Kamen Rider Stronger

Kamen Rider Stronger (仮面ライダーストロンガー) is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. The fifth program to be created as part of the Kamen Rider Series, the series was broadcast on TBS and MBS from April 5, 1975 to December 27, 1975, lasting 39 episodes, and aired every Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Stronger was a co-production between Ishinomori Productions and Toei, and was created by Shotaro Ishinomori.

While the series is relatively popular among tokusatsu fans, it has not garnered much mainstream attention. However, the series is unique in several respects, and has influenced other series in the franchise in many ways.

Story
Shigeru Jo joins the evil organization Black Satan after the death of his close friend Goro Numata, who he considered his mentor. He, promised power, and fueled by a desire for revenge, undergoes surgery to become one of Black Satan's super warriors. However, Shigeru knows that Black Satan were in fact the murderers of his friend; he was using Black Satan in order to gain new powers. The newly powered up Shigeru escapes from the Black Satan headquarters before they can brainwash him into following their campaign of evil and becomes Kamen Rider Stronger. While escaping from Black Satan, Stronger meets Yuriko Misaki another cyborg warrior created by Black Satan who has the ability to transform into Electro-Wave Human Tackle. Together they fight the evil Black Satan and later the Delza Army to restore peace in Japan.

Overview
Shigeru Jō, played by the late Shigeru Araki, joins the evil organization Black Satan after the death of a close friend, one whom he considered his mentor. Promised power, and fueled by a desire for revenge, he undergoes surgery to become one of Black Satan's super warriors. However, Shigeru knows that Black Satan were in fact the murderers of his friend; he was using Black Satan in order to gain new powers. The newly powered up Shigeru escapes from the Black Satan headquarters before they can brainwash him into following their campaign of evil.

Frustrated, Black Satan scientists devise a plan to capture and kill the warrior they have just created, along with continuing the goal they've had all along—world domination. Shigeru plans on fighting back in his new form, Kamen Rider Stronger. While escaping from Black Satan, Stronger meets Yuriko Misaki (played by Kyōko Okada) another cyborg warrior created by Black Satan. They team up, with Yuriko now becoming Electro Wave Human Tackle. The two eventually meet Tōbei Tachibana as well.

Stronger, Tackle, and Tōbei fight valiantly against the evil cyborg forces of Black Satan, continually meeting the head agents General Shadow, and the One-Eyed Titan. The Titan is defeated in episode 13, but manages to return in episode 17 as the One-Hundred Eyed Titan, posing an even greater threat than before. Despite sharing the similar goals of defeating Stronger and conquering the world, General Shadow and the Titan cannot seem to agree on a few other issues—for instance, which one of them gets to kill Stronger. Often, their bickering inadvertently allows him to escape their wrath.

In episode 26, Stronger is able to topple Black Satan once and for all. With his former organization in ruins, General Shadow forms the "Delza Army" to continue his malicious goals. There were two further defining moments for the series: first, in episode 30, Tackle sacrifices herself to save Stronger from Doctor Kate, a Delza Army general. Her death affects Stronger greatly, and he vows to keep fighting until evil is defeated. In the following episode, Stronger's fight against evil is greatly assisted when he undergoes surgery and gains a devastating new power—the ability to power up into a new, stronger, form—"Charge Up!".

Ultimately, all the former Riders, Kamen Rider 1, 2 from the original Kamen Rider, V3 from Kamen Rider V3, X from Kamen Rider X, and Amazon from Kamen Rider Amazon, all appear in the final few episodes to help Stronger finally defeat the Delza Army and General Shadow. This sequence of episodes has attracted some praise from fans.

Concepts

 * Kamen Rider Stronger
 * Kamen Rider 7
 * Kamen Rider Strong
 * Kamen Rider Spark
 * Kamen Rider Kabutorg
 * Kamen Rider Tackle

Allies

 * Tōbei Tachibana

Black Satan

 * Great Leader of Black Satan
 * Titan (Mr. Titan) / One-Eyed Titan
 * Dead Lion
 * Black Satan Soldiers
 * General Shadow

Delza Army

 * Great Boss of Delza Army
 * General Shadow
 * Delza Army Corps
 * Staff Officer Steel
 * Division Commander Wild Eagle
 * Doctor Kate
 * Major Skull
 * Baron Rock
 * General Wolf
 * Commanding Officer Frank
 * Snake Woman
 * Marshal Machine
 * Commander Jishaku
 * Armored Knight

Shocker

 * Dark Seven Legendary Riders

Manga

 * 1) Kamen Rider Stronger (manga) (仮面ライダーストロンガー)
 * 2) Kamen Rider Stronger (TV Magazine manga) (仮面ライダーストロンガー)
 * 3) Kamen Rider Stronger (TV Land manga) (仮面ライダーストロンガー)
 * 4) Kamen Rider Stronger (Tanoshii Youchien manga) (仮面ライダーストロンガー)
 * 5) Kamen Rider Stronger (O Tomodachi manga) (仮面ライダーストロンガー)
 * 6) The Return of 7 Riders (かえってきた7人ライダー)
 * 7) Kamen Rider (1978 manga) (仮面ライダー)

Cast

 * Shigeru Jo (城 茂): Shigeru Araki (荒木 茂)
 * Yuriko Misaki (岬 ユリ子): Kyoko Okada (岡田 京子)
 * Tōbei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛): Akiji Kobayashi (小林 昭二)
 * Yōichirō Masaki (正木 洋一郎): Hiroshi Ogasawara (小笠原 弘)
 * Titan (タイタン): Akira Hamada (浜田 晃)
 * Dead Lion (デッドライオン): Mahito Tsujimura (辻村 真人)
 * The Great Leader of Black Satan, The Great Leader of Delza Army, Great Leader Rock (ブラックサタン大首領, デルザー軍団大首領, 岩石大首領): Gorō Naya (納谷 悟朗)
 * General Shadow (ジェネラルシャドウ): Hidekatsu Shibata (柴田 秀勝)
 * Marshal Machine (マシーン大元帥): Osamu Ichikawa (市川 治)
 * Narrator (ナレーター): Shinji Nakae (中江 真司)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider Stronger: Tetsuya Nakayashiki
 * Kamen Rider Stronger (understudy), Kamen Rider X: Kazuo Niibori
 * Kamen Rider Stronger (trampoline), Kamen Rider Amazon: Yasuo Yukawa
 * Electro-Wave Human Tackle: Kyoko Okada
 * Electro-Wave Human Tackle (Action) : Kiyota Maki
 * Electro-Wave Human Tackle (Action): Ryoji Kurihara
 * Kamen Rider #1: Haruhiko Hashimoto
 * Riderman: Fumiya Nakamura
 * Mr. Titan: Keisuke Chiyoda
 * General Shadow, Kamen Rider V3: Hiroo Kawarazaki
 * General Shadow (trampoline), Monsters (trampoline), combatmen: Hiroshi Ueda
 * Great Leader of Delza Army (Rock Great Leader), combatmen: Nobuyuki Ishizuka

Songs

 * Opening theme
 * "Kamen Rider Stronger no Uta" (仮面ライダーストロンガーの歌)
 * Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude
 * Composition: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Ichirou Mizuki


 * Ending theme
 * "Kyō mo Tatakau Stronger" (今日もたたかうストロンガー)
 * Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude
 * Composition: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artists: Masato Shimon & Mitsuko Horie (1 & 2)/Ichirou Mizuki & Mitsuko Horie (3-31)
 * Episodes: 1-31


 * "Stronger Action" (ストロンガーアクション)
 * Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Composition: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artists: Ichirou Mizuki & Mitsuko Horie
 * Episodes 32-39

Other Songs

 * Kabutorow Boogie
 * Stronger Ekaki Uta
 * Stronger Kazoe Uta
 * Miyo! Kamen Rider Stronger
 * Mune Ni Kagayaku S Mark
 * Sakuru Zo Kyofu No Kuni Wo
 * Boku-Ra No Aniki, Jou Shigeru
 * Sore Yuke Tackle-Chan
 * Tatakae! Shichinin Rider