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Kamen Raidâ Yongo Raidâman - Kamen Rider 4 Riderman -
Masked Rider 4 Riderman
Riderman
Kamen Rider V3 episodes 43 through 51
Riderman:
Originally a scholar loyal to the evil Destron, is in unison with Kamen
Rider V-3.
-- from an article in the Star-Bulletin & Advertiser,
1970 something.
When High Destron lets
it be known that he is considering promoting scientist Yuki, Joji (Yamaguchi,
Akira) to a leadership role in Destron, Marshall Armor fears
losing his positiion so he frames Yuki, Joji for treason against
Destron. Though innocent Yuki, Joji is sentenced to be executed by
immersion in acid.
His fellow scientist
attempt to rescue him, arriving to in time to save his life, but only
after his right arm had been disolved by the acid. The other scientists
lose their lives saving his. Before their deaths Yuki, Joji's friends
perform surgery on him replacing his lost arm with a cybernetic arm.
Yoki, Joji is not a true cyborg, he doesn't have a henshin belt instead
he stores the Riderman costume in his motorcycle. Although he doesn't
have a henshin belt he does have a henshin
sequence. Riderman is 175 cm (5 ft 8 inches) tall, weighs 70
kg (154 lbs) and can jump up to 10 meters (33 feet).
Riderman has several
artifical arms, all with different functions. The two he uses most
often are "Rope Arm" which has a hook used for climbing, swinging or
grapping hold of an enemy, and "Power Arm" which is used as weapon in
combat or to break down doors.
Not used as much are
"Net Arm", for capturing his enemies and "Swing Arm", a flail on a rope
instead of a chain.
In one episode he uses
his "Drill Arm" to drill an air hole in an air tight room. "Drill Arm"
requires an external power source to function (in other words it has to
be plugged in). I don't remember seeing Riderman use "Sickle Arm", but
it looks leathul.
Riderman is
not a full cyborg and is therefore not as powerful as the other Riders.
What Riderman lacks in strength he makes up for in persistance, he
never gives up.
At first Riderman is
not an enemy of Destron, just Marshal Armor and will go from fighting
the forces of Marshal Armor to fighting V3. This is because Yuki, Joji
was raised by the leader of Destron. Eventually Riderman comes to
recognize that Destron is evil and joins Kamen Rider V3 in fighting it.
Riderman's motorcycle,
Rider Machine, was a non-transforming motorcycle. Rider Machine's top
speed was 250km/h (approx. 155 mph), making it the slowest of the Kamen
Rider motorycles.
Just as there were the
evil Shocker Riders in Kamen Rider there was an
evil Destron Riderman that tried to ruin the reputation of the real
Riderman (episode 47).
At the end of episode
51 Riderman appears to be killed in a nuclear blast. Kamen Rider V3
declares him to be "Kamen Raidâ Yongo" (Kamen Rider #4), for
sacrificing his life to save Tokyo. However, one year later Riderman
would appear alive and well in the short movie "Kamen Rider X: Five
Riders Vs King Dark", without explaining his survival.
Five Riders
vs. King Dark (July 25, 1974) 8 Riders vs. Milky Way King (March 15, 1980) Kamen Rider Super-1 (March 14, 1981) Kamen Rider-SD (January 25, 1993) - animation
TV
Kamen Rider
Stronger (1975) - episodes 38, 39 Kamen Rider All Back Again! 7 Riders (January 3,
1976) - 45 minute
special New Kamen Rider (1979) - episodes 26, 27, 28, 33,
54 Kamen Rider #10'S Birth! Riders Come Together
(January 3, 1984) - 45
minute special Kamen Rider Black RX (1989) - episodes 41-47
Yuki, Joji is
last seen in Kamen Rider #10'S Birth! Riders Come Together
by the time of Kamen Rider Black RX Yamaguchi,
Akira died April 06, 1986,
