Haven't Seen KR: Help!
 

Hi. Total Toku newbie here. I must confess: I haven't seen any Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, Godzilla, or any of those. But I did look at a TVTropes article for Kamen Rider Ryuki and it seems interesting, so I'm debating on whether I want to check it out or not. But I'm wondering if maybe since I'm new at this I need to watch other shows before I check out certain others. Is there a kind of continuity to the series? Or can I watch any show without worrying about missing anything? Thanks in advance!

Only the very first Kamen Rider-shows had a continuity with shared characters and stories, later ones are completely independent from one another (except sequels like Black RX for example) so this won't be a problem for you.

If you're interested in Ryuki give it a shot, it's the favorite of a friend of mine and lots of people around here like it, I myself haven't gotten around to watch it yet though.

There are many good shows to choose from, I can recommend Gaim, Double and OOO from the newer era of Kamen Rider as well, but in the end I would say choose the one that you're most interested in, in this case Ryuki, and just give it a shot.

Somewhat. The continuity of those shows were pretty much the equivalent of a kid having Action Man and Optimus Prime joining forces: Its only there for fun.

Personally I'd say its better to start out from the base stuff first before getting into anything more gimmicky like Gaim, Amazon or Den-O, etc.
Out of the Rider shows I would recommend;

From the Showa era; V3, X, Skyrider and Black are all excellent to start with, and are just basic enough so that you don't need to worry about much.

Heisei era: Kuuga&Agito, Blade, OOO and Fourze are also good. Kuuga and Agito especially given that their purpose is very much to be Kamen Rider but for the modern audience

I think both Gaim and W are good shows for newbies. OOO is good but it can start off a bit slow.

For Godzilla, I think the 1954 movie is an amazing classic. If you want something is more fun to watch without being dark and grim then check out Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. For Ultraman, I think Max or Tiga are good if you want something more modern. Otherwise check out Ultraseven on DVD if you want something from the Showa era.

Started with OOO and can't say this is true.

As Kiwami said, check out what you're most interested in. If that doesn't work, start with another one that seems interesting. Worked for me and for friends as well.

Avoid the next. You'll thank me for it.

also. Kuuga is a good first time kamen rider show too.

Newbies shouldn't even know that The First and The Next exist. I kinda wish I didn't know that either :lol

Sano's pour soul has been scorched by these films, he is now a tragic hero that warns others of the evil that lurks within them, for whenever someone watches these abominations a little part inside of him dies.

What about my poor soul? I swear, with that amount of rage, I could've turned into a super saiyan!

Keep in mind that Blade starts off pretty confusingly and is not a series you want to take a long break from, then come back to (TRUST ME on that). Fourze, while solid overall, is an extremely goofy and gimmicky series. Not that this is bad, but going from Fourze to virtually any other series will cause some whiplash.

Unfortunately the only series I've either completed or seen a decent amount of are Wizard, OOO, Gaim, Fourze, Blade, and Ryuki. I do not recommend Wizard. Looks cool, but it makes the filler/padding parts of DBZ look exciting.

Welcome aboard.
As for Ryuki yes it is a great show but I recommend at least watching Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Kuuga first to have a foundation for the series. After that watch Ryuki, Gaim, and all the other seasons. I won't tell you to watch all the Showa shows since that would be too much so at least give Black and Kuuga a go before watching Ryuki. Or if you want something that is true to the roots of the franchise while being new, watch Kamen Rider W(pronounced Double).

Watch Gaom second. If u watch it first it'll ruin everything else for you

It moves at breakneck pace while having fun with a hilarious gimmick
All other shows move like molasses

Here's a tip: Watch what you think looks interesting first.
Gaim isn't the epitome of KR storytelling and Kiva isn't as bad as the plague. If you think Ryuki will be good, watch Ryuki.

All series has it's ups and downs. Please don't listen to Gaim fanatics who believe it's impossible to surpass, as it has some of the worst characters in the second half of the series all tangled up in a mess of a plot that relies on poorly done twists rather than a natural story flow.

I would reccommend watching whatever you think looks good.

If that happens to be Ryuki then I would super reccommend it and hope you enjoy it.

I EXTREMELY recommend Gaim. The best one bar non.

Double is also great, and so is Dragon Knight (it's american so some people here don't like it but. It's pretty great).

I also like 000s and Decade, but a lot of people hate Decade too because of "lore inaccuracies" or changes.

Actually, there is little in "Lore inaccuracies" since the show takes place primarily in alternate universes (Though there is one major inaccuracy that completely derails one of the most sincere Rider's story line).
I hate Decade because it's a bad show covered in flashy action.

If you want to start watching Kamen Rider, I recommend starting with W. To me, the Neo-Heisei shows are a great jumping point for beginners. It helped me ease into the rider series a whole lot.

I think Decade is a very interesting and worthwhile show that ultimately did more good than bad by literally and figuratively bringing back the previous Riders back to public consciousness, even having its themes based around it.

But otherwise? Yes, Decade is not a newbie friendly show either. Also have to agree that Gaim isn't all that great and lets just leave it at that.

To actually recommend a series rather than just be an asshole, I would recommend:
Decade for it's ease to jump into (No one knows what the hell is going on, regardless of whether you've seen the other series or not :p) and tons of flashy action
W/Double for it's coherent story and fun characters. It's a great series that balances it's story focus well.
Gaim for it's interesting story and darker tones. It has quite the tonal shift in the end, but it's a great series as well.
Ryuki, for having a complex plot that is told well, along with characters that are easy to love and an interesting concept.

I want to recommend Blade, but it's weak start, terrible video quality, and sub-par subs makes it hard for newcomers to get into as a first series.

I don't feel the past riders needed to be brought back into public eye, as they were still known enough. It's not like we needed to see characters like Blade or Den-O, only 6 and 2 years old, return so soon. And there was little love for Showa, as only Amazon and Black/RX got love in series.

However, I'm on the opposite opinion. I think Decade is a great gate way series, to be honest. It presents the Riders' original stories with tweaks and changes. It can spark interest for newcomers. It's mercifully short, too.

I have to agree with this list. Blade was so hard to watch, not because of the complexity, but because the subs I found were so bad, I couldn't read half of the subtitles. Decade was fun enough though- it's probably better to watch it as a newbie, so you're not too insulted.

True. Gaim is good, but a lot of the praise comes from who wrote it. Acclaimed as he is, Gen Urobuchi's work can get kind of pretentious and artsy. Not to mention he had limitations sorted on his writing style so that Bandai could show off the new toys on schedule. And the grape Rider Micchy...he's something.

And I've watched Kiva, but I never had much of a problem, (aside from my standard "how do Kamen Rider Universes handle monster-inflicted death" question). Most of the contention comes from fact that SPOILERS time travel becomes a plot element.SPOILERS I never really felt it was that big a problem. I mean, Den-O is all about that and I never see people saying that show is a train wreck (pun intended) because of it. I love and highly recommend Kiva.

And who's that Rider?

It depends on what you like. If you like dark, mysterious shows, you gotta watch Agito. If you prefer light-hearted, comedic shows, W is the way to go. If you like older shows, then go with Black. And if you want a balanced, run-of-the-mill Rider series that is good without going to far outside the norm, then OOO is the best choice.

I always suggest Kamen Rider OOO or Kabuto to people first, OOO because it's hilarious while at the same time endearing, and Kabuto because they actually Call themselves Kamen Riders (well really Masked Riders, but still) within the show. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger or Go-Busters is my go to for Sentai, but I have no skill or expertise in the 'Zilla department. Enjoy.

They actually call themselves Kamen Riders in other shows too. Blade, W, Fourze, Drive...

I know that, but out of the two I suggested Kabuto does, OOO doesn't. Wasn't stating that other seasons don't do it just because I only mentioned two.