Kamen Rider (1971 TV series) in the context of "Kamen Rider V3"

The Kamen Rider Series (Japanese: 仮面ライダーシリーズ, Hepburn: Kamen Raidā Shirīzu), also known as Masked Rider Series (until Decade and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. Kamen Rider media usually revolves around the titular defined group of motorcycle-riding superheroes with an insect motif who fights supervillains, often known as kaijin (怪人; lit. strange person).

The franchise began in 1971 with the Kamen Rider television series, which followed college student Takeshi Hongo and his quest to defeat the world-conquering Shocker organization. The original series spawned television and film sequels and launched the Second Kaiju Boom (also known as the Henshin Boom) on Japanese television during the early 1970s, impacting the superhero and action-adventure genres in Japan.