History Series / KamenRiderDragonKnight

The second attempt at adapting ''Franchise/KamenRider'' for western audiences, after ''Saban's Series/MaskedRider''. Based on ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'', chosen for its large number of Riders, [[AffirmativeActionGirl including a woman]]. The series was produced by Adness Entertainment.

!! ''Kamen Rider Dragon Knight'' contains examples of:
* ActionGirl: Siren, natch.

* AWizardDidIt: [[spoiler:Everything Eubulon does up to and including the finale.]]

* CanonForeigner: In a non-human version, ''Dragon Knight'' actually shows Wrath's Final Vent on-screen, while ''Ryuki'' didn't show Odin's; until ''DK'', the only way to see it was to play the UsefulNotes/PlayStation game.

The show did well in non-North American markets (especially when it was imported back to Japan), in the U.S., ''Dragon Knight'' aired on a broadcast block managed by [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4kids Entertainment]]. It suffered from low ratings due to lack of advertising and was cancelled around the tail end of the series. The last four episodes were not broadcast by them, and the final two were not broadcast at all, though they were uploaded to The CW's website. While [=4Kids=]' didn't seem to care about the show, other CW executives liked it, and their running of several episodes within their daytime programming blocks resulted in the show ultimately winning an Emmy award for stunt coordination.

* NeverSayDie: Defeated Kamen Riders don't die, they get "vented". Eventually justified as something you ''can'' return from.

* TheOnlyOne: Len from ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'' not only starts ''out'' like this, he wants to ''keep it that way'' at first because he doesn't believe anyone from Earth can be trusted with the Kamen Rider Advent Decks, particularly Kit, who is the mirror twin of the Rider who betrayed the team. The fact that most of the Earth Riders actually tend to be bad guys (though a few are innocently duped or framed) doesn't help matters any. He gets better about it as the series goes on, and then it's revealed that he ''wasn't'' the last of the Ventaran Riders to escape being vented anyway.

* WhamEpisode: "Xaviax's Wrath". The Knights pull out Survive Mode to finish the fight for good. The result? [[spoiler:Every last remaining Earth Rider gets vented - including Kit - leaving it once again down to just Xaviax and Wing Knight.]]

The second attempt at adapting ''Franchise/KamenRider'' for western audiences, after ''Saban's Series/MaskedRider''. Based on ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'', chosen for its large number of Riders, [[AffirmativeActionGirl including a woman]].

* TheResolutionWillNotBeTelevised: Not only were the last two episodes only viewable online, but a sequel novel came out exclusively in Japan.

%%* WhipItGood: Sting's Swing Vent.

* BrokenAesop: Chris's arc was clearly meant to teach the lesson that you can still be a hero despite your setbacks (in Chris's case, those setbacks were being discharged from the military due to his asthma). This is invalidated in the finale when Chris's asthma is cured and he's able to join the military just like he wanted. Uh...
** The entire series can also be seen as one big Broken Aesop, as according to the head writer, one of the main points of the series was to teach kids about the consequences of their actions, but most of the characters don't face any. This is particularly true for Adam, the Ventaran Dragon Knight, who [[spoiler:betrays the entire planet of Ventara to Xaviax]], but receives no known punishment for it. The Advent Master Eubulon even goes as far as to say that he does not have time to punish him because he's needed in the final battle with Xaviax.
** This depends on perspective, really, perhaps the moral was 'good deeds are rewarded', Chris fought for good so he got his asthma cured. As for Adam [[spoiler:it was all Xaviax's fault, he was tricked, along with nearly all of Xaviax's soldiers. The second time he was even blackmailed into it.]] And Xaviax did pay by [[spoiler:being the only character in the show to die.]]

** Eubulon says that there is no time to punish Adam for betraying them and the planet Ventara... TWICE! The first time is somewhat forgivable, as he [[spoiler:was tricked by Xaviax, but the second time is completely of his own free will]]. So they decide to trust a known liar and traitor just because they need his help to defeat Xaviax, despite having no reason to trust him at all.
*** This… is YMMV at best. First of all, Adam's second betrayal was based on deception as well, with Xaviax impersonating Eubulon and attacking and berating him. Once the second deception was revealed, Adam immediately sided with the riders for good. Second of all, they truly didn't have time to punish him. Xaviax's teleporters were in the final countdown and they needed all thirteen riders to make the Link Vent work. Third of all, even if Adam DID turn on them again, he would have been outnumbered at least six to one at best, thirteen to one at worst. They'd be more than capable of handling him in that event. Ultimately it doesn't matter as Adam's HeelFaceTurn truly sticks this time.

* FiveManBand:
** [[spoiler: Interestingly, the heroes were never shown together as a whole.]]
*** TheHero: Kit
*** TheLancer: Len
*** TheBigGuy: Brad
*** [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Girl]]: Maya
*** TheHeart: Chris
*** SixthRanger: Kase
** Configuration 2; [[spoiler: after a few of the Ventaran Riders came into the action]]
*** BigGood: Eubulon
*** TheHero: Kit
*** TheLancer: Kase
*** TheMentor: Len
*** TheBigGuy: Chance
*** TheSmartGuy: Price (who doubles as the second [[TheMentor mentor]] and Hunt.
*** TheChick: Maya Young.
*** TagalongKid: Trent
*** InformedLoner: Hunt
*** [[spoiler: SixthRanger: Adam]].
** Xaviax and his evil riders [[spoiler: the ones who knew he was an alien]]
*** BigBad: Xaviax
*** TheDragon: James/Strike [[spoiler: CoDragons if you count Xaviax's DemonicPossession of Wrath]]
*** TheBrute[=/=]TokenGoodTeammate: Brad/Thrust
*** EvilGenius[=/=]TheStarscream: Drew/Torque
*** DarkChick: Danny/Axe & Albert/Spear, the Cho Brothers.

* BrotherChuck: Maya's Aunt Grace, owner of the bookstore, vanished after the early eps once the producers had convinced their bosses that more drama and less comedy wouldn't hurt the ratings. While she clearly still owns the bookstore, her name is never even mentioned again after she vanishes.

%%* TheChick: Maya.

** BikerBabe: Kase

** PositiveDiscrimination: Xaviax considers her as good as or better than Wing Knight. But then again, any of the Ventaran Riders are career soldiers and they are going to outperform the civilians Xaviax had to work with. Subverted when [[spoiler: she gets vented before being brought back in the last few episodes with the other Ventaran Riders.]]
** TheSmurfettePrinciple: She's still the only girl out of twelve, and has the last and briefest appearance in the opening.

Received a [[NoExportForYou sequel novel exclusive to Japan]] called ''Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight - 2WORLD 1HEARTS''. The Riders are celebrating first anniversary of Ventara's liberation, but Kit had been held back by battle against the remaining mirror monsters. His arrival is further delayed by the connection between Earth and Ventara being severed along with [[FromBadToWorse attacks increasing once more]]. [[HopeSpot Len's appearance]] makes things only so much better. With no reinforcements on the way, the No Men have to accept the proposal of war veteran Colonel David Stuart and [[GodzillaThreshold gather the earth Riders]]... all without anyone knowing about the arrival of a new enemy exceeding [[UpToEleven even the likes of Xaviax]].

* RingsOfActivation: Transforming into a Kamen Rider is accompanied by two large rings intertwining across the body before vanishing in a flash of light, leaving the Rider in their armor.

* SphereOfPower: The Riders' transformation sequence utilizes this, and acts as a protective barrier while changing.

** Gets a little eerie when you realize that Batman canonically has a British counterpart called Knight, who wears a [[http://www.comicbookresources.com/prev_img.php?pid=6213&cover=1 very similar visor]]. (Almost certainly a coincidence; Knight was essentially a forgotten relic of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, though he was briefly brought back to prominence in ''ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman'' around the time the show was airing.)

* TheChick: Maya.
* CirclingMonologue: Xaviax and Eubulon in the finale.
* CityOfAdventure: Gramercy Heights in Los Angeles.
* ClearMyName: Thrust's goal.

* DealWithTheDevil: Xaviax's offers.
* DeathByFlashback: [[spoiler:Torque]]

* DemonicPossession: Wrath.

* DisappearsIntoLight: Venting.

* TheDragon: Strike.
* DragonKnight: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Well, yeah.]]

* EvilOverlord: Xaviax.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Onyx, in Kit's dreams
* EvilIsHammy: General Xaviax at all times!
* FaceHeelTurn: Adam

* ICanStillFight: Sting.

* IJustWantToBeNormal: Adam
* IfItSwimsItFlies: Sting's Advent Beast, Evildiver.

* IntrepidReporter: Maya.

* IWorkAlone: Hunt (the Ventaran Kamen Rider Axe).
* JigsawPuzzlePlot

* RedOniBlueOni: Dragon Knight and Wing Knight

* SemperFi: Sting

* ShoutOut: When Michelle checks out one incident, she dismisses it with "So [[Comicbook/SpiderMan a spider guy]] shot webs at you, and then [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a man dressed like a bat]] came down and saved you?" before mocking him for being a comics nerd.

* SmugSnake: Torque. Let's throw Michelle in there, too, but she gets better.
* TheStarscream: Torque.

* SuperMode: Survive Mode
* SupportingLeader: Wing Knight.
* TeleportSpam: Wrath.

* UpperClassTwit: Incisor.

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The Advent Void.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Sting

* WhipItGood: Sting's Swing Vent.

* {{Frankenslation}}: ''Series/ {{Kamen Rider Ryuki}}'' + original footage.

* {{Nerd}}: Trent's hacker friends (Trent himself is closer to HollywoodNerd)

* TokenCompetentMinion: It would not be an exaggeration to claim that [[TheDragon Kamen Rider Strike]] is Xaviax's most reliable and efficient henchman, [[HeroKiller having vented two heroic Riders]] [[spoiler:before he was taken out by Ren]]. By contrast, Xaviax's other minions are either untrustworthy (Torque), reluctant (Thrust), stupid (Axe and Spear) or just plain useless (Camo and Incisor).

* TokenCompetentMinion: [[TheDragon Kamen Rider Strike]] is easily Xaviax's most reliable and efficient henchman, having vented two heroic Riders [[spoiler:before he was taken out himself by Ren]]. By contrast, Xaviax's other minions are either untrustworthy (Torque), reluctant (Thrust), Stupid (Axe and Spear) or just plain useless (Camo and Incisor).