Kamen Rider (1971 TV series)

Kamen Rider
GenreTokusatsu
Superhero
Horror
Science fiction
Created bySaburo Yatsude
Shotaro Ishinomori
Developed byMasaru Igami
Directed byKoichi Takemoto
StarringHiroshi Fujioka
Takeshi Sasaki
Jirō Chiba
Akiji Kobayashi
Wakako Oki
Voices ofGorō Naya
Narrated byShinji Nakae
Opening theme"Let's Go!! Rider Kick!" by Hiroshi Fujioka (#1–13) and Masato Shimon (#14–88)
"Rider Action" by Masato Shimon (#89–98)
Ending theme"Kamen Rider no Uta" by Masato Shimon (#1–71)
"Rider Action" by Masato Shimon (#72–88)
"Lonely Kamen Rider" by Masato Shimon (#89–98)
ComposerShunsuke Kikuchi
Country of originJapan
No. of episodes98
Production
Running time24 minutes
Production companiesMainichi Broadcasting System
Toei Company
Original release
NetworkANN (MBS, NET)
ReleaseApril 3, 1971 (1971-04-03) –
February 10, 1973 (1973-02-10)
Related
Kamen Rider V3
Manga
Written byShotaro Ishinomori
Published byKodansha
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original run19711973
Volumes4
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー, Kamen Raidā) is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series and weekly science fiction manga created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The original airing consisted of a total of 98 episodes and were broadcast from April 3, 1971, to February 10, 1973, on Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET (now TV Asahi). The manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine around the same period. The series has evolved into a franchise with many subsequent annual iterations.

The series spawned a second boom in tokusatsu shows, and was Toei's first commercialised series.[1] During its run the brand sold 620 million bags of popcorn (branded Kamen Rider Snack),[2] 3.8 million transformation belts[3] and 300,000 bikes.[4]

  1. ^ "Japanese Heroes Rule the World". Kadokawa Shoten.
  2. ^ Speak! Kamen Rider. KK Bestsellers. April 2013.
  3. ^ "Complete Selection Kamen Rider New No. 1 Transformation Belt". Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  4. ^ Kazumitsu, Takahashi. "Behind the scenes of hit products No. 5 Do-Re-Mi (Bridgestone Cycle)". OFM9 2004.