Spoilers for all Showa Kamen Rider entries preceding this one, including Kamen Rider X, will be left unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
AAA-MAAA-ZOOOON!! note
Kamen Rider Amazon was the fourth Kamen Rider series.
Amazon, real name Daisuke Yamamoto, was raised in the Amazon after his parents were killed in a plane crash. His life is changed when the Ten-Faced Demon Golgos attacked and destroyed his adopted home village in search of the mystical Gigi Armlet, which would grant him the power to Take Over the World if combined with his own Gaga Armlet.note A witch doctor inserts the Gigi Armlet into him, which allows him to transform into the warrior Amazon. He goes to Japan to meet a professor who knew his father, battles Golgos's minions after the professor is killed, and becomes the new Champion of Justice.
The series had a single theatrical release, a Re-Cut of #16 also titled Kamen Rider Amazon.
Unrelated to the mythological Greek tribe of warrior women.
A new Heisei-era series, Kamen Rider Amazons, is loosely based on this series that premiered on April 1st 2016 for the Amazon Prime streaming service. This one is set in a parallel continuity from the entire Kamen Rider franchise, as well as the Spiritual Antithesis to the original Amazon series itself.
Recurring Kamen Rider tropes include:
- Badass Biker: Subverted at first. Amazon was very reluctant to ride a motorcycle (his first exposure to them was a motorcross race, and they're rather loud besides), so it took a lot of convincing by Tachibana (and the Jungler).
- Big Bad: Ten-Faced Demon Golgos, the leader of Geddon, for the first half and the Garanda Empire led by Zero the Great for the second half, both having the same goals of claiming Amazon's GiGi Armlet and using it to take over the world. In the finale its revealed both answer to the mysterious Ruler.
- By the Power of Grayskull!: AAAAAAA-MAAAAAA-ZOOOON!
- Calling Your Attacks: Since Amazon was not a big talker to start with, this trope was initially averted, to the point that he doesn't announce his finishers until #14.
- Cool Bike: Jungler. One frame in SPIRITS implies that it has some degree of sentience, though this might just be a joke.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: Mostly averted for this series; most Beastman that are brutalized by Amazon end up as bloody mess, sometimes dissolving away. Played straight in the cases of Advanced Dobsonfly Beastman and Gorgos (#14) as well as Toad Beastman (#17). Flying Squirrel Beastman also explodes due to falling to Amazon's Rider Kick.
- Elite Mook: Garanda's Black Followers have Leaders who are distinguished by the mark of a star on the forehead of their masks.
- Evil Plan: Both Geddon and Garanda intend to seize Amazon's Gigi Armlet which, combined with the Gaga Armlet, will grant them the power to conquer the world.
- Finishing Move: At first he didn't have one; it was just hack and slash until the Monster of the Week stopped moving. Eventually came his trademark "Great Slice", a dramatic leap-and-slash move that results in High-Pressure Blood and a dramatic fall (but still no 'boom,' the monster was just left in its own juices.) Last and least-used was the Amazon Kick, your standard Rider Kick ending in your standard Toku monster kaboom. The Super Great Slice is the Great Slice when he's got both armlets, as seen once in Amazon and once in Decade. It's no different visually, but presumably its victims were tough enough to require it as opposed to lesser attacks.
- Henshin Hero: Although unlike the other Riders, his body is mystically augmented rather than mechanically - Amazon is actually biological, compared to his technological Rider brethren. (This brings up an interesting point about the word "Kaizou-Ningen", usually translated as "Cyborg" in English. "Kaizou" means to modify, in the sense of remodeling and improvement, and does not necessarily indicate doing so with artificial enhancements. Thus Amazon is in fact a "Kaizou-Ningen" like the other Riders, just not in a way that translates smoothly.)
- Monster of the Week: Both Geddon and Garanda have the Beastmen, animal-themed monsters whom, compared to their predecessors, diverge more from the humanoid shape, with Snake Beastman being among the more extreme examples.
- Mooks: Geddon has the all-female Red Followers. Garanda has the Black Followers.
- Nebulous Evil Organisation: Geddon, followed by the Garanda Empire.
- Take Over the World: The agenda of both Geddon and Garanda, which they can accomplish with the power of the two Armlets.
- Transformation Trinket: Amazon is one of the few Riders whose belt has nothing to do with transformation - it's actually a survival multi-tool he can use in human form. He transforms with the Gigi Armlet instead.
- Villains Act, Heroes React: As is the norm for Kamen Rider, Geddon/Garanda generally send forth a MOTW with an Evil Plan Once an Episode, with Amazon then arriving on the scene to stop them.
Kamen Rider Amazon provides examples of:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Amazon's blades, on the forearms of his gloves. They're very sharp, and more to the point, he's strong enough to do the cutting. Before he learned how to do a proper Rider Kick, Amazon's finisher was the Daisetsudan ("Great Amputation" or "Great Cleave") which was responsible for the High-Pressure Blood below.
- SPIRITS takes this to new levels - he can easily cut arms in two (right down the middle), and that picture up at the top? That's Salamander/Tokage-Roid learning the hard way that Amazon can cut heads in two as well. His Super Daisetsudan (available when Amazon combines the Gaga Armlet with the Gigi Armlet on his right arm for extra power) can cleave something the size of a T-Rex.
- All There in the Manual:
- Geddon's Red Followers possess only 1.5 times the strength of the average human, whilst Garanda's Black Followers are 5 times as strong as a human.
- Zero the Great, the legendary ruler of the Garanda Empire, is a title of those who inherited three sacred treasures of Garanda's ruling Zero House, all of which can be seen on his person. They are the Helmet of Flaming Wings, the Blood Cloak, and the spear Blue Thunder which he uses to enforce You Have Failed Me. Asserting his claim of descent from the ruling dynasty of the ancient Parthian Empire, the present Zero was said to have been born in 1938, and aged 37 when he fought Amazon in 1975. (Kamen Rider 1971-1984)
- Amazon Brigade: Ironically enough given the title character, Geddon's Mooks are all this. While no match for Amazon, they're still capable of manhandling normal humans.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: Amazon's plot and character are distinctly removed from the larger meta arc of its three predecessors and Kamen Rider Stronger as well as the franchise's sci-fi roots.
- Asshole Victim: Most Beastmen attack innocent civilians but Mole Beastman's victim was the least sympathetic. In addition to killing a bird in front of Amazon, he's on the run from the cops for four murders and even after Amazon saves him, he deliberately unbalances Amazon to make sure Mole gets him.
- Bad Boss: Golgos, who executes the first two Beastmen for their failures (Amazon doesn't have his first kill until #3); Golgos roasts Spider Beastman alive with his fire breath, then has Vampire Bat Beastman fed to a swarm of vampire bats. Zero the Great is no better, using his spear to execute failed Black Followers and the Salamander Beastman (#23).
- Batman Gambit: He may be a Hulk Speaking Wild Child, but don't confuse that for stupidity. He once used a complicated plan based on his knowledge of all involved, depending on everyone acting precisely as they did, including getting the villains to think that they were the ones who knew his plans and were gambitting him. Yes, Amazon pulled off an I Know You Know I Know, level three or four!
- Beware the Nice Ones: Amazon may be the most violent Rider, but his rage is restrained to actual bad guys. He's a Friend to All Living Things besides, and when misunderstanding humans begin attacking him, he will always flee rather than harm them. There's really no reason to fear him if you're not a monster trying to harm innocents. If you are, though, there will be High-Pressure Blood, eye-gouging, limbs severed via teeth, and so forth.
- The Berserker: Amazon's preferred fighting style, at least in human form. His Rider form is somewhat more refined...
- Daisuke is pretty much a straight-up Berserker, although Amazon seems to combine it with bits of Confusion Fu.
- Bittersweet Ending: In the end, after defeating the Garanda Empire and retrieving the Gigi and Gaga Armlets, Amazon leaves Japan and returns to the Amazon Rainforest, because he feels it's his true home. Tobei Tachibana, however, believes he will come back if evil terrorizes Japan again.
- Bloodier and Gorier: Unusually for a Kamen Rider series, Amazon kills monsters by decapitating or dismembering them with the Great Slice.
- But Now I Must Go: After Amazon retrieves both the Gigi and Gaga Armlets and the Garanda Empire is defeated, he leaves Japan to return to the Amazon rainforest because it is his true home.
- Call-Back: Upon first seeing Amazon, Masahiko recognises him as "Kamen Rider", acknowledging the previous Riders.
- Canon Welding: Amazon is securely linked to his predecessors by the reintroduction of Tobei Tachibana in #3.
- Cartoon Creature: While he doesn't look all that cartoony, Amazon's Animal Theme is very much ambiguous. Popular guesses are a piranha, a chameleon or a monitor lizard.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The final battle with Zero the Great mainly consists of Amazon walking up to him and taking him apart like a roast chicken.
- Kinda justified as Amazon had both the Gigi Armlet and the Gaga Armlet at the time, which are supposed to grant their wielder great power. Still, it's not the grand final battle people wanted.
- Decoy Leader: The Zero the Great we see throughout most of the series is revealed to be this.
- Defector from Decadence: The Mole Beastman turns to Amazon's side after Amazon saved him from execution. Considering the Big Bad's opinion was "die in battle or I'll kill you myself", getting shown mercy by his former enemy convinced him to perform a Heel–Face Turn.
- Disk-One Final Boss: #14 introduces a rival organization to Geddon in the form of the Garanda Empire. Amazon finally kills Ten-Faced Demon Golgos and finishes off Geddon in that same empire, only for Geddon to be replaced by Garanda and its ruler, Zero the Great.
- Distressed Damsel: Ritsuko, to the point that even her little brother Masahiko once basically says something to the effect of "Don't worry, she gets kidnapped all the time!"
- Dressing as the Enemy: The final episode has Tobei Tachibana disguising himself as a Black Follower to infiltrate Garanda's lair.
- Eccentric Mentor: Tobei Tachibana, even gives Amazon his trademark bike the Jungler.
- Epic Fail: One of the Beastman Amazon fights made contact with seawater, and the falls over dead.
- Heel–Face Turn/Mook–Face Turn - the Mole Beastman.
- Fish out of Water: Yep!
- Forgotten Fallen Friend: Mole Beastman. Everyone's really sad when he dies...then he's never mentioned again and the next episode starts with everyone cheerful.
- Friend to All Children: Amazon himself being a Wild Child, this is no surprise. And GOD (yes, the organization; yes, the whole organization) help you if you bring harm to one he knows personally.
- Half the Man He Used to Be
- #17: Amazon's Big Slice not only bisects the Toad Beastman vertically, but then cuts those halves into two pieces.
- #18: Amazon's Big Slice horizontally bisects the Tiger Beetle Beastman.
- Healing Factor: It wasn't used too overtly in the TV show (likely related to the level of 70's special effects they were budgeted for), but Amazon heals much faster than a normal human, such that he can get into fistfights with clawed Beastmen without transforming.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Whenever bad things happen, the actual villains pull a Villain: Exit, Stage Left, and a wild, scantily-clad Hulk Speaker is the only person remaining at the scene, it sometimes doesn't go well for our hero. His good name is usually restored by the end of the episode... for the time being.
- High-Pressure Blood: Most monsters end up cut open by Amazon and it normally results in a massive amount of blood spurting from their wounds.
- Hulk Speak: For the first dozen episodes or so before he gradually learns Japanese. This led to much communication problems during certain episodes.
- Image Song: I Am Tobe Tachibana
- I'm a Humanitarian: Several Beastmen consume humans
- Snake Beastman swallows the science assistant whole in #7.
- Crocodile Beastman appears to eat a janitor in #8, and later in the episode the Mountain women admit to being excited about eating children.
- Sea Anemone Beastman in #21 turns humans into Man Eating Humans. He later freezes Amazon, procures a giant knife and fork, dons a monster bib and attempts to eat the frozen rider.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Momonga Beastman. How hard is it to drop bombs on a house you're flying directly above?
- Keet: Amazon appears to be this outside of battle, at least by the time of Kamen Rider Spirits.
- Kiai: "GII GII GII GII GII!!!"
- Kid with the Leash: Masahiko, to an extent.
- Large Ham: The Narrator for the first several episodes to explain Amazon's moods and mindset before he learned Japanese.
- Amazon himself also qualifies.
- Man Bites Man: One of the most preferred methods of Amazon. Parents actually complained about this, since it was easier for kids to imitate than the franchise's traditional Rider Kick. All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker names this the Jaguar Shock.
- Mythology Gag: Just like the original series, the first MOTW is a spider, followed by a bat. This is followed by a scorpion monster in #3 of the next series.
- Nature Hero: Being raised in the jungle certainly helps.
- Off with His Head!: In #19, Amazon's Big Slice beheads the Owl Beastman.
- People Puppets - After eating a person alive, the Snake Beastman somehow uses their body to move about/manipulate humans as one of them.
- Poor Communication Kills: As noted in Hero with Bad Publicity, Amazon's inability to communicate get's him into trouble early on. In #5, he's accosted by police, who are grateful that he stopped a violent criminal, and need him to go back to the station to make a statement. Amazon doesn't understand and thinks they're trying to attack him, and in the process get's subdued and sent to jail.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: AAAAAAA-MAAAAAA-ZOOOON!
- Race Lift: In Kamen Rider Decade, Amazon is played by Enrique Sakamoto, a mixed-race Japanese-Peruvian actor from Trujillo.
- Raised by Natives: Amazon was an orphan when his parents died from a plane crash to South America. He was then raised by the natives there for most of his life.
- Theme Music Power-Up
- The Mole: The Mole Beastman, though he is on Amazon's side.
- Transformation Trauma: The first KR series to invoke this.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight - Amazon running around modern Tokyo in a loincloth doesn't attract nearly as much attention as you'd think.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Amazon initially comes to Japan wearing only a loincloth playing this trope straight. #9 features his friends making him more clothing, including a loose shirt with the same color pattern as his loincloth, which he wears for the rest of the series.
- Was Once a Man: #12 has Genji Murata, a human criminal who is modified by Geddon to become the Ant Beastman.
- Wild Child: Take a wild guess.
- You Have Failed Me: As mentioned above under Bad Boss, the villains love to do this (it's three episodes before Amazon actually gets to kill a monster himself). In fact, Amazon rescues one monster (Mole Beastman) from this, and said monster becomes The Mole for him.
