Saban's Masked Rider

This article is about an adaptation show in the Kamen Rider Series.

Saban's Masked Rider is an American superhero television series co-developed by Saban Entertainment and Toei Company, serving as an adaptation of Kamen Rider Black RX, the ninth installment of the Kamen Rider Series. The show began airing on Fox Kids in the United States from September 16, 1995 to August 31, 1996, and in syndication from September 9, 1996 to September 1997. The series serves as a spin-off of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, to which protagonist Dex Stewart made his debut appearance in the three-part backdoor pilot "A Friend in Need", set in the show's third season.

Production[]

Like Power Rangers and the VR Troopers series, Saban's Masked Rider splices together stock footage from Black RX, as well as the films Kamen Rider ZO and Kamen Rider J, together with newly filmed footage featuring American actors. There was also some footage from Juukou B-Fighter in Invasion Of Leawood.

While the series was originally commissioned as a spin-off of Power Rangers, Masked Rider was later reformatted to sever links with its sister series due to the declining popularity of Power Rangers at the time. Despite so, the Masked Rider comic released by Marvel did feature the Rangers as supporting characters, while Issue 18 of Go Go Power Rangers features King Lexian as part of the wider Ranger multiverse established by Boom! Studios.

On May 7, 2010, the show's copyrights were transferred from BVS International to SCG Power Rangers.

Story[]

The series began on Edenoi with the main character Prince Dex escaping the Plague Patrol with a small group of Edenoite rebels, before leaving for Earth, the next target of his sinister uncle Count Dregon, who ruled Edenoi with an iron fist after displacing Dex' grandfather, King Lexian, who also gave Dex the Masked Rider powers (where the powers came from is a mystery, although apparently they have been in use for some time by Edenoi's champions). Arriving on Earth in a massive crater, Dex finds himself in the care of the Stewarts, a multiracial family in Leawood consisting of a white father and daughter (named Hal and Molly respectively), an Asian wife (Barbara), and an African-American son (Albee). The addition of an extra Stewart wasn't noticed by anyone (although, according to Albee, he and Molly are adopted) in Leawood, the town where the series took place in. Dex defends the town as Masked Rider from Count Dregon and his vicious Insectovores.

Edenoi was mentioned in Power Rangers as the planet where Alpha 5 (and presumably the Alpha line of robots) was created, though not one single building or factory to be seen on the planet surface of Edenoi; it is largely assumed that Count Dregon's domination of the planet was absolute and rendered it a dying husk. Indeed, the original storyline saw Dex being dispatched to Earth by his grandfather as Edenoi was prepared to explode, ripping into an aspect of the Superman mythology. The scene in which Dex is given his powers by King Lexian (a scene which differs from the televised version) remains in the title sequence, possibly one of the few remaining aspects of the original pilot.

Dex' Masked Rider armor was also eventually given upgrades to change into "Masked Rider Super Gold", a gold-and-black variation equipped with a powerful laser gun, the Ecto-Ray, and "Masked Rider Super Blue", a blue-and-grey variation with the power of liquified teleportation and a powerful sword, the Blue Saber.

Edenoites are descended from insects, not apes. Dex is not aware that humans did not evolve from bugs (as he discovered in an episode where he gives a report about how humans evolved from insects). Edenoites also possess telepathic abilities that are focused through a gem in the forehead, which can be hidden telepathically, though in times of stress can become visible. The gem is capable of focusing mental energy, as well as creating mental imagery that can be shared with others. Dex apparently possesses the knowledge needed to detoxify Leawood's rivers using solar-powered lasers.

Dex had a furry friend named Ferbus, a small bear/duck-like creature that followed him to Earth. Ferbus was kept hidden by Molly and Albee because Hal was allergic to fur. Ferbus is eventually revealed to the entire family during the course of the series.

Dex is a loquacious individual. In the first episode, Molly and Albee told him to speak like a regular person, and that he could learn how to do that by watching TV. Sadly, Dex misunderstood and repeated what he heard in the way that he heard it.

Characters[]

Masked Riders[]

Masked Rider	Dex Stewart, Albee Stewart (dream)
Masked Rider Warrior Leader	Unidentified user
Masked Rider ???	Unidentified user
Masked Rider Warrior Commander	Unidentified user
Masked Rider ???	Unidentified user
Masked Rider V3	Unidentified user
Riderman	Unidentified user
Masked Rider X	Unidentified user
Masked Rider Amazon	Unidentified user
Strongman	Unidentified user
Masked Rider Z-Cross	Unidentified user

Allies[]

• Ferbus
• Hal Stewart
• Barbara Stewart
• Molly Stewart
• Albee Stewart

• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

White Ranger	Tommy Oliver
Red Ranger	Rocky DeSantos
Black Ranger	Adam Park
Blue Ranger	Billy Cranston
Yellow Ranger	Aisha Campbell

Supporting[]

• King Lexian
• Magno
• Combat Chopper
• Patsy Carbunkle
• Herbie
• Principal Henry Chalmers
• Mr. Mulders
• Moon Dude
• Donais
• Zaruis
• Ferrian
• Bjorgy

Villains[]

• Count Dregon
• Nefaria
• Cyclopter
• Double Face
• Gork
• Fact
• Plague Sentry
• Maggots
• Commandoids
• Plague Patrol
• Cogwarts
• Diskey
• Insectovores

Robo Rider

Donais

Episodes[]

1. Escape from Edenoi: Part 1
2. Escape from Edenoi: Part 2
3. License to Thrill
4. Pet Nappers
5. Bugs on the Loose
6. Arcade Ace
7. Super Gold: Part 1
8. Super Gold: Part 2
9. The Grandma Factor
10. Something's Trashy
11. Water Water Everywhere
12. Ferbus' First Christmas
13. Stranger from the North
14. Dance Crazy
15. The Green-Eyed Monster
16. The Heat Is On
17. Know your Neighbour
18. The Dash
19. Battle of the Bands
20. Ferbus Maximus
21. Unmasked Rider
22. Ferbus' Day Out
23. Jobless
24. Back to Nature
25. Testing 1, 2, 3
26. Showdown at Leawood High
27. Power Out
28. Saturday Morning Invasion
29. Passenger Ferbus
30. Mixed Doubles
31. Million Dollar Ferbus
32. Ectophase Albee
33. Race Against Time
34. Cat-Atomic
35. Indigestion
36. Dex at Bat
37. The Invasion of Leawood
38. The Eye of Edenoi
39. Exit Nefaria, Enter Barbaria
40. Detention

Cast[]

• Dex Stewart: T.J. Roberts
• Molly Stewart: Rheannon J. Slover
• Albee Stewart: Ashton McArn
• Hal Stewart: David Stenstrom
• Barbara Stewart: Candace Kita (as Candace Camille Bender)
• Count Dregon: Ken Merckx (as Ken Ring)
• Nefaria: Jennifer Tung
• Fact: Julie Maddalena
• Gork, Narrator: Michael McConnohie
• Double Face: Michael Sorich
• Cyclopter: Steve Kramer
• Ferbus: Paul Pistore
• King Lexian: Ralph Votrian
• Patsy Carbunkle: Libby Letlow
• Herbie: Matthew Bates (as Matt Bates)
• Donais: Winston Story
• Moon Dude: Tom Ayers
• Principal Henry Chalmers: Don Yanan
• Mr. Mulders: Ron Barnes
• Magno: Wendee Lee
• Combat Chopper: Jason Narvy

Suit Actors/Stunt Crew[]

• Masked Rider: Michi Yamato, Luke Lafontine
• Ferbus: Verne Troyer
• Hydrasect: Belinda English
• Other stunts: Rick Tane, B. Lazo, Billy Mazda

Home Media Release[]

In the U.S., two VHS tapes were released in April 1996: "Escape from Edenoi" and "Super Gold". In the United Kingdom, Jetix Films released one DVD which includes both parts of "Escape from Edenoi" and "License To Thrill". On March 12, 2012, Shout! Factory announced a home video distribution deal with Saban, which includes the first 17 seasons of Power Rangers, VR Troopers, Beetleborgs and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.

Notes[]

• In the early promo shown during the Winter 1995 (January) Fox Kids affiliate meeting, Kamen Rider J appeared in the title card before being switched to Kamen Rider Black RX in the airing.
• The background music was later used throughout the first season of Digimon: Digital Monsters as well as most of season 2 and some of season 3 and in Digimon: The Movie.
• Ferbus' theme song became the standard jingle of the 1996-2001 Saban "Twirly-Doo" logo.
• It can be assumed that the series was going to be very different then the finalized version as the Power Rangers 3-Parter A Friend in Needwas originally going to lead off into the series as the final scene of part 3 featured a scene from the unseen pilot episode which means that the series probably was going to be in the same continuity as Power Rangers.
• The Masked Riders of the past have the same names as their Japanese counterparts with the exception of Masked Rider Warrior Leader (whose Japanese counterpart is Kamen Rider 1), Masked Rider Warrior Commander (Kamen Rider V3) and Masked Rider Strongman (Kamen Rider Super-1). However, almost everyone after Warrior Leader ends up introducing himself with the wrong name, due to the fact that Kamen Rider 2 and Riderman were edited out from the roll call footage, but their names were still kept in a chronological order, resulting in a switch-up.
  • Kamen Rider V3 = Warrior Commander
  • Kamen Rider X = V3
  • Kamen Rider Amazon = Riderman
  • Kamen Rider Stronger = Masked Rider X
  • Skyrider = Amazon
  • Kamen Rider Super-1 = Strongman
  • Kamen Rider ZX (Z-Cross) is the only one who kept his name unchanged, while Skyrider's and Super-1's true names were never mentioned.
• In an interview with Variety, Shin-ichiro Shirakura joked that Kamen Rider Black Sun was created as a means of revenge against Saban's Masked Rider's critical and commercial failure.^[1]
• Currently, the IP rights to Masked Rider is owned by Hasbro due to their acquisition of Saban Brands, which was originally rebranded from Saban Entertainment.

References[]

Navigation[]

Kamen Rider Series
Showa Era (1971-1994)
Kamen Rider • V3 • X • Amazon • Stronger • Skyrider • Super-1 • ZX (TV special) • Black • Black RX
Shin (movie) • ZO (movie) • J (movie)
Heisei Era (2000-2009)
Kuuga • Agito • Ryuki • 555 • Blade • Hibiki • Kabuto • Den-O • Kiva • Decade
Heisei Era Phase 2 (2009-2019)
W • OOO • Fourze • Wizard • Gaim • Drive • Ghost • Ex-Aid • Build • Zi-O
Reiwa Era (2019-)
Zero-One • Saber • Revice • Geats • Gotchard • Gavv
Remakes, Spin-Offs and Other Series
SD (OVA) • Imagin Anime • G • The First (remake) • The Next (remake) • Amazons • Shinobi • Black Sun • Shin Kamen Rider • Fuuto PI • Outsiders
English Adaptations
Masked Rider • Dragon Knight
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