Kamen Rider

Story

The series takes place in a world plagued by Shocker, a mysterious worldwide terrorist organization formed mostly by remaining members of the Nazis. To further its plans for world domination, Shocker recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning their victims into mutant cyborgs (改造人間, kaizō ningen; lit. 'transhuman') and, ultimately, brainwashing them. However, one victim named Takeshi Hongo escaped just before the final brainwashing. With his sanity and moral conscience intact, Takeshi wages a one-man war against Shocker's minions as the grasshopper-themed cyborg superhero Kamen Rider. 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.

Manga

Many manga based on the original Kamen Rider series have been published, but only one was penned and drawn by Ishinomori himself. Ishinomori was also the author of one chapter of the Kamen Rider Amazon manga and the entire Kamen Rider Black manga. However, those manga were based on sequels to Kamen Rider, rather than the original series.

The original manga, published in 1971, initially follows a path resembling the first few episodes of the TV series, from basic plot to creature designs. However, when Takeshi leaves the story, the series diverge greatly. In the TV show, Takeshi travels abroad to fight Shocker in other countries, leaving Japan's protection to Hayato Ichimonji, a freelance cameraman who was experimented on by Shocker but saved by Takeshi, becoming the second Kamen Rider. In the manga, Takeshi never left Japan. He was confronted by twelve "Shocker Riders" and was subsequently mortally wounded during his battle against them. Hayato Ichimonji, one of the twelve Shocker Riders, receives a head injury during the fight and regains his conscience as a result. He then turns against Shocker and takes Takeshi's role as Kamen Rider. In spite of the damage to his body, Takeshi's brain survives and guides Hayato, the two fighting as one.

Takeshi eventually returns as a Rider in both stories, but starting with Hayato's debut, villains and even basic story development greatly diverge between the two versions. The manga portrays a seemingly hopeless battle against Shocker, an organization with ties to governmental conspiracies that seems much bigger than either of the two Riders. The live action TV shows portray the Riders as heroes strong enough to bring down Shocker, only to see it replaced by similar organizations led by Shocker's mysterious leader. The Shocker Riders eventually appear in the TV series, too, but they looked different and had different abilities. There were also only six Shocker Riders, rather than the manga's 12.

In February 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced they licensed the original manga for publication in one omnibus edition.

Characters

Kamen Riders

Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 (本郷 猛/仮面ライダー1号, Hongō Takeshi/Kamen Raidā Ichigō; 1–13, 40–41, 49, 51–98): The first main protagonist. A biochemistry lab student at Jonan University who also races motorcycles as part of the Tachibana Racing Club.

Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2 (一文字 隼人/仮面ライダー2号, Ichimonji Hayato/Kamen Raidā Nigō; 14–52, 72–73, 93–94, 98): The other main protagonist. A freelance photographer who becomes the second Kamen Rider after Takeshi saves him from Shocker.

Allies

Tobei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛, Tachibana Tōbee): Takeshi's racing mentor and confidant. He is often called "Pops" by other members of his racing club. He runs a small café named Snack Amigo where Hongo and other members of Tachibana's racing club gather in early episodes, and its employees occasionally assist Hongo in countering Shocker's plans. At the same time as Takeshi's departure, he opens a motorcycle goods shop named Tachibana Auto Corner and sets up the Tachibana Racing Club. He is often seen smoking a pipe.

Kazuya Taki (滝 和也, Taki Kazuya): An FBI agent assigned to investigate Shocker activities in Japan. While not himself a cyborg, Kazuya was skilled in martial arts and often used them alongside both Kamen Riders to battle the combatants who invariably accompanied a Shocker commander.

Hiroshi Midorikawa (緑川 弘, Midorikawa Hiroshi): Takeshi's teacher at university and an authority on biochemistry. He is a Shocker scientist, but freed Takeshi and was killed by Spider Man, an agent of Shocker.

Ruriko Midorikawa (緑川 ルリ子, Midorikawa Ruriko): The daughter of Doctor Midorikawa, she initially blames Takeshi for her father's death, but eventually learns the truth and becomes his ally. In episode 14, it is revealed that she accompanied Takeshi on his quest to defeat Shocker activities in Europe.

Hiromi Nohara (野原 ひろみ, Nohara Hiromi): Ruriko's fellow student, who works as a waitress at Snack Amigo.

Shiro (史郎, Shirō): A bartender at Snack Amigo.

Rider Girls (ライダーガールズ, Raidā Gāruzu): Female members of the Tachibana Racing Club who assist both Kamen Riders.

Yuri (ユリ): Hiromi's friend who is a first-degree black belt in karate.

Mari (マリ): Hiromi's friend who has experience in fencing.

Michi (ミチ): Hiromi's friend who has experience in aikido and is a small-displacement rider.

Shocker

Shocker (ショッカー, Shokkā) is a terrorist organization aiming to conquer the world. To this end, their scientists turn humans into superhuman cyborgs by surgically altering them with animal and insect DNA with robotic cybernetics. Virtually all of its members are modified the same way. Even a Shocker Combatant is tougher, faster, and stronger than an ordinary human civilian. The original manga showed that Shocker had influence over the governments of the world. Its founders had ties to the Nazis, Illuminati and the Kamen Rider Spirits manga makes references to the group's support by the Badan Empire.

Ruthless and merciless, Shocker would often kidnap prominent scientists and force them to work for the organization, then kill them when their usefulness was at an end, or if they attempted to escape. The decision to kidnap and modify college student Takeshi Hongo proved to be their undoing. He was intended to be another of Shocker's powerful cyborg warriors, a grasshopper-human hybrid, but he escaped and opposed them as Kamen Rider 1. A later attempt to create a second, more powerful Kamen Rider backfired when the intended victim, Hayato Ichimonji, was rescued by the original Rider before he was brainwashed and became Kamen Rider 2. The pair, known as the Double Riders, put an end to Shocker, and later its remnants, who formed Gel-Shocker after their disbandment.

In OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders, Shocker, although with a membership and leadership covering Gel-Shocker members from the original TV series, obtained a Core Medal and modified it into the Shocker Medal. Though they were originally unable to use it, the appearance of the Greeed Ankh in their time enabled the organization to obtain one of his Cell Medals and create the Shocker Greeed. This altered time so that Shocker defeated the Double Riders and managed to conquer all of Japan and eventually the world, setting up a union with many of the other organizations that originally emerged after Shocker's destruction. The group is ultimately defeated by the Kamen Riders.

During the events of Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3, Shocker's remaining scientists created a History Modification Machine in order to send a time displaced cyborg called Kamen Rider Three back in time to destroy the Double Riders in the aftermath of Gel-Shocker's defeat, creating a new timeline where Shocker rules the world with some Kamen Riders in their service. Luckily, the apparent destruction of the History Modification Machine restores the timeline (with the exception of Go Shijima/Kamen Rider Mach who was killed by Cheetahkatatsumuri), only to be found out during the events of D-Video Special: Kamen Rider Four that Shocker secretly uses it to create time loops and alters the timeline once more, allowing to create Kamen Rider Four, as well as the revelation that they have been targeting Takumi Inui, due to his sacrifice-less wish to ensure that no one dies like what happened to one of his old allies to create a loop. In the end, Takumi destroys the machine and disappears alongside the modified timeline, restored back to its original timeline once more.

Gel-Shocker

Gel-Shocker (ゲルショッカー, Gerushokkā) was formed after the disbandment of Shocker, with the remnants of the organization absorbing another organization Geldam (ゲルダム団, Gerudamu-dan) trained in the deserts of Africa. After Ambassador Hell's defeat, the Shocker Leader reorganized the organization from the ground up, destroying all remaining secret bases and even killing the remaining troop contingent in a bloody forest massacre witnessed by unfortunate campers.

General Black (ブラック将軍, Burakku-shōgun): The leader of Gel-Shocker. General Black is a commander originally from Geldam who had a monstrous leech/chameleon hybrid form called Hilchameleon (ヒルカメレオン, Hirukamereon) who had the ability to suck blood by hugging humans, which was later used to revive Gel-Shocker monsters after already being defeated by the Double Riders, throwing leeches which cause the target to follow his orders and turn himself invisible. Later, he fought the Double Riders on a roller coaster and was defeated by their Rider Double Chop while turning invisible. Weakened, he reverted to his human form and cursed the Double Riders before exploding. Eventually, General Black was resurrected and worked for Destron in an important operation but ended up dying in the self-destruction of a Destron base. Black returned as a soulless pawn of the Badan Empire in the Kamen Rider Spirits manga, but he was defeated by a Rider Double Kick performed by Kamen Riders 2 and ZX.

Gel-Shocker Combatants (ゲルショッカー戦闘員, Geru Shokkā Sentōin): Gel-Shocker Combatants wore bright purple and yellow costumes, were capable of traveling from one place to another by transforming into sheets that would drop down onto unsuspecting victims, and were capable of taking more blunt abuse than their predecessors.

Shocker Riders (ショッカーライダー, Shokkā Raidā): There were 12 of them instead of the 6 created by Gel-Shocker that later appeared in the TV series. Hayato Ichimonji was one of them. In episode 15, Hayato had a brief flashback about his capture by Shocker. A Shocker surgeon told him that he'd become a cyborg to fight against the Kamen Rider. Afterwards, Hayato mentioned that he was saved by Kamen Rider 1, but the specific circumstances of that event are not clear.

The Gel-Shocker monsters are hybrids of two different animals or an animal and a plant.

Films

1971: Go Go Kamen Rider (ゴーゴー仮面ライダー, Gō Gō Kamen Raidā) - A movie version of episode 13.

1972: Kamen Rider vs. Shocker (仮面ライダー対ショッカー, Kamen Raidā Tai Shokkā)

1972: Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell (仮面ライダー対じごく大使, Kamen Raidā Tai Jigoku-taishi)

2005: Kamen Rider: The First

2007: Kamen Rider: The Next

2011: OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders (オーズ・電王・オールライダー レッツゴー仮面ライダー, Ōzu Den'ō Ōru Raidā Rettsu Gō Kamen Raidā)

2014: Heisei Rider vs. Shōwa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai (平成ライダー対昭和ライダー 仮面ライダー大戦 feat.スーパー戦隊, Heisei Raidā Tai Shōwa Raidā Kamen Raidā Taisen Fīcharingu Sūpā Sentai)

2016: Kamen Rider 1 (仮面ライダー1号, Kamen Raidā Ichigō)

2021: Saber + Zenkaiger: Super Hero Senki (セイバー+ゼンカイジャー スーパーヒーロー戦記, Seibā Zenkaijā Sūpā Hīrō Senki)

2021: Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations (仮面ライダー ビヨンド・ジェネレーションズ, Kamen Raidā Biyondo Jenerēshonzu)

2023: Shin Kamen Rider

S.I.C. Hero Saga

Published in Monthly Hobby Japan, the S.I.C. Hero Saga stories illustrated by S.I.C. figure dioramas portray stories featuring the characters from the Shotaro Ishinomori series. Kamen Rider has had three different stories: Missing Link, Special Episode: Escape (SPECIAL EPISODE -脱出-, Supesharu Episōdo Dasshutsu), and From Here to Eternity (ここより永遠に, Koko yori Towa ni). Missing Link ran in the July to October 2002 issues, From Here to Eternity was featured in the special issue HOBBY JAPAN MOOK S.I.C. OFFICIAL DIORAMA STORY S.I.C. HERO SAGA vol.1 Kakioroshi, and Special Episode: Escape was featured in the October 2006 issue of Hobby Japan.

New characters introduced during the Missing Link story are the twelve Shocker Riders (ショッカーライダー, Shokkā Raidā; each with different colored scarves) and the Shocker Tank (ショッカータンク, Shokkā Tanku).

Missing Link chapter titles

Infiltration (潜入, Sen'nyū)

Disappearance (失踪, Shissō)

Awakening (覚醒, Kakusei)

Puppet (傀儡, Kairai)

Cast

Takeshi Hongo: Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡 弘, Fujioka Hiroshi)

Hayato Ichimonji: Takeshi Sasaki (佐々木 剛, Sasaki Takeshi)

Kazuya Taki: Jirō Chiba (千葉 治郎, Chiba Jirō)

Tōbei Tachibana: Akiji Kobayashi (小林 昭二, Kobayashi Akiji)

Ruriko Midorikawa: Chieko Maki (真樹 千恵子, Maki Chieko)

Hiromi Nohara: Yoko Shimada (島田 陽子, Shimada Yōko)

Shiro: Jō Honda (本田 じょう, Honda Jō)

Yuri: Wakako Oki (沖 わか子, Oki Wakako)

Mari: Linda Yamamoto (山本 リンダ, Yamamoto Rinda)

Michi: Katsumi Nakajima (中島 かつみ, Nakajima Katsumi)

Goro Ishikura: Yasuharu Miura (三浦 康晴, Miura Yasuharu)

Emi: Emily Takami (高見 エミリー, Takami Emirī)

Mika: Yōko Sugibayashi (杉林 陽子, Sugibayashi Yōko)

Tokko: Machiko Nakajima (中島 真智子, Nakajima Machiko)

Naoki: Tomonori Yazaki (矢崎 知紀, Tomonori Yazaki)

Mitsuru: Yoshikazu Yamada (山田 芳一, Yamada Yoshikazu)

Yokko: Yoshiko Nakada (中田 喜子, Nakada Yoshiko)

Choko: Mimi Hagiwara (ミミ萩原, Hagiwara Mimi)

Voice cast

Shocker/Gel-Shocker Leader: Gorō Naya (納谷 悟朗, Naya Gorō)

Narrator: Shinji Nakae (中江 真司, Nakae Shinji)

Suit cast

Kamen Rider 1: Hiroshi Fujioka (藤岡邦弘, Fujioka Kunihiro), Masaru Okada (岡田勝, Okada Masaru), Tetsuya Nakayashiki (中屋敷哲也, Nakayashiki Tetsuya), Yuutarou Oosugi (大杉雄太郎, Oosugi Yuutarou)

Kamen Rider 2: Tetsuya Nakayashiki (中屋敷哲也, Nakayashiki Tetsuya), Bunya Nakamura (中村文弥, Nakamura Bun'ya), Masaru Okada (岡田勝, Okada Masaru)

International broadcasts

In Thailand, the series first aired in 1971 on Channel 5, from September 7, 1971, with the title Red Ant Rampant.

In the Philippines, Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider V3 were aired on RPN-9 under the title Kamen Rider from 1975 to 1977 with an English dub.

In North America, Shout! Factory made the entire series available to stream in 2020.

Staff

Creator: Shotaro Ishinomori

Scriptwriters: Masaru Igami, Shinichi Ichikawa, Masayuki Shimada, Mari Takizawa, Hisashi Yamazaki, Takao Nagaishi, Masahiro Tsukada, Ikurō Suzuki, Takeo Ōno, Fumio Ishimori, Kimiyuki Hasegawa, Kimio Hirayama, Minoru Yamada, Gorō Oketani, Shotaro Ishinomori

Directors: Kōichi Takemoto, Itaru Orita, Hidetoshi Kitamura, Minoru Yamada, Issaku Uchida, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Masahiro Tsukada, Shotaro Ishinomori, Atsuo Okunaka

Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Songs

Opening themes

"Let's Go!! Rider Kick" (レッツゴー!!ライダーキック, Rettsu Gō!! Raidā Kikku)

Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori

Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Artist: Hiroshi Fujioka / Masato Shimon (as Koichi Fuji) & Male Harmony (メール・ハーモニー, Mēru Hāmonī)

Episodes: 1–13 (Fujioka), 14–88 (Fuji)

"Rider Action" (ライダーアクション, Raidā Akushon)

Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori

Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Artist: Masato Shimon

Episodes: 89–98

Ending themes

"Kamen Rider no Uta" (仮面ライダーの歌, Kamen Raidā no Uta; "The Song of Kamen Rider")

Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude

Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Artist: Koichi Fuji, Male Harmony

Episodes: 1–71

"Rider Action"

Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori

Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Artist: Masato Shimon

Legacy

The Kamen Rider original series famously spearheaded launched the "Second Kaiju Boom" or "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the superhero and action-adventure genre in Japan. The famous "henshin sequence", in which the title hero performs ritualistic poses and shouting a keyword to transform into his superhero form has since become a staple in Japanese pop-culture, inspiring superheroes, and magical girl genres. Kamen Rider went later produce a great number of spin-offs which remain in production today. Several Kamen Rider series were aired in Japan after the first Kamen Rider finished. After Kamen Rider Black RX ended production in 1989, the series was put on hold.

There were three movies released as the 1990s "Movie Riders", which were Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, Kamen Rider ZO and Kamen Rider J. After the original creator Shōtarō Ishinomori's death in 1998, the Kamen Rider franchise continued in 2000 with Kamen Rider Kuuga. As of 2025, thirty-six Kamen Rider series have been made, with the newest being Kamen Rider ZEZTZ which premiered in September 2025.

As of 2005, a remake of the Kamen Rider series in the Heisei era was made and reimagined with Kamen Rider The First and continued with Kamen Rider The Next released in 2007.

The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in astronomer Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1, and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series itself.

As of 2021, starting from Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations, Hiroshi Fujioka's son, Maito portrays Takeshi Hongo's younger self.

As of 2023, another remake of the Kamen Rider series in the Reiwa era was made and reimagined with Shin Kamen Rider.