===
Shōwa era=== In 1970, Toei producer proposed a "Masked Hero Project", which he approached
Shotaro Ishinomori to provide character designs for. This became
Kamen Rider, which premiered on April 3, 1971, initially intended as an adaptation of Ishinomori's
Skull Man manga. He and Hirayama redesigned the main character to resemble a
grasshopper. The hero Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider, played by actor and stuntman
Hiroshi Fujioka, was described as a (cyborg). During the filming of episode 10, Fujioka was thrown from his motorcycle during a stunt and broke both legs. Although most staff wanted Takeshi to be killed off, Hirayama opposed it, saying "We can't destroy the children's dreams of being almighty." His character was thus temporarily phased out until the introduction of another transformed human, Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2 (played by Takeshi Sasaki) in episode 14. Takeshi (Fujioka) was reintroduced in episode 40, and by episode 53, had fully replaced Hayato's character until the two were united in episodes 72, 73, 93, 94 - and the series finale - episode 98. The series from April 1971 to January 1976 (
Kamen Rider,
V3,
X,
Amazon,
Stronger) included a recurring mentor,
Tobei Tachibana, and also featured regular team-ups with each protagonist, with the exception of
Amazon, with Hirayama stating "I was planning to save it until the next development, so I thought it was not necessary for a while, but the cancellation was decided." After a four-year hiatus following the finale of
Kamen Rider Stronger, the series returned to broadcast television in October 1979 for two years with
The New Kamen Rider (featuring
Skyrider) and
Kamen Rider Super-1. This was initiated by Hirayama studying the recent trend in
science fiction productions and discussing ideas with fans. In these shows, Tachibana was replaced by a similar character named . The annual new shows ended briefly during the 1980s, punctuated by the 1984
Kamen Rider ZX special
Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!! (Hirayama's last project for the franchise).
Kamen Rider Black premiered in 1987, the first series since
Amazon not hinting at a relationship to its predecessors.
Black was the first show in the franchise with a direct sequel:
Kamen Rider Black RX, the basis of Saban's Americanized
Masked Rider. In
RX finale, the ten previous Riders returned to help Black RX defeat the Crisis Empire.
Kamen Rider Black RX was the final show produced during the Shōwa era, with the franchise resuming production by the end of the 20th century. A manga of
Kamen Rider Black was a novelization and reimagination of the
Black-
RX series' continuity. Absent from television during the 1990s, the franchise was kept alive by stage shows, musical CDs, and the
Shin,
ZO, and
J films. ===
Heisei era===
Phase 1 Toei announced a new project,
Kamen Rider Kuuga, in May 1999.
Kuuga was part of Ishinomori's 1997 Kamen Rider revival in preparation for its 30th anniversary, but he died before the shows materialized. During the summer of 1999, Kuuga was promoted in magazine advertisements and TV commercials. On January 30, 2000,
Kamen Rider Kuuga premiered with newcomer
Joe Odagiri. Following
Kuuga 2001 sequel
Kamen Rider Agito, the series deviated into a series of unconnected stories starting from
Kamen Rider Ryuki in 2002 to
Kamen Rider Kabuto in 2006. In 2005,
Kamen Rider: The First was produced. Written by
Toshiki Inoue, the film reimagines the manga and original television series and characters from the original series had their storylines altered to fit the film's time span.
Masaya Kikawada played
Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and
Hassei Takano (previously
Miyuki Tezuka/Kamen Rider Raia in
Kamen Rider Ryuki) was
Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2. This was followed in 2007 by
Kamen Rider The Next, an adaptation of
Kamen Rider V3 starring
Kazuki Kato (previously
Daisuke Kazama/Kamen Rider Drake in
Kamen Rider Kabuto) as
Shiro Kazami/Kamen Rider V3 and with Kikawada and Takano reprising their roles. The eighth series,
Kamen Rider Den-O, followed in 2007. It differed from past Kamen Rider series with the main protagonist being unsure of himself and uses a large vehicle, the DenLiner: a time traveling
bullet train. Although the series has only two riders (Den-O and Zeronos), they have multiple forms similar to Black RX, Kuuga, and Agito. Due to
Den-O popularity, a second film crossover with the 2008 series
Kamen Rider Kiva was released on April 12, 2008. The top film in its opening weekend, it grossed
¥730 million. In addition,
Animate produced an
OVA,
Imagin Anime, with
SD versions of the
Imagin. A third film,
Saraba Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown (with two new riders) serves as a series epilogue. The 2009 series,
Kamen Rider Decade, commemorated the Heisei run's 10th anniversary with its protagonist able to assume the forms of his predecessors. Japanese recording artist
Gackt performed the series' opening theme, "
Journey through the Decade", and the film's theme song ("
The Next Decade") and jokingly expressed interest in playing a villain on the show. Also announced in 2009 was a fourth
Den-O film (later revealed as the beginning of the
Cho-Den-O Series of films), starting with
Cho Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade Neo Generations: The Onigashima Warship. In the March 2009 issue of
Kindai magazine,
Decade star
Masahiro Inoue said that the series was scheduled for only 30 episodes.
Phase 2 Advertisements in May, June, and July 2009 promoted the debut of
Kamen Rider W, and was featured in
Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker. The staff of
W said that they planned to make 10 more years of Kamen Rider, differentiating subsequent series from the
Kuuga through
Decade period (including a new broadcast season from September of one year to about August of the next). The hero of
Kamen Rider W is the first Kamen Rider to transform from two people at once, and the series premiered on September 6, 2009. Continuing into 2010 with
Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider W & Decade: Movie War 2010,
W ran from September 2009 to September 2010 instead of from January to January. The second, third, and fourth films of the Cho-Den-O series, collectively known as
Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider The Movie: Cho-Den-O Trilogy, were also released in 2010. Late 2010 brought the series
Kamen Rider OOO to television after
Ws finale, and 2011 observed the 40th anniversary of the franchise. Festivities that year included the
Kamen Rider Girls idol group, the film ''
OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders (released on April 1) and OOO
s successor, Kamen Rider Fourze'', which references the previous heroes in its characters' names and its plot. A crossover film,
Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, was released in 2012 featuring the heroes of all
Kamen Rider and
Super Sentai series to date. With
Fourzes run complete in 2012,
Kamen Rider Wizard premiered; its protagonist was the first Kamen Rider to use magic.
Wizard additionally had the first homosexual character and cast member with
Kaba-chan.
Kamen Rider × Super Sentai × Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Z, a sequel to 2012's
Super Hero Taisen with the revived
Metal Hero Series characters from
Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie and other characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori appearing in
Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum, was released in 2013. On May 20, 2013, Toei filed for several trademarks on the phrase
Kamen Rider Gaim previewed on July 25, 2013, revealing a
Sengoku period and
fruit-themed motif to the series' multiple-rival Kamen Riders and
Gen Urobuchi as the series' main writer. The third entry in the
Super Hero Taisen film series,
Heisei Rider vs. Shōwa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai, marked the 15th anniversary of the Heisei Kamen Rider era and revolved around a conflict between the 15 Heisei Riders and the 15 Showa Riders with Kamen Rider Fifteen, and a cameo appearance by the
ToQgers and the
Kyoryugers. It also marked the start of a yearly involving each year's Kamen Rider teaming up with the current Super Sentai team in a story tying into that year's entry in the
Super Hero Taisen movie series.
Gaim was followed in 2014 by
Kamen Rider Drive, the first Kamen Rider since Kamen Rider Black RX (who also used a motorcycle), to use a car instead of a motorcycle. The fourth
Super Hero Taisen,
Super Hero Taisen GP, marks
Kamen Rider 3 first live-action appearance after the
Showa Kamen Rider manga.
Kamen Rider Ghost was introduced in 2015. In 2016 the Kamen Rider series celebrated its 45th anniversary, and Toei released the film
Kamen Rider 1 on March 26, 2016.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid was introduced in 2016 and was the first Rider series to have a character, Kiriya Kujo, portray the main Rider's motorcycle. A Movie War film known as
Kamen Rider Heisei Generations: Dr. Pac-Man vs. Ex-Aid & Ghost with Legend Riders was announced for December 10, 2016, featuring
Bandai Namco Entertainment's original character created by
Namco prior to merging with
Bandai in 2006,
Pac-Man. Following up ''Ex-Aid's
finale, Kamen Rider Build premiered on September 3, 2017. The twentieth and last series of the Heisei era, Kamen Rider Zi-O,
which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Heisei era, premiered on September 2, 2018. On December 22, 2018, a film commemorating all the Riders of the Heisei Era titled Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Forever'' premiered in Japanese theaters. ===
Reiwa era=== On May 13, 2019, Toei filed a trademark on the phrase
Kamen Rider Zero-One, which premiered on September 1, 2019. It is followed up by
Kamen Rider Saber on September 6, 2020, and is later followed by
Kamen Rider Revice on September 5, 2021. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Kamen Rider series,
Neon Genesis Evangelion director
Hideaki Anno was announced as the writer and director of
Shin Kamen Rider, a reimagining of the original 1971 series. It was released on March 17, 2023. The franchise's 4th entry in the Reiwa era is
Kamen Rider Geats, which debuted in September 2022 following the finale of
Revice. The series would end in 2023, with
Kamen Rider Gotchard debuting following the finale as the series of said year. Following ''Gotchard's
finale, Kamen Rider Gavv'' started airing as 2024's
Rider series, later being replaced by
Kamen Rider ZEZTZ in September 2025.
ZEZTZ marked Toei's first attempts to launch the franchise on a global scale, and was the first
Rider series to have an official simulcast release upon launch. On April 3rd, 2026, Toei held a press conference celebrating the 55th anniversary of the series where they revealed major changes to the production and marketing for the extended franchise, primarily to target global expansion of the series. Moving forward, they are set to release non-mainline series movies under three labels: The Kamen Rider Chronicle will focus on stories revolving around legacy rider characters similar to the series anniversary movies, The Kamen Rider Premium will release high budget blockbuster movies created for theatres, and The Kamen Rider Animated will encompass all animated works with the first project to be coproduced by
Aniplex and
Shirogumi. At the same press conference, they officially announced the 8th Reiwa entry,
Kamen Rider MY-TH. ==Production==