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Tag: Kamen Rider

  • ‘Kamen Rider ZEZTZ’ Producer on Merging Nostalgia and Reinvention for Fans Worldwide

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    For over five decades, Kamen Rider has revved its engine through pop culture, delivering masked motorcycle-riding justice against rubber-suited monstrosities with style, grit, and a cyclical penchant for reinvention. Now, Kamen Rider ZEZTZ—the latest dream-fueled entry from Toei and Ishimori Productions—shifts gears into the subconscious.

    It follows hero Baku Yorozu, a hapless dreamer turned nightmare-busting hero. Armed with the power to enter and purify corrupted dreams, ZEZTZ is tasked with identifying afflicted dreamers, decoding their inner torment, and defeating their monsters in three tries—or risk letting their terror take root in the waking world.

    And boy howdy, when he succeeds, he lands a stylish rider kick for the ages, sending his foes into a big sleep before combusting.

    io9 caught up with producer Hideaki Yanaka to discuss the origins of Kamen Rider ZEZTZ‘s fantastical dream-hopping premise. We also talked about whether the series’ new weekly episodic premieres on YouTube via TokuSHOUTsu mark a new era of global streaming accessibility that longtime tokusatsu fans can expect to continue in future franchise installments.

    Isaiah Colbert, io9: What sparked the idea to set ZEZTZ in the realm of dreams? Was it a direct homage to Freddy Krueger-style nightmares, or something more symbolic about escapism and subconscious desires?

    Hideaki Yanaka: The screenwriter [Yuya Takahashi] came up with the dream concept. After receiving that idea, I first gathered and read research books about dreams. After that, me and our planning team discussed what dream setting would best suit this story. Ultimately, that setting ended up not relying solely on any specific theory. We began considering the visual expression together at a later stage.

    Ryutaro Imai as Baku Yorozu in Kamen Rider ZEZTZ. © Ishimori Productions Inc./Toei

    io9: Coming into Kamen Rider as a newcomer, ZEZTZ immediately stuck with me with its stylized camp, reminding me of Kuuga’s gritty charm, which was my first series after watching Shin Kamen Rider. Was that tone a conscious homage to the early Heisei era, or do you feel ZEZTZ channels the spirit of a different Rider series in terms of its themes and overall vibe?

    Yanaka: We did not specifically pay homage to any particular Rider series. However, since Kamen Rider ZEZTZ was planned with viewers encountering the Kamen Rider series for the first time overseas in mind, we did want to actively incorporate the positive legacy of previous series, especially the Heisei Riders.

    io9: ZEZTZ’s sound effects lean into gachapon mechanics with a pachinko-style flair, with the “ZZZ” burst from the Rider Kick feeling like a jackpot hit as well as a wind-up sound effect that feels reminiscent of Gavv’s gacha video gamey style sound effects. Was that motif a deliberate throughline between the two projects to draw a connection to those kinds of games?

    Yanaka: There was no such intention in particular.

    Kamen Rider Toei Zeztz
    © Ishimori Productions Inc./Toei

    io9: ZEZTZ’s role as a hero of humanity’s dreams opens up surreal narrative and visual possibilities that feel almost Persona-esque, especially in its battles and villain designs. How did that dream logic influence the show’s monster aesthetics and approach to action choreography?

    Yanaka: If you’re referring to the “dream logic of Persona,” we haven’t consciously been influenced by it. What’s possible in terms of action and form in games and anime fundamentally differs from what’s possible with physical action and three-dimensional form.

    io9: The suit for Kamen Rider ZEZTZ feels like a futuristic homage that reinterprets the original Rider silhouette with a touch of contemporary Batman Beyond flair, especially in the sling-style side belt. What was the design philosophy behind crafting a look that bridges nostalgic iconography with a bold, forward-facing aesthetic?

    Yanaka: The goal of Kamen Rider ZEZTZ is to make people all over the world recognize what kind of hero Kamen Rider is, so we aimed for a design that is simple and allows the essence to be grasped at a glance. In that regard, I believe the designer has created a highly accomplished design.

    Kamen Rider Zeztz Toei Tokushoutsu 3
    © Ishimori Productions Inc./Toei

    io9: ZEZTZ introduces Zero—a transforming robot—as a sidekick of sorts for Rider as well as an evolution for his traditional bike. Zero, unsurprisingly, has become a fan favorite character on account of his dual language skills in Japanese and English and with how witty and charming he is. Was his creation in ZEZTZ a kind of creative workaround for Japan’s motorcycle laws, or did it emerge from a desire to push the franchise into even bolder sci-fi territory than before?

    Yanaka: We believe the appeal of the Kamen Rider series lies in the prominence of motorcycles, so we designed it this way to give the bike a strong presence. Robot-type helper characters have appeared in Toei Tokusatsu before, so we don’t consider this an outlandish idea.

    io9: Was the scene where Zero makes motorcycle noises in the premiere scripted, or was it improvised?

    Yanaka: It was improvised by the voice actor.

    io9: Speaking of fan-favorite moments, the recurring visual gag of the heroes dramatically rolling into their secret van has already become a fan-favorite moment. Was that bit something planned from the start as a long-term comedic staple, or did it emerge more organically from the actors’ improvisation?

    Yanaka: I believe it was born from a session between the actors and the director.

    io9: Is it safe to say it’s here to stay as a core part of the show as a long-standing bit?

    Yanaka: The van is gone, but Detective Fujimi is good at forward rolls, while Detective Nagumo is not. That much is certain going forward.

    Kamen Rider Zeztz Toei Tokushoutsu 2
    © Ishimori Productions Inc./Toei

    io9: The promo trailer for Kamen Rider ZEZTZ stirred controversy. Fans assumed the trailer used AI-generated elements in its background, leading some to feel disappointed that it might overshadow the series’ premiere and dilute its creative identity. Toei has mentioned recently that it is interested in using AI with the production of anime.

    Did the promo trailer use AI and how does Toei feel about the technology’s potential role in tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider? Could you speak to what happened behind the scenes and whether that decision was part of a broader experiment or simply a misstep in the rollout of the show?

    Yanaka: Our company does not disclose specifically on what technology is used to produce which visuals. Of course, we recognize the pros and cons of generative AI, especially the ethical and legal challenges it still faces.

    io9: ZEZTZ is being positioned as a global event, with new episodes streaming simultaneously on platforms like YouTube and Shout TV for Western audiences. What inspired the push for a more international rollout alongside its Japanese broadcast, and should fans expect this kind of global accessibility to become the norm for future Kamen Rider series?

    Yanaka: We have long been hearing voices from fans around the world requesting simulcasts. For several years now, we have been considering and taking action to enable everyone to enjoy officially licensed content simultaneously. We hope to continue offering simulcasts going forward.

    Kamen Rider Zeztz Toei Tokushoutsu 4
    © Ishimori Productions Inc./Toei

    io9: With ZEZTZ diving into dreams, surreal horror, and postmodern identity through its unemployed protagonist, what do you hope it adds to the evolving legacy of Kamen Rider, both for longtime Heisei-era fans hungry for something stranger and newcomer Reiwa fans just beginning to explore the franchise’s depth and reinvention?

    Yanaka: We aim to let fans from the Heisei era enjoy the latest work once again, while also sparking interest in the series among new fans. We believe this will lead to a fruitful future for the series.

    Fans can check out new episodes of Kamen Rider ZEZTZ on TokuSHOUTsu’s YouTube channel every Saturday.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Isaiah Colbert

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  • It’s Been 30 Years Since ‘Masked Rider’ Tried to Give ‘Kamen Rider’ Its ‘Power Rangers’ Moment

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    When audiences were in the grip of Power Rangers mania in the early ’90s, Saban Entertainment sought more ways it could leverage its relationship with Japanese studio Toei to turn even more Tokusatsu series into U.S. hits. Thirty years ago today, Saban debuted its take on one of the medium’s most legendary entries, Kamen Rider, hoping the next Power Rangers was in its hands.

    Instead, audiences got Masked Rider, and Kamen Rider‘s own journey to the U.S. would take the long way round over the next three decades.

    Like Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and VR Troopers before it, Masked Rider—a literal translation of the Japanese title—which began airing 30 years ago today on Fox, utilized costume design and action sequences from a Japanese TV series, re-editing them and blending them in with newly filmed footage to create an entirely different premise. Masked Rider used footage from the 1988 Japanese series Kamen Rider Black RX, itself a direct sequel to the previous series in the franchise, Kamen Rider Black, and followed protagonist Kotaro Minami as he gained new powers to combat an alien invasion of Earth by the Crisis Empire.

    Masked Rider itself, however, was much more different and originally featured more explicit connections to the worldbuilding Saban created for Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers in its adaptation of the Super Sentai series Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. Spinning out of a three-part crossover story that kicked off Mighty Morphin‘s third season in the weeks running up to Masked Rider‘s own debut, the series follows Prince Dex, alien royalty from the planet Edenoi, the homeworld of the Power Rangers’ robot ally Alpha 5.

    Fleeing his homeworld after his grandfather, King Lexian, is deposed by the villainous forces of Count Dregon, Dex is granted the mysterious powers of the Masked Rider and heads to Earth, Dregon’s next target for invasion. Taken into the care of a human family, the Stewarts, in the town of Leawood, Dex lives a dual life as the ordinary teenager Dex Stewart while defending Leawood from Dregon’s Insectivore forces as the bug-like hero Masked Rider.

    Like Power Rangers before it, Masked Rider diverged significantly from the narrative of its source material, but unlike Power Rangers, the series also leaned into a much more comedic tone, both in comparison to Black RX and even Mighty Morphin‘ itself. That’s also not where its divergences ended, either: although Masked Rider got its introduction via Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Saban almost immediately cut the latter series’ ties from the former, as Power Rangers‘ own popularity was beginning to decline from the heights of its debut, with no mention of the Rangers or the events they took part in before Dex’s arrival on Earth outside of the initial crossover.

    That tone, combined with the declining appeal of Power Rangers, ultimately sealed Masked Rider‘s fate. The series was seen as a flop, unable to support strong toy sales in comparison to Power Rangers at its height. Just over a year and 40 episodes later, Masked Rider came to an end.

    © Saban

    Ironically, Power Rangers would live on in spite of the decline from its original stratospheric height, rejuvenating itself as Power Rangers Zeo in 1996 after the conclusion of Mighty Morphin and the Alien Rangers miniseries. And although Saban would try again to bring more Tokusatsu series outside of Super Sentai to American TV in Big Bad Beetleborgs the same year, Masked Rider seemingly sealed the fate of Kamen Rider in the U.S., either in its original form or the adapted format, for the foreseeable future.

    Masked Rider wouldn’t be the last time that Kamen Rider attempted to reinvent itself for an American audience. After the franchise largely stayed off Japanese TV during the ’90s before being revitalized for the 21st century in 2000’s Kamen Rider Kuuga, it would take over a decade after Masked Rider for someone to try again in the form of 2009’s Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight, a CW-produced adaptation of the 2002 series Kamen Rider Ryuki. But just like Masked Rider before it, Dragon Knight failed to find an audience, being cancelled before its final two episodes could air.

    It’s perhaps fitting, then, that Masked Rider‘s 30th anniversary comes at a time when Kamen Rider is making another concerted effort to find a U.S. audience—this time on its own terms. Over the past half-decade Kamen Rider has slowly but surely made its way over to U.S. audiences in its original form, with the first official streaming of older series in the franchise, as well as the arrivals of spinoffs like Kamen Rider Black Sun (a modern, gritty reimagining of the original Kamen Rider Black and Black RX) or the Hideaki Anno movie reboot Shin Kamen Rider.

    Kamen Rider Zeztz Episode 1
    © Toei

    But earlier this month, Kamen Rider took its biggest step stateside yet. The beginning of the latest entry in the franchise, Kamen Rider Zeztz, marked the very first time a Kamen Rider series would air simultaneously in both Japan and the U.S., as Toei finally began to acknowledge the potential for American audiences to officially support the franchise directly alongside Japanese ones, outside of fansubbing efforts and waiting years for legal streams or physical media releases of older series.

    Time will tell if Zeztz means the third time’s the charm for Kamen Rider getting its own Power Rangers moment decades after the fact, as the latter series prepares to chart a new era of its own. But there is something fitting that its beginning comes alongside a reminder of when the superhero franchise first tried to kick its way into American hearts and minds with Masked Rider 30 years ago.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    James Whitbrook

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