An upcoming Kamen Rider anime will serve as wish fulfillment for lifelong fans. Tanzaburo Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider stars a 40-year-old man who has always dreamt of being a Kamen Rider. He is about to give up on his dreams until they suddenly become real, turning him into the superhero he always wanted to be. Aniplex released a new teaser trailer for the forthcoming anime adaptation, but it didn’t show off any animation. The teaser just highlighted parts of the manga. More info on the anime adaptation will be unveiled at AnimeJapan 2025 late in the month.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Tanzaburo Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider is not part of any Kamen Rider live-action shows. The manga launched in 2018 and was written by Mangaka Yokusaru Shibata. The series is made in collaboration between Shibtata, Monthly Hero’s magazine, Ishimori Production, and Toei. Besides the teaser, Aniplex has also released a new poster for the series, starring the titular lead character putting on a cardboard mask based on the first Kamen Rider hero. Kamen Rider is an icon in Japan, inspiring people across the country similar to how American superheroes influenced people in the United States. The new anime series helps exemplify how much Kamen Rider means to people of all ages.
[RELATED – Kamen Rider Couple Goes Viral Over Their Tokusatsu Wedding]
New Kamen Rider Anime is Perfect For Fans Going Through a Mid-Life Crisis
Growing up typically means letting go of childish things, yet modern society proves that people no longer have to let go of the things they loved as a child. Fans of all ages have expressed interest in things traditionally aimed at children, including cartoons and silly tokusatsu shows. However, these types of media usually stars younger characters, usually kids, teens, or young 20-year-olds. Many older audiences continue to enjoy stuff like tokusatsu, but it rarely has characters in their age group in the lead role.
Kamen Rider has traditionally been an outlier in terms of age representation, as Riders from past series continue reappearing in special events even as they grow older. Nonetheless, new Riders are almost always young men, making Tanzaburo Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider an outlier for a new lead Rider character. Tojima has hit middle age and still fantasizes about being like his favorite hero growing up. He represents the average viewer who has loved Kamen Rider for decades yet feels their prime has passed them. Tanzaburo Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider offers older fans an outlet to see themselves in Kamen Rider, showing that anyone can still make a difference no matter the age.
Kamen Rider’s Other Anime Series
Before Tanzaburo Tojima Wants To Be A Kamen Rider, there was an anime adaptation of Fuuto PI, a manga continuation of the popular Kamen Rider W. Fuuto PI features the return of police detective Shotaro Hidari and his partner Raito “Philip” Sonozaki, who can merge to become the hero Kamen Rider W. The manga has been collected into 17 volumes and continues to run on the Weekly Big Comic Spirits magazine. The anime ran a one-season show of 12 episodes in 2022, which was followed by a film called Fūto Tantei: Kamen Rider Skull no Shōzō in 2024.
H/T: Anime News Network
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Marvel Television
