Kamen Rider Blade

Kamen Rider Blade (Masked Rider ♠ (Blade)), is a Japanese television series.

Kamen Rider Blade
Also known as	Masked Rider ♠
Genre	Tokusatsu Superhero fiction Action Fantasy Thriller Supernatural
Created by	Shotaro Ishinomori
Developed by	Ishimori Productions Toei Company
Written by	Shōji Imai Sōkichi Imai Junichi Miyashita Toshiki Inoue Sho Aikawa
Directed by	Hidenori Ishida Nobuhiro Suzumura Takao Nagaishi Satoshi Morota Takemitsu Satō Kunio Iki
Starring	Takayuki Tsubaki Ryoji Morimoto Kousei Amano Takahiro Hōjō Yumi Egawa Terunosuke Takezai Kaori Yamaguchi Hikari Kajiwara
Narrated by	Jūrōta Kosugi
Composer	Kazunori Miyake
Country of origin	Japan
No. of episodes	49
Production
Producers	Saeko Matsuda Jun Hikasa Naomi Takebe Takaaki Utsunomiya
Running time	24–25 minutes
Production company	Toei Company
Original release
Network	TV Asahi
Release	January 25, 2004 (2004-01-25) – January 23, 2005 (2005-01-23)

Production

It is the fourteenth installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It aired on TV Asahi from January 25, 2004 to January 23, 2005. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. Along with the standard insect motif of the Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider Blade also uses a Playing card motif. Each Rider is assigned one of the suits from a deck of cards. It aired as a part of TV Asahi's Super Hero Time block with Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger.

DVDs

Blade was later released on DVD by Toei. There were twelve volumes released with the first eleven having four episodes per DVD and the twelfth with five episodes.

Story

Ancient battle

Ten thousand years ago, a large battle known as the Battle Royal was fought by fifty-two Undead. Each side represented a species fighting for dominance. The winner was the Human Undead, known as Category Two of Hearts, giving dominion of the Earth to humanity.

New Battle Royal

In the present day, archaeologists discover the sealed Undead. But unfortunately, they accidentally set them free. Thus, a new Battle Royal begins.

Rider system

Having developed the Rider System, based on the Joker's ability to copy sealed Undead, the organization BOARD (Board of Archaeologists Research Department) equips two young men, who become Kamen Riders: Kazuma Kenzaki and and Sakuya Tachibana fight together as Kamen Rider Blade and Kamen Rider Garren to protect humans from Undead and seal them. Also fighting Undead is the mysterious Hajime Aikawa as Kamen Rider Chalice, whose purpose is unknown. In addition, young Mutsuji Kamijo fights to free himself from the control of the sealed Undead powering his own Undead-made Rider System. He fights as Kamen Rider Leangle.

Cast

• Kazuma Kenzaki / Kamen Rider Blade: Takayuki Tsubaki
• Sakuya Tachibana / Kamen Rider Garren: Kousei Amano (Played as "Hironari Amano")
• Hajime Aikawa / Kamen Rider Chalice, Ryo Mikami (29, 30): Ryoji Morimoto
• Mutsuji Kamijo / Kamen Rider Leangle: Takahiro Hōjō
• Shiori Hirose: Yumi Egawa
• Kotaro Shirai: Terunosuke Takezai
• Hikaru Kurihara: Kaori Yamaguchi
• Amane Kurihara, Young Amane: Hikari Kajiwara
• Nozomi Yamanaka: Arisa Miyazawa
• Kei Karasuma: Kazuhiro Yamaji
• Yoshito Hirose: Junichi Haruta
• Hiroshi Tennoji: Kohji Moritsugu
• Sayoko Fukasawa: Urara Awata
• Isaka: Yasukaze Motomiya
• Miyuki Yoshinaga: Mika Hijii
• Noboru Shima: Kazunari Aizawa
• King: Makoto Kajimo
• Kanai: Akira Kubodera
• Rouzer Voice: Takeshi Sasaki
• Rouzer Absorber Voice, King Rouzer Voice: Fumihiko Tachiki
• Narration: Jūrōta Kosugi

Missing Ace cast

• Junichi Shimura / Kamen Rider Glaive: Yuuki Kuroda
• Natsumi Miwa / Kamen Rider Larc: Yoko Mitsuya
• Shin Kagami / Kamen Rider Lance: Takao Sugiura
• Amane Kurihara: Miku Shida

Songs

Opening themes

• "Round ZERO~BLADE BRAVE"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Katsuya Yoshida
  • Arrangement: Akio Kondō
  • Artist: Nanase Aikawa
  • Episodes: 1 - 30
• "ELEMENTS"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Miki Fushisue
  • Arrangement: RIDER CHIPS & Cher Watanabe
  • Artist: RIDER CHIPS featuring Ricky
  • Episodes: 31 - 49

  After his performance in "ELEMENTS", Ricky was made RIDER CHIPS' permanent vocalist.

Insect themes

• "Kakusei" ("Awakening")
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Cher Watanabe
  • Arrangement: Akio Kondō
  • Artist: Ricky
  • Episodes: 2 - 23
• "Rebirth"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Yukari Aono
  • Arrangement: Cher Watanabe
  • Artist: Sakuya Tachibana (Kousei Amano)
  • Episodes: 23 - 30, 47
• "Take it a Try"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Cher Watanabe
  • Artist: Hajime Aikawa (Ryoji Morimoto)
  • Episodes: 31 - 49