The Birth of the Grasshopper Masked Hero!

    Everybody in Japan was enjoying the success of the Kaiju series (Godzilla, Gamera etc.) and that in the year 1970, there was a talk to create another tokusatsu show. This leads to the producer of the show Hirayama Toru (平山 亨) who approached the person who created the 'Skull Man' (pictured left) manga, Ishinomori Shotaro (石ノ森 章太郎) Sensei. Although the storyline for the 'Skull Man' was great, but it would be hard to target younger generation since there is so much gory actions. 
                          So it was back to the drawing board, after countless designs there wasn't any suitable ones. If was then when Onodera Jo (小野寺 丈), the son of Ishinomori Sensei gave his father the idea to make a hero out of a grasshopper. After some sketches done, it was proven that this design would be the one that the famous kaizo-ningen (改造人間) literally: remodeled human would be known for years to come!
         Thus this kick-started the trend of having a motorcycle-riding, insect-based kaizo ningen that we all know to this very day. He was called 'Kamen Rider' (仮面ライダー) a term that would last to this day after 42 years later! It began when an evil organization called SHOCKER (ショッカー) started kidnapping innocent people to be made into a kaizo-ningen army to take over the world! Their attention turned to Jounan University's student, born at 15 August 1948: Hongo Takeshi who has an IQ of 600! (Yes, you read it right, 600!) and an adept motorcycle racer who was tutored by Tachibana Tobei (立花 藤兵衛) who then went on to become a fatherly figure and mentor to 7 Kamen Riders!     

           Hongo was caught by SHOCKER and all his remodeling was almost done (save for the brain-washing part) and he was saved by his college professor Midorikawa Hiroshi Hakase (緑川博士) who we found out was the person responsible of selecting Hongo for SHOCKER's Kaizo-Ningen project. Well one thing lead to another and they both managed to escape from SHOCKER for the time being. Unfortunately, Midorikawa Hakase was killed by SHOCKER's Kaizo-ningen Kumo Otoko (蜘蛛男) literally: Spider Man (pictured right): who is the first enemy of 'Kamen Rider'. Hongo got his revenge later on by defeating Kumo Otoko but remained misunderstood by the Professor's daughter Ruriko (ルリ子) for many episodes later on.

         The fight went on for a few episodes, until a very serious accident happened on-set to Fujioka Hiroshi (Hongo Takeshi). The scene caused a lost-controlled motorcycle to hit a nearby pole thus shattering Hiroshi san's bones in both his legs and arms. This incident caused Hiroshi san to be out of the set (almost for good!) and the company had to come up with a reason why Hongo was appearing less in the show. The company approached Takeshi Sasaki (佐々木 剛) and asked him to potray 'Kamen Rider', but Sasaki san had terms of his own for the company. Sasaki said he would do it on the condition that Hiroshi san will return to play this character when he is fully-healed. The company agreed and in the show, Hongo was pursuing SHOCKER to its branch in South America and has left the safe-keeping of Japan to Ichimonji Hayato, a free-lance cameraman who was altered by SHOCKER but failed in the brain-washing process (again~) and was saved by Hongo.
         Ichimonji called himself 'Kamen Rider Nigo' (仮面ライダー２号) literally: Kamen Rider No. 2, which was different from 'Kamen Rider Ichigo' (仮面ライダー1号)literally: Kamen Rider No. 1 because he is more Power-based than the Technique-based Hongo. Ichimonji went head-to-head with SHOCKER for 38 episodes until Hongo made his triumphant return in episode 53! This 'Double Riders' then continued to fight SHOCKER and their GREAT LEADER until the final episode 98! (Currently the longest running show, which was aired since April 3, 1971 to February 10, 1973)   

  The 'Double Riders' would continue to show up in every Showa Kamen Rider show, each time to help out their successors when they are having trouble fighting the evil organizations of their time. And to this very day, they are remembered as 'The Ones Who Started It All!' and even after 42 years, their fame and name still echoes through the ages~
       These two riders has changed my view on life ever since I was a kid. Their persistence in hard situations, making themselves stronger with new techniques to defeat the kaijin (怪人) literally: Weird People, and how their sense of justice has ever since made me feel that they are my real heroes. They have taught the kid (me) to uphold what is right, and never waiver or bend to injustice or evil. And if every time I meet something hard, I have to be stronger to face it, and retreating to re-plan my strategy is not something shameful. I held strong to these belief to this very day, using the theory I have learned from them in my everyday life. That what we all should be as a man: hot-blooded, never surrender and ever-holding to the reason that makes the world go round, JUSTICE!
      I will always go on as a supporter, a fan, and a child that will forever embrace the values that were taught to me by them. Join me again next time as we venture into the world of Super Sentai, and how it all began.That's all for now, matta ne~♪
                                               " 仮面ライダーは正義の味方！"