History Franchise / Kamenrider

[[caption-width-right:350:Kicking evil in the name of love, peace and justice [[LongRunner since 1971!]]]]

Another thing that Kamen Rider is also known for is for its DarkerAndEdgier themes. Almost half of Heisei and all of Reiwa have dark plots regarding the villains (heck, 2 of its shows are known for being full-on {{Cosmic Horror Stor|y}}ies). In one way or another, this reason is why more adults watch Kamen Rider than kids nowadays.

Another thing that Kamen Rider is also known for is for its DarkerAndEdgier themes. Almost half of Heisei and all of Reiwa have dark plots regarding the villains (heck, 2 of its shows are known for being full-on CosmicHorrorStory). In one way or another, this reason is why more adults watch Kamen Rider than kids nowadays.

Another thing that Kamen Rider is also known for is for its DarkerAndEdgier themes. Almost half of Heisei and all of Reiwa have dark plots regarding the villains (heck, 2 of its shows are known for being full-on CosmicHorrorStory). In one way or another, this reason is why adults watch Kamen Rider than kids nowadays.

* ''Series/KamenNorider'' (1988-1990, AffectionateParody skits on an unaffiliated variety show; not offically part of the franchise but notable enough to be invited to cameo in ''Zi-O'')

Another thing that Kamen Rider is also known for is for it's DarkerAndEdgier themes, almost half of Heisei and all of Reiwa have dark plots regarding the villains (heck, 2 of it's shows are known for their CosmicHorrorStory theme). In one way or another, this reason is why adults watch Kamen Rider than kids nowadays.

It typically has a smaller main cast than the relatively more well-known (in the West) ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' (the title of each series refers to a single main Rider instead of ''Super Sentai''[='=]s FiveManBand), but not always. Some series feature huge numbers of Riders, with the most extreme examples being ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' and its 13 Riders, ''Kamen Rider Gaim'' with 18, and ''Kamen Rider Geats'' with 19 (and counting, with dozens more implied offscreen).[[note]]Although ''Hibiki'' has far more if you count ones which were only mentioned, and technically ''Wizard'' has approximately 7 billion, as the summer movie is set in a place where everyone on Earth has Rider magic.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicenseLawEnforcement: Mostly through the Riders' ally Kazuya Taki, the show depicts the FBI as an intelligence agency that monitors international crime instead of domestic crime in the USA.

** EmpoweredBadassNormal: All of the Showa riders except Riderman.

* BatPeople: As the second ever MonsterOfTheWeek was Bat Man[[note]]Komori Otoko[[/note]], this is a common one.

* BreakoutCharacter: If the Secondary Rider or any of the extra Riders are popular enough, they're bound to get their own V-Cinema film once the series is over.

* CanNotSpitItOut: Writer Creator/ToshikiInoue includes ''extremely'' heavy doses of this, with [[{{Tragedy}} tragic results]], in every single series or movie he writes. Inoue was the head writer of ''Agito'', ''Faiz'', the second half of ''Hibiki'', and ''Kiva'', plus {{The Movie}}s based on those four shows, ''Kamen Rider The First'' and ''The Next'', ''and'' the {{Non Serial Movie}}s for ''Ryuki'' and ''Blade'', in addition to fill-in episodes on many Heisei Rider series he wasn't head writer of. You can guarantee that if a Rider series or movie involves tragedy resulting from the main characters not wanting to simply sit down and explain the situation to each other, it was written by Toshiki Inoue. Or Shouji Yonemura, who has made a career of copying and [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderizing]] Inoue's style. Of course, if characters ''do'' confront each other over something, either a Rider vs. Rider battle will ensue, or one character will punch the other in the face and leave the room. Neither will resolve anything.

** ''Faiz'': Coexistence, Dreams

%%** Specific series that are darker compared to other KR series include the original ''Kamen Rider'', ''[=V3=]'', ''X'', ''Black'', ''Shin Kamen Rider'', ''Kuuga'', ''Agito'', ''Ryuki'', ''555'', ''Blade'', ''Kiva'', ''Gaim'', and ''Build''. %% Explain what makes them "darker" than other Rider series.

* GottaCatchThemAll: A few series involve this kind of plot. ''Ghost'' featured 15 Eyecons that the heroes had to collect, while ''Build'' featured 60 Bottles that everyone was after, and ''Zi-O'' involved 20 Ridewatches. ''OOO'' and ''Fourze'' had downplayed versions: In ''OOO'' everyone was after the same Medals and they frequently changed hands, but there was nothing particularly special that would happen if anyone got ''all'' of them. Meanwhile, ''Fourze'' made a point of the heroes needing all 40 Switches to activate something, but they always had the complete set and just had to finish building them; and the villains didn't want them (because they were going after their ''own'' separate set of 12).

* {{Magitek}}: In ''W'', ''Gaim'', ''Build'', and ''Revice''; both the monsters and the Riders derive their power from a mystical or otherworldly source (The memories of the earth/Gaia Memories in ''W'', Helheim fruit/Lock Seeds in ''Gaim'', Nebula Gas/Pandora's Box in ''Build'', inner demons in ''Revice''). In the first two shows, the characters must utilize the human-made technology of transformation Drivers to wield the power without mutating or going insane. ''Ghost'' similarly revolves around soul-manipulating technology.

*** Incidentally, ''Double'' has a Masquerade-type Dopant. Instant faceless henchmen.

* MidSeasonUpgrade: Heisei era Kamen Riders normally have at least one upgrade that sits between their initial loadout and their eventual [[SuperMode final form]]. Two midgame upgrades is the most common structure, with each getting roughly one cour's worth of focus, but extreme cases have had as many as four. On rare occasions a secondary Rider will also get one intermediary upgrade, but almost never more than that.

* {{Mons}}: Noticeably embraced by the Heisei Riders from ''Ryuki'' to ''Ghost'' (though Gouram in ''Kuuga'' can also count). Ranging from Deconstructions (''Ryuki'', ''Kiva'', ''Gaim''), played straight (''Blade'', ''Hibiki'', mechanical ones in ''Faiz'') and parodied (''Den-O''). The later ones (''Double'' onwards) shifted somewhat to [[RobotBuddy Robot Buddies]] instead.

** ''Faiz'' has the Orphnochs, the next step in human evolution [[spoiler: or so they think, they're really just revenant zombie-like mutants.]]

** ''Geats'' plays with this trope by making it ''DeadlyGame of the week'' due to its BattleRoyale focus. As such the enemies the Kamen Riders face each round are a mix of Jyamato monster {{Mooks}}, EliteMooks and an occasional BossBattle, [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman all of which have variations tailored to the goal/theme of the game being played at the time]].

* NonSerialMovie: Lots of early Heisei series have them, specifically ''Ryuki'', ''Faiz'', ''Blade'', ''Hibiki'' and ''Kiva''. Later Heisei series tend to fit their movies into the show continuity instead.

* RobotBuddy: It's common starting with Phase 2 Heisei Riders to have little helper robots. However, how much focus they actually get moves from being almost like pets (''OOO'', ''Fourze'', ''Wizard'') down to just being the form of form-chage equipment that the Riders use (''Gaim'', ''Ex-Aid'', ''Zero-One'' in Reiwa). ''Kiva'' and ''Kabuto'' had them in Phase 1 as well, while ''Hibiki'' had a similar concept with the Disk Animals but weren't robots.

* TieInNovel: The Heisei Riders got their own series of tie-in novels, variously serving as prequels, sequels, untold stories, or alternate takes on the original shows. In terms of content, it's a mixed bag; most are disregarded by fans for trying to be DarkerAndEdgier ([[spoiler:''[[Series/KamenRiderBlade Blade]]''[='s=] focuses on a now-immortal Kenzaki trying to kill himself, while ''[[Series/KamenRider555 Faiz]]''[='s=] depicts Kusaka raping Mari and ends with him getting his limbs hacked off by Kiba and being taken in by a stalker a'la ''Literature/{{Misery}}'']]), while ''[[Series/KamenRiderDecade Decade]]''[='s=] is full of glaring continuity errors ([[Series/KamenRiderDenO Momotaros]] being portrayed as [[BoisterousBruiser quiet and polite]] is just the tip of the iceberg). The ones that are generally well-regarded seem to be official canon, or at least referenced in official media; ''Series/KamenRiderDrive''[='s=] novel is the first part of a story that concludes in Mach's stand-alone movie, while [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Philip's Kamen Rider Cyclone]] form appeared in the video game ''Super Climax Heroes'' as an AssistCharacter for Shotaro's Kamen Rider Joker.

** One-off Riders with non-belt trinkets include Diend from ''Decade'', who used a gun; and Necrom from ''Ghost'', who had an armbrace.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Zig-zagged. As part of the franchise's "humanity vs. monstrosity" theme, the monsters frequently have an all-too-human element to them. Often the ultimate villain is a human who is far more evil than the monsters were, and has turned himself monstrous in the pursuit of his goal. This trope was more varied in the Showa era however, where the {{Big Bad}}s tended to be inhuman forces which the human villains consorted with, seeking to use cybernetics to transcend their own humanity and rule over their fellow humans, while most of the {{cyborg}} heroes had their conversions given to them by the villains and sought to hold onto their humanity in spite of it. Even in Heisei era series, while individual humans may be evil, humanity as a whole is portrayed as an inherent good and something through which even inhuman monsters like [[Series/KamenRiderDrive Roidmudes]] can redeem themselves by embracing.

%%* MeaningfulName: Plenty there, if you're really knowledgeable in Japanese.

** ''Kabuto'' is shown to share a universe, with the ''Film/KamenRiderTheFirst'' reboot movie, if TheCameo of its Takeshi Hongo in episode 14 is anything to go by.

** ''Amazons'': Ruthlessness,

** ''Amazons'': Ruthlessness, Protecting Lives, Ethics in an unethical world

** ''Zi-O'': Rulership, Predetermination

* ''Anime/OhiruNoShockerSan'' (2022, Anime focused on SuperDeformed versions of the Shocker staff)

[[/index]]

* ''Series/KamenNorider'' (1988-1990, AffectionateParody series)

[[index]]

* ''Series/KamenRiderOutsiders'' (2022-2023, crossover special)

* ''VideoGame/KamenRider'' (SNES)
* ''[[VideoGame/KamenRiderSeigiNoKeifu Kamen Rider: Seigi no Keifu]]'' (2003) (UsefulNotes/Playstation2)

** ''VideoGame/GreatBattleFullBlast'' ([[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]])
** ''VideoGame/LostHeroes'' ([[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PS Vita]], UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS)
** ''VideoGame/HeroesVs'' ([[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]])
** ''VideoGame/SuperHeroGeneration'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita)
* ''VideoGame/KamenRiderClimaxHeroes'' series (UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]], UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch)

* ''Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride'', later renamed ''Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbarizing'' (UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}})
** ''Kamen Rider Ganbaride: Card Battle Taisen'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS adaptation)

* ''VideoGame/AllKamenRiderGenerations'' series (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]])
* ''VideoGame/KamenRiderBattrideWar'' series (UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/WiiU, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PS Vita]])

* ''Kamen Rider Batton Line'' (Online)
* ''Kamen Rider Travelers Record'' (2013) (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS)
* ''Kamen Rider Summonride'' (2014) (UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/WiiU)
* ''VideoGame/KamenRiderMemoryOfHeroez'' (2020) (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4)

** ''[[Anime/KamenRiderSDKaikiKumoOtoko Kamen Rider SD: Kaiki!? Kumo Otoko]]''
* ''Manga/KamenRiderSPIRITS'' manga, featuring Showa Riders up to ZX

* GratuitousEnglish: Most of it comes from the talking transformation devices. Less frequently used by characters.

* MeaningfulName: Plenty there, if you're really knowledgeable in Japanese.

* StupidStatementDanceMix:
** A side effect of Heisei Rider belts having [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPc5SkMox9M electronic voices.]]
** It's gotten so bad that someone spawned [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdcUGlfUHyA this]] ''[[invoked]]insanely catchy'' mv, with ''almost'' every single Heisei transformation voice or phrase.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnZfWEltH6Q This]] not only takes the transformation sounds, but '''other''' voices from the various ''Kamen Rider'' shows.
** OOO's ''official'' {{Image Song}}s are these; their names are homophones for his Combos ("Shauta" becomes "Shout Out", for example), and the belt's transformation announcements are worked into the songs themselves.
** Wizard's belt is just ''asking'' for a dance mix, [[CatchPhrase please]]. When it's primed, it sings out a catchy little tune on a loop until it activates a ring.
** ''Zero-One'' gives the Shining Hopper and [=MetalCluster=] Hopper Progrise Keys a monotone yet sing-songy monologue before the transformation jingle, which sound like this to begin with.

The central concept is that a lone hero suffers some great tragedy at the hands of an evil far bigger than they are ([[TheConspiracy usually a large organization with a secret and sinister agenda]]), but rises to [[BadPowersGoodPeople use the technology of the villains against them and as a general force for good]]. While the interpretation of this theme can vary wildly from year to year, every single Kamen Rider series embodies this in one way or another. Another important theme is that the hero regrets the act of fighting, but is forced to do so for the sake of humanity; this is shown by the iconic "teardrops" coming from the eyes of the helmet.

* ''Film/ShinKamenRiderPrologue'' (1992 direct-to-video movie)

* ''[[Film/ShinKamenRider2023 Shin Kamen Rider]]'' (2023, movie reboot of the original series; part of Creator/HideakiAnno's Franchise/ShinSeries; no relation to ''Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue'')

It typically has a smaller main cast than the relatively more well-known (in the West) ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' (the title of each series refers to a single main Rider instead of ''Super Sentai''[='=]s FiveManBand), but not always. Some series feature huge numbers of Riders, with the most extreme examples being ''Kamen Rider Geats'' with 11 Riders (and counting), ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' and its 13 Riders and ''Kamen Rider Gaim'' with 18.[[note]]Although ''Hibiki'' has far more if you count ones which were only mentioned, and technically ''Wizard'' has approximately 7 billion, as the summer movie is set in a place where everyone on Earth has Rider magic.[[/note]]

** ''Black'' (later ''Black RX'') is pretty extreme with this. Not just transform, they use them [[PunctuatedForEmphasis AS! EMPHASIS!]]

* BadassNormal: Taki Kazuya regularly faces cyborgs ''hand-to-hand'' despite being completely human. Riderman (V3's Rival) was, in his original appearance, basically a Mook with a swappable right forearm - he TookALevelInBadass between that and ''SPIRITS''.

** ''Geats'': Desire and Fighting for it

* DualWielding: [[DualWielding/KamenRider Has its own page.]]

* GirlsNightOutEpisode: The "[[Recap/KamenRiderJeanneAndKamenRiderAguileraWithGirlsRemix Girls Remix]]" three part special, which focuses on female Riders and other prominent female characters throughout the franchise.

** In general, Rider shows has some side media that tend to be more comical and zany than the actual series themselves, namely from the yearly Hyper Battle Videos, the Net Movies that occured from ''Kiva'' to ''Wizard'', ''Zi-O's Supplementary Plans'' meta miniseries for its' first 16 episodes, and a few chibi anime specials.[[note]]Which include ''Kamen Rider SD'', ''Imagin Anime'' shorts, ''Zero-One's Everybody's Daily Life'', and ''Saber's Short Story Activity Manga Collection''.[[/note]]

* RobotBuddy: It's common starting with Phase 2 Heisei Riders to have little helper robots. However, how much focus they actually get moves from being almost like pets (''OOO'', ''Fourze'', ''Wizard'') down to just being the form of MagicMushroom that the Riders uses (''Gaim'', ''Ex-Aid'', ''Zero-One'' in Reiwa). ''Kiva'' and ''Kabuto'' had them in Phase 1 as well, while ''Hibiki'' had a similar concept with the Disk Animals but weren't robots.

* ScarfOfAsskicking: Another part of the Rider package, almost as iconic as the kick, the belt and the bike.
** Unfortunately, dropped starting with ''Black'' in favor of just armor - apparently, it's [[CapeSnag too easy for the suit actors to get tangled up in scarves]]. Lampshaded or subverted, depending on your point of view, when the EvilTwin from ''Blade'' is only distinguishable by the fact that he's wearing a scarf.

** The Build gains one when he uses the Ninjya Fullbottle.

* SharedUniverse: ''Kamen Rider'' has a... flaky relationship with the concept.

** The beginning of the Neo-Heisei era saw an attempt to create more of a coherent continuity between the seasons in that era, with recurring plot elements like [[GreaterScopeVillain Foundation X]]. [[AbortedArc This ended up not panning out]]. Still, several of the [[CrisisCrossover Movie Wars]] fit neatly enough into the continuities of the series involved to imply a shared timeline between most of the Neo-Heisei shows, including ''[[Film/KamenRiderXKamenRiderWizardAndFourzeMovieWarUltimatum Movie War Ultimatum]]'' and the first ''[[Film/KamenRiderHeiseiGenerationsDrPacmanVsExAidAndGhostWithLegendaryRiders Heisei Generations]]'' film. ''[[Film/KamenRiderHeiseiGenerationsFinalBuildAndExAidWithLegendRiders Heisei Generations Final]]'' also fits in pretty well if one assumes it takes place right before the TimeSkip in ''Ultimatum''.

* StatisticallySpeaking: Toei publishes statistics for nearly every Rider during the run of their show, which since the beginning of the Heisei era has been standardized as a measurement of punching power and kicking power in tons, jump height in meters, and running speed by how fast the character can run a 100-meter dash. More often than not, [[LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics these numbers are totally arbitrary nonsense]] and have little to no bearing on the character's actual performance in the show -- as an extreme example, Kamen Rider Poppy (a side character from ''Ex-Aid'' who rarely fights) boasts numbers far higher than Kamen Rider Gaim Kiwami Arms (not just a main character's SuperMode, but in-series he's treated as approaching demigodhood). This is particularly obvious during crossover events where characters will be presented [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe as capable as the plot demands]], regardless of how lopsided their stats say a match up should be. Especially if they happen to be newly debuted.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: As part of the franchise's "humanity vs. monstrosity" theme, the monsters frequently have an all-too-human element to them. Often the ultimate villain is a human who is far more evil than the monsters were, and has turned himself monstrous in the pursuit of his goal. This trope was more varied in the Showa era however, where the {{Big Bad}}s tended to be inhuman forces which the human villains consorted with, seeking to use cybernetics to transcend their own humanity and rule over their fellow humans, while most of the {{cyborg}} heroes had their conversions given to them by the villains and sought to hold onto their humanity in spite of it. Even in Heisei era series, while individual humans may be evil, humanity as a whole is portrayed as an inherent good and something through which even inhuman monsters like [[Series/KamenRiderDrive Roidmudes]] can redeem themselves by embracing.

Kamen Rider famously launched the "Second Monster Boom" or "Henshin Boom", a period in the 70's that saw the birth of many imitating superhero shows (specifically, that of the HenshinHero variety), moving tokusatsu from the film industry to television. The subsequent domino-effect made Kamen Rider's influences in the current Japanese media deep rooted. Shows such as its brother-show ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'', and to go even further ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' (and the MagicalGirlWarrior genre as a whole) wouldn't be possible without Kamen Rider, just to name a few.

* TieInNovel: The Heisei Riders got their own series of tie-in novels, variously serving as prequels, sequels, untold stories, or alternate takes on the original shows. In terms of content, it's a mixed bag; most are disregard by fans for trying to be DarkerAndEdgier ([[spoiler:''[[Series/KamenRiderBlade Blade]]''[='s=] focuses on a now-immortal Kenzaki trying to kill himself, while ''[[Series/KamenRider555 Faiz]]''[='s=] depicts Kusaka raping Mari and ends with him getting his limbs hacked off by Kiba and being taken in by a stalker a'la ''Literature/{{Misery}}'']]), while ''[[Series/KamenRiderDecade Decade]]''[='s=] is full of glaring continuity errors ([[Series/KamenRiderDenO Momotaros]] being portrayed as [[BoisterousBruiser quiet and polite]] is just the tip of the iceberg). The ones that are generally well-regarded seem to be official canon, or at least referenced in official media; ''Series/KamenRiderDrive''[='s=] novel is the first part of a story that concludes in Mach's stand-alone movie, while [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Philip's Kamen Rider Cyclone]] form appeared in the video game ''Super Climax Heroes'' as an AssistCharacter for Shotaro's Kamen Rider Joker.

* MultiformBalance: First started with ''Black RX''. Since then, it was codified by ''Kuuga'' and has become a tradition for Heisei-era Kamen Riders.

* PhlebotinumRebel: The concept of a hero using the villains' powers against them is a central trope in the franchise. Series-by-series examples can be found on [[PhlebotinumRebel/KamenRider their own page.]]