (portrayed by Kiriyama) and Philip (portrayed by Suda) who transform into Kamen Rider Double, alongside Kamen Rider 1 (voiced by Tetsu Inada), Kamen Rider 2 (voiced by Takahiro Fujimoto), and the ten previous Heisei Riders, fight Shocker led by its President (Hidekatsu Shibata) and Gel-Shocker's Hiruchameleon (voiced by Yasuhiro Takato) who plan on destroying the Earth by having it succumb to global warming. Airings first began at the Fukuoka Science Museum on June 5, 2010, and later at Kagawa Prefecture's Sanuki Kid's Land, Chūō, Tokyo's Time Dome Akashi, the Seki Manabi Center, the Kagoshima Municipal Science Center, the Tondabayashi Subaru Hall, and the Sendai Astronomical Observatory in Aoba-ku, with shows starting later in the year at the Kobe Science Museum in Chūō-ku, Kobe, and the Saitama Municipal Youth's Astronomical Science Museum in Urawa-ku, Saitama.

Playback
For W's S.I.C Hero Saga side story Kamen Rider W: Playback commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series with Shotaro Hidari and Philip leading Shotaro Ishinomori through the events following his creation of the television series in 1971. The first episode was published in Hobby Japan, July 2011. Each episode is named after a different story written by Raymond Chandler.


 * 1) Red Wind (赤い風)
 * 2) The Finger Man (指さす男)
 * 3) Double Indemnity (深夜の告白)
 * 4) The Big Sleep (大いなる眠り)
 * 5) The High Window (高い窓)
 * 6) The Little Sister (かわいい女)
 * 7) The Long Goodbye (長いお別れ)

The One Who Continues After Z
Kamen Rider W ~The One Who Continues After Z~ (仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル） ～Zを継ぐ者～), written by Riku Sanjo, is part of a series of spin-off novel adaptations of the Heisei Era Kamen Riders. Phillip takes up Shotaro's job in solving cases after he becomes sick. Phillip uses Kamen Rider Double FangJoker and fights alongside with Kamen Rider Accel, however the Dopants get tougher and forces Philip to become a Kamen Rider himself: Kamen Rider Cyclone. The novel was released on November 30, 2012.

Cast

 * Shotaro Hidari (左 翔太郎): Renn Kiriyama (桐山 漣)
 * Philip (フィリップ): Masaki Suda (菅田 将暉)
 * Akiko Narumi (鳴海 亜樹子): Hikaru Yamamoto (山本 ひかる)
 * Ryu Terui (照井 竜): Minehiro Kinomoto (木ノ本 嶺浩)
 * Mikio Jinno (刃野 幹夫): Takeshi Nadagi (なだぎ 武)
 * Shun Makura (真倉 俊): Shingo Nakagawa (中川 真吾)
 * Watcherman (ウォッチャマン): Nasubi (なすび)
 * Santa-chan (サンタちゃん): Zennosuke Fukkin (腹筋 善之介)
 * Queen (クイーン): Tomomi Itano (板野 友美)
 * Elizabeth (エリザベス): Tomomi Kasai (河西 智美)
 * Ryubee Sonozaki (園咲 琉兵衛): Minori Terada (寺田 農)
 * Saeko Sonozaki (園咲 冴子): Ami Namai (生井 亜実)
 * Wakana Sonozaki (園咲 若菜): Rin Asuka (飛鳥 凛)
 * Kirihiko Sudo/Sonozaki (須藤/園咲 霧彦): Yuki Kimisawa (君沢 ユウキ)
 * Shinkuro Isaka (井坂 深紅郎): Tomoyuki Dan (檀 臣幸)
 * Jun Kazu (加頭 順): Gong Teyu (コン・テユ)
 * Smilodon Dopant (スミロドン・ドーパント): Yasuhiro Takato (高戸 靖広)
 * Shroud (シュラウド): Naoko Kouda (幸田 直子)
 * Narration, Gaia Memory Voice (ナレーション、ガイアメモリ音声): Fumihiko Tachiki (立木 文彦)

Guest stars

 * Marina Tsumura (津村 真里奈): Meibi Yamanouchi (山内 明日)
 * Yousuke Togawa (戸川 陽介): YOH
 * Shotaro Hidari (child) (左 翔太郎)/Akira Aoyama (青山 晶): Issei Kakazu (嘉数 一星)
 * Taizo Kaga (加賀 泰造): Tatsuya Gashuin (我修院 達也)
 * Philip (child) (フィリップ): Masaki Suda (菅田 将暉)
 * Miyabi Kusuhara (楠原 みやび): Nozomi Kawata (川田 希)
 * Asuka Kusuhara (楠原 あすか): Rara Omura (大村 らら)
 * Genzo Takamura (鷹村 源蔵): Takaaki Ito (伊藤 貴明)
 * Chizuru Hoshino (星野 千鶴): Reina Fujii (藤井 玲奈)
 * Ikari (伊刈): Jin Katagiri (片桐 仁)
 * Teacher (教師): Hiroshi Watari (渡 洋史)
 * Mai Asakawa (浅川 麻衣): Eri Otoguro (乙黒 えり)
 * Yukiko Sasaki (佐々木 由貴子): Maha Hamada (濱田 万葉)
 * Sachi Yamamura (サチ 山村): Rinako Matsuoka (松岡璃奈子)
 * Kohei Yamamura (山村 康平): Ryo Hashizume (橋爪 遼)
 * Kurosu (黒須): Koji (コージ)
 * Noriyuki Yushima (湯島 則之): Teppei Sakata (坂田 鉄平)
 * Mikio Aoki (青木 幹男): Masato Tsujioka (辻岡 正人)
 * Nezu (根津): Gamo Junichi (蒲生 純一)
 * Young Girl (若い女性): Hikari Kajiwara (梶原 ひかり)
 * Tsuyoshi Ageo (ツヨシ アゲオ): Hiromichi Miyoshi (三好博道)
 * Saeki Motoko (佐伯 素子): Shion Nakamaru (中丸 シオン)
 * Hino (火野): Yutaka Mishima (三島 ゆたか)
 * Director (ディレクター): Tomonobu Okano (岡野 友信)
 * Wakana Sonozaki (child) (園咲 若菜): Rin Asuka (飛鳥 凛)
 * Kenji Kurata (倉田 剣児): Kōichirō Nishi (西 興一朗)
 * Aso Fuyumi (麻生 冬美): Yuri Morishita (森下 悠里)
 * Master of Barber "Kaze" (バーバー「風」のマスター): Isamu Ago (あご 勇)
 * Akane Egusa (江草 茜): Mana Konno (今野 真菜)
 * Touma Fujikawa (藤川 統馬): Haruki Kimura (木村 遼希)
 * Yuichi Kanamura (金村 有一): Takuya Yoshihara (吉原 拓弥)
 * Yoshihara Takuya (久保田 弥生): Manami Ikura (伊倉 愛美)
 * Kiyoshi Katahira (片平 清): Kento Shibuya (渋谷 謙人)
 * Makiko Katahira (片平 真紀子): Itsumi Osawa (大沢 逸美)
 * Ikeda Shinya (池田 晋也): Kei Nagase (ナガセ ケイ)
 * Yuji Terui (照井 雄治): Shunsaku Yajima (矢嶋 俊作)
 * Mayumi Terui (照井 真由美): Kayoko Fujii (藤井 佳代子)
 * Haruko Terui (照井 春子): Mika Kasahara (笠原 美香)
 * Aya Kujo (九条 綾): Ayumi Kinoshita (木下 あゆ美)
 * Ken Akutsu (阿久津 憲): Hiroo Otaka (大高 洋夫)
 * Masaki Mizoguchi (溝口 正輝): Keita Shirai (白井 圭太)
 * Himuro (氷室): Hiroyuki Muraoka (村岡 弘之)
 * Angry Instructor (鬼教官): Kenji Tominaga (富永 研司)
 * Gaia Memory Distributors (ガイアメモリ流通組織の男): Shinichi Kaneda (金田 進一), Eitoku (永徳)
 * Sachio Sawada (沢田 さちお): Moro Morooka (モロ 師岡)
 * Jimmy Nakata (ジミー 中田): Tomita Keisuke (冨田 輔)
 * Yukiho Sumita (墨田 ユキ): Kumiko Nakano (中野 公美子)
 * Aya Kamiki (上木 彩矢)
 * TAKUYA (23-24)
 * Onuki Ichirota (大貫 一朗太): Ichirou Mizuki (水木 一郎)
 * DJ Hurry Kenn (voice, 23-24)
 * Keio Horinouchi (堀之内 慶應): Wataru Shihoudou (四方堂 亘)
 * Rikako Horinouchi, Riko (堀之内 里香, リコ): Moe Sawada (澤田 萌音)
 * Lily Shirogane (リリィ白銀): Nao Nagasawa (長澤 奈央)
 * Frank Shirogane (フランク白銀): Fubito Yamano (山野 史人)
 * Himeka Yukimura (雪村 姫香): Natsuko Asō (麻生 夏子)
 * Hajime Fukushima (福島 元): Yasushi Kato (加藤 康)
 * Professor Akagi (赤城 教授): Nishi Fuyuhiko (西 冬彦)
 * Kyūzō of the Turret (櫓の久蔵): Seizō Fukumoto (福本 清三)
 * Heiji Hidari (左 平次): Kunio Nishimura (西村 匡生)
 * Isamu Bito (尾藤 勇): Kazuyoshi Ozawa (小沢 和義)
 * Maruo Arima (有馬 丸男): Katsuya (勝矢)
 * Suzuko Arima (有馬 鈴子): Ryoko Gi (魏 涼子)
 * Sokichi Narumi (鳴海 荘吉): Koji Kikkawa (吉川 晃司)
 * Yukie Sudo (須藤 雪絵): Kaoru Hirata (平田 薫)
 * Nagi Shimamoto (島本 凪): Miyuu Wagawa (和川 未優)
 * Satoshi Yamashiro (山城 諭): Ryota Nakanishi (中西 良太)
 * Grasshopper Woman (イナゴの女): Minami Tsukui (佃井皆美)
 * Ai Nijimura (虹村 あい): Erika Yazawa (谷澤 恵里香)
 * Toru Kawai (川相 透): Naoki Kawano (川野 直輝)
 * Manager (マネージャー): Takashi Kikuchi (菊池 隆志)
 * Makoto Uesugi (上杉 誠): Ryunosuke Kawai (河合 龍之介)
 * Rui Jojima (城島 泪): Yoshie Okumura (奥村 佳恵)
 * Satoru Takeda (武田 智): Yukihiro Kotani (小谷 幸弘)
 * Shotaro Hidari (Old) (左 翔太郎): Yukimasa Natori (名取 幸政)
 * Takashi Soma (相馬 卓): Masakazu Azuhata (小豆畑 雅一)
 * Yoshie Goto (後藤 良枝): Yui Ryoko (遊井 亮子)
 * Miyu Goto (後藤 みゆ): Miyuu Yamada (山田 海遊)
 * Miyu Goto (Old) (後藤 みゆ): Yuko Hisamatsu (久松 夕子)
 * Mitsuko Sekine (関根 光子): Yuki Higashi (ひがし 由貴)
 * Kumi Sekine (関根 久美): Yuko Konishi (小西 結子)
 * Kumi Sekine (Old) (関根 久美): Sachiko Kozuki (上月 左知子)
 * Okura (大倉): Tsutomu Hiura (樋浦勉)
 * Tabata (田端): Tsunekichi Takeoka (竹岡 常吉)
 * Kyoko Todoroki (轟 響子): Yuka Hirata (平田 裕香)
 * Neon Ulsland (ネオン・ウルスランド): Maria Theresa Gow (マリア・テレサ・ガウ)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider Double, Kamen Rider Joker: Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二), Makoto Itō (伊藤 慎)
 * Kamen Rider Accel: Eitoku (永徳)
 * Terror Dopant: Ryo Yokota (横田 遼)
 * Taboo Dopant, Shroud: Yūki Ono (小野 友紀)
 * Weather Dopant: Makoto Itō (伊藤 慎)
 * ClayDoll Dopant, ClayDoll Xtreme, Other Dopants: Satoshi Fujita (藤田 慧)
 * Nasca Dopant, Weather Dopant(Sub), Utopia Dopant, R Nasca Dopant, Other Dopants: Jun Watanabe (渡辺 淳)
 * Smilodon Dopant, Utopia Dopant(Sub), Other Dopants: Yugo Fujii (藤井 祐伍)