Hanuman and the Five Riders

Lore & Background

The film teams the first five Kamen Riders—Ichigo, Nigo, V3, Riderman, and X—with the Hindu god Hanuman, who appears fresh from his role in The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army. They confront X's adversary King Dark, who appears in both a giant moving statue form and a human-sized form. King Dark drinks the fresh blood of young women and captures a scientist and his girlfriend, threatening to drain her blood unless the scientist uses his technology to create an army of mutant animal men to fight the five Riders.

Reader's Guide

Hanuman and the Five Riders holds significance as a rare unauthorized crossover between the Kamen Rider franchise and Thai mythology, produced without the consent of Toei Company, Ltd. or Ishinomori Productions. Chaiyo Productions had initially approached Toei for permission to produce their own Kamen Rider movie, but after being turned down, they proceeded regardless. The film is half composed of footage from the Kamen Rider X film Five Riders Vs. King Dark, with the rest shot by Chaiyo, including re-created Kamen Rider costumes for scenes with Hanuman. Its legacy is primarily among Kamen Rider fans in Japan, who unofficially refer to it as Hanuman and the 5 Kamen Riders and view it as a sequel to Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman. The film has never been officially released in Japan.

Did You Know?

• The film was produced without authorization from Toei Company, Ltd., which produced the Kamen Rider shows.
• Chaiyo Productions re-created Kamen Rider costumes for scenes where the Riders interact with Hanuman.
• King Dark appears in both a giant moving statue form and a human-sized form.
• The film is considered an unofficial sequel to Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman by Japanese fans.

The Unauthorized Production

Chaiyo Productions, a Thai studio founded by Sompote Sands, produced this 1975 tokusatsu film under circumstances that set it apart from its siblings in the company's catalog. Unlike Chaiyo's two 1974 co-productions with Tsuburaya Productions—The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army and Jumborg Ace & Giant—this project was never authorized by Toei Company, the original producers of the Kamen Rider television series, nor by Ishinomori Productions. Chaiyo had initially approached Toei with plans for a Kamen Rider movie of their own, only to be turned down. Undeterred, the studio proceeded without consent from either rights holder. Half the Kamen Rider footage was sourced from the existing film Five Riders Vs. King Dark, while the remainder was shot by Chaiyo's own crew. The studio even re-created the Riders' costumes from scratch for scenes involving direct interaction with Hanuman, a notable production effort given the project's legally precarious footing.

Plot and the Blood-Drinking Antagonist

The narrative pits the first five Kamen Riders—Ichigo, Nigo, V3, Riderman, and X—alongside the Hindu deity Hanuman, who arrives fresh from his role in The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army, against a shared adversary: King Dark. The villain appears in two forms throughout the film, his regular giant moving statue body and an alternate human-sized version. His modus operandi involves drinking the fresh blood of young women. The central conflict escalates when King Dark captures a scientist and his girlfriend, issuing a dire ultimatum: unless the scientist uses his technology to build an army of mutant animal men to confront the five Riders, the woman will be drained of her blood. This setup forces the Riders and Hanuman into a combined defense, with the mutant animal men serving as the primary physical threat on screen while the blood-draining menace provides the emotional stakes driving the plot forward.

A Cross-Border Cast of Tokusatsu Veterans

The film's cast represents a striking cross-border assembly of Japanese tokusatsu veterans and Thai performers. On the Japanese side, Hiroshi Fujioka reprises Takeshi Hongo as Kamen Rider 1, Takeshi Sasaki returns as Hayato Ichimonji (Kamen Rider 2), Hiroshi Miyauchi plays Shiro Kazami (Kamen Rider V3), Ryo Hayami appears as Keisuke Jin (Kamen Rider X), and Takehisa Yamaguchi takes on Joji Yuki (Riderman). The Thai ensemble includes Ko Kaeoduendee as Koh/Hanuman, Yodchai Meksuwan as Dr. Ward, Tanyarat Lohanan as Juree Bay, and Pipop Pupinyo as Hell King. Akiji Kobayashi voices Tōbei Tachibana, while Chisako Kosaka and Miyuki Hayata play Chiko and Mako respectively. Three actors—Kan Booncho, Chan Wanpen, and Somnouk—share the role of Bandit, suggesting multiple mutant animal men on screen. Fumio Wada provides the voice for King Dark.

Unofficial Legacy and Fan-Circle Status in Japan

Despite featuring five of the most iconic Kamen Rider characters, the film was never officially released in Japan. Nevertheless, it has carved out a persistent place in the hearts of Japanese tokusatsu fans, who refer to it by the unofficial title Hanuman and the 5 Kamen Riders (ハヌマーンと5人の仮面ライダー, Hanumān to Gonin no Kamen Raidā). Within fan circles, it is positioned as a sequel to the earlier Thai production Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman, creating an informal continuity thread that no official studio has ever endorsed. The film's original Thai title, literally translating to "Hanuman meet the Five Ant Men," reflects the colloquial Thai nickname for the Kamen Riders and underscores how the project was conceived through a local cultural lens rather than as a straightforward Toei product. Its existence as an unauthorized, never-distributed curiosity has only deepened its mystique among collectors and enthusiasts who view it as a unique intersection of Thai and Japanese superhero traditions.