Kamen Rider Stronger ran April 5, 1975 - December
27, 1975 (39 episodes)
| Character |
|
Actor |
| Jou, Shigeru |
|
Araki,
Shigeru |
| Kamen Rider Stronger (episodes 1, 2, 39) |
|
Nakamura, Bunya |
| Kamen Rider Stronger (episodes 3-38) |
|
Nakayashiki,
Tetsuya |
| Kamen Rider Stronger (motorcycle stunts) |
|
Kumasawa, Tushiaki |
| Tachibana, Tobei |
|
Kobayashi,
Akiji |
| Misaki, Yuriko (episodes 1-30) |
|
Okada, Kyouko |
| Mr. Titan (episodes 1-13, 17-23) |
|
Hamada, Akira |
| General Shadow (episodes 13-39) |
|
Hirou, Kawarazaki |
| Voice of General Shadow (episodes 13-39) |
|
Hidekatsu, Shibata |
| Voice of Great Leader |
|
Naya,
Gorou |
| Narrator |
|
Nakae,
Shinji |
"The sky calls to me! The land calls to me! The people call to me! They call me, to fight the evil. Listen, evil, I am the warrior of justice - Kamen Rider Stronger!"
Jou, Shigeru (Araki,
Shigeru) seeking revenge for a friend, joins the terrorist group Black
Satan, volunteering to undergo the surgery to become "Denki Ningen
Stronga" (Electric Human Stronger). Once the operation is complete he
turns against Black Satan. After his first transformation he declares
himself "Kamen Rider Stronger".
In every
episode Jou, Shigeru wore a different colored t-shirt with a large
black "S" in the center. He sometimes hid it under a jacket but it was
always there and would be uncovered eventually. Once he transformed the
"S" was still there. Perhaps the writers were poking fun at America's
"Super Man". Shigeru also wore black gloves, which he removed to
henshin. His hands were metal, like electrical coils, and rubbing them
together would generate sparks. Jou, Shigeru had his own theme song, "Our Brother, Jou Shigeru".
Stronger's combat
techniques were electrically based, using energy generated by his
"Electora" henshin belt -- "Stronga Denj Kick" (Stronger Electric
Kick), "Electro Fire", "Denj Magnet" (Electric Magnet), "Denj Stream"
(Electric Stream), "Denj Chop" (Electric Chop), "Denj Punch" (Electric
Punch), "Denj Touch" (Electric Touch), "Denj Charge" (Electric Charge),
"Electro Waterfall", "Electro Thunder", "Electro Kick". Only two did
not have "Denj" or "Electro" in their names "Stronger Double Kick" and
"Screw Kick". Unlike most of the other Kamen Riders who were based on
grasshoppers, Kamen Rider Stronger was a beetle.
Like Amazon's
"Jungler", Stronger's "Kabutoroh" was not transformable (Shigeru and
Stronger drove the same motorcycle). Kabutoroh is a play on the
Japanese word "kabutomushi" which means "beetle." Kabutorah's top speed
was 1010km/h (approx. 628 mph), making it the fastest of the Kamen
Rider's motorycles. Kabutorah could release an electric discharge,
"Kabutoroh Thunder". Kabutoroh's theme song as Kabutoroh
Boogie.
The Creative
Producer forKikaida, Tohru Hirayama, was
co-creator and co-producer of Kamen Rider Stronger,
so several of the elements found in Kikaida were
also found in Kamen Rider Stronger, Shigeru stood
on a high place and whistled to let the Black Satan mutants know he was
there (like Jiro played his guitar), then he made a speech, ending in a
self-introduction, the mutant was defeated by "Stronga Denji Kick" and
when the battle was over Shigeru drove off leaving Tachibana,
Tobei (who like Hanpei provides comic relief) behind. None of
these things originated with Kikaida however,
they are actually traditional. Tohru Hirayama borrowed them from old
Samurai movies which in turn got them from Kabuki plays.
Kamen Rider Stronger
was assisted by Electro-Magnetic
Wave Human Tackle, whom he had rescued from Black Satan, and
Tachibana, Tobei, mentor to the previous six Kamen Riders.
Kamen
Rider Stronger was divided into two parts. Part 1, episodes
1-26, Stronger battled the terrorist group Black
Satan. Part 2, episodes 27-39, Stronger battled the Delza Army.
In episode 31
a scientist operates on Jou, Shigeru placing a Super Dynamo inside his
body. This gives Kamen Rider the ability to "Charge Up!". Parts of him
would turn silver and the S on his chest would spin.
Charging up gave Kamen
Rider Stronger more powerful combat techniques: "Cho Den Dai Sha Rin
Kick" (Super Electro Big Wheel Kick), "Cho Denji Drill Kick" (Super
Electron Drill Kick), "Cho Den Jet Nage" (Super Electro Spinning
Throw), and "Kyu Gou Ga Punch" (Speed Diving Punch). There was a price
to pay for this increased power however, Stronger had 1 minute to
disperse the extra energy, by using it against his enemy or he would
explode.
During the last five
episodes Kamern Rider Stronger was aided by the previous Kamen Riders:
episode 35 Kamen Rider V3, episode 36 Kamen Ridder X and Kamen Rider
Amazon, episode 37 Riderman and Kamen Rider V3, episode 38 Kamen Rider
1 & Kamen Rider 2. In episode 39 all seven Kamen Riders work
together to finally defeat the Delza Army.
In episode 39 we find
out that the Delza Army's true leader is Delza Army General, who was
also the founder of Shocker, Gel Shocker, Destron, Government of
Darkness, Geddon, Garada Empire and Black Satan.
Kamen
Rider Stronger ends with still photos from the previous
series being flashed on the screen as the themes from Kamen
Rider V3 and Kamen Rider are played.
The narrator's last words are "Sayounara Kamen Rider". This would seem
to indicate that Kamen Rider Stronger was
originally intended to be the last series (which would explain the four
year break before the next series, no next series was originally
planed).
A week after Kamen
Rider Stronger ended all 7 of the Kamen Riders appeared
together with Tachibana, Tobei in the tv special Zeninshugo
Shichinin no Kamen Rider [Kamen Rider All Back Again! 7
Riders]. This would be the last time Tachibana, Tobei and the Riders
would be together.
Kamen Rider Stronger Episodes
Kamen Rider Stronger Songs
Other appearances of Kamen Rider Stronger
MOVIE
Kamen Rider
Stronger -
episode 7 modified to movie format
8 Riders vs. Milky Way King (March 15, 1980)
Kamen Rider Super-1 (March 14, 1981)
Kamen Rider-SD (January 25, 1993) - animation)
TV
Kamen Rider
All Back Again! 7 Riders (January 3, 1976) - 45 minute special
New Kamen Rider (1979) - episodes 20, 21, 27, 28,
38, 52, 53, 54
Kamen Rider #10'S Birth! Riders Come Together
(January 3, 1984) - 45
minute special
Kamen Rider Black RX (1989) - episodes 41-47
Jou, Shigeru
is last seen in the final episode of New Kamen Rider,
the other tv programs and movies do not show Kamen Rider Stronger
unmasked.
Arigatou gozaimasu to
KRV for help in identifying some of the Black Satan mutants and for
providing the names of the Delza Army officers (in Japanese, I ran them
through an online dictionary). And to "shinhyata" for the two photos of
the original operation at Black Satan headquarters.