The original series, which premiered on October 3, 1971 , stands as the cornerstone of the Tokusatsu (special effects) genre in Japan. Created by the legendary Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Company , the show introduced the world to Takeshi Hongo (played by Masaya Kikawada in recent re-imaginings or Hiroshi Fujioka in the original), a young man transformed into a grasshopper-like cyborg to fight the evil organization known as Shocker .
Collaborative efforts to translate the 98 episodes for global audiences who lacked official localized releases.
The Legacy of Kamen Rider 1971 : Digital Archiving and the Toei "Purge"