Kamen Rider
Kamen Rider
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Kamen Rider

6.4
Yr 1971
Rt 24m
Status Returning Series
Your Verdict
Unrated

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Series Brief

Overview

Takeshi Hongo is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organization planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 78 /100

Critics reflect on the original 1971 Kamen Rider as a foundational tokusatsu series that succeeded early on through its effective atmosphere and compelling protagonist. Hiroshi Fujioka's iconic portrayal of Takeshi Hongo established the show's dark allure, presenting an intelligent and capable lead whose prodigal background made him a prime subject for Shocker's sinister cybernetic experiments.

Retrospective commentary also highlights the series' stylistic evolution over time. When Takeshi Sasaki joined the cast as Ichimonji, the narrative adjusted to feature a more lighthearted, flirtatious energy, while the franchise embraced flashier transformation sequences to bolster audience ratings.

“the success of Kamen Rider conceptually is equally thanks to Takeshi Hongo, or more accurately Hiroshi Fujioka's iconic portrayal.”

“The show would also change things up further to try and revive flagging ratings by making the transformation into Kamen Rider a fancier affair.”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 75
Regulars 3
Longest run 326 eps
Show 67 more
Takeshi Sasaki as Hayato Ichimonji / Kamen Rider #2 111 episodes Akiji Kobayashi as Tobei Tachibana 248 episodes Yasuharu Miura as Goro Ishikura 98 episodes Chieko Morikawa as Ruriko Midorikawa 98 episodes Wakako Oki as Yuri 98 episodes Katsumi Nakajima as Michi 98 episodes Jirô Chiba as Taki Kazuya 98 episodes Linda Yamamoto as Mari 98 episodes Hideyo Amamoto as Doctor Shinigami 100 episodes Eiichiro Suzuki as Narrator (voice) 100 episodes Gaku Sano as Kouta Kazuraba 52 episodes Matasaburô Niwa as General Black 100 episodes Reo Kansyuji as Narita 52 episodes Tomohisa Yuge as Goro Yura 99 episodes Hideki Kawaguchi as Shigeru Tama 52 episodes Kouhei Takeda as Kazumi Sawatari / Kamen Rider Grease 99 episodes Yuko Takayama as Rinko Daimon 53 episodes Erina Nakayama as Medusa / Mayu Inamori 53 episodes Atsumi Kanno as Phoenix 53 episodes Junki Tozuka as Shunpei Nara 53 episodes Hiroshi Miyauchi as Shiro Kazami / Kamen Rider V3 62 episodes Takehisa Yamaguchi as Joji Yuki / Riderman 55 episodes Hizuru Ono as Junko Tama 52 episodes Rina Akiyama as Mana Kazaya 102 episodes Rikiya Koyama as Joe of Haze 96 episodes Tomonori Yazaki as Naoki 52 episodes Ryo Tayano as Ryu (Donut Shop Worker) 53 episodes Kaba-chan as Doughnut Shop Manager 53 episodes Koichi Yamadera as Narrator (voice) 95 episodes Tasuku Nagase as Kosuke Nitoh / Kamen Rider Beast 55 episodes Shingo Kawaguchi as Todoroki 52 episodes Akiyoshi Shibata as Takahiro Omuro 53 episodes Shozo Iizuka as Bosgun (voice) 98 episodes Toshimichi Takahashi as High Priest Baraom (voice) 98 episodes Yuichi Nakamura as Yuuto Sakurai / Kamen Rider Zeronos 99 episodes Makoto Okunaka as Honami 55 episodes Takuya Mizoguchi as Ryoutarou Nogami 53 episodes Masaki Terasoma as Kintaros (voice) 108 episodes Koji Yusa as Urataros (voice) 53 episodes Kenji Matsuda as Zanki 100 episodes Nobuyuki Hiyama as Steam Liner (voice) 102 episodes Toshiki Kashû as Shouichi Tsugami / Kamen Rider Agito 53 episodes Tetsuo Kurata as Kotaro Minami 100 episodes Yuria Haga as Yuki 99 episodes Kenichi Suzumura as Gecko Imagin (voice) 55 episodes Aoi Yuuki as Mari Sonoda (child) 60 episodes Takayuki Tsubaki as Kazuma Kenzaki 53 episodes Kohei Murakami as Masato Kusaka / Kamen Rider Kaixa 55 episodes Yuki Sato as Yusuke 53 episodes Toshihiko Seki as Kamen Rider Den-O (voice) 56 episodes Rina Onuki as Sae Ganaha 55 episodes Masato Uchiyama as Kamen Rider PunchHopper (voice) 55 episodes Hidenori Tokuyama as Kamen Rider KickHopper (voice) 54 episodes Mitsu Murata as Naito / Legion 98 episodes Nobuyuki Yoneyama as Tsuyoshi Sakurai 54 episodes Naoki Kawano as Superintendent Masanori Kizaki 55 episodes Hikari Kajiwara as Young Girl 56 episodes Atsushi Ogawa as Tanahashi 60 episodes Touko Fujita as Rei Kaimioka 53 episodes Shunya Shiraishi as Haruto Soma 54 episodes Tokimasa Tanabe as Taichi Misugi 53 episodes Takahisa Maeyama as Sora / Gremlin 53 episodes Shun Nishime as Takeru Tenkuuji / Kamen Rider Ghost 54 episodes Jiro Miyaguchi as Colonel Zol 100 episodes Kenji Ushio as Ambassador Hell 100 episodes Gorō Naya as Great Leader of Delza Army / Rock Great Leader (voice) 216 episodes Katsumi Shiono as Abysslasher (voice) 93 episodes
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Kamen Rider overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

artificial intelligence (a.i.) cyborg martial arts monster hero secret organization villain biker superhero tribe conspiracy swordsman memory loss impostor based on manga motorcycle super power masked superhero supervillain mysterious death masked supervillain death of hero superhero teamup mysterious disappearance henshin heroes friends to enemies tokusatsu evil dad
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
April 03, 1971
Status
Returning Series
Episode Runtime
24 minutes
Origin
JP
TMDB Votes
108