is a Japanese tokusatsu drama and the 32nd entry of Toei Company's Kamen Rider metaseries. It is the third series to debut during the Reiwa period and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the franchise. The series premiered on September 5, 2021, joining Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger and later, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers in the Super Hero Time line-up following the finale of Kamen Rider Saber and was followed by Kamen Rider Geats after its own finale.
Premise
In 1971, a military organization called NOAH led an expedition in Latin America and discovered the remains of the first devil Giff and an artifact from which they developed Vistamps. In the present, Giff's remains are in the possession of a NOAH splinter faction called Deadmans, a devil-worshiping cult who seeks to resurrect him by using Proto Vistamps to convert peoples' inner demons to their fold. Opposing Deadmans is an organization called Fenix, which has developed the Revice Driver for someone who has tamed their inner demon. Ikki Igarashi, who runs a sentō with his family, ends up acquiring the belt while forming a pact with his inner demon, Vice, to fight Deadmans together as Kamen Riders Revi and Vice.
Ikki's younger brother Daiji, a Fenix operative who was intended to become Revice but failed to out of fear, begins to avoid Ikki until he is possessed by his inner demon, Kagero, who obtains the means to transform into Kamen Rider Evil to defeat Ikki, who helps Daiji overcome Kagero's control and become Kamen Rider Live. Later, Ikki and Daiji's younger sister, Sakura, joins the fray after obtaining the means to become Kamen Rider Jeanne and awakening her inner demon, Lovekov, from the secret resistance group Weekend.
Episodes
Production
The Kamen Rider Revice trademark was registered by Toei on May 6, 2021.
On July 27, 2021, Kamen Rider Revice was officially announced during an online production announcement conference alongside its cast.
The opening theme song is performed by the vocal and dance group Da-ice collaborating with Subaru Kimura.
Kamen Rider Revi's main vehicle, a hoverbike that Kamen Rider Vice can transform into, is based on the real life XTurismo hoverbike developed by A.L.I. Technologies.
Initially, the original concept for Revice was that all of the past Kamen Rider series took place in their own TV series. However, due to Kamen Rider Revice guest starring in Kamen Rider Saber, the staff decided to create a new concept inspired by Kamen Rider Den-O and Kamen Rider Zi-O instead. Another concept considered for the series was a "post-COVID-19 pandemic road trip" story wherein Revi would explore a new era in the aftermath of the pandemic, with the idea of "moving forward" being a central theme. However, difficulties from the pandemic itself made it difficult to execute, resulting in it being changed to a family-themed drama, reflecting how lockdowns have allowed families staying together more opportunities to bond with each other.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Sakura Igarashi's actor, Ayaka Imoto, tested positive for COVID-19 on February 28, 2022 and recovered on March 7, 2022.
Controversy
One of Kamen Rider Revices assistant producers filed a complaint to the , a trade union that fights for workers' rights, regarding her position in the Kamen Rider series as a whole ever since her promotion into her current position. Among the addressed problems are sexual harassment, unpaid overtime, and the chief producer overlooking her problems and not taking them seriously. Despite the hardships she endured, the assistant producer assured that Revices cast members are easy to work with and unrelated to her problems.
Films
Kamen Riders Revi and Vice made their debut in the crossover film Saber + Zenkaiger: Super Hero Senki and in a special film with the same title as the series double-billed with it. The events of the special film take place between episodes three and four of the series.
Beyond Generations
is a crossover film released on December 17, 2021, starring the casts of Revice and Kamen Rider Saber. The film also features a new Kamen Rider from a possible future in the year 2071, 100 years after the debut of the first Kamen Rider television series, called Kamen Rider Century. Additionally, actors Akiyoshi Nakao and Arata Furuta portrayed Ryunosuke and Hideo Momose, while Maito Fujioka, the son of Hiroshi Fujioka, portrayed Takeshi Hongo's younger self. The film was written by Nobuhiro Mouri and directed by Takayuki Shibasaki. The theme song is "Promise" performed by Da-ice. The events of the film take place between episodes 13 and 14 of the series.