Report on the press conference for "Masked Rider 01," which will begin airing on September 1, 2019!

A press conference for "Masked Rider 01 (Zero One)," the latest in the "Masked Rider" series, one of Japan's leading special effects heroes, was held on July 17, 2019.

The "Heisei Masked Rider" series started in 2000, but the times have moved on to the era of "Masked Rider in 2025"! It was announced that the first work "Masked Rider 01," which will mark the beginning of the new era, will start airing every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. on the TV Asahi network from September 01, 2019.

At this press conference, the riders and performers who are befitting the new era took the stage. They expressed their enthusiasm for the film.

The story takes place in Japan, where "Humagear," a humanoid AI robot so elaborate that it is indistinguishable from a human, has been put to practical use. While the Humagears blend into various workplaces and coexist with humans, the terrorist group "DoomsdaySunder.net" hacked the Humagears and attempted to annihilate the human race by causing them to go berserk. In response, the government establishes A.I.M.S., a special agency under the direct control of the Chief Cabinet Secretary, to suppress the AI robots and maintain public order.

Meanwhile, A.I.M.S. deprives A.I.M.S. of a place for comedian Arujin Hiden, who aspires to become a comedian despite his lack of sense of humor. Furthermore, his grandfather, the founder and president of Hiden Intelligence, a leading artificial intelligence company, dies. According to his will, he is nominated as the second president of "Tobiden Intelligence.

However, the hacking of "RuinSunderbolt.net" causes the Human Gear to go out of control. He receives the "Zero One Driver," which only the president of "Tobiden Intelligence" can obtain, and transforms into Masked Rider 01!

As the new president of "Tobiden Intelligence", Arujin fights against "Ruinous Thunderbolt.net" and "A.I.M.S.". He will also fight against the competition in the development of AI and people who seem to have interests in it. ......

While incorporating the modern motif of AI, the conflict between multiple forces and the serious setting are reminiscent of the early days of Heisei Rider, and the film has an aura that is truly befitting of the opening of the 2025 era.

The presentation of this work began with a battle between Rider 01 and Humagear, which had been hacked by "RuinSunrai.net". The main cast then took the stage.

The cast on stage this time included Fumiya Takahashi as the main character, Arujin Tobiden/Masked Rider 01; Ryutaro Okada as Isamu Fuwa, the captain of A.I.M.S./Masked Rider Vulcan; Noa Tsurushima as Izu, a secretary-type AI who works for Arujin; and Yaiba Yua as the technical advisor of A.I.M.S./Masked Rider Vulcan. Hiroe Igeta as Yaiba Yua/ Masked Rider Valkyrie, the first female regular rider in the TV series. Daisuke Nakagawa plays the role of Xun, the action officer of "RuinShinrai.net"; Shuya Sunagawa plays the role of Hollow, another command post; and Kazuya Kojima (Anjush) plays the role of Jun Fukuzoe, the vice president of Tobiden Intelligence.

Fumiya Takahashi, who plays the lead role, said that after passing the audition he had a hard time feeling that he would become a "Masked Rider," but as he filmed transformation scenes and action scenes that are typical of Masked Riders, and as he used the word "Masked Rider" with various people, he realized that "I am going to be a Masked Rider. He also commented that the subject matter of AI and the fact that AI is a new technology and that it is not a new technology.

Takahashi also said, "I think this is a work that will light up Japan in the future," given the theme of AI and the use of the word "singularity" in the film, which refers to AI surpassing human intelligence. I think this work will illuminate the future of Japan," said Takahashi. "Even people who have never seen 'Masked Rider' before will find it interesting," he added.

Ryutaro Okada, who plays Isa Fuwa, a rival, is a genuine Rider fan, saying that his father's love of Masked Rider has influenced his attachment to the Showa Riders, especially Masked Rider Amazon. When he was a little boy, he used to shred toilet paper while yelling, "Big cut! and expressed his joy at being allowed to be a part of the series.

Noai Tsurushima, who plays Izu, a secretary-type humanoid who works with Oruto, is a hopeful actress who will be trying her hand at serious acting for the first time in this film. She said, "It was the best birthday present I ever got." She also revealed that she has been struggling with the trial and error of playing an emotionless AI.

I am learning how announcers speak because I think I can differentiate myself from humans by speaking in a good voice," she said.

Hiroe Igeta, who plays the first regular female rider, was surprised at first: "I'm going to transform? She said she was surprised at first. However, she is now motivated to "do my best to be a feminine yet cool Masked Rider. She also says, "My behavior is smart and lean, so I am always conscious of acting in a lean manner, and I am careful to maintain a good walking posture and to keep my gaze fixed on the ground. It will be interesting to see how these daily efforts are applied in the video.

Daisuke Nakagawa, who plays the role of Xun, the antagonist, commented, "I have always admired the actors of the past Kamen Riders, and I have been working hard to become a Kamen Rider actor ever since I started acting, so I am happy to be here. He said that the key to Xun was his cool costume, and he appealed that there were "many highlights" both in front and behind the scenes.

Tsunaya Sunagawa, who plays the role of Rui, is usually a cheerful and cheerful character, but he revealed that he has been trying to create a cool image of Rui from his daily life, saying, "I try to stay cool in my daily life. When he first set his sights on becoming an actor, one of his goals was to appear in "Masked Rider," and he jumped for joy when he was chosen to appear in the movie.

When he was selected for the role, he jumped for joy. "I learned that people really jump when they are happy," he commented coolly, drawing laughter from the interviewers.

Finally, Kazuya Kojima, who plays the role of Fukusoe Satoshi, vice president and No. 2 of Tobiden Intelligence, said, "I was surprised. I never thought I would be asked to do it," he said frankly, "Kamen Rider is a program that children watch, and decades from now, producers and directors will emerge from among those children. So I thought I would do my best. When that person grows up, he or she will say, "That uncle! and you think, "I'm going to try to use it in a program. And since "Masked Rider" is a great title, I'm going to say it a lot from now on! He spoke with the light-hearted enthusiasm of a comedian.

He also demonstrated his transformation pose!

In addition to the cast members mentioned above, it was also announced that veteran voice actors Koichi Yamadera will narrate the entire series and Noriko Hidaka will voice AI That.

In addition, the theme song by a very big name artist and additional cast members will be announced in August, and a "Masked Rider 01" x "Masked Rider Zioh" Premium Baton Touch Event will be held on August 25. At this event, the final episode of "Geo" and the first episode of "01" will be screened on the big screen of a movie theater, and a talk show by the cast is also planned. Details will be announced later.

Rise Hopper, a special motorcycle

Mr. Takahashi concluded the presentation by saying, "I want to make this work a source of energy for everyone as the first rider suitable for 2021. We look forward to seeing the rider who will usher in a new era!

Program Information

Masked Rider 01

Broadcasting will begin on September 1 (Sun.), 2019 from 9:00 a.m.

Broadcasting every Sunday from 9:00 on TV Asahi affiliate

＜Staff

Original Story: Shotaro Ishinomori

Script: Yuya Takahashi and others

Music: Tsuyoshi Sakabe

Chief Producer : Chihiro Inoue (TV Asahi)

Producer : Kei Mizutani (TV Asahi), Takahito Omori (Toei)

Action Director: Jun Watanabe (Japan Action Enterprises)

Special Effects Director: Hiroshi Butsuda (Special Effects Research Institute)