Kamen Rider

, is a Japanese tokusatsu drama and the very first installment in what would be known as the Kamen Rider Series. The debut entry of the Showa Era and aired from April 3, 1971 to February 10, 1973 on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi). With 98 episodes, it is the longest entry of the franchise to date. 
The average ratings of the series was 21.2%.
It was rebooted two times: one in the Heisei Era and one in the Reiwa Era. Kamen Rider The First was released in 2005 and Shin Kamen Rider was released in 2023.
==Production==
In the 1970s, Toei became interested in developing a live-action masked superhero series in response to the popularity of the anime , which Toei had also produced. Seeing that there had been one live-action masked Tokusatsu hero in the past, known as , Toei decided to capitalize on it and try to bring the genre back to modern-day audiences. 
Producers Tohru Hirayama and Noboru Kato, the latter having been the manager of Shotaro Ishinomori at the time, were brought in as showrunners. In 1970, the first name they brainstormed for their new upcoming superhero was , who was described as "." Hirayama later admitted that this was a joke proposal that he never expected Toei to take seriously, who liked the idea of a "masked superhero." 
Their first official draft to MBS was , where characters such as Takeshi Hongo and Hiroshi Midorikawa were conceptualized. Actor Jiro Chiba, who ultimately went on to play Kazuya Taki in the series, originally auditioned for the role of Takeshi and was almost considered. 
In 1971, Ryuichi Hirose from MBS suggested that the hero should ride a motorcycle and came up with the name , where the story of Takeshi is suspected of murdering Professor Midorikawa by his alleged victim's daughter Ruriko Midorikawa. Takeshi would have suffered an electrical injury that left a cross-shaped scar on his face, but it would be covered up by a mask. A condition for MBS allowing Toei to develop this series was to create a serialized manga in a magazine first. This resulted in the title's evolution into , which birthed the initial "Kamen Rider" moniker. 
Hiroshi Fujioka became attached to the role with the show eyeing a 1971 premiere. However production became delayed as producers Ichikawa and Uehara left the project to work on , thus they were replaced. In 1971, Ishinomori expressed his interest in "grotesquely terrifying" Kamen Rider, which inspired his manga series Skull Man where it originated the premise that the main hero was a modified human. However on MBS' request as the theme of skulls may be viewed as too scary for children, Ishinomori drew at least 50 different versions of this hero, all with varying themes of motifs. He showed his son Joe Onodera, who was in Kindergarten at the time, all versions of his drawings, and he selected the one with the grasshopper motif as his favorite. 
Onodera's choice was submitted to MBS, who were relieved that the skull theming was removed, while the grasshopper idea was loosely altered to fit more of a general insect theme instead for marketing purposes. A new title was proposed, , but MBS felt it was too long so they shortened it to just .
==Story==
The story took 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 superhero Kamen Rider #1. Another of Shocker's victims, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, had also been given cyborg implants, but was saved by Kamen Rider from the brainwashing process to become Kamen Rider #2. Assisted by motorcycle race team manager Tobee Tachibana and FBI agent Kazuya Taki, the Kamen Riders fought in both solo and partnered missions against both Shocker and its successor organization Gel Shocker.
==Characters==
===Kamen Riders===
====TV Show====
Kamen Rider 1	Takeshi Hongo
Kamen Rider 2	Hayato Ichimonji
====Manga-exclusive====
Kamen Rider 3	Kamen Rider 3
Kamen Rider 	Kamen Rider
Kamen Rider 	Tsuyoshi Hioka
====Novel-exclusive====
Kamen Rider Gaia	Jun Kadowaki
Kamen Rider 1 	Jiro Taki
====Game-exclusive====
Kamen Rider 1	Go Owaza
Kamen Rider 2	Shun Rikido
====Concepts====
Kamen Rider 0	Kamen Rider 0
*Kamen Rider One
**Kamen Rider Skull Man
**Kamen Rider Hopper Kick
**Kamen Rider Grass Hopper
*Kamen Rider 3
*Kamen Rider 4
*Kamen Rider (Arewa Kamen Rider)
===Debatable Riders===
====TV Show====
Shocker Rider No.1	Shocker Rider No.1
Shocker Rider No.2	Shocker Rider No.2
Shocker Rider No.3	Shocker Rider No.3
Shocker Rider No.4	Shocker Rider No.4
Shocker Rider No.5	Shocker Rider No.5
Shocker Rider No.6	Shocker Rider No.6
====Other media====
Decoy Kamen Rider 1	Tobee Tachibana
Jade 	Junichiro Kadowaki
Gaiborg 	Jun Kadowaki, Gaiborgs
Shocker Rider 1 	Shocker Rider No.1 (Shocker)
Shocker Rider 2 	Shocker Rider No.2 (Shocker)
Shocker Rider 3 	Shocker Rider No.3 (Shocker)
Shocker Rider 4 	Shocker Rider No.4 (Shocker)
Shocker Rider 5 	Shocker Rider No.5 (Shocker)
Shocker Rider 6 	Shocker Rider No.6 (Shocker)
Shocker Rider 7 	Shocker Rider No.7
Shocker Rider 8 	Shocker Rider No.8
Shocker Rider 9 	Shocker Rider No.9
Shocker Rider 10 	Shocker Rider No.10
Shocker Rider 11 	Shocker Rider No.11
Shocker Rider 12 	Hayato Ichimonji
Rider Killer 	Hayato Ichimonji
Batta Man 	Tatsuo Kagura
Batta Man 	Tsuyoshi Hioka, Various users
Riderwoman 	Riderwomen
===Allies===
*Tobee Tachibana
**Mayu Tachibana
*Kazuya Taki
*Professor Midorikawa
*Snack Amigo
**Ruriko Midorikawa
**Hiromi Nohara
**Shiro
*Tachibana Racing Club
**Yuri
**Mari
**Michi
**Emi
**Mika
**Tokko
**Yokko
**Choko
**Goro Ishikura
*The Boys' Kamen Rider Squad
**Naoki
**Mitsuru
===Other Heroes===
*
===Villains===
====Shocker====
*Shocker Leader
*Colonel Zol/Wolf Man 
*Dr. Shinigami/Ika Devil 
*Jigoku Taishi/Garagaranda 
*Shocker Combatmen
*Big Machine
====Gel Shocker====
*Gel Shocker Leader
*General Black/Hilchameleon 
*Gel Shocker Combatmen
====Nova Shocker====
*Urga
*Igura
*Buffal
*Nova Shocker Combatmen
==Episodes==
==Other media==
===Manga===
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===S.I.C. Hero Saga===
#Missing Link
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===Novel===
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==Title cards==
File:Kamen Rider 1-13 Title.png|Episodes 1-13 (Hongo)
File:Kamen Rider 14-39 Title.png|Episodes 14-39 (Ichimonji)
File:Kamen Rider 40-52 Title.png|Episodes 40-52 (Ichimonji)
File:Kamen Rider 53-67 Title.png|Episodes 53-67 (Hongo)
File:Kamen Rider 68-98 Title.png|Episodes 68-98 (Hongo)
==Cast==
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: (Played as Eisei Amamoto)
*: 
*: 
*: (Played as )
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: (Played as )
*: 
*: (Played as )
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
*: 
===Suit Actors===
*Kamen Rider 1: 
*Kamen Rider 2 (episodes 14, 15 & 25): 
*Kamen Rider 1, Kamen Rider 2 (understudy), Kamen Rider 2 (part of episode 72), Monsters (Man Spider, etc.): 
*Kamen Rider 2, Kamen Rider 1 (sub), Monsters: 
*Kamen Rider 1 (sub), Kamen Rider 2 (understudy), Monsters (Sabotegron, etc.): 
*Kamen Rider 1 (sub), Kamen Rider 2 (understudy), Monsters (Hitodanger, etc.): 
*Kamen Rider 1 (sub), Kamen Rider New 2, Monsters, Shocker Rider: 
*Kamen Rider 1 (Sakurajima 1), Kamen Rider 2 (understudy; episode 46), Kamen Rider New 1: 
*Kamen Rider 1 (trampoline), Gel Shocker Combatmen (episode 84): 
*Kamen Rider 2 (understudy): 
*Kamen Rider New 1, Monsters: 
*Kamen Rider New 2: (episodes 72 & 73), (episodes 93, 94 & 98)
*Monsters, Combatman: 
*Monsters (Bat Man, etc.): 
*Monsters (Jaguarman, etc.): 
==Music==
;Opening themes
*
**Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
**Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
**Artist: Hiroshi Fujioka with (1-13)/[Masato Shimon]] (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony (14-88)
**Episodes: 1-88
*
**Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
**Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
**Artist: Masato Shimon
**Episodes: 89–98
;Ending themes
*
**Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude
**Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
**Artist: Masato Shimon (as Kōichi Fuji) with Male Harmony
**Episodes: 1–71
*
**Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
**Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
**Artist: Masato Shimon
**Episodes: 72–88
*
**Lyrics: Mamoru Tanaka
**Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
**Artist: Masato Shimon
**Episodes: 89–98
==Other Songs==
*Tatakae! Cyclone
*Kaettekuru Rider
*Akuma no Shocker
*Rider No Komoriuta
*Kaijin no Uta
*Kamen Rider Kazoeuta
*Bokura No Kamen Rider
*Oh! Shocker
*Kamen Rider Christmas
==Release==
===Broadcast===
*The series premiered on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi) on April 3, 1971. It ran for 98 episodes, with the final episode airing on February 10, 1973.
*On March 10th, 2020, Shout! Factory temporarily streamed the series on Tubi TV for one day. One week later, Shout! announced the series would be brought to a dedicated channel for Tokusatsu called TokuSHOUTsu. https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2020/03/tokusatsu-streaming-service-tokushoutsu-coming-to-the-us/
===Home Media===
*A total of 26 volumes of VHS tapes for the series has been released since 1984, however the order in which the episodes are shown do not match the original show's broadcast order. 
*The series was released on LaserDisc on August 25, 1992. 
*The series was released on DVD on July 21, 2002, with a re-release in 2005 to commemorate the premiere of Kamen Rider The First.
*A 4K resolution remaster was released in two 8-disc sets on August 2, 2023 and November 8, 2023.https://www.toei-video.co.jp/special/rider-4k/
==Notes==
*Since its end, it has spawned many sequels and spin-offs, ultimately shaping its own franchise. A manga adaptation was also featured in around the same period. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in 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.
==External links==
* at 
*Kamen Rider at Japanese Wikipedia
*Ishimori@Style - Shotaro Ishinomori on Ishimori Productions official website
*Kamen Rider series on Region 2 DVD - A complete list of all official releases to date.
*Toei Kyoto Studio Park - A theme park with official events, exhibitions and shops related to the Kamen Rider.
*Watch Kamen Rider on Shout! Factory TV
*Official website at Kamen-Rider-Official
Category:Showa era
Category:Kamen Rider Series