Kamen Rider ZX, the tenth hero to inherit the
Kamen Rider name, bears the distinction of being the first Rider who did not debut in a TV series. After the end of the previous series,
Kamen Rider Super-1, the Kamen Rider franchise was once again taken off the air. Following a fan campaign for a new series, Ishinomori decided to introduce a new Kamen Rider anyway without a TV series. ZX made his debut on July 1982 in an illustration published by Japanese magazines such as
TV Magazine and
TV Land, in which he was introduced without an official name at the time as the "Tenth Rider". After a year-long multimedia campaign that included a contest to decide the name, a radio drama that was broadcast by All-Night Nippon (starring
Akira Kamiya as the voice of the Tenth Rider), the live unveiling of the character and his official name, photo stories that were published in various magazines, a few tie-in manga versions and even stage shows, ZX eventually made his live-action debut on January 3, 1984 in an hour-long special titled
Birth of the Tenth! Gather All Kamen Riders!!.
Ryo Murasame, was captured in the Amazon Jungle along with his sister Shizuka by the evil Badan Empire. Badan's agents murder Shizuka, then transform Ryo into an
elite-agent of evil known as ZX. Initially
Brainwashed and Crazy, Ryo miraculously regains his sanity and escapes Badan. He then encounters three strangers whom he initially assume to be enemies. In reality, they are Riders V3, Super-1, and Riderman, who take him to meet the other Kamen Riders and welcome him to their fold. Afterwards, he joins them in battle, calling himself Kamen Rider ZX.
The manga
Kamen Rider SPIRITS is an alternate take on the ZX story.
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