What was your first Rider series, what is your favorite, what is your least favorite?
 

So I guess this is kinda my "how I got into Kamen Rider" post, mixed with just a getting to know the tastes of the board sorta thread.

I don't quite recall when I first learned about Kamen Rider. Obviously growing up as a child of the 90's I grew up on Power Rangers. As such I was, like most I assume, exposed to Saban's Masked Rider. Being a kid not too aware of the world abroad (excluding my love for old Godzilla flicks) I didn't really know much about the origins of either show, I just knew that there were vague connections between Power Rangers and Masked Rider, I mean there was a crossover episode afterall.

Some time passes and I find out about Power Rangers originally originating in Japan, and that Masked Rider was more or less the same thing. Now I don't believe that was when I actually learned anything about the shows that they were based on, just that it was a mix of Japanese and American footage.

Now I know that I kinda had things figured out before Dragon Knight made its debut in the US, as I recall seeing merchandise and already knowing what Kamen Rider was and the deal with that and Masked Rider and blahblahblah.

Not gonna really detail on my joining TFW or the transfandom and all that, really only thing relevant about that is Vangelus and TJOmega and their reviews. They're what really turned me onto S.H. Figuarts, and in fact it was Vangelus' review of the Black RX figure that lead to me ordering one for myself.

From that point I was still more or less a no-interest kinda guy. I mean I liked the reviews and such, but I still mostly watched them for the Transformers videos, and only really watching a Kamen Rider review in passing here and there, admiring the quality of the figures, but again not really caring much about them.

And then I saw Wizard.

I think it was an ad on some website or in someone's signature, but I saw him and thought, "Huh, now that looks/sounds kinda cool." So I did a bit of Googling around and found a site that had the show subbed up to that point and started watching, got my girlfriend into the show and everything too. Saw the Wizard Figuart and was like, "Yeah..have to have that." I started searching around for a place to discuss my new found love, knowing TFW had a few threads for Rider stuff that at this point seemed pretty damn inactive, I ended up stumbling on this place while doing a Google search for a Kamen Rider forum. Joined up, started talking to people, making some new friends with a common interest.

It was about that time I decided to start expanding myself a bit, I ended up gaining a bit of interest in Fourze, got the figure off of Amazon and started watching that. Picked up a few more figures here and there. Moved on to watching W, which I also finished. Currently I'm watching Ryuki and OOO.

So all that said, the first Kamen Rider I really watched was Wizard, it's still on-going so not sure how much that really counts. The first Kamen Rider I watched start to finish was Fourze.

As for my favorite, I'm trying not to cop out and go with a really indecisive kinda answer, but it is a tough choice as I haven't really watched all that many, and the ones I have watched I really enjoyed all for different reasons. I'm a bit bias towards Wizard just because it's really the one that started it all for me, but I can definitely see that it has its flaws. Fourze was really fun and light-hearted, I loved the cast, I thought the villains were well designed and interesting, it had some nice twists and some really emotional moments for a show that really didn't have all that much in the way of serious drama. W did a great job of walking the line between dark and light, again like Fourze I thought it had a great cast of characters and some really interesting designs, and the villains themselves had a lot of character, at least the Sonozaki family did. I also ended up really liking the 2-in-1 aspect of W, which was something I actually disliked before I really got into Kamen Rider funny enough. And I loved the whole film noir feel the series kinda went with. Ryuki, so far at least, is a nice, dark series, it's had a few comedic moments, but they're definitely not the focus, and it seems like there has been quite a few deaths even within the first few episodes (at least I assume that people have actually been getting killed by the mirror monsters). I can't really judge it too well though, I'm not even 1/4 of the way through it. OOO I've seen even less of, but of the shows I've started or watched it is the one that interested me the least I feel. Overall though I have to say W is probably my favorite, with Fourze coming in second, then Wizard (will see how the second half of the show goes, it may jump up a spot or two, the last couple episodes were great), Ryuki, and OOO.

As with every Filipino, my first exposure to Kamen Rider was with Kamen Rider BLACK. Then a year later, when we first got cable TV, I watched a few episodes of the original Kamen Rider on NHK International.

As far as favorites go, I got Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider BLACK, 555, W and Wizard. My least favorite is Fourze as I just don't see it as a Kamen Rider title.

My first and favourite Rider series is W, but it's the only one I've finished. (Though I think it's great and don't just place it as my favourite because I've finished it) So far OOOs is in the same league, but I have issues with it I don't have with W.

My least favourite is Kabuto. My God I've seen white bread with butter on it that was more exciting than that show. I never finished it, but I couldn't.

The first Kamen Rider show I watched a full episode of was OOO. I thought it was absolutely wonderful, but only a few episodes were out, so I watched Decade in the meantime because people said it was a good place to start. Looking back, it was pretty awful, but I don't particularly dislike it. Least favorite, from what I've seen, is Faiz. I just don't like anyone in that show.
My favorite, as I'm pretty ready to say, is Fourze. High school settings are the bomb, and space themes mixed with ridiculously over-the-top fighting and feel-good writing? I don't get how people can't love that.

I wasn't all that aware of Kamen Rider until fairly recently. It was mostly after I got into Super Sentai. I had seen bits of Dragon Knight, but not really aware of the source material.
I actually resisted Kamen Rider for a while. After several Sentai series, I decided I'd give Kamen Rider a shot. I chose the most interesting looking one at the time(OOO) and I was floored by how great it was. Even now, OOO is my favorite.

Kinda curious, why is that?

Watching Fourze just plain made me feel happy.

First one was Fourze. Favorite has to be OOO. Just loved Ankh, hell the whole cast. Least favorite... well I'll say Wizard but that annoying girl in W brings that show WAY down for me. Been putting off continuing it because of her.

My first series? I guess on technicality it would be Masked Rider, the American adaptation of Black RX.

Now, there are 3 other points that could be considered attempts to get into it. The first was a Japanese VHS of Kuuga, spelled out as "Couga" for me :lol
After that, my brother tried to get me to watch Faiz, but that never amounted to much, and then he showed me 7 Fighting Demons, which did interest me, but I never really watched Hibiki (I pride myself in being one of the few who wasn't introduced by Vangelus or TJ).

Anyway, the first series that I watched in full, was *Sighs* Decade.

My favorite series, though, is OOO, no question. There are other series that do a lot that I love, such as Double's fantastic story, Kabuto's beautiful designs, and Den-O not being afraid to have fun, but OOO just had the best balance. Double's villains got rather bland, Kabuto meandered too long during the middle, and Den-O didn't have a final act. OOO isn't perfect by any stretch, but it's just so enjoyable for me, and I can get behind any appearances of the character, just because I love Eiji so much.

Least favorite? I think we all know what my least favorite is.

Naw man, the show as a whole is well worth sticking through it for, especially dat ending (well minus the last episode, but I shan't say more than that on the subject). And (man am I bad with a lot of the side character names haha) the chief kinda grows on ya, hell one of my favorite lines in the whole series, and it's just a single word tanuki?, comes from her haha. Just the delivery and everything was perfect.

My first was Kuuga when I was 12 years old. My favorite is Agito. Awesome story, awesome characters. My least favorite is Faiz with pretty much lame everything.

First (assuming Masked Ride-Der doesn't count): Kabuto.
Favorite/Best: Agito. No other Kamen Rider will satisfy me now. It's just that perfect.
Least Favorite: Honestly? Wizard. Decade's all kinds of crap, but I had hopes for Wizard and it's one of the most boring tokus I've ever seen.

First Rider Series/Favorite Rider Series

Kamen Rider Fourze

It had everything I love in any series. Charming characters, an involving storyline, and excellent monster designs. The Zodiarts and Horoscopes continued to just get better and better. And the story was even better. It moved you, it made you care about these characters. I remember tearing up atleast three times while watching this. When Ryuusei 'killed' Gentaro, and then when Gentaro came back as Cosmic and kicked much ass. When Yuuki was losing herself to Gemini and thought she'd never be herself again. And the end. When I thought Kengo was going to die, and nothing could save him.

Least Favorite Rider Series

Kamen Rider Hibiki

It's not a horrible series. It's just so radically different from any other Rider series that I coudld never get into it. The one thing about the series I did like, though, was the movie "Hibiki and the Seven War Oni." A KR take on Seven Samurai. The music was good though, especially when they all came together to use their weapons to defeat someone. Music weapons: Always a good idea.

My first exposure to Kamen Rider ( outside of American adaptations and the kamen rider sega cd game that made its way here ) was OOO in the superhero time opening of Gokaiger.

I thought he looked cool enough so I gave it a chance and fell in love. Next came Fourze and Den-O. Thanks to the OOO & Den-O team up movie I became curious about that.

I liked W & Decades designs so I watched them also. Also currently watching Wizard, so here is the score card

First Rider - OOO

Favorite Rider - OOO

Favorite show overall - Den- O

Least favorite - Decade. ( he is a tool )

Favorite Secondary Rider - take a wild guess !

First: Decade (like most people though technically it was Saban's Masked Rider)

Favourite: Fourze

And least favourite...

This.

(Note: I haven't watched anything pre-Decade yet)

First: OOO? I have no Idea because I had no Idea where to watch it, so I watched a couple episode of den-o first I think. But ooo I completed first.

Favorite: OOO!!!!!!!!!! And no it's because it was my first. I've watched it 3 times over and it's way better still

Least: kabuto.... God that show SUCKED!!!!

I've only seen three series so far so my range is rather narrow but regardless. My first and favorite series is W with Decade as a second favorite. My least favorite so far is Wizard but that just means it's my third favorite as again, I've only seen three. I am watching Kiva right now, but I've only seen one episode so far, I will say that it may challenge W as m favorite though.

*prepares for incoming switchblade* :p

First Kamen Rider I ever watched was Masked Rider, which I thought was great as long as you muted the American inserts.

My first "real" Kamen Rider series was watching Black RX in the Raw when I was in college. At that time (1998 or so), fansubs were few and far between, and Raws were about all you could hope for. Still was a lot of fun even raw!

My first subbed Kamen Rider series is the original, which I am watching currently thanks to KIT Subs.

I have not seen enough to have a least favorite, although I am really digging the original, and Black is pretty darn awesome as well. I will always have a soft spot for Black RX as well.

My first rider series ever was Kiva and he is still one of my personal favorites. As far as favorites that would be a tie between OOO and Kiva but over all I'd have to say Kiva. Not just cause it was my first it also has some of my favorite rider designs. Namely my favorite is Saga.

Okay, so my first Rider show. That's actually kind of hard to answer. I got interested in Kamen Rider back in mid-2009 after watching some toy reviews from Vangelus and TJ Omega. I generally respect their tastes and was curious to see what this "Kamen Rider" thing was all about. So I started by watching the first episode of the current Rider series: Decade. I was pretty instantly hooked - it looked very cool and fun and was very different from Power Rangers, which I'd gotten back into during Dino Thunder. But I don't really count Decade as my first series because, after that one episode, I decided that the best way to watch it was to see the previous nine shows first, so that I could really geek out when I saw all of those old characters and worlds come back (yes, I know - I learned about that about halfway through Agito).

So with Decade not an option I started up Kuuga. I caught the first two episodes and absolutely fell in love with the show. And that's when I found out that it wasn't fully subbed (again, this was mid-09). That left me kind of depressed, but it also led me to move on to Agito, which I truly consider my first Rider show, as it's the first show I watched to completion. It still stands as one of my personal favorites, too. But not my all-time favorite.

No, my all-time favorite Rider series is kind of a toss-up between Black and Hibiki. I usually go with Black because Hibiki, although a masterpiece, was tragically left unfinished due to executive meddling. I try not to let the last nineteen episodes damper my love for the show, but I can't ignore the fact that the real Hibiki is unfinished. Black, on the other hand, is pretty much perfect for me. It's got a lot of the Showa era episodic structure, but does have an ongoing plot that frequently returns. The hero is really likable and has a great suit design. The villains are all fantastic and memorable, especially Shadow Moon. The action scenes are great, the music is fantastic, the stories are usually really good (especially the ending arc)... honestly, I can't think of any way in which Black isn't an amazing show. I tend to think Hibiki has better high points than Black, but Black is consistently amazing.

Least favorite? Surprisingly, it's not Kiva (sorry to disappoint you, coturos :p). I mean, don't get me wrong, Kiva's a really bad show and definitely first runner up on my least favorite list, but the all-time bottom has to go to 555. There are just so many, many things that go wrong with Faiz. The show is full of ridiculously over-the-top melodrama, the characters are constantly making everything worse by (often pointlessly) refusing to talk about even simple things, and then Kusaka comes along and just makes every awkward situation even more intolerable. And what do you get as a reward for making it through all that? An ending that's just a series of cliffhangers. Kiva had a lot of problems - a lot of the same problems, even - but at least it had an ending.

First: Decade. Like a lot of people I loved it at the time but have since seen the inconsistencies and flaws of it.

Favorite: Den-O. Still my top choice when it comes to a perfect blend of comedy and action. It's got great riders with some stellar designs, awesome supporting characters, and a really fun gimmick. And some major sub plots that really help drive the show home. My only complaint is the lack of a proper final villain.

Least Favorite: Much tougher to answer. It's a bit of a tossup between Blade, W, & 555. I know most people love W and Blade but I just didn't particularly care for either of them that much. And most people hate 555 so no one can blame me there :lol

So I'm guessing people don't like 555? :lol

It has its fans, but they're a small and mostly quiet group. I tend to find that the ending burns most of the goodwill that's still left by the last episode.

I first started becoming aware of Kamen Rider thru Vangelus' reviews of Figuarts, but it wasn't until TJOmega reviewed all the KR W DX toys that I decided to sit down and watch something, because those seemed like awesome toys.

So, W was my first Kamen Rider series, and it's near the top as far as favorites, but not quite the favorite.

My favorite is either Den-O or Kiva. I go back on forth on which I enjoyed more, so on any given day listed a different one first. But they're the bestests. They both have fantastic monster designs, I think the Rider designs are slightly better in Kiva, but I love all of Den-Os and Zeronos' forms quite a bit. Characterwise, Den-O is probably a little better, but I don't hate anybody from Kiva, either. Except Mio, for some reason i didn't like her at all.

Least favorite, I don't really have a least favorite. I haven't seen the most reviled shows, like 555 and Blade and Decade. And I love the other most reviled show, ie Kiva, so where does that leave me? I haven't yet seen a Kamen Rider I didn't like.

First one was Decade. That damn belt got me all bothered and interested in other Rider series. Watched most of Blade, didn't finish it but want to. Watched all of Kabuto, liked it, but the Deus Ex Machina at the end was pretty lame. OOO is incredible and probably my favorite or at least my second favorite to Decade.

Blade? Reviled? What the hell? How do you figure that?
And don't base your statement on what Den-O says. He has no taste.

Your opinion on Blade.. makes me think you've never actually watched Blade.

What was so bad about Blade? (Morbid curiosity)

Anyone who think Blade is not awesome should just kill themselves.

First: Den-O
Favorite: Ryuki
Least Favorite: Kabuto(though I haven't finished it)

First: Bits of Blade and Hibiki
Favorite: Refer to username
Least Favorite: Second part of Hibiki

You talking to me?
Because Blade is a brilliant and wonderful series.

Nothing.
Well, the first 10 episodes maybe, because they don't believe in explanations, but beyond that, nothing!

Talking to ryan.

Good. For a moment I thought you were implying Blade wasn't good.

First: Kiva. It was big into Castlevania at the time and it appealed to me

Favorite: W. Fourze is a really close second.

Least favorite: Decade. Wasn't a big fan of Kabuto either, but at least it had plot.

I love Blade, I'm up to episode 16.

Actually, that's exactly what I said. I haven't seen anything of Blade, 555 or Decade, but my impression is that in general those are lesser liked series.

First: Technically the first two episodes of Fourze, but the first show I finished was W. Need to get back to Fourze at some point.

Favourite: Tie between Ryuki and W. Kamen Rider G, the technically unofficial Kamen Rider special that was done for TV Asahi's 50th Anniversary, and ZO are really up there as well.

Least Favourite: I could really say Wizard, since I feel like the only reason I'm still watching is because Beast, Phoenix and the fights are awesome; but that's still going so it has plenty of time to turn it around.

My least favourite is easily Shin Kamen Rider. Such fucking potential and so many great ideas just...wasted. Good movie to riff though. :lol

What made you think that ? Blade is easily one of the best rider series. The other 2 is right though.