The series was created by legendary manga artist . It began with a dark, horror-inspired tone, but a real-life accident significantly altered its trajectory:

While a standard North American retail Blu-ray for the 1971 series is less common than newer seasons like Kuuga or Ryuki , you can find various editions online:

Kamen Rider (1971) is not for children. It was made for a generation that had known war, occupation, and radical change. It told them: "You have been broken and rebuilt by forces you don't control. But that does not make you a monster. That makes you a Rider."

Amazon Prime Video currently hosts Season 1 (episodes 1–98) for subscribers. :

The original Kamen Rider (1971–1973) is the foundational series of the tokusatsu franchise, consisting of 98 episodes that chronicle the battle against the evil organization Shocker. Series Overview Protagonist 1: Takeshi Hongo (Kamen Rider 1)

The English subtitles not only make the series more accessible but also provide a more immersive viewing experience. Fans can now appreciate the intricate storylines, character developments, and cultural nuances that make Kamen Rider such a beloved franchise.

In the popular imagination, Kamen Rider is a colorful hero on a motorbike, delivering a flamboyant "Rider Kick!" to rubber-suited monsters. That image comes from the 1980s Kamen Rider BLACK or the endless Heisei-era series. The original, black-and-white-suited is something else entirely: a horror protagonist who happens to fight for justice.

Fortunately, Hongo escapes just before the final brainwashing procedure. Armed with his newly modified body and a heavy sense of lost humanity, he takes up the mantle of the grasshopper-themed superhero, Kamen Rider, to fight Shocker's relentless onslaught of monstrous "Kaijin".