Kamen Rider: The First

Plot

One year before the film's events, two terminally ill patients, Haruhiko Mitamura and Miyoko Harada, are taken by the terrorist organization Shocker to be converted into the cyborg Inhumanoids Cobra and Snake. In the present, Shocker's Inhumanoid Bat kidnaps college student Takeshi Hongo and turns him into the soldier Hopper. After completing a mission, Hongo is ordered to kill journalist Asuka Midorikawa and her fiancé Katsuhiko Yano. During the attempt, Hongo's memories resurface and he fights Shocker soldier Spider, but Yano is killed.

Asuka blames Hongo and follows him. Shocker sends a second Hopper, Hayato Ichimonji, to eliminate Hongo, but Ichimonji instead turns against Shocker after Bat tries to kidnap Asuka. The two Riders join forces to defeat Bat, Cobra, and Snake at Shocker's base, though the Major Agents escape.

Cast

The Inhumanoids in the film are cyborgs like the Kamen Riders. Masaya Kikawada plays Takeshi Hongo, a college student and motorcycle enthusiast abducted by Shocker and turned into the Inhumanoid Hopper, who later defects as Kamen Rider 1. Hassei Takano portrays Hayato Ichimonji, a man competing for Asuka's affection who becomes Hopper 2, later fighting alongside Hongo as Kamen Rider 2; Takano also plays Katsuhiko Yano in a dual role. Rena Komine is Asuka Midorikawa, a journalist who initially accuses Hongo of murdering her fiancé.

Hiroshi Miyauchi appears as Tobei Tachibana, a motorcycle shop owner. Eiji Wentz plays Haruhiko Mitamura, the Inhumanoid Cobra, and Ryoko Kobayashi plays Miyoko Harada, the Inhumanoid Snake. Mayumi Sada portrays Shocker Staff: Lady, a female commander seen only on screens, and Issa Hentona plays Shocker Staff: Youth, a young male commander also seen only via satellite.

Returning cast and crew

Several actors and crew members had prior involvement with Kamen Rider productions. Hiroshi Miyauchi, who plays Tōbei Tachibana, previously portrayed the title character in 1973's Kamen Rider V3.

Hassei Takano, as Hayato Ichimonji, also starred as Miyuki Tezuka in the 2002 series Kamen Rider Ryuki. Director Takao Nagaishi, a longtime tokusatsu director, helmed episodes of Kamen Rider Kabuto and served as an assistant director on the original Kamen Rider series. Hideyo Amamoto posthumously reprises his role as Dr. Shinigami through archival footage.

Differences between film and television

The film incorporates many elements from the original television series, though several conflict with the film's timeline. In the series, Takeshi Hongo needed to ride his motorcycle at high speed to power his Typhoon belt, while Hayato Ichimonji could power it by arm movements; in the film, Hongo can transform from the beginning.

The henshin movement differs: in the series, the Riders perform hand-waving and jump into the air, while in the film they open their jackets to reveal the Typhoon Belt and snap on helmets and faceplates. Dr. Shinigami appears from the start of the film, whereas in the series he appeared after the defeat of Colonel Zol. Hayato Ichimonji's character is rewritten: in the series he was a photographer rescued by Hongo, but in the film he is originally Katsuhiko Yano, killed and resurrected as a cyborg with altered memories, serving as an enemy before becoming a hesitant ally who disappears at the end.

Did You Know?

• The film received a manga adaptation illustrated by Tatsuya Egawa, serialized in Tokusatsu Ace, which was criticized for poor quality by Kazuhiko Shimamoto.
• The film was not screened on major Toei-affiliated cinemas and was shown on only about 20 theatres on its first day.