He may be a year and half late, but finally the real Kamen Rider of 2022 has returned. In a parallel universe somewhere, Rider fans have been enjoying the adventures of Kamen Rider Shinobi for some time now and his series is reaching its endgame. Over in this universe however, we've been left in the lurch after first meeting him in Kamen Rider Zi-O and then an all too brief introduction to his story in Rider Time: Kamen Rider Shinobi . It's been a long wait, but now he finally returns in Geats Extra: Kamen Rider Tycoon Meets Kamen Rider Shinobi ! The second of the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club 's Kamen Rider Geats spin-offs unites our current ninja-themed Rider meet the alternate world hero, along with other ninja Riders from across the franchise.

If there’s one thing you’ll constantly see Kamen Rider fans question it’s why the franchise has never received some sort of anime adaptation. Whether it be an adaptation of the popular Kamen Rider Spirits manga or something wholly new, there is definitely an eagerness to see what Kamen Rider could do without the limitations that come with a tokusatsu series. After all – if it worked for Kikaider it can certainly work for Kamen Rider too. What many people don’t mention however is that Kamen Rider HAS in fact received an anime version in the past – albeit not in the way many people would have hoped. Kamen Rider SD is a one-shot OVA from 1993, based on the manga series of the same name. As the name suggests, it stars comical super-deformed versions of the various Kamen Riders battling against a unification of their enemies working under the name ‘GranShocker’.

Kamen Rider RX may be one of the more forgettable of the Showa era Kamen Riders thanks to the majority of his appearances being in manga, but the release of the Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!!   star marked the completion of the classic era Riders in the S.H. Figuarts line (well, save for Shin, J and ZO...and Shin has been released since). And thanks to a recent sale from Hobbysearch , I was able to pick one up for the low low price of 1080 yen.

Not every Kamen Rider makes his debut in a full length television series. While these a movie-exclusive Rider is almost obligatory, back before the franchise's Heisei-era revival there were a few "main" Riders that first appeared in films. However Kamen Rider ZX (pronounced "Zed Cross") is a bit of a special case. First appearing in his own manga series in 1982 and then a special radio broadcast, ZX wouldn't appear on television screens for another two years later in Birth of the 10th Kamen Riders All Together!!  With this crossover special starring the first ten Kamen Riders not leading into a full series, ZX was all but forgotten as Kamen Rider Black took the mantle in 1987. But after making numerous appearances in recent crossover movies, particularly a prominent one in this years Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai , now seems like the perfect time to dive into this one-off piece of Kamen Rider history...