The "crying performance" was a happy miscalculation! Interview with Ritsu Aoki as Masked Rider Espada/Kento Fukamiya in "Masked Rider Saber", whose dramatic disappearance attracted a lot of attention!

Masked Rider Saber," the second in the 2025 Masked Rider series (airing every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. on TV Asahi), depicts the activities of swordsmen chosen by the holy sword. The novel combination of "sword" and "book" as motifs, the appearance of masked riders one after another, and the unique characters who transform into masked riders. The story has been depicting the human characters and their battles with a fantastical worldview, but in the 13th episode, the dramatic disappearance of Masked Rider Espada (Kento FUKAMIYA) became a hot topic mainly on social networking services.

We conducted an urgent interview with Aoki Ritsu, who plays the role of FUKAMIYA Kento. He talked about the process from his performance to his disappearance, episodes in the filming of the disappearance scene, and other scenes in which he has appeared in the film.

Episode 13, in which Aoki was convinced that he had done what he wanted to do.

--In the 13th episode, Kento Fukamiya was swallowed by the power of darkness and disappeared.

Aoki: I had expected this. I couldn't imagine how he would disappear, but when I read the script for episodes 7 and 8, I knew that one day soon I would face such a day. The reason being is that Kento's character is not quite desperate, but he just goes ahead on his own, and even though I was playing the role, I felt that there was a sense of danger. Now that the 13th episode has been aired without incident, I feel calm, or rather, I feel that I was able to disappear in a way that I was satisfied with.

--I was wondering if you were not informed that you would be leaving the show after only one season when you were chosen to appear in it?

Aoki: Yes. I was not told at all (laughs). (laughs) I heard about it specifically when I received the scripts for episodes 10 and 11. It was around the middle of October, so it was pretty late in the game.

--You must have been shocked to leave the show after only the first season, which lasts for a year.

Aoki: It was a shock for sure (laughs), but that's part of the fun of the Kamen Rider series. Anyway, I look forward to watching the show as a viewer from now on.

--I'm looking forward to watching the series as a viewer.

Aoki: Yes. I think the response was quite positive. We received replies with a variety of impressions, and some people even asked us to bring it back, which made us very happy.

--Going back to the audition, how did you feel when you were auditioning?

Aoki: It had been about two and a half years since I had auditioned, and it was soon after I finished the play, so I was quite anxious about what I should do. I was quite anxious about what I should do. Even though I was supposed to showcase my special skills, I didn't have that many special skills (laugh). Also, up until then, I had been performing in 2.5D musicals, but when I was asked to do the film, I had to switch my mind from the role I had played for two and a half years and create a completely new role from scratch. I remember feeling extremely nervous when I thought about it.

--But you did a great job of getting the part, didn't you?

Aoki: When I heard that I had been accepted, I felt nothing but pressure. I thought, "I can't believe I'm going to be in a long series that has been running for 50 years! (laughs). I started watching the series with "Ryuki," and although "Den-O" and the like are still strongly in my memory, to be honest, I didn't watch them all the time. But when I was in kindergarten watching "Ryuki," I wrote "I want to be a masked rider" in a crayon drawing called "Dream Drawing," and I have it at my parents' house now, and I found it right after I was accepted.

--I found it right after I got accepted.

Aoki: I just happened to open a piece of cardboard to clean up my room, and I thought, "Oh, I didn't know I had this. I thought to myself, "This is a little too fateful.

--Speaking of Kamen Rider, it is a gateway to success for young actors.

Aoki: I had almost no experience in filming, and this was the first time for me to work on such a long-running film, so I went into the shoot with a "first-time mentality. Because the title is so big, I was afraid that I would become conceited somewhere without realizing it. My mother always told me that, "No matter how popular you become, don't ever become a "tengu" (a kind of "ego"). I was always conscious of that, and I tried to be earnest and humble, and to be cheerful and energetic in my interactions with people on set.

Saber" is a film that even the actors look forward to seeing how it will turn out in the future.

--Please tell us about the world of "Saber" and your impression of the role.

Aoki: As the catchphrase says, "A great writer and a great swordsman," "Saber" is a work based on swords and books, but when it was first explained to me in words, it was hard for me to imagine what it would be like. But when the work actually started, the two elements, "sword and book," were combined and used as weapons, and I thought to myself, "This is how two elements that normally would have no connection with each other are combined. I began to think, "This is an amazing thing! I think this is possible only with Kamen Rider. In addition to the inclusion of these two fascinating elements, there were various foreshadowing elements scattered throughout the story, so the actors were also nervous about how the story would unfold.

--What do you think about the role of Kento Tomikamiya, who transforms into Masked Rider Espada?

Aoki: In the beginning, I played it cool first. First and foremost, I didn't want to ruin the character setting that the scriptwriter had created for me. If I added color or flesh to the characters based on my own ideas, the characters themselves would go astray as the story progressed. I kept the character set firmly in place, and once the role was solidified, I would flesh out the character. Until about the third episode, I was just trying to create a cool wise man, but from around the fourth episode, the wise man in the script started to change little by little, and although he was cool, I started to see many things hidden behind the coolness, so I started to reflect my own ideas accordingly. Looking back on it now, I feel that the process of establishing the character went rather well.

--Aoki: The first appearance of Kento was at the end of the second episode, and his appearance on a flying carpet had quite an impact (laughs).

Aoki: Speaking of first appearances, Rintaro appeared before me riding on a lion with the power of the Wonder Ride Book. Seeing this, I thought, "Maybe I will also appear on some kind of vehicle. If Rintaro was a lion, Kento could be a spirit of a lamp. When it came time for me to start filming, director Takayuki Shibasaki said, "Okay, Kento (Aoki), let's go on a carpet ride! What? (laughs). (laughter). I wondered what he meant (everyone laughed). (Everyone laughed). At that point, I had no idea what it would be like.

--The carpet was synthesized, wasn't it?

Aoki: Yes. We shot the scene with a green background on the set, and as you can see on the official website, I was sitting cross-legged on a slightly larger pedestal like an intre, and I had to express the shaking by my own movements. It was the first time for me to do that and I thought, "Wow, what the heck is this? (laugh). I couldn't help but say to the director, "Am I really shaking my shoulders? I said, "I'm really going to shake your shoulders? And he said, "You can do whatever you want! I said, "You can do whatever you want!

But the first time I shook them too much, he said, "Oh, you're shaking them too much," and the second time I shook them just right. After that, I was shown a tentative video, saying, "This is how we're going to use it," and I finally understood what was going on.

--In episode 5, there was a scene in which you transformed into Masked Rider Espada for the first time!

Aoki: I was so nervous that I didn't even have time to think about how cool it would be to become a masked rider. This was my very first transformation scene, and it was also the first time for me to decide on the sequence, so looking back on it now, I was really nervous and wanted to reshoot it, including the "Transformation! I look back on it now and feel like I want to reshoot the whole thing, including the "Transformation! On the day of shooting, I arrived at the location about an hour before and asked Hiroshi Nakata, the suit actor for Espada, "How should I ...... do? I asked him for advice. Mr. Nakata accompanied me from scratch and taught me the movements. I think I was able to make the sword movements smooth thanks to the practice. The scene at the end where he lowers his posture and raises his sword high into the sky is a part where I wanted to use my body dynamically since I myself am tall.

--How do you feel about the action of Espada played by Mr. Nakata?

Aoki: I have always said, and this may be a bit patronizing, but I think Espada is the coolest of all the riders (laughs). I give him 100 points for his appearance and 150 points for his action, especially his swordsmanship. The speed with which he defeats his enemies one after another with his brilliant and flowing action, and his dynamic movements, mixed with his smartness, make him nothing but cool in total!　Mr. Nakata himself is a genius and can do anything in no time. And when he teaches others, he says things like, "Well, you can do that if you do it with a shuffle and a bang and a gasp," and he uses a lot of onomatopoeia, which is also a bit interesting (laughs).

--(Laughs) - Following the vertical axis, it is important to note that while Tobiwa Makoto himself has lost his memory, Luna and Kento are childhood friends. In the first line, Kento also knew Tobiwa Makoto, saying, "You've forgotten the other one, haven't you?" I'm also curious about the backbone of the story.

Aoki: Although the scene of the three of them reading a book at a memorable place was depicted in the playback, Tobiwa Makoto only finally remembered Luna in the 12th episode. This is just my interpretation, but the reason why Kento was trying to carry everything on his shoulders was because he himself must have done something in the past to cause Tobiwa Makoto to lose her memory. This is what I was thinking when I played the role, but there are some things that are beyond our imagination.

--Aoki: When talking about Kento, the relationship with Calibur, whom you thought was his father until then, cannot be overlooked.

Aoki: In the play, episode 10 was the episode where his true identity was revealed, but in terms of filming, I first found out about it in episodes 7 and 8, when director Ishida (Hidenori) and his team were filming. Viewers must have always thought that Calibur was Hayato Tomikamiya, but when I was on set with Hirayama (Hiroyuki) who played Daichi Kamijo in the Avalon scene in this episode, I thought, "Oh, he's not my father! (laughs).

(Laughs) -- In the transformation scene at the Avalon, the identity was blurred, but Hirayama himself was playing the role, wasn't he?

Aoki: Yes. I had always thought it was the father, so for a moment my feelings were shaken (laughs). (laughs). I was so surprised that even Naito (Shuichiro), who was with me on the set, said, "Oh, really? I was so surprised. But that's another interesting point. The staff didn't go out of their way to tell us "this is how it is," and in fact, I think they didn't dare to tell us.

--Aoki: The kento is greatly troubled by the presence of the caliber, but I think it also strengthened their unity as friends.

Aoki: That was depicted in episode 10. Up to that point, they must have had feelings for each other in their hearts, but these feelings were only their individual intentions and they could not share them with each other. However, they were able to show their firm intention to work toward the same single goal, and they were able to show it in a tangible way by overlapping their swords. I think that was very good. Actually, before that, the three of us had discussed our opinions, "If it were Kento, he would think like this," "If it were Makoto Tobiwa, he would think ......," "If it were Rintaro, he would think ......," and so on, but when we did so, the colors were totally different. The colors were totally different. I thought that was interesting, and finally we were able to unite our feelings in the 10th episode.

--In a sense, this was the pinnacle of the three of us.

Aoki That's right. Despite the firm promise made here, Caliber's true identity is revealed and the upset Kento brushes off the arm of the concerned Makoto Hiuwa and leaves. When I read the script, I thought, "It's going to fall apart soon, and Sage will run off on his own again. However, when I thought about the feelings of Calibur not being a father in his own way here once again, I thought that rather than making a mistake in his promise, he stopped thinking, or rather, he became unable to think, and was trying to bring it back and think about it calmly. I don't know if the viewers got that, but as I mentioned earlier, Kariver is a headstrong person, and when he concentrates on one thing, he loses sight of what is going on around him (laugh). (Laughs) Well, that's a good thing and a bad thing, but I think that when he was confronted with the fact that the person he thought was his father was actually someone else, he became confused and that's why he acted the way he did.

--In the following episode 11, during the exchange between Kento and Rintaro, I think there was an important scene in which Rintaro, who believes that "the organization is a family," replies, "That's your personal feeling, isn't it?

Aoki: Until then, there had been many scenes with Makoto Tobiwa, who is also the main character, and then with Mr. Onoe and Ren, but this was the first time for me to have such a frank and honest confrontation with Rintaro. I had never had such a strong relationship with Rintaro before, so when we were working on that scene, I remember that Rintaro's thoughts were too heavy, and Kentaro also had to confront his feelings because of the change in circumstances, so the play was very heavy.

--How was your play with Takaya Yamaguchi, who played Rintaro?

Aoki: Mr. Yamaguchi is the type of person who makes up his roles, and when we go to the set, he is always thinking and ruminating over his lines, but I'm not good at that (laughs). I thought that if I wasn't my usual self, I wouldn't be able to express such emotions on the set, so I was there as usual, but I think the scene turned out great because of that.

Will FUKAMIYA Kento disappear twice?

--Aoki: I would like to ask you about episodes 12 and 13, in which Rintaro is injured protecting Kento and finally disappears.

Aoki: At first, I thought that Tobiwa Makoto would hold him in his arms and disappear at the end of episode 12. At that point, I did not have a script for episode 13 in mind.

--Aoki: You were in director Shojiro Nakazawa's group for episodes 11 and 12, and you were in Ishida's group for episodes 13 (and 14), so you were in different groups.

Aoki: Yes. In fact, I was acting and filming the scene in which I lose consciousness with the awareness that I am about to disappear, but actually I was not (laughs). (Laughs.) The shooting itself was in the early part of episodes 11 and 12, and the director deliberately did not tell us, and after the shooting was over, he told us, "Kento is not going to die here. After we finished shooting, he told me, "Well, he's not going to die here, is he? I was surprised.

--So, it was like you played the extinction scene twice?

Aoki: Yes, that's how it was. For episode 13, when I received the script, I had some time to spare, so I read the script every day and completely settled on the play, saying, "Let's go with this! I read the script every day and completely settled on the play, saying, "Let's go with this! I wanted to get the director's OK for my plan and put my feelings into it, and when I told Director Ishida about it, he said, "OK, do whatever you want, do whatever you want at all.

--So you never wavered on that point?

Aoki: Yes. I had already established the direction of my play, so I felt relaxed, but on the day of shooting, no one approached me from the morning when I was in the waiting room (laughs). (Laughs.) Everyone was in a heavy play, even the always cheerful Mei was serious, and Ren looked so distressed because it was a scene that would have made her cry. It was like a wake, and I was the one who was disappearing. (laughs).

(laughs) -- What exactly did you propose to Director Ishida?

Aoki: At first, I didn't intend to cry. The reason for that was not simply that Kento is a character who does not cry, but that I did not want to worry him and had never shown that side of myself to Tobiwa Makoto, but if I cried here, he would not be able to stand up. I didn't want to leave an element of anxiety before he disappeared, and I wanted to keep him strong until the end. In response, Director Ishida said, "That's your play, so it's totally fine. As I was working on it, the director also asked me, "Why don't you do it this way? I was able to break out of my shell and create a new part in response to what the director said. It was a sad scene, but it became more and more enjoyable for me as the actor.

--Aoki: You said that you planned not to cry.

Aoki: That was a happy miscalculation. I had told the director that, but when I was thinking back to the scenes with everyone, for example, Naito-kun, Yamaguchi-kun, and myself, there were overlapping parts, and I couldn't help but start to cry. The film was shot in small cuts, but that didn't break my heart, and the tears just flowed. It was a change from my original plan, but I was inspired by the surroundings and was able to do it naturally, so I think that was a good thing.

-Let me back up a bit. While everyone was fighting, I was also very impressed by the scene where Kento thought of each person and expressed his gratitude.

Aoki: No, he was flagging all over the place (laughs). (Laughs.) Mei was supporting me in the situation, but I thought about how I should express my feelings and to whom I should direct my words. As a result, I played it as if I was ruminating on the past and saying to myself, "Oh, I'm going to disappear after this. I thought to myself, "Oh, I'm going to disappear after this. ...... Moreover, when I was filming that process, I actually saw the Sabers fighting, so I was able to get even more emotionally involved with them, and here again, I was able to express my feelings very naturally.

--Aoki: Were there any lines that were memorable to you when they disappeared?

Aoki: All the lines are very memorable, but I would like to start with "For me like this. I think that line came out because everyone wanted to help my friend Kento, and even though it is a bit demeaning, I think that Kento himself felt that way. Then there was "I wanted to continue to fight with everyone. This is not so much a feeling of sadness as one of regret. I felt frustrated that I couldn't walk the same path as everyone else. That's what I thought when I said those lines. The last line, "Please protect the world in which we lived," was the first time he tried to entrust something to others.

--The disappearance itself was quite a spectacular ending, with red eyes wide open and the actor screaming as he disappeared.

Aoki: That was a surprise to me, too. It was my own fantasy that I would smile at the end and leave the Swordriver to Tobiwa Makoto, but the director suddenly said, "Hey, your eyes will turn red when it's over" (laughs). The director is the type of genius who always speaks in simple terms, and there are things that our minds cannot fully comprehend, but he usually tries anyway and guides us by saying, "No," "No," or "No." This scene, too, was a case of "just scream for the time being. In this scene as well, the director said, "Scream for now," "I understand," "Suffer," "I understand," "At the end, open your eyes wide," "I understand. I left everything to the director. After the scene was over, I talked with the director again, and he told me that I had been swallowed up by the power of darkness and disappeared. Now I feel no more discomfort, and I feel refreshed.

Thank you very much for liking Sage so far!

-Kento left the main series after the 13th episode, but he is currently starring in the movie "Kamen Rider Saber the Movie: The Phoenix Swordsman and the Book of Doom" and the spin-off "Kamen Rider Saber Spin-off Swordsman" available on the video distribution site "TELASA". I hear that you can still see him in action in "Kamen Rider Espada," the third episode of the "Kamen Rider Legend" series, which is available on the video distribution site TELASA. How do you like each of them?

Aoki: In the movie, I would like people to pay attention to the simultaneous transformation of the six members, which was not seen on TV. We have seen the transformation of Makoto Tobiwa, Rintaro, and Kento, but to see them all lined up in a row is a spectacular sight. The power of the napalm is also something that can only be seen in the film version. In the TV series, only one shot is used at a time, but in the battle between Saber and Falchion, I saw them use more than 10 shots at a time on location, and I was overwhelmed by the power of the napalm. Also, Falchion-Bacht, who stood in front of us, was just so strong!　I hope that you will come to the theater to see how Saber will face the Falchion, which has been unsealed and now appears. I, too, can't wait for the release of the film.

--Please also tell us about the highlights of the third episode "an episode of Kamen Rider Espada" of "Kenshi Retsuden".

Aoki: The spin-off is a story that takes place between episodes 12 and 13, but it also depicts Kento when he had just become a swordsman. The scene in episode 13 where he gets up out of bed and disappears was omitted from the film, but it depicts how he disappeared from his bed and with what kind of mindset he went to the battlefield, so I think that the view of Kento will completely change after watching this film.

--Aoki: The director is Koichi Sakamoto, who directed episodes 9 and 10.

Aoki: Many people expect a lot from director Sakamoto. I also did some action in episode 10, but this time there is no action at all, and not only that, there is no scene in which I transform into Espada. The director himself said, "This time, I want to depict the wise man, so I won't include any action scenes.

--I would like to wrap up now, but I would like to ask you how you feel now that you have finished filming this one-cour production.

Aoki: Looking back on it now, at first I was under a lot of pressure to be a part of a big production, and there were parts of me that were a bit unsteady, but as I spent the days filming, I began to think that because I was playing the role, Kento Fukami = Kamen Rider Espada had meaning, I took the role seriously, and with the support of everyone in the cast and the many staff members, I believe that I was able to reach this point. From now on, I would like to support "Masked Rider Saber" from the same standpoint as the viewers, and if anything, I might tweet my thoughts on-air as if I were a viewer (laughs).

(Laughs) -- Do you have any words of encouragement for the cast members who will continue filming in the future?

Aoki: The shooting schedule is hard, so I want everyone to take care of their physical condition.

--Lastly, I would like to ask you to give a message to the fans who have been supporting Kento Fukami.

Aoki: I believe that the people who understand Kento have understood my feelings, but there are some people who think he is a little bit difficult to work with or that he moves too much on his own (laughs)! (laugh). (Laughs) I am sure there are some people who may not like it or think it moves too much on its own. I am sure it will help you get to know Kenjin. Thank you very much for liking the inquisitive Kento so far. Please continue to support "Kamen Rider Saber" in the future!

(Interview and text by Tomohisa Toyota)

(Profile)

Ryo Aoki: Born on February 26, 1996. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He was selected from among about 5,000 applicants and started his career as a member of "Gekidan $4.50 50" produced by Yasushi Akimoto in August 2017, and from 2018 he played the role of Kunimitsu Tezuka, the head of the tennis club of Seishun Academy in the musical "The Prince of Tennis" (3rd season), which quickly attracted much attention.

[Film info.
Kamen Rider Saber The Movie: Swordsman of the Phoenix and the Book of Doom" / "Kamen Rider Zero One The Movie: REAL×TIME
Release date: December 18, 2020 (Friday)
Saber Cast: Shuichiro Naito, Takaya Yamaguchi, Asuka Kawazu, Rikiru Aoki, Yuki Ikushima, Keishi Togashi, Hiroaki Oka, Les Romanesques TOBI
≪Saber theater version cast: Kenshi Taniguchi
Zero One Cast: Fumiya Takahashi, Ryutaro Okada, Noa Tsurushima, Hiroe Igeta, Daisuke Nakagawa, Tsunaya Sunagawa, Nachi Sakuragi, Daichi Yamaguchi, Sakizuki Nakayama, Kazuya Kojima
≪Zero One Guests≫: Hideaki Ito, Seiji Fukushi, Kona Yamazaki, Meiku Hata, Yu Koyama, Hiroki Goto, Akira 100%.

an episode of MASKED RIDER ESPADA Episode 3
Available on TELASA.
URL: #
~Kento has disappeared into the darkness. Why did he appear in the battle? The episode that depicts Espada just before - Chapter 13 of the main TV series. The sage received the sword of Calibur and scattered in the darkness. He became a shield for his friends.... Why did a man who should have been lying in bed, deeply wounded, appear in the battlefield? This is the "prelude to Chapter 13" leading up to the shocking Chapter 13 of the main TV series.