Kamen Rider Survey Form [For Statistical Analysis)

[Black Fang]

1. Best Series:

A three-way tie between Kuuga, Agito and Ryuki.

Reason for choice:

These three are the most "heroic" feel of all the Heisei Riders. We have a public that is aware that strange things are happening (and play prominently in the story via police and media), and are getting killed and/or abducted on a regular basis. Unlike a lot of other shows, you care about whether the random person of the week will get saved or not, whether the hero will save the day in time. Additionally, these three do a good job playing up the "horror" aspect of Rider with the creepy mysteriousness of the monsters.

2. Worst Series

Kabuto and Decade

Reason for choice:

Kabuto started strong but ended up being an unintentional parody of early Heisei Rider with its ridiculous motives, dropped plot points, and silly antics that derailed characters. Decade is a complete mess of a show that generally does a poor job in celebrating 10 years of Heisei Rider. Very few returning faces that are underused, bland characters that feel like they're just going through the motions of the script, and a story that makes little sense.

3. Best Main Hero:

Yusuke Godai and Shinji Kido

Reason for choice:

Yusuke is simply, as the HK subs will tell you, a "cool guy". He'll go so far to save others with little thought to himself, and doesn't hide his rage at the brutality of his enemies. He's just generally likeable. Shinji is a bit more klutzy than Yusuke, and more of an "everyman". But he too has a sense of justice and is appalled at the concept of Shiro Kanzaki's Game, enough to defy him and fight to protect others and stop the Game. He's a nice callback to the Showa storylines.

4. Worst Main Hero:

Ryotaro Nogami

Reason for choice:

He's a good idea in concept, but the show presents him in a awful way. He's a completely exaggerated wreck; whiny, wimpy voice, can't even attempt to hold his own in a confrontation. The message about him isn't bad, but I prefer someone like Shinji to him.

5. Best Secondary Hero:

Not sure I have one.

6. Worst Secondary Hero:

See above.

7. Best Type of Antagonists:

Grongi, Unknowns, Orphenochs, Undead

Reason for choice:

The Grongi are perhaps the most savage and sadistic of the Heisei villains. When you see them causing mayhem you want Kuuga to rush in and save the day. The Unknowns share that terror; they can kill you in seemingly impossible ways and you never know when they'll get you. The Orphenochs are essentially like the mutants in X-Men. The Undead aren't your typical villains. The truth about them is rather intriguing.

8. Worst Type of Antagonists:

Makamou
Reason for choice:

Though there was a creepiness about them, they seemed more like cryptozoological entities than villains to be defeated.

9. Best Main Antagonist:

Not sure.

10. Worst Main Antagonist:

Kai

Reason for choice:

No real motivation, and no real explanation of who he is and where he came from. Also, he seemed to make Gaoh and future Den-O villains seem out of place. Where do they come from?

11. Best Male Non-Rider Character:

Again, not sure. There are many I like.

12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character:

Well Kiriya would be a contender (though he does become an Oni at the end). Ohsugi too. Can't think of anyone else right now.

13. Best Female Non-Rider Character:

I'd say generally the females in Kuuga, Agito and Hibiki were well-done. But I don't have any specific choices.

14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character:

Hana, Akiko, and Yuki

Reason for choice:

Hana is a one-trick pony; all she does is punch people and pout for the camera in some tough act. There isn't much more to her character beyond that. Akiko and Yuki behave like little cartoon children so much of the time, it negates the few good moments they do have.

15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series?

Firstly, I like the idea of a superhero who rides a motorcycle :coolshades: Plus the general moodiness of the show, a lone hero with a somewhat sad story who must fight on for the sake of others, and the "horror" aspects regarding the villains.

But more so, it's the themes of Rider that I like.
1) The hero is the same as the villains in some way, shape or form. But he chooses to fight for good. Thus its our choices that define us.
2) The Rider almost always has at least some friends he can fall back on. So even though he may feel he is alone, he does not have to be. OOO did this fairly well.
3) It's not always a happy ending. Sometimes things finish on a bittersweet note. If done well, Rider will always end on both a happy and a sad note. The hero loses something for the sake of the world, which has gained through his actions.

 

[Glamador]

While I'm sure a lot of us have a hard time picking A favorite...it's not at all useful for a statistical study to pick multiple favorites like that. I'm educated as a statistician myself, and I can tell you that Black Fang's responses will probably not even be included with so many multiple and missing entries.

 

[Black Fang]

Well that's the OP's prerogative. He's conducting the survey, so let him determine which information is appropriate to use.

 

[ClimaxHeroDen-O]

Best Series: tie between Den-O and Fourze

Reason: they have so many good qualities to them that it made me want to see what would happen every week, kept my interest, and had mixes of story elements that kept them from getting stale. they had a real wow factor and amazing action scenes, with good stories to back them up.

Worst Series: I can't choose any, because of all I've seen and know of the heisei era series, there are no shows I would say are bad

Best Main Hero: Ryotaro Nogami (Den-O)

Reason: he is one of the best examples of character development I can think of in modern fiction. a nice guy who wants to do the right thing, but is timid because of bad luck. over the course of the series, he grew, becoming brave, confident, and able to do what it takes to save people and be a hero. he held the team together, kept the Imagin in check, and even influenced them to somewhat overcome their flaws. for that, he's really admirable

Worst Main Hero: Soji Tendo (Kabuto)

Reason: Tendo, to me, is a key example of how not to write a main character. He was perfect from the start, but in a bad way. He won nearly fight he got in with relative ease, and the series didn't seem to want to knock him down any pegs. He has a gigantic God Complex, and the series only added fuel to that, especially once Hyper Kabuto came in. when you start your character at the top, they have nowhere to go

Best Secondary Hero: Yuto Sakurai (Zeronos)

Reason: again, a good case of character development, and a rather tragic character. fighting to save other people while slowly nearing a point where he would cease to exist, he saw no reason to get close to people that he knew eventually wouldn't remember the person he'd become. but he became a better person, and became willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the greater good

Worst Secondary Hero: Takeshi Asakura (Ouja)

Reason: A psychotic murderer as a Kamen Rider. It's freaking unbelievable, and the guy ends up adding insult to injury of the riders he defeats by stealing their Contract Monsters. sure, he's techincally not a hero, but this is the only category he qualifies for

Best Type on Antagonist: Fangire from Kiva

Reason: in a simple way, they're extremely threatening in how they can kill people quickly and from a distance, but also, they're sympathetic in how unfotunately they're only killing people because they have to feed off their life energy to survive.

Worst Type of Antagonist: Undead from Blade

Reason: they're mainly in the series for the riders to capture and use as cards. they're mostly unintelligent beasts that run wild with little rhyme or reason, with only a few being intelligent and able to disguise themselves

Best Main Antagonist: Bishop from Kiva

Reason: though he was never the leader of the Fangire, he was always the one pulling the strings. he strived to continue the legacy of the previous King, sought out a new Queen for the Checkmate Four, and single-handedly lead Wataru to believe he had killed Mio. at the end, he sought to resurrect the past King, and though his initial plan failed, he still succeeded. I had considered King for this spot, what with him driving other monster races to extinction, but that was only told of, not shown. he was introduced in the series too late for his power to be fully shown.

Worst Main Antagonist: Narutaki from Decade

Reason: He's only main villain by default, and he did nothing in the grand scheme of things. he was literally all talk, no action, and he never had a proper backstory. he was never even threatening or intimidating, since he didn't seem to have any powers at all, nor comand of any other villains.

Best Male Non-Rider Character: Shun Daimonji from Fourze

Reason: though he started out as the school bully, we found out his reasons, and he turned himself around into a really nice guy. not only did he become a guy who'd always be there for his friends, but he also supported Fourze on the battlefield with the Power Dizer. He also genuinely cared for Miu, and simply wanted her to be happy. overall he really nailed the "support" part of being a supporting character

Worst Male Non-Rider Character: can't decide

Best Female Non-Rider Character: Hina Izumi from OOO

Reason: her story was quite unique. stuck with her brother's body kept alive via possession from a rather unpleasant Greeed, she had to grow to accept her situation, but even more than that, she grew to care about Ankh as much as she cared for her own brother, and she cared for Eiji too. she was there for the both of them, and she kept them going

Worst Female Non-Rider Character: also can't decide

Why do you love the Kamen Rider series?

because it's awesome! like many others, I grew up with power rangers, along with beetleborgs, so I was already a fan of transforming tv heroes, plus I'm a big fan of the Shonen genre and I also really like motorcycles. thanks to the internet, I eventually found and got into Kamen Rider, along with Super Sentai, and it rarely disappoints. It has everything I want in tv shows: great action, story, music, characters, etc, and it has it's own toy line to go with it! I both enjoy it's kid-oriented aspects and can appreciate its deeper parts as an adult.

 

[Switchblade]

1. Best Series: Hibiki
Reason for choice: Hibiki took a lot of risks; it tried to be a very different show than the rest of the franchise. Ultimately, that came back to bite it in the ass, but before it did Hibiki was a deeply engrossing series with a fantastic cast of characters whose personal interactions drove the story more than the weekly monster fights. It also had a surprisingly deep mythology and some of the most unique and creative cinematography in the franchise.

2. Worst Series Faiz
Reason for choice: Dear lord, this show was a mess. I've theorized for awhile now that Toshiki Inoue is tired of writing Tokusatsu and wants to branch out to other forms of storytelling. Faiz was his attempt at a teen soap opera. The series was almost laughably melodramatic and depressing. I'm not saying it's bad to be dark, but Faiz goes overboard with tormenting its characters, something made all the more frustrating by how much of it could be easily avoided if the writers allowed the characters to actually talk about things like real people.

3. Best Main Hero:Kazuma Kenzaki - Blade
Reason for choice: I'm a sucker for a tragic hero. I don't think you could ever argue that Kenzaki is one of the most dynamic Riders. He's not wacky, he's not brooding, he's not a "gary stu." Kenzaki is just a dude who wants to save people and keep his friends from being hurt. What I like about Kenzaki is that he never backs down. He will stand and fight for what he believes in to the end and when it comes down to choosing to save his best friend or save the world, he has the balls to take option #3.

4. Worst Main Hero:Wataru Kurenai - Kiva
Reason for choice: I've always been mystified to see people complain about how whiny and wimpy Ryotaro is, then favorably praise Wataru for being so badass. I have no idea what show they were watching. Wataru is the wimpiest, wussiest, and whiniest Rider ever. He doesn't confront his problems, he hides from them in his bathtub. When things get tough he locks up his monster alarm or travels back in time to try and abort himself. His turnaround near the end of the show always felt more like bad writing to me than legitimate character growth.

5. Best Secondary Hero: Makoto Hikawa - Kamen Rider G3
Reason for choice: Hikawa was a fantastic character. As a Rider he was pretty pathetic for much of the series - easily outclassed by the Lords and the other Riders. He made up for it with heart, though. Hikawa wasn't stupid - he knew the G3 system wasn't powerful enough to fight the Unknown. But that never stopped. Every time a monster was sighted, he'd put the armor on, head out, and get his ass kicked. It didn't matter that he was going to lose again, all that mattered was that he might save some lives by trying.

6. Worst Secondary Hero: Masato Kusaka - Kamen Rider Kaixa
Reason for choice: Kusaka wasn't really a character - he was a plot device. His sole purpose on Faiz was to spread around as much interpersonal drama as possible, often by being openly two-faced, arrogant, and spiteful. In spite of this, the characters kept putting up with him, no matter how many times his various sins were brought to light? Why? Because he was the writer's pet plot device. He was only on the show to wring out more and more cheap drama.

7. Best Type of Antagonists: Grongi (Kuuga)
Reason for choice: Close call between these, the Lords, and the Undead for me. I ultimately have to go with the Grongi because, while the others certainly have much nicer designs, I love the mystery that the Grongi bring to the show. We don't just see a monster come out and start attacking people, we see them congregate and discuss issues amongst themselves. The catch is that we can't understand their language, forcing us to guess and contextualize what they're saying. When we do learn things, it's usually at the same pace as the heroes, which really helps draw the viewer into the conflict and the mysteries surrounding it.

8. Worst Type of Antagonists:Imagin (Den-O)
Reason for choice: The Imagin had some serious motivation problems. Their gimmick was cool, but there never really seemed to be any kind of clear endgame in mind (when the monsters even clearly acknowledge this in the show itself, you know you have a problem). The writers tried to fix this later by adding Kai, but he was a terrible character and even when he tried to explain things, it still didn't clarify things much. Plus I'm not a huge fan of the designs.

9. Best Main Antagonist:Shiro Kanzaki (Ryuki)
Reason for choice: I find Kanzaki psychologically fascinating. Like all good villains, he has legitimate justification for what he's doing - all he wants to do is save his sister's life. His methodology, though, is just plain nuts. What I find most interesting, though, is seeing the limits of his worldview. He gives the two Survive cards to Raia and Ryuki, the two guys who are trying to stop the Rider War. Why? Because he thinks they're afraid to fight - Kanzaki's perspective is so skewed that he can't imagine people not wanting to be psychopathic murderers. That fascinates me.

Also, I have no idea why you put Hajime in this category. Yes, he and Kenzaki fought at the end of the show, but he was always the secondary protagonist, even above Tachibana or Mutsuki. For me, I'd say Tennoji is the ultimate antagonist on Blade.


10. Worst Main Antagonist:Narutaki (Decade)
Reason for choice: This is a tough one. The Orphenoch King, Kai, and Doctor Maki were all terrible for various reasons (barely being a character, making no sense, and losing all credibility because of a little dolly, respectively). I can't see how this doesn't go to Narutaki, though. He was just handled so very, very badly. I know Decade had writing problems, but did no one ever stop to think that this character needed some kind of backstory or motivation? Apparently not. Why develop a character when you can generate internet memes?

11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: Ankh - OOO
Reason for choice: Ankh's just great. He's sarcastic, rude, snarky, and a fantastic foil to the happy and friendly Eiji. It's great to watch him develop through the show, both as Eiji's friend and on his own as a character. One of the hardest parts of leaving OOO behind for me was the idea that there wouldn't be anymore Ankh once Fourze started (and it honestly annoyed me how much they tried to fit Kengo into the same mold at first).

12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: Kiriya Kyosuke - Hibki
Reason for choice: Kusaka Kiriya wasn't really a character - he was a plot device. His sole purpose on Faiz Hibiki was to spread around as much interpersonal drama as possible, often by being openly two-faced, arrogant, and spiteful. In spite of this, the characters kept putting up with him, no matter how many times his various sins were brought to light? Why? Because he was the writer's pet plot device. He was only on the show to wring out more and more cheap drama.

13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: Sumiko Ozawa - Agito
Reason for choice: What's not to love? She's smart, she's feisty, she can hold her liquor with the best of them... Ozawa is just a really fun character who adds a lot both to the interpersonal dynamics of Agito as well as the plot. She was a very well-done character and it was always enjoyable seeing her interact with Hikawa and Hojou.

14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character: Amane Kurihara - Blade
Reason for choice: Just edges out Akiko by a smidge. Both are unbearably annoying, but at least Akiko manages to help the heroes out sometimes (in her own, "special" way). Amane is nothing but a whiny, obnoxious load. Her relationship with Hajime was also a lot creepier than it really needed to be.

15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series? Why not? It's (usually) fun, the stories are (usually) engaging, and the action is (usually) very well done. When a Kamen Rider show is firing on all cylinders it's a great way to burn half an hour in an enjoyable manner. When it isn't, it's probably Inoue's fault.

 

[lazycoconut]

Both are unbearably annoying, but at least Akiko manages to help the heroes out sometimes (in her own, "special" way). Amane is nothing but a whiny, obnoxious load. Her relationship with Hajime was also a lot creepier than it really needed to be.

Sorry, this made me LOL :laugh: (Amane was my second choice for this category)

 

[ozzzmosis]

Thanks to all those who answered so far! Very interesting.. i can't wait to collect and collate all this data

 

[ClimaxHeroDen-O]

Thanks to all those who answered so far! Very interesting.. i can't wait to collect and collate all this data

just as a note, you should change your opening post so that the main rider of Kabuto's name is written as Souji Tendou(though I spell it as Soji Tendo because I don't like extraneous u's), which is western naming order, so that you're consistent with the others. having one name written in eastern naming order while the rest are in western just sticks out like a sore thumb

 

[Dusk]

1. Best Series: Ryuki
Reason for choice: Despite some plot holes, I love most of the characters in this series. (In fact, the only one I actually dislike is a very minor character.) The clash among different desires and between one's own want and friendship is heartbreaking and I hold my breath every time the Riders enter the fight. The concept of Mirror World is scary, but true. Ryuki manages to hit many emotional notes, when still retaining KR's humor. The story is new for a Rider series. As far as the main players are concerned, they have very justified reasons to do what they do. The interactions among characters and their development are also incredibly interesting to watch and weep for. I love the series' theme songs as well.

2. Worst Series: Fourze

Reason for choice: I really thought about this for a while, because I know there are series with writing way worse than Fourze. (In fact Fourze has one of the neatest stories going on out there... certainly neater than, say, Kabuto or Decade.) However, I had to pick Fourze as the worst series because it is very bland. The story, while neat, is too straightforward with almost no surprise or twist. I also find it hard to root for the hero, Gentaro. In real life, I'd befriend any guy like him, but as the titular character of a 48-episode series, he bores me, because he is not very developed and frankly it gets tiring hearing his speech after a while. The supporting cast is under-utilized and sometimes way too wacky (Yuki). Fourze also has serious pacing problems (dragging out in the middle, the Horoscopes as a villain group reduced to monster of the fortnight status...), which makes me less motivated to follow.

3. Best Main Hero: Hidari Shoutarou (W)

Reason for choice: Now... I know that technically W is a two-in-one Rider, and I like that Philip's backstory is very well handled, but I end up rooting more for Shoutarou. Throughout the series we can clearly see him change and learn, while his good traits are also well-presented (and rarely, if never, powered down in favor of other things going on). And I like that being one half of the titular character he also has no shortage of heroism while maintaining his unique style that does not bore me. Overall I feel that the writing on this character is well done and casting is spot on.

4. Worst Main Hero: Tendou Souji (Kabuto)

Reason for choice: He's too arrogant. He has many good moments, but his overconfidence and tendency to go out of his way to taunt the rest of the characters cast a shadow over them all and sticks out like a sore thumb to me after I finish the series. Kabuto's bad writing doesn't help, either. Upon rewatching the series I find him more and more tolerable, but there are times when I want to punch the screen. This isn't really a good example for kids.

5. Best Secondary Hero: Date Akira as Birth
Reason for choice: He's a very refreshing secondary Rider. He's genuinely funny; his motive is justified and realistic, and I really sympathize with it. The guy cast in the role is great too.

6. Worst Secondary Hero: Kusaka/Kaixa - Faiz
Reason for choice: Okay... I will start off by saying Faiz's writing has a lot of problems on its own, which contributes to the problems of Kusaka. I do not understand whether the writers want me to sympathize with Kusaka or not, because he's portrayed differently throughout the series.

Spoiler

(He started out okay, turned all-out backstabbing bastard in the middle and suddenly we're supposed to feel for his death... aren't we?)

Most of the time he's written as outright horrible and arguably worse than the antagonists. He's the guy we just love to hate.


7. Best Type of Antagonists: Grongi (Kuuga)
Reason for choice: They are scary and menacing, and pose a real threat.

8. Worst Type of Antagonists: Zodiarts (Fourze)
Reason for choice: Probably because the series itself is so bland, I don't find the Zodiarts a real threat to the heroes. It doesn't help when most of the time Gentaro solves everything with his friendship speech, too.

9. Best Main Antagonist: Kanzaki Shirou (Ryuki)
Reason for choice: Basically, he manages to be scheming and threatening but still human and sympathetic at the same time.

10. Worst Main Antagonist: If I have to choose from the options, then Narutaki (Decade). But I always feel Dai Shocker is more the Decade main antagonist.
Reason for choice: Why was he there, again? :| Absolutely pointless character.

11. Best Male Non-Rider Character: Ankh (OOO)
Reason for choice: Other people word it better than I can. Complex, multi-dimensional character, well written and acted. His motive is also unclear til the end (and it turns out to be a pretty tear-jerking one), making him interesting to follow.

12. Worst Male Non-Rider Character: Narutaki (Decade)
Reason for choice: Same as above.

13. Best Female Non-Rider Character: Ozawa (Agito)
Reason for choice: She contributes a lot more to the story than the usual damsels-in-distress. And other people say it better than me

14. Worst Female Non-Rider Character: Yuki (Fourze)
Reason for choice: She has a lot of potential to be better, but came off way too over-the-top. Writer's fault.

15. Why do you love the Kamen Rider Series?
I always like the superhero genre, so following the hero throughout the entire year of course attracts me. I love looking at their beautiful suits. And beautiful people.

Although recent entries have gotten a bit formulaic, overall KR series is just a very refreshing, creative show in terms of theme and story that changes every year. Many characters are normal, good people who becomes a hero which makes following their journey much more interesting. The series is stylish, and just a lot of fun.

Good luck with your project!

 

[Shynilyte]

10. Worst Main Antagonist:Narutaki (Decade)
Reason for choice: This is a tough one. The Orphenoch King, Kai, and Doctor Maki were all terrible for various reasons (barely being a character, making no sense, and losing all credibility because of a little dolly, respectively). I can't see how this doesn't go to Narutaki, though. He was just handled so very, very badly. I know Decade had writing problems, but did no one ever stop to think that this character needed some kind of backstory or motivation? Apparently not. Why develop a character when you can generate internet memes?
/QUOTE]

Plus, he never actually achieves anything, besides getting Natsumi's granpa to say "squid and beer".