Kamen Rider V3

Plot

Starting after the events of the original series, Shiro Kazami witnesses a murder by Destron, a new organization created from Gel-Shocker by its previously thought deceased leader. They attempt to kill Shiro and later kill his family. With this, Shiro begs Takeshi Hongo and Hayato Ichimonji to turn him into a Kamen Rider. Although they initially declined, after he sacrificed himself to save them, they had no choice. After turning Shiro into Kamen Rider V3, the Double Riders sacrifice themselves to save Tokyo. Shiro then must fight Destron in Japan with the help of Tobei Tachibana, the Kamen Rider Kid Corps, and later the Double Riders, revealed to have survived and left to fight Destron in other countries. Towards the end of his war, Shiro is joined by ex-Destron scientist Joji Yuki a.k.a. the Riderman. Eventually, Joji sacrificed himself to save Japan and thus Shiro named him Kamen Rider #4. During the final battle, Shiro stopped Destron's leader and the organization as a whole, saving the world from its reign of terror, but their leader still survived, meaning someday more of his forces could appear to enact his will.

Characters

Kamen Riders

Shiro Kazami (風見 志郎, Kazami Shirō): A young college student and sole survivor of his family who fights Destron as the cyborg Kamen Rider V3 ("V3" or "Rider V3", for short). When he encounters a Destron cyborg, he intones, Henshin... V3!, and transforms into Kamen Rider V3. He is host to 26 special powers that he uses to fight Destron; V3 does not know what all of his special powers are, but most of them are revealed during the course of the series. Among his powers are Bulletproof Muscles, the V3 Hopper (a device that allows him to track enemies) and the V3 Reverse Kick. Others, including the V3 Thunder (one of his most powerful), were revealed in stage shows, manga and magazines of the time. His nuclear-powered motorcycle is named "Hurricane" (ハリケーン, Harikēn); it also has a variety of special abilities.

Jōji Yūki (結城 丈二, Yūki Jōji): A Destron scientist who is betrayed by General Yoroi. His right arm is burnt off and replaced by a special mechanical one, which gives him special powers to fight General Yoroi as Riderman (ライダーマン, Raidāman). Initially, he distrusts V3, but eventually becomes an ally. V3 declares him to be "Kamen Rider Number Four" in tribute, after sacrificing his life to protect Tokyo from destruction. Riderman appears alive in some of the sequels. How he survived is not fully explained in the TV show, but it is explained in detail in the Kamen Rider Spirits manga.

Allies

Tobei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛, Tachibana Tōbei): Shiro's mentor and advisor. This character appeared in the original Kamen Rider and also appeared in the following three series.

Junko Tama (珠 純子, Tama Junko): A young woman who has a crush on Shiro. Shiro is aware of her crush, but refuses to let her get close to him, to protect her, because he lives such a dangerous life. Despite this, she assists Shiro, often watching the communications station, and eventually becomes a close friend to Shiro. She often gets into dangerous situations, requiring V3 to rescue her.

Shigeru Tama (珠 シゲル, Tama Shigeru): Junko's kid brother and a member of the Boys' Kamen Rider Squad. He sometimes acts as Shiro's liaison with the Boys' Kamen Rider members.

The Boys' Kamen Rider members (少年仮面ライダー隊, Shōnen Kamen Raidā Tai): Also known as The Kamen Rider Scouts. They are young boys who assist Kamen Rider V3. They have members throughout Japan. They wear medallions which are shaped like the head of Kamen Rider V3. The medallions contain radios which allow them to report suspicious activity to Kamen Rider headquarters.

Ken Sakuma (佐久間 ケン, Sakuma Ken): A Destron Hunter, from Interpol, who helps V3 for a few episodes. He is Destron Hunter no. 5 and becomes the last to survive.

Tadokoro (田所): Joji Yuki's father figure and mentor who is an important character in PlayStation 2-exclusive survival action horror game Kamen Rider Seigi no Keifu, which also feature the cast from Kamen Rider (1971) and Kamen Rider Black, as well as guest starring two Heisei Riders from Kamen Rider Agito. He was a professor of Destron who wanted to use his research for what he believe to be for the sake of mankind. When he last researching the Kingstones' histories that center around Kamen Rider Black plot line, Tadokoro was captured and being made into a vessel to the game's main antagonist, Evil Eye, for its time traveling scheme, with his mind is trapped inside the machine, while his body is used to power the mastermind of the game's event. When Evil Eye successfully resurrected in Agito's timeline in 2004 and immediately invade Black's timeline in 1988 to avoid his existence being erased when Kamen Rider 1 destroyed his past self in 1971, his mind is unsealed by Riderman during their brief reunion, then sacrifices his life to allow Riderman sent V3, Rider 1 and Agito to 1988 and aid Black against Evil Eye. After Evil Eye is destroyed, and the timeline is restored, Tadokoro cease to exist.

Destron

Destron (デストロン, Desutoron) is an international organization bent on conquering the world with terrorist acts, Destron was formed under the lead of the mysterious Great Leader by surviving members of Gelshocker. Although Destron had branches in every country and sought to dominate the entire planet, its main headquarters was in Japan which Destron focused its attention on. Initially the monsters of the organization followed the orders of the unseen Destron Leader without any direct supervision, but after repeated failures of the monsters the Destron Leader summoned Doctor G from Destron's German Division to take charge of the day-to-day operations of Destron's Japanese Division. Destron used the scorpion as its symbol but had no scorpion-like monsters. Destron is the only Showa villainous organization in the franchise to appear in the movie OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders although several of its monsters make appearances; this is most likely due to the organization being formed from Shocker remnants, therefore making its construction unnecessary. Their name is also reused as the Japanese name of the Decepticon faction from the Transformers franchise.

Destron Leader (デストロン首領, Desutoron Shuryō) - Another form of the Shocker Leader from the original series, originally thought to have died in a failed kamikaze attack against Kamen Riders One and Two. In the earliest episodes he led directly; later he let one of his generals lead for him. His cyborgs are patterned after a combination of a manmade object and an animal (such as Camera Mosquito or Bazooka Turtle). In the last few episodes, he appeared in person for brief periods of time, but he wore a robe with a hood which hid all of his features. When his robe was pulled, a man with his head covered by white bandages and a smiling mask was revealed, but he quickly escaped. In the final episode, he was revealed to be a monstrous skeleton with a living heart, calling himself God of Death. V3 destroyed the monster's heart, apparently killing him, just to hear his voice again, from a tape player inside the skeleton's head. He congratulates V3 for finding his true form but reveals that V3 would die alongside himself. Immediately afterwards, the Destron headquarters self-destructed, but V3 escaped.

Doctor G (ドクトルG, Dokutoru Gē) / Kani Laser (カニレーザー, Kani Rēzā) - Destron's first general in knight armor from Germany in charge of Japan. He wields a battle axe, a short sword, and a knife. In the comics, his scorpion-shaped helmet could transform into a deadly scorpion, but this did not happen on TV. Most of his Destron Inhumanoids are cyborgs that are the same type as Destron Leader's cyborgs. He tends to pronounce his enemy's name as "Kamen Riiiiider V3!". After numerous failures, Doctor G summoned the spirits of his dead evil warriors to transform him into Kani Laser for his final battle with Kamen Rider V3. Despite putting up a heroic battle, he was destroyed by V3's V3 Tailspin Return Kick.

Returning characters

The following characters return from Kamen Rider:

Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1

Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2

Colonel Zol

Doctor Death

Ambassador Hell

General Black

Episodes

Rider No. 3: His Name is V3! (ライダー３号 その名はV3！, Raidā Sangō Sono Na wa Bui Surī!) (Original Airdate: February 17, 1973)

Last Testament of the Double Riders (ダブルライダーの遺言状, Daburu Raidā no Yuigonjō) (Original Airdate: February 24, 1973)

The Execution of V3 (死刑台のV3, Shikeidai no Bui Surī) (Original Airdate: March 3, 1973)

V3's 26 Secrets!? (V3の２６の秘密！？, Bui Surī no Nijūroku no Himitsu!?) (Original Airdate: March 10, 1973)

Snake-Man with a Machine Gun! (機関銃を持ったヘビ人間！, Kikanjū o Motta Hebi Ningen!) (Original Airdate: March 17, 1973)

Enter, Hammer-Jellyfish! V3 Unleash Your Killing Technique!! (ハンマークラゲ出現! 放てV3の必殺わざ！！, Hanmā Kurage Shutsugen! Hanate Bui Surī no Hissatsu-waza!!) (Original Airdate: March 24, 1973)

The Fury of Rider V3's Special Training (ライダーV3 怒りの特訓, Raidā Bui Surī Ikari no Tokkun) (Original Airdate: March 31, 1973)

Watch Out, V3! Beware the Terrifying Buzzsaw (危うしV3！迫る電気ノコギリの恐怖, Ayaushi Bui Surī! Semaru Denki Nokogiri no Kyōfu) (Original Airdate: April 7, 1973)

What is the Destron Hell Squad!? (デストロン、地獄部隊とは何か！？, Desutoron, Jigoku Butai to wa Nani ka!?) (Original Airdate: April 14, 1973)

Secret of the Double Typhoon (ダブルタイフーンの秘密, Daburu Taifūn no Himitsu) (Original Airdate: April 21, 1973)

The Claws of Evil Reach Out for V3!! (悪魔の爪がV3をねらう！！, Akuma no Tsume ga Bui Surī o Nerau!) (Original Airdate: April 28, 1973)

Films

1973: Kamen Rider V3: A movie version of episode 2.

During a battle against Destron's forces, Shiro Kazami helps a priest who has been attacked by the evil organization's monster Hasami-Jaguar. Little does he know that the church where the priest resides is a front for a Destron hideout. After finding out the organization's latest motive, Kamen Rider V3, along with the Double Riders, must stop Destron from detonating a nuclear bomb in Tokyo.

1973: Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants

A physicist named Tetsuo Okita discovers a new mineral called "satanum", which is more powerful than uranium and emits destructive effects to anyone exposed to it. However, Destron abducts Okita in hopes of finding the source of satanum and collecting more of it to expedite their run for global domination. Kamen Rider V3 must act fast in rescuing Professor Okita and preventing Destron from collecting more of the deadly mineral.

S.I.C. Hero Saga

Published in Monthly Hobby Japan magazine from May to August 2003, the S.I.C. Hero Saga story Masked Rider V3 & Riderman: Riderman Another After featured an alternate history of Riderman's creation. It featured the new character called the Destron Rider (デストロンライダー, Desutoron Raidā).

Chapter titles

God Station (神ステーション, Kami Sutēshon)

Attachment (アタッチメント, Atatchimento)

Destron Rider (デストロンライダー, Desutoron Raidā)

Jōji Yūki (結城丈二, Yūki Jōji)

Manga

A manga adaptation was made by Mitsuru Sugaya during the run of the series.

Kamen Rider The Next

In 2007, a reimagined Kamen Rider V3 appeared in Kamen Rider The Next, a movie loosely based on the TV series, following the reboot of the franchise started with the 2005 movie Kamen Rider The First.

Cast

Hiroshi Miyauchi as Shiro Kazami

Takehisa Yamaguchi as Joji Yuki

Akiji Kobayashi as Tobei Tachibana

Hizuru Ono as Junko Tama

Hideki Kawaguchi as Shigeru Tama

Jōtarō Senba as Doktor G

Eiji Gō as Baron Kiba

Sachio Fujino as Archbishop Tsubasa

Bunya Nakamura as General Yoroi

Ken Kawashima as Ken Sakuma

Voice actors

Gorō Naya as The Destron Leader

Shinji Nakae as Narrator

Suit actors

Tetsuya Nakayashiki as Kamen Rider V3

Songs

Opening theme

"Tatakae! Kamen Rider V3" (戦え!仮面ライダーV3, Tatakae! Kamen Raidā Bui Surī; "Fight! Kamen Rider V3")

Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori

Composer: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Vocals: Hiroshi Miyauchi and The Swingers (ザ・スウィンガーズ, Za Swingāzu)

Ending themes

"Shōnen Kamen Rider Tai no Uta" (少年仮面ライダー隊の歌, Shōnen Kamen Raidā Tai no Uta; "Song of the Kamen Rider Boys Squad")

Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude (八手 三郎, Yatsude Saburō)

Composer: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Vocals: Ichirou Mizuki and the Columbia Yurikago-Kai (コロムビアゆりかご会, Koromubia Yurikago-Kai)

Episodes: 1–42

"Hashire Hurricane" (走れハリケーン, Hashire Harikēn; "Run, Hurricane")

Lyrics: Sukeo Nōmi (能見 佐雄, Nōmi Sao)

Composer: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Vocals: Masato Shimon and the Columbia Yurikago-Kai

Episodes: 43–52

Broadcast and home video

In its home country of Japan, the series aired on Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET every Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. JST from February 17, 1973, to February 9, 1974, with 52 episodes aired. Later on, Toei started releasing the series on home video under their Toei Video brand. A total of 14 volumes were released on VHS for both sale and rental from September 21, 1985, to November 24, 1989. They did release all 52 episodes, but because they were originally intended to be a compilation of the best episodes, the order of the episodes do not match the order of the episodes that were broadcast chronologically. Then later on, a Laserdisc boxset containing all episodes were released on August 25, 1993. Then the series came as individual Laserdiscs between May 21 and September 21, 2000, spreading throughout seven volumes. Each volume contains eight episodes, while the final only contains four. Then later, a DVD box set containing all the episodes were released on December 6, 2002. Then in 2007 from October 21 to December 7, it was re-released again as individual DVDs to commemorate the release of the movie Kamen Rider: The Next in October of that year. There are 9 volumes in total, each containing 6 episodes (Vol. 8 and Vol. 9 contain 5 episodes). Volumes 1–3, 4–6, and 7–9 were released simultaneously. Episode 1 was included in the "Shotaro Ishinomori 70th Anniversary DVD Box Set" released on July 21, 2008. Most recently, a Blu-ray box set featuring all episodes was released from April 11 to August 8, 2018.

In Hong Kong, the series was broadcast with a Cantonese Chinese dub from 1975 to 1977 on Rediffusion Television's Chinese Channel, which was the predecessor to Asia Television's Hong Kong Channel. On July 26, 1975, during the airing of this series, two children fell from the roof of a six-story tenement building located at 66B Kowloon City Road in To Kwa Wan while trying to replicate the "Rider Kick", a well-known move from the Kamen Rider series, resulting in one child's death and injuries to the other. This incident prompted parents, educators, and various community members in Hong Kong to hold the television station accountable for broadcasting violent content that they believed was negatively influencing local youth. In light of the public backlash and a directive from the Hong Kong government, TVB was forced to heed public sentiment and announced the suspension of Kamen Rider V3 on July 29 of that year. As a result, later Japanese tokusatsu series aired in Hong Kong avoided using the term "superman" in their titles, opting for alternatives such as "hero" or "warrior", exemplified by titles like Android Kikaider and Warrior of Love Rainbowman. When TVB Jade resumed airing the series in October 1976, it was renamed "Iron Masked Hero". The original title "Kamen Rider" was only restored in later broadcasts of Showa-era productions.