Takeshi Hongo, Kamen Rider No. 1

He is Takeshi Hongo. The legendary hero better known as Kamen Rider. While practicing for the grand prix, Hongo followed a group of bikers who were calling him out, only to fall into a trap sent up by terrorist organization Shocker as they convert him into a super-powered cyborg before he woke up a week later as they are about to complete the process with brain washing. However, Hongo manages to escape Shocker's base by chance due to his college professor Midorikawa, who has been working for Shocker and was the man who selected Hongo to join the organization. The two are pursued by the Shocker as they hide out at warehouse 55 at the harbor. Unfortunately, the Professor is killed as Ruriko arrives, blaming Hongo for her father's death before Inhumanoid Spider Man takes her. Pursuing them, Rider 1 fights through Spider Man's minions before battling the Inhumanoid, killing him with a Rider Kick. Shocker had built a duplicate of their original Kamen Rider cyborg in an effort to combat the threat that Hongo posed to their organization. The two characters worked together as the "Double Riders". In V3, Kazami Shiro, begged them to turn him into a Kamen Rider after the murder of his family by the Destron organisation. Despite initially refusing, when the young man was mortally wounded assisting them, the two Riders transformed him into Kamen Rider V3, possessing both Kamen Rider 1's "skill" and Rider 2's "strength". The Double Riders were apparently killed detonating an atomic bomb, but reappeared alive and well later on in the series. Kamen Rider 1 uses the power of the wind to fight. To transform Rider speeds on his Cyclone and leaps into the air, creating wind-pressure against his Typhoon belt. The pressure spins the wheel in the center of his belt which then activates the micro-nuclear engine and allows him to transform. In early episodes, Kamen Rider 1 does not adapt a pose before transforming; it would not be until episode 53 when he did a pose to transform.

He's one of my most favourite heroes ever! Happy 45th Anniversary, Kamen Rider!




© Toei Company Ltd., TV Asahi, Shotaro Ishinomori