| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saber_teaser_poster.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"Hope exists beyond your resolution!"'']] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''“The saber in your hand! Is a pen to write it down! Words to save this world!”'' |
| 5 | -->-- The English first line of the opening theme. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ''Kamen Rider Saber'' is the 2020-2021 entry in the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series, the second series in the Reiwa Era and the thirty-first overall. It debuted on September 6, 2020, airing alongside ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'', and later, ''Series/KikaiSentaiZenkaiger'' in the Series/SuperHeroTime block. In contrast to the technological motif of its predecessor ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'', ''Saber'' instead has a fantasy and storytelling motif, similar to ''[[Series/KamenRiderDenO Den-O]]'', ''[[Series/KamenRiderWizard Wizard]]'' and ''[[Series/KamenRiderGhost Ghost]]''. It ended on August 29, 2021, and was succeeded by ''Series/KamenRiderRevice''. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | The series revolves around the [[AncientOrderOfProtectors Sword of Logos]], a 2,000-year-old organization dedicated to protecting the power of the [[GreatBigBookOfEverything Almighty Book]], an all-powerful, all-knowing book whose pages were torn out and scattered, inciting conflict and war. The Sword of Logos is comprised of swordsmen wielding the eleven Holy Blades[[note]]''Seiken''[[/note]] in conjunction with [[TransformationTrinket Wonder Ride Books]] -- the lost pages of the Almighty Book that contain the power of different stories -- to become Kamen Riders and defend the world from magical destruction. They fight against the Megid, a mysterious group seeking the power of the Almighty Book by creating monsters to [[TrappedInAnotherWorld wreak havoc on reality]] through the power of stories. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | In the present, a young author and bookstore owner named Touma Kamiyama and his editor Mei Sudo are roped into this conflict when the world around them is absorbed into the fantastical Wonder World by a Megid. As he begins to rediscover his forgotten connections to the Sword of Logos, Touma obtains the [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Flame Blade]] ''[[NamedWeapons Raging Fire]]''[[note]]''Kaenken Rekka''[[/note]] and transforms into Kamen Rider Saber, joining the Sword of Logos' Northern Base and its swordsmen Rintaro Shindo/Kamen Rider Blades, Kento Fukamiya/Kamen Rider Espada, Ryo Ogami/Kamen Rider Buster, Ren Akamichi/Kamen Rider Kenzan, and Tetsuo Daishinji/Kamen Rider Slash; all directed by [[SupportingLeader Sophia]] in the escalating battle for the safety of the world against the Megid and the traitorous Kamen Rider Calibur. However, Touma and his friends later discover there may be more to this conflict and their guild than meets the eye... |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ''Kamen Rider Saber''[='s=] tie-in projects include: |
| 14 | * ''Kamen Rider Saber Prologue'', a short non-canon preview video, with ''Saber'' characters recapping the then-current series ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne''. |
| 15 | * ''Kamen Rider Saber Spinoff: Swordsmen Chronicles'', a four-episode web miniseries featuring the backstories of the additional Riders. |
| 16 | * ''Kamen Rider Saber Transformation Lessons'', a series of web shorts demonstrating how to transform using the Seiken Swordriver. |
| 17 | * ''Film/KamenRiderSaberThePhoenixSwordsmanAndTheBookOfRuin'', a 20-minute short movie released as a double-feature with ''Film/KamenRiderZeroOneRealXTime''. |
| 18 | * ''Supplementary Volume Kamen Rider Saber: Short Story Activity Manga Collection'', a comedic anime series. |
| 19 | * ''Supplementary Volume Kamen Rider Saber: Kamen Rider Buster the Comic'', a manga adaptation that focuses on Ryo Ogami during his high school years. |
| 20 | * ''Sword of Logos Saga'', a UsefulNotes/BluRay exclusive prequel miniseries that takes place 15 years before the main series, during the Wonder World wars. |
| 21 | * ''Kamen Rider Saber: Assemble! Heroes!! The Explosive Dragon Televi-kun'', a DVD BonusEpisode distributed with ''Magazine/TeleviKun'' magazine. |
| 22 | * ''Recap/KamenRiderSaberXGhost'' and ''Recap/KamenRiderSpecterXBlades'', a crossover miniseries with ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' released through the Toei Toku Fan Club app. |
| 23 | * ''Film/KamenRiderSaberPlusKikaiSentaiZenkaigerSuperHeroSenki'', a crossover film with ''Series/KikaiSentaiZenkaiger''. |
| 24 | * ''Kamen Rider Saber: Final Stage'', a live stageshow. |
| 25 | * ''Film/KamenRiderBeyondGenerations'', a crossover movie with ''Series/KamenRiderRevice'' that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the franchise. |
| 26 | * ''Film/KamenRiderSaberTrioOfDeepSin'', a DarkerAndEdgier V-Cinext movie set eight years after the events of the series. |
| 27 | * ''Recap/KamenRiderSaberSpinoffKamenRiderSabelaAndKamenRiderDurendal'', a spin-off set one year after the series finale, focusing on the Shindai siblings. |
| 28 | * ''Series/KamenRiderOutsiders'', a Toei Toku Fan Club miniseries, includes Desast as one of the many villains/anti-heroes involved, and his FriendlyEnemy Kenzan also appears. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | !!Recurring ''Kamen Rider'' tropes include: |
| 31 | * CoolBike: |
| 32 | ** Saber has the access to the Diago Speedy, a special magazine-based Wonder Ride Book that transforms into a motorcycle with a blade attached to where the headlight should be. |
| 33 | ** The Sword of Logos Riders all use the foldable smartphone [[ShoePhone Gatrikephone]], which can convert into a three-wheeled motorcycle known as the Ride Gatriker that is armed with two Gatling guns. |
| 34 | * DefeatEqualsExplosion: Played straight for the Megid, especially [[spoiler:Legeiel]]. |
| 35 | ** [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} for Zooous when he gets frozen in ice at the hands of Tategami Blades and [[LiterallyShatteredLives fatally shatters into nothing.]]]] |
| 36 | ** [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} again for Desast as he dissolves into ashes after Ren slays him.]] |
| 37 | ** [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} [[RuleOfThree again]] for [[FinalBoss Storious]] as he also disintegrates into nothing after getting slain by Touma, Rintaro and Kento.]] |
| 38 | * ElementalPowers: Often an incidental design theme in ''Kamen Rider'', this time it's part of the core premise. Each of the 11 Holy Blades and the Riders they allow transformation into use the power of an element with a distinct name defined at the end of the associated sword's name. Each sword has at least one Wonder Ride Book associated with it and by extension associated with the elements. |
| 39 | ** Saber, Blades, and Espada form a FireIceLightning trio with their respective elements [[PlayingWithFire Rekka]], [[MakingASplash Nagare]], and [[ShockAndAwe Ikazuchi]], though Blades' ice powers come as an extension of water. |
| 40 | ** The MightyGlacier Buster uses the [[DishingOutDirt power of earth]], called Gekido, making him a great destructive force using hard-hitting techniques and abilities. |
| 41 | ** Kenzan, [[WindIsGreen green]] and [[FragileSpeedster nimble]], is associated with [[BlowYouAway Hayate, or wind]], complimenting his fast, athletic DualWielding style and ninja-based abilities. |
| 42 | ** The antagonistic Calibur is associated with [[CastingAShadow Kurayami, darkness]]. Death by his blade means being sealed away in darkness. |
| 43 | ** Slash's Onjuuken Suzune channels the [[MakeSomeNoise power of sound]], though he usually relies more on his [[MixAndMatchWeapon gun and blade]] fighting style until he pulls out his [[SuperScream Bremen no Rock Band Wonder Ride Book]]. |
| 44 | ** Falchion is the [[PowerOfTheVoid Swordsman of Void]], or "Kyomu," a power which nearly allows him to [[spoiler:return the world to nothingness]]. The Mumeiken Kyomu also serves to [[spoiler:control the unlimited power of the combination of all Seiken, Haouken Xross Saber]]. |
| 45 | ** Kamen Rider Saikou ''is'' the Kougouken Saikou, the [[LightEmUp Strong Light Blade]]. This allows him to cast a LivingShadow to wield him and compensate for having no humanoid transformation. |
| 46 | ** Kamen Rider Sabela's element Noroshi allows her to [[SuperSmoke transform into smoke]], making her impossible to predict in battle. |
| 47 | ** Durendal's Jikokuken Kaiji has TimeMaster powers, described as being able to "skip" time, causing himself and his opponents to jump a few seconds into the future with only Durendal knowing what's happened in the skipped time. If it wasn't coincidental, it would have been a [[ShoutOut Shout Out]] to [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Diavolo's King Crimson]]. |
| 48 | ** [[spoiler:Created from the union of all eleven Seiken, the Haouken Xross Saber uses the Seiken ''themselves'' [[BizarroElements as its element]]. It also has an association with [[StarPower space]], the stars serving as a subtle extension of Saber's flame element.]] |
| 49 | * HenshinHero: It wouldn’t be a Rider series without this! All of the heroes transform into Riders, with the most prominent being Touma Kamiyama transforming into Kamen Rider Saber, Rintaro Shindo transforming into Kamen Rider Blades, and Kento Fukamiya transforming into Kamen Rider Espada. Notably for the franchise, Kamen Rider Saikou transforms into ''his own'' TransformationTrinket and CoolSword: the Holy Blade of Light. |
| 50 | * HeroesPreferSwords: Not only do all the do all the Riders use swords, their names are also [[TheyCallHimSword sword-related.]] |
| 51 | * MonsterOfTheWeek: The Mamono Megids, a race of creatures summoned from Alter Ride Books by their main members, who are bent on changing our world into their image. Like Wonder Ride Books, they are also separated into three categories: Mythical Beast, Animal, and Story. |
| 52 | * TransformationTrinket: This season’s collectible power-up takes shape in the form of Wonder Ride Books. They are separated into three categories: Divine Beast, Animal, and Story. The various Riders use these books in conjunction with different belt gadgets: |
| 53 | ** Saber, Blades, and Espada can use the Seiken Swordriver[[note]]Holy Sword Swordriver[[/note]] and a Seiken with a unique crossguard Emblem to access their power; using each category in the left (for books on mythological beasts), center (for animal books), and right (for stories) slots of the Swordriver respectively and affect the appropriate third of the Rider’s suit. They also each have a matching set designated for them with one from each category. |
| 54 | *** Saber’s set of books includes ''Brave Dragon'' as his Divine Beast and primary book, ''Storm Eagle'' as his Animal and ''[[Literature/JourneyToTheWest Saiyuu Journey]]''[[note]]''Westward Journey''[[/note]] as his Story. As his first MidSeasonUpgrade, he gets ''Dragonic Knight''; followed by ''Primitive Dragon'' and ''Elemental Dragon''. In ''The Phoenix Swordsman and the Book of Ruin'', he gets ''Emotional Dragon''. |
| 55 | *** Blades’ set of books includes ''Lion Senki''[[note]]''Lion Military History''[[/note]] as his Animal and primary book, ''Tenkuu no Pegasus''[[note]]''Pegasus of Heaven''[[/note]] as his Divine Beast, and ''[[Literature/PeterPan Peter Fantasista]]'' as his Story. He also has the MidSeasonUpgrade ''King Lion Daisenki''[[note]]''King Lion Great Military History''[[/note]] followed by ''[[SuperForm Tategami Hyoujuu Senki]]''.[[note]]''Mane Ice Beast Military History''[[/note]] |
| 56 | *** Espada’s set of books includes ''[[Literature/{{Aladdin}} Lamp do Alangina]]'' as his Story and primary book, ''Needle Hedgehog'' as his Animal, and ''Tri Cerberus'' as his Divine Beast. He later obtains another Wonder Ride Book called ''[[Literature/OneThousandAndOneNights Arabiana Night]]'' to access his Rider's SuperForm. |
| 57 | ** The other Riders have two books each, one of any category that they insert into their swords (instead of belts) to transform and one Story used as a powerup: the Divine Beast book ''[[TheFourGods Genbu Shinwa]]''[[note]]''Black Tortoise Myth''[[/note]] and ''[[Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk Jackun-to-Domamenoki]]''[[note]]''Jack-[[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics kun]] and the Earth Bean’s Tree''[[/note]] for Buster, the Story book ''[[UsefulNotes/SarutobiSasuke Sarutobi Ninjaden]]''[[note]]''Sarutobi Ninja Legend''[[/note]] and ''[[Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs Kobuta 3 Kyoudai]]''[[note]]''Piglet 3 Siblings''[[/note]] for Kenzan, and the Story book ''[[Literature/HanselAndGretel Hanselnuts to Gretel]]''[[note]]''Hanselnuts and Gretel''[[/note]] and ''[[Literature/TheBremenTownMusicians Bremen no Rock Band]]''[[note]]''Rock Band of Bremen''[[/note]] for Slash. Sabela and Durendal also use this system but possess only one Animal book each, ''Konchuu Daihyakka''[[note]]''Insect Great Encyclopedia''[[/note]] for Sabela and ''Ocean History'' for Durendal. |
| 58 | ** Calibur uses the Divine Beast ''Jaaku Dragon''[[note]]''Wicked Dragon''[[/note]] with the Jaken Caliburdriver[[note]]Evil Sword Caliburdriver[[/note]] belt, and he later upgrades to ''Jaou Dragon''.[[note]]''Evil King Dragon''[[/note]] |
| 59 | ** Saikou uses the Story ''[[HonestAxe Kin no Buki, Gin no Buki]]''[[note]]''Gold Weapon, Silver Weapon''[[/note]] with the Kougouken Saikou and the Seiken Saikou Driver[[note]]Holy Sword Most Light Driver[[/note]] belt (a recolored Caliburdriver). He can then add the superhero comic ''X Sword Man'' (classified as a Divine Beast) into the empty belt slot as an upgrade. |
| 60 | ** In ''Kamen Rider Saber: The Phoenix Swordsman and the Book of Ruin'', Falchion uses the Haken Bladriver[[note]]Supreme Sword Bladriver[[/note]] (a retool of the Swordriver with only one open book slot) with the Divine Beast book ''[[ThePhoenix Eternal Phoenix]]''. |
| 61 | *** ''Trio of Deep Sin'' has the next Kamen Rider Falchion use the same sword and driver, only this time, with ''[[OurSirensAreDifferent Amazing Siren]]'' replacing ''Eternal Phoenix''. |
| 62 | ** Uniquely, [[spoiler:Solomon]] does ''not'' use a sword to transform, though he uses a recolor of a belt that is normally used in conjunction with a sword. He uses the [[spoiler:''Omni Force'']] Wonder Ride Book (a retool of X Sword Man) in the [[spoiler:Dooms Driver Buckle]], a gold repaint of the Jaken Caliburdriver/Seiken Saikoudriver. While Calibur and Saikou use the pommels of their swords to press the button on top of their buckles to activate transformations, [[spoiler:Isaac]] simply presses the button with his thumb. |
| 63 | ** [[spoiler:Storious inherits Solomon's Dooms Driver Buckle, using it in the same way with his ''Grimoire'' Wonder Ride Book (a repaint of ''Omni Force'').]] |
| 64 | ** There are additional Story books not known to be assigned to any specific Rider. The only one to have plot importance is ''[[Myth/KingArthur King of Arthur]]'', while the rest made token appearances in Chapter 7: |
| 65 | *** ''[[Literature/FengshenYanyi Hōshin Kamen Engi]]''[[note]]''Masked Story of Investiture of the Gods''[[/note]] is labeled as a Fairy Tale book, with the announcement World Story Rider. |
| 66 | *** Olden Days-type books include ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuru_no_Ongaeshi Kirin no Ongaeshi]]'',[[note]]''Giraffe’s Return of a Favor''[[/note]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasa_Jizō Osha Jizou San]]'',[[note]]''The Fashionable [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kṣitigarbha Jizō]]-san''[[/note]] ''[[Literature/AesopsFables Bakusou Usagi to Kame]]'',[[note]]''The Roaring Hare and Tortoise''[[/note]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Bamboo_Cutter Tsuki no Hime Kaguyan]]'',[[note]]''Princess of the Moon Kaguyan''[[/note]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issun-bōshi Issun Bushi]]'',[[note]]''The One-Sun Warrior''[[/note]] and ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crab_and_the_Monkey Sarukani Wars]]''.[[note]]''Monkey-Crab Wars''[[/note]] |
| 67 | *** There are three Tarō Wonder Ride Books, in reference to the fairy tale themes of three of the Taros from ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'': ''[[Literature/{{Momotaro}} Daishōgun Momoichirō]]'',[[note]]''Commander-in-Chief Momoichirō''[[/note]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urashima_Tarō Daikengō Urashimajirō]]'',[[note]]''Great Swordmaster Urashima Jirō''[[/note]] and ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintarō Daiyokodzuna Kinzaburō]]''.[[note]]''Great Yokodzuna Kinzaburō''[[/note]] |
| 68 | *** An issue of ''Magazine/TeleviKun'' also appears as a Story book, classified as Manga. |
| 69 | *** The movie ''Super Hero Senki'' gives Saber a Story book titled, naturally, ''[[TitleDrop Super Hero Senki]]'';[[note]]''Super Hero Military History''[[/note]] which gives Saber the power of all Kamen Riders and Franchise/SuperSentai and modifies his armor to match [[Series/KikaiSentaiZenkaiger Zenkaizer]]. |
| 70 | ** The toyline also includes ''Wonder World Story of [Sword]'' books based on each Rider, classified as “World Story” books alongside ''Hōshin Kamen Engi''. ''Wonder World Story of Kougouken Saikou'' appears in the show and is transformed into the ''X Sword Man'' book. |
| 71 | ** And there are the requisite Wonder Ride Books of past Riders from the previous series in the toyline, with ''Ghost Ijinroku'' appearing in the ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'' crossover. |
| 72 | *** Divine Beasts: ''[[Series/KamenRiderAgito Konjikiryuu no AgitΩ]]'',[[note]]''AgitΩ of the Golden Dragon''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderRyuki Ryuuki in Mirror World]]'', ''[[Series/KamenRider555 Φ’s Shinka Jinruishi]]'',[[note]]''Φ’s Evolutionary Human History''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderHibiki Ongekiden Hibiki]]'',[[note]]''Sound Attack Legend Hibiki''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderWizard Kibou no Ryuutsukai Wizard]]'',[[note]]''Dragon-Using Wizard of Hope''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderGaim Sengoku Gaim Emaki]]'',[[note]]''Warring States Gaim [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emakimono Picture Scroll]]''[[/note]] and ''[[Series/KamenRiderGhost Ghost Ijinroku]]''.[[note]]''Ghost Great People Record''[[/note]] |
| 73 | *** Animals: ''[[Series/KamenRiderKuuga A New Legend Kuuga]]'', ''[[Series/KamenRiderBlade Kouchuu Yuugi Blade]]'',[[note]]''Beetle Game Blade''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderKabuto Kousoku Kabuto Goroku]]'',[[note]]''High-Speed Kabuto Analects''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderKiva Oresamaha Kiva Dearu]]'',[[note]]''I Am Kiva''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderOOO OOO Animal Comboroku]]'',[[note]]''OOO Animal Combo Record''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderBuild Pandorabbit no Build]]'',[[note]]''Build of the Pandora Rabbit''[[/note]] and ''[[Series/KamenRiderZeroOne 01 AI Kaihatsuroku]]''.[[note]]''01 AI Development Record''[[/note]] ''Specter X Blades'' adds one for a secondary Rider ''Specter Gekikou Senki''.[[note]]''Specter Enraged Military History''[[/note]] |
| 74 | *** Stories: ''Hajimari no [[Series/KamenRider Kamen Rider 1gou]]'',[[note]]''Beginning of Kamen Rider #1''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderDenO Den-O Douwa Zenshuu]]'',[[note]]''Den-O Fairy Tale Complete Works''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderDecade Decade Sekai Ryokouki]]''[[note]]''Decade World Travelogue''[[/note]] (in regular and ''Neo'' versions, with ''Neo'' representing his updated powers in ''Zi-O''), ''[[Series/KamenRiderDouble Double Tantei Nisshi]]'',[[note]]''Double Detective Journal''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderFourze 2011 Fourze Odyssey]]'', ''[[Series/KamenRiderDrive Drive Keisatsu 24ji]]'',[[note]]''Drive Police 24 Hours''[[/note]] ''[[Series/KamenRiderExAid Ex-Aid Iryou Nisshi]]'',[[note]]''Ex-Aid Medical Treatment Journal''[[/note]] and ''[[Series/KamenRiderZiO Zi-O Kōrinreki]]''.[[note]]''Zi-O Advent Calendar''[[/note]] |
| 75 | *** ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' has an additional complete set separate from the general "Legend Rider" group: ''Hiden no Hiden Monogatari''[[note]]''Hidden Stories of Hiden''[[/note]] for Stories, ''A.I.M.S. Animal File'' for Animals, and ''[=MetsubouJinrai=] Monsters'' for Divine Beasts. |
| 76 | |
| 77 | !![[{{Catchphrase}} I will decide this story's tropes!]] |
| 78 | * AnAesop: Has a few. |
| 79 | ** [[ThePowerOfFriendship Trust in your friends]]. [[YouAreNotAlone Nobody can handle all their problems alone]]. |
| 80 | ** [[TropesAreTools A story's worth isn't measured by originality but its impact]]. |
| 81 | * AkashicRecords: The show’s central {{MacGuffin}} is a GreatBigBookOfEverything that is the total of humanity’s knowledge, whether it is its stories or scientific achievements, which two groups have been secretly fighting over even in the present day, even though it’s been broken up into the various Wonder Ride Books. |
| 82 | * AllThereInTheManual: |
| 83 | ** [[https://toy.bandai.co.jp/series/rider/saber_special/encyclopedia/ A website by Bandai]] allows users to mix-and-match Wonder Ride Books to create additional forms for Saber, Blades and Espada through concept arts, including theoretical designs for books not used in the Swordriver, such as ''Genbu Shinwa''. A datamine of this site also revealed what [[https://www.reddit.com/r/KamenRider/comments/j8cgep/saber_riders_forms_without_their_books/ potential “blank” forms using no books]] would look like. |
| 84 | ** The MonsterOfTheWeek aren’t explicitly referred to as ''Mamono'' in the series, instead being referred to as Megids just like the villain generals. The show’s website and supplementary materials revealed that the term ''Mamono'' was derived to denote that they are lesser beings that dwell in/are summoned from Alter Ride Books, in contrast to the Megid generals [[spoiler:who were once part of the first humans to have discovered the Wonder World]]. |
| 85 | ** Sample pages of the ShowWithinTheShow comic book ''[=SwordXMan=]'' can be seen on the ''Kamen Rider'' official website, which reveals a villain character whose design bears a resemblance to both Kamen Rider Calibur and Charybdis, the latter of which [[spoiler:would later be defeated by Saikou X Sword Man]]. |
| 86 | ** [[spoiler:The Haouken Xross Saber utilises the power of only 10 Sacred Swords, despite being made of ''11 swords'' in the ritual. [[https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/saber/rider/item/haouken_xross_saber.html A breakdown of the sword on TV-Asahi’s website]] reveals that the 11th Sword ''Kyomu'''s PowerOfTheVoid is used as a subactive RestrainingBolt, returning the excess power that ''Xross Saber'' generates to nothing in order to preserve the harmony of the galaxy.]] |
| 87 | * AlternateCharacterReading: ''Saber'' runs wild with this even more than your average ''Rider'' series, mostly thanks to the Seiken. |
| 88 | ** While Saber’s name is usually written in katakana, the series' title also shows off the optional kanji spelling 聖刃, "holy blade."[[note]]A different "blade" (刃) than is used for Seiken (剣)."[[/note]] |
| 89 | *** The same can be applied to [[spoiler:Saber's [[SuperMode Final Form]], Xross Saber]]. As detailed below, the [[spoiler:Haouken Xross Saber is sometimes written with "Xross Saber" as 十聖刃, or "ten holy blades."]] This hasn't yet been officially used for the actual name of the Rider form yet, though. |
| 90 | ** The naming scheme of the Seiken makes heavy use of Alternate Character Readings, each name starting and ending with the same character, always using the kanji 剣 ''ken'', "blade/sword," and often using homophones of relevant words or phrases with different kanji. To be specific: |
| 91 | *** Kaenken Rekka[[note]]火炎剣烈火[[/note]]: "Kaen" is a word that means "flame/blaze" and "Rekka" is a word that means "raging fire." |
| 92 | *** Suiseiken Nagare[[note]]水勢剣流水[[/note]]: "Suisei" is a word that means "force of water" and "Nagare" is a homophone for "current" but written with the meaning "running stream." |
| 93 | *** Raimeiken Ikazuchi[[note]]雷鳴剣黄雷[[/note]]: "Raimei" is a word that means "thunderclap" and "Ikazuchi" is a homophone for "lightning" but is written with the meaning "yellow lightning." |
| 94 | *** Dogouken Gekido[[note]]土豪剣激土[[/note]]: "Dogou" is a word that means "powerful local clan" or "local strongman" while its individual kanji mean "earth/soil" and "powerful." "Gekido" is a homophone for "fury" but is written with the meaning "violent earth." |
| 95 | *** Fuusouken Hayate[[note]]風双剣翠風[[/note]]: "Fuusou" is a homophone for "wind and frost" written with the meaning "wind pair," referring to Hayate being a combining pair of swords. "Hayate" is a homophone for "gale" written with the meaning "green wind." |
| 96 | *** Ankokuken Kurayami[[note]]闇黒剣月闇[[/note]]: "Ankoku" is a word for "darkness" and so is "kurayami," though kurayami is written with the meaning "moon darkness." |
| 97 | *** Onjuuken Suzune[[note]]音銃剣錫音[[/note]]: "Onjuu" is a portmanteau of "sound" and "gun," and "suzune" is a portmanteau of "tin/copper" and "sound." A fun bonus meaning is that "juuken" means "bayonet." |
| 98 | *** Mumeiken Kyomu[[note]]無銘剣虚無[[/note]]: "Mumei" is a homophone for "nameless" or "unsigned" while being written with the kanji for "nothingness" and "signature." Kyomu is a word for "nihility, nothingness." |
| 99 | *** Kougouken Saikou[[note]]光剛剣最光[[/note]]: "Kougou" is a portmanteau of "light" and "strength" but is also a homophone for multiple words, most aptly "eons" or "a long time" as Yuri [[spoiler: was sealed away for hundreds of years to protect Avalon]]. "Saikou" is a portmanteau of "extreme/most" and "light," but is a deliberate homophone of "highest/maximum/supreme" (最高). |
| 100 | *** Eneiken Noroshi[[note]]煙叡剣狼煙[[/note]]: "Enei" is a portmanteau of "smoke" and "imperial," the latter likely referencing the sword's usage as a direct subordinate of Master Logos. "Noroshi" is a word for "smoke signal." |
| 101 | *** Jikokuken Kaiji[[note]]時国剣界時[[/note]]: "Jikoku" is a homophone for "the time" or "opportunity" written as a portmanteau of "time/hour" and "country" -- the latter likely intended with the kanji's connotation of governance as the sword is used as part of Master Logos' personal guard. "Kaiji" is a portmanteau of "world/boundary" and "time/hour" with a lot of homophonous meanings, including "mysterious event." |
| 102 | *** [[spoiler:Haouken Xross Saber]]: As the [[spoiler:ultimate Seiken and Saber's [[SuperMode Final Form]], the Haouken]] makes clever use of the swords' naming scheme. [[spoiler:"Haou"[[note]]刃王[[/note]] is a portmanteau of "blade" and "king" and is a homophone for "supreme ruler." "Xross Saber," much like Saber, is generally written with only katakana but has the alternate writing 十聖刃, meaning "ten Holy Blades," the gist being that "ten" (十) is read as "cross/Xross" and "Holy Blade" is read as "Saber."]] |
| 103 | * ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Reika tells the Swordsmen it may be necessary to kill Touma to protect the world, Ogami ask her twice if that’s Master Logos’ orders. She dodges the question and says her and Master Logos’ will are one and the same. |
| 104 | * BaitAndSwitch: Around the time [[spoiler:the third Calibur showed up]], Tassel was last seen leaving his premises and the camera shows an empty room [[spoiler:when Calibur does show up]]. This, along with his behaviour in the next episode, seemed to hint that he [[spoiler:''was'' Calibur]] as opposed to the obvious choice of [[spoiler:Kento]]. Of course, it’s not the case. |
| 105 | * TheBigBadShuffle: [[spoiler:Daichi Kamijo/the second]] Kamen Rider Calibur is initially touted as the BigBad, and is working with the three Megid leaders - Storious, Legeiel and Zooous - to get his hands on the Table of Revelation so he can uncover “the truth of the universe” and [[spoiler:figure out who [[HiddenVillain the traitor]] within Sword of Logos is.]] After his exit, Reika Shindai steps forward as the most likely candidate for the traitor within Sword of Logos, manipulating the other Riders into turning on Touma. It later turns out [[spoiler:she's really working for the actual traitor, Isaac, the current Master Logos, who also seeks to obtain the Almighty Book so he can use it to remake the world [[InTheirOwnImage to his own liking]].]] The Megid also stick around, with [[spoiler:Storious forming an [[BigBadDuumvirate alliance]] with Isaac, though Isaac is still in the lead.]] After [[spoiler:Isaac is defeated for a final time, Storious usurps him to steal his Omniforce Book in order to rebuild the Almighty Book and emerges as the FinalBoss.]] |
| 106 | * BreakingTheFellowship: The second arc sees the Riders of Northern Base split up due to Reika Shindai’s manipulations, putting Touma in opposition with many of his former comrades. [[spoiler:By Chapter 30 however, with the revelation of Master Logos’ true intentions, all except Kento and Ren are on the same side.]] |
| 107 | * BreakingOldTrends: While the EvolvingCredits (both OP and ED) get expanded to show all the Northern Base Riders and even Yuri, there’s ''zero'' sign of Rider form changes and super modes like Crimson Dragon, Dragonic Knight and even Primitive Dragon, a first for a modern Rider series. Not to mention that [[spoiler:Kento is still among our heroes despite having been on and off the bus ''and'' ditching Espada to be the new Calibur.]] |
| 108 | ** [[spoiler:After Chapter 40, the credits do evolve once again, showing Saber’s final form and all of the riders.]] |
| 109 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: Touma does this at the beginning of ''Kamen Rider Saber Prologue'' when introducing himself. |
| 110 | * CallingYourAttacks: The members of Swords of Logos and Desast participate in this. |
| 111 | * TheCameo: |
| 112 | ** Metal Yoshida and Ryō Matsuda, who had played Oren and Jonouchi in ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', appear as nameless victims of the Medusa Megid in Chapter 8 as a subtle cross-promotion for ''Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Gridon VS Kamen Rider Bravo''. |
| 113 | ** Husband and wife Hideyoshi Iwata and Mayu Hasegawa (Zena and Moa in ''Series/UltramanGeed'', along with Hideyoshi being the suit actor for several [[Franchise/UltraSeries Ultramen]]) appear as bystanders in Chapter 16. |
| 114 | * CantCatchUp: This is a point of contention for Ren, who, believing strength matters above all else as a hero, develops a bone to pick with Touma's ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges. However, he's not the only one this trope applies to - by the time Kamen Rider Solomon shows up, the only active Riders with power-ups are Saber, Blades, and Saikou. By the time Xross Saber is in action, Buster, Slash, [[spoiler:Espada]], and arguably Blades are relegated to [[WeAreTeamCannonFodder Team Cannon Fodder]]. Saikou manages to avert this trope and bail out stronger Riders multiple times despite having only one power-up due to his unique abilities. |
| 115 | * CentralTheme: ThePowerOfFriendship and the importance of placing trust in your friends. Characters like [[spoiler:Hayato, Kamijo and Kento]] who chose to bear their burdens by themselves rather than confide in their friends end up causing more problems then they hoped to solve. Whereas Touma, who places trust in his allies and goes out of his way to reach out to them, achieves his greatest victories in the series because he had friends by his side.. |
| 116 | * CerebusSyndrome: Despite the DownerBeginning, Saber started out light, filled with fantasy and storytelling elements along with most of the Riders being united in their cause against the Megid which Touma illustrates as ThePowerOfFriendship. As the show progressed, Saber eventually dealt with more serious matters such as [[spoiler:Calibur’s reveal and his aims, Kento being PutOnABus which led to his eventual corruption as the third Calibur, Reika framing Touma for being a traitor to the Sword of Logos, said organization’s Southern Base later presented as TheConspiracy, Touma’s tenure with Primitive Dragon, etc.]] Saber still manages to have its brighter moments, but by that point, the story has already ramped up the stakes and intensity. |
| 117 | * TheConspiracy: A rather nebulous one is present in the Sword of Logos. It’s later revealed [[spoiler:to include the Shindai siblings and the Guild’s head, the current Master Logos, who are aiming to gather all the Wonder Ride Books and claim the Omniscient Tome, so they can use it to remake the world.]] |
| 118 | * CovertGroup: According to Rintaro, the organization Sword of Logos is a “secret guild” that has existed for eons, with its members working to protect the books that made the world. |
| 119 | * CoolSword: The Riders of ''Saber'' [[TransformationTrinket transform with the power of]] ''Seiken'' [[note]]聖剣 “Holy Sword”[[/note]]. Each one embodies a different {{Elemental Power|s}}. |
| 120 | ** Saber, Blades, and Espada share a sword design - an ornate silver blade glowing along the side with a unique emblem on the hilt for each Rider which is stored in the Seiken Swordriver when not in use and drawn to initiate transformation: Saber's is the Kaenken Rekka[[note]]“Flame Sword Raging Fire”[[/note]], Blades’ is the Suiseiken Nagare[[note]]“Force of Water Sword Running Water”[[/note]], and Espada’s is the Raimeiken Ikazuchi[[note]]“Thunderclap Sword Yellow Thunder”[[/note]]. |
| 121 | ** Buster wields the Dogouken Gekido[[note]]“Local Clan Sword Violent Earth”[[/note]], a {{BFS}} he uses by itself to transform. |
| 122 | ** Kenzan’s is the Fuusouken Hayate[[note]]“Wind Twin Sword Green Wind”[[/note]], a ninjatō he uses to transform that can split into two swords or form a FuumaShuriken. |
| 123 | ** Calibur uses the Ankokuken Kurayami[[note]]“Darkness Sword Moon Dark”[[/note]] with the Jaken[[note]]Evil Sword[[/note]] Caliburdriver to transform. |
| 124 | ** Slash’s is the Onjuuken Suzune[[note]]“Sound Bayonet Tin Sound”[[/note]], a sword he uses to transform that can turn into a gun. |
| 125 | ** Falchion’s is the Haken[[note]]Supreme Sword[[/note]] Mumeiken Kyomu[[note]]“Unsigned Sword Nihility”[[/note]], a retool of the swords used by Saber, Blades, and Espada. |
| 126 | ** Initially, Kamen Rider Saikou himself ''is'' the Kougouken Saikou[[note]]“Light Sturdy Sword Most Light”[[/note]], wielded by the Saikou Shadow he summons. Saikou later wields the sword personally when he creates his power-up, X Sword Man. |
| 127 | ** The ''[[Myth/KingArthur King of Arthur]]'' Wonder Ride Book grants its user the Kingexcalibur sword and the King of Arthur mecha, which mimics the movements of the wielder. Saber can transform into the Saver Saber and be wielded by King of Arthur. The parts of both are named after Knights of the Round Table. |
| 128 | ** Sabela’s is the Eneiken Noroshi[[note]]“Smoke Imperial Sword Smoke Signal”[[/note]], a rapier that she uses by itself to transform. |
| 129 | ** Durendal’s is the Jikokuken Kaiji[[note]]“Time Country Sword World Time”[[/note]], a sword he uses to transform that can turn into a trident. |
| 130 | ** [[spoiler:Solomon]]’s is the greatsword Caladbolg, a gold and black version of the Kingexcalibur. |
| 131 | ** For Saber’s final form, he uses [[spoiler:the Haōken Xross Saber[[note]]“Blade King Sword Ten Holy Blades”[[/note]], which allows him to use the powers of all Seikens excluding the Mumeiken Kyomu]]. |
| 132 | * CypherLanguage: The inscriptions used in the Wonder Ride Books and equipment are Japanese rōmaji written with highly stylized English letters turned sideways and often (but not always) without spaces. For instance: |
| 133 | ** The lines at the bottom of the Swordriver say “Seiken wo hikinuke” (“Draw your holy sword”), and its book slots say “Koko ni hon wo sashi chikara wo kaihou” (“Insert books here to unleash power”). |
| 134 | ** As expected of books, the Wonder Ride Books have several passages of text. The inner cover states “Jobun kono hon ga page wo mekurareru toki ni arawareshi seinaru sadame ni erabareru kenshi no na wa” (“Foreword: He who appears when the pages of this book are turned, the swordsman chosen by holy fate’s name is…”) and the transformation page has a description of the book’s power, usually in the form “[X] ga seiken tomajiwari miniyadoru” (“[X] join(s) with the sacred sword and dwell(s) within you”). Other bits include a blurb about the QR code, instructions about which Swordriver slot it goes in, and some kind of warning. |
| 135 | ** Even the soles of the Riders’ boots have an inscription, “Kono ashi de Rider Kick” (“With this foot, Rider Kick”). |
| 136 | ** The bottom of the Caliburdriver reads “Hon wo sashite henshin” (Insert a book and transform). |
| 137 | ** The Dogouken Gekido’s blade reads “Kyodaina daichi no ken de nagihare” (Mow down with a huge sword of ground). |
| 138 | ** The Onjuuken Suzune reads “Oto de kizamu” (Carve with sound). |
| 139 | ** “Rider” is written on the Sword of Logos Buckle. |
| 140 | ** The left Hissatsuholder reads “Hon demo ken demo hairimasu yo” (You can insert a book or a sword) and the right reads “Kochiragawa ni wa hon nisatsu hairimasu” (On this side you can insert two books). |
| 141 | ** “King Arthur” is written on King of Arthur’s armor. |
| 142 | * DancingTheme: Not only does ''Saber'' have an ending theme, being the first series to have one since ''[[Series/KamenRiderHibiki Hibiki]]'', it has full choreography to go with it! |
| 143 | * DarkerAndEdgier: ZigZagged. Despite the fantasy and storytelling motif, ''Saber'' is much darker than Takuro Fukuda’s [[Series/KamenRiderGhost previous Rider show]], and while at the same time, it has more comedic moments than its predecessor ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne''. The show started with more lighthearted moments such as ThePowerOfFriendship, TrueCompanions between the Riders and some comedic moments. That is until CerebusSyndrome kicks in, more intense moments happen in this show and is noticeably less uplifting than the latter, with more death counts, infighting between Riders, and a dark conspiracy within the organization being brought to light. |
| 144 | * DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: God, this show is ''full of them'', all of them being the Seiken. |
| 145 | * DownerBeginning: The episode begins with the city in ruins thanks to the Megid. A young Touma is trying to keep his friend Luna from being sucked in, but unfortunately doesn’t have the strength to hold on. With no other options left, Daichi Kamijo performs a HeroicSacrifice by plunging his sword into the ground, engulfing the Megid and himself in flames. The city is back to normal… but with Daichi nowhere to be found, only leaving behind the ''Brave Dragon'' Wonder Ride Book in Touma’s hand. Present-day Touma however barely remembers the events as AllJustADream and is completely unsure if the events did happen, [[LaserGuidedAmnesia while feeling he has forgotten something important]]. While not as depressing as ''[[Series/KamenRiderDrive Drive]]'', it’s still pretty brutal. |
| 146 | * EasterEgg: The Foreword page of the Wonder Ride Books (see CypherLanguage above) is arranged so that the leftmost column of letters spells out “KAMEN RIDER.” |
| 147 | * EpisodeZeroTheBeginning: A recap special called “Kamen Rider Saber Prologue” aired exclusively on Tencent Video a month before the series premiered. |
| 148 | * EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:In the end, everyone who died in the finale of the series comes back thanks to Touma writing back the world after Storious destroyed it. Tassel, the first Master Logos and the Megid also come back as ghosts in the Wonder World. The only ones who stay dead are Daichi and Hayato (though they may still be alive inside Kurayami) and Isaac (who [[HateSink no one probably misses]]).]] |
| 149 | * {{Eyecatch}}: For the first time since ''Series/KamenRiderSuper1''. Appearing post-commercial, it features the Wonder Ride Book of the episode while some information is shown on the side in both Japanese and CypherLanguage. |
| 150 | * FalseUtopia: Discussed in the second verse of the insert song "Rewrite the Story," stating that it's ultimately what Touma and his friends are here to cut down and that while the only thing holding up their own world is the innocent story of Wonder World (as the first verse espouses), using violence and misdeeds to clear the path for a utopia isn't the right thing to do either. |
| 151 | * FictionalCounterpart: Most Story Wonder Ride Books are based off actual real-life stories, albeit with their titles rendered in Japanese rōmaji, or [[BlandNameProduct one letter off]] in at least one case, possibly to avoid copyright issues (or rather, ensure that the ''Kamen Rider'' versions ''can'' be copyrighted). |
| 152 | * FighterMageThief: The Seiken Swordriver enforces this trope on its users, but gives them the potential to be any combination of these roles due to how it channels the powers of the Wonder Ride Books, with the Divine Beast books improving technique, the Animal books increasing power, and the Story books granting special abilities. |
| 153 | ** Accordingly, Saber, Blades, and Espada fall into this trope due to each using a different kind of Wonder Ride Book to transform, the Brave Dragon Divine Beast book, the Lion Senki Animal book, and the Lamp do Alangina Story book. |
| 154 | * FireIceLightning: The base forms of the three main Riders embody these: Saber, Blades[[note]]water takes the place of ice[[/note]], and Espada respectively. |
| 155 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: |
| 156 | ** When Kamen Rider Calibur released Desast, the latter was in possession of the ''Storm Eagle'' Animal Book. It has also been shown twice that Calibur had the ''Saiyuu Journey'' Wonder Ride Book, with both books needed to complete Kamen Rider Saber’s full Wonder Combo. [[spoiler: Given that the then current Calibur’s true identity is that of the original Saber, this was no coincidence.]] |
| 157 | ** A minor one, but Rintaro asks [[Series/KamenRiderRevice Ikki]] about being human. 26 weeks later, [[spoiler: he's revealed to be an HumanDemonHybrid.]] |
| 158 | * GoodVersusGood: The framing for the show's second arc revolves around [[spoiler: Reika [[FrameUp scapegoating Touma into an enemy of the Sword of Logos]] to [[LetsYouAndHimFight turn his friends on him]] and draw out the Sword of Light]]. The other swordsmen (particularly [[OlderAndWiser Ryo and Tetsuo]]) are immediately suspicious and only oppose the novelist out of principal; perfectly willing to hear Touma and Yuri out while [[SpottingTheThread taking note of their supervisor's increasingly-unstable behavior]] and [[ManipulativeBitch evasive attitude]]. Touma meanwhile constantly tries getting through to his friends and displays no malice - fighting to protect people despite [[spoiler: Reika]]'s insistence he's working with the enemy. Both sides' subversion of PoorCommunicationKills starts a domino effect that slowly unravels [[spoiler: Reika]]'s lies and [[spoiler:turns every swordsman away from the organization at some point or another]]. |
| 159 | * GenerationXerox: The first Calibur [[spoiler:was a WellIntentionedExtremist who betrayed Sword of Logos. The second Calibur? Also a WellIntentionedExtremist and FallenHero. Same with the third, who also happens to be the son of the first.]] |
| 160 | * GreatBigBookOfEverything: The Almighty Book literally is [[AkashicRecords a book of everything]], containing all of human history before being split up into the [[TransformationTrinket Wonder Ride Books]]. |
| 161 | * HiddenVillain: The mysterious traitor within Sword of Logos, who manipulated [[spoiler:the first]] Kamen Rider Calibur into unsealing the Megid and performing a ritual to sacrifice Luna 15 years before the beginning of the series. |
| 162 | * HeroOfAnotherStory: Sword of Logos is composed of two secret guilds with swordsmen that protect the world: the Northern Base and the Southern Base. The former is the one the show follows. [[spoiler: Southern Base later turns out to be VillainOfAnotherStory.]] |
| 163 | * HuntingTheRogue: The second arc of the show involves operatives of the Southern Base implicating Touma as a traitor to the Sword Of Logos seeking out the same power Kamen Rider Calibur did, decreeing his capture. It's actually [[spoiler:a variation of the same FrameUp Master Logos [[TheScapegoat pulled on the previous Kamen Rider Calibur years ago]], done in this case to draw out Yuri the Sword of Light after a failed attempt to get Touma to join their side (itself an attempt to secure his sword)]]. The arc sees Touma's friends pursuing him whenever he fights enemy Megid; clashing blades with him while simultaneously doubting their benefactor's intent. One-by-one, his determination (and Reika's increasing inability to keep the Riders from questioning her) wins them over as they [[spoiler:[[HeelRealization realize the shady nature of the operation and defect]]]] - ending what had been a cycle of this trope in-play for fifteen years of in-universe time to distract from [[spoiler:Issac's plans to gather the Seikens to [[GodhoodSeeker achieve godhood]]]]. |
| 164 | * IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: In a first for ''Kamen Rider'', the episode titles are called “Chapters”[[note]]章/Sho[[/note]] instead of simply “episodes.” Additionally, the names for the episodes are also written like descriptive sentences, along with being broken by commas and ending with periods. |
| 165 | * ILetGwenStacyDie: A non-lethal example. In his beginning flashback Touma’s childhood friend Luna gets TrappedInAnotherWorld and it’s unclear what happened to her, but Touma feels extreme guilt about it. |
| 166 | * KnightAndSamurai: Played with. Most of the show's Kamen Riders have a Knight motif; especially blatant with Saber and Calibur - TheHero and the BlackKnight respectively. Kamen Rider Kenzan however is a misnomer, being based on a Ninja instead. He challenges Saber a number of times during his stint as a bit-rate antagonist (due to varying instances of PoorCommunicationKills being at-play and [[SelectiveObliviousness his own innate stubbornness]]), but both his immaturity and [[SuperMode upgrades on Saber's side]] always shunt him onto the losing end. |
| 167 | * LateArrivalSpoiler: The secondary activation announcement for the toy-exclusive ''[[Series/KamenRiderGaim Sengoku Gaim Emaki]]'' Wonder Ride Book spoils a key twist from Gaim, namely [[spoiler:Kouta Kazuraba’s ascension to godhood at the series end]]. While said twist being a LateArrivalSpoiler has frequently come up in crossovers following ''Gaim'' due to some plot points relying on it, this is the first time a legend device itself specifically references it. |
| 168 | * LegacyCharacter: The titles of the Sword of Logos Riders were passed down from a line of previous swordsmen along with the swords themselves. The name of the leader of SOL, “Master Logos,” is also passed down from the founder of the guild. |
| 169 | * LegacyOfService: |
| 170 | ** The Daishinji clan have served as blacksmiths for Sword of Logos for generations. |
| 171 | ** The Shindai clan have served as protectors and enforcers of Master Logos. |
| 172 | * LighterAndSofter: While darker than Takuro Fukuda's [[Series/KamenRiderGhost previous foray]] into the ''Kamen Rider'' franchise, ''Saber'' is still lighter than ''Zero-One'' before it. The heroes stay unified for most of the show, with a lot of focus on ThePowerOfFriendship, and the ending is a whole lot more optimistic. |
| 173 | * MediumBlending: While the previous series used CGI for special effects and full CGI for complex fight scenes, ''Kamen Rider Saber'' marks the first time they use full CGI regularly, using Unreal Engine. |
| 174 | * MythologyGag: |
| 175 | ** The Seiken Swordriver requires the user to pull out the Seiken from the right side of the Driver to transform, similar to how Series/KamenRiderX pulls the Ridol from his belt. |
| 176 | ** Three of the miscellaneous books seen in Chapter 7, used to unlock Avalon, have similar titles and covers; are based on Literature/{{Momotaro}}, Urashima Tarō, and Kintarō; and are colored red, blue, and yellow respectively. Putting those three tales in a set with those colors makes a clear reference to ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'', with some of that series’ main Imagin based on the same tales and colored the same way. |
| 177 | ** Another one of the books used in the ritual is ''Osha Jizou San'', based on the story of ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasa_Jizō Kasa Jizō]]''. On its cover, the frontmost Jizō statue is wearing the [[Series/KamenRiderGhost Ore Parka Ghost]]. |
| 178 | ** The Yeti Megid is the first MonsterOfTheWeek of 2021, evoking the [[Series/KamenRider original series]]’ appearance of Shocker’s yeti-themed monster, named Snowman, in the very first New Year episode back in 1972. |
| 179 | ** Speaking of the original series, the ''Buster'' spinoff manga involves a Spider Megid, which being a part of Ryo Ogami's backstory would make it pretty early in ''Saber'' canon, just like the original Spider kaijin or Kumo-Otoko. |
| 180 | ** ''Saber'' crosses over with ''[[Series/KamenRiderGhost Ghost]]'' in two specials - with which it shares its producer ''and'' head writer. |
| 181 | * NamedWeapons: Each of the Seiken's names follow a pattern that, in English, translates roughly as "(Descriptive phrase) Blade (Name)," with each sword named around its respective element. |
| 182 | ** Outside of the Seiken, there's the sword summoned by the King of Arthur book, [[{{Excalibur}} Kingexcalibur]], and [[spoiler:Kamen Rider Solomon]]'s sword, Caladbolg. |
| 183 | * NeverTrustATrailer: The series premiere differs ''heavily'' from the trailer and prologue, namely with the size of Touma’s bookstore, his outfit, his first official transformation, Rintaro holding his own Swordriver, and more. The only things that haven’t really changed are the MOTW and the appearance of Wonder World. |
| 184 | * PeopleJars: The Osha Jizou San Wonder Ride Book generates an [[https://imgur.com/X9NOAm7 armor piece]] that has Jizo statues in capsules sticking prominently out of the arm, giving off this impression. |
| 185 | * PoorCommunicationKills: Starting with Chapter 16, courtesy of Reika turning the Northern Base Riders against Touma by branding the latter as a traitor, as Touma attempted to explain his scenario and what Daichi told him, the others refused to believe him and, one by one, they (reluctantly) clashed with him. Then in Chapter 18, Touma attempted to stop Rintaro from attacking Yuki as the Yeti Megid and explaining that said Megid was a human, with Rintaro refusing to listen to him, not helped with the fact that he wasn’t even around when the predicament occurred; said clash eventually results in Touma wounded and Yuri having to bail him out. |
| 186 | ** Subverted in Chapter 19, when Ryo Ogami and Tetsuo Daishinji agree to ask Touma what actually is going on. Ryo stays behind to keep Rintaro and especially Ren from going after Touma, while Tetsuo goes after Touma and Yuri to ask why they’ve been going against Sword of Logos. [[spoiler:At the end of the episode, he seems to even believe what Touma’s been saying!]] |
| 187 | * PowerTrio: Touma, Rintaro and Kento form one at several different points, usually if they're going up against a particular powerful enemy. |
| 188 | * ProductPlacement: |
| 189 | ** Following on from ''Zero-One''’s Sparking Giraffe Progrise Key, Toys “R” Us again released a promotional item themed after itself and its mascot Geoffrey Giraffe; this time the ''Kirin no Ongaeshi'' Wonder Ride Book. |
| 190 | ** The ''Magazine/TeleviKun'' magazine tie-in goes further than usual, as the featured collectible is a Wonder Ride Book version of ''Televi-Kun'' itself. |
| 191 | * RecapEpisode: A rather strange version. “Kamen Rider Saber Prologue” is actually a recap episode of the previous series, ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' (which already had about five of them, making it all the stranger), spliced together with footage from ''Saber''’s trailer and original footage that introduces us to Touma and Mei. |
| 192 | ** Chapter 28 is this, albeit loosely. While it relates important events leading up to the present, it leaves out everything concerning [[spoiler: Touma’s FrameUp]]; making only a passing mention of [[spoiler: Reika]] as a source of strife. |
| 193 | * RedBaron: Each Rider has their own title: Saber is the Swordsman of Flames, Blades is the Swordsman of Water, Espada is the Swordsman of Thunder, Buster is the Swordsman of Land or the Strongest Swordsman, Kenzan is the Swordsman of Wind, Calibur is the Swordsman of Darkness, Slash is the Swordsman of Sound, Saikou is the Sword(sman) of Light, Sabela is the Swordswoman of Smoke, Durendal is the Swordsman of Time and Falchion is the Swordsman of Immortality. |
| 194 | * RevengeBeforeReason: After his initial defeat against Touma, Legeiel of the Megid becomes increasingly single-minded in pursuing revenge, to the point where [[spoiler:he allows Storious to give him a DeadlyUpgrade that causes him to die once he’s defeated again.]] |
| 195 | * SetBonus: While any Rider can use any Wonder Ride Book, they gain effectiveness when using two or more books that share the same element as their respective swords. This is incredibly similar to ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'', such that a Rider using three books of their own element ignores the usual naming convention for Ride Book combinations and is considered its own unique form known as a Wonder Combo. |
| 196 | * ShoutOut: |
| 197 | ** The name of Saber’s CoolBike, the Diago Speedy, is a reference to the Italian publisher company ''De Agostini'', which publishes the Kamen Rider Official Perfect File. The Wonder Ride Book is designed as a magazine with a mini-model of the bike displayed on the cover also references said company being known for publishing vehicle-themed magazines that come with a mini-model as a freebie, while its full activation sound is also a parody of a commercial {{Jingle}} for such magazines. |
| 198 | --->''Open, those tires~! Awaken the crimson body inside~!''\ |
| 199 | '''Narration:''' The sword is a symbol! The words drive on! A special acceleration included with every issue!\ |
| 200 | ''Diago Speedy~!'' |
| 201 | ** The subtitle on the Wonder Story’s cover in the opening reads “[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Tale as old as time]].” |
| 202 | ** The names of the first and second Saber - Daichi ''Kamijo'' and ''Touma'' Kamiyama - are taken from Touma Kamijou, the main protagonist of ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. |
| 203 | ** Chapter 2 has Mei calling the Book Gate an “[[{{Manga/Doraemon}} Anywhere Door]].” |
| 204 | ** Chapter 3 has Kento make a reference to ''Literature/NightOnTheGalacticRailroad'' as a story he and Touma used to roleplay as kids. |
| 205 | ** In the toyline, the ''[[Series/KamenRiderFourze 2011 Fourze Odyssey]]'' Wonder Ride Book is named after ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''. Similarly, ''[[Series/KamenRiderKiva Oresama wa Kiva de Aru]]'' is a reference to ''[[Literature/IAmACat Wagahai wa Neko de Aru]]'', a novel considered a classic in Japan. |
| 206 | ** Chapter 5 has Touma and Kento dress up as [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn Huckleberry Finn]] and [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer Tom Sawyer]] respectively. |
| 207 | ** Chapter 16 has Reika framing Touma as a traitor of Sword of Logos causing his allies to turn against him much like how [[Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero Naofumi got framed up by Malty for the crime he didn't commit]]. |
| 208 | ** Saikou's [[NextTierPowerUp X Sword Man form]], obtained in Chapter 21, is derived from the [[ShowWithinTheShow in-universe comic book]] ''[=SwordXMan=]'', which follows the adventures of a samurai-like superhero. Both more than likely take their name from a [[ComicBook/XMen certain popular American superhero comic]] that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Samurai just happens to feature a samurai as one of its characters]]. |
| 209 | ** Master Logos’ throne as shown in Chapter 23 resembles the [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Iron Throne]], in particular its ''Series/GameOfThrones'' interpretation. |
| 210 | ** The Tale of Sorrow, as told in Chapter 27, involves Primitive Dragon [[Film/{{Dragonheart}} being the last existing dragon in the world after the rest were hunted down by humans]]. |
| 211 | ** Both the Northern and Southern Base swordsmen wear red and blue uniforms coupled with their opposing allegiances brings to mind [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Earth Alliance and ZAFT]] uniforms. |
| 212 | ** Yuri can bring Touma with him across dimensions by turning into his Saikou sword form and having Touma hang on to him. Like Film/MaryPoppins, [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 y’all!]] |
| 213 | ** Touma’s transformation into Xross Saber involves the other Seiken gathering and revolving around him in a manner not unlike the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Armiger]]. |
| 214 | ** Touma, Rintaro and Mei dress up as Literature/{{Momotaro}} and two of his animal companions in Chapter 39. |
| 215 | ** Ren finishes [[spoiler:Spartan]] off using the [[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Omnislash Version 5]]. |
| 216 | ** Chapter 46 has Ogami [[Anime/DragonballZ restrain Highlander from behind while Daishinji shoots his finishing move, which pierces through both of them]]. |
| 217 | ** Ogami and Touma's respective sons are named [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora and Riku]]. |
| 218 | ** Kamen Rider Buster's namesake is the Buster Sword from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', which his {{BFS}} considerably resembles. All the Riders are named after different kinds of sword, and it just so happens that Buster is named after a fictional one. |
| 219 | * ShowWithinAShow: Besides all the classic fairy tales that appear in the show under new titles, we also see a completely original title in ''[=SwordXMan=]'', an American-style superhero comic book that Yuri references a few times, and Lost Memory, a book that Touma wrote prior to the start of the series. |
| 220 | * SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Touma remembers the words of the original Saber, “hope lies beyond our resolution,” which actually unlocks something that he’d left behind. Sophia and Rintaro start taking Touma seriously after that. |
| 221 | * SpiritualAntithesis: To ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' and ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'', being a multiple Rider show with the Riders themselves having some form of warrior theme. Unlike the other two, ''Saber'' has most of the Riders unified to a common cause and affirming in TrueCompanions, with the heroic Riders only clashing with one another usually due to a misconception. If anything, ''Saber'' comes off as a tad more optimistic than the two as the heroic Riders here all end up united to the very end, with the show going out with a HappyEnding. |
| 222 | * SpoilerOpening: [[spoiler:The opening shot of the series opening is a spoiler for one of the final scenes of Chapter 47 where Touma walks out of a house in Wonder World.]] |
| 223 | * ThePowerOfFriendship: While not to the extent of ''[[Series/KamenRiderFourze Fourze]]'', a common element in ''Saber'' is that Touma would keep trying affirm the bonds between him, Mei, and most of the other Riders throughout the show, especially in regards to his {{Childhood Friend}}s Kento and Luna. Even when things eventually soured between him and the other Riders, it ultimately didn't last as not only did Touma refused to give up on them, one by one, the others gradually regain their trust in him. Come the final arc, Touma managed to make allies with the rest of the heroic Riders, to the point where they all welcome him back once [[spoiler:he returns to Earth from Wonder World.]] |
| 224 | * TheyCallHimSword: Taken to its logical conclusion, with [[ThemeNaming almost every Rider having a sword-related name]]: Saber[[note]]Holy Blade[[/note]], Blades, Espada[[note]]Spanish word for sword[[/note]], Buster, Kenzan[[note]]Sword Slash[[/note]], [[{{Excalibur}} Calibur]], Slash, Falchion, Sabela, and Durendal[[note]]After [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durendal the sword]] of the paladin Roland[[/note]]. Saikou, however, shares his name with his sword, as he fuses with it to transform. [[spoiler:Solomon and Storious are the only Kamen Riders in this season that don't have a sword-related name in their titles, with Solomon featuring a king's name and Storious sharing his name for his rider form.]] |
| 225 | * TrappedInAnotherWorld: What the Megid aim for. Using the Alter Ride Books, they trap part of the city in Wonder World, putting up a barrier so that no one can get in. |
| 226 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The Shindais' [[WeAREStrugglingTogether complete inability to work with others]] rears its ugly head in #43, where [[ControlFreak their attempts to supersede Touma]] prevent the trio from destroying Charybdis before [[spoiler: Storious can use it to make the Grimoire]]. |
| 227 | * UrbanFantasy: The series takes heavily from the genre, as the other world most of the characters reside in bleeds into our world thanks to the Megid. |
| 228 | * WhamEpisode: |
| 229 | ** Chapter 10 ends with the reveal that [[spoiler:Calibur is in fact the first Saber, Daichi Kamijo, who betrayed Sword of Logos for power.]] |
| 230 | ** Chapter 15 ends with [[spoiler:the reveal that Daichi’s betrayal was due to Hayato betraying Sword of Logos and causing the DownerBeginning, and Daichi dies due to Desast stabbing him from behind.]] |
| 231 | ** Chapter 26 reveals quite a bit about the series’ backstory, that being that [[spoiler:Tassel, the first Master Logos and the Megid were all once followers of a mysterious woman who connected the worlds.]] |
| 232 | * WithOurSwordsScene: [[spoiler: Taken very literally as the other characters bring together the 10 swords to give Touma his ultimate form - Kamen Rider Xross Saber in episode 38.]] |
| 233 | ---- |
| 234 | --> ''“The world changes like chapters in a book. All you need to do is turn the page.”'' |
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