Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Zero-Two (IS Ver.)

Release Date: December 2022

RRP: 7150 yen

While once a staple for pretty much any Kamen Rider series, it's fair to say that final forms aren't much of a priority for S.H. Figuarts anymore. While we still tend to get them eventually (unless you're Kamen Rider Ghost that is), the gap between the series ended and the final form getting released has been much longer for quite a few years now. Kamen Rider Zero-One is a particularly curious case, because while the end of 2022 saw the final form get Figuarts treatment (for the sake of this review let's ignore any debate around Realizing Hopper) it also wasn't actually Zero-One. The climax of REALxTIME sees Is join the fight alongside Aruto as Kamen Rider Zero-Two, with the Humagear assistant also returning as a fully-fledged Rider in Kamen Rider Jeanne & Kamen Rider Aguilera with Girls Remix. So instead the latest Tamashii web exclusive in the Zero-One range is S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Zero-Two (IS Ver.), marking her second figure in the line.

Special REVIEW: Kamen Rider Genms -Smart Brain and the 1000% Crisis-

April Fools' Day – a date where millions of people play pranks across the globe, and Toei use it to humorously reveal their latest Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club exclusive. This time their big announcement was Kamen Rider Lovelica: -LOVE IS ALL-, due for release April 1st 2066 to mark the 50th anniversary of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. But the following day came the real announcement – Kamen Rider Genms -Smart Brain and the 1000% Crisis-, a sequel to last year's Kamen Rider Genms -The Presidents-. Tetsuya Iwanga and Nachi Sakuragi reprise their roles as Kuroto Dan/Kamen Rider Genm and Gai Amatsu/Kamen Rider Thouser once more, with Ex-Aid and Zero-One writer Yuya Takahashi also returning to pen the special.

Movie REVIEW: Zero-One Others: Kamen Rider Vulcan & Valkyrie

Earlier in the year Kamen Rider Zero-One dropped what was perhaps the biggest cliffhanger since Diend turned his gun on Decade (or the Rider War began depending on which version of Decade you're watching), as Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai destroyed the bodies of its four Humagear hosts and set out on a new path of destruction. Now several months after the release of Zero-One Others: Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai the conclusion of the story is finally here, as the A.I.M.S. Riders take to the stage in Zero-One Others: Kamen Rider Vulcan & Valkyrie. Although the Kamen Rider Genms -The Presidents- special is technically set afterward, for the time being it's also fair to say this acts as the main end to the Zero-One story. Like the previous film, it was written by the show's head writer Yuya Takahashi and directed by secondary writer Masaya Kakehi. 

(WARNING: Spoiler discussion will be particularly heavy in this review)

Movie REVIEW: Zero-One Others: Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai

Both the series itself and its epilogue "summer" movie might have now passed, but it isn't quite the end for Kamen Rider Zero-One just yet. Now it's time for the true epilogue in the form of its direct to Blu-Ray V-Cinema releases, which in typical fashion focus on the various other Kamen Riders of the series. The first of these films is Zero-One Others: Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai - thrusting the formerly villainous members of Humagear terrorist group Metsuboujinrai.net into the spotlight. The film was written by Zero-One head writer Yuya Takahashi, and directed by the show's secondary writer Masaya Kakehi.

Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider Zero-One the Movie: REALxTIME

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the production and release of many films and television shows, and in the tokusatsu world one of the most obvious victims is Kamen Rider Zero-One. From a string of emergency clip episodes to a hastily condensed endgame that fit the adjusted episode count, it's impressive that the production staff were still able to provide a reasonably satisfying ending despite everything against them. However it wasn't just the series itself that was affected, but also what would have been it's "summer" movie - Kamen Rider Zero-One the Movie: REALxTIME. Postponed from its original July 2020 release, the movie was teased at the very end of the series and announced to be released in December instead. Because of this change, REALxTIME was released as a double bill alongside Kamen Rider Saber the Movie: The Phoenix Swordsman and the Book of Ruin as part of a "Kamen Rider Splendid Double Feature", rather than the traditional pairing with the Super Sentai summer film.

Miniseries REVIEW: Kamen Rider Genms -The Presidents-

It's that true within genre fiction that you can rarely keep a good villain down, and for the Kamen Rider franchise that seems doubly so for Kamen Rider Genm. After being both dying and resurrecting within Kamen Rider Ex-Aid itself before meeting his apparent end in Another Ending - Genm vs Lazer, Kuroto Dan returns once more to terrorise the world of Kamen Rider Zero-One in Kamen Rider Genms -The Presidents-. A two-part miniseries released via the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club, this special was previously announced all the way back in 2018 as an April Fools' joke, eventually coming to fruition the same way Kamen Rider Brain did back in 2019. It was also written by Yuya Takahashi, who served as the head writer on both Ex-Aid and Zero-One.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Thouser

Release Date: October 2020

RRP: 6600 yen

With multiple Riders right from the very beginning Kamen Rider Zero-One could hardly stick the standard mid-series secondary Rider introduction format. By that point not did it already have five Riders, but also three different transformation belts. So instead that shake-up came about with the introduction of ZAIA Enterprise Japan and its CEO Gai Amatsu, who immediately sought to takeover Hiden Intelligence and prove his ZAIA Spec to be superior to Hiden's HumaGears. This led to a competition between both Gai and Aruto Hiden, one which the former never planned to play fairly. In both his guise as ZAIA CEO and as Kamen Rider Thouser, Gai Amatsu caused chaos - not only furthering the conflict between humanity and HumaGears but also revealing himself to have manipulated the events that led to the Daybreak Town incident. As a key player in Zero-One's story it was only a matter of time before Bandai Tamashii Nations revealed S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Thouser, releasing him as a Tamashii web exclusive much like the majority of Zero-One's cast.

This review is presented by ZAIA©.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Jin Flying Falcon

Release Date: August 2020

RRP: 6380 yen

Bandai Tamashii Nations have been fairly on the ball with their Kamen Rider Zero-One S.H. Figuarts releases, because even though the number of alternate forms has been fairly minimal it’s only taken them a few months to get all of the core cast released. Rounding off the key five is S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Jin Flying Falcon, who of course is a Tamashii web exclusive since that’s seemingly the fate of all Zero-One figures going forwards. The second of the Metsuboujinrai.net Riders, Jin is another rogue Humagear fighting for the liberation of his kind and the subjugation of humanity. However unlike his “father” Horobi, Jin began to question the will of the Ark - his obtaining of singularity becoming a key factor in the battle between humans and Humagears.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Valkyrie Rushing Cheetah

Release Date: July 2020

RRP: 6050 yen

Long time S.H. Figuarts collectors will be used to some of the strange decisions Bandai Tamashii Nations make when it comes to which characters are retail releases and which are Tamashii web exclusives, but even then there are still times where placement can feel unjustified. When Kamen Rider Zero-One came onto the scene it immediately boasted an extensive cast of Riders, including the never-seen-before of appearance of a female Rider right from the get-go. As a result A.I.M.S. technical advisor Yua Yaiba immediately gained a firm fan following, but despite her prominence S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Valkyrie Rushing Cheetah still joins the line as a web exclusive. It might be because deep down Bandai still don't feel women characters sell as men, or it could simply be that there's simply no room in the Zero-One range to have any more than two retail releases. Either way, that's sadly the situation for this somewhat landmark Rider. Yua's journey throughout the Zero-One series proved equally tumultuous, going on to act as ZAIA's lapdog before eventually turning against Gai Amatsu and later inadvertently becoming instrumental in the rise of Kamen Rider Ark-Zero. By the end of series, Yaiba goes on to forge her own path - becoming the new commander of a now-independent A.I.M.S Squad.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Horobi Sting Scorpion

Release Date: June 2020

RRP: 6050 yen

Whenever there's a new Kamen Rider series with a multitude of Riders it's always fun to see how many of them receive general retail S.H. Figuarts before Bandai Tamashii Nations implement the Tamashii web exclusive curse, and in the case of Kamen Rider Zero-One the answer is two. Sure the titular Rider's other forms might make it to retail, but of the core six Riders the show only Zero-One and Vulcan managed to escape that fate. The first of the web exclusive Riders is S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Horobi Sting Scorpion, rogue Humagear and founder of the cyberterrorist group Metsuboujinrai.net. Dedicated to exterminating humanity so that his Humagear brothers and sisters could live freely, Horobi continuously clashed with Aruto Hiden – eventually becoming the first host of the rogue satellite Ark. Even after Ark's defeat Horobi continued his crusade to rid the world of human malice, culminating in a climactic showdown between the two Riders.

Series REVIEW: Kamen Rider Zero-One

2019 saw the dawning of a new era for Kamen Rider, as after 20 series we said goodbye to the Heisei era with Kamen Rider Zi-O and welcomed in the Reiwa era. Though not as monumental as the franchise returning to television screens after a long absence with Kuuga in 2000, nevertheless there was plenty of speculation on what changes Kamen Rider Zero-One may bring to the table. Written by Yuya Takahashi (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Kamen Rider Amazons: The Last Judgement) and directed by Teruaki Sugihara (Lupinranger vs Patranger), Zero-One ran for a total of 45 numbered episodes, with five additional clip episodes produced during a hiatus brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Vulcan Shooting Wolf

Release Date: April 2020

RRP: 6050 yen

Kamen Rider Zero-One has already kicked the Reiwa era off with a plethora of Riders to choose from, but in typical Bandai Tamashii Nations fashion it’s inevitable that most of the will end up as Tamashii web exclusives. Other than Zero-One himself, so far only one Rider has managed to escape this fate. S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Vulcan Shooting Wolf is the second of the Zero-One releases in the line so far, and sees the figures returning to their standard pricing after Zero-One’s low price incentive. Debuting in the show as the captain of A.I.M.S., Isamu Fuwa had a hatred and vendetta against all Humagears. But as he began to spend more time with Aruto Hiden and saw how he fought for them, Fuwa was taken on a path of self-growth that lead him to chase a new dream.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Zero-One Rising Hopper

Release Date: February 2020

RRP: 3300 yen

Kamen Rider has entered the Reiwa era, and Bandai Tamashii Nations are along for the ride! The Kamen Rider Zero-One S.H. Figuarts range launches with S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Zero-One Rising Hopper, which is of course the base form of the titular Rider. Following the trend of recent years Bandai have opted to make the lead Rider of the currently airing series a particularly enticing release, offering them at a notably lower price point than is typically seen for even general retail Figuarts these days. Aruto Hiden dreams of a world where humans and Humagears can co-exist peacefully, but have Bandai created a figure that allows both them and collectors to do the same? Keeping reading to find out! 

"A jump to the sky turns to a Rider Kick."

Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider: Reiwa The First Generation

It's the beginning of a new generation for the Kamen Rider franchise, and after a series celebrating the past 20 years of the Heisei era it's time to look toward the future. Kamen Rider Zero-One has kickstarted the Reiwa era in full force, but it seems Kamen Rider Zi-O has at least one more fight in him as the gang returns for the obligatory Winter crossover movie. But with Heisei Generations no more, it's time for a new banner to rise. Kamen Rider Reiwa: The First Generation sees the baton properly passed to Aruto Hiden, forging a new Kamen Rider legacy for the Reiwa era.

First Impressions: Kamen Rider Zero-One

The arrival of Kamen Rider Zero-One is more than just your usual Kamen Rider premiere. With new series starting annually fans are used to see Riders come and go, but rarely do they see one usher in a whole new era. Zero-One marks the beginning of the Reiwa era for Kamen Rider just as Kuuga did for the Heisei era back in 2000, and while this doesn't come after a long hiatus off the air it still aims to be just a significant a landmark in franchise history. Written by Yuya Takahashi (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Kamen Rider Amazons: The Last Judgement) and directed by Teruaki Sugihara (Lupinranger vs Patranger), Zero-One also sees legend Seiji Takaiwa pass the mantle of lead suit actor onto Yuya Nawata – whose previous portrayals include Kamen Riders Geiz, Cronus and Neo Alpha.