[ShiShiLeo]

eh its been over 30 years since Black and RX. Toei gets to celebrate and use him as a character in movies forever with or without his consent. If he wants to leave it behind, he should be free to do so. I would feel bad if he's not receiving some sort of royalty whenever Toei makes a reference or reproduces his character.

With the advent of advanced CGI, we're starting to see more and more wholesale actor-stand-ins like ****** from the Mandalorian, which really raises the question of whether an actor owns their own face/likeness.

Kamen Riders being masked heroes makes it easy for them to appear in future movies and media, but it also means the actors who portrayed them have less say in how they are used. When we project our emotions onto the actors who play a fictional character, we are lowering their autonomy as individuals.

Kohtaro Minami is my favorite Showa Rider both in suit and out, and his remarks let me reflect on his experience as such an iconic character, but they don't change how I feel about the character or show.