Kamen Rider 555
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| Kamen Rider 555 | |
|---|---|
 Title screen. | |
| Genre | Tokusatsu |
| Created by | Shotaro Ishinomori |
| Written by | Toshiki Inoue |
| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Takehiko Kano |
| Opening theme | "Justiφ's" by ISSA |
| Ending theme |
|
| Composer | Hayato Matsuo |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 50 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | |
| Running time | 24-25 minutes (per episode) |
| Production company | Toei Company |
| Original release | |
| Network | TV Asahi |
| Release | January 26, 2003 – January 18, 2004 |
Kamen Rider 555 (仮面ライダー555（ファイズ）, Kamen Raidā Faizu, officially Masked Rider Φ's, also read Kamen Rider Faiz or Phi's) is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. 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. And it was the first series to use TV Asahi's current logo. The catchphrase for the series is "Racing Instinct." (疾走する本能, Shissō Suru Honnō).
Story
The Smart Brain corporation, the world's most powerful corporation, is trying to take over the world using Orphnoch, the "next stage in humanity's evolution", to covertly kill off the human population. In pursuit of this, they develop three suits of power armor, called Rider Gears (each for Delta, Faiz, and Kaixa), to find and protect the Orphnoch King, who can fix a defect within Orphnoch DNA which causes their genetic structure to break down, leading to death.
The Rider Gears are stolen by Hanagata, the Goat Orphnoch and former chief of Smart Brain. He sends them to his foster children (dubbed the "Ryuseiji", after the school they attended) so they can stop the Orphnoch from achieving their goal. However, Rider Gears were designed to be worn by Orphnoch, and humans are unable to activate the systems without undergoing genetic modification.
A young loner, Takumi Inui, is unwittingly drawn into the conflict between the Orphnoch and humans and becomes Kamen Rider Faiz to save the life of Mari Sonoda, one of the Ryuseiji. Smart Brain begins targeting him in an attempt to retrieve the Faiz Gear.
However, there is division amongst the Orphnoch, as those who wish to co-exist with humans rather than kill them, begin resisting the Smart Brain, who in turn targets them as well. Most of these "renegade" Orphnochs are either killed, remain neutral or begin siding with the Ryuseiji against the Smart Brain.
When the Tokyo police discover the Orphnoch are behind a series of bizarre murders, they begin operations to defeat the creatures, largely unaware of the various factions involved. They even begin performing experiments on captured Orphnoch in an attempt to find ways of destroying them, though this does not go well.
The Orphnoch King eventually awakens within a young boy named Teruo Suzuki, whom Naoya Kaido and Keitaro Kikuchi saved and befriended. Now, it is up to the holders of the Rider Gears to band together and fight for humanity's survival.
Rider Gears
| Belt | Greek letter | Notable wearer |
|---|---|---|
| TV Series | ||
| Faiz Gear | Φ | Takumi Inui |
| Kaixa Gear | Χ | Masato Kusaka |
| Delta Gear | Δ | Shuji Mihara |
| Riotrooper Gear | Ο | Naoya Kaido |
| Movie | ||
| Psyga Gear | Ψ | Leo |
| Orga Gear | Ω | Yuji Kiba |
| Stage Show | ||
| Alpha Gear | α | Female Performer |
| Beta Gear | β | Male Performer |
| Gamma Gear | γ | Male Performer |
The equipment used in the series to transform is referred to as Rider Gear. It was created to be worn by the Orphenoch to protect their Orphenoch King. Each Rider Gear contains a belt known as a Driver used to form armor that protects the wearer and amplifies their strengths and abilities. The armor's theme is based on a letter from the Greek alphabet, and contains the letter somehow within the aesthetic design. The Gears also have a method to input command codes, a cell phone number keypad for most, which can activate armor and various weapons. The sound effects of a dialing in any of the Rider Gear phones were later referenced in episode 17 of Kamen Rider Kabuto.
The TV series focused on three sets of Rider Gear: Faiz Gear, Kaixa Gear, and Delta Gear. During the TV series, Hanagata, the foster father of the Ryuseiji and former chief executive of Smart Brain, attempted to create several new Rider Gears, using two lost people to test out the first two. The two belts failed to create Rider armor, resulting in the wearer’s deaths. When Itsuro Takuma of Lucky Clover wore the third one it disabled him for a few seconds before it dissolved. The fourth dissolved without ever being worn. The Kamen Rider 555 movie, Paradise Lost, introduced two additional sets of Rider Gear: Psyga Gear and Orga Gear
Riotrooper Army
The show featured a series of mass-produced transformation belts called Smart Buckle, which enabled the wearer to transform into a generic Riotrooper. The Riotroopers were introduced in the movie, and later added at the end of the TV series.
Live Stage-Show
A live stage-show of Kamen Rider Faiz featured three unique riders named Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
Naming Conventions
Each set of Rider Gear is code-locked, in addition to being only usable by Orphenoch. These codes, input through the phone of each Gear, are a set of numbers that relate to the theme of each Gear. For the Faiz Gear, the code is 5-5-5, or "fives", phonetically similar to the word Faiz. For the Kaixa Gear, the code is 9-1-3, which is read in goroawase as "Ka-I-Sa". Delta Gear's phone was voice-activated, yet nonetheless also was coded with 3-3-3, a reference to the Greek letter delta, a triangle.
The goroawase system was also used for the Psyga Gear, where the code 3-1-5 is read as "Sa-I-Go". The Orga Gear, patterned after Greek Omega, the final letter, is code-locked to 0-0-0.
Orphnoch
The series kaijin; they are humans who are resurrected either naturally or by the Smart Brain, with enhanced physical attributes and the ability to transform into monsters. Their goal is to annihilate humanity either by turning other humans into more Orphnoch or killing them off completely. However, there are those who believe they can still live peacefully alongside humans; those who possess that mind set quickly become targets for elimination by the Smart Brain.
Episodes
| Ep# | Title | Director | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Start of a Trip" Transliteration: "Tabi no Hajimari" (Japanese: 旅の始まり) | Ryuta Tasaki | January 26, 2003 |
| 2 | "The Belt's Power" Transliteration: "Beruto no Chikara" (Japanese: ベルトの力) | Ryuta Tasaki | February 2, 2003 |
| 3 | "The King's Sleep..." Transliteration: "Ō no Nemuri..." (Japanese: 王の眠り･･･) | Takao Nagaishi | February 9, 2003 |
| 4 | "My Name" Transliteration: "Ore no Namae" (Japanese: おれの名前) | Takao Nagaishi | February 16, 2003 |
| 5 | "Original" Transliteration: "Orijinaru" (Japanese: オリジナル) | Hidenori Ishida | February 23, 2003 |
| 6 | "Trio × Trio" Transliteration: "Sannin × Sannin" (Japanese: ３人×３人) | Hidenori Ishida | March 2, 2003 |
| 7 | "The Power of Dreams" Transliteration: "Yume no Chikara" (Japanese: 夢の力) | Ryuta Tasaki | March 9, 2003 |
| 8 | "The Protector of Dreams" Transliteration: "Yume no Mamoribito" (Japanese: 夢の守り人) | Ryuta Tasaki | March 16, 2003 |
| 9 | "Enter, the President" Transliteration: "Shachō Tōjō" (Japanese: 社長登場) | Takao Nagaishi | March 23, 2003 |
| 10 | "The Enigmatic Rider" Transliteration: "Nazo no Raidā" (Japanese: 謎のライダー) | Takao Nagaishi | March 30, 2003 |
| 11 | "The Enigmatic Belt" Transliteration: "Nazo no Beruto" (Japanese: 謎のベルト) | Takao Nagaishi | April 6, 2003 |
| 12 | "Ryūsei School" Transliteration: "Ryūsei-juku" (Japanese: 流星塾) | Hidenori Ishida | April 13, 2003 |
| 13 | "Friend of Foe?" Transliteration: "Teki ka Mikata ka" (Japanese: 敵か味方か) | Hidenori Ishida | April 20, 2003 |
| 14 | "Takumi's Spirit" Transliteration: "Takumi no Iji" (Japanese: 巧の意地) | Ryuta Tasaki | April 27, 2003 |
| 15 | "The Fallen Idol ~ φ's vs. χ" Transliteration: "Ochita Gūzō ~ Faizu Tai Kai" (Japanese: 落ちた偶像~ φ's vs χ) | Ryuta Tasaki | May 4, 2003 |
| 16 | "Human Heart" Transliteration: "Ningen no Kokoro" (Japanese: 人間の心) | Naoki Tamura | May 11, 2003 |
| 17 | "Takumi, Revival" Transliteration: "Takumi, Fukkatsu" (Japanese: 巧、復活) | Naoki Tamura | May 18, 2003 |
| 18 | "Narrow Escape from Death" Transliteration: "Kyūshi ni Isshō" (Japanese: 九死に一生) | Takao Nagaishi | May 25, 2003 |
| 19 | "Pure White Justice" Transliteration: "Junpaku no Seigi" (Japanese: 純白の正義) | Takao Nagaishi | June 1, 2003 |
| 20 | "The Beautiful Assassin" Transliteration: "Utsukushiki Shikaku" (Japanese: 美しき刺客) | Hidenori Ishida | June 8, 2003 |
| 21 | "Accelerating Spirits" Transliteration: "Kasoku Suru Tamashii" (Japanese: 加速する魂) | Hidenori Ishida | June 22, 2003 |
| 22 | "Masato's Confession" Transliteration: "Masato no Kokuhaku" (Japanese: 雅人の告白) | Naoki Tamura | June 29, 2003 |
| 23 | "False Friendship" Transliteration: "Itsuwari no Yūjō" (Japanese: 偽りの友情) | Naoki Tamura | July 6, 2003 |
| 24 | "The Door to Darkness" Transliteration: "Yami e no Tobira" (Japanese: 闇への扉) | Takao Nagaishi | July 13, 2003 |
| 25 | "The Dark Laboratory" Transliteration: "Yami no Jikkenshitsu" (Japanese: 闇の実験室) | Takao Nagaishi | July 20, 2003 |
| 26 | "Enter, Delta" Transliteration: "Deruta Tōjō" (Japanese: デルタ登場) | Hidenori Ishida | July 27, 2003 |
| 27 | "Ryūsei School Breaks Up" Transliteration: "Ryūseijuku Bunretsu" (Japanese: 流星塾分裂) | Hidenori Ishida | August 3, 2003 |
| 28 | "Dark Clover" Transliteration: "Ankoku no Yotsuba" (Japanese: 暗黒の四葉) | Hidenori Ishida | August 10, 2003 |
| 29 | "Excellent Bike" Transliteration: "Chōzetsu Baiku" (Japanese: 超絶バイク) | Naoki Tamura | August 17, 2003 |
| 30 | "Masato's Trap" Transliteration: "Masato no Wana" (Japanese: 雅人の罠) | Naoki Tamura | August 24, 2003 |
| 31 | "Origami Tears" Transliteration: "Origami no Namida" (Japanese: 折り紙の涙) | Nobuhiro Suzumura | August 31, 2003 |
| 32 | "Intertwined Threads" Transliteration: "Karamiau Ito" (Japanese: 絡み合う糸) | Nobuhiro Suzumura | September 7, 2003 |
| 33 | "Mari Dies" Transliteration: "Mari, Shisu" (Japanese: 真理、死す) | Takao Nagaishi | September 14, 2003 |
| 34 | "True Form" Transliteration: "Shinjitsu no Sugata" (Japanese: 真実の姿) | Takao Nagaishi | September 21, 2003 |
| 35 | "The Resurrection Riddle" Transliteration: "Fukkatsu no Nazo" (Japanese: 復活の謎) | Hidenori Ishida | September 28, 2003 |
| 36 | "Restored Memories" Transliteration: "Yomigaeru Kioku" (Japanese: 蘇る記憶) | Hidenori Ishida | October 5, 2003 |
| 37 | "Kaixa's Justice" Transliteration: "Kaiza no Seigi" (Japanese: カイザの正義) | Nobuhiro Suzumura | October 12, 2003 |
| 38 | "The Wandering Spirit" Transliteration: "Samayoeru Tamashii" (Japanese: 彷徨える魂) | Nobuhiro Suzumura | October 19, 2003 |
| 39 | "Faiz 2" Transliteration: "Faizu Tsū" (Japanese: ファイズ２) | Naoki Tamura | October 26, 2003 |
| 40 | "Proof of Humanity" Transliteration: "Ningen no Akashi" (Japanese: 人間の証) | Naoki Tamura | November 9, 2003 |
| 41 | "Capture Commences" Transliteration: "Hokaku Kaishi" (Japanese: 捕獲開始) | Takao Nagaishi | November 16, 2003 |
| 42 | "Broken Wings" Transliteration: "Oreta Tsubasa" (Japanese: 折れた翼) | Takao Nagaishi | November 23, 2003 |
| 43 | "Red Balloon" Transliteration: "Akai Fūsen" (Japanese: 赤い風船) | Hidenori Ishida | November 30, 2003 |
| 44 | "Final Mail" Transliteration: "Saigo no Mēru" (Japanese: 最後のメール) | Hidenori Ishida | December 7, 2003 |
| 45 | "King's Awakening" Transliteration: "Ō no Mezame" (Japanese: 王の目覚め) | Ryuta Tasaki | December 14, 2003 |
| 46 | "A New President Appears" Transliteration: "Shin Shachō Tōjō" (Japanese: 新社長登場) | Ryuta Tasaki | December 21, 2003 |
| 47 | "King's Appearance" Transliteration: "Ō no Shutsugen" (Japanese: 王の出現) | Takao Nagaishi | December 28, 2003 |
| 48 | "Masato, Dying A Glorious Death" Transliteration: "Masato, Sange" (Japanese: 雅人、散華) | Takao Nagaishi | January 4, 2004 |
| 49 | "A Sign of Destruction" Transliteration: "Horobiyuku Shu" (Japanese: 滅びゆく種) | Ryuta Tasaki | January 11, 2004 |
| 50 (Final) | "My Dream" Transliteration: "Ore no Yume" (Japanese: 俺の夢) | Ryuta Tasaki | January 18, 2004 |
Films
Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost
Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost (劇場版 仮面ライダー555 パラダイス・ロスト, Gekijōban Kamen Raidā Faizu: Paradaisu Rosuto), was released during the run of the series, as a double feature alongside Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger: Abare Summer is Freezing! on August 16, 2003. The film was 81 minutes long. A few new characters and Rider Gears were introduced in the movie.
Kamen Rider Taisen
A trailer for Heisei Rider vs. Shōwa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai (平成ライダー対昭和ライダー 仮面ライダー大戦 feat.スーパー戦隊, Heisei Raidā Tai Shōwa Raidā Kamen Raidā Taisen fīcharingu Sūpā Sentai) was shown in theaters with The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. The film's website reveals that it will be released in Japanese theaters on March 29, 2014. Kohei Murakami and Kento Handa are confirmed to reprises their respective roles from Kamen Rider 555.
Hyper Battle Video
Kamen Rider 555: Hyper Battle Video (仮面ライダー５５５（ファイズ） ハイパーバトルビデオ, Kamen Raidā Faizu Haipā Batoru Bideo) features a boom box called the Faiz Sounder developed by the Smart Brain corporation appearing at the laundromat where Takumi, Mari, and Keitaro work at, causing them and everyone else to break into song and dance. The Faiz Sounder was created as a result of a contest for Televi Magazine for a new weapon for Kamen Rider Faiz.
Lost World
The S.I.C. Hero Saga side story for 555 published in Monthly Hobby Japan magazine was titled Masked Rider 555: Lost World (MASKED RIDER 555 -ロスト・ワールド-, Kamen Raidā Faizu -Rosuto Wārudo-). It serves as a prologue to the alternate story that was 555: Paradise Lost, and features the new character Riotrooper Ver. 2 (ライオトルーパーver.2, Raiotorūpā ver.2). The story ran from October 2005 to January 2006.
- Chapter titles
- Faiz (ファイズ, Faizu)
- Kaixa (カイザ, Kaiza)
- Delta (デルタ, Deruta)
- Psyga (サイガ, Saiga)
Video game
A video game based on the series was produced by Bandai for the PlayStation 2. It was a fighting game which featured many of the characters from the TV series. There were several modes of gameplay for either a single play and two players. It was released only in Japan near the end of the TV series on December 18, 2003.[1]
Blu-ray release
In 2014, 555 will receive a three-part Blu-ray release. To promote the release, the cast reunited after 10 years, but they remarked that not much has changed, other than Yoshika Kato changing her stage name to Leilani Gaja and her new life in Hong Kong and series lead Kento Handa's recent popularity on the variety show Tamori Club where he has surprised guests with his knowledge of high-rise buildings and kayōkyoku.[2]
Cast
- Takumi Inui (乾 巧, Inui Takumi): Kento Handa (半田 健人, Handa Kento)
- Mari Sonoda (園田 真理, Sonoda Mari): Yuria Haga (芳賀 優里亜, Haga Yuria)
- Keitaro Kikuchi (菊池 啓太郎, Kikuchi Keitarō): Ken Mizorogi (溝呂木 賢, Mizorogi Ken)
- Yuji Kiba (木場 勇治, Kiba Yūji): Masayuki Izumi (泉 政行, Izumi Masayuki)
- Yuka Osada (長田 結花, Osada Yuka): Yoshika Kato (加藤 美佳, Katō Yoshika)
- Naoya Kaido (海堂 直也, Kaidō Naoya): Mitsuru Karahashi (唐橋 充, Karahashi Mitsuru)
- Masato Kusaka (草加 雅人, Kusaka Masato): Kohei Murakami (村上 幸平, Murakami Kōhei)
- Shuji Mihara (三原 修二, Mihara Shūji): Atsushi Harada (原田 篤, Harada Atsushi)
- Rina Abe (阿部 里奈, Abe Rina): Rie Kasai (河西 りえ, Kasai Rie)
- Aki Sawada (澤田 亜希, Sawada Aki): Gō Ayano (綾野 剛, Ayano Gō)
- Teruo Suzuki (鈴木 照夫, Suzuki Teruo): Kayato Watanabe (渡辺 彼野人, Watanabe Kayato)
- Joji Soeno (添野 錠二, Soeno Jōji): Taro Ishida (石田 太郎, Ishida Tarō)
- Sawamura (沢村, Sawamura): Koji Iwakawa (岩川 幸司, Iwakawa Kōji)
- Hikaru Soeno (添野 ひかる, Soeno Hikaru): Manami Miwake (三訳 真奈美, Miwake Manami)
- Masahiko Minami (南 雅彦, Minami Masahiko): Atsushi Ogawa (小川 敦史, Ogawa Atsushi)
- J (ジェイ, Jei): Kenneth Duria (ケネス・ヅリア, Kenesu Zuria)
- Itsuro Takuma (琢磨 逸郎, Takuma Itsurō): Jun Yamasaki (山崎 潤, Yamasaki Jun)
- Saeko Kageyama (影山 冴子, Kageyama Saeko): Waka (和香, Waka)
- Kitazaki (北崎, Kitazaki): Ray Fujita (藤田 玲, Fujita Rei)
- Smart Lady (スマートレディ, Sumāto Redi): Hitomi Kurihara (栗原 瞳, Kurihara Hitomi)
- Kyoji Murakami (村上 峡児, Murakami Kyōji): Katsuyuki Murai (村井 克行, Murai Katsuyuki)
- Hanagata (花形, Hanagata): Koji Naka (中 康治, Naka Kōji)
- Kazufumi Mizuno (水野 和史, Mizuno Kazufumi): Kengo Ohkuchi (大口 兼悟, Ōkuchi Kengo)
- Tetsuo Itagaki (板垣 哲生, Itagaki Tetsuo): Atsushi Fukazawa (深沢 敦, Fukazawa Atsushi)
- Takako Shimaji (島地 貴子, Shimaji Takako): Chika Nakagami (中上 ちか, Nakagami Chika)
- Teruo's Shadow (照夫の影, Teruo no Kage): Shun Kobayashi (小林 俊, Kobayashi Shun)
- Orphnochs (オルフェノク, Orufenoku, Voice): Katsumi Shiono (塩野 勝美, Shiono Katsumi)
- Arch Orphnoch (アークオルフェノク, Āku Orufenoku, Voice): Hiroshi Yanaka (家中 宏, Yanaka Hiroshi)
- Narration, Driver Voice (ナレーション、ドライバー音声, Narēshon, Doraibā Onsei): Takehiko Kano (假野 剛彦, Kano Takehiko)
Guest actors
- Chie Morishita (森下 千恵, Morishita Chie, 1-2): Mika Katsumura (勝村 美香, Katsumura Mika)
- Yuji Kiba's Father (木場 勇治の父, Kiba Yūji no Chichi, 1): Shinichi Kase (加瀬 慎一, Kase Shinichi)
- Yuji Kiba's Mother (木場 勇治の母, Kiba Yūji no Haha, 1): Midori Takei (竹井 みどり, Takei Midori)
- Akai (赤井, Akai, 3-4): Katsuyuki Yamazaki (山﨑 勝之, Yamazaki Katsuyuki)
- Eiichi Toda (戸田 英一, Toda Eiichi, 5-6): Shigeki Kagemaru (影丸 茂樹, Kagemaru Shigeki)
- Professor (教授, Kyōju, 7-8): Ichiro Ogura (小倉 一郎, Ogura Ichirō)
- Gorgeous Man (ゴージャスな男, Gōjasu na Otoko, 31-32): Masaki Tachi (舘 正貴, Tachi Masaki)
- Crab Orphnoch (クラブオルフェノク, Kurabu Orufenoku, 41-42, Voice): Satoshi Matsuda (松田 悟志, Matsuda Satoshi)
Songs
- Opening theme
- "Justiφ's"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: Kazuto Sato
- Arrangement: Kōtarō Nakagawa
- Artist: ISSA (of DA PUMP)
- Episodes: 2-49
- Ending themes
- "Dead or alive"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: Katsuya Yoshida
- Arrangement: Akio Kondo
- Artist: Shinichi Ishihara
- Episodes: 2-20
- "The people with no name"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Rap Lyrics: m.c.A.T
- Composition: Cher Watanabe
- Arrangement: RIDER CHIPS
- Artist: RIDER CHIPS featuring m.c.A.T
- Episodes: 21-32, 39
- "EGO ~ eyes glazing over"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition & Arrangement: Cher Watanabe
- Artist: ICHIDAI (of ROLL DAYS)
- Episodes: 33-38, 41-48
- "Justiφ's -Accel Mix-"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: Kazuto Sato
- Arrangement: Kazunori Miyake
- Artist: ISSA (of DA PUMP)
- Episodes: 40, Movie
References
- ^ "Kamen Rider 555 Info". GameFAQs. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
- ^ "「仮面ライダー555」主要キャストが10年ぶり集結！ブルーレイ化が決定！ - シネマトゥデイ". Cinematoday.jp. Retrieved 2013-10-28.