Kamen Rider ZO

A movie for *Kamen Rider Series*

## Episode Guide

**Kamen Rider ZO** (仮面ライダーZO, *Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō*?, translated as **Masked Rider ZO**) is a movie for the *Kamen Rider Series*, produced by Toei Company. 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. The film's protagonist, Kamen Rider ZO makes appearances in the films of the later *Kamen Rider Decade* television series, as well as appearing as a playable character the 2011 Nintendo DS video game *All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation*.

## Plot

Masaru Aso was the lab assistant of geneticist Doctor Mochizuki, and was used as one of his experiments related to 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 for two years before he was awoken by a telepathic call and 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.

Masaru then reveals himself to Reiko and her karate class. ZO battles Koumori Man to cover Hiroshi and Reiko's escape, when the two of them are sucked in a pocket dimension by Kumo Woman, both monsters having been created by Doras. 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 runs off before Masaru finds him and fixes his watch, recognizing the melody that stirred him out of his rest as he helps Hiroshi cope with this new information.

However, Koumori Man assumes Mochizuki's form to lure Hiroshi away and captures 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 self detonates as ZO and Hiroshi escape with their lives. Dropping Hiroshi with Seikichi, Masaru leaves to parts unknown.

## Characters

### Allies

* Hiroshi Mochizuki
* Doctor Mochizuki
* Seikichi Mochizuki
* Reiko
* Kuroda
* Nishimura
* Miyazaki

### Villains

* Neo Organism
	+ Doras
* Koumori Man
* Koumori Woman

## Cast

* Masaru Aso (麻生 勝, *Asō Masaru*?): Kou Domon (土門 廣, *Domon Kō*?)
* Hiroshi Mochizuki (望月 宏, *Mochizuki Hiroshi*?): Shohei Shibata (柴田 翔平, *Shibata Shōhei*?)
* Doctor Mochizuki (望月博士, *Mochizuki-Hakase*?): Isao Sasaki (佐々木 功, *Sasaki Isao*?)
* Seikichi Mochizuki (望月 清吉, *Mochizuki Seikichi*?): Hiroshi Inuzuka (犬塚 弘, *Inuzuka Hiroshi*?)
* Reiko (玲子, *Reiko*?): Naomi Morinaga (森永 奈緒美, *Morinaga Naomi*?)
* Kuroda (黒田, *Kuroda*?): Kenji Ohba (大葉 健二, *Ōba Kenji*?)
* Nishimura (西村, *Nishimura*?): Masaru Yamashita (山下 優, *Yamashita Masaru*?)
* Miyazaki (宮崎, *Miyazaki*?): Iori Sakakibara (榊原 伊織, *Sakakibara Iori*?)
* Neo Organism/Doras (ネオ生命体／ドラス, *Neo Seimeitai/Dorasu*?, Voice): Shingo Yuzawa (湯沢 真伍, *Yuzawa Shingo*?)

### Suit actors

* Kamen Rider ZO: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎, *Okamoto Jirō*?)
* Doras: Kazutoshi Yokoyama (横山 一敏, *Yokoyama Kazutoshi*?) and Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二, *Takaiwa Seiji*?)
* Koumori Man: Kiyohito Nakagawa (中川 清人, *Nakagaewa Kiyohito*?)

## Songs

* "Hohoemi no Yukue" (微笑みの行方, *"Hohoemi no Yukue"*? The Whereabouts of Smile)
	+ Lyrics: Akira Otsu
	+ Composition: Eiji Kawamura
	+ Artist: infix
* "Ai ga Tomaranai" (愛が止まらない, *"Ai ga Tomaranai"*? Love Doesn't Stop)
	+ Lyrics: Akira Otsu
	+ 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 *Kamen Rider ZO (& J): ZO vs. J* (MASKED RIDER ZO (& J） -ZO vs J-, *Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō (ando Jei) -Zetto Ō vs Jei-*?). In the story, the Neo Organism Doras gains the powers of the Fog Mother. It introduces the original characters Red Doras Ver. 2 (赤ドラスver.2, *Aka Dorasu ver.2*?), Doras Ultimate Form (ドラス究極形態, *Dorasu Kyūkyokukeitai*?), and Fog Doras (フォッグ・ドラス , *Foggu Dorasu*?).

Chapter titles
1. Doras (ドラス, *Dorasu*?)
2. Music Box (オルゴール, *Orugōru*?)
3. Earth Spirit (地空人, *Chikūjin*?)
4. Fog (フォッグ, *Foggu*?)

## 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. The manga is also more graphic and violent than the movie. 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*. This is one of the few *Kamen Rider* entries to be released in the US, even if the movie itself was never released there.

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 to 51 & 53 of the series.

## Notes

* Like *Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue*, this film was labeled as a 20th anniversary event. However, it was released in 1993, the franchise's 22nd year.

## References

1. ↑ *Televi Magazine First Issue 31st Anniversary Project: All Hero Great Assembly* (テレビマガジン創刊31周年記念企画 (, *テレビマガジン創刊31周年記念企画*?)), December 2002
2. ↑ *Televi Magazine Deluxe 66*, January 17, 1997. ISBN 4-06-304418-1
3. ↑ "仮面ライダーZO みんなのクロスレビュー、最新情報". Famitsu.com. http://www.famitsu.com/title/0000/0000/2744/index.html. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
4. ↑ "2011年9月のラインナップ". Toei Channel. http://www.toeich.jp/backnumber/2011/1109.html. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
5. ↑ *Uchusen*, No. 125. July 2009
6. ↑ "仮面ライダー総集結のアクションゲーム『ライダージェネレーション』が発売！". Dengeki.com. 2011-05-23. http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/367/367332/. Retrieved 2011-11-19.

## External links

* *Kamen Rider ZO* at Wikipedia
* *Kamen Rider ZO* at Japanese Wikipedia