Kamen Rider ZO

, translated as Masked Rider ZO, is a 1993 Japanese tokusatsu movie produced by Toei Company, part of their Kamen Rider Series. Directed by Keita Amemiya, the film was the first joint production between Toei Company Limited and Bandai.
A Sega CD full motion video based game was released for ZO in 1994, and made its way to the United States in the form of The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO.
As part of the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, ZO was shown on Toei's pay-per-view channel during September 2011.
==Plot summary==
Masaru Aso was the lab assistant of geneticist Doctor Mochizuki, and was used as one of his experiments related the creation of the Neo Organism, enabling him to transform into a grasshopper-like being called Kamen Rider ZO. He fled into the mountainside and went into a coma before he awoke by a telepathic call two years later with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi Mochizuki, the son of Doctor Mochizuki.
After an attempt to uncover the meaning of his transformation at Mochizuki Genetics, Masaru senses Hiroshi in danger and saves the boy from Doras as ZO. Weakened after reviving himself following the fight, Doras sends Koumori Man and Kumo Woman to pursue Hiroshi in the meantime. Masaru learns that Dr. Mochizuki mysteriously vanished before he revealed himself after a misunderstanding with Reiko and her karate class. By then, ZO battles Koumori Man to cover Hiroshi and Reiko's escape before they are sucked in a pocket dimension by Kumo Woman, both monsters created by Doras. But ZO saves them and kills Kumo Woman before Koumori Man swoops down and snatches Hiroshi off, with ZO in pursuit.
After saving Hiroshi, Masaru reveals to Seikichi that Dr. Mochizuki used him in his experiments. Refusing to believe it, Hiroshi ran off before Masaru found him and fixed the watch, recognizing the melody that stirred him out of his rest as he helps Hiroshi cope with this new information. However, Koumori Man assumed Mochizuki's form to lure Hiroshi away and capture him with Doras knocking Masaru out cold. Making his way to a complex, ZO kills Koumori Man before making his way to Hiroshi and Dr. Mochizuki, learning that the geneticist was the one who woke him up and that the Neo Organism has been acting on its own whim the entire time to become the perfect being.
ZO attempts to fight Doras, only to be assimilated into the Neo Organism. Doras then proceeds to use the boy to force Mochizuki to complete its evolution. However, the watch manages to hold Doras at bay as ZO breaks out of the monster and Mochizuki sacrifices himself to destroy the pool, the Neo Organism's life source. The complex then undergoes a detonation sequence as ZO and Hiroshi escaped with their lives. Dropping Hiroshi with Seikichi, Masaru leaves to parts unknown.
== Characters ==
Kamen Rider ZO	Masaru Aso
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=== Neo Organism ===
 is a pool of living fluid that relies on the very container its dwells in as its lifesupport. It took on the appearance of a deformed little boy in Hiroshi's likeness, lacking emotion and having a god complex. The Neo Organism orchestrated the events in the movie, and held its creator captive for two years when he refused to complete its evolution. It soon assumed the grotesque Kamen Rider-like form of to find Hiroshi to force Dr. Mochizuki to complete its evolution into the "Perfect Lifeform" so it can destroy the "inferior" human race and their imperfections. Doras is capable of regenerating itself from severe injuries, absorbing inorganic and organic materials to upgrade itself, altering its form into an orb or a bladed projective, generating lasers, and producing from itself. When Doras manage to absorbed ZO, it became a red fleshy version of itself called . It then went for Hiroshi, but the music from the pocket watch managed to give ZO the strength to break free from Doras' body after Mochizuki destroyed its lifesupport. Reverted to its normal state, Doras is finally killed by ZO's Rider Kick, the ZO Kick.
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neorganism.jpg
doras.jpg
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==Cast==
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===Suit actors===
*Kamen Rider ZO: 
*Doras: and 
*Koumori Man: 
==Song==
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**Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
**Composition: Eiji Kawamura
**Artist: infix
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**Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
**Composition: Eiji Kawamura
**Artist: infix
==ZO vs. J==
The S.I.C. Hero Saga story published in Monthly Hobby Japan magazine in the February to May 2005 issues for Kamen Rider ZO featured a crossover with Kamen Rider J and was titled . In the story, the Neo Organism Doras gains the powers of the Fog Mother. It introduces the original characters , , and .
;Chapter titles
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==Adaptation==
Kazuhiko Shimamoto drew a manga adaptation of the film. The manga takes some liberties with the plot: including expanding the role of several characters and a different characterization of ZO himself. More graphic violence was also added. It includes a short story about Kamen Rider Black and a short story about Kamen Rider creator Shotaro Ishinomori himself.
The movie was adapted into a full motion video game for the Sega CD with an interface similar to Dragon's Lair, the 'Game' was released in America as "The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO", despite the film never airing in the United States.
Footage with the Neo Organism monsters was used in Saban's Masked Rider in its 2-part pilot and 2 other episodes.
Some of the music from the Movie appeared in the Juukou B-Fighter Movie as well as episodes 49-51 & 53 of the series.
==External Link==