Kamen Rider

''For the franchise that this series started, see Kamen Rider Series. For the 1979 series of this name, see Kamen Rider (Skyrider).''



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.

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 (立花 藤兵衛) - Hongo's racing mentor and confidant.
 * Kazuya Taki (滝 和也) FBI agent investigating Shocker
 * Professor Midorikawa (緑川博士) - former Shocker who freed Hongo and was killed by Shocker agent Spider Man.
 * Ruriko Midorikawa (緑川 ルリ子) - daughter of Prof. Midorikawa
 * Hiromi Nohara (野原 ひろみ) Ruriko's friend, a waitress
 * Kishimori (episodes 2, etc.) - Hongo's fellow biochemist
 * Snack Amigo - a small café where Hongo and other members of Tachibana's racing club gather, in early episodes. Its employees include Hiromi and the bartender Shiro, who occasionally assist Hongo in countering Shocker's plans.
 * Tachibana Racing Club- Hongo's club
 * Mari
 * Yuri
 * Michi
 * Goro

Shocker

 * Main article:Shocker


 * Great Leader of Shocker (ショッカー首領)/Rock Great Leader (岩石大首領).


 * Colonel Zol/Werewolf (ゾル大佐/狼男) (a.k.a. Gold Werewolf (黄金狼男))
 * Doctor Shinigami/Ikadevil (死神博士/イカデビル)
 * Ambassador Hell/Garagaranda (地獄大使/ガラガランダ)
 * Shocker Combatmen (ショッカー戦闘員)
 * Big Machine (ビッグマシン)

Gel-Shocker

 * Main article: Gel-Shocker


 * Great Leader (ゲルショッカー首領)
 * General Black/Hiruchameleon (ブラック将軍/ヒルカメレオン)

Films

 * Go Go Kamen Rider (ゴーゴー仮面ライダー) (1971)
 * Kamen Rider vs. Shocker (仮面ライダーVSショッカー) (1972)
 * Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell (仮面ライダーVS地獄大使) (1972)
 * Five Riders vs. King Dark (五人ライダー対キングダーク) (1975)
 * Kamen Rider The First (2005)
 * Kamen Rider The Next (2007)
 * OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders (オーズ・電王・オールライダー レッツゴー仮面ライダー) (2011)

Manga
See Kamen Rider (manga)

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)

Crew

 * Creator: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Scriptwriters: Masaru Igami, Shin'ichi Ichikawa, Masayuki Shimada, Mari Takizawa, Hisashi Yamazaki, Takao Ikuo, Masashi Tsukada, Takeo Oono, Shiro Ishimori, Seirou Suzuki, Takayuki Hasegawa, Kimio Hirayama, Minoru Yamada, Gorou Okeya, Shotaro Ishinomori


 * Directors: Hirokazu Takemoto, Itaru Orita, Hidetoshi Kitamura, Minoru Yamada, Kazukuri Uchida, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Masashi Tsukada, Shotaro Ishinomori, Atsuo Kumanaka


 * Photographer: Osamigi Yamamoto


 * Illumination: Kouosamu Oota


 * Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi


 * Artist: Mokuo Mikami


 * Editing: Ayaki Sugeno (Eiko-Onkyo Ltd.)


 * Recording: Mari Fujinami


 * Assistant Director: Masashi Tsukada


 * Costume Designer: Tokyo Designs


 * Action Choreographer: Kazutoshi Takahashi


 * Line Chief: Teruo Itou


 * Production Manager: Okusouhei Matono


 * Sound Recording: Katsushi Ota (Eiko-Onkyo Ltd.)


 * Development: Toei Laboratories


 * Cooperation: Muromachi Racing Group

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

Legacy
The Kamen Rider original series produced a great number of spin-offs which remain in production today. Several Kamen Rider series were aired in Japan after the first Kamen Rider finished. After Kamen Rider Black RX ended production in 1989, the series was put on hold.

There were three movie released as the 1990s "Movie Riders", which were Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, Kamen Rider ZO and Kamen Rider J. After original creator Shōtarō Ishinomori's death, the Kamen Rider franchise was continued in 2000 with Kamen Rider Kuuga. Since then Kamen Rider has become popular again and has a strong fanbase across Asia in countries such as Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. As of 2012, twenty-three Kamen Rider series have been made, the current series being Kamen Rider Wizard (which premiered on September 2, 2012).

As of 2005, a remake of the Kamen Rider series was made and reimagined with Kamen Rider The First.