Kamen Rider ZO
Encyclopedia
, translated as Masked Rider ZO, is a 1993 Japanese tokusatsu
movie produced by Toei Company
, part of their Kamen Rider Series
. Directed by Keita Amemiya
, the film was the first joint production between Toei Company Limited and Bandai
.
A Sega CD full motion video based game was released for ZO in 1994, and made its way to the United States in the form of The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO.
As part of the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, ZO was shown on Toei's pay-per-view channel during September 2011. The film's protagonist Kamen Rider ZO makes appearances in the films of the later Kamen Rider Decade
television series as well as appearing as a playable character the 2011 Nintendo DS
video game All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation.
-like being called Kamen Rider ZO. He fled into the mountainside and went into a coma
before he awoke by a telepathic
call two years later with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi Mochizuki, the son of Doctor Mochizuki. After an attempt to uncover the meaning of his transformation at Mochizuki Genetics, Masaru senses Hiroshi in danger and saves the boy from Doras as ZO. Masaru learns that Dr. Mochizuki mysteriously vanished before he revealed himself after a misunderstanding with Reiko and her karate class. By then, ZO battles Koumori Man to cover Hiroshi and Reiko's escape before they are sucked in a pocket dimension by Kumo Woman, both monsters created by Doras. But ZO saves them and kills Kumo Woman before Koumori Man swoops down and snatches Hiroshi off, with ZO in pursuit. After saving Hiroshi, Masaru reveals to Seikichi that Dr. Mochizuki used him in his experiments. Refusing to believe it, Hiroshi ran off before Masaru found him and fixed the watch, recognizing the melody that stirred him out of his rest as he helps Hiroshi cope with this new information. However, Koumori Man assumed Mochizuki's form to lure Hiroshi away and capture him with Doras knocking Masaru out cold. Making his way to a complex, ZO kills Koumori Man before making his way to Hiroshi and Dr. Mochizuki, learning that the geneticist was the one who woke him up and that the Neo Organism has been acting on its own whim the entire time to become the perfect being. ZO attempts to fight Doras, only to be assimilated into the Neo Organism. Doras then proceeds to use the boy to force Mochizuki to complete its evolution. However, the watch manages to hold Doras at bay as ZO breaks out of the monster and Mochizuki sacrifices himself to destroy the pool, the Neo Organism's life source. The complex then undergoes a detonation sequence as ZO and Hiroshi escaped with their lives. Dropping Hiroshi with Seikichi, Masaru leaves to parts unknown.
, the ZO Kick.
An early design for Kamen Rider ZO had the hero wearing the trademark scarf of early Shōwa Kamen Riders along with a more traditional transformation belt design. His origins were also unrelated to the creation by Doctor Mochizuki.
Hero Saga story published in Monthly Hobby Japan magazine in the February to May 2005 issues for Kamen Rider ZO featured a crossover with Kamen Rider J and was titled . In the story, the Neo Organism Doras gains the powers of the Fog Mother. It introduces the original characters , , and .
Chapter titles
drew a manga adaptation of the film. The manga takes some liberties with the plot: including expanding the role of several characters and a different characterization of ZO himself. More graphic violence was also added. It includes a short story about Kamen Rider Black
and a short story about Kamen-rider creator Ishinomori
himself.
The movie was adapted into a full motion video game for the Sega CD with an interface similar to Dragon's Lair
, the 'Game' was released in America as "The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO", despite the film never airing in the United States. The game was critically panned, largely due to its script and dubbing
(the Neo Organism's dialogue is all but impossible to understand) as well as some scenes from the entire film being cut from the game.
Footage with the Neo Organism monsters was used in Saban's
Masked Rider
in its 2-part pilot and 2 other episodes.
Some of the music from the Movie appeared in the Juukou B-Fighter
Movie as well as episodes 49-51 & 53 of the series.
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
movie produced by Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
, part of their Kamen Rider Series
Kamen Rider Series
The is a metaseries of manga and tokusatsu television programs and films created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The various Kamen Rider media generally feature a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains often referred to as...
. Directed by Keita Amemiya
Keita Amemiya
is a prolific Japanese character designer and director from Urayasu, Chiba. Amemiya is known for his sophisticated science fiction & fantasy designs and unique directorial style, and is recognized among tokusatsu genre fans as one of the most creative, respected and successful professionals of all...
, the film was the first joint production between Toei Company Limited and Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
.
A Sega CD full motion video based game was released for ZO in 1994, and made its way to the United States in the form of The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO.
As part of the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, ZO was shown on Toei's pay-per-view channel during September 2011. The film's protagonist Kamen Rider ZO makes appearances in the films of the later Kamen Rider Decade
Kamen Rider Decade
is the title of the first of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. Decade, as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider Series, having begun with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000...
television series as well as appearing as a playable character the 2011 Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
video game All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation.
Plot summary
Masaru Aso was the lab assistant of geneticist Doctor Mochizuki, and was used as one of his experiments related the creation of the Neo Organism, enabling him to transform into a grasshopperGrasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
-like being called Kamen Rider ZO. He fled into the mountainside and went into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
before he awoke by a telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
call two years later with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi Mochizuki, the son of Doctor Mochizuki. After an attempt to uncover the meaning of his transformation at Mochizuki Genetics, Masaru senses Hiroshi in danger and saves the boy from Doras as ZO. Masaru learns that Dr. Mochizuki mysteriously vanished before he revealed himself after a misunderstanding with Reiko and her karate class. By then, ZO battles Koumori Man to cover Hiroshi and Reiko's escape before they are sucked in a pocket dimension by Kumo Woman, both monsters created by Doras. But ZO saves them and kills Kumo Woman before Koumori Man swoops down and snatches Hiroshi off, with ZO in pursuit. After saving Hiroshi, Masaru reveals to Seikichi that Dr. Mochizuki used him in his experiments. Refusing to believe it, Hiroshi ran off before Masaru found him and fixed the watch, recognizing the melody that stirred him out of his rest as he helps Hiroshi cope with this new information. However, Koumori Man assumed Mochizuki's form to lure Hiroshi away and capture him with Doras knocking Masaru out cold. Making his way to a complex, ZO kills Koumori Man before making his way to Hiroshi and Dr. Mochizuki, learning that the geneticist was the one who woke him up and that the Neo Organism has been acting on its own whim the entire time to become the perfect being. ZO attempts to fight Doras, only to be assimilated into the Neo Organism. Doras then proceeds to use the boy to force Mochizuki to complete its evolution. However, the watch manages to hold Doras at bay as ZO breaks out of the monster and Mochizuki sacrifices himself to destroy the pool, the Neo Organism's life source. The complex then undergoes a detonation sequence as ZO and Hiroshi escaped with their lives. Dropping Hiroshi with Seikichi, Masaru leaves to parts unknown.
Characters
: The hero of the story, Masaru was originally an assistant to Doctor Mochizuki until the doctor conducted experiments on him. Horrified at being made into a grasshopper-like cyborg, Masaru went into hiding in the mountains for two years until he awoke with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi. Though he hated Mochizuki, Masaru eventually forgave him before learning the man was telepathically communicating with him.: A young boy who lives with his grandfather Seikichi and targeted by the Neo Organism. Hiroshi longed to be with his father, who had gone missing years ago. As a memento, Doctor Mochizuki gave Hiroshi a pocket watch that played music. Hiroshi was at first afraid of ZO, but as ZO proved he truly was a friend, Hiroshi affectionately referred to ZO as "Onii-chan" or "brother".: A mad scientist who turned Masaru into ZO and then created the Neo Organism. His dream was to create the "perfect lifeform", but instead it turned on him and was held captive by his creation. He used grasshoppers as a means to contact ZO via telepathy.Neo Organism
is a pool of living fluid that relies on the very container its dwells in as its lifesupport. It took on the appearance of a deformed little boy in Hiroshi's likeness, lacking emotion and having a god complex. The Neo Organism orchestrated the events in the movie, and held its creator captive for two years when he refused to complete its evolution. It soon assumed the grotesque Kamen Rider-like form of to find Hiroshi to force Dr. Mochizuki to complete its evolution into the "Perfect Lifeform" so it can destroy the "inferior" human race and their imperfections. Doras is capable of regenerating itself from severe injuries, absorbing inorganic and organic materials to upgrade itself or alter its form into an orb or a bladed projective, or produce from itself. When Doras manage to absorbed ZO, it became a red fleshy version of itself called . It then went for Hiroshi, but the music from the pocket watch managed to give ZO the strength to break free from Doras' body after Mochizuki destroyed its lifesupport. Reverted to its normal state, Doras is finally killed by ZO's Rider KickRider Kick
The is the finishing move from the Kamen Rider Series. It has traditionally consisted of a flying side kick and is used against the monster/kaijin after it has been weakened from fighting with the Rider. Throughout the various Kamen Rider series, it has taken many different forms and has become...
, the ZO Kick.
- A Doras Monster created by Doras, she was large 4-legged inhuman spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
woman who shot strong webbing to entangle Hiroshi. She also has a set of spider legs on her back and two spider legs for a left arm. During combat with the monster, ZO snapped one of Kumo Woman's legs and used it to impale and instantly kill her. She was the only Kamen Rider monster to be animated by claymation & be a large Puppet. - A Doras Monster created by Doras, he was a black batBatBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
-like entity. Koumori Man was black, had small-but-long bat wings for ears that covered its head (unless he's flying), and an eye on each hand much like Doras. Koumori Man could extend its fingers to form wings for flight. It could also disguise itself is as any human. It took on the likeness of Mochizuki to trick Hiroshi and take him to its master's hideout. ZO killed Koumori Man easily with a ZO Punch by bursting into the monster's stomach.
Kamen Rider ZO
His only attacks are and . ZO also rides on the , built by Dr. Mochizuki. Though resembling a regular motorcycle, the Z-Bringer changes along with ZO with ability to reach speeds up to 1300km/h and resist heat up to 1000 degrees. ZO can use the Z-Bringer to execute the . Another of ZO's features within his insectoid head called a , a breathing appartus stored around the mouthplate that shoots out vapors, baring resemblance to fangs when extended.An early design for Kamen Rider ZO had the hero wearing the trademark scarf of early Shōwa Kamen Riders along with a more traditional transformation belt design. His origins were also unrelated to the creation by Doctor Mochizuki.
Cast
: : : : : : : : :Suit actors
- Kamen Rider ZO:
- Doras: and
- Koumori Man:
Song
-
- Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
- Composition: Eiji Kawamura
- Artist: infix
- Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
- Composition: Eiji Kawamura
- Artist: infix
Other Appearances (Character or background)
- Kamen Rider ZO later team-up with his successor, Kamen Rider JKamen Rider J, translated as Masked Rider J, is a 1994 Japanese tokusatsu movie produced by Toei Company, loosely based on their Kamen Rider Series.As part of the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, J was shown on Toei's pay-per-view channel during September 2011...
, in the 8-minute movie Kamen Rider WorldKamen Rider Worldis a short 3-D film produced by Toei Company based on the Kamen Rider Series that premiered on August 6, 1994 and was shown in amusement parks and special events nationwide in Japan...
. - The House used in the movie was previously used as monster hideouts in Kamen Rider Black RXKamen Rider BLACK RXis a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series produced as part of the Kamen Rider Series. The ninth show in the franchise, it was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei Company, and aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and the Tokyo Broadcasting System from October...
episodes 20 & 36. - In The Great Battle IV, Kamen Rider ZO is a playable character, and one of the pilots of the Compatible Kaiser.
- ZO, along with every other Heisei Rider, appear in the Kamen Rider DecadeKamen Rider Decadeis the title of the first of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. Decade, as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider Series, having begun with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000...
movie, All Riders vs. Dai-ShockerKamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shockeris the film adaptation of the 2009 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Decade. The film was released in Japanese theaters on August 8, 2009, alongside the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger film, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger The Movie: The Fateful War. The catchphrases for the movie are and...
. - The Neo Organism was one of the villains in the Kamen Rider DecadeKamen Rider Decadeis the title of the first of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. Decade, as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider Series, having begun with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000...
movie Kamen Rider Decade: The Last Story
ZO vs. J
The S.I.C.Super Imaginative Chogokin
Super Imaginative Chogokin is one of Bandai's popular line-up based on the Kamen Rider franchise and other characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori and his production company. The figures are usually modified and differ from its counterpart as seen in the series...
Hero Saga story published in Monthly Hobby Japan magazine in the February to May 2005 issues for Kamen Rider ZO featured a crossover with Kamen Rider J and was titled . In the story, the Neo Organism Doras gains the powers of the Fog Mother. It introduces the original characters , , and .
Chapter titles
Adaptation
Kazuhiko ShimamotoKazuhiko Shimamoto
is a Japanese manga artist. He attended college at the Osaka University of Arts in the fine arts department. While in college in 1982, he debuted in the February special issue of Shōnen Sunday with Hissatsu no Denkousei. At this point he dropped out of college and devoted his energies to becoming a...
drew a manga adaptation of the film. The manga takes some liberties with the plot: including expanding the role of several characters and a different characterization of ZO himself. More graphic violence was also added. It includes a short story about Kamen Rider Black
Kamen Rider BLACK (character)
is the primary and eponymous protagonist in the 1987-1988 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Black, later evolving into Kamen Rider Black RX of Kamen Rider Black RX...
and a short story about Kamen-rider creator Ishinomori
Shotaro Ishinomori
was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...
himself.
The movie was adapted into a full motion video game for the Sega CD with an interface similar to Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair
Dragon's Lair is a laserdisc video game published by Cinematronics in 1983. It featured animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth....
, the 'Game' was released in America as "The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO", despite the film never airing in the United States. The game was critically panned, largely due to its script and dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
(the Neo Organism's dialogue is all but impossible to understand) as well as some scenes from the entire film being cut from the game.
Footage with the Neo Organism monsters was used in Saban's
Saban
Saban Entertainment , was a worldwide-served independent American television production company formed in 1984 by music and television producers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy as "Saban Productions", a U.S...
Masked Rider
Masked Rider (TV series)
Masked Rider is an American adaptation of the Japanese television series Kamen Rider Black RX, the ninth in a line of series in the popular Kamen Rider Series franchise. It was produced by Saban and aired on FOX part of the Fox Kids program block from September 16, 1995 to August 31, 1996 and then...
in its 2-part pilot and 2 other episodes.
Some of the music from the Movie appeared in the Juukou B-Fighter
Juukou B-Fighter
, was a 1995 Japanese tokusatsu television series. B-Fighter is short for "Beetle Fighter". It was part of Toei's ongoing Metal Hero Series. It dealt with three members of the prestigious fighting against the evil forces of the otherworldly Jamahl Empire...
Movie as well as episodes 49-51 & 53 of the series.