is a 2009–2010 Japanese

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

drama, the eleventh series in the

Heisei period The was the Japanese era name, period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his 2019 Japanese imperial transition, abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the ...

run of the

Kamen Rider Series The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until '' Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Ka ...

and the twentieth overall. It premiered following the finale of ''

Kamen Rider Decade is a Japanese television show and the 2009 installment of the long-running ''Kamen Rider'' series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth anniversary series of ''Kamen Rider''s Heisei era, and the final installment ...

'' on September 6, 2009, and aired alongside ''

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger is the title of Toei Company's thirty-third entry in its long-running Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It aired from February 15, 2009, to February 7, 2010, replacing '' Engine Sentai Go-onger'' and was replaced b ...

'' in

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

Super Hero Time is a programming block on the Japanese television network TV Asahi featuring new episodes of tokusatsu television series from Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Both series have decades of history and have been intertwined in the public imaginatio ...

programming block. Following ''Shinkenger's'' finale, it aired alongside ''

Tensou Sentai Goseiger is the title of Toei Company's 34th entry in its long-running ''Super Sentai'' franchise. It follows an angelic motif as well as a trading card theme. It joined ''Kamen Rider W'', and later '' Kamen Rider OOO'', as a program featured in TV Asahi ...

'', until ''W'' concluded on August 29, 2010. The series is described as the . In the first episode of Kamen Rider Fourze, W is revealed to be in the same continuity as the original Showa timeline, making it the first series to do so since ''

Kamen Rider Agito is the eleventh installment in the popular Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider tokusatsu franchise. The series represented the 30th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series. The series was also a joint collaboration between Asatsu-DK and Toei Company, ...

''. The series is notable for being the first installment in what's popularly viewed as Heisei era Kamen Rider's second phase by fans. A sequel

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series, '' Fuuto PI'', began serialization in August 2017 and an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

adaptation began airing in August 2022.

Promotion

Advertisements throughout the months of May, June, and July 2009 built up to the debut of Kamen Rider W, who first appeared at the 10th Anniversary Project MASKED RIDER LIVE & SHOW event, and also featured in '' Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker''.

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler. Widel ...

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

is a self-admitted fan of ''Kamen Rider W'', in June 2010 made a new costume designed after Kamen Rider W FangJoker's design and wore it at a match in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

on June 19.

Rin Asuka is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. Her debut role was in the film '' Tenshi ga Kureta Mono'', and she was later cast in the film adaptations of '' Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'' as Mion Sonozaki. She also played Akira Karasaki for sever ...

also appeared at the match to promote the show.

Production and casting

The Kamen Rider W trademark was registered by Toei on March 27, 2009. The series' main writer is

Riku Sanjo is a Japanese manga writer and screenwriter. He works as a story writer for manga, anime and live-action film. Sanjo graduated from Meiji University. '' Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai'' (1989–1996), which he created with illustrator Ko ...

and the main director is

Ryuta Tasaki is a Japanese director from Tokyo. Tasaki is most known for directing episodes of '' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'', '' Cutie Honey: The Live'', and the ''Super Sentai'', ''Power Rangers'', and ''Kamen Rider'' series. Filmography * series dire ...

. The theme song titled " W-B-X ~W-Boiled Extreme~" is performed by

Aya Kamiki is a Japanese singer, actress and model. Her music ranges from pop, rock to R&B. She resides in Osaka, and is signed with Tokyo-based AVEX recording label. She is the vocalist of the rock band Uroboros and the rock duo Sonic Lover Reckless with ...

with former

JUDY AND MARY Judy and Mary (often stylized as JUDY AND MARY) was a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 in Japan by bassist Yoshihito Onda and vocalist Yuki, with drummer Kohta Igarashi and guitarist Taiji Fujimoto completing the lineup in 1992. Guitarist Takuy ...

guitarist

TAKUYA Takuya is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese guitarist and former member of Judy and Mary who performs as "TAKUYA" *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese actor *, Japanese long-distance runner *, Japane ...

as the unit . The creature designer is

Katsuya Terada , is a Japanese illustrator and cartoonist from the town of Tamano, Okayama. His alias is the portmanteau . Terada's prolific visual arts practice uniquely straddles the lines between manga, fine art, and digital design. His work ranges widely f ...

, previously the character designer for '' Blood: The Last Vampire'', the designer of Monster X for '' Godzilla: Final Wars'', the designer of Cutie Honey's costume for ''

Cutie Honey is a Japanese Shōnen manga, shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. First appearing in ''Weekly Shōnen Champion''s 41st issue of 1973, the series ran until April 1974. It follows an android girl named Honey Kisara ...

'', and the mechanic and character design refinement for ''

Yatterman is a Japanese anime television series broadcast from January 1, 1977 to January 27, 1979, comprising 108 episodes. It is the second and longest show in the ''Time Bokan'' series by Tatsunoko Productions. The series succeeded ''Time Bokan'' a ...

''. Newcomer

Masaki Suda , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor and singer. He won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film ''Wilderness''. Personal life Suda was born in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture. Hi ...

portrays the mysterious Philip. Drama actor

Renn Kiriyama is a Japanese stage and television actor from Yokohama. His debut role was as Bunta Marui in ''The Prince of Tennis'' musical ''Tenimyu#Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service, Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service''. Kiri ...

, who made his acting debut as Bunta Marui in ''Musical Prince of Tennis: Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service'', joins the cast as Shotaro Hidari.

Hikaru Yamamoto is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. After winning the Amuse Ohimesama Audition, she was signed onto the Amuse, Inc. talent agency. She starred as the female lead in ''Kamen Rider W is a 2009–2010 Japanese tokusatsu drama, the ele ...

, who made her acting debut in '' Watashitachi no Kyōkasho'' as Chiharu Nobue, portrays the female lead Akiko Narumi. Comedian and actor Takeshi Nadagi portrays Mikio Jinno and veteran actor

Minori Terada was a Japanese actor and voice artist. Life and career Minori Terada was born in Tokyo, as the first son of , a famous painter. In 1961, he began to work as an actor. Terada was known for his roles as villains, including Alien Metron in ''U ...

, known for his leading role in '' The Human Bullet'', portrays Ryubee Sonozaki.

Story

Many people live in peace and harmony in , an ecologically-minded and

wind-powered Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...

city. However, this peace is undermined by the Sonozaki Family, who sell mysterious

flash drive A flash drive is a portable computer drive that uses flash memory. Flash drives are the larger memory modules consisting of a number of flash chips. A flash chip is used to read the contents of a single cell, but it can write entire block of ce ...

-like devices called

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; , a poetic form of ('), meaning 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea (), is the personification of Earth. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenogenic—of all life. She is the mother of Uranus (S ...

Memories to criminals and other interested parties. These individuals use the Gaia Memories to become Dopants, committing crimes with the police force powerless to stop them. To make matters worse, the Gaia Memories can cause their users to go insane, to the point where they could die from using the devices unrestrained. After the death of his boss Sokichi Narumi, the self-proclaimed hard-boiled (actually half-boiled) detective Shotaro Hidari works with the mysterious Philip, who possesses a set of purified Gaia Memories, to investigate Dopant-related crimes in Fuuto. With their Gaia Memories and the Double Driver belts, Shotaro and Philip transform and combine into Kamen Rider W to fight the Dopant menace and keep Fuuto safe. While joined in their fight by investigator Ryu Terui, who transforms into Kamen Rider Accel, the mystery of Philip's past, his relation to the Sonozaki Family, and their Museum organization are revealed.''Telebikun'' August 2009

Episodes

All episodes of ''Kamen Rider W'' have two titles: the first indicates a story arc while the second indicates the episode's title. The letter of the

Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet, also known as the Roman alphabet, is the collection of letters originally used by the Ancient Rome, ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered except several letters splitting—i.e. from , and from � ...

in the story arc title has a

double meaning A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...

: it represents a major character (Kamen Rider, Dopant, or otherwise) that is featured in the arc and another English word that indicates the theme of the arc.

Wind Wave Internet radio

To tie into the show, TV Asahi, Toei, and

Avex Trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...

have produced the Wind Wave FM

Internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...

station. Only one of the shows, , also exists within the fiction of ''Kamen Rider W''. The other programs, DJ Hurry Kenn's ''FU-TO Hit on Groove'' music show and Tsuyoshi and Ayano's show, treat the television series as fiction, explicitly referring to the songs they play as theme songs (as part of a mail in request, DJ Hurry Kenn played AAA DEN-O form's "

Climax Jump "Climax Jump" is the 13th single by the Japanese group AAA, released by Avex Mode on March 21, 2007. The song was composed by Shuhei Naruse with the lyrics by Shoko Fujibayashi. The song is the first opening theme for the 2007 tokusatsu series ''K ...

", and referred to it as the theme song for ''

Kamen Rider Den-O is the seventeenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. It premiered January 28, 2007 on TV Asahi, and concluded airing on January 20, 2008. Its l ...

''). All of ''W''s theme songs have been played as part of the various radio shows, several of which were first heard on the "radio" before being utilized as part of an episode's soundtrack. On March 7, a new radio show featuring Queen & Elizabeth titled began "airing", but was discontinued a month later. To mirror the current events in the show's story, ''Healing Princess'' was cancelled on June 13, 2010.

Films

Kamen Rider W made his first appearance as a cameo in the film '' Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker''.

''Movie War 2010''

As part of the triple feature, ''W''s film opened in Japanese theaters on December 12, 2009. The film expands on the origins of Kamen Rider W, featuring guest star

Koji Kikkawa Koji, Kōji, Kohji or Kouji may refer to: *Kōji (given name), a masculine Japanese given name *Kōji (Heian period) (康治), Japanese era, 1142–1144 *Kōji (Muromachi period) (弘治), Japanese era, 1555–1558 *Koji orange, a Japanese citrus ...

as Shotaro's mentor and Akiko's father Sokichi Narumi. The events of the movie took place between episodes 14 and 15.

''A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate''

In addition to the ''Movie War 2010'' films, ''W'' also has a feature film titled . Filmed in 3-D, it was released in theaters on August 7, 2010, double-billed with '' Tensou Sentai Goseiger: Epic on the Movie''. Mitsuru Matsuoka, lead singer of Sophia served as the film's primary antagonist. It also features the first on-screen appearance of the 12th Heisei Kamen Rider:

Kamen Rider OOO is a 2010–2011 Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's Kamen Rider Series, being the twelfth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-first overall. It began airing on September 5, 2010, the week following the conclusion of ''Kamen R ...

. The events of the movie took place between episodes 44 and 45.

''Movie War Core''

The second Movie War film to primarily feature W, titled , was released in theatres on December 18, 2010, with the main ''W'' section titled .

''Let's Go Kamen Riders''

Kiriyama and Suda made cameo appearances, reprising their roles as Shotaro Hidari and Philip in the 40th-anniversary film .

''Movie War Mega Max''

Kiriyama and Suda reprised their roles as Shotaro Hidari and Philip in the 2011 film , released on December 10, 2011. The third out of the 5 parts of this Movie War, , took places in Fuuto and featured Kamen Rider W continuing his battle against Foundation X.

''Kamen Rider Taisen''

made its theater debut on March 29, 2014. Masahiro Inoue, playing ''

'', alongside many other lead actors of other series appeared in the film, including

Gaku Sano is a Japanese actor, best known for his role as Kouta Kazuraba, the main character of the Kamen Rider series ''Kamen Rider Gaim''. He was the winner of the '' Junon Super Boy Contest 2011''. Biography From an early age, Sano took part in the '' ...

of ''

Kamen Rider Gaim is a Japanese television series, a tokusatsu drama that is in the Kamen Rider Series; it is the 15th series during its Heisei run and 24th overall. The series, written by Gen Urobuchi and directed by Ryuta Tasaki it began airing on TV Asahi from ...

'',

of ''Kamen Rider W'', Kohei Murakami and

Kento Handa is a Japanese actor and singer, best known for his role as Takumi Inui/Kamen Rider Faiz in ''Kamen Rider 555''. He plays many musical instruments including the guitar, bass guitar, bass, Drum kit, drums and the piano. His album "HOMEMADE" was rel ...

of ''

Kamen Rider 555 is a Japanese tokusatsu television drama. It is the 13th installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei, and was broadcast on TV Asahi from January 26, 2003, to January 18, 2004. This seri ...

'',

Shunya Shiraishi is a Japanese actor, best known for his role as Haruto Soma, the main character of the ''Kamen Rider Wizard is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's ''Kamen Rider'' franchise, being the fourteenth series in the Heisei period run and t ...

from ''

Kamen Rider Wizard is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's ''Kamen Rider'' franchise, being the fourteenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-third overall. It began airing on TV Asahi on September 2, 2012, joining ''Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters'' a ...

'',

Ryo Hayami (born in Kimitsu, Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese actor known for playing the hero Kamen Rider X (character), Keisuke Jin in the tokusatsu superhero series ''Kamen Rider X''. On December 18, 2019, he suffered a heart attack from a collapse. He has be ...

of ''

Kamen Rider X is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It was broadcast in 1974 on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET, now known as TV Asahi. It is the third entry in the Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows. It starred Ryo Hayami in the ...

'', and

Hiroshi Fujioka , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for playing the hero Takeshi Hongo in the tokusatsu superhero series ''Kamen Rider'', and later the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro (jokingly revealed to be Takeshi Hongo hi ...

of the original ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until ''Kamen Rider Decade, Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero fiction, superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by ...

''. The Sentai teams' ''

Ressha Sentai ToQger is a Japanese television series, a Tokusatsu drama of the 38th installment in Toei Company's ''Super Sentai'' metaseries, following '' Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger''. It aired on TV Asahi affiliates from February 16, 2014 to February 15, 2015, repl ...

'' and

Ryo Ryusei is a Japanese actor. He is signed with Ken-On. Career Ryusei was scouted on his way to a hair salon on Takeshita Street in Harajuku in the summer of 2009, and officially joined Ken-On in January 2010. In April 2010 he made his acting debut as ...

as Daigo Kiryu from ''

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger when literally translated means "Strong Dragon", but is actually a portmanteau of the Japanese words and . In English, this roughly translates into "Strongosaur". is Toei Company's 37th entry in its long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of J ...

'' were also in the movie.

Shun Sugata is a Japanese actor. Career Sugata was born in Yamanashi Prefecture. He starred in the 2006 film ''Confessions of a Dog''. He appeared in Amir Naderi's 2011 film '' Cut''. Filmography Film * ''Seiha'' (1982) as Nakahara * ''Kita no hotaru' ...

playing

Kamen Rider ZX is a Kamen Rider Series Japanese TV special that aired on January 3, 1984. It is a special meant to celebrate the birth of Kamen Rider ZX, the 10th person to don the Kamen Rider title. Prior to the special, ZX appeared in a manga from 1982 to 198 ...

from the ''

Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!! is a Kamen Rider Series Japanese TV special that aired on January 3, 1984. It is a special meant to celebrate the birth of Kamen Rider ZX, the 10th person to don the Kamen Rider title. Prior to the special, ZX appeared in a manga from 1982 to 198 ...

'' TV special returned, also performing as Ambassador Darkness.

Itsuji Itao , is a Japanese comedian and actor. He is a member of the comedy duo 130R and former cast member of one of Downtown's previous shows. He usually appears in their batsu games. Filmography (actor) Film *2001 ''Desert Moon'' ... Interviewer *200 ...

of ''

Kamen Rider The First is a 2005 Japanese tokusatsu superhero film. The film is a reboot adaptation of the television series ''Kamen Rider'', though there are many differences between the film and the original programme; some of these, however, are due to a closer relia ...

'' played Ren Aoi, Kamen Rider Fifteen, a main antagonist of the film.

Video games

* A second port of '' Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes'' titled for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

was released on December 3, 2009. It features Kamen Rider W as a playable character and also features Dopants and other kaijin as characters in the game. * '' Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez'' is a 3D action game, which was released on October 29, 2020 for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

and

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

. It features the cast from ''Kamen Rider W'', '' OOO'' and '' Zero-One'', whereas Kamen Riders W (including Joker and W FangJoker) and Accel as playable characters, though with

Yoshimasa Hosoya is a Japanese voice actor and narrator. Career After attending Tokyo Announce Gakuin Performing Arts College and Mausu Promotion Actor Training Center, he joined Mausu Promotion. He is currently a freelancer. Among his many roles, he voiced S ...

Koki Uchiyama is a Japanese actor who specializes in voice acting. He is affiliated with Himawari Theatre Group. He won Best Male Rookie at 5th Seiyu Awards. He also received one of Best Voice Actors at Tokyo Anime Award Festival in 2015. Uchiyama's voice ...

, and

Makoto Furukawa is a Japanese voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Entertainment. He became a freelancer in September 2018. He joined the record label Toy's Factory in December 2018. He made his solo singer debut under Lantis in July ...

voicing them instead of Renn Kiriyama, Masaki Suda, and Minehiro Kinomoto respectively.

Mini-dramas

As part of the special features on the DVD releases, a series of short films are included called in which Shotaro

daydream Daydreaming is a stream of consciousness that detaches from current external tasks when one's attention becomes focused on a more personal and internal direction. Various names of this phenomenon exist, including mind-wandering, fantasies, a ...

s about what life would be like if he, Akiko, or Ryu acted differently. These feature a Dopant from the DVD volume in a completely different role than it had in the series proper. These are then followed by members of the cast discussing their favorite parts of the episodes included in the DVD volume. These mini-dramas appear again in Fuuto PI. ;Volume titles # # # # # # # # # # # #

Planetarium film

At several

planetaria A planetarium (: planetariums or planetaria) is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetariums is t ...

throughout Japan, Toei had produced a film called to teach children about

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

(with narration by

Hirohiko Kakegawa is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Saitama Prefecture. Biography Kakegawa was born on October 11, 1959, in Saitama Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University.''Talent Who's Who in Japan'', Section 92, VIP Times Inc., 2012, ...

). Shotaro Hidari (portrayed by Kiriyama) and Philip (portrayed by

Suda The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; ; ) is a large 10th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine encyclopedia of the History of the Mediterranean region, ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas () or Souidas (). It is an ...

) who transform into Kamen Rider W, alongside Kamen Rider 1 (voiced by

Tetsu Inada is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Aoni Production. Biography Filmography Anime Films Video games Tokusatsu Dubbing Drama CDs References External links Official agency profileTetsu Inada at Ryu's Seiyuu Infos * * ...

), Kamen Rider 2 (voiced by

Takahiro Fujimoto is an actor and a retired male medley swimmer from Japan, who represented his native country in two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. His best Olympic result was the 8th place (4:23.86) in the Men's 400m Individual Medley event at t ...

), and the ten previous Heisei Riders, fight Shocker led by its President (

Hidekatsu Shibata is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Asakusa, Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He was a classmate of former prime minister Yasuo Fukuda at Azabu High School. Shibata is married to fellow voice actor Akiko Sekine. H ...

) and Gelshocker's Leechameleon (voiced by

Yasuhiro Takato Yasuhiro Takato (, born January 23, 1968, in Okayama) is a Japanese Seiyū, voice actor who works for Aoni Production. Filmography Television animation *''Sailor Moon'' (1992) - List of Sailor Moon characters#Artemis, Artemis *''Ping-Pong Club ...

) who plan on destroying the Earth by having it succumb to global warming. Airings first began at the

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

Science Museum on June 5, 2010, and later at

Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...

's Sanuki Kid's Land,

Chūō, Tokyo is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Chūō City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Kyōbashi and Nihonbashi wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. C ...

's Time Dome Akashi, the Seki Manabi Center, the

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

Municipal Science Center, the

Tondabayashi is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,803, in 51,632 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Tondabayashi is located in the sou ...

Subaru Hall, and the

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

Astronomical Observatory in Aoba-ku, with shows starting later in the year at the

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

Science Museum in

Chūō-ku, Kobe is one of 9 wards of Kobe, Japan. It has an area of 28.46 km2, and a population of 127,602 with 74,814 households as of January 31, 2012. The ward was formed from the 1980 merger of the former Fukiai-ku () and Ikuta-ku (). The Consulat ...

, and the Saitama Municipal Youth's Astronomical Science Museum in

Urawa-ku, Saitama is one of ten Wards of Japan, wards of the city of Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Located in the northeast of the city, Urawa is the governmental center of Saitama and houses most of the city's administrative offices in ...

''Televi-Kun'' DVDs

The Hyper Battle DVD for ''W'' is titled . It features a cooking contest between Ryu Terui, Akiko Narumi, and Shotaro Hidari, in order to best figure out what the contents of the Donburi Dopant are, to eventually discover that he is the Oyakodon Dopant. The Hyper Battle DVD features guest stars

Hiroshi is a common masculine Japanese given name. It can also be transliterated as Hirosi. Written forms Hiroshi can be written using different kanji characters. Here are some examples: *浩, "wide expanse, abundance, vigorous" *弘, "vast, broad, w ...

as the OmuriFu Shop's Master ,

Reina Fujie , is a Japanese actress and former singer. She is a former member NMB48's Team BII and former member of AKB48. She is a cousin of Berryz Kobo was a Japanese idol girl group formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2004 and associated with Hello! Pro ...

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

as his daughter , and

Shinichiro Ohta is a Japanese voice actor and television announcer noted primarily in the English-speaking world for his appearance as the kitchen reporter in ''Iron Chef'', where he was known for his rapid-fire announcing style. On the English-language versio ...

of ''

Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle buil ...

'' fame as the voice of the Frog Pod who comments throughout the cooking contest (Ōta also served as the narrator in ''

GoGo Sentai Boukenger is the 30th series in Toei's Super Sentai series, a metaseries of Japanese ''tokusatsu'' programming. It was the first installment to be produced and broadcast in the 16:9 aspect ratio. It aired from February 19, 2006, to February 11, 2007, a ...

''). The is a DVD packaged with the August 2010 issue of ''

Televi-Kun is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting in May 1976. Its main target is preschool-aged boys. It features super heroes such as ''Kamen Rider'', ''Super Sentai'', ''Ultraman'' and ''Metal Hero'', all of whom have gon ...

'' magazine. The issue also comes with a short book with the information described in the DVD. The DVD is set shortly after the Hyper Battle DVD, and features the content normally found in the Hyper Battle DVD (explaining the powers and weapons of the Kamen Riders), explained as Philip having come down with temporary

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...

after slipping on an egg shell and hitting his head.

''W Returns''

is a set of two

V-Cinema Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strate ...

releases that focus on side stories of Ryu Terui as Kamen Rider Accel and Katsumi Daido as Kamen Rider Eternal. Both releases are named after their primary character.

''Playback''

''W''s S.I.C Hero Saga side story ''Kamen Rider W: Playback'' commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series with Shotaro Hidari and Philip leading

Shotaro Ishinomori , né , was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, writer and director. Known as the "King of Manga" (漫画の帝王 (''Manga no Teiou)'' or 漫画の王様 (''Manga no Ousama)''), he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential mang ...

through the events following his creation of the television series in 1971. The first episode was published in ''Hobby Japan'', July 2011. Each episode is named after a different story written by

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

. # # # # # # #

''The One Who Continues After Z''

, written by

, is part of a series of spin-off novel adaptions of the Heisei Era Kamen Riders. Phillip takes up Shotaro's job in solving cases after he becomes sick. Phillip uses Kamen Rider W Fang Joker and fights alongside Kamen Rider Accel, however the Dopants get tougher and force Philip to become a Kamen Rider himself: Kamen Rider Cyclone. The novel was released on November 30, 2012. The novel takes place between episodes 32 and 33.

''Fuuto PI''

is a manga sequel that has been serialized in ''

Big Comic Spirits is a weekly Japanese ''seinen'' manga magazine published by Shogakukan. The first issue was published on October 14, 1980. Food, sports, romance and business are recurring themes in the magazine, and the stories often question conventional val ...

'' weekly magazine since August 7, 2017. Riku Sanjo, the main writer for the original series, was in charge of the manga's scripts, Masaki Sato drew the manga, Toei producer Hideaki Tsukada supervised the manga, and Katsuya Terada was credited for creature designs. An

adaptation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the ''Kamen Rider'' series and began airing in August 2022. The story is set after '' Kamen Rider W Returns: Kamen Rider Accel''. The series will be streamed in English by

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

. Some of the cast who has previously voiced their characters in the video game '' Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez'' reprises their roles.

Cast

* : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * Narration, Gaia Memory Voice:

Guest cast

* : * : * : * : * : * Teacher (7, 8): * : * : KOJI * Young girl (12): * : * : * : * : * : * : * *

(23, 24) * : * DJ Hurry Kenn (Voice; 23, 24) * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * * : * : * : * :

Songs

;Opening theme * " W-B-X (W-Boiled Extreme)" ** Lyrics:

Shoko Fujibayashi is a Japanese lyricist who has written the lyrics for several tokusatsu television series' theme songs. Most recently, Fujibayashi has worked with Shuhei Naruse on the soundtracks of ''Kamen Rider Den-O'', '' Kamen Rider Kiva'', and their films. ...

** Composition:

Shuhei Naruse is a Japanese musician, composer, and music arranger from Kyoto Prefecture. Naruse attended Ritsumeikan University. His major debut as a musician was in the rock band DEVELOP=FRAME where he played keyboards. He has since worked on the composition ...

** Arrangement: TAKUYA, Shuhei Naruse ** Artist: *:Read as "Double-B-X ~Double Boiled Extreme~", the song is written by Fujibayashi and Naruse, who have contributed to the production of the highest peaking Heisei Kamen Rider Series theme songs "

" (#2), "Break the Chain" (#3), and "

Journey through the Decade "Journey Through the Decade" (stylized "Journey through the Decade") is a song by Japanese pop singer Gackt, serving as his thirtieth single released on March 25, 2009. It is his first song performed for ''Kamen Rider Decade'', used as the televis ...

" (#2) on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

charts, performed by Kamiki and TAKUYA and was released on November 11, 2009. In its first week of release, it peaked at #8 on the Oricon Weekly Charts. *:Episodes 28 and 49 used the song as the ending theme. ; Insert themes * "Cyclone Effect" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD) ** Arrangement: Labor Day ** Artist: Labor Day ** Episodes: 3–6, 9, 21, 23, 24, 25, 45 *:The first of the ''Kamen Rider W'' ending themes "Cyclone Effect" was released on November 25, 2009, on a

maxi single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

. While the song is intended to be the theme for Kamen Rider W CycloneJoker, the song is also played during other forms' fight scenes. The vocalist is of Utayacco with AYANO of FULL AHEAD on guitar. * "Free your Heat" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition & Arrangement: Ryo (of

defspiral Defspiral (stylized as defspiral, and briefly existing under the name Wilma-Sidr) is a Japanese visual kei alternative metal band composed of most of the former members of the Underneath. When the Underneath disbanded in 2010, January 23rd, 201 ...

) ** Artist: Galveston 19 ** Episodes: 10, 11, 13, 19, 20, 21 *:This theme for Kamen Rider W HeatMetal was first played on the Wind Wave radio show. It later entered circulation as one of the three ending themes, released on CD on December 16, 2009. The band is composed of the members of the band everset, with on vocals, tatsuo on guitar, and on bass. * "Finger on the Trigger" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi & Otoko Usagi ** Composition & Arrangement: Junichi "IGAO" Igarashi ** Artist: Florida Keys ** Episodes: 7, 8, 14, 16, 18, 23, 30, 39 *:This theme for Kamen Rider W LunaTrigger was featured briefly on the Wind Wave internet radio shows shortly before premiering in the series. This song was released on CD on December 16, 2009. The band is composed of members of the band , featuring vocals by Yosh and U-Sagi with IGAO on keyboard. * "Naturally" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition & Arrangement:

** Artist: Wakana Sonozaki (

) ** Episodes: 13, 14, 17 *:Wakana Sonozaki (

) also has her own single titled "Naturally" that debuted during her talk show. It was later featured in the television series during a story arc that focused on her (Shotaro and Philip, as fans of her show, know all the lyrics and the accompanying dance). "Naturally" was released on CD on January 27, 2010. * "Leave all Behind" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition: Ryo (of

) ** Arrangement: Wilma-Sidr ** Artist: Wilma-Sidr ** Episodes: 22, 44 *:This new song premiered on the ''FU-TO HIT on GROOVE'' show which marked the day of

Kamen Rider Accel is a 2009–2010 Japanese tokusatsu drama, the eleventh series in the Heisei period run of the Kamen Rider Series and the twentieth overall. It premiered following the finale of ''Kamen Rider Decade'' on September 6, 2009, and aired alongside ''S ...

's appearance in the series. In episode 22, it is first used as Kamen Rider Accel's ending theme. It was released on CD on April 28, 2010. The members of Wilma-Sidr are the current line up of

, previously known as Transtic Nerve and the Underneath. * "Love♡Wars" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition & Arrangement: Shuhei Naruse ** Artist: Queen & Elizabeth (

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

Tomomi Kasai is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the idol group AKB48, belonging to Team A. She had a recurring role on ''Kamen Rider W'' as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano. Together, they make up the sub-unit Queen & Elizab ...

) ** Episodes: 23, 24 *:As part of their involvement in the ''Kamen Rider W'' production,

and

released the song "Love♡Wars" on March 31, 2010, as four different CDs, three of which contain DVDs with a music video, trading cards, and a special bonus track. The fourth is a CD-only release without the bonus track(s) available on the other three discs. The song debuted in the show during episodes 23 & 24 in which their characters Queen & Elizabeth are performing in a competition akin to ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

'' to get a major release. In its first week of release it sold over 21,000 copies, reaching #4 on the

Weekly Rankings. *"Nobody's Perfect" ** Lyrics:

Gorō Matsui is a Japanese lyricist born 11 December 1957 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, though he considers Tokyo to be his hometown. Beginning with participation in the Yamaha Popular Song Contests, he made his debut writing the lyrics for the 1981 Chage and ...

** Composition: Sokichi Narumi (

) ** Arrangement: Hiroaki Sugawara ** Artist: Sokichi Narumi (

) ** Episodes: 32, 38, 41, 42 & Movie War Core *:

recorded "Nobody's Perfect" as Kamen Rider Skull's theme song. A single (as a CD single and a CD+DVD version) was released on June 30, 2010. Although it is not used as an ending theme, the song is featured in several episodes and was used as the instrumental theme for the final episode preview. The song's music video, directed by

, tells a side story with Philip finding a book entitled "Nobody's Perfect". He views a number of flashbacks involving Sokichi Narumi and his past as Kamen Rider Skull, taking on a case with Shotaro. * "Extreme Dream" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD) ** Arrangement: Labor Day ** Artist: Labor Day ** Episodes: 46, 48 *:On the June 13, 2010 episode of ''FU-TO HIT on GROOVE'', Labor Day debuted their newest song for the series: "Extreme Dream". The song was not featured in the television series until 2 months later. * "Cyclone Effect (acoustic edit.)" ** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi ** Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD) ** Arrangement: Labor Day ** Artist: Labor Day ** Episodes: 48 *:This variation of "Cyclone Effect" is first heard in the background of episode 21. The song is later used as the ending theme for episode 48. During the events of episode 8, the song by Florida Keys was played within the show by a character. During episodes 23 and 24, the character Jimmy Nakata performed an original song titled ; this song was included as a bonus track on the standard DVD release version of the "Love♡Wars" single. During episode 23, Shotaro and Philip cover "Finger on the Trigger" in the ''Fuuuuuutic Idol'' contest. In addition to these songs, ''Head Wind One-Game Match!!'' DJs have written and performed the song "WIND WAVE" as a theme song for the fictional radio station. This song, as well as "Glorious Street (Eikō no Michi)", and "Extreme Dream" have been included in the complete CD box set. The bands that perform the series' ending themes are also featured in the programs as being local bands in the fictional city of Fuuto:

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band Labor Day's "Cyclone Effect", heavy metal/

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

band Galveston 19's "Free Your Heat", and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

group Florida Keys' "Finger on the Trigger". Each of these bands is named after a major early 20th century

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

: the

1935 Labor Day hurricane The 1935 Labor Day hurricane was an extremely powerful and devastating Atlantic hurricane that struck the southeastern United States in early September 1935. For several decades, it was the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of ...

, the

1900 Galveston hurricane The 1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as the Great Galveston hurricane and the Galveston Flood, and known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900 or the 1900 Storm, was a deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane which became the List of di ...

, and the

1919 Florida Keys hurricane The 1919 Florida Keys hurricane (also known as the 1919 Key West hurricane) was a massive and damaging tropical cyclone that swept across areas of the northern Caribbean Sea and the United States Gulf Coast in September 1919. Remainin ...

. The newest group, the

visual kei , abbreviated , is a category of Japanese musicians that have a strong focus on extravagant stage costumes that originated in Japan during the early 1980s. Koji Dejima of '' Bounce'' wrote that visual kei is not a specific sound, but rather it " ...

band Wilma-Sidr, is named after

Hurricane Wilma Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin and the second-most intense tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere, both based on barometric pressure, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Wilma's rapid intensifi ...

and

Cyclone Sidr Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Sidr was a tropical cyclone that resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in Bangladesh. The fourth named and the deadliest storm of the 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Sidr formed in the central B ...

. * "FINALLY" ** Artist: Melissa (hikaru yamamoto) * "Love♡Wars acoustic edit" ** Artist: Queen & Elizabeth * "Finger on the Trigger (heisei best Re-edit Ver.) ** Artist: Shotaro Hidari & Philip * "Glorious street 〜栄光の道〜" * "fuuto tower" * "WIND WAVE" * "HEART∞BREAKER" ** Artist: Daikichi (maki oguro & koji kikkawa) * "W" ** Artist: Mitsuru matsuoka * "cod-E ～Eの暗号～" ** Artist: Shopia

Parodies

Episode 295-A of ''

Sgt. Frog ''Sgt. Frog'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mine Yoshizaki. It was launched in '' Monthly Shōnen Ace'' in April 1999. The story follows the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders t ...

'' titled features the members of the

Keroro Platoon The following is a list of various characters in the universe of the anime and manga series ''Sgt. Frog'' and related works. Keroro Platoon The is led by Sergeant Keroro. While most platoons contain thirty or forty soldiers, the Keroro Plato ...

finding an artifact that allows two of them to combine into a single Keroro, each with new powers. The episode title is based on ''Kamen Rider W''s catchphrase and the resultant transformation resembles that of Kamen Rider W (the characters appear to be split down the middle, with one side being, for example, Keroro and the other Tamama).

References

External links

*
Official website
at

Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...

Official website
at

Avex Group Avex Inc. ( kabushiki gaisha , commonly known as Avex and stylized as avex) is a Japanese Conglomerate (company), entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J- ...

* {{Kamen Rider W Detective fiction 2009 Japanese television series debuts 2010 Japanese television series endings Japanese supernatural television series Japanese crime television series Fiction about murder Television shows about psychic powers Fiction about sentient objects