Kamen Rider Spirits

仮面ライダーSPIRITS

7.84(1K votes)

Ranked #1454Popularity #7783

chapters

volumes

Status

Finished

Published

Nov 25, 2000 to Jan 26, 2009

Authors:Ishinomori, Shoutarou, Muraeda, Kenichi

Action

Worth Reading? — Global Verdict

9.0/10

Average Review Score

100%

Recommend It

Reviews Worldwide

International Reviews

swordfish-san

Recommended

For a Japanese cult classic like Kamen Rider, this manga has been revolutionary. Comparing this to showa era riders is like comparing a base of a pizza with a fresh out of the oven pepperoni pizza. It is innovative, stayed true to the original series and linked all these shows together like a spear gutting several fish with a single strike. In order oto understand what this manga is really about, you need to have a firm but basic knowledge of the original showa riders. Most fans of the original kamen rider know what to expect in this manga, its bloody, dark and turned theoriginal cheesy, ancient and nonsensical plot into the stuff of legends. The plot may seem cliche as it follows a similar plot to the original Birth of ZX but in the manga, the characters and stories have a exceptional ammount of depth and a very threatening group of villains known as Badan. But then again this is what the original series has always been missing, realism. Quoted from Emiya Shiro from Fate/Stay Night "People die if they are killed" the show itself did not have many notable deaths aside from a few mutants here and there, but was surprisingly dark. This manga innovated these aspects and pulled it altogether with the riders not being as omnipotent as expected but working along side soldiers to fight off the 'bad guys'.

9 found helpfulOct 28, 2010

Community Discussion

Zetman

Synopsis

Taki Kazuya, an Interpol agent living in New York City, is currently investigating a string of disappearances and murders which seem to have been caused by something inhuman. He always tells stories of his friend, a cyborg hero named Kamen Rider, who years ago in Japan brought down the evil organization Shocker, saving people from monsters and never seeking any reward for his deeds. However, the only ones who believe his tales are a group of orphans he has befriended. When one of the orphans is transformed into a monster, Taki tracks down the creature responsible and attempts to fight it in his own costume, calling himself a new Kamen Rider. However, he fares poorly against it and is on the verge of being killed. At that moment, none other than Takeshi Hongo, the original Kamen Rider, comes to his rescue. Hongo and a newly inspired Taki team up and manage to defeat the creatures. Afterward, Hongo informs Taki that a new danger is rising to threaten humanity and asks for his help before setting off to find more allies, the eight other Kamen Riders with whom he was once a team. Taki continues his work with Interpol, along with assisting Hongo's search. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

"There may not be a God, there may not be a Buddha but there will always be a Kamen Rider" Avengers: Endgame for Showa Era Kamen Rider fans First things first, if you are not a fan or are familiar with the popular and long running Tokusatsu series "Kamen Rider" then you may be very confused heading into this manga. "Kamen Rider Spirits" serves as a retcon/retelling of the 1984 TV Special "Birth of the 10th Kamen Rider!" which takes place in the continuity of the Showa Era Kamen Rider shows. Taking place after the events of the 7th series "Kamen Rider Super - 1" So youmay want to at least familiarize yourself with the series a bit before heading into this. This manga is what i would call "fan service heaven" and i mean that in a very good way. Ishinomori & Muraeda tell a very gripping story, filled with so many minor references and callbacks to the first seven series' it's insane. It truly makes you feel rewarded for being a Kamen Rider fan and i could not help but smile at all the references. Muraeda's art is also incredible and i feel he captures the spirit of Showa Riders perfectly, some of the panels are just jaw dropping. The Riders themselves also get a ton of characterization that was not really present in the actual shows. But each of the Riders is represented perfectly, they feel authentic to the show but also some new characterization that feels right and is not OOC in any way. They may not be the same 1 to 1 but the soul of these men is represented perfectly. Same with all the side characters. Spirits also features an entourage of new characters original to the manga. They are also all very likable and don't feel too cliched. Even if i sometimes got the feeling that Ryo (the 10th Rider) was a tiny little bit a Gary Stu sometimes. Kamen Rider Spirits is also very action focused, most of the manga is fighting. That's not a good or bad thing really but i remember sometimes getting a bit tired of the action, some more quieter moments would've been appreciated. That's not to say the action is bad or anything, far from it. The action and fights in Spirits are very well done and suspenseful. If you love Kamen Rider then this manga is an absolute treat, if not then stay away from it and come back later once you become a fan ;) It's a shame this series was originally abandoned and i hope the story is continued in the sequel series "Shin Kamen Rider Spirits"

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