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 Masato Mishima 99 episodes Hideki Kawaguchi as Shigeru Tama 52 episodes Kouhei Takeda as Otoya Kurenai 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 Naomi 102 episodes Rikiya Koyama as Jikū Driver (voice) 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 ZEZTZ Driver (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 Gatezone (voice) 98 episodes Yuichi Nakamura as Yuuto Sakurai 99 episodes Makoto Okunaka as Koyomi 55 episodes Takuya Mizoguchi as Shibuya 53 episodes Masaki Terasoma as Ryuji Tsukasa 108 episodes Koji Yusa as Urataros (voice) 53 episodes Kenji Matsuda as Jirou 100 episodes Nobuyuki Hiyama as Stag Beetle Yummy (voice) 102 episodes Toshiki Kashû as Shouichi Tsugami 53 episodes Tetsuo Kurata as Kotaro Minami 100 episodes Yuria Haga as Mio Suzuki / Pearl Shell Fangire 99 episodes Kenichi Suzumura as Ryutaros (voice) 55 episodes Aoi Yuuki as Mari Sonoda (child) 60 episodes Takayuki Tsubaki as Kazuma Kenzaki 53 episodes Kohei Murakami as IT President Uemura 55 episodes Yuki Sato as Arata Kagami / Kamen Rider Gatack 53 episodes Toshihiko Seki as Momotaros (voice) 56 episodes Rina Onuki as Nasuka Nagumo 55 episodes Masato Uchiyama as Yoshio Kobayashi 55 episodes Hidenori Tokuyama as Molech Imagin (voice) 54 episodes Mitsu Murata as Naito / Legion 98 episodes Nobuyuki Yoneyama as Tsuyoshi Sakurai 54 episodes Naoki Kawano as Toru Kawai 55 episodes Hikari Kajiwara as Ritsuko Usaka 56 episodes Atsushi Ogawa as Shougo Higashi 60 episodes Touko Fujita as Rei Kamioka 53 episodes Shunya Shiraishi as Haruto Souma / Kamen Rider Wizard 54 episodes Tokimasa Tanabe as Junta Abe 53 episodes Takahisa Maeyama as Sora / Gremlin 53 episodes Shun Nishime as Kamen Rider Ghost (voice) 54 episodes Jiro Miyaguchi as Coronel Zol 100 episodes Kenji Ushio as Ambassador Hell 100 episodes Gorō Naya as Great Leader of Neo-Shocker (voice) 216 episodes Katsumi Shiono as Scarab Undead (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