Kamen Rider

Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー) is the first entry of the Kamen Rider Series created by artist Shotaro Ishinomori.

It debuted on television on April 3, 1971, and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi). The manga adaptation was also featured in  around the same period. The series has evolved into a franchise with many subsequent annual iterations.

The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in astronomer Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1, and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series itself.

Plot
The series takes place in a world plagued by Shocker, a mysterious terrorist organization. To further its plans for world domination, Shocker recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning their victims into mutant cyborgs and, ultimately, brainwashing them. However, one victim named Takeshi Hongo escaped just before the final brainwashing.

With his sanity and moral conscience intact, Hongo battled Shocker's minions as the grasshopper-themed altered human (改造人間) superhero Kamen Rider. Another victim of the altered human process, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, became Kamen Rider 2 after Kamen Rider, who renamed himself as "Kamen Rider 1", saved him from Shocker's brainwashing. Assisted by motorcycle race team manager Tobei Tachibana and FBI agent Kazuya Taki, the Kamen Riders fought in both solo and partnered missions against Shocker and its successor organization, Gel-Shocker.

Allies

 * Tobei Tachibana
 * Kazuya Taki
 * Professor Midorikawa
 * Ruriko Midorikawa
 * Hiromi Nohara
 * Kishimori
 * Snack Amigo
 * Shiro
 * Tachibana Racing Club
 * Mari
 * Yuri Ishikura
 * Michi
 * Goro Ishikura

Shocker

 * Great Leader of Shocker
 * Colonel Zol/
 * Doctor Shinigami
 * Ambassador Hell
 * Big Machine
 * Shocker Combatmen

Gel-Shocker

 * Great Leader of Gel-Shocker
 * General Black
 * Shocker Riders

Cast

 * Takeshi Hongo (本郷 猛): Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡 弘)
 * Hayato Ichimonji (一文字 隼人): Takeshi Sasaki (佐々木 剛)
 * Tobei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛): Akiji Kobayashi (小林 昭二)
 * Kazuya Taki (滝 和也): Jiro Chiba (千葉 治郎)
 * Colonel Zol (ゾル大佐): Jiro Miyaguchi (宮口 二郎)
 * Dr. Shinigami (死神博士): Hideyo Amamoto (天本 英世) (Played as Eisei Amamoto)
 * Ambassador Hell (地獄大使): Kenji Ushio (潮 健児)
 * General Black (ブラック将軍): Matasaburo Niwa (丹羽 又三郎)
 * Ruriko Midorikawa (緑川 ルリ子): Chieko Morigawa (森川 千恵子) (Played as Chieko Maki (真樹 千恵子))
 * Hiromi Nohara (野原 ひろみ): Yoko Shimada (島田 陽子)
 * Mari (マリ): Linda Yamamoto (山本 リンダ)
 * Yuri (ユリ): Wakako Oki (沖 わか子)
 * Michi (ミチ): Katsumi Nakajima (中島 かつみ)
 * Emi (エミ): Emily Takami (高見 エミリー)
 * Mika (ミカ): Yoko Sugibayashi (杉林 陽子)
 * Tokko (トッコ): Machiko Nakajima (中島 マチ子) (Played as Machiko Nakajima (中島 真智子))
 * Yokko (ヨッコ): Yoshiko Nakada (中田 喜子)
 * Choko (チョコ): Mimi Hagiwara (ミミ 萩原) (Played as Mimy (ミミー))
 * Goro (五郎): Yasuharu Miura (三浦 康晴)
 * Naoki (ナオキ): Tomonori Yazaki (矢崎 知紀)
 * Mitsuru (ミツル): Hoichi Yamada (山田 芳一)
 * Shiro (史郎): Jo Honda (本田 じょう)
 * The Great Leader of Shocker/Gel-Shocker (ショッカー/ゲルショッカー首領): Goro Naya (納谷 悟朗)
 * Narrator (ナレーター): Shinji Nakae (中江 真司)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider #1 - Hiroshi Fujioka
 * Kamen Rider #1, Kamen Rider #2 (understudy), Kamen Rider #2 (part of episode 72), Monsters (Spider Man, etc.) - Masaru Okada
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider #2 (main), Monsters - Fumiya Nakamura
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider #2 (understudy), Monsters (Saboteguron, etc.) - Tatsuyoshi Sejima
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider #2 (understudy), Monsters (Hitodanger, etc.) - Kenji Amari
 * Kamen Rider #1 (part), Kamen Rider New #2, Monsters - Kazuo Niibori
 * Kamen Rider #1 (Sakurajima #1), Kamen Rider #2 (understudy; episode 46), Kamen Rider New #1 - Tetsuya Nakayashiki
 * Kamen Rider #2 (Episodes 14-15, 25) - Tsuyoshi Sasaki
 * Kamen Rider #2 (understudy) - Minoru Iizuka
 * Kamen Rider New #1, Monsters - Yutaro Osugi
 * Kamen Rider New #2 - Keisuke Chiyoda (Episodes 72-73), Hiroo Kawarazaki (Episodes 93-94, 98)
 * Monsters, Combatmen - Tsuyoshi Ishimaru
 * Monsters (Bat Man, etc.) - Boshin Sano Boshin
 * Monsters (Jaguar Man, etc.) - Hiroshi Namekawa

Songs

 * Opening theme
 * "Let's Go!! Rider Kick" (レッツゴー!!ライダーキック)
 * Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Hiroshi Fujioka with Male Harmony (メール・ハーモニー)
 * Episodes: 1-13


 * "Let's Go!! Rider Kick" (レッツゴー!!ライダーキック)
 * Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony
 * Episodes: 14-88


 * "Rider Action" (ライダーアクション)
 * Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Episodes: 89–98


 * Ending theme
 * "Kamen Rider no Uta" (仮面ライダーの歌)
 * Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon (as Koichi Fuji) with Male Harmony
 * Episodes: 1–71


 * "Rider Action" (ライダーアクション)
 * Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Episodes: 72–88


 * "Lonely Kamen Rider" (ロンリー仮面ライダー)
 * Lyrics: Mamoru Tanaka
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Episodes: 89–98

Manga
Many manga based on the original Kamen Rider series have been published, but only one was penned and drawn by Ishinomori himself. Ishinomori was also the author of one chapter of the Kamen Rider Amazon manga and the entire Kamen Rider Black manga. However, those manga were based on sequels to Kamen Rider, rather than the original series.

The original manga, published in 1971, initially follows a path resembling the first few episodes of the TV series, from basic plot to creature designs. However, when Hongo leaves the story, the series diverge greatly. In the TV show, Hongo travels abroad to fight Shocker in other countries, leaving Japan's protection to Hayato Ichimonji, a freelance cameraman who was experimented on by Shocker but 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 Ichimonji, the two 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 with ties to governmental conspiracies that seems much bigger than either of the two Riders. The live action TV shows portray 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 they looked different and had different abilities. There were also only six Shocker Riders, rather than the manga's 12.

S.I.C. Hero Saga
Published in Monthly Hobby Japan, the S.I.C. Hero Saga stories illustrated by S.I.C. figure dioramas portray stories featuring the characters from Shotaro Ishinomori series. Kamen Rider has had three different stories: Missing Link, Special Episode: Escape (SPECIAL EPISODE -脱出-), and From Here to Eternity (ここより永遠に). Missing Link ran in the July to October 2002 issues, From Here to Eternity was featured in the special issue HOBBY JAPAN MOOK S.I.C. OFFICIAL DIORAMA STORY S.I.C. HERO SAGA vol.1 Kakioroshi, and Special Episode: Escape was featured in the October 2006 issue of Hobby Japan.

New characters introduced during the Missing Link story are the twelve Shocker Riders (ショッカーライダー) and the Shocker Tank (ショッカータンク).


 * Missing Link chapter titles
 * 1) Infiltration (潜入)
 * 2) Disappearance (失踪)
 * 3) Awakening (覚醒)
 * 4) Puppet (傀儡)

Legacy
The Kamen Rider original series famously spearheaded launched "Second Kaiju Boom" or "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the superhero and action-adventure genre in Japan. The famous "henshin sequence", in which the title hero performs ritualistic poses and shouting a keyword to transform into his superhero form has since become a staple in Japanese pop-culture, inspiring superheroes and magical girl genres. Kamen Rider went to later produce a great number of spin-offs which remain in production today. Several Kamen Rider series were aired in Japan after the first Kamen Rider finished. After Kamen Rider Black RX ended production in 1989, the series was put on hold.

There were three movies released as the 1990s "Movie Riders", which were Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, Kamen Rider ZO and Kamen Rider J. After original creator Shōtarō Ishinomori's death, the Kamen Rider franchise was continued in 2000 with Kamen Rider Kuuga. As of 2014, twenty-five Kamen Rider series have been made, with the newest being Kamen Rider Drive which premiered in October 2014.

As of 2005, a remake of the Kamen Rider series was made and reimagined with Kamen Rider The First and continued with Kamen Rider The Next released in 2007.