As Build ends, ZI-O begins as the world prepares for the arrival of the 20th and final Heisei-era Kamen Rider this September, let's kick through time to know about the Kamen Riders of the Heisei Generations universe from the Kuuga to ZI-O, from the first to the last.
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| Kamen Rider Heisei Generations |
Masked Rider Kuuga (2000) - The dawn of the 21st century signals the rebirth of Kamen Rider in a modernized take on the legendary Toei tokusatsu franchise based on a Shotaro Ishinomori manga. Masked Rider Kuuga is the first of the Heisei-era Riders and it's about a young adventurer who witnessed some flashbacks upon touching the Henshin Belt called Arcle and by arming it, he becomes Masked Rider Kuuga as he fights back against an ancient race of monsters.
Masked Rider Agito (2001) - Following the success of Kuuga, TOEI introduced us to its successor for the year 2001, Agito. The story takes place where a mysterious organism was spotted in Okinawa and then a bizarre case of murders come in. This is no ordinary case as the police labeled those mysterious beings that attacked the humans as "Unknown". This is where the three Masked Riders comes in as the tale of Shoichi Tsugami, Makoto Hikawa, and Ryo Ashihara begins as Agito, G3, and Gils.
Masked Rider Ryuki (2002) - Featuring a roster of 13 Riders involved in a deadly battle royale, Ryuki is about a man named Shinji Kido who works at a certain news outlet until mysterious monsters showed up in the Mirror World. Armed with the V Buckle, a Dragvisor, and a deck of cards, Shinji enters the Mirror World as Masked Rider Ryuki and defeat those monsters. However, he gets entangled in a deadly deathmatch where Riders must fight themselves to the finish.
Masked Rider 555 (2003) - Cellphones became the theme of this 2003 Masked Rider TV show called Masked Rider 555/Faiz. In this show, mysterious creatures known as the Orphnoch are lurking around the human race. A man named Takumi Inui encountered a girl who wears a bag similar to the one that was stolen from and when attacked by an Orphnoch, Takumi unleashed what's inside a stolen bag is Smart Brain's secret weapon; the Faiz Gear. This is where Faiz is born. Now, not only Smart Brain but also the Orphnochs are hunting down the device Takumi possesses.
Masked Rider Blade (2004) - The 2004 Masked Rider show brings back the card feature from Ryuki but now even fiercer as in this show, a horde of monsters known as the Undead are lurking in the dark and only a trio of Riders, armed with a killer deck of cards, are shuffling themselves to defeat those supernatural threats.
Masked Rider Hibiki (2005) - The 2005 Masked Rider show features the theme of musical instruments and ninjitsu. One day, a middle school boy named Asumu Adachi was visiting Yakushima until he saw a monster attacking a girl and then later saved by a mysterious young man named Hibiki, who happened to wield a mystical instrument to transform himself into a Kamen Rider.
Masked Rider Kabuto (2006) - Seven years ago, an asteroid made impact in Shibuya. Not only the damage was catastrophic but it has spawned worm-like creatures that can camouflage themselves as humans by devouring them. As the Worm plague continues, humanity has formed a top-secret organization called ZECT and because conventional weapons wouldn't budge against the Worms, they've devised a reinforced armor called the Masked Rider System. Apprentice ZECT member Soji Tendo encountered someone who wields the Masked Rider System, trying to defeat the Worm, and his tale as Kabuto begins.
Masked Rider DEN-O (2007) - Bullet trains became the theme for the 2007 Masked Rider show and in this show, it centers on protagonist Ryotaro Nogami who was destined to save the future as Kamen Rider DEN-O while possessing the power of "Imagines" such as Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros.
Masked Rider Kiva (2008) - For 2008, Kamen Rider meets vampires in this installment that centers on the tale of a young violin craftsman Wataru Kurenai, who was rattled by the string of the Bloody Rose, a violin left by his father and the rise of the Fang Gaia tribe plotting to take over mankind. Aided by his trusty companion Kibat, he transforms into Masked Rider Kiva as he takes on the Fang Gaia monsters and uncover his destiny.
Masked Rider Decade (2009) - Decade is the landmark installment of the Kamen Rider franchise for he is the tenth Rider of the Heisei Generations universe. A young girl named Natsumi had a dream where one Rider was vanquished by nine Riders and if that wasn't enough, Tsukasa Kadoya is revealed that he is the Rider from her dreams; he is Decade. Singer Gackt performed the theme songs of this landmark installment where Decade can transform into past Riders using the Decadriver.
Kamen Rider Double (2009) - Two men can become one Rider in this 11th installment of the Heisei Generations universe where, for the first time, the "Masked" word was dropped in favor of using the "Kamen" on the title for general basis. It's also the most fun installment as two men, Shutaro Hidari and Phillip, get into a hilarious, mystery-solving, rollercoaster ride as they solve mysteries behind the Gaia Tower while utilizing the power of Gaia Memory sticks as the two main characters join forces to become Kamen Rider Double.
Kamen Rider OOO (2010) - At the turn of the decade, a new Kamen Rider emerges and it's anything goes for Kamen Rider OOO (pronounced O's) as the story centers on Eiji Hino, a young man who got caught in a mess until a Greed named Ankh provided him three core medals and an OOO Driver for Eiji to transform himself as, you guessed it, Kamen Rider OOO. As OOO, he battles against different kinds of Greeds trying to take over the world.
Kamen Rider Fourze (2011) - Honoring the Kamen Rider franchise's 40th anniversary, this 2011 installment features space as its main theme as it centers on a transfer student named Gentaro Kisaragi who begins his life at his new school, Amanogawa High School, until he became the unlikely hero of the campus as he battles the Zodiarts as Kamen Rider Fourze. J-Pop singer Anna Tsuchiya performed the theme song of this space-themed Kamen Rider show.
Kamen Rider Wizard (2012) - True to the name of the show, this 2012 Kamen Rider installment is all about wizardry as main character Haruto Soma puts in a show by wielding his own brand of sorcery against the Phantoms as Kamen Rider Wizard. As Wizard, he can use the power of Wizard Rings to control fire, water, land, and air.
Kamen Rider Gaim (2013) - For 2013, this Kamen Rider installment draws inspiration from Sengoku warriors and in this show, the main character Kota Kazuraba, who leads a dance team, wields the power of the Orange Lock Seed and becomes Kamen Rider Gaim. Since this is a Sengoku-themed show, the Riders are riding...horses.
Kamen Rider Drive (2014) - We all know that great Kamen Riders ride bikes but do you ever see a Kamen Rider driving a fast car? This fast and furious installment is all about cars and it's about a former policeman, Shinosuke Tomari, who was destined by the power of the Drive Driver, the sportscar called the Tridoron, and an arsenal of shift cars, along with a little help from the police, to become Kamen Rider Drive as he goes fast and furious in battling against Roidmudes trying to slow humanity down.
Kamen Rider Ghost (2015) - Kamen Rider goes paranormal in this 2015 installment where a young man named Takeru Tenkuji, who got killed after he was attacked by a mysterious Eyecon and in order for Takeru to revive, he must gather 15 Eyecons of history's greats. In his road to resurrection, Takeru's armed with a Ghost Driver as he is ready to save the world against renegade Eyecons as Kamen Rider Ghost.
Kamen Rider EX-AID (2016) - This installment puts on a new spin on tearjerking medical dramas as it combines this with some intense video game action and signature Rider moments. It centers on a pediatrics trainee named Emu Hojo, who is fully devoted to help people in need. He's also a hardcore gamer as well. However, a horde of computer viruses called Bugsters are wrecking havoc in the human world. Armed with a Gamer Driver and a video game called Mighty Action X, the game is on for Kamen Rider EX-AID as Emu tries to balance his life at the hospital and as a Kamen Rider.
Kamen Rider Build (2017) - The 2017 installment translates science into buttkicking action and in this story, a mysterious object from Mars, known as the Pandora Box, triggered a Sky Wall, separating Japan into three different regions. A young genius named Sento Kiryu tries to solve the biggest problem surrounding him while trying to defend the human race against creatures emerging through the walls as Kamen Rider Build. As Build, he can utilize the power of Full Bottles themed after animals and objects and combining them to create a Best Match.
Kamen Rider ZI-O (2018) - This is the 20th and the final Kamen Rider of the Heisei Generations universe and it's all about time travel. In this show, it's about Sogo Tokiwa, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary fate as a mysterious young woman from the future warned him of a terrifying future that could be linked to Sogo himself. Armed with the Ziku Driver and the Ride Watch, Sogo becomes Kamen Rider ZI-O and as ZI-O, he can utilize different Ride Watches themed after Heisei-era Kamen Riders. A fitting tribute to the Heisei Generations universe.
Kamen Rider ZI-O premieres on TV Asahi this Sunday, September 2, at 0900 JST, right after HUGtto Precure. A Nintendo Switch game featuring Heisei-era Kamen Riders, called Kamen Rider Climax Scramble ZI-O, is coming soon, and also, the Kamen Rider Heisei Generations FOREVER is coming in theaters this December 22nd.
Photo: TOEI
