Guy, i hope you could help me. Our professor in college asked us to do a survey statistical analysis on anything we wanted, and he said we could do tv shows, and since i'm a big fan of Toku, i decided to do an analysis on the Heisei Kamen Rider Series (for real).
Just answer the questions below. I need at least 20 or more respondents. One answer per question. You may also deviate from the list of answers, just indicate your reason for choice. Thanks!:buttrock:
1. Best Series:
Kuuga
Agito
Ryuki
Faiz
Blade
Hibiki
Kabuto
Den-O
Kiva
Decade
W
OOO
Fourze
Reason for choice:
2. Worst Series
Kuuga
Agito
Ryuki
Faiz
Blade
Hibiki
Kabuto
Den-O
Kiva
Decade
W
OOO
Fourze
Reason for choice:
3. Best Main Hero:
Yusuke Godai - Kuuga
Shouichi Tsugami - Agito
Shinji Kido - Ryuki
Takumi Inui - Faiz
Kazuma Kenzaki - Blade
Hibiki
Souji Tendou - Kabuto
Ryotaro Nogami - Den-O
Wataru Kurenai - Kiva
Tsukasa Kadoya - Decade
Shotaro Hidari/Phillip - W
Eiji Hino - OOO
Gentaro Kisaragi - Fourze
Reason for choice:
4. Worst Main Hero:
Yusuke Godai - Kuuga
Shouichi Tsugami - Agito
Shinji Kido - Ryuki
Takumi Inui - Faiz
Kazuma Kenzaki - Blade
Hibiki
Tendou Souji - Kabuto
Ryotaro Nogami - Den-O
Wataru Kurenai - Kiva
Tsukasa Kadoya - Decade
Shotaro Hidari/Phillip - W
Eiji Hino - OOO
Gentaro Kisaragi - Fourze
Reason for choice:
5. Best Secondary Hero: (please specify): Reason for choice:
6. Worst Secondary Hero: (please specify): Reason for choice:
7. Best Type of Antagonists:
Gurongi (Kuuga)
Unknown (Agito)
Mirror Monster (Ryuki)
Orphenoch (Faiz)
Undead (Blade)
Makamou (Hibiki)
Worm (Kabuto)
Imajin (Den-O)
Fangire (Kiva)
A.R. Kamen Riders (Decade)
Dopant (W)
Greeed (OOO)
Zodiarts (Fourze)
Reason for choice:
8. Worst Type of Antagonists:
Gurongi (Kuuga)
Unknown (Agito)
Mirror Monster (Ryuki)
Orphenoch (Faiz)
Undead (Blade)
Makamou (Hibiki)
Worm (Kabuto)
Imajin (Den-O)
Fangire (Kiva)
A.R. Kamen Riders (Decade)
Dopant (W)
Greeed (OOO)
Zodiarts (Fourze)
Reason for choice:
9. Best Main Antagonist:
N-Daguva-Zeba (Kuuga)
Overlord (Agito)
Shiro Kanzaki (Ryuki)
Teruo Suzuki/Orphenoch King (Faiz)
Hajime Shijo/Joker (Blade)
Orochi (Hibiki)
Negishi (Kabuto)
Kai (Den-O)
Bat Fangire/Dark Kiva (Kiva)
Narutaki (Decade)
Ryubee Sonozaki/Terror Dopant (W)
Doctor Maki/Kyoryu Greeed (OOO)
Mitsuaki Gamou/Sagittarius Zodiarts (Fourze)
Reason for choice:
10. Worst Main Antagonist:
N-Daguva-Zeba (Kuuga)
Overlord (Agito)
Shiro Kanzaki (Ryuki)
Teruo Suzuki/Orphenoch King (Faiz)
Hajime Shijo/Joker (Blade)
Orochi (Hibiki)
Negishi (Kabuto)
Kai (Den-O)
Bat Fangire/Dark Kiva (Kiva)
Narutaki (Decade)
Ryubee Sonozaki/Terror Dopant (W)
Doctor Maki/Kyoryu Greeed (OOO)
Mitsuaki Gamou/Sagittarius Zodiarts (Fourze)
Reason for choice:
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Reason for choice:
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Reason for choice:
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Reason for choice:
14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Reason for choice:
Reason for choice: This is limited by the shows I've seen. Based on my enjoyment of OOO and what I know of W that series will probably overthrow it eventually...but for now it's OOO.
I like it because it's a really excellent blend of comic relief, campiness, and serious action/drama. Every villain has their own motivations that we learn over time and each mini-arc for the yummies is a story unto itself. Add to that the brilliant characterization of the supporting cast such as Ankh (Unkh) and President Kougami (SUBARASHI!) and you've got a recipe for awesome.
2. Worst Series
Ryuki
Reason for choice:
Oh the reasons are too many to name...where to start...the acting, the poor fight choreography, the overuse of CGI, the cheap suit designs, the long strings of episodes where NO plot happens, the lack of character development all around, YUI (just...all of her), and the
it's all a dream ending
and well...I can't think of many ways to make it WORSE.
3. Best Main Hero:
Yusuke Godai - Kuuga
Reason for choice:
This was a hard one. A lot of the riders are just too similar to one another. But Godai was the one that felt to me like he was the most believable. He thinks about his powers and how they work more than the other riders and his constant drive to improve is simply inspirational.
4. Worst Main Hero:
Shinji Kido - Ryuki
Reason for choice:
After my scathing commentary on Ryuki is this much of a mystery? He's not only completely ineffectual at his ONE goal in the series (stopping the rider battle) but he's not even a very good fighter to make up for it! He also talks like he's pursing his lips all the time and that annoys me.
5. Best Secondary Hero: (please specify): Ryou from Agito Reason for choice:
This guy...there's just something about this guy that I love. He's a man on a journey, following clues and making relationships and trying to deal with the monster inside him. He's a lot like the Hulk in many ways and that's just such a distinctly human kind of story to have.
6. Worst Secondary Hero: (please specify): Ren from Ryuki Reason for choice:
I'm getting predictable. Bad for all the same reasons Shinji and the rest of Ryuki's cast is bad. He's poorly acted, frustratingly stubborn, tsundere as hell, and is a proven hypocrite.
7. Best Type of Antagonists:
Orphenoch (Faiz)
Reason for choice:
Man these guys are just COOL. Reanimated dead guys with IMO the best design in any KR series. But beyond that they're more human than the rest of the KR antagonists. The Gurongi and Greed for instance had human forms as well but they weren't human to begin with.
8. Worst Type of Antagonists:
Mirror Monster (Ryuki)
Reason for choice:
The Mirror Monsters weren't even antagonists. The antagonists in Ryuki were the other riders. Monsters were just fodder that, unlike Kuuga or OOO or Agito, had no motivation for attacking humans other than purely for food/souls. They were a non-entity and therefore, very boring.
9. Best Main Antagonist:
Shiro Kanzaki (Ryuki)
Reason for choice:
Bet ya didn't expect this one eh? Well it's true. Of all the main antagonists this guy is my favorite (of the series I've seen enough of to judge). He's a troubled soul (literally) with a very definite idea of what he wants to accomplish and he goes about with the surgical precision that only a real save-scummer understands. Timu Vento!
10. Worst Main Antagonist:
N-Daguva-Zeba (Kuuga)
Reason for choice:
As fabulous a series as Kuuga is, Daguva is simply not very interesting. He's the super power, the end boss, the big bad, the insurmountable obstacle. But he isn't properly introduced until within spitting distance of the end and he never has time to properly develop as a character. That makes him boring.
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Ankh Reason for choice:
This guy is a large part of the reason I enjoyed OOO so very much. His personal story is really the driving force of the entire series and his actions at the end of the series are just so heartfelt it's impossible not to like the guy. He's rough around the edges but clearly cares about the people in his life. He's grumpy and that makes for some great comedic moments. But most of all it's that fashion sense! He has a great aesthetic and his emotive hand gestures are just so freakin' fun to watch. I can't take my eyes off him in any scene he's in (which is most of them).
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Hojou from Agito Reason for choice:
It is extremely difficult to decide this one. I actually haven't yet encountered a non-rider male character I truly dislike as a character. So I'm forced to pick the one I find the most distasteful, and that's Hojou-san. He's scheming and swindling and persistently jealous. He twists the truth to suit his ends without care for who gets the blame...he's just plain despicable.
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Ozawa Sumiko from Agito Reason for choice:
Ozawa is quirky, extemely intelligent, useful (she designed one of the Rider systems), and she gets a lot of screentime. She's one of the most persistently useful female characters in any KR series and that never really wanes as the series goes on. When her system has shortcomings, she fixes it. When her team is in trouble, she covers for them. But above all, I *believe* that this is a socially-stunted super-genius that zipped through school and still has a bit of maturing to do. She's well-acted.
I think I went over this in the Ryuki comments...but she is truly terrible. Her actress seems incapable of emoting, her lines are delivered with as much panache as a block of pine, and her character doesn't develop at ALL from series start to end. And she always says things with that "look at me I'm pouting" face.
15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series?
Kamen Rider is everything fun about Japanese superhero shows that I grew up with (Power Rangers, Beetleborgs, etc.) but with MUCH more mature themes and a considerably less formulaic approach. I got really sick of how Power Ranges/Sentai just HAS to end every episode with a mech battle no matter how cheap and uninteresting it is. Kamen Rider has a pretty much guaranteed fight scene as well but the choreography and unexpected nature of them (in the good series at least) make it fun to watch every episode. The main theme of KR is confidence, and that's a huge turn-on for me. Confidence and intellect are what draw me to characters and the majority of Riders have those traits.
1. Best Series:W Reason for choice: With fantastic lead characters, a great supporting cast, a sleek suit, and an interesting and simple gimmick, the show was too great to pass up on. Had it's own faults but these didn't overshadow what made the series great.
2. Worst Series: Hibiki Reason for choice: The retooling of the show has a major hand in this. There are essentially two different versions of the show, but neither really go anywhere. A frustrating open ending that just screams "the fight carries on" instead of hinting at an eventual end is the final nail in the coffin. Even an appealing lead actor couldn't save this mess.
3. Best Main Hero: Shotaro Hidari/Philip - W Reason for choice: It's a little unfair since it is a two-in-one hero, but you can't have W without both of them. Their characters were amusing foils and the actors played well off of each other. Both were very fun to watch.
4. Worst Main Hero: Gentaro Kisaragi - Fourze Reason for choice: Very much a static character throughout the series. He is used to highlight more how change can be brought about in other people. Very little development is seen of the character, and what we do get we hear, not see (such as his parents dying in an accident). A character is only as interesting as his flaws... and Gentaro doesn't really have any that are shown in the series other than how overeager he is to trust people and make friends.
5. Best Secondary Hero: Sakurai Yuuto - Zeronos: Reason for choice: We really see him develop as a character through his interactions with Ryoutaro. There is definitely a weight on his shoulders in the series, for he has the obligation to fight, but the more he fights the worse off he is. Balances his dramatic and comedy scenes really well, and it doesn't hurt that he gets along with Ryoutaro relatively early in the series instead of fighting him.
6. Worst Secondary Hero: Masato Kusaka - Kaixa: Reason for choice: By far the most irritating of all the Riders. Serves no purpose other than to drive the dramatic tension up in the series. However this isn't done well and he just comes off as being a jerk for no apparent reason.
7. Best Type of Antagonists: Orphenoch (Faiz) Reason for choice: A very interesting monster who's pallet is limited to white, grays, and blacks. Lead to some very creative and cool monster designs. Their motivation is also probably the most clear, they aren't evil for evil's sake, they are trying to overthrow humanity and become the dominant species. Some great body horror for how they are made adds to their overall threat.
8. Worst Type of Antagonists: A.R. Kamen Riders (Decade) Reason for choice: It's hard to hate them when we know so little about them, but that's what hurts them in the end. Decade's poor writing affected everything, including the villains. With no real motivation behind the Riders other than "ALL WORLDS WILL END" these villains come out weak.
9. Best Main Antagonist: Ryubee Sonozaki/Terror Dopant (W) Reason for choice: It was refreshing to have the villain we were given at the beginning of the series be the villain we ended the show with. Because of this there was one noticeable and developed narrative, instead of hamfisted twist shoved in somewhere in the last few episodes. The fact that he honestly was horrifying enough to actually scare Shotaro witless was great and made the character menacing. 10. Worst Main Antagonist: Narutaki (Decade) Reason for choice: It's impossible to fault the actor with this one for he did the best that he could. There was little material in Decade that hinted at who Narutaki is, and supposedly even after Super Hero Taihen we know nothing. Narutaki honestly does everything because he hates Tsukasa and he wants to "save the world." We get no motivation more than that.
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: Ankh (OOO) Reason for choice: Development of this protagonist/antagonist made clear sense. We were given a few surprises along the way, but there is a clear path that he followed.
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: Eritate Kengo (Kiva) Reason for choice: This character's progression seemed to make no sense. Musician to soldier I can get, it's the intense character change that gets me. His character development is very spotty and random, to the point where you are questioning why he's lashing out at certain people. Overall just poorly written and irritating to watch.
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: Kanzaki Yui (Ryuki) Reason for choice: She indirectly influences the plot for the entire series, plus specials, and the movie! She is the only female character who CAUSES an entire series to happen. And it's believable. Her brother loves her so much that he would risk anything and anyone to save her. The reason why she needs this saving is iffy, but the rest works rather well. Her defining moment is in the EPISODE FINAL where she refuses to be saved. She would rather die than have others suffer, which is a selflessness that isn't seen all to often from non-leading characters in Kamen Rider.
14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character:Narumi Akiko (W) Reason for choice: I don't dislike her because she is loud or voices her opinion. She is irritating because she barely develops. Her entire character is about accepting her father's death, which happens in about the first half of the series, and then falling "in love" with Terui. However, it is not really shown on screen or hinted at well. It just happens and is confusing. It also doesn't help that she is incredibly childish and doesn't mature at all in the 40-some episodes and multiple movies.
15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series? Kamen Rider is a series that is obviously for children, but it doesn't mind catering to teenagers and adults as well. The characters are (usually) likable, plots are always fun (if sometimes nonsensical), and the action is top-notch. I came for the fights but I stayed for the drama. Kamen Rider is unmatched in children's television.
1. Best Series: Agito (because tons of people claim it's a must-see, and to me, it seems to be the triumphant example to Heisei Kamen Rider)
2. Worst Series: Kiva (there was so much of a waste here. Wasted premise, wasted plot, wasted characters, wasted everything)
3. Best Main Hero: Huh... this is a toughy... But I guess Tsukasa. He's a very cocky jerk, though his heart is in the right place. He can fit in any role possible (and this is pointed out in Movie Wars), and is a definite example to riding with your sins as a Rider.
4. Worst Main Hero: Den-O. Why? Well... Let's see... How about the fact that he gets shafted in favor of the Imagin? I know that's a very stupid reason of why to hate on Ryotaro, but when you keep on changing the user from the world's most unluckiest man to an arrogant bruiser, then alternate to the point where it confuses people, you have problems.
5. Best Secondary Hero: Ren Akiyama. His story is interesting, and he could easily become the main hero of Ryuki. In fact, he did.
6. Worst Secondary Hero: Taiga Nobori. He's literally forgettable to me, even if he plays a major role in Kiva.
7. Best Type of Antagonists: Dopants. Literately anything can be a monster. It's like if you threw the game Scribblenauts into the Monster-matic, it would puke up tons of monsters based off nouns. There's a Dopant based off tits somewhere.
8. Worst Type of Antagonists: A.R. Riders... WHAT? I... I don't even know if they were the antagonists. I mean, I liked what Decade did and make a unique monster for each group, but A.R. Riders? They were just dicks. Sorry. I could so see Tomoko dragging the rug out from Wataru and Kenzaki during the finale like she did with Ryusei during his debut.
9. Best Main Antagonist: Shiro. It's rare for the main villain to be a Rider, and I hate Kiva enough not to give King any props. And man, Odin... Let's just say Odin breaks games.
10. Worst Main Antagonist: Narutaki. All his villainy is just whining like a little ***** and saying "It's all Decade's fault!" And we never do get his backstory... We never even know who he even is! Is he Colonel Zol? A victim of Tsukasa's reign of terror? Tsukasa's dark half? WHO IS HE!?
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: Ankh. Hands down. Like Tsukasa, he's a jerk, but his heart's in the right place. He's not too arrogant like Momotaros, and he's not too sweet like Phillip is. Also, OOO's story was partly him having a character arc, and a nice one at that. Also what happened in the finale treated him much better than what Phillip and Kengo received... Speaking of Kengo.
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: Kengo Eritate. Going back to Kiva, this guy goes all over the place. One moment, he's an aspiring guitarist, and one of Wataru's friends. Then his arm got broke, and he becomes a jerkass. Yeah, it was badass to see him as IXA and all that jazz, but it's also the reason why I almost put Nago into the Worst Secondary Hero slot. It made him the butt monkey. Then after that, Kengo is back to normal. It was like Saburo Hatte wrote this guy. I can totally see the static when he shifts from one personality to the other.
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: Ooooooooooh, tough one. Let's see, knocking a lot of them off the list. I'm gonna settle with Yui. Being the trigger to the entire plot helps her. I'm just gonna point to one scene in the movie and leave it at that.
14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character: Another tough one. It's was tied to three people. So do I pick the one that constantly bitches and moans about the dream she had whenever she goes to somewhere new (Natsumi)? Or do I pick the one that nearly screwed over her friends twice (Yuki)? Nah. I'm gonna pick Mio. That crazy psycho ***** that tried to get Wataru to murder her fiance, then did it herself when he was too much of a pussy.
15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series? Well, needless to say, I outgrew Power Rangers, and by extension, Super Sentai. They didn't appeal to me now. Kamen Rider, however, had different themes and motifs. A hero rides alone, rarely with others and when they do ride together, it's after tons of hardships and battles. When he rides, he takes the sins that were also with him. It's hard to say why I love it, but if I point to one thing... it's the music. I love the theme songs. There's rarely a single theme I wouldn't skip.
I don't have time to do this right now but I'm just here to make sure you all remember Onodera-Kuuga is technically a Secondary Rider for Decade so when your answering number 6 remember that!
1. Best Series: Fourze Reason for choice: Because I love every single silly second of it.
2. Worst Series Kiva Reason for choice: I could not care less about any of the "DRAMA" in the show and all of the characters I found t be boring.
3. Best Main Hero: Eiji Hino - OOO Gentaro Kisaragi - Fourze Reason for choice: I really like both of their styles. Maybe Gen a bit more. But I think the both have equal amount of heart.
4. Worst Main Hero: Wataru Kurenai - Kiva Reason for choice: "DRAMA"!
5. Best Secondary Hero: Gattack/Meteor Reason for choice: They both had to do some things they did not agree with to and work hard get things done sometimes but when they came around they were both awesome.
6. Worst Secondary Hero: TheBee (that counts right?) Reason for choice: Firsst off, I love TheBee suit, and when Yagaurma was TheBee it was awesome. I just never, not for one second bought Kagayama as TheBee. He always kinda seemed like a bit of a wimp and I always hoped the episode would come when someone else would get it (I guess that kinda happend)
7. Best Type of Antagonists: Greed (OOO) Zodiarts (Fourze) Reason for choice: I just really love their designs. Espically Uva from OOO and the Capes that the Zodiarts had as well as the theme they went with for both.
8. Worst Type of Antagonists: Worm (Kabuto) Reason for choice: Kabuto is awesome, and some of the more intense Worms are awesome. But the green hunched over Worms they might as well have been real worms.
9. Best Main Antagonist: Mitsuaki Gamou/Sagittarius Zodiarts (Fourze) Reason for choice: I really like his design as a Zodiart and also I kinda felt for him in his craziness.
10. Worst Main Antagonist: Narutaki (Decade) Reason for choice: Everyone knows why. He was never explained. Good actor but he seriously did NOTHING to the plot.
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: Ankh (OOO)/ Kengo (Fourze) Reason for choice: They are kinda a character archetype that I really like. Their acting was also solid and their stories engaging. both of them basically driving the main plots of their shows.
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: Can Narutaki count? Reason for choice: same reason as above. No character.
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: Hina (OOO) and Yuki (Fourze) Reason for choice: I know a lot of people don't like Yuki because how how crazy she got. But I really felt for both these characters Hina epically. when ever they were on screen it would always kinda bring a bit more light and fun to the screen even if it was an emotional scene.
14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character: Um...I really honestly can't think of one off the top of my head...sorry Reason for choice:
15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series? I love them because they can be so silly and at the same time really intense and kinda serious. I could go on for paragraphs in little reasons. but that is the main one.
I don't have time to do this right now but I'm just here to make sure you all remember Onodera-Kuuga is technically a Secondary Rider for Decade so when your answering number 6 remember that!
Can't we class any Rider other than the main one for that question? Otherwise there's nowhere for Riders that aren't the hero or official "second", yet obviously aren't non-Riders.
Dear OP, what are the statistical purposes? Will you share your examples with us? I'm on my way to work so I'll answer when I get home
Can't we class any Rider other than the main one for that question? Otherwise there's nowhere for Riders that aren't the hero or official "second", yet obviously aren't non-Riders.
Dear OP, what are the statistical purposes? Will you share your examples with us? I'm on my way to work so I'll answer when I get home
Yes, you can deviate from the given choices, just give your reason.
A statistical analysis survey is basically just sending out survey questionnaires to respondents, then collecting data, summarizing all data in analytical graphs and conclusive analysis, then defending the results Ive gathered.
It's like i give you questions, you give me answers, i gather all the answers you gave, analyze it, and explain why most of you answered the way you did.
Reason for Choice: I struggled with this one because there are several shows that I really like. But in the end, OOO's felt like a complete package whereas other seasons didn't. Faiz had a horribly rushed ending that made precious little sense, Den-O was fun but didn't really explain itself very well. W jumped the shark partway through and felt a little hollow by the end.
But despite the retool, OOO's had a solid beginning and ending. The middle suffered somewhat, true. But I left OOO's feeling satisfied with the story that had been told and the ending given. That bumps it up several notches for me.
2. Worst Series:
Kamen Rider Kiva
Reason for Choice: Look! It's Den-O mixed with Faiz mixed with VAMPIRES! Vampires are cool, right? In all seriousness, I found Kiva to be extremely contrived and not clever at all. It was influenced by Den-O in all the wrong ways and written by a man who just didn't get what made Den-O fun in the first place. Loved the suit designs... that was about it.
3. Best Main Hero:
Takumi Inui *ducks rotten fruit*
Reason for Choice Yes, it's unconventional, but there was a lot about Takumi that I liked. Was he a jerk to start? Yes. But he grew out of that. Faiz did a lot of exploration about just what being human means and what allows a person to retain their humanity. All of that was embodied in Takumi. He's a man with a lost soul forced into fighting monsters who have forsaken their humanity. Just as he begins to live again and allow himself to be human, the rug gets pulled out from under him and he undergoes some serious floundering as a character. But, in the end, he comes through it and ends the series not as a Kamen Rider, but as a human being. It was fun journey to watch.
4. Worst Main Hero:
Gentaro Kisaragi
Reason for Choice: Gentaro, I desperately wanted to give Tsukasa Kadoya this spot, but I just couldn't. Tsukasa had some depth and many layers of character to him. Gentaro... doesn't. When you boil Gentaro down, his entire motivation is basically: "My mommy told me to make friends." That's it.
The reason why that gulls me is that Gentaro is an extremely static character. He never changes. He never learns anything. He never has any revelation about his own life (and it didn't have to be a life-changing revelation, either). We see him running around solving everyone else's problems, but not once does any writer think to dissect Gentaro and his own character or to help Gentaro learn a lesson. He's obnoxious enough not to be a Messiah archetype, but something needed to be done with his character... and it never was.
5. Best secondary Hero
Shintaro Goto/Akira Date
Reason for Choice: The two characters are so entwined that I pretty much have to list both of them. OOO's started out with the usual trick of pitting the two Riders against each other and then dropped that stock plot pretty quick. For once, the secondary Riders were entirely likable and had no qualms about working with the main Rider to save the day. It was an exceedingly nice change of pace not to have the two Riders at each other's throats.
Their own personal stories were rather well done and the journeys that they made as characters spoke a lot about them. Despite the name, I think that Birth deserves this honor.
6. Worst Secondary Hero
Masato Kusaka
Reason for Choice: Remember how I said that it was great that OOOs and Birth got along? Well, Kusaka's the complete opposite of that and, in my view, just undeserving of the term 'hero'. The guy exists entirely to antagonize and one-up Takumi. Despite an attempt by the writing team to make him into a sympathetic fallen hero, it just didn't take. I'll pass on this guy.
7. Best Type of Antagonists:
Greeed
Reason for Choice: I didn't want to give the OOO's series another place on my 'Best Whatever' list... but I pretty much have to. I generally like it when the villains come from an outside group or organization that leaves them relatively united with their goals (this rules out the Orphenoch, Dopants and Zodiarts), but also manages to tell us something about the human condition (this rules out pretty much everyone else). The Greeed hit all the right notes with me and were never boring to watch due to the sorting algorithm of evil. Plus, they had some of the best villian deaths in recent Rider memory. It just works.
8. Worst Type of Antagonists:
Imajin
Reason for Choice: Uh, what's their motivation again?
9. Best Main Antagonist:
Eh... Dr. Maki.
Reason for Choice: Again, I didn't want to give OOO's another place on the list, but I had to. Maki was a bery good final villian who was handled very well. There was no last-second redemption with him, there as no last-moment humanization that came out of left field, there was no Achilles Heel with him and there was no usurping his place as the big bad. He was in charge from the get-go and outplayed everyone to remain the last man standing.
Yes, he had a past that explained his motivations, but he remained true to that motivation to the end. Plus, he's undoubtably been one of the strongest final bosses in recent memory. Eiji and Ankh just barely managed to eek out a win over him and it was less a final curb-stomp final battle on their part and more a sustained conflict all the way to the end. Maki could beat Ryubee into the ground any day of the week.
10. Worst Main Antagonist:
Kai
Reason for Choice: Uh, what's his motivation again?
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character:
Jin
Reason for Choice: Jin is mostly played for comic relief and he holds a position that he is in no way qualified to hold. But he makes the role work and he's lovable enough to be endearing in his helplessness. However, when push comes to shove and the chips are down, he manages to hold his own and get the job done. And did you see that awesome fight scene in Accel's standalone movie?
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character
Narutaki
Reason for Choice: Uh... what was his motivation again?
All Narutaki does is drift around throwing AR Riders at Decade and then mysteriously transform into Colonel Zol for some unexplained reason. It's actually hard to see him as a character at all, really, and not just a stuffed trenchcoat.
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character:
Hina
Reason for Choice: Hina's an oddball. For most of the series she seems like the traditional Rider Girl, present only to bring some female presence to the series and fulfill the smurfette principle. She succeeds in spite of that, develops enough stage presence so that you never forget her, and serves as the trigger for some key plot points and actions (such as giving Ryotaro the Den-O Belt or smacking sense into Imajins).
Then the ending hits and you realize just why Hina's so important to the overall plot. She's instrumental in saving the present, but loses her connection to the future. If that isn't a decently done Chekhov's Gunman, I don't know what is.
14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character:
Yuki
Reason for Choice: SPACE ROCKET GODS!
Loved Yuki when she first came out, then the writers decided that she needed to forget to take her ritalin. She was the hardest hit of all of the Fourze flanderization and it really showed. I just hope that it doesn't impact her acting career too much. :/
15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series
Rich Burlew once said that entertainment without an underlying examination of the human condition was just pointless escapism. I have to agree. At its worst, Rider is pointless escapism. but when Rider takes the time to examine the human condition and outline plots that explore what it means to be human (The original series/Faiz/OOOs) then it can really be a fun ride and interesting theme to explore.
That and I'm a sucker for super heroes and a sucker for live action. That's probably a better reason.
1. Best Series: Kuuga Reason for choice: It's the iconic series that began the revival of Kamen Rider and the start of the Heisei Era. It's flawed, but the overall show is fantastic. Godai is one of the most memorable Rider leads of all time and his influence over later heroes in the franchise is much deserved. The story, characters, pacing and action were exceptionally well done. The villains were genuinely menacing and the heroes all contributed something real to the story. It had the more intense and "darker" feel that a lot of the fandom seems to love, but without becoming self-indulgent or feeling like it was trying too hard.
2. Worst Series: Kiva Reason for choice: It's basically a soap opera masquerading as Kamen Rider. It is the worst thing Inoue has ever written for Toei. Not for nothing is it compared to Twilight. None of the characters were remotely likeable, despite its having one of the largest casts in the franchise. There was FAR too much focus on romance, all of which was dull, melodramatic, and so horribly written it makes Passions look like Pride and Prejudice. There were good and interesting ideas there, such as the concept of half the show taking place in 1986 and half in 2008, but it was all thoroughly wasted.
3. Best Main Hero: Yusuke Godai - Kuuga Reason for choice: He's the epitome of everything I want to see in a tokusatsu hero. He's kind, noble, heroic, morally good, determined, brave, optimistic, and a great example for kids. He never loses hope no matter how bad his situation becomes. He was consistently fun and inspiring to watch, even for me, and I would normally become bored fast at a show with just one Rider in it. I wanted to know a Godai and I wanted to be like Godai. I'm only sorry I didn't get to see the show when I was a kid.
4. Worst Main Hero: Tsukasa Kadoya - Decade Reason for choice: Extreme Marty Stu whom the universe literally revolves around and who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He was never entertaining, he was never sympathetic, not even in his supposed "emotional" scenes, which felt like the televisual equivalent of having a gun held to your head to force you to cry for Tsukasa. He's an all-powerful being that barges into worlds, does what he likes, and slopes off again. And he nearly destroyed the universe. That's not a hero.
5. Best Secondary Hero: (please specify): Arata Kagami - Kabuto Reason for choice: He's not the best-written secondary hero. What makes him stand out is that he's a break in the long-established trend of secondary Riders being antagonistic and aloof and that he gets to be the audience's point of view character rather than it being the leading Rider. He keeps Tendou's ego in check, which is something this series desperately needs. He was likeable and it felt like he had actually worked hard and deserved to be the secondary Rider.
6. Worst Secondary Hero: (please specify): Keisuke Nago/IXA - Kiva Reason for choice: Humourless, sullen, arrogant, self-righteous jerk. He was responsible for his father's death but we're expected to overlook that. His romance with Megumi was terrible and their sudden marriage served no purpose whatsoever. Also suffered from erratic characterisation when they tried to make him zany and then gave up. The "knight" theme was poorly done and his bizarre pseudo-Christianity was actually offensive.
7. Best Type of Antagonists: Dopant (W) Reason for choice: They were diverse, entertaining, and the designs looked great. As someone pointed out, you could design a Dopant around almost any theme and make it work. Their stories were well told, often touching, and it was interesting to see what had happened to each one for them to reach where they were: some were evil, some misguided, some zealous, some desperate. It was also novel for them to be actual humans who chose to do as they did, rather than (as had happened in most of the other Heisei series) monsters who just adopted a human form.
8. Worst Type of Antagonists: Fangire (Kiva) Reason for choice: They were just as bad as the other characters in this show. The Checkmate Four were atrocious, Spider Fangire was (and I don't say this lightly) a disturbing sex offender, and the rest were just very boring monsters of the week.
9. Best Main Antagonist: Shiro Kanzaki (Ryuki) Reason for choice: It took my breath away how he could come away with such a complex scheme, which ruined so many people's lives, all to save the one life of his sister. Spoiler-text for anyone who hasn't seen Ryuki:
Despite causing all that suffering and horror, he still has it in him to ultimately let Yui die and allow the Riders their chance at life again.
10. Worst Main Antagonist: Hajime Shijo/Joker (Blade) Reason for choice: I'll spoiler-text this for anyone who hasn't seen Blade:
It is his fault that Kenzaki becomes an Undead and can never see anyone he loves ever again. Hajime was, quite simply, a despicable waste of space and was not worth this sacrifice. It's all futile anyway since he still isn't, and can never be, a real human.
11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Ankh - OOO Reason for choice: Anti-heroes are popular character types, and this was a great one. He was grumpy, he was morally grey to say the very least, but just when you loved to hate him you would suddenly see his softer side. His relationships with Eiji and Hina, who eventually grew to love Ankh as much as she did her real brother, were very well developed. He was stylish, fun, and Ryosuke Miura was perfect in the role. The end of his story was one of the most bittersweet, painful, and genuinely emotional in the franchise - without ever descending into the morass of melodrama that often comes with "non-human character wants to be human" stories. For much of the series it was genuinely hard to know whether he'd emerge as a hero or villain, so that kept the audience guessing.
12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Keitaro Kikuchi - Faiz Reason for choice: It pains me to say this, because I like Keitaro. He was the nicest, kindest character in the series; but that meant that he didn't fit in with the rest of the cast and never really felt like he belonged. He didn't fight, he couldn't participate in the belt-swapping because he wasn't an Orphenoch, and he really didn't get a chance to contribute anything tangible. His only subplot of note was his romance with Yuka, which was tedious and felt redundant since we already knew she was his mystery girl.
13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Sumiko Ozawa - Agito Reason for choice: Ozawa was that rare thing in Kamen Rider, a main female character who contributes something practical, not just emotional support. She was consistently useful throughout the series. What gained her respect, and made her important in the story, was her skills and intelligence; not that she was pretty, or nurturing, or the daughter/sister/love interest of a male character. She was allowed to be bold, aggressive, and display her intelligence openly, without concern that the audience would be put off by her lack of stereotypical femininity. She felt like a full character and not just a stock "girl" type.
14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character: (please specify) Mio Suzuki - Kiva Reason for choice: Weak, whiny and thoroughly useless. Her sole purpose was to be Wataru's girlfriend, develop his character, and provide him with motivation. She had no interest in anything outside of Wataru and no personality at all. She was thoroughly selfish and outright evil (going so far as to laugh in Maya's face about killing Taiga) yet we were expected to excuse that because of "looooove". The whole Wataru/Mio/Taiga storyline was, to put it politely, drivel and watching it was a waste of valuable minutes out of our lives.
15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series? Because there are a lot of fights and monsters in it.
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