Kamen Rider ZO

Kamen Rider ZO (仮面ライダーZO, Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō?), translated as Masked Rider ZO, is a 1993 Japanese tokusatsu movie produced by Toei Company, part of their Kamen Rider Series. Kamen Rider ZO was the first joint production between Toei Company Limited and Bandai with directing it.

Plot summary
Masaru Aso was the lab assistant of geneticist Doctor Mochizuki, and was used as one of his experiments related the creation of the Neo Organism, enabling him to transform into a grasshopper-like being called Kamen Rider ZO. He fled into the mountainside and went into a coma before he awoke by a telepathic call two years later with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi Mochizuki, the son of Doctor Mochizuki. After an attempt to uncover the meaning of his transformation at Mochizuki Genetics, Masaru senses Hiroshi in danger and saves the boy from Doras as ZO. Masaru learns that Dr. Mochizuki mysteriously vanished before he revealed himself after a misunderstanding with Reiko and her karate class. By then, ZO battles Koumori Man to cover Hiroshi and Reiko's escape before they are sucked in a pocket dimension by Kumo Woman, both monsters created by Doras. But ZO saves them and kills Kumo Woman before Koumori Man swoops down and snatches Hiroshi off, with ZO in pursuit. After saving Hiroshi, Masaru reveals to Seikichi that Dr. Mochizuki used him in his experiments. Refusing to believe it, Hiroshi ran off before Masaru found him and fixed the watch, recognizing the melody that stirred him out of his rest as he helps Hiroshi cope with this new information. However, Koumori Man assumed Mochizuki's form to lure Hiroshi away and capture him with Doras knocking Masaru out cold. Making his way to a complex, ZO kills Koumori Man before making his way to Hiroshi and Dr. Mochizuki, learning that the geneticist was the one who woke him up and that the Neo Organism has been acting on its own whim the entire time to become the perfect being. ZO attempts to fight Doras, only to be assimilated into the Neo Organism. Doras then proceeds to use the boy to force Mochizuki to complete its evolution. However, the watch manages to hold Doras at bay as ZO breaks out of the monster and Mochizuki sacrifices himself to destroy the pool, the Neo Organism's life source. The complex then undergoes a detonation sequence as ZO and Hiroshi escaped with their lives. Dropping Hiroshi with Seikichi, Masaru leaves to parts unknown.

Characters

 * Masaru Aso/Kamen Rider ZO (麻生 勝／仮面ライダーZO, Asō Masaru/Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō?): The hero of the story, Masaru was originally an assistant to Doctor Mochizuki until the doctor conducted experiments on him. Horrified at being made into a grasshopper-like cyborg, Masaru went into hiding in the mountains for two years until he awoke with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi. Though he hated Mochizuki, Masaru eventually forgave him before learning the man was telepathically communicating with him.


 * Hiroshi Mochizuki (望月 宏, Mochizuki Hiroshi?): A young boy who lives with his grandfather Seikichi and targeted by the Neo Organism. Hiroshi longed to be with his father, who had gone missing years ago. As a memento, Doctor Mochizuki gave Hiroshi a pocket watch that played music. Hiroshi was at first afraid of ZO, but as ZO proved he truly was a friend, Hiroshi affectionately referred to ZO as "Onii-chan" or "brother".


 * Doctor Mochizuki (望月 博士, Mochizuki Hakase?): A mad scientist who turned Masaru into ZO and then created the Neo Organism. His dream was to create the "perfect lifeform", but instead it turned on him and was held captive by his creation. He used grasshoppers as a means to contact ZO via telepathy.

Neo Organism

 * Neo Organism (ネオ生命体, Neo Seimeitai?) is a pool of living fluid that relies on the very container its dwells in as its lifesupport. It took on the appearance of a deformed little boy in Hiroshi's likeness, lacking emotion and having a god complex. The Neo Organism orchestrated the events in the movie, and held its creator captive for two years when he refused to complete its evolution. It soon assumed the grotesque Kamen Rider-like form of Doras (ドラス, Dorasu?) to find Hiroshi to force Dr. Mochizuki to complete its evolution into the "Perfect Lifeform" so it can destroy the "inferior" human race and their imperfections. Doras is capable of regenerating itself from severe injuries, absorbing inorganic and organic materials to upgrade itself or alter its form into an orb or a bladed projective, or produce Doras Monsters (ドラス怪人, Dorasu Kaijin?) from itself. When Doras manage to absorbed ZO, it became a red fleshy version of itself called Doras Strengthened Form (ドラス強化体, Dorasu Kyōkatai?). It then went for Hiroshi, but the music from the pocket watch managed to give ZO the strength to break free from Doras' body after Mochizuki destroyed its lifesupport. Reverted to its normal state, Doras is finally killed by ZO's Rider Kick, the ZO Kick.


 * Kumo Woman (クモ女, Kumo Onna?): A Doras Monster created by Doras, she was large 4-legged inhuman spider woman who shot strong webbing to entangle Hiroshi. She also has a set of spider legs on her back and two spider legs for a left arm. During combat with the monster, ZO snapped one of Kumo Woman's legs and used it to impale and instantly kill her. She was the only Kamen Rider monster to be claymated & be a large Puppet.


 * Koumori Man (コウモリ男, Kōmori Otoko?): A Doras Monster created by Doras, he was a black bat-like entity. Koumori Man was black, had small-but-long bat wings for ears that covered its head (unless he's flying), and an eye on each hand much like Doras. Koumori Man could extend its fingers to form wings for flight. It could also disguise itself is as any human. It took on the likeness of Mochizuki to trick Hiroshi and take him to its master's hideout. ZO killed Koumori Man easily with a ZO Punch by bursting into the monster's stomach.

Cast

 * Masaru Aso (麻生 勝, Asō Masaru?): Kou Domon (土門 廣, Domon Kō?)
 * Hiroshi Mochizuki (望月 宏, Mochizuki Hiroshi?): Shohei Shibata (柴田 翔平, Shibata Shōhei?)
 * Doctor Mochizuki (望月 博士, Mochizuki Hakase?): Isao Sasaki (佐々木 功, Sasaki Isao?)
 * Seikichi Mochizuki (望月 清吉, Mochizuki Seikichi?): Hiroshi Inuzuka (犬塚 弘, Inuzuka Hiroshi?)
 * Reiko (玲子, Reiko?): Naomi Morinaga (森永 奈緒美, Morinaga Naomi?)
 * Kuroda (黒田, Kuroda?): Kenji Ohba (大葉 健二, Ōba Kenji?)
 * Nishimura (西村, Nishimura?): Masaru Yamashita (山下 優, Yamashita Masaru?)
 * Miyazaki (宮崎, Miyazaki?): Iori Sakakibara (榊原 伊織, Sakakibara Iori?)
 * Neo Organism/Doras (ネオ生命体／ドラス, Neo Seimeitai/Dorasu?, Voice): Shingo Yuzawa (湯沢 真伍, Yuzawa Shingo?)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider ZO: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎, Okamoto Jirō?)
 * Doras: Kazutoshi Yokoyama (横山 一敏, Yokoyama Kazutoshi?) and Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二, Takaiwa Seiji?)
 * Koumori Man: Kiyohito Nakagawa (中川 清人, Nakagaewa Kiyohito?)

Song

 * Ai ga Tomaranai" (愛が止まらない?, "Love Doesn't Stop")
 * Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
 * Composition: Eiji Kawamura
 * Artist: infix


 * Hohoemi no Yukue" (微笑みの行方?, "Location of the Smile")
 * Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
 * Composition: Eiji Kawamura
 * Artist: infix

Adaptation
Kazuhiko Shimamoto drew a manga adaptation of the film. The manga takes some liberties with the plot: including expanding the role of several characters and a different characterization of ZO himself. More graphic violence was also added. It includes a short story about Kamen Rider Black and a short story about Kamen-rider creator Ishinomori himself.

The movie was adapted into a full motion video game for the Sega CD with an interface similar to Dragon's Lair, the 'Game' was released in America as "The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO", despite the film never airing in the United States. The game was critically panned, largely due to its script and dubbing (the Neo Organism's dialogue is all but impossible to understand) as well as some scenes from the entire film being cut from the game.

Footage with the Neo Organism monsters was used in Saban's Masked Rider in its 2-part pilot and 2 other episodes.

Some of the music from the Movie appeared in The Juukou B-Fighter Movie as well as episodes 49-51 & 53 of the series.