Hongou, Takeshi
Summary
Takeshi Hongo is recognized as the original Kamen Rider. After being forcibly transformed into a cyborg by the sinister Shocker organization, he managed to preserve his humanity and chose to battle evil in the name of justice. During a motorcycle grand prix practice session, Hongo was lured into a trap by a group of bikers working for Shocker. The terrorist organization subjected him to surgery to become a super-powered cyborg, intending to brainwash him upon his awakening a week later. However, Hongo escaped the facility with the help of his college professor, Midorikawa, who had been secretly working for Shocker and had originally selected Hongo for the program. The pair fled to Warehouse 55 at the harbor, where they were pursued by the Shocker Inhumanoid Spider Man and his forces. Spider Man tracked down Ruriko to their hiding spot and killed Professor Midorikawa in front of her. Ruriko blamed Hongo for her father’s death before Spider Man abducted her. Hongo pursued them, fighting through Spider Man’s minions before engaging the Inhumanoid in combat and defeating him with a Rider Kick. As Kamen Rider, Hongo continued to fight Shocker’s monsters. He eventually discovered that Shocker had recreated the original cyborg design on Ichimonji Hayato to counter Hongo’s threat. Hongo assisted Ichimonji in escaping Shocker’s custody, allowing him to fight as Kamen Rider #2 while Hongo traveled abroad to dismantle Shocker’s international branches. He later returned to Japan to join forces with Ichimonji as the Double Riders, aiming to destroy Shocker and the subsequent Gel-Shocker organization. The Double Riders later appeared in the sequel Kamen Rider V3. The protagonist, Kazami Shiro, was a junior of Hongo’s who begged them to transform him into a Kamen Rider after his family was murdered by the Destron organization. Although they initially refused, they transformed the mortally wounded young man after he assisted them, endowing him with both Kamen Rider #1’s skill and Rider #2’s strength. The Double Riders were seemingly killed in an atomic bomb explosion but later reappeared alive in the series.
