Kamen Rider Hibiki

This article is about the television series. For the series' main character, see Kamen Rider Hibiki (character).

Kamen Rider Hibiki
Title screen.
Genre	Tokusatsu
Created by	Shotaro Ishinomori
Written by	Shinji Ōishi Tsuyoshi Kida Toshiki Inoue Shoji Yonemura
Starring	Shigeki Hosokawa Rakuto Tochihara Jouji Shibue Shingo Kawaguchi
Opening theme	"Kagayaki" (輝?, "Radiance") composed by Toshihiko Sahashi "Hajimari no Kimi e" (始まりの君へ?, "To the Original You") performed by Akira Fuse
Ending theme	"Shōnen yo" (少年よ?, "Boy!") performed by Akira Fuse
Composer(s)	Toshihiko Sahashi
Country of origin	Japan
No. of episodes	48 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Atsushi Kaji Shinichirō Shirakura Shigenori Takadera Masamichi Tsuchida
Running time	24-25 minutes (per episode)
Production company(s)	Toei Company
Distributor	Toei Company
Broadcast
Original channel	TV Asahi
Original run	January 30, 2005 – January 22, 2006
Chronology
Preceded by	Kamen Rider Blade
Followed by	Kamen Rider Kabuto
External links
Website

Kamen Rider Hibiki (仮面ライダー響鬼（ヒビキ）, Kamen Raidā Hibiki^?, Masked Rider Hibiki) is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the fifteenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. Kamen Rider Hibiki first aired on January 30, 2005 and aired its final episode on January 22, 2006. This series is noted for introducing new themes and styles yet unseen in other shows. The catchphrase for the series is "To us, there are heroes." (ぼくたちには、ヒーローがいる, Bokutachi ni wa, hīrō ga iru^?).

Synopsis

The Kamen Riders, known as Oni, battle man eating beasts called Makamou with "pure sound". One of the Oni, a man named Hibiki ends up having a teacher and apprentice-like relationship with Asumu Adachi. A young boy unsure of himself and is at a crossroads in his life as he transitions to high school, Asumu learns to be an adult through watching Hibiki and the other Oni as they all train together to hone their skills in fighting the Makamou and the homunculi aiding them. However, the sudden raise of Makamou numbers proves to be a prelude to an upcoming calamity.

Staff changes

Kamen Rider Hibiki began with Shigenori Takadera as the Toei producer, however, Shinichiro Shirakura, who though having participated in other Heisei Kamen Rider series, had no involvement whatsoever in the Hibiki production, was appointed producer of the movie Kamen Rider Hibiki and the Seven War Demons, eventually replacing Takadera in the TV production from episode 30. The writing staff also changed; Tsuyoshi Kida and Shinji Ooishi were replaced by Toshiki Inoue and Shouji Yonemura, who had worked with Shirakura in Sh15uya and other Heisei Kamen Rider series.

In addition, personalities such as Sensha Yoshida, a renowned manga artist; Hiroshi Yamamoto, a video-game designer; Masao Higashi, a seasoned television and movie critic; and many others published severe criticisms in their personal blogs because of this. Even the show's star, Shigeki Hosokawa, who portrayed Hibiki, stated in his personal website that Inoue’s scripts "needed adjustments" and that this whole staff change was "fraudulent". With the first production staff, Hosokawa would join the writers meetings and give suggestions, however Hosokawa could not give his opinion in the second production staff meetings due to time restraints.

In an interview published on TV Asahi's main website, Hosokawa stated that the script for the final episode was rewritten on the final day of filming. He later said that the script was sent in so late that it arrived on set as the final battle was being filmed. This finale was scrapped and then a new ending that, according to Hosokawa, was nothing like the intended ending, was filmed. Later in the interview, Hosokawa said that the Oni suit used by Kiriya was a kitbash of two new suits made especially for the characters of Asumu and Kiriya. Hosokawa said that this was the most upsetting change to him as the final script had been rewritten six times at that point and all but the filmed version contained both Asumu and Kiriya becoming Oni.

In January 2006, at the Kamen Rider Super Live, Hosokawa stated that the series was "essentially an incomplete process" and that "it should not have ended that way". Mitsu Murata, who portrayed the Douji characters, declared on his blog: "I cannot forgive them, I want to continue his idea", complaining about the removal of Takadera as producer. These declarations caused an unprecedented storm within the professional tokusatsu market and many of Toei's executives were berated for allowing a series to be handled in such a manner.

There has never been any official statement from Toei, but many critics point out several facts might have caused it, the main reason being the low toy sales. It is not usual for a Toei production to have two different producers for the TV series and the movie. It is likely that a different producer was appointed for the movie because Toei was suffering from schedule problems with Takadera.

Changes

• Asumu's opening narration at the start of every episode was removed.
• A new opening was introduced in episode 34 and following.
• The use of kanji being flashed on screen during scenes was removed altogether.
• The ending sequence was removed altogether.
• The characters of Kyousuke Kiriya and Shuki were introduced to the series.
• Originally Eiki and Shōki were both supposed to be main cast members, but had their parts completely removed.
• The fire breathing (Onibi) and the Oni claws (Onizume) abilities' sequences were completely removed along with Ibuki opening his mouth for his attack. The Makamou that opened their mouths too wide or spurted liquids were also removed. There had been complaints about these sequences from parent advocacy groups who claimed that they scared children.
• Things as complicated-to-animate CG Makamou and shooting in mountains were almost entirely reduced probably due to cost issues, leading critics to believe that Takadera was forcefully removed from the project due to his unwillingness to change his script to adapt to these changes.

Oni Kamen Rider

The combatant agents of Takeshi are known as Oni. They have been around for hundreds of years, protecting humans and fighting against the Makamou. The title of every Oni bears the -ki suffix (鬼), which is semantically identical to "Oni" in Japanese. It also has some resemblance with the real name of the Oni. Among making many changes to the Kamen Rider look, Kamen Rider Hibiki introduced Kamen Rider Shuki, the third officially recognized female Heisei Kamen Rider in a Kamen Rider series after Kamen Rider Femme from Ryuki and Kamen Rider Larc from Blade.

Makamou

Main article: Makamou

The regular antagonists of the series; an assortment of monstrous creatures that usually dwell in the rural areas and consume human beings as food.

Takeshi Gear

Main article: Takeshi (Kamen Rider)

Takeshi is the name of the group that works with the Oni Kamen Riders. They create many items for use in battle, from weapons to Disc Animals.

Novel

A set of six novels published under the title "Kamen Rider Hibiki: Compass to Tomorrow" was released shortly after the end of the series. The novels followed relatively the same plot as the TV series but added new characters and enemies towards the end of its run.

Video game

Kamen Rider Hibiki (仮面ライダー響鬼, Kamen Raidā Hibiki^?) was released by Bandai for the PlayStation 2 on December 1, 2005. It featured a unique cross compatibility with the Taiko no Tatsujin Tatacon controller, where the taiko-like controller could be used in the rhythm game-like sections of Hibiki. It was also released alongside a special edition of the Taiko no Tatsujin series which included the theme songs of the Kamen Rider Hibiki TV show ("Kagayaki" and "Shōnen yo"). A release for the Nintendo GameCube was planned, but ultimately scrapped.^[1][2]

Episodes

Main article: List of Kamen Rider Hibiki episodes

Ep#	Title	Writer	Original airdate
1	"The Echoing Oni" "Hibiku Oni" (響く鬼)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	January 30, 2005
2	"The Howling Spider" "Hoeru Kumo" (咆える蜘蛛)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	February 6, 2005
3	"Falling Voice" "Ochiru Koe" (落ちる声)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	February 13, 2005
4	"Running Ichiro" "Kakeru Ichiro" (駆ける勢地郎)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	February 20, 2005
5	"Melting Sea" "Tokeru Umi" (熔ける海)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	February 27, 2005
6	"Beating Soul" "Tataku Tamashii" (叩く魂)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	March 6, 2005
7	"Majestic Breath Oni" "Ibuki Oni" (息吹く鬼)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	March 13, 2005
8	"Shouting Wind" "Sakebu Kaze" (叫ぶ風)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	March 20, 2005
9	"A Squirming Evil Heart" "Ugomeku Jashin" (蠢く邪心)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	March 27, 2005
10	"The Oni Who Stands in Line" "Narabitatsu Oni" (並び立つ鬼)	Tsuyoshi Kida, Shinji Ōishi	April 3, 2005
11	"Swallowing Wall" "Nomikomu Kabe" (呑み込む壁)	Tsuyoshi Kida	April 10, 2005
12	"Revealed Secrets" "Hiraku Himitsu" (開く秘密)	Shinji Ōishi	April 17, 2005
13	"Berserk Fate" "Midareru Sadame" (乱れる運命)	Shinji Ōishi	April 24, 2005
14	"Devouring Douji" "Kurau Dōji" (喰らう童子)	Shinji Ōishi	May 1, 2005
15	"Weakening Thunder" "Niburu Ikazuchi" (鈍る雷)	Shinji Ōishi	May 8, 2005
16	"Roaring Oni" "Todoroki Oni" (轟く鬼)	Shinji Ōishi	May 15, 2005
17	"A Targeted Town" "Nerawareru Machi" (狙われる街)	Shinji Ōishi	May 22, 2005
18	"Unbroken Hurricane" "Kujikenu Shippū" (挫けぬ疾風)	Shinji Ōishi	May 29, 2005
19	"Strumming Warrior" "Kakinarasu Senshi" (かき鳴らす戦士)	Tsuyoshi Kida	June 5, 2005
20	"The Pure Sound" "Kiyomeru Oto" (清める音)	Tsuyoshi Kida	June 12, 2005
21	"Gathering Demons" "Hikiau Mamono" (引き合う魔物)	Tsuyoshi Kida	June 26, 2005
22	"Becoming a Cocoon" "Bakeru Mayu" (化ける繭)	Tsuyoshi Kida	July 3, 2005
23	"Summer Training" "Kitaeru Natsu" (鍛える夏)	Shinji Ōishi	July 10, 2005
24	"Burning Crimson" "Moeru Kurenai" (燃える紅)	Shinji Ōishi	July 17, 2005
25	"Running Azure" "Hashiru Konpeki" (走る紺碧)	Shinji Ōishi	July 24, 2005
26	"Counting the Days" "Kizamareru Hibi" (刻まれる日々)	Shinji Ōishi	August 7, 2005
27	"Eternal Bonds" "Tsutaeru Kizuna" (伝える絆)	Shinji Ōishi	August 14, 2005
28	"Undying Malice" "Taenu Akui" (絶えぬ悪意)	Shinji Ōishi	August 21, 2005
29	"Shining Boy" "Kagayaku Shōnen" (輝く少年)	Shinji Ōishi	August 28, 2005
30	"Forging Premontion" "Kitaeru Yokan" (鍛える予感)	Toshiki Inoue	September 4, 2005
31	"Surpassing Father" "Koeru Chichi" (超える父)	Toshiki Inoue	September 11, 2005
32	"Bursting Song" "Hajikeru Uta" (弾ける歌)	Toshiki Inoue	September 18, 2005
33	"The Armed Blade" "Sōkōu Yaiba" (装甲う刃)	Toshiki Inoue	September 25, 2005
34	"Beloved Beauty" "Koisuru Katsuo" (恋する鰹)	Toshiki Inoue	October 2, 2005
35	"Fallen Angel" "Madowasu Tenshi" (惑わす天使)	Toshiki Inoue	October 9, 2005
36	"Starving Shuki" "Ueru Shuki" (飢える朱鬼)	Toshiki Inoue	October 16, 2005
37	"Lightning Living Again" "Yomigaeru Ikazuchi" (甦る雷)	Toshiki Inoue	October 23, 2005
38	"Broken OnGeki" "Yabureru Ongeki" (敗れる音撃)	Shōji Yonemura	October 30, 2005
39	"Your Beginning" "Hajimaru Kimi" (始まる君)	Shōji Yonemura	November 13, 2005
40	"Nearing Orochi" "Semaru Orochi" (迫るオロチ)	Toshiki Inoue	November 20, 2005
41	"The Awakening Teacher and Student" "Mezameru Shitei" (目醒める師弟)	Toshiki Inoue	November 27, 2005
42	"Ferocious Demons" "Takeru Yōma" (猛る妖魔)	Toshiki Inoue	December 4, 2005
43	"An Unchangeable Body" "Kawarenu Mi" (変われぬ身)	Toshiki Inoue	December 11, 2005
44	"Forbidden Secret" "Himeru Kindan" (秘める禁断)	Toshiki Inoue	December 18, 2005
45	"Dying a Glorious Death, Zanki" "Sangesuru Zanki" (散華する斬鬼)	Toshiki Inoue	December 25, 2005
46	"Mastering the Oni Way" "Kiwameru Onidō" (極める鬼道)	Toshiki Inoue	January 8, 2006
47	"The Talking Back" "Kataru Senaka" (語る背中)	Toshiki Inoue	January 15, 2006
48	"Dreaming of Tomorrow" "Asunaru Yume" (明日なる夢)	Toshiki Inoue	January 22, 2006

Hyper Battle DVD

In Kamen Rider Hibiki: Asumu Henshin! You can be an Oni, too!! (仮面ライダー響鬼 明日夢変身！キミも鬼になれる！！, Kamen Raidā Hibiki: Kimi mo Oni ni nareru!!^?), Asumu Adachi imagines if he could be like Kamen Rider Hibiki, and are approached by talking Disc Animals who teach him how to be like Hibiki, eventually allowing Asumu to transform into Kamen Rider Armed Hibiki. Kamen Rider Sabaki also appears in the DVD.

Kamen Rider Hibiki & The Seven Senki

Main article: Kamen Rider Hibiki & The Seven Senki

The movie spin-off of the 2005 Kamen Rider series, entitled Kamen Rider Hibiki & The Seven Senki, takes place in the Warring States Period. The film serves as a prequel to the Makamou war and features five movie-only Oni known as Kabuki, Kirameki, Habataki, Nishiki, and Touki.

Seven Ogres

The S.I.C. Hero Saga side story for Hibiki is titled Kamen Rider Hibiki: Seven Ogres (仮面ライダー響鬼 -SEVEN OGRES-, Kamen Raidā Hibiki: SEVEN OGRES^?), which is an alternate telling of the film Hibiki & The Seven Senki. It features the original character Kamen Rider Armed Hibiki (Sengoku Period ver.) (仮面ライダー装甲響鬼（戦国時代ver.）, Kamen Raidā Āmudo Hibiki (Sengoku Jidai ver.)^?). The Seven Ogres storyline ran in the June through September 2006 issues of Monthly Hobby Japan magazine.

Chapter titles

1. Takeshi (猛士^?)
2. Kabuki (歌舞鬼^?)
3. Kurenai (紅^?)
4. Orochi (オロチ^?)

Cast

• Hibiki (響鬼（ヒビキ）, Hibiki^?): Shigeki Hosokawa (細川 茂樹, Hosokawa Shigeki^?)
• Asumu Adachi (安達 明日夢, Adachi Asumu^?): Rakuto Tochihara (栩原 楽人, Tochihara Rakuto^?)
• Ibuki (威吹鬼（イブキ）, Ibuki^?): Joji Shibue (渋江 譲二, Shibue Jōji^?)
• Todoroki (轟鬼（トドロキ）, Todoroki^?): Shingo Kawaguchi (川口 真五, Kawaguchi Shingo^?)
• Zanki (斬鬼（ザンキ）, Zanki/Kamen Raidā Zanki^?): Kenji Matsuda (松田 賢二, Matsuda Kenji^?)
• Kasumi Tachibana (立花 香須実, Tachibana Kasumi^?): Mayu Gamou (蒲生 麻由, Gamō Mayu^?)
• Hinaka Tachibana (立花 日菜佳, Tachibana Hinaka^?): Miyuki Kanbe (神戸 みゆき, Kanbe Miyuki^?)
• Hitomi Mochida (持田 ひとみ, Mochida Hitomi^?): Erika Mori (森 絵梨佳, Mori Erika^?)
• Ikuko Adachi (安達 郁子, Adachi Ikuko^?): Kaoru Mizuki (水木 薫, Mizuki Kaoru^?)
• Ichirou Tachibana (立花 勢地郎, Tachibana Ichirō^?): Atomu Shimojo (下條 アトム, Shimojō Atomu^?)
• Akira Amami (天美 あきら, Amami Akira^?): Nana Akiyama (秋山 奈々, Akiyama Nana^?)
• Midori Takizawa (滝澤 みどり, Takizawa Midori^?): Masako Umemiya (梅宮 万紗子, Umemiya Masako^?)
• Douji (童子, Dōji^?): Mitsu Murata (村田 充, Murata Mitsu^?)
  • Parent Douji : Sei Ashina
• Hime (姫, Hime^?): Sei Ashina (芦名 星, Ashina Sei^?)
  • Parent Hime : Mitsu Murata
• Kyousuke Kiriya (桐矢 京介, Kiriya Kyōsuke^?): Yuichi Nakamura (中村 優一, Nakamura Yūichi^?)
• Danki (弾鬼（ダンキ）, Danki^?): Makoto Ito (伊藤 慎, Itō Makoto^?)
• Shōki (ショウキ, Shōki^?): Yoshifumi Oshikawa (押川 善文, Oshikawa Yoshifumi^?)
• Kounosuke Kogure (小暮 耕之助, Kogure Kōnosuke^?): Akira Fuse (布施 明, Fuse Akira^?)
• Shuki (朱鬼（シュキ）, Shuki^?): Reiko Kataoka (片岡 礼子, Kataoka Reiko^?)
• Tsutomu Tsumura (津村 努, Tsumura Tsutomu^?): Kento Shibuya (渋谷 謙人, Shibuya Kento^?)
• Kamen Rider Sabaki (仮面ライダー 裁鬼 , Kamen Raidā Sabaki^?, Voice): Katsumi Shiono (塩野 勝美, Shiono Katsumi^?)
• Next Preview Narrator, Kamen Rider Eiki (次回予告ナレーター, 仮面ライダー鋭鬼, Jikai Yokoku Narētā, Kamen Raidā Eiki^?, Voice): Kazuya Nakai (中井 和哉, Nakai Kazuya^?)
• Junction Narrator (ジャンクションナレーター, Jankushon Narētā^?): Koji Nakata (中田 浩二, Nakata Kōji^?)

Songs

Opening themes

• "Kagayaki" (輝^?, "Radiance")
  • Composition & Arrangement: Toshihiko Sahashi
  • Episodes: 1-33, 48
• "Hajimari no Kimi e" (始まりの君へ^?, "To the Original You")
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Toshihiko Sahashi
  • Artist: Akira Fuse
  • Episodes: 34-47

Ending theme

• "Shōnen yo" (少年よ^?, "Boy!")
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Toshihiko Sahashi
  • Artist: Akira Fuse
  • Episodes: 1-33, 48

Character and insert songs

• "Kiwamareba Ongeki!!" (極めれば音撃！！^?, "Reach the Extreme Ongeki!!") performed by Jin Hashimoto
• "Fūga Yūden" (風雅勇伝^?, "Refined Brave Confidant") performed by Tomokazu Seki for Kamen Rider Ibuki
• "Raibu Gōgō" (雷武轟々^?, "Thunderous War Rumblings") performed by Eizo Sakamoto for Kamen Rider Todoroki
• "Hibiki Kenzan!!" (響鬼見参！！^?) performed by Masatoshi Ono for Kamen Rider Hibiki

International broadcasts

In the Philippines, the series is broadcast on TV5 as Masked Rider Hibiki.

a 8 Hours of Suzuka Honda Bike with Kamen Rider Hibiki sponsorship

Refences

1. ^ "バンダイ、PS2「仮面ライダー響鬼」初回版に「太鼓の達人 スペシャルバージョン」を同梱". 2005-11-30. http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20051130/hibiki.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
2. ^ "ITmedia +D Games：バンダイ、PS2「仮面ライダー響鬼」で「太鼓の達人」とコラボ". 2005-11-30. http://gamez.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0511/30/news084.html. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 

External links

• Official website from TV Asahi
• Official website from Toei TV
• Official 2005 Teaser Web Site
• Official Game Web Site

Preceded by Blade

Kamen Rider 2005 – 2006

Succeeded by Kabuto