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| Kamen Rider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Title: | Kamen Rider |
| Format: | Live-action |
| Running time: | 30 min. |
| country: | Japan |
| Network: | Mainichi Broadcasting System NET |
| Seasons: | 1 |
| Episodes: | 98 |
| Production | |
| Production company: | Toei Company Ishinomori Productions |
| Producers: | Seiji Abe; Tôru Hirayama |
| Principal cast: | Hiroshi Fujioka; Chieko Morikawa; Akiji Kobayashi; Gorô Naya; Jirô Yabuki; Wakako Oki; Yasuharu Miura; Takeshi Sasaki; Hiroshi Fujioka |
| Air dates | |
| First aired: | April 3rd, 1971 |
| Last aired: | February 10th, 1973 |
Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー) is a Japanese live-action television series of the superhero fantasy and tokusatsu ("suitmation") genres. It is based on a weekly Manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The series was produced by Seiji Abe and Tôru Hirayama for the Toei Company and Ishinomori Productions. It originally aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS TV) and NET from April 3rd, 1971 to February 10th, 1973, spanning a total of ninety-eight episodes. It is the first series in the Kamen Rider franchise, which includes numerous sequels, and films. The next series in the franchise is Kamen Rider V3 (仮面ライダーV3) in 1973. The series stars Hiroshi Fujioka as Takeshi Hongo - a brilliant young scientist and motorcycle rider, who finds himself captured by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., an evil organization that abducts people of quality an converts them into mind-controlled cyborgs in order to further their goals of global domination. Although Hongo undergoes cybernetic conversion, he resists the brainwashing and breaks free. With his cybernetically enhanced wind turbine powers and enhanced strength, he wages a war against the forces of S.H.O.C.K.E.R., along with his employer, Tôbei Tachibana, played by Akiji Kobayashi, and Ruriko Midorikawa, played by Chieko Morikawa. Later additions to the series include Jirô Yabuki as Kazuya Taki, Wakako Oki as Yuri, Yasuharu Miura as Goro, Takeshi Sasaki as Hayato Ichimonji, and Hiroshi Fujioka as Kamen Rider Ichigou. Actor Gorô Naya played the leader of S.H.O.C.K.E.R. in the series.
Another victim of the cyborg process, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, became Kamen Rider 2 after Kamen Rider, who eventually renamed himself "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 while later getting help from Tobei and Kazuya's Kamen Rider Kid Corps. Later, after many battles with Shocker the organization was wiped out and its leader created Gel-Shocker to fulfill his goals. After many battles with Gel-Shocker the Kamen Riders defeated the organization's leader and stopped Gel-Shocker. With Kazuya returning to America peace was restored, or so it seems.
Episodes[]
Incomplete
| Episode | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1x01 | "The Eerie Man Spider" | April 3rd, 1971 |
| 1x02 | "The Terrifying Bat Man" | April 10th, 1971 |
| 1x03 | "Monster, Scorpion Man" | April 17th, 1971 |
| 1x04 | "The Man-Eating Sarasenian" | April 24th, 1971 |
| 1x05 | "The Mutant Mantis-Man" | May 1st, 1971 |
| 1x36 | "Resurrected Mummy Monster, Egyptus" | December 4th, 1971 |
Notes & Trivia[]
- 仮面ライダー and Kamen Raidā both redirect to this page.
- Kamen Rider, or, Kamen Raidā literally translates as "Masked rider".
- The Manga was originally published Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 1971. It was announced in February, 2021 that the original series would be reproduced in omnibus format by Seven Seas Entertainment.
- NET evolved into TV Asahi.