Yeah, I was about to say, are actors like Sano Gaku and Takeuchi Ryoma really considered so abnormally bishie? Sure they're handsome, but they're not really what I would consider particularly bishounen. It's television, and they have to consider marketing, so the fact that the protagonists are handsome is only logical. I guess I could understand the complaint if every Rider we got was a Katono Taiko, but they're...not.

Also I don't ever see anyone complain about the fact that all the heroines in KR are pretty. Where my average looking women advocates at, yo.

I won't go as far as Dr. Kain, but I do prefer the way Shinnosuke looks as the hero over the so called pretty boys that we have seen in the past. Honestly, it's moreso that trendy haircut that most toku actors have nowadays that I'm not a fan of. Doesn't mean much in terms of the show quality, but it does bug me a little.

The fact that you want someone to look like Steve Rogers, who literally, was made to be the AMERICAN ideal hero of his time, to play the main for a TV show whose central demographic is a JAPANESE child/pre-teen audience, is completely ridiculous. Your ideas of them casting an average person is also ludicrous considering what would be an average look to some people is different to others. Having lived in Japan for 6 years during my childhood, I can assure you that the physical builds of the Japanese people that lived outside of the military base I lived on differed from the non-military citizens on the base.

Also looks also aren't everything when casting is being made. The actor must be able to convey the necessary emotions and have some likability to even be considered.

Also why would our Riders need to look super muscular anyway? It makes sense that Oren would look a bit bulkier since he was a soldier in the French army, but for the most part, our riders are just the average Japanese teenager/young adult that happened to come across superpowers. And they wouldn't need to be exceptionally muscular considering they're wearing armor that augments their physical capabilities.

^THIS. This is exactly what people need to remember.

I think what Kain means is:
Steve Rodgers- Takeshi Hongo
Peter Parker- Most modern prettyboy Riders like Shinnosuke, Wataru or Haruto.

But yeah, yours and Asakura's points are valid. Most Japanese kids would prefer youthful, fashionable, light-hearted 20-somethings as heroes than tough, utilitarian badass 30-somethings.

Yeah but he has to keep in mind that Takeshi Hongo was created in the 70s where he better reflected the culture of that time.

And even the original Riders weren't that old. Takeshi's actor was 25, and Hayato's 24, when they started their roles. Most Riders have been around that age from what I've seen. Shinnosuke's and several other more recent actors have only been a few years younger than that. Actors in their teens like Takeru's are a lot rarer.

(i also laugh at the insinuation that the older riders didn't dress super fashionably, for their time. seriously, have you seen hayato.)

The whole pretty-boy discussion feels rather weird if you consider that you can't even appear in the background of Marvel-movies if you're not a supermodel, bodybuilder or Stan Lee. These movies push a ridiculous image of how people should look, not Kamen Rider.

And honestly, with Kamen Rider you at least get normal looking humans in support roles. Like with the SPU in Drive, besides Shinnosuke and Kiriko the whole group looks average to normal, or rather not like dolls.

You'll always have the "problem" with actors needing to look pretty because their faces end up on the poster and the merchandise.

Having been to japan just two years ago I gotta say Rider ARE the average joe you want them to be. Just not the average Joe you see in america. Thats what japanese Men in there early to mid 20s.

And the term Bishounen isnt correct when you use it that way. Its meant to describe males in anime and manga. For actual persons you say Ikemen just so you know ;)