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was a popular and successful Japanese Tokusatsu Television series created by Shotaro Ishinomori , and the first series in the Kamen Rider Franchise . It premiered, both on TV Asahi on television and in '' Shonen Magazine '' as a Manga , in 1971.


ORIGIN

In 1970 , while the series was still in massive development, creator Ishinomori created a one-shot, 100-page manga called Skull Man as his personal version of this series. Published by Shonen Magazine, it was a huge success, selling 1.5 million copies. The producers at Toei Company Ltd. used this manga as the basis for the show but with some changes, as the manga story was too dark and gruesome (even cerebral) for a children show. For the show, Ishinomori played around with Skull Man's design, until he came up with several variants, including a grasshopper version. Since it was supposed to be a show for children, he let his then-5 year old son Jo Onodera (小野寺 章 ''Onodera Jō'') pick one of the designs. The child ultimately picked the grasshopper version, which was then called "Masked Rider Hopper King". The "Hopper King" part of the name was excised, and the series was developed.


PLOT SUMMARY

The story takes place in a world plagued by Shocker , a mysterious Terrorist organization. To fulfill its plan of World Domination , the group recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning them into monstrous Cyborgs using advanced technology and, ultimately, performed DNA manipulation. However, one of the victims was rescued just before the final step, and his name was Takeshi Hongo (本郷 猛 ''Hongō Takeshi''). With his sanity and moral conscience remaining intact, Hongo assumed the identity of the costumed Grasshopper -like kaizouningen (改造人間, roughly translated as "altered human") superhero ''Kamen Rider'' and battled Shocker with his newly acquired powers of strength & speed as well as his customized super motorcycle Cyclone .


LIVE ACTION SHOW

The live action show premiered on TV Asahi in April 1971. Sometime during the shooting of early episodes, an accident happened and caused a severe injury to Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡 弘), the actor playing Hongo. To keep the series going, a second Kamen Rider was introduced in episode 14 to replace Hongo's role as Japan's Guardian Angel . Hayato Ichimonji (一文字 隼人 ''Ichimonji Hayato''), better known as Kamen Rider 2 played by Takeshi Sasaki (佐々木 剛 ''Sasaki Takeshi''), did a short sequence of arm-waving motions and uttered "Henshin!" (変身, literally "transform") whenever he wanted to switch from his human guise to the Rider form (Originally the first Kamen Rider had to get enough air to enter his "Typhoon Belt", which he had done by driving his transformable motorcyle {Link without Title} ). The stylish pose was immensely popular among the young audience and the show became an immediate sensation.

Ratings were further boosted when Fujioka returned to the stage in episode 40, now known as Kamen Rider 1 , (and having gained the ability to use a "henshin" pose). The show spanned 2 years and ended in episode 98 with the ''Double Riders'' defeating Shocker and its reincarnation Gel-Shocker .


MANGA

Many Manga s based on the original ''Masked Rider'' series had been published, but only the following few were penned & drawn by Ishinomori himself:

  • 1971 : ''Masked Rider''

  • 1971 : ''Masked Rider'' - a remake

  • 1979 : ''Masked Rider (Motion Pictures Continuity)''


The original manga in 1971 (1st run) was quite different from the TV series with respect to its response to the Fujioka accident. In the manga, Hongo was outnumbered by twelve ''Shocker Riders'' and was subsequently killed. Ichimonji Hayato, initially one of the twelve, received a head injury during the fight & regained his conscience as a result. He then turned against Shocker & succeeded Hongo's role as Masked Rider. Hongo was resurrected near the end of the series, nevertheless.


FILMS


  • 1971 : ''Go Go Kamen Rider'': Movie version of Episode 13.

  • 1972 : ''Kamen Rider versus Shocker''

  • 1972 : ''Kamen Rider versus Hell Ambassador''

  • 2005 : ''Kamen Rider the First'': Premiered on November 2005, this movie covers the origin of Hongo and Ichimonji as Riders 1 and 2 respectively with a new story



MAIN CHARACTERS

Riders

Allies

Shocker


CREW

  • Created by: Shotaro Ishinomori

  • Script by: Masaru Igami, Moriichi Ichikawa, Masayuki Shimada, Mari Takizawa, Hisashi Yamazaki, Takao Chouseki, Masashi Tsukada, Takeo Oono, Fumio Ishimori, Seirou Suzuki, Takayuki Hasegawa, Kimio Hirayama, Minoru Yamada, Gorou Okeya, Shotaro Ishinomori

  • Directed by: Hirokazu Takemoto, Nobu Orita, Hidetoshi Kitamura, Minoru Yamada, Kazukuri Uchida, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Masashi Tsukada, Shotaro Ishinomori , Atsuo Kumanaka

  • Photographing: Osamigi Yamamoto

  • Illumination: Kouosamu Oota

  • Artist: Mokuo Mikami

  • Editor: Otokyou Teruhiro (with Ayaki Sugeno)

  • Record: Mari Fujinami

  • Assistant Director: Masashi Tsukada

  • Costume Designer: Tokyo Designs

  • Technician: Kazutoshi Takahashi

  • Line Chief: Teruo Itou

  • Production Charge: Okusouhei Matono

  • Sound Recording: Otokyou Teruhiro (with Katsushi Oota)

  • Development: Toei Chemistry

  • Cooperation: Muromachi Racing Group



LEGACY

The Kamen Rider original series produced a great number of Spin-offs which remained until today. Several Kamen Rider series were aired in Japan after the first Kamen Rider finished. After ''Kamen Rider Black RX'' ended production, the series was put on hold due to poor ratings during the 80's.

There were occasional releases of Riders such as the 1990 "Movie Riders", which were ''Shin Kamen Rider'' (considered for various reasons to not be an actual Rider at all by many fans), ''Kamen Rider ZO'' and ''Kamen Rider J''. The Kamen Rider franchise was restarted in 2000 with ''Kamen Rider Kuuga''. Since then Kamen Rider has become popular again and has a strong fanbase across Asia in countries such as China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand.


TRIVIA


  • The first Kamen Riders, although based on grasshoppers, were renamed "Ai Mod Dang" (ant man) in Thailand.


  • The easiest way to tell apart Kamen Rider I and II is their gloves and boots. Rider I has silver gloves and boots, Rider II has red ones.


  • When Kamen Rider Black RX first aired in Indonesia; it was titled "Ksatria Baja Hitam Black RX" (Black/Dark Steel Knight Black RX). Likewise the previous series was aired in Indonesia as well as Malaysia under the title "Ksatria Baja Hitam" (Black/Dark Steel Knight).


  • '' Skullomania '' from the Street Fighter EX games series closely resembles the first Kamen Rider. This includes his belt buckle, flowing crimson scarf, gloves, boots and the famous Rider Kick.


  • King Of Fighters 2001 marked the debut of "May" Lee Jinju, a student of Kim Kaphwan. She has a second stance called "Hero Mode," in which she turns into a Kamen Rider-type character. One of her Desperation Moves, ''MAY LEE-THE END'', is a parody of a Rider Kick.


  • ''Action Kamen'' from the anime Crayon ShinChan was based on Kamen Rider.


  • Actor Hiroshi Fujioka (Takeshi Hongo / Kamen Rider I) later went on to play '' Segata Sanshiro '', the Judo-Master mascot for a series of Japanese Sega Saturn commercials in 1997 to 1998. The character of Sanshiro has become famous among Sega fans in and out of Japan.


  • The excessive arm waving the Riders did was not merely for show. It was their method to power up before being able to unleash their more powerful moves (explaining why Rider I, for example, did a pose before performing the Rider Kick).


  • One of the reasons the first Kamen Rider series was popular was that the battles the Riders had with Shocker and Gelshocker took them all over the country. They fought in places ranging from gorges to valleys to ski resorts to ancient castles. The production crew would film these scenes on location thus providing the fights with a beautiful backdrop.


  • On one occasion, Hiroshi Fujioka (Takeshi Hongo/ Kamen Rider I) shattered his leg while filming a stunt, prompting the creation of Kamen Rider II to replace him while he recovered. On another occasion, while filming a fight taking place in a cable car, Hiroshi Fujioka actually hung on to it while dangling hundreds of feet up in the air.


  • Hiroshi Fujioka walks with a slight but noticeable limp, a reminder of the accident that created Kamen Rider II.


  • In Naruttimate Hero 3 on the Playstation 2, Maito Gai and Kakashi have a combination move called 'Double Dynamic Entry'. Basically a powerful double kick, it is an obvious homage to the Rider Double Kick. Gai even goes into a Kamen Rider style pose at the end.


  • In the Playstation 2 game Kamen Rider: Legacy of Justice, through the miracle of time travel Kamen Rider I and II join forces with some of their successors, including their direct successor Kamen Rider V3 (the Double Riders coming from a time before V3's creation), Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Agito. Amusingly enough, Agito is quite puzzled when one of Shocker's monsters notes that Kamen Riders still exist even in the future, prompting him to ask the monster what a Kamen Rider is. Later, however, he introduces himself to Kamen Rider I as 'Kamen Rider Agito'.



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