Shella's World

Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー, Kamen Raidā^?, Masked Rider), is a weekly science fiction story created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi). A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine around the same period. The series has spawned many sequels and evolved into a franchise. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider #1,^[1][2] and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series itself.^[1][3]

Story

The series takes place in a world plagued by Shocker, a mysterious terrorist organization. To further its plans for world domination, Shocker recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning their victims into mutant cyborgs and, ultimately, brainwashing them. However, one victim named Takeshi Hongo escaped just before the final brainwashing. With his sanity and moral conscience intact, Hongo battled Shocker's minions as the grasshopper-themed altered human (改造人間, kaizō ningen^?) superhero Kamen Rider. Another of Shocker's victims, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, had also been given cyborg implants, but was saved by Kamen Rider from the brainwashing process to become Kamen Rider 2. Assisted by motorcycle race team manager Tobei Tachibana and FBI agent Kazuya Taki, the Kamen Riders fought in both solo and partnered missions against both Shocker and its successor organization Gel-Shocker.

Manga

Many manga based on the original Kamen Rider series have been published, but only one was penned and drawn by Ishinomori himself. Ishinomori also was the author of one chapter for Kamen Rider Amazon and the entire Kamen Rider Black manga, but those manga weren't based on the original Kamen Rider series, but its follow ups.
The original manga published in 1971 initially follows a path resembling the first few episodes of the TV series, from basic plot to creature designs. However, when Hongo leaves the TV show and manga's story, each series diverges greatly. In the TV show, Hongo travels abroad to fight Shocker in other countries, but leaves Japan's protection in the hands of another man, Hayato Ichimonji. He was a freelance cameraman who was experimented on by Shocker, but was saved by Hongo, becoming the second Kamen Rider. In the manga, Hongo never left Japan. He was confronted with twelve Shocker Riders and was subsequently mortally wounded during his battle against them. Hayato Ichimonji, one of the twelve Shocker Riders, receives a head injury during the fight and regains his conscience as a result. He then turns against Shocker and succeeds Hongo's role as Kamen Rider. In spite of the damage to his body, Hongo's brain survives and guides Hayato, with both fighting as one.
Hongo eventually returns as a Rider in both stories, but, starting with Hayato's debut, villains and even basic story development greatly diverge between the two versions. The manga portrays a seemingly hopeless battle against Shocker, an organization much bigger than either of the two Riders with ties to governmental conspiracies. The live action TV shows portray the Riders as heroes strong enough to bring down Shocker... only to see it replaced by similar organizations led by Shocker's mysterious leader. The Shocker Riders eventually appear in the TV series too, but in a story unrelated to the manga one, aside from a couple of homages, like Hayato's attire during the story, their appearance and abilities also were different from the manga version. There were also only 6 Shocker Riders, rather than 12 like in the manga.

  Main characters

Riders

• Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 (本郷 猛/仮面ライダー1号, Hongō Takeshi/Kamen Raidā Ichigō^?) - protagonist in episodes 1-13, 53-98. He is a biochemist at Jounan University, who also races motorcycles as part of the Tachibana Racing team.
• Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2 (一文字 隼人/仮面ライダー2号, Ichimonji Hayato/Kamen Raidā Nigō^?) - protagonist in episodes 14-52, partner 53-98

Allies

• Tōbei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛, Tachibana Tōbee^?) - Hongo's racing mentor and confidant. He is often called "Sensei" by other members of his racing club.
• Kazuya Taki (滝 和也, Taki Kazuya^?) (episodes 11, 13-98) - An FBI agent assigned to investigate Shocker activities in Japan. While not himself a cyborg, Taki was skilled in martial arts, and often used them alongside both Kamen Riders to battle the foot-soldiers who invariably accompanied a Shocker agent.
• Professor Hiroshi Midorikawa (緑川博士, Midorikawa Hakase^?, 1) - A former Shocker who freed Hongo and was killed by Shocker agent Spider Man.
• Ruriko Midorikawa (緑川 ルリ子, Midorikawa Ruriko^?) (episodes 1-13) - The daughter of Prof. Midorikawa, she initially blames Hongo for her father's death, but eventually learns the truth and becomes his ally. In episode 14, it is revealed that she accompanied Hongo on a quest to defeat Shocker activities in Europe.
• Hiromi Nohara (野原 ひろみ, Nohara Hiromi^?) (episodes 1-25): Ruriko's friend, who works as a waitress at Snack Amigo.
• Kishimori (episodes 2, etc.) - Hongo's fellow biochemist at Jounan University.
• Snack Amigo - a small café where Hongo and other members of Tachibana's racing club gather, in early episodes. Its employees include Hiromi and the bartender Shiro, who occasionally assist Hongo in countering Shocker's plans.
• Mari (episodes 14- ), Yuri (episodes 14- ), and Michi (episodes 14-25) - Female members of the Tachibana Racing Club, who join after Hongo's departure. Michi is a small-displacement rider, Yuri is a martial artist, and Mari has experience in fencing.
• Goro Ishikura(episodes 14- ) - Yuri's kid brother, and a junior member of the racing club.

  Shocker

Shocker (ショッカー, Shokkā^?) is a terrorist organization, its name an acronym for the Sacred Hegemony Of Cycle Kindred Evolutional Realm as revealed in the movie reboot. Shocker's goal is to turn humans into superhuman beings through their scientists surgically altering people with animal DNA to produce cyborgs as part of their plan to conquer the world (in the original manga is showed that Shocker had some influences over the governments of the world), with virtually all of its members modified in some way. The founders had mostly Nazi ties, with the Kamen Rider Spirits manga making references to the group's support by the Badan Empire.
Ruthless and merciless, Shocker would often kidnap prominent scientists and force them to work for the organization, then kill them when their usefulness was at an end (or if they attempted to escape). However, on one occasion, the decision to kidnap and modify the young college prodigy Takeshi Hongo proved to be their undoing. Modifying him into a grasshopper-human hybrid, he was intended to be another of Shocker's powerful cyborg warriors, but escaped and opposed them as Kamen Rider #1. A later attempt to create a second, more powerful Kamen Rider backfired when the intended victim, Hayato Ichimonji, was rescued by the original Rider before he was brainwashed and became known as Kamen Rider #2. The pair became known as the Double Riders who managed to put an end to Shocker with what remained of the group forming into Gel-Shocker.
In OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders, Shocker, although with a membership and leadership covering Gel-Shocker members from the original TV series, obtained a Core Medal and modified it into the Shocker Medal. Though they were originally unable to use it, the appearance of the Greeed Ankh in their time enabled the organization to obtain one of his Cell Medals and create the Shocker Greeed. This altered time so that Shocker defeated the Double Riders and managed to conquer of Japan and eventually the world, setting up a union with many of the other organizations that originally emerged after Shocker's destruction.

• Great Leader of Shocker (ショッカー首領, Shokkā Shuryō^?): The high ruler of the organisation and main antagonist of the series. He appears for the first time in a short video footage shown in episode 34, although his appearance there is mostly hidden by shadows. He talks with his followers through speakers on Shocker's emblems in the multiple outposts. The Great Leader is a cruel being who does not have qualms in sacrificing his minions during moments of crisis or failure.^[4] He takes various forms, his first being a Cyclopean gorgon in crimson robes in the original series, his second being a skeletal creature in Kamen Rider V3, and his true form is known as the Great Leader Rock (岩石大首領, Ganseki Daishuryō^?) in Kamen Rider Stronger.
• Colonel Zol/Werewolf (ゾル大佐/狼男, Zoru Taisa/Ōkami Otoko^?, 26-39, Rider vs Shocker, V3 27-28) (a.k.a. Gold Werewolf (黄金狼男, Ōgon Ōkami Otoko^?)): From Shocker's Middle East branch, his true form was a wolf monster. He was also a disguise specialist, able to mimic Taki's appearance almost perfectly using only make up during his debut. His personal mark, worn by the soldiers of his own Shocker outpost and used in his official correspondence, was the Shocker emblem, but with the bird's head replaced by a wolf's.^[5] He confronted Kamen Rider #2 himself in episode 39 and after a lengthy fight was toppled off a cliff by Kamen Rider #2's Rider Punch, destroying him. Gold Werewolf briefly appeared in Kamen Rider vs Shocker among the members of the resurrected monster army. In Kamen Rider V3, episode 27, Colonel Zol is resurrected alongside the other 3 great Shocker and Gel-Shocker commanders from the original TV series by Destron. He aims to become a Destron commander, replacing Doctor G. However, in episode 28, after Kamen Rider V3 escaped from Destron's base, a self destruction sequence was activated, and Colonel Zol was unable to escape, dying again with it. In Kamen Rider Spirits manga, he is revived with other Shocker commander as a soulles pawn of Badan Empire.
• Doctor Shinigami/Ikadevil (死神博士/イカデビル, Shinigami Hakase/Ikadebiru^?, 40-52, Rider vs Shocker, 61, 63, 68, V3 27-28, Decade: All Riders vs Great-Shocker, Let's Go Kamen Riders): From Shocker's branch in Switzerland, he took over Japan's command after Zol's death until Ambassador Hell appeared. However, he returned to Japan in episode 61, working together with Ambassador Hell and also attempting his own plans. He had a cold and calculating behavior. In episode 68, he captured Tobei Tachibana to help training him for his battle with Kamen Rider #1, but that only resulted in Tachibana learning about his weakness. Discarding his cape when he faced Hongo for the last time, Shinigami assumed the form of Ikadevil to fight Rider #1 with his tentacle whip, while Ichimonji was held off by the Shocker Combatmen. With Tobei's guidance, Rider #1 managed to overpower Ikadevil and weaken him with a Rider Chop before sending Ikadevil falling to his death with his Rider Tailspin Shoot. Ikadevil tried to rise once more, only to fall down and explode. Doctor Shinigami was resurrected by Destron in Kamen Rider V3, episode 27, and speculated about how he had been brought back to replace Doctor G, only to learn that he was there just for a new operation. Shortly afterwards, in episode 28, he died when Destron's base accidentally self destructed. He is revived as a soulles pawn of Badan Empire alongside Colonel Zol and Ambassador Hell in Kamen Rider Spirits manga.
• Ambassador Hell/Garagaranda (地獄大使/ガラガランダ, Jigoku Taishi/Garagaranda^?, 53-79, Rider vs Ambassador Hell, V3 27-28, Decade: All Riders vs Great-Shocker, Let's Go Kamen Riders): Summoned from Shocker's branch in West Coast USA, he took command of the organization in Japan. His true name was Damon according to Kamen Rider Spirits. He used a whip as his weapon. In episode 79, after capturing the Riders' friends, he called Hongo out as he assumed his monster form, able to burrow underground and use his whip arm as a weapon. Rider #1 battled Garagaranda while Taki freed Tachibana and the others, managing to use his Rider Kick on the monster. Reverting to his normal mode, Hell cursed the Riders and screamed to Shocker's perseverance before he died, exploding. Afterwards, the Great Leader destroyed the original Shocker. In spite of his failure, Ambassador Hell was resurrected by Destron in Kamen Rider V3 episode 27. In episode 28, his sneaky behavior ended up leading to the prisoner V3 capturing him and escaping from the Destron base. Soon afterwards, Ambassador Hell returned to the base, only to die in its self destruction. Ambassador Hell return in Kamen Rider Spirits manga, working for Badan Empire. But the differences among other revived members is he have his own consciousness, it is revealed that the Silver Skull which used to revive him is capable to bring back the dead person memories. In Kamen Rider ZX, Ambassador Darkness, Ambassador Hell's brother, appeared as a Badan Empire leader.
• Shocker Combatmen (ショッカー戦闘員, Shokkā Sentōin^?): Black uniformed soldiers, some which have skeleton markings on their torsos. They are normally easily defeated by the Riders, often without even needing to transform. Their trademark is a high pitched battle-cry.
• Big Machine (ビッグマシン, Biggu Mashin^?): A character who only appears in Ishinomori's original Kamen Rider manga. Big Machine is Shocker's highest commander and main antagonist in the manga. He also seems to be the one called "Great Leader" by some of the lower ranking Shocker members. He has a fully mechanized body and is behind Shocker's "October Project", which involves using a super computer to brainwash the population of Japan. He's able to match up the Riders in combat and launch attacks that disrupt electronic equipment, including Rider 1's and 2's own bodies. The design of his body was the base of Ambassador Hell's design in the TV show, although it was altered to allow a human face, and, unlike Big Machine, Ambassador Hell was kept a separate character from the Leader of Shocker. In Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, Big Machine is used as the name for the combination of the Crisis Fortress and the Gigant Horse.

Gel-Shocker

Gel-Shocker (ゲルショッカー, Geru Shokkā^?) was formed after the destruction of Shocker, with the remnants of the organization absorbing another organization called Geldam. After Ambassador Hell's defeat, The Great Leader reorganized the organization from the ground up, destroying all remaining secret bases and even liquidating the remaining troop contingent in a bloody forest massacre witnessed by unfortunate campers. Gel-Shocker troopers wore bright purple and yellow costumes, were capable of traveling from one to place to another by transforming into sheets that would drop down onto unsuspecting victims, and were capable of taking more blunt violent abuse than their predecessors
Gel-Shocker was led by the Great Leader of Gel-Shocker (ゲルショッカー首領, Geru-Shokkā Shuryō^?) and General Black (ブラック将軍, Burakku Shōgun^?), a commander originally from Geldam's Africa branch who had a monstrous leech/chameleon hybrid form called Hiruchameleon (ヒルカメレオン, Hirukamereon^?) who has ability to sucking blood by hugging human which later used to reviving Gel-Shocker Kaijin who already defeated by Double Rider, throwing leech which cause the target follow his order, and able turning himself become invisible. Later he fought the Double Riders on roller coaster and was defeated by their Rider Double Chop when turning invisible after weakened, reverts to his human form cursing the Double Rider and exploded. Eventually, General Black was resurrected and worked for Destron in an important operation, but ended up dying in the self-destruction of a Destron base. Black return as a soulles pawn of Badan Empire in Kamen Rider Spirits manga, but he is defeated by Rider Double Kick performed by Kamen Rider 2 and Kamen Rider ZX.

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider}