Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue is a 1992 Japanese V-Cinema tokusatsu film that blends superhero and horror elements. It reimagines the Kamen Rider franchise and was produced to mark the series' 20th anniversary. Makoto Tsuji directed the film, which stands as the first standalone Kamen Rider movie. Toei marketed it to English-speaking audiences under the title True Masked Rider: Prologue. The film premiered in Japan on 20 February 1992.

The story follows geneticists Kazamatsuri and Onizuka, who research cures for diseases like AIDS and cancer by experimenting on the human body to enhance it. Their test subject is Shin Kazamatsuri, a motorcycle racer and the son of Doctor Kazamatsuri, who volunteered for the Institute of Super Science (ISS). Unbeknownst to the doctors, a syndicate funds their work, intending to use the research to create mutant cyborg soldiers for profit. Onizuka, however, has his own secret plan: he aims to fuse grasshopper DNA with test subjects to spawn a new species and rule as their god. He may have tested this on himself, but Shin shows more promising results.

Meanwhile, a creature stalks the city, committing murders that Shin experiences in his dreams. Shin initially believes he is responsible, but he eventually uncovers Onizuka's scheme and learns that Onizuka is the killer. Onizuka altered his own genes, becoming a humanoid grasshopper. Grasshopper telepathy lets him communicate with Shin, forcing Shin to witness the murders. The syndicate discovers Onizuka's intentions and has him institutionalized. A CIA agent tracks Shin and wants him eliminated, unaware of the true threat he might pose. Repulsed by the situation, Shin investigates the experiment on his own.

The cast includes Katsuhisa Ishikawa as Shin Kazamatsuri, Yumi Nomura as Ai Asuka, Akira Ishihama as Daimon Kazamatsuri, Daijiro Harada as Iwao Himuro, Reiji Andou as Goushima, Kouki Kataoka as Giichi Onizuka, Kiyomi Tsukada as Sarah Fukamachi, and Masanobu Takashima as Takuya Yuki.

Before the name "Kamen Rider Shin" was settled on, Shotaro Ishinomori originally planned to call the character "Kamen Rider Gaia." That design would have resembled a traditional Kamen Rider, but later concepts shifted to a "Kamen Rider Style Reform" version—looking like a man in a motorcycle helmet and modified riding jacket—before finally becoming the mutated insect-like human seen in the film.

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