This is a character page featuring all of the principal characters from the 1971 Kamen Rider television series.
For the rest of the Kamen Rider franchise characters, see here.
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Kamen Riders
In General
Tropes applying to the Kamen Riders:
- Animal Themed Super Being: Both are based on a Grasshopper, as both can jump higher than a normal human.
- Badass Biker: They aren't called Kamen Rider for nothing.
- Bash Brothers: The two teaming up always leads to some major curb-stomping.
- Cool Bike: The Rider Cyclone.
- Expy: The design of Kamen Rider was based off the eponymous character from Shotaro Ishinomori's previous work, Skull Man. Their backstory meanwhile, being a Cyborg supersoldier created by an evil organization who escaped and rebelled, is lifted from one of Ishinomori's earliest works, Cyborg 009. In turn, Kamen Rider would end up inspiring numerous other Toku superheroes to some extent or another, including Kikaider, Inazuman and Akumaizer 3. They would also get Recycled in Feudal Japan with Henshin Ninja Arashi.
- For Great Justice: Fight Shocker in the name of justice and freedom.
- Friend to All Children: Both the Double Riders will not hesitate to protect children that are in danger.
- The Leader: In any crossover event, Hongo and Ichimonji are typically the ones to lead the Kamen Riders.
- Lightning Bruiser: Both Kamen Riders has light-speed reflexes, titanic strength, and is unharmed from the likes of nuclear weaponry.
- Phlebotinum Rebel: Both of them as they were meant to be Shocker's finest cyborgs:
- Hongo was kidnapped by Shocker to be turned into their ultimate cyborg warrior, but escaped and began fighting against them.
- Ichimonji was kidnapped and converted into a Kamen Rider to be used against Hongo, but was rescued by Hongo before he could be brainwashed and joined him in his fight against the evil organization.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Of the two Double Riders, Hongo is the sharper and collected one while Ichimonji is the more carefree and hot-blooded one.
- Scarf of Asskicking: Bot wears a red scarf in their Rider forms.
- Secondary Color Nemesis: Inverted. The Kamen Riders are mostly green and black, but are heroes through-and-through.
- Worf Effect: Starting with Kamen Rider: Skyrider, they are often subjected to this, even compared to other protagonists. Never mind their incredible feats and decades of experience, they can even be trounced by another rider in their BASE FORM.
- Worthy Opponent: Despite feeling immense contempt at (Gel-)Shocker, they acknowledge the Great Leader's admins as this in the final episode.
Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1
Portrayed by: Hiroshi Fujioka
Kamen Rider 1
Kamen Rider New 1
A young biochemistry college student at Jonan University and aspiring motorcyclist who was kidnapped by the terrorist organization Shocker and forcibly converted into a grasshopper-themed cyborg soldier for them. However, before he can be brainwashed to be loyal to Shocker, Hongo escapes and becomes the first Kamen Rider to fight for humanity's freedom against the evil forces that created him.- The Ace: An IQ of 600, immensely skilled in sports and science, and is a master motorcyclist. And this was before getting converted into a Kamen Rider! By his mid twenties, he proved more than capable of besting the Delzer Army's top generals, each of whom rival Stronger in Charge-Up Form.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Is definitely subjected to this in Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai and Kamen Rider 1 (though not to the extent as the former), even ignoring the plight of innocents.
- Badass Biker: The one who began the tradition for the series.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Dresses in a black suit and tie for the first few episodes.
- Beyond the Impossible: Has repeatedly overcome monsters beyond Shocker's outdated technology, including the godlike Creation King in Kamen Rider Battride War. By combining his powers with other Riders, he can even warp reality itself.
- Big Good: As the original Kamen Rider, Hongo acts as this for all the other Kamen Riders that came after him, being a champion of justice.
- Brain in a Jar: In the manga, Hongo survives getting killed by one of the Shocker Riders by having his brain placed in a mechanical body.
- Clear My Name: Ruriko Midorikawa believes that he murdered her father, for a while.
- Chrome Champion: After Hongo becomes Kamen Rider New 1, he gains a pair of silver gloves and boots.
- Cool Old Guy: He's still kicking ass, even 50 years later.
- Death by Adaptation: Played with in the manga. Rather than being Put on a Bus as in the show, Hongo is gunned down by the Shocker Riders. However, he is subsequently revived as a Brain in a Jar with the ability to communicate with Hayato, and gains a new cybernetic body for the final battle.
- The Determinator: The man will never give up in his quest to bring down Shocker and its successors.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Hongo was already super impressive before being converted into a Cyborg Super-Soldier.
- Flanderization: Throughout the Showa era, Hongo acted pretty casual in attitude, even hanging out and cracking jokes with his friends. Since the Heisei era however, he was rewritten as being extremely gung-ho and and hot-blooded, traits more closely associated with Ichimonji.
- Friend to All Children: Whether it be as Kamen Rider or his regular self, children always look up to Hongo as a good guy and a protector. A couple of times, he even gets toys from them.
- Genius Bruiser: A pro-bike racer and bio-chemistry student with an I.Q. of 600 who's also skilled in martial arts and other sports. And that was before he got turned into a cyborg.
- The Hero: The one fighting to stop Shocker from taking over the world.
- Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: Subverted. Tachibana acts as Hongo's benefactor, as well as chairman for the Tachibana Racing Club and the Rider Squad. In Kamen Rider Black RX, he and the other Riders even have a secret base for their superhero operations.
- However, this is played straight in Kamen Rider 1, where Hongo has no apparent ties to the other Showa Riders. In said movie, an aged Hongo lives in a shack with no electricity. Good thing Shocker hasn't been reconverted into a stronger organization in this timeline.
- Improbably High I.Q.: Has an I.Q. of over 600, easily making him one of the smartest Riders in the entire franchise.
- The Leader: Type Levelheaded. Whenever fighting alongside the other Kamen Riders, he will take command.
- Like a Son to Me: Inverted. Among all the Kamen Riders, he is the closest to Tachibana, regarding him as a father-figure.
- Put on a Bus: Leaves Japan after episode 13 to go after Shocker schemes in other countries, leaving Hayato Ichimonji to take over the fight in Japan. In real life this was due to his actor sustaining a serious leg injury in a motorcycle incident and needing to be replaced.
- The Bus Came Back: Shows up in episodes 40 and 41 to assist Ichimonji before returning as the main character in episode 53.
- Series Mascot: Due to being the first Kamen Rider, he is essentially the face of the franchise.
- Technician vs. Performer: The Technician to 2's Performer. 1 relies more on precision and speed, with a more tactical approach in general.
- What Have I Become?: Suffered this after his modification into a cyborg, noting that from an outsider's perspective he may as well be an alien from outer space.
- World's Best Warrior: In pure experience and martial art skills, Hongo's combat prowess is almost unmatched among all the Kamen Riders.
Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2
Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2
Portrayed by: Takeshi Sasaki
Kamen Rider 2
Kamen Rider New 2
A freelance photographer kidnapped by Shocker and converted into the second Kamen Rider to fight against Kamen Rider. Before he could be brainwashed to serve the organization though he was freed by Takeshi Hongo. When Hongo leaves Japan to fight Shocker overseas, Ichimonji as Kamen Rider 2 continues to fight Shocker in Japan.- Adaptational Villainy: Downplayed in the manga as he was one of the 12 Shocker Riders under Shocker's brainwashing in the beginning, as opposed of being freed in the beginning of the TV series, before he was freed after he got shot in the head and took the mantle of Kamen Rider after Hongo was mortally wounded by the Shocker Riders.
- Arc Hero: Of the Rider 2 arc consists of episodes 14 to 52. Hayato takes over the role of Japan's protector from Hongo after the latter goes to battle Shocker's activities in Europe.
- Back for the Finale: Returns in the final episode to help Rider 1 put an end to Gel-Shocker.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: His typical attire is a nice khaki jacket and red muffler.
- Contrasting Replacement Character: He was introduced as a replacement to Hongo while he has his own personality and character apart from Hongo's. Ichimonji retains his outgoing personality despite being converted into a cyborg while Hongo initially goes to a angsty phase after his conversion.
- Deuteragonist: Once Hongo returns, Ichimonji relinquishes The Hero spot to him, but this doesn't stop him from being active in combatting Shocker.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Even before he was turned into a cyborg, Ichimonji was a six degree judo black belt and a five degree in karate.
- Friend to All Children: He even personally became Kamen Rider to give out presents to them on Christmas.
- Put on a Bus: After Hongo returned to protect Japan full-time, Ichimonji took his place in fighting Shocker elsewhere and disappeared from the series for a while, occasionally popping back in to help #1.
- Red Is Heroic: After Ichimonji becomes Kamen Rider New 2, he gains a pair of red gloves and boots.
- Superior Successor: Design-wise, Kamen Rider 2 was meant to be a more powerful variant of the first Kamen Rider, with the transformation mechanism in his Typhoon to absorb wind by itself via hand movements is served as a remedy that plagued from the first Rider's need of external wind power (riding a bike at high-speed or need to jump at high places) to transform, at least until Rider 1 gained an upgrade later on.
- Technician vs. Performer: The Performer to 1's Technician. He's physically the stronger of the two, but is less precise and smart.
Allies
Originating in Arc 1
Tobei Tachibana
Tobei Tachibana
Portrayed by: Akiji Kobayashi
- Badass Normal: Tachibana acts as the Double Riders' coach in bike racing and fighting. Likewise, he is an accomplished mechanic and fighter.
- Benevolent Boss: Tachibana cares greatly for Hongo and the others. In moments of danger, he would even risk his own life to save them.
- Eccentric Mentor: He's quite an eccentric fellow, but also a wise and guiding figure for the Riders.
- The Leader: Runs the Tachibana Racing Club, a front for fighting Shocker, and later the Kamen Rider Kids Club.
- Like a Son to Me: Tachibana regards Hongo as this. To a lesser extent, he sees the others in a similar light.
- The Mentor: Whenever a protagonist is in doubt, it's Tachibana who encourages them to keep fighting.
- Parental Favoritism: Heavily downplayed, but among all Kamen Riders, it's clear that he trusts Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 the most, providing him with information kept secret from everyone else.
- Secret-Keeper: For the Kamen Riders.
- Uncle Penny Bags: He provides financial support for Hongo and his successors.
Ruriko Midorikawa
Ruriko Midorikawa
Portrayed by: Chieko Morigawa
- Damsel in Distress: She's an often target of kidnapping by Shocker as a means to draw out Hongo to save her from their clutches.
- I Have Your Wife: Was threatened by Shocker to coerce her father, Professor Midorikawa, into working for them.
- Plucky Girl: A couple of times during her tenure on the show, Ruriko has shown a willingness to investigate Shocker's insidious activities on her own or with Kamen Rider. She gets captured many times, but doesn't let it deter her until either Hongo or Tachibana dissuade her.
- Put on a Bus: When Hongo leaves in episode 14 to pursue Shocker activities around the world, Ruriko goes with him. Unlike Hongo, Ruriko never returns.
Hiromi Nohara
Portrayed by: Yoko Shimada
A friend of Ruriko and waitress of Snack Amigo.- Death by Adaptation: She is killed by the Man-Bat in her first and only appearance in the manga.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: While she and Ruriko fulfill the same "home base" role, when Ruriko leaves she takes the job full time.
Shiro
A young man who mans the counter at Snack Amigo.
Kazuya Taki
Kazuya Taki
Portrayed by: Jiro Chiba
- Badass Normal: Not a Cyborg, but he's a skilled enough martial artist that he's able to take down Shocker Mooks with ease.
- But Not Too Foreign: A third-generation Japanese-American.
- FBI Agent: An agent of the FBI pursuing Shocker's activities.
- Side Kick: As the second most fit character in the room, and especially considering his intel as a member of the FBI, Taki serves as the Number Two to whoever's filling Kamen Rider's shoes.
- Tritagonist: For the overall show, behind both Riders, though in individual episodes he acts as the Deuteragonist to whichever Rider is currently occupying the main character slot, getting the second most focus and even having a few episodes dedicated to him. Notably there were multiple times the creators considered having him become a Rider for real, but it never manifested on screen. He did, however, become a Rider in several mangas.
Hiroshi Midorikawa
Professor Hiroshi Midorikawa
Portrayed by: Kiyoshi Nonomura
- Death by Origin Story: Killed after helping Hongo escape in the first episode.
- It's All My Fault: Forced by Shocker to choose a suitable human for transformation, he chose Hongo.
- Minor Major Character: He only appears in the first episode and dies soon after his first appearance, but without him Kamen Rider as we know it wouldn't exist.
- Reluctant Mad Scientist: Only worked with Shocker because they threatened his daughter.
Appearing in Arc 2
Tachibana Racing Club
Tachibana Racing Club
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Most of the "Rider Girls" in the club only show up for a time and disappear later with little explanation.
Yuri Ishikura
Yuri Ishikura
Portrayed by: Wakako Oki
One of the original "Rider Girls" who joins the Tachibana Racing Club after Hongo's departure. She's the only one to stick with the club for the entire show.- Informed Ability: Is supposedly a black belt in karate, but rarely if ever displays these skills.
Goro
Goro Ishikura
Portrayed by: Yasuharu Miura
Yuri's kid brother, who joins the Racing Club alongside her.- Tagalong Kid: To the Racing Club, being its junior member.
Appearing in Arc 3
Naoki & Mitsuru
Naoki & Mitsuru
Portrayed by: Tomonori Yazaki (Naoki) and Yoshikazu Yamada (Mitsuru)
Goro's friends who joins the Racing Club and also went on as two of the founding members of the Kamen Rider Kid Corps.- Tagalong Kid: Like Goro before, they served as junior members to the Racing Club as well as key members of the Rider Kids Corps.
- Those Two Guys: Both of them are often appeared alongside each other.
Shocker/Gel-Shocker
In General
Click here to see the alternate Shocker logo.
Click here to see the logo for Gel-Shocker
The original Big Bad Nebulous Evil Organization of the series, a secret terrorist organization formed by surviving Nazis seeking to take over the world.
- A Nazi by Any Other Name: Their ideology can be summarized as Nazism with "aryan" replaced by "kaijin" and "untermensch" replaced by "human". Some of the founding members of Shocker were Nazis who decided to take their Master Race beliefs a step further.
- Cosmopolitan Council: The Shocker international branch leaders, seen in episode 67.
- Create Your Own Hero: They're the ones responsible for turning Takeshi Hongo into the first Kamen Rider, kicking off this trope for years to come.
- Evil Minions: Besides the Shocker Combatmen, their main mook force, Shocker also employs a number of scientists to handle things like remodeling human test subjects into kaijin.
- Expy: Of Black Ghost from Shotaro Ishinomori's first hit manga, Cyborg 009, both being sinister, shadowy organizations responsible for creating the hero. They
in turn have inspired their own share of expies across the Kamen Rider franchise, including Destron, G.O.D., Black Satan, Neo-Shocker, Gorgom, Institute of Super Science, Dai-Shocker, Foundation X, and Faust, and outside of it, including DARK, Blood Wheel Clan, and Black Cross Army. They even have an Alternate Company Equivalent in the form of Crown. - Government Conspiracy: In the manga adaptation, the government were the original ones who conceived of Shocker's "October Project", a plan to assert total control over their populace, which Shocker took for their own benefit.
- Hijacked by Ganon: Whenever there's a Massive Multiplayer Crossover going on, you can bet Shocker will have a hand in it somehow.
- I Have Your Wife: One of Shocker's favorite tactics to coerce scientists into working for them is to threaten their loved ones.
- Joker Immunity: No matter how many times Shocker is defeated, there's always enough members left to bring about their return or found a successor organization to carry on their work.
- Legion of Doom: Multiple times villains from all throughout the Kamen Rider series have come together under the banner of Shocker. In OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders and Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider #3 due to Shocker altering history so it succeeds in its goals of world domination, thus all of the members of the groups that sprung out of Shocker's demise instead joined it.
- Monster of the Week: The Shocker Kaijin, animal mutants created by the organization. The Kamen Riders usually fight one per episode. They're later replaced by the Gel-Shocker Kaijin, cyborg mutants with two animal motifs mixed together.
- Nebulous Evil Organization: A nefarious organization with Nazi overtones that carries out various evil schemes as part of their objective to Take Over the World.
- N.G.O. Superpower: Shocker haven't taken over the world yet, but by the start of the series their influence has already spread across the globe.
- Noble Bird of Prey: Shocker seem quite fond of eagles and eagle iconography. Their emblem depicts an eagle clutching the globe.
- Putting on the Reich: "Heil, Shocker!"
- The Remnant: The destruction of Gel-Shocker would not be the end of all of its members, and the survivors from it would go on to form Destron in the sequel series Kamen Rider V3.
- Returning Big Bad: As the first and most iconic villains of the franchise, Shocker are a frequent choice for the villains of Crossover events and stage shows.
- Shout-Out: What are the first two kaijin to appear? "Spider-Man" and "Bat Man".
- Sigil Spam: For a secret organization, Shocker sure is fond of putting their logo on things, including the belts worn by all their monsters and Mooks
- Stupid Jetpack Hitler: Shocker is an organization formed from surviving Nazis who create cyborgs and mutants.
- Super Supremacist: They want to see humanity enslaved and made subservient to their kaijin Master Race, if not outright exterminated.
- Take Over the World: Shocker's stated goal is to take over the world with their army of Kaijin. In Let's Go Kamen Riders and Super Hero Taisen GP they succeed thanks to Time Travel.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Official info states that they were formed by surviving Nazis who escaped capture after World War II, signified by how Shocker often incorporates Nazi theming into their personnel.
- Villain Team-Up: Merge with another terrorist organization called Geldam later in the series to form Gel-Shocker.
- Would Hurt a Child: Shocker in general have no compunction about harming children in pursuit of their goals and in fact a lot of their schemes involve specifically targeting children.
The Great Leader of Shocker
The Great Leader of Shocker
Voiced by: Gorō Naya
Click here to see the Great Leader's true form
Click here to see the Great Leader's true form
The mysterious leader of Shocker, who communicates with his subordinates via intercom.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: One of his possible origins is implied to be the embodiment of human evil who will never truly die so long as it exists.
- Arch-Enemy: Of the Kamen Riders.
- As Long as There Is Evil: It's implied he and Emperor Crisis are one and the same, and thus he will always return as long as evil exists.
- Bad Boss: The punishment for failing him is often death. After the repeated failures of his subordinates the Great Leader's solution was to kill off most of the other Shocker execs and merge the organization with another Nebulous Evil Organization called Geldam.
- Big Bad: The one leading Shocker and responsible for everything bad that happens in the series. He returns as the main antagonist of the movies OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders and Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider #3, and can pretty much be considered this for the Kamen Rider franchise as a whole. When the enemies of the Riders come together to team up, the Great Leader's always the one on top.
- Dark Messiah: Many of his subordinates see him as something of a divine figure, a perception which the Great Leader actively encourages.
- Diabolical Mastermind
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": "Great Leader of Shocker" is both what he's referred to as and an accurate description of his job.
- Evil Overlord: He may technically just be a terrorist leader, but with his army of fanatical followers, array of mystical powers he has and the numerous powerful monsters he commands he more than fits the billing.
- Final Solution: During the merger of Shocker of Geldam, the Great Leader orders all of the Shocker Combatmen killed off so they can be replaced by superior Gel-Shocker combatmen.
- Greater-Scope Villain: For V3, Stronger and Skyrider, where one of the reincarnations he spawned is the Big Bad.
- If what the Great Leader of Delza said is true, then the Great Leader was behind the Government Of Darkness in Kamen Rider X and Geddon in Kamen Rider Amazon, even though he didn't make an appearance in either of those series.
- The Heavy: For the Showa continuity as a whole, as he was responsible for Shocker along with all its successors and is the one behind the kidnapping of Takeshi Hongo and the creation the Kamen Riders in the first place. Within the series itself however, while he did occasionally lead for a time he was more fond of ceding this role to one of his Co-Dragons.
- Hijacked by Ganon: Whenever there's a gathering of villains, nine times out of ten its the Great Leader leading them. In fact, he's frequently retconned into having been the true leader of villainous groups of series where he did not appear in person.
- Humanoid Abomination: The final episode reveals him to be some sort of humanoid cyclops being. This isn't even getting into the fact that he's implied to literally be the embodiment of human evil.
- In the Hood: Wears a hood resembling a Grand Wizard when the Riders first meet him, face to face.
- Joker Immunity: Every Showa Rider killed him at least once, and a lot of Heisei Riders. He always comes back somehow.
- The Klan: His physical form wears a hood and robes reminiscent of a KKK Grand Wizard.
- Make Way for the New Villains: Invoked by the Great Leader by having the Gel-Shocker Combatmen kill off the Shocker Combatmen during the merger of Shocker and Geldam.
- The Man Behind the Man: Was apparently the benefactor of the Government of Darkness and Geddon, both of which were run by different people.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Several origins have been given for him, ranging from a human monk who transcended physical form, to an alien, to an evil spirit, to the Anthropomorphic Personification of human evil.
- Nightmare Face: Whenever his face is shown, it's always some extremely horrifying one. The most iconic is a mass of snakes with a single eye in the center. The two Riders then take the snakes off to reveal a pale bald head with cracks across it and only the eye for a face. Such is the notoriety of the head of snakes that we don't even see what's underneath in Let's Go Kamen Rider.
- Non-Action Big Bad: When confronted by the two Riders, the Gel-Shocker Leader does very little to prevent them from unmasking him, conjuring smoke and flashing light from his snake heads to disorient them. Ultimately, he seemingly destroys himself along with his base in a vain attempt to kill them. While later incarnations would subvert this, the Shocker incarnation himself subverts this in later appearances. In Let's Go Kamen Rider, he demonstrates the ability to throw fireballs from his head and enlarge the snakes, each one being able to grapple a pair of Riders. With this he is able to easily defeat the Double Riders and hold his own against over 25 more, and that doesn't cover Rock Great Leader. In Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3, he takes control of the Rider Robo.
- No Name Given: He's not referred to by any name other than "Great Leader".
- No One Sees the Boss: Commands his subordinates through a speaker and never appears in person until the final episode.
- One-Winged Angel: In several follow up series he transforms into a giant kaiju form.
- Satanic Archetype: A nameless, formless being capable of assuming any appearance, presents the image of an enlightened religious leader to gather followers, tempts others into forsaking their humanities and doing evil, and who desiresthe total subjugation and corruption of humankind. Add to that the fact that his unhooded state contains plenty of snakes.
- The Sociopath: Desires world domination? Check. Bad Boss? Check. Some sort of God complex? Check. Embodies evil? Check.
- Two Aliases, One Character: As stated in Hijacked by Ganon, the Great Leader of every Showa Era organization turned out to just be him in another form, or was later retconned into being such.
- The Voice: For most of the series up until the final episode, the Great Leader only communicates with his minions through an intercom system and never appears in person.
- Unseen Evil: While his influence overshadows the series, the Great Leader's physical form isn't glimpsed until the final episode. Given how many forms he takes over the course of the franchise it's unknown if that even is his true form.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: He rarely ever appears in the same form more than once, and on several occasions has gone One-Winged Angel into a Kaiju.
Colonel Zol
Colonel Bakarashin Iinodevitch Zol/Golden Wolfman
Portrayed by: Jiro Miyaguchi
Click here to see Zol's kaijin form, Golden Wolf Man
The first Shocker executive faced by the Kamen Riders, a former Nazi and high-ranking member of the organization summoned from the Middle East to deal with the Kamen Riders.
- All There in the Manual: Several details about his backstory, including him being an SS officer at Auschwitz, come from supplementary materials.
- Animal Motifs: Wolves. His own personal emblem is the Shocker logo with a wolf's head and his Kaijin form is a Wolf Man.
- Back from the Dead: Revived by Doktor G in Kamen Rider V3 as part of a scheme to unleash poison gas on Japan.
- Bad Boss: Takes after the Great Leader when it comes to his treatment of his subordinates and even tests one of his kaijin on some Shocker combatmen.
- Card-Carrying Villain: He's a Nazi war criminal and proud of it.
- Colonel Badass: He's an actual colonel, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty if the situation calls for it.
- The Dragon: Summoned by the Great Leader to take charge of Shocker's Japanese branch on his behalf.
- Eyepatch of Power: Wears an eye-patch over his left eye.
- Gold-Colored Superiority: His kaijin form is Golden Wolf Man, to differentiate him from the Experimental Wolf Man he produced using the Wolf Virus.
- Hate Sink: One of the first example in the franchise alongside the Great Leader. He's a shameless former Nazi and a horrible boss who treats his minions like some disposable test subjects to some newly-made Shocker kaijin.
- The Heavy: After his introduction he effectively takes over the role of sending out Kaijin from the Great Leader.
- Knight of Cerebus: Notably, Zol's introduction came after the show went in a more Bowdlerise direction.
- One-Winged Angel: After the failures of his own personal army of Kaijin to defeat the Kamen Riders, he assumes his Kaijin form Wolf Man to take on Kamen Rider 2 himself.
- The Sociopath: He's cold-hearted enough to be a Nazi officer who freely admits his atrocities and takes pride in them, not to mention being a Bad Boss to his men in general.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: Wears his Nazi uniform as a sign of pride for his past, despite being a war criminal who played a part in the deaths of millions.
- Those Wacky Nazis: An actual Nazi officer, and he's not ashamed of it either.
- Twisted Christmas: His idea of celebrating Christmas is to forcibly mutate everyone in Japan into werewolves.
- Would Hurt a Child: One of his schemes involved brainwashing children into becoming Shocker soldiers. He also attempted to have a child killed to cover up another one of his schemes, on Christmas no less.
- Yellowface: An inversion. He's a German played by a Japanese actor.
Dr. Shinigami
Ivan Tawanovitch/Dr. Shinigami/Ikadevil
Portrayed by: Hideyo Amamoto
Click here to see Dr. Shinigami's kaijin form, Ikadevil
The second Shocker executive to appear, summoned to take control of Shocker's Japanese branch after the death of Colonel Zol.
- All-Encompassing Mantle: His Ominous Opera Cape is capable of folding over his body.
- Back from the Dead: Shinigami is revived by Doktor G in Kamen Rider V3 to assist him in a scheme to unleash poison gas on Japan.
- Breakout Villain: By far the most popular of the Shocker Dragons on account of his Wicked Cultured-ness and Dracula-esque aura, Shinigami has made many reappearances in both the Showa and Heisei eras (Even having the honor of showing up in the 49th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen to combat
Segata Sanshiro who is actually Takeshi Hongo), to the point that only Shadow Moon can attest to have as much, if not more, popularity as an individual villain as him. He even gets an Art Evolution new form in Space Ikadevil, something the other Shocker Dragons have yet to get. Though he is mostly appeared in his monster form. - The Dragon: The second Shocker executive summoned to act as the Great Leader's Number Two.
- Co-Dragons: Later joined for a while by Ambassador Hell. Although the two act separately, both report directly to the Great Leader.
- Evil Genius: Shinigami is a highly intelligent scientist, who's well versed in mysticism in addition to Earthly sciences.
- Evil Old Folks: Being old doesn't make him any less sinister.
- Kingpin in His Gym: Trained hard in his Ikadevil form to combat Kamen Rider, even kidnapping Tachibana to serve as his personal trainer.
- Mad Scientist: He is the original evil scientist of Kamen Rider.
- Meaningful Name: "Shinigami" is an appropriate name for a ghastly scientist like him.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: He didn't get the name "Dr. Shinigami" for being ethical, that's for sure. Supplementary materials also state he has actual doctorate.
- Obviously Evil: If being called "Shinigami" didn't tip you off...
- Ominous Opera Cape: Wears a long black cape that stretches across his entire body, giving him quite a spooky appearance.
- One-Winged Angel: Becomes Ikadevil to fight Kamen Rider 1.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Sort of. He wears a black cape with a red interior, coupled with a white suit.
- Sinister Scythe: Fights Rider #2 using one in episode 52, befitting his moniker.
- Tentacled Terror: His kaijin form is the squid-like Ikadevil.
- Villain in a White Suit: Beneath his black cloak he wears an all white suit.
- Wicked Cultured: Definitely a villain, but still carries with him a sense of refinery and sophistication.
Ambassador Hell
Ambassador Hell/Garagaranda
Portrayed by: Kenji Ushio
Click here to see Ambassador Hell's kaijin form, Garagaranda
The third Shocker executive summoned to deal with the Double Riders after Dr. Shinigami's demise.
- Back from the Dead: Revived by Doktor G in Kamen Rider V3. He later returns again in the movie Kamen Rider 1.
- Backup Twin: His twin Ambassador Darkness appears in the Kamen Rider ZX special as the Big Bad.
- Batman Gambit: His final episode sees him staging his own execution by Shocker and inviting Hongo to it, knowing full well Hongo won't pass up a chance to take a high-level Shocker executive, allowing him to pull a Fake Defector and feed Hongo fake information to lure him into a trap.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Of the movie Kamen Rider 1 where he leads the remnants of Shocker and competes not just with the Kamen Riders but with a Renegade Splinter Faction of the original Shocker at least until Urga/Nova Shocker proves to be the bigger evil of the two, forcing him to team up with the heroes to save the day..
- Blood Knight: While the other executives are no slouches, Hell notably enjoys fighting the Riders and sees Hongo as a Worthy Opponent.
- The Brute: When it comes to Kaijin, Ambassador Hell tends to prefer brute force in his schemes and is a capable fighter even outside his transformation.
- Climax Boss: It's Ambassador Hell's defeat that signals the end of Shocker and the introduction of Gel-Shocker.
- Decomposite Character: Based off Big Machine, the Big Bad of the Kamen Rider manga, though unlike Big Machine he and the Great Leader are separate characters.
- The Dragon: The third executive to be sent by the Great Leader and the final one for Shocker before it was reformed and merged into Gel-Shocker.
- Co-Dragons: His debut sees him alternate with Dr. Shinigami for a while, before Shinigami is defeated and he takes center stage.
- Dragon Ascendant: After the Great Leader's demise he would go on to lead Shocker for a time in the Heisei era.
- Even Evil Has Standards: In Kamen Rider 1 he destroys the Eye of Alexander as he doesn't considers it worthy to lose himself for the sake of power.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Based on his reaction to Ganikomol, he seemed to not be aware of the Great Leader's plans to restructure Shocker into Gel-Shocker.
- One-Winged Angel: Assumes his Kaijin form Garagaranda for his final battle with Kamen Rider 1, later appearances usually have him defaulted to this form.
- Snakes Are Sinister: His Kaijin form has a rattlesnake motif to it.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: His human form design was based off the character Big Machine from the manga.
- Weapon Specialization: His main weapon is a whip.
General Black
General Black/Hiruchameleon
Portrayed by: Matasaburo Niwa
Click here to see General Black's kaijin form, Hiruchameleon
An executive of the Geldam organization who becomes the Great Leader of Shocker's Number Two after the merger of the two organizations.
- Back from the Dead: He along with the other generals is revived by Doktor G in Kamen Rider V3 to assist in a scheme to spread poison gas across Japan.
- The Dragon: After Geldam and Shocker merge, General Black becomes the Great Leader's second-in-command.
- Exact Words: Tells a group of captured former Shocker Scientists he would let them go. What he fails to mention is that he also planned to test his new kaijin's powers on them after they were freed.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: According to his backstory, General Black was originally a conscript in the Imperial Russian Army who rose to the top through his cruel and brutal methods at crushing dissent.
- Hybrid Monster: Much like the Gel-Shocker Kaijin under his command, Hiruchameleon is a leech/chameleon hybrid, with the abilities to match.
- King Incognito: Uses his Kaijin form to lure the Riders into a trap.
- Renegade Russian: He was once an officer in the Russian military before going on to join Geldam.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: Similar to Colonel Zol, Black still wears his country's military uniform even though he's no longer a part of them.
- Worthy Opponent: The Double Riders acknowledge him as a worthy foe after he dies.
- Would Hurt a Child: One scheme of his involved him kidnapping children to be brainwashed into a team of Child Soldiers for Gel-Shocker.
Shocker Riders
Shocker Riders
- Adaptational Late Appearance: The Shocker Riders in the series made their appearance before the series' endgame unlike their original interpretation in the manga which they appeared in the 4th arc of the story titled "The 13 Kamen Riders".
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Each of them wear a different colored scarf so you can tell them apart.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: Averted, shockingly. The Shocker Riders outnumbering the Kamen Riders does not make them easier to beat and in fact makes them more difficult opponents for the pair. In the end, the Double Riders defeat the Shocker Riders not by overpowering them, but by tricking them all into Rider Kicking each other.
- Finger Firearms: They can shoot missiles from their fingers.
- Hidden Weapons: Shocker Rider #1 has a blade hidden in his boot, which he can leave mounted on the toe of the boot as Armed Legs or remove and use as a dagger. It is not known if the other Shocker Riders have the same weapon.
- Imposter Forgot One Detail: Shocker Rider #1 impersonated Rider #1 and was able to fool the Tachibana Racing Club. Ichimonji isn't as easily fooled, however, and points out that his scarf is a different colour.
- Psycho Rangers: A team of evil Kamen Riders created to combat the heroic Double Riders.
Shocker Combatmen
Shocker Combatmen
- Alas, Poor Villain: There's something both horrifying and pitiable about seeing the Shocker Combatmen brutally mowed down by Gel-Shocker's forces.
- Battle Cry: The ever iconic "Yeee!"
- Breakout Mook Character: They're by far the most popular of all the Kamen Rider villains, becoming every bit as iconic as the Riders themselves. To the point of even having standalone appearances without the riders.
- Butt-Monkey: They suffer a lot of physical harm, whether from the Riders, the Riders' Badass Normal allies or even the occasional Monster of the Week who happens to be a Bad Boss. This reaches a head with the formation of Gel-Shocker, where the Great Leader deemed them unfit to join the new organisation and had them exterminated.
- Chest Insignia: More like Belt Insignia, all of them wear belts with the Shocker logo emblazoned on them.
- Costume Evolution: The original uniforms were simpler.
- The male uniforms were just black shirt, pants, beret and insignia belt. The elites have some red color on their shirts.
- The female uniforms seems to be a unitard with fishnet stockings, red waist sash and red scarf around their neck.
- Dem Bones: Their uniforms after kaijin Sabutegron appeared certainly give off this vibe, what with the white streaks across it causing them to resemble skeletons.
- Elite Mooks: Zig-zagged. Red grunts have a higher rank than black ones, though they aren't shown to fare any better against the Kamen Riders and end up dispensing with these rankings halfway through the show.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: At the beginning of episode 80, a fleeing Shocker Combatman attempts to reach the Riders so he can defect, only to be killed by Ganikomol.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Their uniforms after Sabutegron's arc include luchador-like masks.
- Mascot Villain: They're just as associated with Kamen Rider as the Kamen Riders.
- Mooks: The basic soldiers of the Shocker organization.
- Psycho Knife Nut: While they carry other weapons as well, they mainly wield knives.
- Villain Decay: Granted, they were never that threatening in the original series, but they were competent enough to usually get the job done and pose a threat to anyone who wasn't a cyborg or a Badass Normal. In their appearances post-series however they're typically downgraded to flat out comic relief.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Exterminated on order of the Great Leader after the formation of Gel-Shocker, as they were seen unfit to join the new organization.
Shocker Scientists
Non-combatants who serve as researchers for Shocker.
- Costume Evolution: Similar to the Combatmen, the Shocker Scientists originally just wore white labcoats and had green painted faces, donning costumes similar to the Combatmen's lucha libre-esque uniforms later on.
- Evil Minions: The Shocker Scientists wear white variants of the standard Combatmen uniform and are responsible for conducting kaijin remodeling surgeries, as well as handling the other technical aspects of the organization.
- Playing with Syringes: They're responsible for conducting the surgery to remodel test subjects into kaijin.
- Reluctant Mad Scientist: A good number of them didn't join Shocker willingly, and were instead kidnapped and forced to serve them.
Gel-Shocker Combatmen
Gel-Shocker Combatmen
- Make Way for the New Villains: Invoked by the Great Leader, who had the Gel-Shocker Combatmen massacre all the remaining Shocker combatmen to pave way for Gel-Shocker.
- Primary-Color Champion: Inverted. Their uniforms are bright blue (sometimes bright purple) with red and yellow markings, but they are by no means heroes, instead being grunts for an evil organization.
- Replacement Mooks: Replace the Shocker Combatmen as Mooks after the Great Leader has them killed off to make way for Gel-Shocker.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: They can transform into sheets of paper to ambush enemies.
- Weaksauce Weakness: While they're both stronger and faster than their predecessors, unless they drink a special formula every 3 hours, they die. This was deliberately given to them by the Great Leader and General Black as a countermeasure for if they were ever captured.
Shocker Kaijin
- Animal-Themed Superbeing: Each is a cyborg mutant with a different motif based on a living organism.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Invoked by Shocker, which sees humanity as inferior and views the kaijin remodeling surgery as a method of getting rid of it.
- Death Is Cheap: Shocker is fully capable of reviving and repairing them after they're defeated.
- LEGO Genetics: They get their powers from being infused with the DNA of whatever animal, bug or plant they're based on.
- Master Race: Intended by Shocker to be a new race to supplant humanity.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: The Gel-Shocker Kaijin are combined with DNA from two specimens as opposed to one.
- Monster of the Week: One is sent out each episode to defeat Kamen Rider, carry out an Evil Plan or just cause a ruckus.
- Reforged into a Minion: They're all former humans who were "remodeled", as Shocker terms it, into kaijin.
- Transhuman: Humans who've been transmutated into plant/animal superbeings.
