The origin of every rider
Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー,) translated as Masked Rider, is a weekly sci-fi story created by renowned Japanese mangaka Shōtarō Ishinomori (石ノ森 章太郎,). It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV (now TV Asahi). A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine around the same period. The series has spawned many sequels and evolved into a franchise which is still going after 3 decades. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in Akimasa Nakamura naming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series, itself.
The first generation
Kamen Rider 1 (仮面ライダー１号,is a fictional character and main superhero or henshin character featured in Japanese tokusatsu. He first appeared in the television series Kamen Rider, the first in the famous Kamen Rider franchise of tokusatsu programmes. The primary protagonist of the series, Kamen Rider 1 is a motorcycle-riding superhero modelled upon a grasshopper. One of the most recognisable and iconic characters in Japanese entertainment, Kamen Rider 1 is as irrecoverably burnt onto to the cultural subconscious as the series itself.
