 This article is about a manga in Kamen Rider, the original series.
|
|
WARNING: This manga contains scenes of blood and occasional graphic violence. Viewer discretion is advised! |
Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー, Kamen Raidā, "Masked Rider") is a manga drawn by Shotaro Ishinomori which was considered the "origin" of the entire Kamen Rider series, published in Weekly Shonen Magazine.
A U.S. translation of the manga was published by Seven Seas Entertainment on January 4, 2022.
Overview[]
Many manga based on the original Kamen Rider series have been published, but only the following few were actually penned and drawn by Shotaro Ishinomori himself:
- 1971: Kamen Rider
- 1971: Kamen Rider - story retold
- 1979: Storyboard Manga Kamen Rider - for Kamen Rider (Skyrider)
Ishinomori also was the author of one chapter of the Kamen Rider Amazon manga and the entire Kamen Rider Black manga; however, these manga were not based on the original Kamen Rider series, but on two of its follow-ups.
Official sequels[]
Differences between the manga and the TV series[]
The original manga published in 1971 initially follows a path resembling the first few episodes of the TV series, from the basic plot to the creature designs. However, when Takeshi Hongo leaves the TV series and the manga's story, each series diverges greatly. In the TV series, Hongo travels abroad to fight Shocker in other countries, but leaves Japan's protection in the hands of another man, Hayato Ichimonji. He was a freelance cameraman who was experimented on by Shocker, but was saved by Hongo, becoming the second Kamen Rider. In the manga, Hongo never left Japan. He was confronted with twelve Shocker Riders and was subsequently mortally wounded during his battle against them. Hayato Ichimonji, one of the twelve Shocker Riders, receives a head injury during the fight and regains his conscience as a result. He then turns against Shocker and succeeds Hongo's role as Kamen Rider. In spite of the damage to his body, Hongo's brain survives and guides Hayato, with both fighting as one.
Hongo eventually returns as a Rider in both stories, but starting with Hayato's debut, villains and even basic story development greatly diverge between the two versions. The manga portrays a seemingly hopeless battle against Shocker, an organization much bigger than either of the two Riders with ties to governmental conspiracies. The TV series portrays the Riders as heroes strong enough to bring down Shocker, only to see it replaced by similar organizations led by Shocker's mysterious leader. The Shocker Riders eventually appear in the TV series too, but in a story unrelated to the manga, aside from a couple of homages; like Hayato's attire during the story, their appearance and abilities were also different from the manga. There were also only six Shocker Riders, rather than 12 as in the manga.
Later Influences[]
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Kamen Rider series, the producer Shin-ichiro Shirakura came out with an idea that to make a set of "Showa reboot" films and the story was based on the original manga. Kamen Rider The First was released in 2005. Its sequel, Kamen Rider The Next, was released in 2007. In these films, the Shocker monsters and Kamen Riders had a modernized redesign.
The film Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3
also used some of the plots and inspirations in the original manga, although some of the character settings were completely changed, such as:
- Kamen Rider 3 wore a pair of broken shackles around his wrists and ankles and has two jetting devices on both sides of his Typhoon. This makes him resemble the original Kamen Rider 1.
- After 1 and 2 are defeated by 3, only their brains survive, just like the manga version of Hongo.
- Tobee Tachibana (actually General Black in disguise) called himself Hongo's house majordomo.
- The facilities and computers in the basement of the "Rider Town" are the same as the manga.
- The Great Leader of Shocker controls a giant robot to fight, much like the Big Machine.
These inspirations from the manga were implicitly acknowledged in the film's end credits, which feature key scenes from the film being redrawn in manga art style.
Characters[]
Kamen Riders[]
| Kamen Rider | Takeshi Hongo►Hayato Ichimonji |
Debatable Rider[]
| Shocker Rider 1 | Shocker Rider No.1 |
| Shocker Rider 2 | Shocker Rider No.2 |
| Shocker Rider 3 | Shocker Rider No.3 |
| Shocker Rider 4 | Shocker Rider No.4 |
| Shocker Rider 5 | Shocker Rider No.5 |
| Shocker Rider 6 | Shocker Rider No.6 |
| Shocker Rider 7 | Shocker Rider No.7 |
| Shocker Rider 8 | Shocker Rider No.8 |
| Shocker Rider 9 | Shocker Rider No.9 |
| Shocker Rider 10 | Shocker Rider No.10 |
| Shocker Rider 11 | Shocker Rider No.11 |
| Shocker Rider 12 | Hayato Ichimonji |
Allies[]
- Ruriko Midorikawa
- Tobe Tachibana
- Jiro Taki
Shocker[]
Volumes[]
| Volume # | Cover | Chapters | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 |  |
1. The Uncanny Man-Spider (怪奇くも男, Kaiki Kumo Otoko) 2. The Flying Man-Bat (空とぶ吸血魔人, Sora tobu Kyūketsu Majin) 3. The Resurrected Cobra Man (よみがえるコブラ男, Yomigaeru Kobura Otoko) |
April 15th, 1972 |
| Volume 2 |  |
4. The Thirteen Kamen Riders (13人の仮面ライダー, Jū San-nin no Kamen Raidā) | April 28th, 1972 |
| Volume 3 |  |
5. Village of the Sea Demon (海魔の里, Kaima no Sato) | May 10th, 1972 |
| Volume 4 |  |
6. World of Masks (仮面の世界, Masukā Wārudo, Masker World) | June 1st, 1972 |
50th Anniversary Omnibus (U.S.)[]
| Image | Book No. | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
 |
Seven Seas Omnibus Collection | January 4th, 2022 |
