When I attended L.A. Comic Con this Halloween weekend, I was floored by the sheer presence that Japanese superhero media franchise Kamen Rider had. There was an official Kamen Rider booth selling figures and Rider Belts, not to mention stunt performers dressed as Kamen Rider MY-TH and Kamen Rider ZEZTZ. A Kamen Rider panel flew directors and writers all the way out from Japan to discuss the franchise’s 55th anniversary. I was in a packed theater room for an English screening of Agito: Psychic War, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of Kamen Rider Agito; the entire length of said screening was filled with thunderous applause. People love Kamen Rider, and its studio Toei recently announced its intentions to bring more Kamen Rider projects to America.cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});A quick primer for those not in the know: Kamen Rider is a series that often focuses on a character who’s transformed into a cyborg or alien hybrid by an evil organization or an invading alien race. The newly-minted “Kamen Rider” decides to use their abilities for good, and they’re usually joined by another person who dons the Rider mantle. Though Kamen Riders vary in theme, three things are usually true: most of the Kamen Riders bear an insect-like visage, they drive a really cool motorcycle, and they finish off evil with a signature “Rider Kick.” Given the popularity that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers enjoyed in America, you’d think Kamen Rider would have had the same success…but it hasn’t happened.That’s about to change, thanks to two new initiatives launched by Toei (the massive studio behind Kamen Rider, Godzilla, and other popular Japanese tokusatsu.) President and CEO Yoshimura Fumio recently revealed during the Taiwan Creative Content Fest that the company is launching “Kamen Rider Animation,” a label which will bring Kamen Rider-themed anime worldwide, and “Kamen Rider Premium,” which is meant to launch standalone movies that won’t connect to the ongoing Kamen Rider TV series. Most fans are focusing on the news that Toei will use generative AI in its film and video production, which raises a lot of concerns. Given that tokusatu productions like Kamen Rider often focus on practical effects, how will genAI affect that? Kamen Rider is a series that has frequently explored the double-edged sword technology can be and Toei needs to be very careful about how it utilizes these tools.While the question of genAI still lingers, Kamen Rider Animation and Kamen Rider Premium are clever initiatives that could introduce a whole new generation of fans to Kamen Rider. For starters, there’s the fact that anime has become a global phenomenon. You’re just as likely to see people dressing up as characters from Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man at a con as Spider-Men or Dungeon Crawler Carls; Toei is capitalizing on this by bringing Kamen Rider to a medium that’s perfect for the high-octane fights a Rider might get into. Having standalone movies also turns Kamen Rider into a cinematic draw, especially for those who are new to the franchise. In a day and age where franchises expanding their output to television or movies is considered “homework,” Toei just gave fans the perfect hopping on point.This approach is also a big deal because previous attempts to bring Kamen Rider to America were…less than successful. Masked Rider, which adapted Kamen Rider Black RX, attempted to ride Power Rangers’ popularity but was a massive flop. A second attempt was made when Kamen Rider Dragon Knight aired on the CW; despite being more faithful to its source material and featuring some genuinely amazing fights, poor marketing led to it flying under the radar. The rise of Kamen Rider Animation and Kamen Rider Premium, alongside simultaneous U.S./Japan broadcasts of current Kamen Rider series and an upcoming Kamen Rider Zero-One/Batman crossover, proves that Toei wants Kamen Rider to be a worldwide hit. This time, it might actually pull it off.The post The Insect-Inspired Superhero Franchise Kamen Rider Is Finally Making Waves appeared first on Den of Geek.