The catchphrase for the series is "There's only one strongest company president in the world! It's me!" (世界最強の社長はただひとり！オレだ！,Sekai saikyō no shachō wa tada hitori! Ore da!).
Development for the show had begun during the summer of 2018.[1] Producer Takahito Omori had visited several technological institutes and spoke with many professors and experts on the topic of artificial intelligence. The suit's design was completed in time before the Reiwa-era change, but a name had not been decided on yet. Omori came up with the idea of "Rei-One", which was a shortening of "Reiwa's first Rider." It was later pointed out that "rei" could also be read as "zero", and that there was already a superhero named Kikaider with the "01" moniker. With the show being heavily-themed in technology, the name "Zero-One" was chosen as a reference to binary code and the trademark was filed on April 19, 2019.[2]
From this time until May, head writer Yuya Takahashi had completed the scripts for the first two episodes, while auditions for the cast were held. Filming began in mid-June 2019, and the cast were introduced through a scheduled press conference in July. The series premiered on September 1, 2019. Due to Toei wanting to have the next succeeding series Kamen Rider Saber air in early September, Zero-One was given a final episode count of 45.[3]
Impact due to COVID-19
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a state of emergency was declared in Japan on April 16, 2020[4], which ceased production after wrapping on Episode 39. Broadcasting of new episodes had also temporarily stopped following the conclusion of Superhero Time on May 10, 2020, which included Episode 35 of Zero-One and Episode 10 of Mashin Sentai Kiramager. To allow time for script alterations due to the now reduced episode-count, Superhero Time aired a series of recap episodes for five consecutive weeks from May 17, 2020, to June 14, 2020: the two-part "President Special", focusing on Aruto and Is, the "Shooting Special" focusing on Isamu and Yua, and the two-part "Super Work War" focusing on the Humagears throughout the series. These recap specials featured special early debuts from As and the Ark, the final antagonists of the series.
At this time, Japan's government had lifted its state of emergency on May 25, 2020, allowing Toei to resume filming Zero-One and Kiramager under newly placed guidelines to control any further spreading of the COVID-19 virus.[5] Newly filmed content returned with the special Episode 35.5 a week before Superhero Time returned with fully new episodes on June 28, 2020 starting with Episode 36.[6] Filming wrapped up on August 4, 2020 and the finale aired on August 30, 2020.
Writing
Due to COVID-19 and the reduced episode count which forced the production team to rewrite scripts, several storylines were either scrapped or altered:
A Televi-Kun scan reveals that the initial identities of both Kamen Rider Ark-One and Kamen Rider Zero-Two were originally two different people, but the delays and reduced episode count resulted in the identities of both Riders being the same person instead.
Owing to long time Kamen Rider suit actor Seiji Takaiwa being casted as Horobi's suit actor, the long-term plan for the show's ending would be to have Horobi fight against Zero-One, but the process of how they would get there was undetermined at the time.
There were various pitches for Ark-One's origins. One idea would've had Ark to assume a separate Humagear body to become Ark-Zero, evolving itself after learning more about humans.[7] Another pitch would've had Horobi's body possessed by the Ark to become Kamen Rider Ark-One.[8]
Valkyrie was supposed to gain a power-up at the end of the story, but due to the reduced episode count, only Fuwa became Orthros Vulcan in order to stop Aruto.[9]
Episode 01-16 - "Secret Maneuvering of Metsuboujinrai.net" Arc (「暗躍する滅亡迅雷.net」編,An'yakusuru Metsubōjinrai.net Hen), this arc introduces the main characters of the story and features the internal conflicts between Hiden Intelligence, A.I.M.S., and MetsubouJinrai.net, whom the latter seeks the extinction of the human race.
Episode 17-30 - "Workplace 5-Round Competition, ZAIA Enterprise" Arc (「お仕事5番勝負、ZAIAエンタープライズ」編,Oshigoto Goban Shōbu, ZAIA Entāpuraizu Hen), this arc features the Workplace Competition, where Hiden Intelligence competes against its corporate rival, ZAIA Enterprise Japan in a battle of A.I. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure requires ZAIA's contestants to be Raiders.
Episode 31-41 - "Struggle! HIDEN Manufacturing" Arc (「奮戦！飛電製作所」編,Funsen! Hiden Seisakusho Hen), this arc features the aftermath of the Workplace Competition, Aruto establishes HIDEN Manufacturing after ZAIA Japan took over Hiden Intelligence, while MetsubouJinrai.net has revived the Ark as Kamen Rider Ark-Zero.
Episode 42-45 - "Take Off Towards the Future! Hiden Intelligence" Arc (「明日へ向かって飛べ！飛電インテリジェンス」編,Ashita e Mukatte Tobe! Hiden Interijensu Hen), this arc features the final battle to determine the fates between humans and humanity as Horobi wages war against Aruto Hiden, who had fallen from grace and became the Ark itself.
Each Japanese episode title includes a pronoun written in katakana instead of hiragana. They also include puns and references to Aruto's own speaking style and jokes. The English titles are taken from Shout! Factory's website.[12][13]
Kamen Rider Zero-One premiered in Japan on TV Asahi on September 1, 2019 and went on hiatus after the broadcast of Episode 35 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several recap specials aired in place for five weeks before Episode 36 premiered on June 28, 2020.
Zero-One was released on three separate Blu-Ray collections on April 8, 2020, November 11, 2020, and January 13, 2021 in order.
Broadcast Poster
Blu-Ray Collection 1 Episodes 1-16
Blu-Ray Collection 2 Episodes 17-32
Blu-Ray Collection 3 Episodes 33-45
On October 8, 2021, it was announced during the New York Comic-Con panel for Team Rider that Shout! Factory had acquired the North American distribution rights to Zero-One,[18] with all 45 episodes and as well REAL×TIME streaming on TokuSHOUTsu beginning January 1, 2022. However, due to popular demand, the streaming release occurred a week earlier at midnight on December 24, 2021.[19]
A physical Blu-Ray release was also announced,[20][21] and pre-orders began on November 1, 2021.[22]. Containing all 46 episodes, five recap episodes, REAL×TIME, and an exclusive poster, the set was released on January 25, 2022.[23]
An Indonesian dub premiered on RTV on October 28, 2021 [24]. The dub was made available on YouTube in the same year. The show received an English-style logo for the ads, different from the North American logo.
In the Philippines, Kamen Rider Zero-One was aired on GMA Network dubbed in Filipino beginning on February 18, 2023 every Saturdays later weekends until 2024.[25]
Notes
With "zero" in Japanese and "one" in Japanized-English, Zero-One can be read as ReiWan (零 ワン,ReiWan) in Japanese, referencing the fact that he is the Kamen Rider of the Reiwa era.
The characters "zero" and "one" are known in tech, electronic and the mathematic world as Binary numbers, which is fitting for the series due to its theme of artificial intelligence.
This series marks the first time since Hibiki where Seiji Takaiwa is not the suit actor of the Primary Rider. Instead, Takaiwa portrays Kamen Rider Horobi, while Yuya Nawata took on the titular role of Zero-One.[26]
Owing to COVID-19, Kamen Rider Zero-One is the first series following Kamen Rider Ex-Aid to conclude with 45 episodes and, alongside Ex-Aid, it is the shared fifth-shortest Kamen Rider series overall.
This is the first series to have its standalone film to be released after the end of the series, as Kamen Rider Saber would be airing at that time. The film was planned for a summer release, having been double-billed with Kiramager's standalone film. After a delay, both Zero-One and Saber's individual films had premiered that following December in lieu of a traditional Movie War between the two. Aruto would eventually meet Touma Kamiyama in Saber + Zenkaiger: Superhero Senki, while Is would meet Reika Shindai in Kamen Rider Jeanne & Kamen Rider Aguilera with Girls Remix.
This is also the first series to have an international airing start a week after the end of the series.
Zero-One was the first series to be given a full North American release through TokuSHOUTsu, first through DVD releases and eventually having every episode uploaded on YouTube.
↑ajnb 2020, pp. 116-121, "Kamen Rider Zero One x Kamen Rider Vulcan Dialogue / Yuya Nawata x Kosuke Asai" (ajnb 2020, pp. 116-121, 「仮面ライダーゼロワン×仮面ライダーバルカン対談／縄田雄哉×浅井宏輔」,ajnb 2020, pp. 116-121, "Kamen Rider Zero One x Kamen Rider Vulcan Dialogue / Yuya Nawata x Kosuke Asai")
↑ajnb 2020, pp. 126-135, "Kamen Rider Jin x Kamen Rider Thouser Talk / Daisuke Nakagawa x Eitoku x Nachi Sakuragi" (ajnb 2020, pp. 126-135, 「仮面ライダー迅×仮面ライダーサウザー鼎談／中川大輔×永徳×桜木那智」,ajnb 2020, pp. 126-135, "Kamen Rider Jin x Kamen Rider Thouser Talk / Daisuke Nakagawa x Eitoku x Nachi Sakuragi")
↑Zero One Reader 2021, pp. 66-68, "ZERO-ONE ACTION DIRECTOR INTERVIEW Jun Watanabe" (ゼロワン読本 2021, pp. 66-68, 「ZERO-ONE ACTION DIRECTOR INTERVIEW 渡辺淳」,Zero One Reader 2021, pp. 66-68, "ZERO-ONE ACTION DIRECTOR INTERVIEW Jun Watanabe")
This article is about a series entry (the 34th) in the Kamen Rider Series.
in the Super Hero Time line-up after the finale of Kamen Rider Zi-O. After Ryusoulger concluded, the series was joined by Mashin Sentai Kiramager
, offer direct job support in our day and age. A young president of a technology company specializing in A.I. technology fights to protect the dreams of others!"
. Will they bring hope or despair to humanity? A young president of a new company specializing in A.I. technology fights to bring his dreams to life!"
Kamen Rider Series
