Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue

This article is about a movie & series entry (the 11th) in the Kamen Rider Series.

WARNING: This film contains scenes of graphic violence, body horror, decapitation, blood, disturbing images and nudity. Viewer discretion is advised!

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue
A movie for Kamen Rider Shin
Release Date	February 20, 1992
Production Information
Writer(s)	Junichi Miyashita Jo Onodera
Director	Makoto Tsuji
Order in Continuity
Previous	Space-Time Hero: Kamen Rider
Next	The Beginning of The End, The End of The Beginning
Next	Kamen Rider ZO
Production Order
Previous	Kamen Rider: Run All Over the World
Next	Kamen Rider ZO

For the 2023 reboot film with a similar name, see Shin Kamen Rider.

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue (真・仮面ライダー 序章（プロローグ）, Shin Kamen Raidā: Purorōgu, Lit. "True Masked Rider Prologue") is a Japanese superhero Tokusatsu V-Cinema film in the Kamen Rider Series, serving as the 11th production in the franchise while also commemorating the franchise's 20th anniversary. In the film, a young man is transformed into a mutant grasshopper while he is targeted by the mysterious Institute of Super Science.

Production

The film adapts more of the bleak outlook of the manga, yet simultaneously strays heavily from the roots of the franchise. As a work made to celebrate a franchise milestone, the film targeted the now-adult fans of the original, taking the bare essence of the Kamen Rider character and his origin, placing it in a violent, realistic and modern setting and conveying the driving sorrow of the character, who finds himself in the center of a conspiracy and turned into a superhuman being against his will.

Plot

Doctors Kazamatsuri and Onizuka are geneticists researching cures on diseases such as AIDS and cancer by performing experiments to strengthen the human body. The test subject is Shin Kazamatsuri , the motorcycle racer son of Doctor Kazamatsuri. Unknown to them, their operation is funded by a syndicate group who plans to use this research to have the bodies of men strengthened for their own gains — they have already been experimenting in the field of cyborg soldiers to a less-than-successful attempt. However, they did not count on Onizuka's own secret ambitions; the mad Onizuka wants to create a new species by fusing a grasshopper's DNA with the test subject's in order to start a new civilization and be their god. He has tested on himself, but seems to be having greater success with Shin.

Meanwhile, a murderous creature is stalking the city while Shin has dreams of this. While he originally believes that he is the one causing the murders, he eventually finds out Onizuka's plan and discovers that it is Onizuka who has been behind the killings. Onizuka has experimented on himself and altered his genes, making him a humanoid grasshopper; the telepathy of grasshoppers allowed him to communicate with Shin, resulting in his witnessing the murders.

The syndicate learns of Onizuka's plans and has him institutionalized. As if the syndicate were not enough, a CIA agent is tracking Shin and wants him eliminated, for he does not know the true threat that he could pose. The repulsed Shin digs deeper to find out all that he can about the experiment that he foolishly volunteered to be a part of, which is now both altering his body and putting him and his loved ones in danger.

Characters

Kamen Riders

Movie

Kamen Rider Shin

Shin Kazamatsuri

Manga-exclusive

Kamen Rider

Akira Himuro

S.I.C. Hero Saga-exclusive

Kamen Rider Shin

Shiin Kazamatsuri

Debatable Riders

Transformed Goujima	Goujima
Transformed Onizuka	Giichi Onizuka

Allies

• Ai Asuka
• Daimon Kazamatsuri
• Takuya Yuuki
• Seira Fukamachi

Villains

• Iwao Himuro

Other media

Manga

1. Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue (Shonen Sunday manga) (真・仮面ライダー 序章, Shin Kamen Raidā Purorōgu)
2. Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue (CoroCoro Comic manga) (真・仮面ライダー 序章, Shin Kamen Raidā Purorōgu)

S.I.C. Hero Saga

1. The Beginning of The End, The End of The Beginning (終わりの始まり、始まりの終わり, Owari no Hajimari, Hajimari no Owari)

Cast

• Shin Kazamatsuri (風祭 真, Kazamatsuri Shin) - Shin Ishikawa (石川 真, Ishikawa Shin) (Credited as Katsuhisa Ishikawa (石川 功久, Ishikawa Katsuhisa))
• Ai Asuka (明日香 愛, Asuka Ai) - Yumi Nomura (野村 裕美, Nomura Yumi)
• Daimon Kazamatsuri (風祭 大門, Kazamatsuri Daimon) - Akira Ishihama (石濱 朗, Ishihama Akira)
• Iwao Himuro (氷室 巌, Himuro Iwao) - Daijiro Harada (原田 大二郎, Harada Daijirō)
• Goujima (豪島, Gōjima) - Reiji Andou (安藤 麗二, Andō Reiji)
• Giichi Onizuka (鬼塚 義一, Onizuka Giichi) - Kouki Kataoka (片岡 弘貴, Kataoka Kōki)
• Seira Fukamachi (セーラ 深町, Sēra Fukamachi) - Kiyomi Tsukada (塚田 きよみ, Tsukada Kiyomi)
• Takuya Yuuki (結城 卓也, Yūki Takuya) - Masanobu Takashima (高嶋 政伸, Takashima Masanobu)

Suit Actors

• Kamen Rider Shin, Transformed Onizuka: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎, Okamoto Jirō)
• Cyborg Soldier Level 2: Kazutoshi Yokoyama (横山 一敏, Yokoyama Kazutoshi)

Songs

Ending Theme

• "Forever"
  • Lyrics: Hiroko Kimura
  • Composition: Ryuudou Uzaki
  • Arrangement: Tooru Yuugawa
  • Artist: Noriko Watanabe

Release

Theatrical

• Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue premiered in Japanese theaters on February 20, 1992.

Home Media

• VHS
• LaserDisc
• DVD
• Blu-ray

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue was released on VHS on February 20, 1992.

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue
(VHS cover)

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue was released on LaserDisc on September 20, 1995.

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue
(LaserDisc cover)

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue was released on DVD on April 25, 2008.

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue
(DVD cover)

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue was released in a Blu-ray box set alongside Kamen Rider ZO, Kamen Rider J and Kamen Rider SD: Strange!? Man Spider.

• Kamen Rider: Shin · ZO · J Blu-ray BOX, which contains Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, Kamen Rider ZO, Kamen Rider J and Kamen Rider SD: Strange!? Man Spider, was released on December 24th, 2015.

Kamen Rider Shin · ZO · J Blu-ray BOX
(Blu-ray cover)

Other releases

• Toei's subscription channel featured Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue during its special Kamen Rider 40th anniversary line-up in July 2011.
• On April 5th, 2020, the uncensored version of the film debuted on the Toei Tokusatsu World channel on YouTube for viewing in countries other than Japan.

Errors

• At 01:20:05 into the film, Kazutoshi Yokoyama's (Cyborg Soldier Level 2's suit actor) face and chin can briefly be seen when Shin punches him.

Notes

• Before the name "Kamen Rider Shin" was decided, Shotaro Ishinomori, the creator of Kamen Rider, originally planned for the character to be called "Kamen Rider Gaia" (仮面ライダーガイア, Kamen Raidā Gaia). The design of this Kamen Rider Gaia was originally more of a traditional Kamen Rider appearance before later designs switched to a "Kamen Rider Style Reform" version (resembling a man in a motorcycle helmet and modified riding jacket), and then to the mutated insect-like human that would become Kamen Rider Shin.
• Shotaro Ishinomori appears early on in this film as a spy investigating the research of the company.
• Despite being labeled as a 20th anniversary event, the franchise was actually in its 21st year in 1992. The real 20th anniversary was on April 3, 1991. However, as the film premiered before April 3, 1992, it is technically still counted as a 20th anniversary project.
• The film was uploaded on TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL on April 5, 2020 as "Masked Rider Shin".
• Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue is the first V-Cinema film to be released under the Kamen Rider name and is also the only Showa era one.

External links

• Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue at Wikipedia
• Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue at Japanese Wikipedia
• Official Website at Kamen-Rider-Official