People will tell you to either start with the original show or Kuuga to get a feel for Rider, but I'll say pick one that looks the most fun to you personally (because you like the costume design or the premise) and just watch it.

Don't let others decide, because while most people like a certain show some people hate it so they will argue about what you should watch because they like the show better and it sucks.

Just pick what you want and roll with it. There are some bad shows, but you won’t end up hating the whole franchise if you start with a bad one. My second show was rather meh but I kept going anyways.

Personally, I think there are a few choices. Kamen Rider Fourze is a very upbeat series with fun characters, and a lot of heart. Kamen Rider W is a Noir style almost, but it's story is really easy to get into. Kamen Rider OOO is another good choice for those reasons. Kamen Rider Kiva is an outside choice. While it has good characters, and some of the best music in KR, It has a few plot problems that might be distracting. But the soundtrack is worth checking out if nothing else. More recently there's Kamen Rider Gaim. It's one of the more original KR series', and a lot different then what came before.

Truth is there's a lot of good options on where to start. So it all depends on what you were looking for.

Ghost just began and we're 2 episodes in, so that would be a great place to start at. But if you want to watch a series all at once, all the Neo Heisei (Post Decade) series are all great.

Roll a 20 sided die.
If you hit Kuuga or Faiz, reroll.

But really, just look at pictures of all our Riders, find one that looks cool, and roll with that. If you're stuck, just watch Double or OOO. Both are great series to watch with very few detractors (While Gaim is also fine, it strides in changing up the formula).

It depends on what you like. OOO has a shonen anime feel to it, so that's not a bad place to start. W has a good mix of drama and action, so W is also good too. Gaim is great place to start as well. Kuuga is good, but the show has not aged well with its visuals. The CG looks like a N64 game now, so the CG may turn people off.

A quick word about Kuuga is that it very much moves by the beat of it's own drum.
While it does give it an air of originality, it also ensures that there is no sense of pacing.

I think Gaim would be kind of a poor place to start, personally. Part of what makes it so interesting is how different it is from the rest of the Kamen Rider series, something that would be completely lost on anyone who hasn't actually seen any other Kamen Rider.

Gaim has a really strong story to it which is why I feel like it's a good place to start. It still has the basic Kamen Rider stuff in it like able to transform with the belts, monster of the week and they ride bikes to travel.

Which super sentai actor would you like to see play a role in a kamen rider episode or movie?

Gaim is my favorite Rider series, and I don't know that I'd want to start with it. I wouldn't want to judge other Rider shows by its standard. Some I'd consider instead:

W - Strong story, strong characters, cool theme, and the toys don't overpower the rest of the show. Ends strongly for a Kamen Rider. Balances humor and seriousness really well.

Den-O - One of the funniest and most emotional shows. There are a few good reasons this show was insanely popular. Even a problematic mid-series casting change was handled... well, better than I'd have expected.

Fourze - The high school theme and core cast worked really well. Utilized its theme - friendship - remarkably well.

I haven't finished OOO, but so far, I can see why people are recommending it. Similar to W in that it doesn't feel to me like there are many filler episodes.

Let us know what you end up picking, Neptune!

Oh there's plenty of filler in OOO, it's just that the concept of the conflict is so freakin' genius so that even when there's lulls of filler, story relevant exchanges of medals are ALWAYS happening. Even if the main plot of an episode doesn't particularly effect the overall story, something of note happens almost every single episode that progresses the overarching "medal collection" narrative forward.

I'd honestly recommend OOO as a starting point even more-so than W. It establishes all the key points of the series; motorcycle riding, the "home base" (strangely, often a restaurant of some sort), form changes, monster generals who manipulate civilians, the monster/Rider relationship, the balance between mystical and technological, etc. All while having two strong leads, incorporating the toyline collectibles in a natural way, and generally having decent overall pacing from start to finish.

Any point is a good starting point unless it's Kuuga.
Gaim has a feel all it's own. Double and OOO are just really, really great series. Den-O and Fourze are lighthearted and place a greater emphasis on fun, but they're not just romps through a park. Blade tells a great story that can really pull you in after a rather slow start. Ryuki, despite having a large cast, has a huge set of memorable characters. Kabuto and Kiva...Look really nice.
Decade can be a quick crash course for everyone, and makes an okay starting point due to it's short length.

Is Akari the Akiko of Ghost?

They look alike.

Akari is more grown up version of Akiko.

I also notice that western fanbase dislike Akari and Akiko for 2 reasons

Fanbase dislike Akari for taking "Agent Scully" Role Too Seriously and doesn't believe in Ghost while they also dislike Akiko for being a spoiled brat who is suddenly become Chief of Narumi Business because she's a daughter of Sokicki Narumi despite of having no experience in crime business. She's like 18 years old! Too young to be a chief! :mad:

Well, most every series has a female tag along character. People disliked Akiko for her brash and loud personality, in addition to her general rude attitude to the protagonists.

People dislike Akari because she was levitated in the air and hauled several meters away and still doesn't believe anything strange happened. She's kind of an idiot, despite her dedication to science.

Akiko got better, and I'm sure Akari will, too.

So...I guess Akari is?

Did you just reccomend Decade?

Who are you and what have you done with Matrixbeast?

I suffered through Decade twice.
I want to make sure everyone else suffers too.
http://i.imgur.com/whKy0uu.gif

I'd recommend OOO, Fourze, Den-O, and Double.

No, that's Hibiki. :cool:

Agreed, and I think this also applies to Hibiki, perhaps even more so. Before watching Gaim or Hibiki I think you need to be familiar with common Rider tropes in order to appreciate how unique these two are.

I'd advise against this. I think it'd be better to watch Decade after seeing all the previous shows so you can enjoy seeing all the previous Riders come back. That's what I'm planning on doing, at least.

The post decade Trinity of Double, OOO and Fourze is always a good point to start for the series and even though I am the Ryuki guy I would say save that for later, not the best place to start off from.

Or just look at all the riders and pick whoever you think is cool.

So I started Decade and watched a clip of the final scene(never been the kind to mind spoilers) and
That's it? THAT'S IT?! It ends with Kaitou shooting Tsukasa but it doesn't bother to finish? The heck writers?

I also recommend W, OOO and Fourze, Drive is also a good starting point. Or maybe Agito- Kuuga is too different already, so I would save that for later. Picking yourself is also cool but... can go wrong sometimes. I was in the lucky position that my rider of choice was OOO, so I really felt like watching more afterwards. But if your pick is, say... Kabuto or Wizard, it might not work that well, depending on how much you can deal with crappy writing?

What happened to Kengo? And for that matter, why is Decade hated by the fandom and Matrixbeast?

you just won the internets, good sir! Especially since OOO is one of my favourite riders.

Akari and Akiko are completely different.

Akiko has a sweet side, very rally shown. She also unofficially elected her self a Chief, as technically Shotaro is the Boss. She's also the Only Straight Girl/Down to Earth person compared to Shotaro's hard boiled delusions/lifestyle. And We don't know her age, she could be 23 for all we know!
Akari we do not know much about yet, so please hold off on concultions Darth Vader!
Also your punctuation gave me headaches, so I fixed it for you in the quote.

Not everyone

Some of us like Decade.
eDIT: Been more constractive and I liked that picture there, it set the mood.

There's a button named "Multiquote" at the bottom of each post, please use that to respond to numerous posts rather than writing a separate one for each.

Also less of this. If you disagree, either do it constructively or don't do it at all.

Im an idiot
 

I know about the muti-quote. I'll fix it now.

Also, that was a DOLOP reference. But ill change that to be more constructive.

Thank you and sorry for being an idiot.

It could go wrong if you end up picking one of the weaker as for series like Faiz, Kabuto and Wizard as they havereally good suit designs across the board so that could be an issue but if that is one of your first seasons than it can tend to make the others feel signficantly better by comparison, in which most cases they actually are.

Ultimately while some are worse than others there is no TV rider season I feel I completely hate in every aspect so I feel any series would be fine for someone new although I haven't gotten to Hibiki's second half and decade yet.

Words I would never use to describe Akiko: "straight girl" and "down to Earth." She was the show's screwball comic relief character. In many ways she was every bit as over-the-top as Shunpei or half of Drive's cast. She worked much better, though, because she and Shotaro did such a fantastic job of bouncing off of each other.

This is actually the prime reason why I loathe Decade and why I recommend viewing it early on.
It's a piss poor anniversary, they decided to throw the classic characters into new scenarios, but in doing so, it lost the charm of the originals and just made them nobodies wearing beloved suits, and ultimately, it drops the ball on the story, most notably when they did decide to bring back old actors.

You don't see previous riders come back, you see old suits used again, and that does make a difference. As you grow attached, you want to see someone like Kenzaki Kazuma succeed at challenges and prove his worth again, not Kenzaki Kendate, some generic goofball that won't appear ever again after his 2 episode arc is completed.

Watching Decade early on provides a slew of advantages.
First it won't piss you off by shitting on your favorite Rider's mythos (I will never forgive what they did to Blade). It provides a nice lesson to give basic facts about a Rider's powers and abilities, as well as a decent amount of screen time so you can decide which Rider you think looks coolest (Both in design and execution), making it easy to decide what series to watch next (Well, pre-Decade), and there's a large focus on action, giving you a nice spectacle.

With it's drop your pants level of embarrassing when it comes to storytelling and character development, in addition to making your favorite characters laughing stocks just to make Tsukasa look cool, and Tsukasa being an insufferable asshole that his group of friends have to constantly tell whoever he's helping "No, he's really a nice dude. He's trying to help, I promise!" every time he goes to a new world, watching Decade after having dipped your toe in other series turns into a slog.

Because it's a bad show that managed to attract in a lot of new fans into Toku by the virtue of being able to see so many suits in action in one show.
That's all well and good, more fans is great. But then you see people letting Decade slide because "It was my first series, so I cherish it for that."
Also, everything else I said up top.

I loathe Decade. It's god awful story, it's terrible characters, it's poor soundtrack, and it's ruination of my favorite character in the entire KR franchise makes it insufferable and offensive to me.

Yes, there are some people who do like Decade.
And those people owe me an apology.

Decade is the only season where your enjoyment of it is determined by how many other series you have seen beforehand.

You know Matrix, I would love to see a debate between you and someone who loves Decade.

I wouldn’t. That's why I pretend I didn’t read anything once he mentions Kuuga.

Also: Do people who love Decade even exist? I haven’t seen one. Most people are just like "It was okay" at best.

I'm just saying, I found the Blade world of Decade offensive even before I watched Blade...

I know one. And he happens to be German as well.

Unfortunately, that can't happen.
There is nobody who loves Decade. Just poor souls who mildly like it.

http://i.imgur.com/mBJxoCb.gif

They mishandled Blade every opportunity...

Show was okay, I love Tsukasa. That's about the closest I can get.

Aw, you don't wanna join in on my venting over Kuuga?

And like I said, there aren't.

http://i.imgur.com/cyyNd9g.png

I am one of those viewers who came in with Decade, even if it wasn't the first show I fully watched (backtracked through the whole Heisei era first for context). I think the show - especially the tour of past Riders part - can be pretty fun at times. It definitely lost all direction after Hibiki World, though.

Tsukasa was always hit-or-mis for me, but I'll always stand up for the Decade suit as one of my favorite Rider designs ever.

Still far away from loving the show :lol

You could say that, yes.

But what if one could be found? Would you let a debate be filmed then?

And by filmed I mean "Google Hangout discussion posted to YouTube."

Can't deny that :lol
But honestly, I'm a big fan of parallel universes as a sci-fi/fantasy concept so what they did with Rider worlds didn't bother me all that much. Would have been nice if they had managed to do something with all 9 previous Riders, but I acknowledge how impractical that probably would have been and can deal with what they did do. Plus, I really dug stuff like the Ryuki and Hibiki worlds.

Its the overall story that bombed hard. Well, that and how they treated the actual returning Blade and Kiva.

Going through the rider worlds had it's moments. World of Den-O was fun, Black and Black RX was neat, and the Shinkenger crossover was interesting.
But I generally just didn't have much interest in what they had to offer. Faiz being a school was underwhelming, Blade being a giant corporation pissed me off, and a lot of the worlds were just not that memorable.

I hate Tsukasa. He was always channeling Tendou from Kabuto, but didn't have a Kagami to play off of (Since Onodera always took what Tsukasa did in stride).

Aw, why~?

Perhaps

Decade was a pretty early series for me, and... Yeah. It did not leave me with the impression that Ryuki was about lawyers (well, more than one) or that Blade was about... Damn, I don't even remember. Kitchenware? Watching Decade didn't ruin anything for me except Decade.

The Decade suit design is cool, the Decadriver is wonderful for a chatty driver (before the advent of Drivers with grating voices), and the cast is really pretty solid. It left me an interest in finding out more about the first nine Riders. (Also, I've found going back and watching a Decade two-parter after finishing one of those series was pretty satisfying, because watching Decade before those series resulted in a very high amount of "What the bleep is going on?!")

Save for the worlds that made absolutely no sense (Blade and DiEnd's sorta-world), some of the two-parters are pretty good in themselves, so long as you don't try to make sense of them in the context of any other two-parter or the overall narrative.

Hm. I think I was trying to defend Decade (DEFEND! please), but I appear to have landed at "Damning with faint praise." *shrug*

Oh! Oh! Here's one: Decade more or less gave us Cho Den-O Episode Yellow. Fun movie. (It also more or less gave up Super Hero Taisens, but the beauty of those is that you don't have to watch them.

Decade's best legacy is that it showed Toei how not to do Gokaiger.

I guess I'll take your word for it. I myself haven't seen Decade yet, so I suppose I'm not really qualified to assess it.

I've heard that Tsukasa's actor is a nice guy who enjoyed being Decade. Shame the character is so divisive among the fandom.