Publication Information
- Kamen Rider : Heisei Series
- Japanese : 平成仮面ライダーシリーズ
- Production era : Kamen Rider Series
- Started on : January 8, 1989
- Completely absent : during 1990s
- Revival on : 2000
Heisei Kamen Rider Series is the second and current production era of the Kamen Rider Series. It refers to Heisei, the current period in Japan after the Shōwa period. The Heisei era started on January 8, 1989, the first day after the death of the reigning Emperor, Hirohito. His son, Akihito, succeeded to the throne. In accordance with Japanese customs, Hirohito was posthumously renamed "Emperor Shōwa" on January 31.
Kamen Rider in the Heisei era
2000 : Kamen Rider Kuuga
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Kuuga
- The Heisei revival of the Kamen Rider Series began with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000, this was noted in Kamen Rider Decade (2009), the tenth Heisei era series which initally united the first nine Heisei series, also giving focus on the Showa period despite being only 38 years since the start of the series due to Decade's position as the 25th Rider hero.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Agito
- Followed by the anniversary series, Kamen Rider Agito, which began several trends throughout the Heisei Series: multiple Kamen Riders (Agito featured 4: Agito, Gills, G3, and Another Agito); the ending theme playing during the climactic scene instead of the end credits (this would be briefly broken in Hibiki with Akira Fuse's songs); and the relationship to Honda for the Kamen Riders' motorcycles and other motor vehicles.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Ryuki
- The third series in the Heisei era was Kamen Rider Ryuki, which began the relationship with the record label Avex Group and its artists to perform theme songs for the series, such as ISSA of DA PUMP for 555, Nanase Aikawa for Blade, YU-KI of TRF for Kabuto, and AAA for Den-O, as well as the introduction of the group RIDER CHIPS, deemed the official band of Kamen Rider. Using the concept of thirteen Riders, Ryuki took a turn away from previous series, however, resulting in lower than expected ratings. The series and franchise as a whole was helped to continue in large part due to the toy sales of Kamen Rider Ryuki.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider 555
- The next series, Kamen Rider 555 (pronounced Phi's), continued with strong toy sales and slightly lower ratings than Ryuki.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Blade
- The fifth and six series were plagued with behind the scenes problems. Kamen Rider Blade has become the second lowest rated Kamen Rider series as well as being noted for poor toy sales. The Riders transform using Undead Cards to seal more Undead and power up into various forms. During the course of the series, the main writer and director crew were fired to allow franchise veterans to return as main writers.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider The First
- Kamen Rider The First was produced. Written by Toshiki Inoue, the film was an original re-imagining of both the manga and original television series. Various characters from the original series had their storylines altered to fit the time span of the movie. Masaya Kikawada portrays Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and Hassei Takano (previously Miyuki Tezuka/Kamen Rider Raia in Kamen Rider Ryuki) as Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2.
- Main Article : 2005 - Kamen Rider Hibiki
- The sixth series, became one of the most controversial series in the history of the franchise. Introducing new themes and taking on a different look, while the series broke the chain of each series having lower ratings than the last since Agito, its toy sales were relatively low. As with Blade, a new directing and writing team was brought onto the show during the midterm of the series.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Kabuto
- The seventh series, celebrated the 35th anniversary of the show. The series brought back many conventional aesthetic conventions of the Kamen Rider legacy with bug-themed designs. The main Riders were Kabuto, Gatack, TheBee, Sasword, Drake, KickHopper and PunchHopper. Kabuto was one of the most successful Heisei-era Kamen Rider series.
- Main Article : 2007 - Kamen Rider Den-O
- The eighth series, taking a turn from past Kamen Rider series, introducing a Kamen Rider that is completely unsure of himself. The series makes use of a large vehicle, the DenLiner; a bullet train that can travel through time that also houses weaponry designed to combat the giant versions of Imagin (this series' kaijin) called Gigandeaths. This series only had two Riders, Den-O and Zeronos, but they had multiple forms that they could switch between, similar to BLACK RX, Kuuga, and Agito.
- Main Article : 2008 - Kamen Rider Kiva
- Kamen Rider Kiva, was released in theaters April 12, 2008, becoming the top film in its opening weekend. In addition, Animate produced an OVA titled Imagin Anime that features SD versions of the Imagin that are contracted to Den-O and Zeronos that have been featured in the company's other Den-O products
- Main Article : Kamen Rider The Next
- Entitled Kamen Rider The Next, based on the events of Kamen Rider V3. It featured Kazuki Kato (previously Kamen Rider Drake in Kabuto) portraying Kamen Rider V3). Kikawada and Takano reprise their roles as Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Decade
- Kamen Rider Decade, was introduced as a tenth anniversary for the Heisei Era, featuring the title character traveling to other worlds to save them and recover his memories. To commemorate this milestone, Japanese recording artist Gackt was brought onto the project to perform the series' opening theme "Journey through the Decade", and later the film's theme song "The Next Decade". Gackt also jokingly expressed interest in portraying a villain in the show.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider W
- May to July of 2009 built up to the debut of Kamen Rider W who was introduced as the eleventh addition of the Heisei Era, first appearing at the 10th Anniversary Project MASKED RIDER LIVE & SHOW event, and was featured in Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. The title characters star as detectives investigating crime waves about kaijin known as Dopants in the fictional city of Futo. Like much of the previous entries of the Heisei Era, the titular Rider, Kamen Rider Double, can transform into multiple forms, using devices shaped like USB hard drives called Gaia Memories.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider OOO
- Was introduced as the twelfth addition of the Heisei Era Kamen Rider Series. The title character is a world traveler that is pulled into a fight with kaijin called the Greeed that was resurrected from a 800-year sleep to find themselves incomplete by such a Greeed, reduced to the status of a forearm, who gives him the means to transform into Kamen Rider OOO.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Fourze
- The show's catchphrase is "Switch on youth 'cause space is here!", referencing the Fourze Driver transformation belt which gets its various powers from devices called Astroswitches to conjure attachments to Fourze's limbs. As with the two previous series, the protagonist of Fourze made his debut in the annual summer film of the show's direct predecessor, appearing in Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful: The Shogun and the 21 Core Medals.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Wizard
- Was introduced as the fourteenth addition of the Heisei Era Kamen Rider Series. The title character is a magician that have to save people with magical potential known as Gates from the Phantom. Like Fourze, Kamen Rider Girls has a new member joining their group as Chisato Akita representing Wizard. For the summer film, it does not feature a new Rider succeeding Wizard but it would appear on the predecessor's final episode.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Gaim
- Was introduced as the fifteenth addition of the Heisei Era Kamen Rider Series. Unlike the recent series, it started off with multiple Riders appearing and it did not follow the two-part episode format. For the Kamen Rider Girls group, similar to Fourze and Wizard another member joined the group as Jiena Sumi Tomomi representing Gaim.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Drive
- Was introduced as the sixteenth addition of the Heisei Era Kamen Rider Series, surpassing the number of Riders in the Showa Era. Unlike most of the Kamen Riders, the title character drives a car instead of a bike. Due to Drive not meeting his predecessor in its summer film or final episode, they would meet for the first time in Movie War Full Throttle. The Kamen Rider Girls did not have a new member representing Drive.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Ghost
- It is the seventeenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-sixth series overall. The series started on October 4, 2015, joining Shuriken Sentai NinningerIcon-crosswiki in the Super Hero Time line-up after the finale of Kamen Rider Drive. After Ninninger concluded on February 7, 2016, the series was joined by Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger in the Super Hero Time line-up. After the finale of Kamen Rider Ghost, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid joined Zyuohger in the Super Hero Time line-up.
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Amazons
- Extra series of the Heisei period, following the Kamen Rider 1 movie, Amazons was announced in one of the 2016 March Televi-kun magazine pages and later confirmed on March 18, 2016. It changed most of the settings from the original Amazon and doesn't interfere or alter continuity with anything of the recently airing TV series. With the legendary staffs and strongest action teams who produced the Heisei Riders, Amazon now is fully reborn in a modern, darker style that makes it not for kids anymore, because this series' genre is "horror".
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
- The motif of the series is retro video gaming, as the Riders of the show utilize game cartridges called Rider Gashats and have gear and form motifs inspired by retro video games. The series also integrates medical drama into the story because one of the main settings is a hospital and some of the main Riders are doctors. The tagline of the show is Game Start!
- Main Article : Kamen Rider Build
- It is the nineteenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-eighth series overall. The series started on September 3rd, 2017, joining Uchu Sentai Kyuranger in the Super Hero Time line-up after the finale of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. The tagline of the series is, “The laws of victory have been decided!” One of the underlying motifs of this season is science and scientific principles.
