Spoilers for all preceding Toei tokusatsu entries up to Kamen Rider Zero-One: REAL×TIME and Mashin Sentai Kiramager will be left unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Saber + Zenkaiger: Super Hero Senki is a movie crossover between Kamen Rider Saber and Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger, taking place of the annual summer movies.
Touma, Yuri and Mei somehow end up in the world of Zenkaiger while the Zenkaigers, minus Juran, end up in the world of Kamen Rider Saber. The reason for their swap is due to a man who wishes to rid the world of heroes. How does a male, teenaged artist tie into this? And why are they sent into different stories with previous Kamen Riders and Super Sentai Teams?
The film was released on July 22, 2021. It was preceeded by a two-part televised crossover consisting of a designated special episode of Saber and episode 20 of Zenkaiger.
Tropes for the crossover:
- Advertised Extra: Inverted. The only advertisements Revi and Vice had prior to the film's screening is an appearance on a few posters, yet not only do they have the honor of giving Asmodeus a good (temporary) beating, but the film itself is actually double-billed with a preview episode for Kamen Rider Revice!
- Art Shift: A variant of sorts. The lighting in Saber has a muted blue tinge to it, causing the Zenkaigers' more colorful appearances to look more dull when they're in Saber's world. In contrast, Zenkaiger's lighting is much warmer to the point of having a slight orange tinge, making Touma and the others look brighter as a result.
- Author Powers: Shotaro Ishinomori, as creator of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, has author powers within their respective worlds. His pen can block him from being attacked by enemies, and when Asmodeus briefly convinces him to give up on drawing superheroes, all the heroes disappear from the world.
- Touma eventually takes advantage of the weakening barriers separating reality and fiction by capturing the film's narrative into a book under his own control, titled Super Hero Senki.
- Bait-and-Switch: How Revice's debut plays out, with Vice appearing as though he's the true final boss of the movie, complete with lighting and an Evil Laugh... Then Ikki smacks him upside the head, revealing they're in fact new Kamen Riders.
- Been There, Shaped History: Turns out that it was Touma who convinced Shotaro to keep drawing and inspired him to create the heroes he wanted, thus resulting in the births of the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai. Also likely ensuring that Touma would do so to begin with.
- Big Bad: Asmodeus, who is described as "the ultimate enemy" and is the ringleader of the plan to rid the world of heroes.
- The Bus Came Back: Kamen Rider Decade is sporting his classic Decadriver rather than the Neo Decadriver from Kamen Rider Zi-O. But what's more noticeable is that Kamen Rider 1 is in his original appearance rather than his New Kamen Rider 1 appearance, which is his modern appearance for most media. Said form last appeared as a suit back in Episode 13 of the original series; just over 50 years ago. (Not including a cameo appearance during Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai.)
- Canon Welding: In addition to books covering all Kamen Riders and Super Sentai, Agastya Base has a book for Henshin Ninja Arashi, Android Kikaider, Akumaizer 3 and Kaiketsu Zubat, all Toei Tokusatsu series with characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori.
- Continuity Nod:
- In regards to the Toei hero books. Kikaider was previously linked to Kamen Rider (and Super Sentai) by J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai vs. Goranger, OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders and the introduction of Kikaider REBOOT in Kamen Rider Gaim. Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum introduced reimagined Akumaizers, and then there's Zubat, who stood with the Kikaiders in Let's Go Kamen Riders.
- When the two parties join together, you can see Sougo and Aruto recognizing each other in the background, referencing their team up in Kamen Rider: Reiwa the First Generation.
- Dope Slap: Kamen Rider Revi gives one to Kamen Rider Vice when the latter was trying to be ominously menacing.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Introduces Revi and Vice, the protagonists of Kamen Rider Revice.
- Evil Knockoff: Saber and Zenkaiser are copied by their opposites' enemies, resulting in what appears to be a Rider Wald and a Sentai Megid.
- Fractured Fairy Tale: Due to story worlds also being thrown into the Merged Reality Asmodeus created, the cast were all thrown into the setting of two main fairy tales and refitted into roles there.
- Touma, Mei and Juran ended up in Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, where they meet Shou Ronpo/Ryu Commander, Doggie Kruger/DekaMaster, Shiguru Oshikiri/Kiramai Blue, Chiaki Tani/Shinken Green and Aruto Hiden/Kamen Rider Zero-One as part of the "Eight Canine Warriors".
- The rest of the Zenkaigers and SoL Riders ended up in Journey to the West, where they meet the Taros portraying the main charactersspecifically, while Ohma Zi-O portrays Buddha.
- Grand Finale: Intended as one for the Rider/Sentai crossovers.
- Hijacked by Ganon: Averted for once, unlike every other Rider/Sentai crossover film. Asmodeus remains in control the entire time, neither of the contemporary teams' enemies have any major involvement, and all of the resurrected villains (including Oogumo Great Leader, the previous crossover's Big Bad) are just going along with his plan and are effectively extras in his army.
- Intercontinuity Crossover: The first on-screen crossover between the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai franchises since Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Chou Super Hero Taisen over four years prior. The producers of the movie also confirms that this is also set to be the last crossover between the two franchises.
- In the Name of the Moon: This movie gives the Saber Riders their own elaborate roll call, something normally reserved for Super Sentai teams:
- Touma: The Swordsman of Fire!note Kamen Rider Saber!Rintaro: The Swordsman of Water!note Kamen Rider Blades!Kento: The Swordsman of Lightning!note Kamen Rider Espada!Ryo: The Swordsman of Land!note Kamen Rider Buster!Ren: The Swordsman of Wind!note Kamen Rider Kenzan!Tetsuo: The Swordsman of Sound.note Kamen Rider Slash!Yuri: The Swordsman of Light!note Kamen Rider Saikou!Reika: The Swordsman of Smoke.note Kamen Rider Sabela.Ryoga: The Swordsman of Time.note Kamen Rider Durandal.Touma: We are!noteAll: Kamen Riders!
- Lighter and Softer: Unlike the Super Hero Taisen series where heroes from both franchises having a Conflict Ball at first before joining forces to fight a common foe, Super Hero Senki has the Riders and Sentai heroes quickly join forces to fight a common foe.
- Legion of Doom: Asmodeus leads an army of resurrected Rider and Sentai enemies, including every single Mook fought by them.
- The Movie: Takes the place of the Super Hero Time annual summer movies.
- One-Winged Angel: Asmodeus transforms into a giant, four-winged dragon in the climax.
- Out of Focus: The Zenkaiger cast end getting pretty short-changed overall over the course of the film compared to the Saber cast, with an entire significant portion of the film after all heroes are erased from the world where the former don't even appear. This applies to the Rider and Sentai sides of the crossover overall, with the former getting the surplus of cameos and significant appearances with returning actors.note To counterbalance this, the Super Sentai side of things does more of the heavy lifting in the final battle. note
- Power Copying: Saber uses the Super Hero Senki Wonder Rider Book to assume a Zenkaiser-based form.
- Production Throwback: Raptor 283, Shou Ranpo and Doggie Kruger are all featured as secondary characters, mainly due to the film's writer Nobuhiro Mouri having previously worked on Uchu Sentai Kyuranger and Uchu Sentai Kyuranger VS Space Squad.
- Rage Against the Author:
- Played with in regards to Asmodeus, who manipulates a young Shotaro Ishinomori into destroying his own creations, but his Evil Plan isn't take him out so much as to use his influence for his own nefarious purposes.
- The idea is also discussed by Touma and Shotaro:Touma: I won't just live the way my creator wants me to. I will... I will write my own story!
- Real-Person Epilogue: The closing credits begin with a photo of the real Ishinomori.
- Red Is Heroic: Much like in Zenkaiger the Movie, there is a gathering of all Red Rangers up to Zenkaiger.
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Spiritual Sequel: For all intents and purposes, this is a replacement for the Super Hero Taisen movies as a whole, to the point that even the writing staff has been changed. The concept of it being a large-scale crossover between two franchises with particular focus on the latest airing series remains the same. - Take That Us: Asmodeus mocks the Sentai and Riders for constantly recycling the same premises and motifs over and over.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Asmodeus gets finished off not just from a combination attack from Touma and Kaito, but also a combined assault of all the Showa Riders delivering Rider Kicks, and energy blasts from every Sentai mecha and post Showa Rider.
- Trapped in Another World: Happens with both sides. Touma, Yuri, and Mei are stuck in the Zenkaiger's world, while all of the Zenkaigers apart from Juran and the Goldtsuikers are stuck in Saber's world.
- Versus Title: Rather than the usual "Vs." or "X", this uses a plus symbol.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Kamen Rider Shin disappears from the fight thanks to being represented by a mannequin. But oddly enough, Kamen Rider X doesn't get a focused fight segment either.
“Riders & Super Sentai are immortal! We will continue to fight for this world and its people. We will be by everyone's side... forever.”
Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1.
