History YMMV / KamenRider

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Although not to the same extent as ''[[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger Goranger]]'', it's a bit jarring to watch this series if one was introduced to ''Kamen Rider'' through one of the Heisei-era shows - while it does have a secondary rider, initially the secondary rider acts more as a replacement as opposed to a supporting character, the lack of SwissArmyHero[[note]]although this is less prevalent if one was introduced to the franchise with a Heisei series that aired in-between ''Agito'' and ''Den-O''[[/note]], the main character having a permanent upgrade to gain more powers as opposed to a SuperMode they can transform in and out of, and the fact that the main character's powers come from him being a cyborg as opposed to getting his powers from other sources.

* StarTrekMovieCurse: With Rider, the "curse" seems to be attached to shows with a mystic/supernatural theme. ''Series/KamenRiderAmazon'', whose hero got his powers from a {{Mayincatec}} armband rather than AppliedPhlebotinum, was so [[BloodierAndGorier gory]] (albeit by 1970s standards) that the backlash from angry parents almost [[FranchiseKiller killed the franchise]]. Decades later, the {{oni}}-themed ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' was popular with fans, but suffered a {{Retool}} that messed it up so badly that it's become one of [[{{Toku}} Tokusatsu]]'s most infamous cases of ExecutiveMeddling. The next three supernatural shows, ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'', ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'', and ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' are generally held in low regard by the fandom, with ''Ghost'' in particular being viewed as one of the weakest seasons ever made and ''Wizard'' not too far behind[[note]]''Kiva'' doesn't get it quite as bad, mainly because fans tend to hate half the show (the primary plotline set in 2008 and focusing on Kiva) but enjoy the other half (the 1986 plotline focusing on his father)[[/note]]. The second Reiwa-era series, ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'', has the double whammy of being magic-themed and having the same head writer as ''Ghost'', and while it's agreed to be a step up from ''Ghost'', it had the absolute misfortune of airing during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with sales suffering as a result. ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'', as a demon-themed season, while it had an initial positively-received first half, became more divisive in the second half of the series, though being an anniversary season as well allowed it to be more profitable compared to ''Saber''. The franchise seems to have gotten a brief break from this with ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'', which despite its overall battle royale theme has supernatural undertones that get more and more obvious towards the end. Unlike its Reiwa Era predecessors, ''Geats'' was near-universally praised throughout its entire run, with any complaints towards the series being comparatively minor in the long run.

* StarTrekMovieCurse: With Rider, the "curse" seems to be attached to shows with a mystic/supernatural theme. ''Series/KamenRiderAmazon'', whose hero got his powers from a {{Mayincatec}} armband rather than AppliedPhlebotinum, was so [[BloodierAndGorier gory]] (albeit by 1970s standards) that the backlash from angry parents almost [[FranchiseKiller killed the franchise]]. Decades later, the {{oni}}-themed ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' was popular with fans, but suffered a {{Retool}} that messed it up so badly that it's become one of [[{{Toku}} Tokusatsu]]'s most infamous cases of ExecutiveMeddling. The next three supernatural shows, ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'', ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'', and ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' are generally held in low regard by the fandom, with ''Ghost'' in particular being viewed as one of the weakest seasons ever made and ''Wizard'' not too far behind[[note]]''Kiva'' doesn't get it quite as bad, mainly because fans tend to hate half the show (the primary plotline set in 2008 and focusing on Kiva) but enjoy the other half (the 1986 plotline focusing on his father)[[/note]]. The second Reiwa-era series, ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'', has the double whammy of being magic-themed and having the same head writer as ''Ghost'', and while it's agreed to be a step up from ''Ghost'', it had the absolute misfortune of airing during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with sales suffering as a result. ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'', as a demon-themed season, while it had an initial positively-received first half, became more divisive in the second half of the series, though being an anniversary season as well allowed it to be more profitable compared to ''Saber''. The franchise seems to have gotten a brief break from this with ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'', which despite its overall battle royale theme has supernatural undertones that get more and more obvious towards the end.

* StarTrekMovieCurse: With Rider, the "curse" seems to be attached to shows with a mystic/supernatural theme. ''Series/KamenRiderAmazon'', whose hero got his powers from a {{Mayincatec}} armband rather than AppliedPhlebotinum, was so [[BloodierAndGorier gory]] (albeit by 1970s standards) that the backlash from angry parents almost [[FranchiseKiller killed the franchise]]. Decades later, the {{oni}}-themed ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' was popular with fans, but suffered a {{Retool}} that messed it up so badly that it's become one of [[{{Toku}} Tokusatsu]]'s most infamous cases of ExecutiveMeddling. The next three supernatural shows, ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'', ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'', and ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' are generally held in low regard by the fandom, with ''Ghost'' in particular being viewed as one of the weakest seasons ever made and ''Wizard'' not too far behind[[note]]''Kiva'' doesn't get it quite as bad, mainly because fans tend to hate half the show (the primary plotline set in 2008 and focusing on Kiva) but enjoy the other half (the 1986 plotline focusing on his father)[[/note]]. The second Reiwa-era series, ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'', has the double whammy of being magic-themed and having the same head writer as ''Ghost'', and while it's agreed to be a step up from ''Ghost'', it had the absolute misfortune of airing during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with sales suffering as a result. ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'', as a demon-themed season, while it had an initial positively-received first half, became more divisive in the second half of the series, though being an anniversary season as well allowed it to be more profitable compared to ''Saber''.

* HilariousInHindsight: In a meta sense, an episode of the ''Super Hero Taihen'' net movies had a gag plot where veteran suit actor Eitoku[[note]]Commonly known for portraying multiple second-main character Riders since ''Decade''[[/note]] attempted to eliminate fellow suit actor Seiji Takaiwa to usurp his role as the lead Kamen Rider, but was caught at the end and mocked by his "victims" that he would not amount to anything more than a MonsterOfTheWeek actor. Years later, Takaiwa's retirement from the lead Rider role has him pass down the mantle to ''Yuya Nawata'', a relatively new suit actor who ''started off as [=MoTWs=]'' before taking up more popular Kamen Rider roles such as Genm and Geiz. This gets cranked up to eleven with Kamen Rider Gotchard, which was recently announced to have Eitoku suit-act as the titular rider.

* HilariousInHindsight: In a meta sense, an episode of the ''Super Hero Taihen'' net movies had a gag plot where veteran suit actor Eitoku[[note]]Commonly known for portraying multiple second-main character Riders since ''Decade''[[/note]] attempted to eliminate fellow suit actor Seiji Takaiwa to ursurp his role as the lead Kamen Rider, but was caught at the end and mocked by his "victims" that he would not amount to anything more than a MonsterOfTheWeek actor. Years later, Takaiwa's retirement from the lead Rider role has him pass down the mantle to ''Yuya Nawata'', a relatively new suit actor who ''started off as [=MoTWs=]'' before taking up more popular Kamen Rider roles such as Genm and Geiz.

** That goes double (not [[Series/KamenRiderDouble that Double]]) for ''Film/ShinKamenRiderPrologue'', ''Series/KamenRiderAmazons'' and ''Series/KamenRiderBlackSun''. They are ''very much'' R-rated affairs, ''made'' of wall-to-wall FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, FamilyUnfriendlyDeath, and NightmareFuel. And they aren't, in fact, presented as being for kids but, well, ''they're Kamen Rider.'' Kids ''will'' be watching. (And will ''not'' be sleeping.)

* ContestedSequel: The Reiwa era could be called a Contested ''Era''. In contrast to Neo-Heisei, the first three shows have all had varying degrees of divisive critical reception. ''[[Series/KamenRiderZeroOne Zero-One]]'' has been criticized for having its plot driven be by IdiotBall clutching, ''[[Series/KamenRiderSaber Saber]]'' for an underdeveloped cast of Riders and ''[[Series/KamenRiderRevice Revice]]'' for having too many characters and dangling plot threads in its final third. Thankfully, the era seems to have gotten back into its funk with ''[[Series/KamenRiderGeats Geats]]'', which has received a high amount of praise.

* StarTrekMovieCurse: With Rider, the "curse" seems to be attached to shows with a mystic/supernatural theme. ''Series/KamenRiderAmazon'', whose hero got his powers from a {{Mayincatec}} armband rather than AppliedPhlebotinum, was so [[BloodierAndGorier gory]] (albeit by 1970s standards) that the backlash from angry parents almost [[FranchiseKiller killed the franchise]]. Decades later, the {{oni}}-themed ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' was popular with fans, but suffered a {{Retool}} that messed it up so badly that it's become one of [[{{Toku}} Tokusatsu]]'s most infamous cases of ExecutiveMeddling. The next three supernatural shows, ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'', ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'', and ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' are generally held in low regard by the fandom, with ''Ghost'' in particular being viewed as one of the weakest seasons ever made and ''Wizard'' not too far behind[[note]]''Kiva'' doesn't get it quite as bad, mainly because fans tend to hate half the show (the primary plotline set in 2008 and focusing on Kiva) but enjoy the other half (the 1986 plotline focusing on his father)[[/note]]. The second Reiwa-era series, ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'', has the double whammy of being magic-themed and having the same head writer as ''Ghost'', and while it's agreed to be a step up from ''Ghost'', it had the absolute misfortune of airing during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with sales suffering as a result.

** The ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' tie-in includes a strawberry cake based on the bus crash that killed Sougo and Hiryu's parents. The strawberry represents both the bus's intended destination (a strawberry field) and the blood of the adults. And it's supposed to make fun of Hiryu's plight -- if you've watched ''Zi-O'', you'll know the kid [[AssholeVictim deserves it and then some]].
** The ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' tie-in includes a chocolate dessert based on the bench from its ending. You'll be too busy stuffing your face to notice [[TearJerker the knife twisting]].

* CriticalResearchFailure: Mostly through the Riders' ally Kazuya Taki, the show depicts the FBI as an intelligence agency that monitors international crime.

* FandomHeresy: One of the longer-running ones is the 2nd Phase number theory. The first few such series (''Decade'' to ''Fourze'') had very clear numerical themes, with the number incremented by one every year (Decade's number was 10, but easily serves as 1 in the pattern; Double was "two Riders in one" and used two Memories at once, OOO's Medals came in threes, and Fourze was named for 40 Switches ("''Four-ze''ro") and used four at a time). A number of fans believe the theory that Toei kept on incorporating the theme even when the Rider's name and number of trinkets didn't reflect it, though just as many think that said believers are [[SharpshooterFallacy only seeing the theme numbers because they want to find the theme numbers, not because said numbers are there on purpose]]. The theory died down over time, as there was little discussion over any presence of tens in ''Build''. The theory was finally put to rest by Shirakura on twitter, [[https://twitter.com/cron204/status/1095471070776221697 confirming that it was never more than a coincidence.]]

** Foundation X, a mysterious organization interested in the tech of Kamen Riders which was introduced in 2009's ''W'' and made further appearances with the following ''OOO'' and ''Fourze'', is a common subject of theories for ongoing series, mostly in the context of crossovers. It even made a full reappearance in 2017 for a ''Kamen Rider Build'' crossover. Naturally, 2018's 20th Heisei series ''Kamen Rider Zi-O'' sparked a lot of speculation about Foundation X that never amounted to anything. Three years later, the 50th anniversary series ''Kamen Rider Revice'' faces even stronger speculation about Foundation X thanks to the presence of the aesthetically and nominally similar Kamen Rider-related organization Fenix.

** The Imagin from ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' - you think that the worms are bad? At least the worms are restricted to what time they show up; the Imagin could've potentially gone back to when any previous rider series took place and wrecked havok. Unless you happen to be a singularity point (something which seems to be very rare), if one forms a contract with you, you'd better hope it's a benevolent one, otherwise they'll go back in time and pretty much rewrite the present as you know it.
** The Magia from ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne''. In a world where [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots completely human-looking]] [=HumaGear=] are commonplace as labor and service workers, all it takes for the terrorists to hijack them is getting close and putting a spiky [=ZetsumeRiser=] belt on them. Just 5 seconds, [[FightingFromTheInside maybe a bit more if they're loyal enough]], and your driver, consultant, waiter or fellow coworker you've known for years is now a devoted KillerRobot. Then, when they use the belt themselves, [[TransformationHorror their skin melts]], revealing their real metallic body that looks close like the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' with [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily two rows of teeth]]. Not only they have a weaponized armor that grows from their mouth, they can use CombatTentacles to [[TheVirus corrupt any other]] [=HumaGear=] in proximity into footsoldiers, leading to a large-scale outbreak if not stopped quickly. And unless they have a special backup or defeated by a designated [[MidSeasonUpgrade late-game Rider from]], they [[LossOfIdentity can't be saved]].

* FirstInstallmentWins: To this day, no other Kamen Rider series has had more episodes[[note]]unless one counts ''Series/KamenRiderBlack'' and ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX'' as one continuous story[[/note]], and of all the riders who return in later works, Takeshi Hongo has made the most. He's also the only Showa era rider to have [[Film/KamenRider1 a movie crossover]] with [[Series/KamenRiderGhost a 2nd phase Heisei rider]] - although [[Series/KamenRiderBlack Black]] and [[Series/KamenRiderAmazon Amazon]] would have arcs in ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', the amount of appearances that Takeshi Hongo has had either unmorphed or as Ichigo is the most of all Showa Riders.

** That goes double (not [[Series/KamenRiderDouble that Double]]) for ''Film/ShinKamenRiderPrologue'' and ''Series/KamenRiderAmazons''. They are ''very much'' R-rated affairs, ''made'' of wall-to-wall FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, FamilyUnfriendlyDeath, and NightmareFuel. And they aren't, in fact, presented as being for kids but, well, ''they're Kamen Rider.'' Kids ''will'' be watching. (And will ''not'' be sleeping.)

** The issue of whether the later series are as good as the older series. For starters, ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'' and ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' are both '''massive''' divisive seasons, though for separate reasons: ''Wizard'' is derided by some as playing it safe with the franchise and having a bland protagonist, but is lauded for the great effects in the fights and likable side-characters. ''Gaim'', on the other hand, is derided for being ''too'' dark, having too many characters to keep track of, and having one of the bleakest stories in all of {{toku}}satu, which had some calling TooBleakStoppedCaring. Alternatively, some ''love'' the DarkerAndEdgier approach and say it's given ''Kamen Rider'' its best characters ever.

** Whether or not the series should get a ''Power Rangers''-esque adaptation - proponents will point towards ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'' as an example of how to adapt the series properly, as well as point out that if there was an American KR franchise, merchandise would be released over here, and the source material would likely be released similar to how Shout Factory is releasing the Sentai series; opponents, on the other hand, will point towards [[{{Bowdlerise}} Saban making the show more appropriate for kids]], and also point towards the [[Series/MaskedRider OTHER American Adaptation]] as a counter-argument. However, this is countered back that ''4Kids Entertainment'' of all people made ''Dragon Knight'' without straying too far from the darker side of its source material. Still others would prefer a subbed version release on an anime streaming website like Crunchyroll, which Shout Factory finally provided for the original series and ''Kuuga''. Others still would prefer a HongKongDub over just subtitles.

** One of the longer-running ones is the 2nd Phase number theory. The first few such series (''Decade'' to ''Fourze'') had very clear numerical themes, with the number incremented by one every year (Decade's number was 10, but easily serves as 1 in the pattern; Double was "two Riders in one" and used two Memories at once, OOO's Medals came in threes, and Fourze was named for 40 Switches ("''Four-ze''ro") and used four at a time). A number of fans believe the theory that Toei kept on incorporating the theme even when the Rider's name and number of trinkets didn't reflect it, though just as many think that said believers are [[SharpshooterFallacy only seeing the theme numbers because they want to find the theme numbers, not because said numbers are there on purpose]]. The theory died down over time, as there was little discussion over any presence of tens in ''Build''. The theory was finally put to rest by Shirakura on twitter, [[https://twitter.com/cron204/status/1095471070776221697 confirming that it was never more than a coincidence.]]
** To a lesser extent, there's "Power Rider", a trademark Saban filed...but never did anything with. Was Saban intending to adapt ''Kamen Rider'' a second time? Was it just a trademark they filed so it couldn't be used? Or was it something else entirely?

* NarmCharm: The series BREATHES this trope. When you can take a bunch of dudes doing WireFu in ridiculous jumpsuits against rubber monsters seriously, THAT is an achievement. Taken up to eleven in ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', where the plot is about Riders in dance teams using powers themed on fruits, yet it STILL manages to be awesome. And serious. And very dark. Of course, the fact that Creator/GenUrobuchi wrote it probably had something to do with it.

* {{Macekre}}: ''"[[Series/MaskedRider Saban's Masked Rider]]"''. To capitalize on the success of ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', Saban licensed the already LighterAndSofter ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX'', dialed the LighterAndSofter elements UpToEleven, and turned it into ''"Saban's Masked Rider"'': a lame old [[AnAesop Aesop-tastic]] romp of a sit-com starring [[HumansThroughAlienEyes a superhero alien learning about Earth culture]] with his adoptive American Family. Later the editing got so shoddy that at times you could clearly see the original Japanese actors, or the fact that the footage they were splicing in was from a completely different series starring a completely different hero. (Dex is Black RX one scene, J the next! No, they ''don't'' look alike. At all.) To say that Ishinomori was disgusted would be putting it too lightly. Not to mention that the events of the series have been {{Retcon}}ned to be a ShowWithinAShow in ''Power Rangers'', as seen in [[Series/PowerRangersTimeForce "The Quantum Quest"]]. The only remaining canon material from the series is the BackdoorPilot episode of ''Power Rangers.''

* NarmCharm: The series BREATHES this trope. When you can take a bunch of dudes doing WireFu in ridiculous jumpsuits against rubber monsters seriously, THAT is an achievement. Taken UpToEleven in ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', where the plot is about Riders in dance teams using powers themed on fruits, yet it STILL manages to be awesome. And serious. And very dark. Of course, the fact that Creator/GenUrobuchi wrote it probably had something to do with it.

** The issue of whether the later series are as good as the older series. For starters, ''Series/KamenRiderWizard'' and ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' are both '''massive''' divisive seasons, though for separate reasons: ''Wizard'' is derided by some as playing it safe with the franchise and having a bland protagonist, but is lauded for the great effects in the fights and likable side-characters. ''Gaim'', on the other hand, is derided for being ''too'' dark, having [[LotsAndLotsOfCharacters too many characters to keep track of]], and having one of the bleakest stories in all of {{toku}}satu, which had some calling TooBleakStoppedCaring. Alternatively, some ''love'' the DarkerAndEdgier approach and say it's given ''Kamen Rider'' its best characters ever.