Ichigo or Rider 1?
 

Oh yeah, and Ichimonji too.

Which do you prefer? I say Ichigo simply because that's what everyone
in-universe calls him.

Same reason nobody says "Masked Rider", "transform", or "Masked Rider Hat."

Masked Rider Hat, by the way, is the one who walks the path of heaven.

In Kabuto, they referred to Kamen Riders as Masked Riders "in show".

^I'd say that's probably because of the Masked Mode though.

On topic, Ichigo for me.

I go with Ichigo. 'Cuz I'm weeaboo like that.

Crap then, I should really get around to watching Kabuto sometime.

Ichigo isn't "weaboo," it's just wrong.

Ichigo means Strawberry. Ichi-Gou means "Number 1."
Nigo is nothing. It's not word. Ni-Gou means "Number 2."

Gou doesn't even literally mean "number." It's a contextual word for numerical value, so in Dragonball Z we have "Juuhachi-gou" Which is almost always translated as "Android 18." Here we have a character who was SIMPLY known as Kamen Rider, until the series progressed and they eventually started referring to him as the first Kamen Rider. So you can go with Rider 1, or Number 1, or even Version 1 (it's wrong, but less so than Strawberry.)

I understand that some people have a preference for Japanese sounding names, but this is like apples and oranges.

But that's only because it isn't a name, it's a word. That would be like calling the Riders "Kaizoningens" instead of "Cyborgs." Or ANY noun, for that matter.

Also, a Kabuto is a kind of beetle. Not just a helmet.

For what it's worth, the SHF packages say "MAKSED RIDER 1" and "MASKED RIDER 2," but then the Tiger & Bunny packages also talk about "Hiroic Action" so take that with a grain of salt, certainly. But in this case it's certainly accurate enough.

Right. Like I said, it's a word, not a name. That's why OFFICIALLY Hongo Takeshi is known as "Masked Rider 1" or "Number 1" on packages and in official english translations.

Someone like "Den-O" is a proper noun, not a descriptive word, so we call him Den-O. Not "King of Trains."

"King of Trains" sounds kind of badass in an obscenely ridiculous way, though.

Lawl, it kind of does.

Sieg made a pun about it one of the Let's Go Kamen Riders Net Movies. It was kind of a pain to make sense of it in english, but I think I gave it a good shot. I also included a more literal "weaboo" translation for anybody that prefers that.

Yes, a Kabutomushi is a kind of beetle, the name of which is literally "helmet" and "bug" glued together, meaning Kabuto's name is derived from a word derived from two other words.

You've a point with the other stuff though.

Right. It's a rhinoceros beetle. But that's what I was trying to say, the name is a play on words. It's a helmet of a rhinoceros beetle. Japanese is big on double meanings, and Kamen Rider (like a lot of Japanese media) uses a lot of double intended meanings in their naming patterns. Just like Kagami's name (mirror) is supposed to imply that he's an everyman, a character that the audience can relate to.

Congratulations, you've just won an argument with an idiot, I'm going to go cry in the world's smallest corner now.

Seriously though, thanks for correcting me (as it were) before some jerk did it in a stupid, angry, "ZOMG HOW COUD U EVEN SAY THAT!?" kind of way, because, despite making a poll about how you're supposed to say someone's name, I really don't enjoy lighting forums on fire.

;3; I wasn't arguing, and you're not an idiot! I'm just... am very passionate about silly things. And discussions on public forums are how we all learn things about silly TV shows!

I am totally calling Hongo's Rider form "Strawberry" now. :lol

That is the most hilariously line I've seen for some reason :lol.

Rider-1, though I'm fine with Ichi-gou.

It's either the typos (d'oh!) or the very sad TRUTHINESS of it.

I always thought I was doing something wrong when I called 1 "Ichigo" (Since, of my extremely limited Japanese, I actually knew it meant strawberry :P)

So it's "Ichi-Gou" huh?
Neat.
Phonetically, it would still sound the same, wouldn't it?

Yes it would, besides, maybe the mystery of why some people (like me, apparently) think Hongo is a strawberry is related to all this wacky Japanese wordplay that's going on.

But to quote Shakespeare, "That which we call a Kamen Rider, by any other name, would kick as much ass." Unless, you know, you're worth 300 points in Pac-Man.

No body asks me, but I refer as Ichigo.

I used to use Rider 1, but I've started refering to him as Ichi-gou due to interactions from the Rider Kick appreciation thread back on TFW.

What can I say? It has to be Ichigo.

Guys, at least take a look at what I said before ;.; I totally understand if some people prefer Japanese "names," but Ichigo isn't his name! It's not even what they're saying. It's like mixing up they're/their/there. It's ICHI GOU. It's a totally different thing.

You are calling him strawberry!

(And again, for the record, Ichi-Gou is a phrase that means "Number 1," not a name.)

Yeah, but it's just, until he's referred to as "One" in English in Japan, I don't think anyone will say it differently :lol

Ichigou!

But he is...
It says "Masked Rider 1" on almost every piece of merchandise that has his name on it, if it's written in English! It says that in the Climax Heroes and Ganbaride games, too.

If you mean for them to SAY IT in English, that... doesn't make any sense. It's a japanese word, and they're speaking Japanese.

This would be like calling Shotaro a "Keiji" because that's what we hear them saying. What's next, just referring to everything by the Japanese words we hear?

Masked Rider 1 - The First
(New) Masked Rider 1 - Showa

Here are two examples, from the Figuarts. The Japanese text at the bottom of the "The First" reads "Kamen Rider 1-Gou." The same text is on the Showa version, but it's cut off in this picture. Either way, that's his name.

I'm aware :P

But can't we all just have our own little weaboo moments? :lol

We can! For KITsubs, we keep "Kamen" and "Henshin" untranslated.
I don't fault anybody for their weaboo moments. That's why I'm so passionate over something so silly, Ichigo isn't weaboo, it's just wrong! I mean, you see the pictures I linked. It's not even written out as a word. It's "1gou"

;3; I put this message out there as a personal appeal from a very old fan.

Edit: Can we please add "Steve" to the poll?
http://i.imgur.com/QZsoD.jpg

Honestly, the way I see it is that we're all fine so long as no one's calling him V1. :p

I have a friend that calls them V1 and V2, despite being informed otherwise by every single person on the entire internet*

*I'll wait while you confirm that fact.

I once was about to call V3 "San-Gou" as a joke, then I had a vision of every Kamen Rider fan in existence simultaneously face-palming, so I decided "screw it" and tried to forget I even thought of it. As you can see, I'm having trouble with that last part.

Let's compromise and call him Bui-San

Well, if you ask me, "Ichi-Gou" simply sounds more like a superhero title, as opposed to "Number One" which sounds pretty clinical and mundane. To me, it's like calling Gurren Lagann "Crimson Face." It's technically correct, and still sounds kind of cool, but it removes the aura of fantasy about the name to my English-speaking mind.

That's what I've always thought, I think that's why Kamen Riders get fancy English names and weapons and forms (and everything else.) so much, it just sounds fancy when something is in a foreign language.

Well, his name is technically "Kamen Rider." He and Rider 2 are referred to as 1 and 2 because they were the first two that Shocker created. So as super heroes, they're Kamen Riders. In Skyrider (in an episode we're getting to soon) they break down the names, and that's when Skyrider "officially" gets his name. Up until episode 20, he's just been "Kamen Rider" too!

I think I know the same friend, and I want to smack him every time he pulls that stunt. :lol

He is a very smackable guy, sometimes.

Warrior Leader and Warrior Commander.

Thank you, Saban!

Dammit, I should have made that an option.