Kamen Rider Zero-One marks the 30th entry in the long-running Kamen Rider franchise. The series, created by Shōtarō Ishinomori (the man behind Super Sentai, better known to American audiences through its Power Rangers adaptation), has been a staple of Japanese television for over fifty years. While each generation of Kamen Rider has its own unique characters and storylines, there remains a consistent throughline: motorcycles, colorful enemies, and the main Kamen Rider hero donning an eye-catching costume that often resembles a grasshopper. With large eyes, antennae, and bright colors, the character cuts a familiar figure regardless of who’s behind the mask.
In Kamen Rider Zero-One, the man behind the mask is Aruto Hiden (Fumiya Takahashi), a young and eccentric man whose dream is to become a comedian and make others smile. Though a failure at his dream job, he excels as the titular Kamen Rider Zero-One, taking up the title after inheriting his late grandfather’s role as CEO of Hiden Intelligence. A reluctant hero at first, Aruto eventually accepts the title he inherited when realizing that this is another way for him to achieve his dream.
The world of Kamen Rider Zero-One is that of technological prosperity, where humans live alongside humanoid robots known collectively as Humangears. The Humangears, created by Aruto’s grandfather Korenosuke Hiden (Tokuma Nishioka) were created to serve humanity, humanlike in design but artificial in make.
Though seen as a triumph of human ingenuity and being integrated into society in supporting roles which can vary from being a high school basketball coach to a lifesaving surgeon, the relationship and public perspective of these robots is tenuous due to a rise in Humangears being hacked and turned into monsters by the cyber-terrorist group known as MetsubouJinrai.net. In knowing of this conspiracy to turn the public against Humangears, Aruto’s grandfather had created Kamen Rider Zero-One to act as a defender of the public.
Without going into too much detail, as its plot and characters are what make this series an enjoyable watch that I encourage anyone new or familiar with the series to check out, Zero-One is sure to delight fans of tokusatsu. With its colorful cast and high-octane action sequences that make heavy use of bright costumes, practical effects, cheesy CGI, quotable catch-phrases, and catchy music, this series captures the essence of this beloved medium of Japanese entertainment best known for its use of special effects to tell its stories.
Despite it being a show that is made to be a spectacle of sight and sound, there is a heart and intelligence that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. There are too many episodes in this series that left me tearing up at the end, for both humans and Humangear alike, thus making this show a well-rounded series and a promising start for Kamen Rider in the Reiwa period of Japan.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
I highly recommend the complete series for any fans of Kamen Rider or tokusatsu in general. It is incredibly rewatchable and honestly, nothing beats having the entire series and tie-in movies on Blu-Ray. Shout! Factory did a wonderful job in translating the series as well, as not even the puns get lost in translation thanks to an expert localization team.
What ages would this children’s series be suitable for?
There can be distressing and scary visuals not suitable for young children, and due to a lack of an English dub it may be inaccessible to children who are not yet able to read. However, I recommend this series for children six and up with parental guidance, and showing children non-English language series with subtitles may strengthen reading comprehension, as well as positively expose children to a new language.
Any child who loves Marvel or DC series will be sure to love Kamen Rider. And in a media landscape dominated by American superheroes, it may actually be beneficial for children to diversify their personal canon of superhero media.