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This article is about a list of references and popular cultures in the Kamen Rider Series.
As a popular metaseries, the Kamen Rider Series has had several parodies and references in pop culture, especially their poses.
This series contains several references to Kamen Rider as well as Super Sentai, due to its being an affectionate parody of Tokusatsu in general and being written by Naruhisa Arakawa, who has written for both franchises.
The narration added to the opening sequence as of Episode 5 is a play on the iconic introduction narration from the original Kamen Rider series.
The costumes worn by the Hina-Nectars (the heroines of the Cheer Fruits' stage shows) include stylized belts reminiscent of the Kamen Riders' belts.
In the preview at the end of Episode 1, Ann Akagi paraphrases Kamen Rider Stronger's trademark pre-battle speech.
In the preview at the end of Episode 2, Roko Kuroki describes Misaki Shirogane as "the unluckiest person in Japan" who gains the power to transform, seemingly referring to Ryotaro Nogami.
In Episode 3, the girls decide to add a Henchman to their stage show; among the designs they consider are the Shocker Combatmen, Dogma Fighters, and Combat-Roids, before they ultimately choose a costume resembling the female Shocker Combatmen.
In Episode 4, Ann is shown to be such a bad singer that her singing causes earthquakes and physical pain, much like Jimmy Nakata.
In Episode 5, Ann tells Kanon Shimura "that explanation is too Armadilong!"
In Episode 8, the Cheer Fruits watch an action heroine show from another city titled "Sanjou! Momohime" ("Arrival! Peach Princess"), which is a pastiche of Kamen Rider Den-O and the legend of Momotaro. The team has the same colors and weapons as Den-O's four main forms (with the blue dog heroine wielding a staff that looks identical to Urataros' Uratarod) and the Momotaro character uses an attack resembling Den-O Sword Form's Extreme Slash (even proclaiming "My finishing move!" beforehand).
While rehearsing for their upcoming show, Genki Aoyama tells Ann that talented suit actors use body language to communicate their characters' personalities; this is followed by a heavily pixelated image of Hibiki and Ouja.
Later, Genki explains to Roko Kuroki (who plays the Cheer Fruits' main enemy) that having a sexy female villain is essential for Tokusatsu as "service" for the fathers watching along with their children; this is accompanied by images of characters resembling Mele, Mezool, and Shizuka of the Wind
At the start of Episode 10, the Taka, Tora, and Batta Core Medals fly out of Mana Midorikawa's eye when she spots a money-making opportunity.
Later in the episode, it's mentioned that the popular show Kamidaioh is getting a sequel named Kamidaioh RX.
Arachnid
This action manga features the character Hibiki who based his fighting style on the TV show "Kahen Rider" and later improved it by further observation of the series.
Arewa Tenbei
This 70's shonen manga features a villain named "Wasp-Man", who resembles a Kamen Rider.
Apocalypse Zero
Zero
A graphic manga and OVA, the series features a fortified armor shell called Zero, a Kamen Rider-like exosuit worn by Kakugo Hagakure designed for killing monsters. Incidentally, the suit's design was created by Keita Amemiya, who would later direct the Kamen Rider ZO and J films[1]
Azur Lane
In episode 2,When Belfast saved Enterprise from Zuikaku's attack,Zuikaku demanded for Belfast's identity,Belfast replied that she is just a passing-through maid.This is a nod to one of Kamen Rider Decade's catchphrases.
Bandai Kamane wa Asobitai
Kamen Master Boze
A romance manga about two high school rivals who coincidentally share the names of two rival toy companies, Bandai and Takara. The two both go to a cultural school club that has many distracting toys to play with. In the third chapter, the two play with a "hero belt" from Kamen Master Boze, a parody of Kamen Rider OOO with a monk motif (as Boze is a wordplay of the Japanese word Bouzu, meaning "Priest").
In chapter 46 of Binbō-gami ga!, there is a parody of the preludes of Kamen Rider OOO, which tells the audience what happened in previous episodes by describing three major events.
The character Mashiro Kuna's Hollow form gives her a bodysuit with an insect-like mask and a scarf, making her resemble a Showa-Era Kamen Rider. She also uses a kicking based fighting style, furthering the reference.
Cafe Detective Club
Miyo Hatoyama is a fan of Tokusatsu, especially Kamen Rider, and often does the associated poses.
Written by Shō Aikawa, this superhero anime featured a character, Claude, an anti-hero who was an homage to Shotaro Ishinomori's Skull Man. His design also has elements from Hundred-Eyed Titan, Kamen Rider ZX, Kamen Rider Skull and the 555 Riders.
Crayon Shin-chan
The Action Mask is a homage to several tokusatsu heroes, including the original Kamen Rider.
A TV show called Kamen Yaiba appears in the franchise, which is watched by the Boy Detectives.
Two posters appear in the background of a scene in episode 596 of the anime, advertising Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka and Kamen Rider 555.
Kamen Yaiba
Daicon IV
The animated opening of the famous 1983 Osaka sci-fi convention, created by future founding members of Gainax, contains a vast number of split-second cameos by many vehicles, robots and characters from pop culture. Among those in the crowd of the final shot was Kamen Rider 1, Ambassador Hell, a Shocker Combatman and V3. If viewers pause the video frame before the crowd scene ends, Kamen Rider Stronger's head can be seen among the crowd.
Digimon Xros Wars had posters of Tokusatsu characters in Taiki's room that were based on Kamen Riders Double, OOO, and Fourze whenever they were shown. It should be noted that Riku Sanjo also wrote for Xros Wars, along with W and Fourze.
Justimon
Silphymon
Stingmon
Doctor Slump
Arale wearing a Kamen Rider mask while she's sleeping.
In Chapter 50 of the Akira Toriyama manga series, Arale is sleeping in her bedroom wearing a Kamen Rider 1 mask. She later attacks Dr. Slump with a Rider Kick after doing 1's henshin pose.
Doraemon
During the episode "Experimental Dream Scheme", using one of Doraemon's gadgets, Nobita enters a dream. In one of those dreams, during the fight with Big Spicy Mamma, Nobita executes a transformation by announcing "Henshin" (Transform). He called himself "Kamen Nobita" (Masked Noby in the dub).
One of the Warriors of Team Universe 3 is Catopesra, a masked superhero who can change into 3 different colored forms to fight his enemies. Catopesra's status as a cyborg superhero and belt design are evocative of the original Kamen Rider series, with his form change ability evoking tropes associated with the Heisei Riders.
Fairy Tail
Wakaba and Macao attempting Transformation Magic.
In the 2014 anime's 47th episode, Natsu, Lucy and Happy try to learn Transformation Magic from Mirajane. As they attempt to utilize the magic, Wakaba and Macao are seen posing in manners similar to that of Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider 2.
Fastening Days
In the first short, a series of toy figures on a shelf are seen in Yoji and Kei's room. Among those figures is a Kamen Rider 1-like soft vinyl figure next to a Superman-like figure.
Fate franchise
In one scene, Saber does Kamen Rider Black's transformation pose.
Franken Fran
The Sentinels from the manga Franken Fran are based off the early Showa Era Kamen Riders including possessing similar costumes and techniques and the four main ones are an obvious homage to #1, #2, V3, and Riderman.
The 12th diary owner, Yomotsu Hirasaka, dons a costume and poses similar to a Kamen Rider and even has a team of brainwashed victims that functions similar to a Super Sentai team.
Twelfth's Belt
Twelfth's Transformation Pose
The QuinTwelve do Kamen Rider 1's pose as part of their introduction
In episode 65 of Gintama, Sougo Okita uses Ryutaros' catchphrase "Mind if I beat you? I can't hear your answer!" (倒してもいい？答えは聞いてないけど！,Taoshite mo ii? Kotae wa kiitenai kedo!) and his eyes flash purple while battling Kagura.
Episode 89 of Gintama also features this visual gag. Kenichi Suzumura, who voices Ryutaros in Den-O, voices Okita in Gintama.
Kamen Roachief Black RX.
In episode 285 (episode 20 of season 7), Isao Kondou wears a Kamen Rider-themed mask with a cockroach motif and walks around in a festival using the alias Kamen Roachief Black RX (a name created by Kagura, also a pun of Kamen Rider Black RX).
This series contains countless references to all of Kamen Rider, as the title character Nyarlathotep/Nyaruko is an alien who is obsessed with Earth's popular culture (especially anime and tokusatsu) and will use quotes, special attacks, and poses from her favorite shows as part of her everyday life. She is also given to occasionally performing Kamen Rider poses apropos of nothing, as seen when she performs Takeshi Hongo's pose upon first meeting Mahiro Yasaka, the series' male lead (making this the very first pop culture reference in the entire series). The series' original creator Manta Aisora is himself a huge Kamen Rider fan, at one point joking that the story was getting so convoluted that by the tenth volume, Nyaruko would have to destroy and re-create the universe just so everything made sense again.
The 12th and final novel's cover shows Nyaruko in Kouta Kazuraba's pre-transformation pose, made more obvious in the limited edition version where she's shown holding an orange-shaped festival lantern (the standard release instead shows her holding a super-deformed Mahiro). This novel was released on March 17th 2014, during Kamen Rider Gaim's run on Japanese television.
Nyaruko's combat form, dubbed her Full Force Form, is (as stated directly by Aisora) primarily a reference to KnightBlazer, a character from the video game Wild Arms 2, but with many Kamen Rider references added on. An official listing of Nyaruko's abilities in the novels mentions Clock Up, a dimension-cleaving mechanical sword (OOO'sMedajalibur), an orange rocket-shaped propulsion unit that fits over her arm (Fourze'sRocket Module), and the ability to change people into weapons or vehicles. In particular, her pet shantak-bird Shanta-kun can change into the Machine Shantaker, which possesses a Slider Mode.
Additionally, Nyaruko's favorite television show on Earth is Kurogane no Striver (Iron Striver), a pastice of the Kamen Rider franchise borrowing elements from several different series. In particular, the main character resembles Tsukasa Kadoya (though he wears clothing reminescent of Philip) and transforms using a card-reading belt. A sequence from the show, seen in the direct-to-DVD episode "How to Defeat a Kind Enemy", even has Striver delivering one of Tsukasa's more famous quotes: "Bring it on! I'll destroy everything!"
A more comprehensive listing of Haiyore! Nyaruko-san's references to the Kamen Rider franchise (as well as all the other pop culture references it makes) can be found on the NyaruReferences blog.
Nyaruko posing like Wizard.
In particular, the first episode has Nyaruko, Cuuko, and Hasta change into their school uniforms using a magic circle transformation identical to Haruto's, followed by Nyarko pulling her school bag out of a portal similar to the Connect Wizard Ring. When Mahiro asks about it, Nyarko responds that they wanted to try out "the latest version's" transformation and gushes "Isn't it super-cool? Isn't it the best?!", referencing the lines said by the WizarDriver when Haruto scans one of the special rings (Kick Strike, Special, Thunder, Blizzard, and Gravity).
In the 2015 OVA, Nyaruko: Crawling with Love F, she wields a Daidaimaru while Mahiro uses the Musou Saber to fight.
Episode 16 of Hayate the Combat Butler (ハヤテのごとく!,Hayate no Gotoku!) featured "guest" appearances of the DenGasherSword, Rod, and Ax Modes as well as cameo appearances of the Owner, Momotaros, and Hana on a train very similar to the DenLiner Gouka.
Henchin Pokoider
Henchin Pokoider on the cover of a manga in the Mazinkaiser OVA
Henchin Pokoider is an adult parody gag manga by Go Nagai, a former assistant to Shotaro Ishinomori, with the title character based on the original Kamen Riders and their transformation sequences. He also appears as a background character or easter egg image in Go Nagai's other works, such as an infamous cameo in Re: Cutie Honey or on the cover of a manga in the Mazinkaiser OVA series.
Hero Company
Hero Company is a 2015 ongoing manga created by Kazuhiko Shimamoto about Japanese superheroes doing their roles as a full time paying job. One of the main characters resembles Takeshi Hongo in his civilian clothes, but with a bug-eyed mask covering his face and a black scarf around his neck.
The anime version of this series features an Adult Video character called Kaben Rider Pinky who is played by Momo Momozono.
Also, in episode 10 of the first season, just before unleashing his finishing move for the first time, Issei does a pose similar to that of Takeshi Hongo when transforming.
Originally written by manga artist Moyoco Anno, the manga and anime revealed some interesting things about her husband, director Hideaki Anno's personal life, with Kamen Rider influences:
Anno had invented a length unit called "1 KR" (=18 cm) as a standard to purchase their furniture.
During their wedding, Anno was in a Kamen Rider 1 suit all day.
In episode 7 of Invaders of the Rokujyouma, there is a television show called "Rhinoceros Man, 2nd Impact", which has some reference to Kamen Rider Stronger and Kamen Rider Kabuto series. The logo of the show is similar to the logo of Kamen Rider Kabuto. The main protagonist of the show, Yamato Beetle, greatly resembles Kamen Rider Kabuto. Yamato Beetle's allies, Atlas, Caucasus and Hercules, greatly resemble the movie-exclusive Kabutick Riders from Kamen Rider Kabuto: God Speed Love.
As revealed in a comment made by Hirohiko Araki in JOJOVELLER, the design of the Stand Judgement is inspired by the works of Shotaro Ishinomori, with Araki naming Kamen Rider and Ultraman in particular.
In the 17th song of the Vocaloid song series Kagerou Project and the 9th episode of its anime adaptation, Mekakucity Actors (lit. Blindfold City Actors), Ayano's Theory of Happiness (アヤノの幸福理論,Ayano no Kōfuku Riron), Ayano says that red is the color of heroes, which she demonstrates by taking a red scarf and posing like Kamen Rider 1. Later, while playing with her adopted siblings and her dad, Ayano still wears the scarf and pretends to be the Graffiti Ranger, a parody of the Super Sentai heroes.
The opening of Katte ni Kaizou OVA bears a striking resemblance to Kamen Rider Faiz's (it is even sung by Mizuki Ichiro, known for many songs in toku), and also ends with an introduction that is a clear reference to the original Kamen Rider in both its audio and visual parts. Kaizo, the main character, believes he is a cyborg himself, and that his destiny is to fight evil. Futhermore, the entity that was supposed to turn him into a cyborg is a girl with a strange desire to rule the world. When Kaizo got an "upgrade", he also wanted a changed name for his "new form". One of the examples he mentioned before his "creator" gave him his new name was "RX", a reference to Kohtaro Minami's change at the beginning of Kamen Rider Black RX.
Kekko Kamen
One of the main villains in Go Nagai's Kekko Kamen manga is Kamen Lion Maru, a character based on Kamen Rider and Lion Maru.
Kill la Kill
The living uniform Senketsu has glowing red veins when activated that make it resemble Kamen Rider Faiz. Likewise, Senketsu Kisaragi's inverted color scheme resembles Faiz Blaster Form. In addition, tJunketsu's colour scheme resembles Kamen Rider Psyga. It should be noted that Kazuki Nakashima was the head for both Kill la Kill and Kamen Rider Fourze, and that both shows take place in a high school setting.
Ki ni Naru Mori-San
Kuuga and Agito on social media.
In this manga during one of its chapters, Mishikima and Mori talk about a new text messaging app called Raitter that is popular at their school. During their conversation, an image of the app in use is shown with two people chatting. A user named Agito thanks a user named Kuuga for inviting him to the chat and Kuuga responds with a thumbs up emoji. It is shown that Agito has the actual Kamen Rider Agito's emblem as his avatar.
King of Braves GaoGaiGar
A Rider Machine-like motorcycle on display in the dealership.
In Episode 9, the Motorcycle Zonder enters a motorcycle dealership and begins absorbing more motorcycles to reconfigure into its giant form to attack the city. One of the motorcycles it absorbs resembles a Rider Machine.
Guy with a Rider-like belt on his coat.
In certain episodes, Guy Shishioh, the series protagonist, wears a trenchcoat with a silver and red belt as his civilian clothes. This is actually a reference to one of the outfits Takeshi Hongo wore in the original Kamen Rider TV series. Much like some of the Showa Era Kamen Riders, Guy is a human who was converted into a cyborg to be revived from near death to stop the forces of evil.
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
Yunyun mimicking Kamen Rider #1's pose
Episode 2 of the second season introduced the character, Yunyun, who while introducing herself to the main cast, mimicked Kamen Rider #1's pose.
The movie, "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Legend of Crimson", introduced more Crimson Demons that are a part of Megumin and Yunyun's clan. One Crimson Demon, Bukkororii introduced himself while also mimicking Kamen Rider #2's pose.
Lucky Star
Two of the live action endings portray Minoru Shiraishi with a Den-O belt while mimicking Kamen Rider #1's pose while giving out a transformation phrase.
Konata's father when utilizing static electricity calls out "Stronger".
A CGI Cyclode buckle appears on Sojiro's waist in his delusion.
Konata gives her father advice on buying items to help with his allergies. Before putting them on, he did the transformation pose of Kamen Rider Super-1. This sequence included an imaginary scene featuring the Cyclode belt opening up and a modified version of the instrumental variant of the show's opening theme plays in the background.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
Garyu
The summon Garyu is given a scarf and fighting style similar to early Kamen Riders including a Rider Kick.
Masked Boxer is a one-shot manga created by Kamen Rider fan and artist Kazuhiko Shimamoto. The book is a sports manga that parodies Kamen Rider with the main protagonist wearing a bug-eyed mask and riding to his matches on a Cyclone-like motorcycle. The protagonist also fights opponents who resemble evil kaijin.
In episode 7 of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, a figure is shown that resembles Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form, but with wings and eyes similar to Den-O's Wing Form and a chest, belt, and head that resemble SKyrider..
In episode 26, Mazinger Z and the God Scrander are about to activate the Big Bang Punch configuration for the first time. Koji's grandpa Juuzo Kabuto, who is part of the God Scrander's A.I., exclaims: "Henshin! God Scrander!" while doing a Rider-like pose.
Medaka Box
In Chapter 40, the cyborg antagonist Koga Itami introduces herself by performing Takeshi Hongo's transformation pose and reciting an altered version of the opening narration from Kamen Rider. Akune Kouki responds by performing performing Shinji Kido's transformation pose and says that he prefers Heisei-era series, with Kamen Rider Ryuki as his favorite. These references are retained in the animated adaptation (Episode 8 of the first series).
Medabots
Space Medafighter X
Once the mysterious thief The Phantom Renegade is hounded by the police in the second half of the 1st season, he needed to adopt a new persona to enter the World Robattle Tournament. He donned a gold mask and a red scarf and became the heroic Space Medafighter X. His poses and mannerisms seem to be a parody of the original Kamen Rider.
Karen as Space Medafighter X
In a later episode during the World Robattle Tournament Arc, Karen puts on the Space Medafighter X costume and does a Kamen Rider-esque pose, much to the embarrassment and shock of her friends.
My Hero Academia
One of the background characters in the following episode is a Kamen Rider-esque superhero trainee.
Hotta Brothers
In Chapter 32 of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, a pair of black market dealers called the Hotta Brothers, with their individual names being Ichiro and Jiro, use the Trigger drug to assume humanoid grasshopper-like forms and perform the "Double Hotta Kick" technique, referencing the original Double Riders.
In Chapter 110 of the manga, principal Akane Koumoto encourages the main character Asahi Kuromine to become a superhero, with silhouetted images of Asahi dressed as Kamen Rider #1, Akaranger, and Ultraman in the background behind her.
Kamen Rider 1 statue
Kamen Rider Wizard Mask
In Episode 11 of the anime adaptation, a statue of Rider #1 on his Cyclone motorcycle and a Kamen Rider Wizard mask are among the prizes offered at a festival's game stands.
In a chapter of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, there was a man who wore a mask that was very similar to Kamen Rider Double's and called himself "Nurae Rider".
One of the recurring hero characters is called Mumen Rider, whose costume is an homage to Kamen Riders 1 & 2. Unlike the Kamen Riders, however, he rides an ordinary bicycle
Genos, the series' secondary protagonist, has a backstory that strongly resembles that of the Showa-era Riders. After losing his home and family during an attack by an evil cyborg, he was saved by a kind scientist and turned into a cyborg so he could become a hero and protect the innocent.
In the animated segments of this comedy/Gainax documentary there are a few references to Kamen Rider. When the main cast go to a convention, two men cosplaying as Kamen Rider 1 and a Shocker Combatmen are seen in a still shot. When they decide to take a picture of the cosplayers, a man dressed as Apollo Geist is seen in the background.
Overlord
In one episode, some of Momonga's servants are dressed up in a manner similar to Shocker Combatmen.
An episode of Pokémon Best Wishes featured an episode where characters played the role of a super hero and super villain in a manner very similar to Kamen Rider.
A later episode of Pokemon X&Y involves Pikachu in a movie where he fights against a Libre Pikachu and an army of Pikachu combatmen similar to the classic Shocker Combatmen. The usage of the Libre Pikachu with the "Shocker Pikachu" may refer to the Mexican monster Sabotegron, who was the first monster to use the classic Combatmen as his grunts.
In Episode 25 of Pokemon Sun and Moon, Team Rocket learn about the Z-Crystal and Z-Ring and about how trainers must do a pose to activate it. During the episode, Jessie's Wobbuffet and Meowth do Kamen Rider 1's transformation pose, with Meowth doing it to try to activate the Dark type Z-Crystal.
Wobbuffet does Kamen Rider 1's Pose
Meowth tries to activate the Dark type Z-Crystal with a Kamen Rider 1 pose.
The Powerpuff Girls have belts that are used to access their powers similar to those of Kamen Riders. Specifically, it is more similar to Kamen Rider Wizard's way to transform.
The Pretty Cure Series, a Magical Girl action anime, shares the same Sunday morning kids block with Super Hero Time and is owned by Toei. Thus, the series occasionally makes references to Kamen Rider in-show as well as its fanbase in certain instances. The series also has writers and actors from tokusatsu series serving as writers and voice actors for the Pretty Cure series, explaining some of the in-jokes.
In Yes! Pretty Cure 5, when Nozomi Yumehara wants to convince her best friend, Rin Natsuki, that she is a heroine Rin makes the henshin pose as an example of how she transforms in a joke.
Super CURE! MOON SURFACE KIIIICK!
In Fresh Pretty Cure!, during a battle with a monster, Cure Peach does an attack that is near identical to Kamen Rider Super-1's Super Rider Moon Surface Kick attack. While it is the exact technique, she does not call it out by name.
In HeartCatch Pretty Cure!, Tsubomi's grandmother's maiden name was KaorukoGodai. While this is likely just coincidence, some viral fan art shows Tsubomi's grandma with the Arcle belt.
In Smile Pretty Cure!, Kise Yayoi/Cure Peace is a fan of tokusastu shows and superheroes. She dreams of becoming a manga artist like Shotaro Ishinomori so she can create her own superheroes. In episode 5, while trying to come up with a roll call phrase, she references Kamen Rider Decade by saying, "We're just passing through superheroes!".
Episode 9 opens on an image of a moon themed alarm clock in Yayoi's room with a Kamen Rider-like figure on it, which goes off to wake her up.
Her fangirl status has made her a viral art meme/unofficial mascot of Tokusatsu. As many artists on sites such as Pixiv draw her and her teammates with different Kamen Rider and Super Sentai gear/costumes or meeting certain superheroes.[2]
Mana doing Kamen Rider 1's pose
DokiDoki! Pretty Cure contains a couple references to Kamen Rider with the first episode featuring Mana Aida actually using Kamen Rider #1's pose and saying "Henshin!" before she becomes Cure Heart.
Cure Sword's civilian identity Makoto Kenzaki has the same surname (and kanji) as Kamen Rider Blade's identity Kazuma Kenzaki who also represents the spade and sword motif.
The Pretty Cures' transformation spells out L-O-V-E in a manner similar to Kamen Rider Beast's transformation spelling out L-I-O-N, with Cure Heart being heavily featured in fan art in the same manner as Beast.
Cure Heart later obtains a new finishing move that uses a similar technique to Kamen Rider Chalice.
When the fairies learn to take human form, the transformation is performed by doing the Rider #1 pose while actually saying "Henshin," jumping with a "Toh!" and then flipping, exactly as per the first Kamen Rider series.
In episode 14 of HappinessCharge Pretty Cure!, the Cures chaperone a children's clam festival and one of the kids named Takuma is pretending to be a superhero called "Kamen Takuma", a parody of Kamen Rider, with his mask borrowing the style of Kamen Rider 1 with Stronger's color scheme, and a belt that looks like a fusion of the Typhoon and Black's King Stone. Megumi plays with Takuma, who even shouts, "Toh!", like the Showa Era Riders and while Takuma searches for clams, he says, "Lock ON!".
In episode 18 of Huggto! Precure, Emiru Aisaki shows her joy of being a superhero by doing poses of popular fictional heroes such as Sailor Moon, Kamen Rider 1 and Ultraman Orb.
Saint Young Men is a slice of life comedy manga and anime where Jesus and Buddha are on Earth in Japan and living among mortals. Jesus is a fan of Kamen Rider and during one episode, he purchases a capsule from a gashapon machine and gets rare Kamen Rider Black mini figurines. This makes Buddha jealous when he finds out. Jesus then posts an image of his figures on social media. Another character is seen with a Kamen Rider Fourze mask.
Samurai Flamenco features several references and parodies to tokusatsu, with Kamen Rider being the most prominent, such as the Typhoon Belt being shown in the protagonist Masayoshi Hazama's closet and his costume being slightly redesigned to resemble the costume worn by Kamen Riders 1 and 2. One of the episodes also features a scene where Masayoshi imagines himself in an homage to the ending of Kamen Rider Black.
Sayonara, Zetsubo-Sensei
The prologue to Zoku Sayonara, Zetsubo-Sensei quickly turns into a parody of Kamen Rider after its introduction about cult stories.
The comedy anime Sgt. Frog (ケロロ軍曹,Keroro Gunsō) features several episodes that make reference to some of the more notable Kamen Rider Series including: Kamen Rider Kabuto, Den-O, and W.
The spin-off magazine Keroro Land also features a character based on the early Kamen Riders named Foruru.
Part A of episode 169 of Sgt. Frog was titled "Urere: King of the Trains" and featured the Keroro Platoon piloting various frog-themed bullet trains similar to the control of the DenLiner. The episode featured phrases such as "Here I come!" (僕、参上！,Boku, sanjō!), "I am from the start, at the climax" (僕は最初からクライマックスだよ,Boku wa saisho kara kuraimakkusu dayo), and "My finishing attack…" ((僕の必殺技…,Boku no hissatsu waza…) spoken by Urere (Urere replaced Momotaros's boastful "Ore" (俺,"Ore") with the more humble "Boku" (僕,"Boku")). Urere is also voiced by Toshihiko Seki, who also provides the voice of Momotaros in Den-O. The phrase "It's good! It's great! It's awesome!" (いーじゃん！いーじゃん！スゲーじゃん？！,Ī jan! Ī jan! Sugē jan?!) is spoken by Giroro, as these are the lyrics of "Climax Jump", the opening theme song of Den-O. Keroro also re-enacts the opening sequence of Den-O on his "KeroLiner" (ケロライナー,Kerorainā).
The form similar to Double is: *KeroTama=CycloneJoker *KeroGiro=CycloneAccel (?) *KeroDoro=CycloneTrigger *KuruDoro=LunaTrigger
Episode 295-A of Sgt. Frog titled "Keroro, The Two of Us are One Kerororm" features the members of the Keroro Platoon finding an artifact that allows two of them to combine into a single Keroro, each with new powers. The episode title is based on Kamen Rider W's catchphrase and the resultant transformation resembles that of Kamen Rider Double (the characters appear to be split down the middle, with one side being, for example, Keroro and the other Tamama).
Episode 327-B of Sgt. Frog titled "Keroro, Invasion in a Blink!" features the members of the Keroro Platoon trying to invade Earth in Clock-Up mode.
In one episode, The Ronier aliens, enemies of the Keroros, communicate with their boss in a way identical to the Great Leader of Shocker.
Taiko Fourze
In the Manga, the kids watch a 3D superhero film on a 3D HDTV, said superhero resembling Kamen Rider Fourze with a Taiko drum themed motif and utilizes drumsticks as weapons like Hibiki.
OOO-like hero on TV wielding the powers of Mt. Fujiyama, a hawk and an eggplant.
In another manga story, a hero resembling Kamen Rider OOO appears on TV.
Shinryaku! Ika Musume
A popular television series called Nohmen Rider appears regularly in series.
A chapter in The Arrival of the Yellow Dragon features one of the protagonists' Kimidori doing a pose and wearing a belt and scarf similar to Kamen Rider #1.
3 Kilograms is an internet exclusive doujinshi site inspired by various genres, including henshin heroes. The authors of the manga admitted on their official Twitter page that one of the mangas they made had the design of the main hero based off of Kamen Rider.[3]
In the anime series Transformers: Energon (originally produced in Japan as Transformers: Super Link), one of the main human protagonists, Kicker Jones, utilizes a battlesuit which contains elements similar to the Showa Kamen Riders. The belt also bears a slight resemblance to the Typhoon used by the Double Riders.
In episode 147, Ryuunosuke Fujinami is given a box containing an old outfit that once belonged to her mother. Though she initially believes it will be a dress of some kind, the outfit turns out to be a Kamen Rider costume, as Ryuunosuke's mother used to play a costumed superhero in amusement park stage shows.
Welcome to the N.H.K
In one scene of the anime, a character covers his face with a manga featuring a Kamen Rider Kuuga-like character on the cover of the book.
Posters of V3 and Kamen Riders 1 and 2 in Kenta's room
Kenta Hirono is a Japanese school kid otaku turned superhero. Among the various collectibles in Kenta's room, there are posters of Kamen Rider V3 and the Double Riders on the wall above his bed.
Yo-Kai Watch
There is a Yo-Kai called Hovernyan whose belt is a reference to Kamen Rider.
During the events of the second movie, when Hovernyan changes into Darknyan, he yells out 'Henshin', jumps up and yells 'TOH!' similar to Takeshi Hongo when he transforms into Kamen Rider Ichigou. [4]
In Yokai Watch: Shadowside, a character named Masked Biker appeared in an episode. He was a parody of Kamen Rider, specifically Black RX based on his belt design resembling the Sunriser.
Zettai Karen Children
During the 29th episode of the anime, one of the supporting characters is shackled to a table and is seen wearing a red belt with a Typhoon buckle. This is a parody reference to the first episode of Kamen Rider, as Takeshi Hongo was strapped to a table during his cyborg conversion.
Hero-san and Former General-san
The main protagonist's name is "Hayate Honjou", which resembles "Hongo" from Takeshi Hongo and "Hayato" from Hayato Ichimonji.
Orb Owl
She also has hero name and emblem that resembles Kamen Rider Build, which her hero name being "Rapid Rabbit".
Another hero named "Orb Owl" bears a resemblance to Kamen Rider Mage
Cartoons
Dragon Lancer
A villain named Lucie is inspired by Kamen Rider Fourze Magnet States. Her catchphrase is also "Magnet On!", part of the transformation announcement of Magnet States.
In the Fairly Odd Parents TV Movie "Channel Chasers," Timmy watches a program called "Maho Mushi." The character he imitates on screen bears a resemblance to Kamen Rider V3.
Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi!
There is a boy nicknamed Atchan who wears a superhero suit similar to his favorite hero, Mangbee Man, who resembles Kamen Rider V3.
In the Episode “The Spinoffs”, Rob hijacks the show and pitches several shows without Gumball as the main focus. One such series is Techno Power Teenage Warriors, a spoof of Power Rangers. One of the mecha the main heroes summon is a giant motorcycle that resembles Battle Hopper from Kamen Rider Black. The show also pokes fun at these kinds of shows heavy reliance on merchandise sales.
According to artist Chris Burnham, Jiro Osamu, the Batman of Tokyo, had his second costume visually inspired by both Kamen Rider 1 and Battle Kenya from Battle Fever J.
In Batman Incorporated Special #1, the comics further referenced the Kamen Rider series by Jiro calling out his attacks. When Doctor Inside-Out tried to use knockout gas on him, he activated a gas mask which gave him a further resemblance to a Kamen Rider. Earlier, Jiro also battled a gang of female bikers who wore colored outfits
Dial H for Hero
In Issue #7 of the Wonder Comics iteration of the series, the villainous Mr. Thunderbolt hijacks the H Dial and connects it to Metropolis, causing its citizens to transform into random super powered beings. Among the assortment of characters seen in the issue is a brief appearance of a hero who resembles a mash-up of the manga version of Kamen Rider 1 and the Skull Man.
Super Sons of Tomorrow: Part One
In SUPERMAN #37, the bat emblem on Batman's battle suit resembles Night Rogue's.
Dynamite
"Green Hornet 2.0"
Closeup of the "Green Hornet"'s mask
Starting in Issue #32 of the Green Hornet comic, a new character impersonated the titular hero using a high-tech battle suit. Said battle suit resembles a Kamen Rider with design elements of Kamen Rider Black RX and Kamen Rider ZO's Break Douser on the mask.
Marvel
In Secret Wars: Inferno Issue #3, Darkchild, an evil alter ego of the X-men mutant hero Magik, attacks Captain Britain with a spell that uses Kamen Rider Wizard's Magical Portal.
Arana
In the comics, Anya Corazon aka Arana has the ability to summon an exoskeleton form to boost her combat capabilities. Some artists draw this exoskeleton in a very Rider-like fashion, with the face bearing a resemblance to Kamen Rider Amazon.
During the planning stages of the Marvel Mangaverse version of Spider-Man, a concept idea drawn up was to make Spider-Man a Kamen Rider-like hero and his rouges gallery of villains into tokusatsu style villains. Spider-Man's concept design seems heavily influenced by Kamen Riders Kuuga and Black.
Muties
In Issue #2, an autistic boy named Seiji Honda develops mutant powers to control toys and bring them to life through his willpower. One of his favorite toys to play with is a Kamen Rider-like motorcycle hero who loosely resembles Kuuga with glyphs on his belt and parts of DragonRanger's shield on his shoulders. Upon being paralyzed by his abusive stepdad knocking them both off the balcony of their apartment, Seiji still uses his conscious mind to move his toy around his hospital room.
Ninja High School
Ramen Rider on the cover of a Ninja High School issue.
Sammi Kondo assumes the alter ego of Ramen Rider, which disguises her gender partly because of a bet made with her father. Appearance wise, she resembles Kamen Rider Black with Kamen Rider 1's chest armor.
Transformers
In the IDW run of Transformers comics, two different Kamen Rider-like Decepticon robots appear as background characters in two separate stories. One issue called "The Reluctant Specialist" featured a Decepticon who was basically a Cybertronian version of Kamen Rider V3. The second was in the issue "The Fecund Moon", an unnamed Titan Hunter who bore a resemblance to Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form.
In an Issue called "Cybertron's Most Wanted", one of the fleeing fugitives in the panel resembles Kamen Rider Amazon and a Decepticon prisoner also resembles Kamen Rider Stronger.
All these characters were drawn by artist Matt Frank, an avid fan of the Tokusatsu genre and a writer and artist of IDW's Godzilla comics.
Indie
The Adventures of Mighty Mite
Mighty Mite (Art sample courtesy of Bobbytriesatlife)
In this webcomic a pair of rival tokusatsu hero characters called Henshin Rider (based on Kamen Rider and Kikaider) and Hanshin Flyer make sporadic appearances in this webcomic.
Red Belt is an indie Comixology Submit publication and webcomic created by James Findlay of TH3GADFLY Comics. The comic is a loving tribute to tokusatsu, with a heavy influence from Kamen Rider.
During the opening panel of the book's first issue, several Kamen Rider references are made: The female Narrator is DJ Kiwami (a mash-up of the Kiwami Lockseed and DJ Sagara) and Futo-kun and Gamel are seen on neon billboard ads, with Gamel advertising "Yummy Cola". The cover of Issue #1 pays tribute to the original 1971 manga by Shotaro Ishinomori.
The main character, Alex Reyes, is a full tribute to Kamen Rider Decade; using a touchscreen belt that resembles the K-Touch phones used by the Decade riders including a symbol that resembles Den-O's, and performs a finishing move with holographic symbols that resemble Decade's Final Attack Ride and Wizard's magic circles. The hero even uses Decade's catchphrase of "Just (someone) passing through".
Her rival, Green Hawk, meanwhile is based on Kamen Rider Diend having a gun transformation device, is a thief, and makes use of a cloak.
In Issue #4, more of the city's neon billboards are shown, with neon signs for Mr. Belt, Mighty, and an Orange Lockseed.
In Issue #7, a tokusatsu show Alex guest stars in features Toast Mask, a visual parody of Kamen Rider Gaim and Baron featuring a belt resembling the Sengoku Driver with a mix of knight and samuari-esque armor as well as an orange slice-based shield.
The Guardian Force Design Manual
The Guardian Force Design Manual is an upcoming comic book written and drawn by Ulises Fariñas. The book involves a meta-fictional look at the world tokusatsu superheroes and their costumes. Among those featured in the design history page are expys of Kamen Rider 1 and a hybrid design of Kamen Rider X, Kuuga and Double.
Unlikely Heroes Studios' Super! Issue #2
This failed Kickstarter crowdfunding project was an indie comic book comedy-action series where being a superhero is not only a very common thing but can be a form of occupation for many. Some of the superheroes featured in the comic are parodies of famous superheroes or original creations. One of the superheroes on the cover art of the proposed comic is an expy of Kamen Rider 1.
Live-action TV
Aoi Honoo
Takahashi's cosplay as Takeshi Hongo
In Episode 1, Takahashi, a classmate of Moruyu Honoo, shows him a photo of his cosplay of Takeshi Hongo on his motorcycle. Honno asks what is wrong with him and tells his classmate that "The days of Kamen Rider being thrilling at all are long over, this is the age of anime." However, he quickly changes his opinion when Takahashi mentions that the original Kamen Rider mask was blue and not green like the opening theme described, admiring his classmate's knowledge.
Honoo's comment is referencing that fact that historically by 1980, some Japanese fans felt that the plots of the franchise were getting dull and repetitive despite both Skyrider and Kamen Rider Super-1 keeping the franchise going, resulting in a 5 year hiatus from TV. Meanwhile, anime was slowly reaching a golden period of high quality shows and films such as the works of Yoshiyuki Tomino like Mobile Suit Gundam or the rise of Hayao Miyazaki's career to super-stardom.
In Episode 2, Honoo is talking Kentarō Yano whilst sitting on a motorcycle. When Yano asks if the motorcycle is his, Honoo says it isn't his but he feels it makes him look cool sitting on it as the bike reminds him of Kamen Rider 1's Cyclone
There are multiple references to Shotaro Ishinomori throughout the series, as in 1980 where the show takes place, he was still at the peak of his career and well respected in the manga artist community.
Pocari Rider
In Episode 3, the Osaka Arts University professor asks his class to make TV commercials to promote a product of their choice as an assignment. One of the student film commercials shown was for the Pocari Sweat sports drink with a Kamen Rider-like hero that transforms using a soda can-themed belt.
In Episode 4, Honoo visits Tokyo and reenacts famous running scenes from Japanese anime, TV and film. Among the ones he performed, he did the "Hiroshi Fujioka Stair Ascent". To help his friend work on his manga project, he suggests they do what Shotaro Ishinomori did while writing manuscripts for his Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider mangas and work on it in a cafe.
In Episode 7, Anno and his classmates meet with a friend of his about his proposal to animate an opening intro for Daicon III. (A fateful event that would eventually result in the birth of the anime studio Gainax) When Anno's friend says they must meet with a wealthy kid named Toshio Okada to get financial backing or face his wrath, Anoo responds in agreement by saying :"Let's go.. before Shocker attacks us, we will strike at their base!"
The Shocker emblem in Aoi Honoo
There is a scene in Episode 8 where a young fictionalized Hideaki Anno believes that he is inside a Shocker base and that he and his friends are going to be captured and converted into cyborgs. During this delusion, the Shocker emblem can clearly be seen. Earlier, during his entrance into Okada's house, Anno references that the creepiness of the house reminds him of Episode 13 of Kamen Rider.
In Episode 9, Honoo tries to come up with a 3 minute anime for a class project. While thinking of the concept, he realizes he needs a villain to add texture to the story. While pondering what he should make, he notes that Kamen Rider's Shocker was founded by the remnants of the Nazis.
In the credits of the final episode of the series, behind the scenes footage is shown of the real manga and anime artists interacting with the cast. Kazuhiko Shimamoto, who played the Honda salesmen who gives Honoo (a character based on himself) advice on his future, does part of Kamen Rider 2's henshin pose off set.
A Kamen Rider parody character Kamen Norider was appeared in the 1988-1990 Fuji Television comedy drama Ton'neruzu no Minasan no Okagedesu.
Later in 2019, Kamen Norider makes an appearance in Kamen Rider Zi-O: Over Quartzer.
In season 2, various supporting police characters portrayed by veteran Kamen Rider actors appear throughout the show. In the final episode, when the police characters face the final "big bad", these actors performed their famous pose of their Kamen Rider role. The names of these characters also sound similar to their characters' names in Kamen Rider, with the main character Yabe Kenzo mistakenly calling them by their Rider name.
Kamen Rider Agito - Toshiki Kashu (portrays Ajito Youichi)
Kamen Rider Ryuki - Takamasa Suga (portrays Yuuki Makoto)
Kamen Rider Zanki - Kenji Matsuda (portrays Zaigi Kuranosuke)
Kamen Rider Garren - Kousei Amano (portrays Kiya Ren)
Kamen Rider Chalice - Ryōji Morimoto (portrays Kakisu Hajime)
Reboot Kamen Rider 1 - Masaya Kikawada (portrays Hoppa Ichirou)
In an interesting twist, Katsuhisa Namase, who portrays the titular character of the show, would later go on to star as Junichiro Tokiwa in Kamen Rider Zi-O, an official Kamen Rider season commemorating the Heisei Riders.
In Episode 36, a character called Higan Rider shows and attacks delinquent boys. This character is revealed to be a girl. Later in the same episode, a second rider with the same name and costume appears.
According to director Hideaki Anno, before the shooting of ShinGoji started he was watching Kamen Rider 555 at home. Therefore, he added some 555 references to the film.
The coagulant that Japanese government used to cool Godzilla's internal temperature are from a company named Smart Brain Peculiar Chemicals Pharmaceutical Company.
There has also been a few shout-outs to the Kamen Rider Series in its sister tokusatsu franchise, depsite the fact that the two series have only officially crossed-over on several occasions.
Lije breaks the fourth wall and tells Visionary Messenger Voffa they cannot summon a Giganoid, as the movie is over and Kamen Rider 555 was coming up. This movie was originally double billed with Faiz's summer movie.
In Ep. 6: The Most Important Thing, Komaki Kasugai is seen using a credit card with the letters "CJX". This is an acronym for CycloneJokerXtreme, the final form of Kamen Rider Double. In addition to that, the lower right corner of the card features "CJX" on a green, white, black bar, the colors of CycloneJokerXtreme. The left side of the card shows a Dopant Memory Port as well.
In Akibaranger Season Tsuu, the toy shop owner is portrayed by Yu Kamio, who previously portrayed Kiyoto Maki in Kamen Rider OOO.
He was seen holding Bae's plush toy on his right arm, the similar way he did for his doll, Kiyo-chan, when he was in OOO, as well as the actual Kiyo-chan on the computer monitor.
Scorpio has a technique called the Venom Kick that is similar to Kamen Rider Kiva'sDarkness Moon Break, as both techniques cause the target to be slammed into a wall, and leave an imprint in the shape of an emblem after the target is destroyed.
The Spy Which I Hate
Ryuhei performs Wizard's transformation pose
A character named Ryuhei Toruma in this show The Spy Which I Hate (私の嫌いな探偵,Watashi no Kiraina Tantei), always made Haruto Soma/Kamen Rider Wizard's pre-transformation pose and said "Henshin!" when he was in trouble. Coincidentally, he was portrayed by Shunya Shiraishi, who also played Haruto.
In Episode 16, R3 and R4 perform the Kajibano Friendship Power Kick on a pair of Axtos grunts. The kick attack resembles the Rider Double Kick Kamen Rider 1 and 2 used in the original series.
In episode 18, R5's debut episode, Captain Ishiguro behaved much like a Showa Era Kamen Rider in some of his mannerisms. This included shouting "Toh!" when he jumped and shouting his attacks (Ex. "Rescue Punch!")
This in-joke is carried over to the next episode when one of the villain commanders named San says that R5 "Reminds him of the heroes of a previous generation". Another ironic twist is the fact that Ishiguro's actor would later play a Kamen Ridertwo years later.
Voicelugger is a Japanese tokusatsu that aired from January 12 to March 30, 1999. It was the last production by Shotaro Ishinomori, released posthumously, who intended for the series to be serious, while it was originally written to be a parody of older tokusatsu programs. Protagonist Akiko Homura/Voicelugger Ruby is a fan of tokusatsu series of the 1970s, particularly Kamen Rider.
A 2018 marketing campaign for KFC's Hot and Spicy Chicken in Hong Kong features figures clearly based on Kamen Riders.
Listen to Mother's Words
In the music video of Jay Chou's Listen to Mother's Words, a little boy is wearing a mask of Kamen Rider Blade King Form and doing Kamen Rider 1's transformation pose, a figurine of Kamen Rider Ryuki can be seen on the desk.
One of the items available in this game is the Survive Card, described as "A mysterious card inherited from a masked motorcycle-riding sentai hero", which lets a Maid change into a more powerful "Survive Form".
There is also an item, that lets the maid input numbers 777 to get a battle suit from a satellite. Clearly a reference to Faiz's Blaster Form.
Products Made in China
Since 2010, ERKE started to produce shoes decorated with Kamen Rider Kuuga's symbol.
iGame, a brand registered by Colorful Video Card is very similar to Kamen Rider Agito's symbol.
Professional Wrestlers in Japan
Hiroshi Tanahashi: Hiroshi Tanahashi is a well-known Japanese wrestler and a fanatical fan of Kamen Rider Series. His uniforms are usually based on a Kamen Rider.
Kamen Shooter Super Rider: Yūichi Watabe, another Japanese wrestler, claiming he is the "Kamen Rider of Wrestling" and using a Kamen Rider-like mask since his debut in 1993. His theme song is Kamen Rider Black RX.
Stock footage of Mantis Man appears in the Aquabats pilot.
Tokusatsu shows such as Kamen Rider and Ultraman have been cited as influences of The Aquabats. Their promotional video The Aquabats in Color! in particular features several homages to Kamen Rider as well as stock footage from Ultraman and Kamen Rider, such as a brief appearance of ShockerkaijinMantis Man.
Each Aquabat receives their own shot mirroring the title shot of Kamen Rider
The Aquabat's belt flashes, reminiscent of Kamen Rider's henshin
With Rider-esqe costumes, the Aquabats fight combatmen
A 'masked marauder' appears, wearing a lucha libre wrestling mask like those of the ShockerGrunts
UFO Kamen
Nissin Food had produced a hero-style commercial UFO Kamen Yakiso Boy to promote their instant noodles in 2017. In the commercial, Yakiso Boy (portrayed by Taishi Nakagawa) had a partner portrayed by Hiroshi Fujioka named Legend Kuroobi and able to transform into a motorcycle. Coincidentally, Taishi Nakagawa's character in civilian outfit bears a striking resemblance to Kouta Kazuraba.
Video Games
Amagami
Sae Nakata is a fan of the TV show Inago Mask.
Ai Nanasaki wears a belt that places a blue grasshopper on in references to the Hopper Riders from Kamen Rider Kabuto. The TV version also includes a voice similar to the Zecter as well as a Smart Brain-like logo.
KK Slider's song "Go K.K. Rider!" is a reference to the Kamen Rider franchise, along with the picture of KK Slider on a bike similar to Kamen Rider #1's Rider Machine.
The achievement for activating your ability for the first time is called 'Henshin!' and the logo for the achievement depicts a belt. The belt itself designwise has the Typhoon's red strap with the Arcle's buckle.
The Kicker Skeleton, first introduced in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, is an enemy designed as an overall homage to the Kamen Rider franchise. An animate skeleton with a red scarf, it attacks by performing a diving kick, and when defeated its Ability Soul allows Soma Cruz to likewise perform a mid-air jump kick. The skeleton can also drop one of two items when defeated: its Red Scarf, or more rarely the Ancient Belt, which is modeled off of the Double Riders' Typhoon belt.
Drei 6, one of the enemies in this game, has an ability to change form at will. Like Kamen Rider Skull, his main battle form is a black and white skeleton wearing hat and scarf, and used a gun as his weapon.
Chroma Squad
Night Driver
A game about players producing their own tokusatsu show, the game comes with extra heroes outside of the Sentai genre such as "Night Driver", a Kamen Rider parody. Players can unlock the character by defeating Tammy before defeating Lord Gaga in the Season 4 finale, thus setting the story of the game to the Rider Campaign, in which the Assault character becomes the Night Driver. The Night Driver is a man named Kanji Ahbo, an obvious reference to Kenji Ohba, and he tells the Ranger at the start of the Rider campaign that his daughters had to fight for Gargan with one becoming their queen. This is a parody reference to the plot of Kamen Rider Black.
One of the available commands when playing the character is the "Driver Kick" and one of the materials is a motorcycle called the Driver Cyclone.
Dead or Alive 6 introduces a new character to the series, NiCO, who bears many similarities to Sento Kiryu. Like Sento, NiCO is a young genius with a somewhat arrogant and antisocial personality who creates her own weaponry. Furthering the connection, her pre-battle quote is "Now then, shall we begin the experiment?" and she can often be seen performing the Right-Hand Rule hand gesture, both of which are Kamen Rider Build's trademarks.
Disgaea
Disgaea 2 features a character called Adell who uses a couple of techniques reminiscent of various Rider Kicks, his necktie also resembles the traditional scarf.
Disgaea 4 features has Vulcan perform a technique similar to the Tatoba Kick where medals drop after the target is hit.
Etna does Kamen Rider 1's pose.
Disgaea: Dimension 2 features an attack called the Space Galaxy Kick that plays out similar to Kamen Rider Fourze's Rider Kick. After the Episode 4 chapter ends, a "preview" for the next chapter is shown. It features a parody of the original Kamen Rider show with Etna wearing antennae and a belt and talking about saving Laharl from a mysterious organization.
Fate/Grand Order
The Rider class version of Sataka Kintoki (coincidentally, voiced by a Kamen Rider alumni) is a very obvious reference to the franchise, using a Rider Kick for his Buster card attack, riding a Motorcycle, and his description mentions that he is equipped with a Rider Belt.
Girl Friend Beta
In this dating simulation game, one of the female students, Nozomi Miyauchi is a Movie Club member and evidently a tokusatsu fan. One of the cards feature her in a Typhoon-like belt with a red scarf, mirroring Kamen Rider 1.
There is also another card which feature her demonstrating the use of a Den-O Belt-like toy to a child.
Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia has a quote in which she says "From the start, I'm always at a climax!" This is a nod to Momotaros, as it is the Imagin's pre-battle catchphrase. The character, Nisa has a scarf, kicking techniques, as well as the iconic poses.
A quote from the character B-Sha in the Japanese version of Victory II is a female version of Yuto Sakurai's pre-battle catchphrase when he transformed into Zeronos.
Another quote in Megadimension Neptunia VII is the trademark catchphrase of Shigeru Jo.
Leona Heidern's Rebel Spark super move is based on Black RX's Revolcrash. Additionally, her jumping Heavy Attack is Black's Rider Kick, complete with a red energy aura around her feet.
May Lee from King of Fighters, specifically her Hero Mode pays homage to the early Kamen Riders.
In Megaman 11, an enemy known as Shimobey is in the game. They are robots who attack Mega Man with a kicking technique. They bear a resemblance to the Shocker Combatmen from the original Kamen Rider show. Further alluding to this is the fact thier bio states before they were re-programmed by Dr. Wily, they were actor bots used in "hero show programs".
Monster Hunter
Two characters do 1 and 2's poses.
In Monster Hunter: Iceborne, characters in the game do the poses of 1 and 2.
The Monster Hunter series also did an event collaboration with Kamen Rider in early 2019 for the app game Monster Hunter: Explore, where players could get special armor equipment based on Build, Geiz, Ex-Aid, Den-O.
Overwatch
Genji's Sentai skin
Genji, a character in the game, is a cyborg ninja. For a special event, the developers created a second DLC skin costume for Genji called the Sentai skin. Genji's helmet is loosely based on a Showa Kamen Rider's helmet and he has ninja abilities akin to Kamen Rider ZX. On the left of the chest has the kanji "変身" (Henshin). Some of his phrases are references to the series:
"Atcha!" - Kamen Rider Meteor's Kiai
"HENSHIN!" - Basic transformation call of the Kamen Riders
"Genji is Here!" - a play on the catchphrase of Momotaros, "Ore, Sanjou!"
"TOH!" - The Kiai cry of the Showa Riders when they jump.
Persona 5
Morgana HENSHIN!
When Morgana first transforms into a van, he strikes Takeshi Hongo's iconic Rider Henshin pose.
Pokémon
In the games Pokémon Sun and Moon, the Pokémon known as Marshadow has a Z-Move named the "Soul Stealing 7-Star Strike". Part of the move involves the Pokémon performing a kick attack through an energy projection of a symbol, before re-emerging from the back of the target to finish the attack. This is similar to the Exceed Charge finishing attacks of the Riders from Kamen Rider 555, most of which involve attacking through an energy projection before re-emerging from the back of the target to finish the blow. Footage of the Z-Move can be viewed here.
Also, in the same set of games, the pose for Electric-type Z-Moves greatly resembles Kamen Rider OOO's transformation pose. Incidentally, actor Shu Watanabe, who portrays Eiji Hino, was involved in a series of specials promoting the games, there being a scene where he performs the pose himself. The specials can be seen on Pokemon's official Japanese YouTube channel (link to one of the specials here).
River City Girls
Some of Sabuko's henchmen in the game are young men with dark sunglasses that have antennae-like tufts of hair on their heads. When they are about to attack the player with a ki fireball projectile, they glow and do a Kamen Rider 1-like pose.
BEST MATCH!
One of the hidden shops in the game has a Bunny Button and a Tank Button, with both having different stat boost attributes of speed and power, a reference to Kamen Rider Build's RabbitTank form.
The character Azwel has an alternate palette swap of his costume being white while retaining the red and blue aura of his gauntlets resemble that of Kamen Rider Build's Genius Form.
Additionally, a piece of promotional artwork made for Street Fighter EX2 depicts Ryu strapped to a circular operating table while Skullomania (and several other Street Fighter characters wearing skull-patterned body stockings) prepare to perform surgery on him, homaging the iconic scene of Takeshi Hongo being turned into Kamen Rider by Shocker.
The third generation Dynamic General Guardian robots RaiOh and DaiRaiOh are obvious homages to early Kamen Riders possessing scarves as well kicking based fighting styles.
In the same game, when Arado Balanga uses the Wild Wurger's Victim Beak, he will sometime calls "Wurger Cast Off!", and when Arado uses Gespenst Kick, he will chant "1,2,3 Gespenst Kick!" and "Maximum Gest Power!", all of this reference to Kamen Rider Kabuto series.
In PS3 game 2nd Super Robot Wars Original Generation, when Arado Balanga uses the Grungust Kai's Keitou Ragouken Goousatsu (計都羅睺剣・五黄殺), he will chant Evil Star is here! (凶星キター!,Kyōsei Kita!), which is a reference to Fourze's Space is here!.
In this game series, the character Captain Falcon (who comes from the F-ZERO games), has two emblematic special abilities named "Falcon Punch" and "Falcon Kick", which are homages to the Rider Punch and the Rider Kick, respectively.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
An in-universe TV series and stage show in the game is titled 'Masqueraider', a slight French translation of 'Masked Rider', which in turn is Kamen Rider. One of the protagonists is Masqueraider Raiga, an electricity powered hero like Kamen Rider Stronger or Blade. All of the Masqueraiders have a kick attack with Raiga's being a "Raiga Kick".
Characters in Viewtiful Joe have been influenced by both comic book superheroes and tokusatsu characters, including Kamen Rider. Additionally, the transformation sequences reference Kamen Rider's, though some of the characters say "Henshin-A-Go-Go" or some variant of that phrase instead of just "Henshin".
Wonderful 101
The Wonderful 101 is superhero action video game for the Wii U made by Platinum Games. It has many references to tokusatsu superheroes. While most of them allude to Super Sentai, there are references to Kamen Rider in the form of two unlockable characters: Wonder Beetle (bug themed helmet) and Poseman (who in his profile does a pose similar to Kamen Rider 1).
Not only is this game influenced by both superheroes and tokusatsu characters, the enemies "Goon" in this game are the Shocker Combatmen from Kamen Rider. They are the weakest enemies in the game and they are used as a substitute for a boss that has been defeated, using similar equipment from that boss. The titular protagonist Pirohiko, shares a similar last name with Kamen Rider 2, Ichimonji.
This article is about a list of references and popular cultures in the Kamen Rider Series.
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