Kamen Rider Fourze (Series)



Kamen Rider Fourze (仮面ライダーフォーゼ, Kamen Raidā Fōze) is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's Kamen Rider Series, being the thirteenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-second overall. It began airing on September 4, 2011, the week following the conclusion of Kamen Rider OOO, joining Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger in the Super Hero Time lineup. Trademarks on the title were filed by Toei in April 2011[2][3][4] The series commemorates not only the Kamen Rider Series' 40th anniversary but also the 50th anniversary of spaceflight, which began with Yuri Gagarin's flight in 1961. The show's catchphrase is "Switch on youth 'cause space is here!" (青春スイッチオンで宇宙キター！, Seishun suitchi on de uchū kitā!), referencing the Fourze Driver (フォーゼドライバー, Fōze Doraibā) transformation belt which gets its various powers from devices called Astro Switches (アストロスイッチ, Asutoro Suitchi) to conjure attachments to Fourze's limbs.

As with the two previous series, the protagonist of Fourze made his debut in the annual summer film of the show's direct predecessor, appearing in Kamen Rider OOO WONDERFUL: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals.

Production
Fourze is written by Kazuki Nakashima, known for his screenplays of ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh!_Edo_Rocket Oh! Edo Rocket] and Gurren Lagann''. The creature designer is Kia Asamiya, known for his artwork for the manga Martian Successor Nadesico and Silent Möbius. Koichi Sakamoto, known for his work on the American Power Rangers franchise, serves as the series' main director after his work on the Kamen Rider W films and several episodes of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.

Story
Main article: List of Kamen Rider Fourze characters

Amanogawa High School has become the center of strange happenings, and things only get stranger when the bad boy styled transfer student Gentaro Kisaragi attempts to make friends in his own unique way, reuniting with childhood friend and self-professed space travel otaku Yuki Jojima, all while gaining the ire of loner Kengo Utahoshi and the school's queen bee Miu Kazashiro and her enforcer jock boyfriend Shun Daimonji, as garishly styled social butterfly JK and goth girl Tomoko Nozama watch on. When monsters called Zodiarts begin to appear on campus, Kengo and Yuki attempt to use the strange devices they have found in the Rabbit Hatch lunar base that they access through a locker on an off-limits part of campus to fight them. However, Gentaro interferes in their plans, in part due to Kengo's body unable to handle the strains of battle, and uses the devices to transform into Kamen Rider Fourze.

Episodes
The titles of episodes of Kamen Rider Fourze consist of four kanji that can be read together to form a full statement.

The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals
Main article: Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals The character of Gentaro Kisaragi (portrayed by Fukushi) and Kamen Rider Fourze make their debut appearance in Kamen Rider OOO's third film Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals.

Movie War Megamax
A crossover film between Kamen Rider OOO and Kamen Rider Fourze in the same vein as the Movie War 2010 and Movie War Core films, titled Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: Movie War Megamax (仮面ライダー×仮面ライダーフォーゼ＆オーズ ＭＯＶＩＥ大戦ＭＥＧＡＭＡＸ, Kamen Raidā × Kamen Raidā Fōze ando Ōzu: Mūbī Taisen Megamakkusu?)[10], is planned for a December 10, 2011, theatrical release in Japan.[11]

Video game
A port of Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes titled Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes Fourze (仮面ライダー クライマックスヒーローズ フォーゼ, Kamen Raidā Kuraimakkusu Hīrōzu Fōze?) is planned for release on both the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo Wii during Winter 2011. In addition to adding Kamen Rider Fourze to the game, the Shōwa Riders (e.g., Kamen Rider #1 & Kamen Rider Black RX) are added as playable characters.

Cast

 * Gentaro Kisaragi (如月 弦太朗, Kisaragi Gentarō): Sota Fukushi (福士 蒼汰, Fukushi Sōta)
 * Kengo Utahoshi (歌星 賢吾, Utahoshi Kengo): Ryuki Takahashi (高橋 龍輝, Takahashi Ryūki)
 * Yuki Jojima (城島 ユウキ, Jōjima Yūki): Fumika Shimizu (清水 富美加, Shimizu Fumika)
 * Miu Kazashiro (風城 美羽, Kazashiro Miu): Rikako Sakata (坂田 梨香子, Sakata Rikako)
 * Shun Daimonji (大文字 隼, Daimonji Shun): Justin Tomimori (冨森 ジャスティン, Tomimori Jasutin)
 * Tomoko Nozama (野座間 友子, Nozama Tomoko): Shiho (志保)
 * JK (ＪＫ（ジェイク）, Jeiku): Shion Tsuchiya (土屋 シオン, Tsuchiya Shion)
 * Sarina Sonoda (園田 紗里奈, Sonoda Sarina): Yuka Konan (虎南 有香, Konan Yuka)
 * Chuta Ohsugi (大杉 忠太, Ōsugi Chūta): Takushi Tanaka (田中 卓志, Tanaka Takushi)
 * Mitsuaki Gamo/Red-Eyed Man (我望 光明/赤い目の男, Gamō Mitsuaki/Akai Me no Otoko): Shingo Tsurumi (鶴見 辰吾, Tsurumi Shingo)
 * Tamae Sakuma (佐久間 珠恵, Sakuma Tamae): Maria Yoshikawa (吉川 まりあ, Yoshikawa Maria)
 * Jun Shigeno (繁野 ジュン, Shigeno Jun): Arisa Fujisaki (藤嵜 亜莉沙, Fujisaki Arisa)
 * Reiko Hirota (広田 玲子, Hirota Reiko): Yurika Tachibana (橘 ゆりか, Tachibana Yurika)
 * Chosuke Ban (番 長介, Ban Chōsuke): Tadao Kuroishi (黒石 高大, Kuroishi Tadaō)
 * Scorpion Zodiarts (スコーピオン・ゾディアーツ, Sukōpion Zodiātsu, Voice): Eiji Takemoto (竹本 英史, Takemoto Eiji)
 * Narration (ナレーション, Narēshon): Nobuyuki Hiyama (檜山 修之, Hiyama Nobuyuki)

Guest Cast

 * Shunya Miura (三浦 俊也, Miura Shun'ya, 1, 2): Masanori Mizuno (水野 真典, Mizuno Masanori)
 * Takashi Satake (佐竹 剛, Satake Takashi, 7, 8): Satoshi Jinbo (神保 悟志, Jinbo Satoshi)
 * Takato Daimonji (大文字 高人, Daimonji Takato, 7, 8): Ryo Kamon (加門 良, Kamon Ryō)
 * Ritsuko Usaka (鵜坂 律子, Usaka Ritsuko, 9, 10): Hikari Kajiwara (梶原 ひかり, Kajiwara Hikari)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider Fourze: Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二, Takaiwa Seiji)

Opening theme

 * "Switch On!"
 * Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
 * Composition & Arrangement: tatsuo (of everset)
 * Artist: Anna Tsuchiya (土屋 アンナ, Tsuchiya Anna?)[12][13]
 * ReferencesEdit1.^ a b Uchusen, Vol. 133