Producer Hideaki Yanaka tells io9 that Toei Animation hopes to continue simulcasting future ‘Kamen Rider’ series worldwide.
For over five decades, Kamen Rider has revved its engine through pop culture, delivering masked motorcycle-riding justice against rubber-suited monstrosities with style, grit, and a cyclical penchant for reinvention. Now, Kamen Rider ZEZTZ—the latest dream-fueled entry from Toei and Ishimori Productions—shifts gears into the subconscious.
It follows hero Baku Yorozu, a hapless dreamer turned nightmare-busting hero. Armed with the power to enter and purify corrupted dreams, ZEZTZ is tasked with identifying afflicted dreamers, decoding their inner torment, and defeating their monsters in three tries—or risk letting their terror take root in the waking world.
And boy howdy, when he succeeds, he lands a stylish rider kick for the ages, sending his foes into a big sleep before combusting.
io9 caught up with producer Hideaki Yanaka to discuss the origins of Kamen Rider ZEZTZ‘s fantastical dream-hopping premise. We also talked about whether the series’ new weekly episodic premieres on YouTube via TokuSHOUTsu mark a new era of global streaming accessibility that longtime tokusatsu fans can expect to continue in future franchise installments.
Isaiah Colbert, io9: What sparked the idea to set ZEZTZ in the realm of dreams? Was it a direct homage to Freddy Krueger-style nightmares, or something more symbolic about escapism and subconscious desires?
Hideaki Yanaka: The screenwriter [Yuya Takahashi] came up with the dream concept. After receiving that idea, I first gathered and read research books about dreams. After that, me and our planning team discussed what dream setting would best suit this story. Ultimately, that setting ended up not relying solely on any specific theory. We began considering the visual expression together at a later stage.
io9: Coming into Kamen Rider as a newcomer, ZEZTZ immediately stuck with me with its stylized camp, reminding me of Kuuga’s gritty charm, which was my first series after watching Shin Kamen Rider. Was that tone a conscious homage to the early Heisei era, or do you feel ZEZTZ channels the spirit of a different Rider series in terms of its themes and overall vibe?
Yanaka: We did not specifically pay homage to any particular Rider series. However, since Kamen Rider ZEZTZ was planned with viewers encountering the Kamen Rider series for the first time overseas in mind, we did want to actively incorporate the positive legacy of previous series, especially the Heisei Riders.
io9: ZEZTZ’s sound effects lean into gachapon mechanics with a pachinko-style flair, with the “ZZZ” burst from the Rider Kick feeling like a jackpot hit as well as a wind-up sound effect that feels reminiscent of Gavv’s gacha video gamey style sound effects.
