Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight |
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Series logo
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| Genre | Action/Adventure Science fiction Superhero Mystery |
| Created by | Steve Wang |
| Based on | Kamen Rider Ryuki by Shotaro Ishinomori, Yasuko Kobayashi, & Toei Company |
| Developed by | Adness Entertainment Ishimori Productions Toei Company |
| Starring | Stephen Lunsford Matt Mullins Aria Alistar |
| Opening theme | "Kamen Rider Dragon Knight" by Cage9 ( U.S.A. Version) "DIVE INTO THE MIRROR" by Defspiral (Japanese version) |
| Ending theme | "ANOTHER WORLD" by Kit×Len (Tatsuhisa Suzuki & Satoshi Matsuda) (Japanese version) |
| Composer(s) | Tony Phillips |
| Country of origin | United States Japan |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Yasuo Matsuo Fumio Sebata Aki Komine |
| Producer(s) | Steve Wang Mike Wang Roy McAree |
| Production location(s) | Los Angeles, California Saitama, Japan Tokyo, Japan Yokohama, Japan |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Adness Entertainment Toei Company |
| Distributor | Toei Company (current) |
| Release | |
| Original network | The CW (The CW4Kids) Youtube.com |
| Original release | December 13, 2008 – December 18, 2009 |
Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight is an American science fiction superhero TV show. It aired on The CW network as part of the CW4Kids block. The show ran from December 13, 2008, to December 26, 2009.
This series is based on a Japanese show called Kamen Rider Ryuki. It's the second Kamen Rider show adapted for American audiences. The first was Saban's Masked Rider in 1995. Steve and Michael Wang developed Dragon Knight for TV.
The show first aired on December 13, 2008, with its official start on January 3, 2009. The final two episodes were released online on the 4Kids TV website. In 2010, Dragon Knight won a Daytime Emmy Award. It won for "Outstanding Stunt Coordination," which means it had amazing action scenes!
Contents
Story of the Riders
The story begins with a young man named Kit Taylor. He is searching for his missing father. Kit finds a special item called an Advent Deck. This deck lets him transform into a superhero, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. He can also use special weapons and powers.
Kit soon meets Len, who is Kamen Rider Wing Knight. At first, they don't get along. But they team up when Kit learns that an alien warlord named Xaviax is behind his father's disappearance. Xaviax wants to take over Earth and rebuild his own planet. He tricks people into working for him. He promises them what they want or uses their fears.
Len explains that only people with a special DNA match can use the Advent Decks. Kit can use the Dragon Knight Deck because he is a "Mirror Twin" of Adam. Adam was the original Dragon Knight who betrayed the first team of Riders.
A new Earth Rider, Chris Ramirez (Kamen Rider Sting), joins Kit and Len. Chris was tricked by Xaviax. But when he finds out the truth, he helps Kit and Len. Sadly, Chris gets "Vented." This means he is trapped forever in a place between dimensions. His Advent Deck is also taken away. Kit then vents Albert Cho, who is the brother of Danny Cho. This makes Danny hate Kit, even though Xaviax told him not to seek revenge.
Later, Kase, another survivor from Ventara (a world opposite to Earth), joins Kit and Len. Len and Kase train Kit to be a better Kamen Rider. They tell him about the twelve Riders who protected Ventara from Xaviax. But Adam, Kit's predecessor, accidentally helped Xaviax defeat most of them. Xaviax keeps sending new Riders to fight Kit and his friends.
When Kit is Vented, Xaviax forces Adam to become Dragon Knight again. Xaviax blackmails Adam by holding his girlfriend hostage. Meanwhile, Len uses his Advent Deck to bring back the Advent Master Eubulon. Eubulon brings back the Ventaran Kamen Riders and Kit from the Advent Void. Kit becomes Kamen Rider Onyx.
Eventually, all the Ventaran Riders get their decks back. The Earth Riders (except Kit) are freed from the Advent Void. Their memories are erased, and they go back to their normal lives. Kit becomes the true Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. He is the only active Earth Kamen Rider. Kit, Len, Kase, and the other Riders continue to protect both Earth and Ventara from Xaviax's remaining army and other dangers.
Who's Who in the Show
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they play:
- Stephen Lunsford plays Kit Taylor and Adam.
- Matt Mullins plays Len.
- Aria Alistar plays Maya Young.
- William O'Leary plays Xaviax.
- Carrie Reichenbach plays Kase.
- Mark Dacascos plays Eubulon.
Some famous guest stars appeared too, like Kathleen Gati as Kit's foster mother and Victoria Jackson as Aunt Grace.
Making the Show
The creators chose to adapt Kamen Rider Ryuki because it had many characters and monsters. It even had a female Rider! Steve and Michael Wang, along with Nathan Long, wrote the show. They used action scenes from the Japanese Ryuki series. This is a common technique used in other American adaptations like Power Rangers.
Some parts of the Japanese show were kept, but others were changed. This was done to make the show suitable for American children's TV. The creators wanted the show to appeal to young adults, even though some wanted it for younger kids.
Why the Name "Kamen Rider"?
Toei, the Japanese company, used to call the Kamen Rider series "Masked Rider" for other countries. But Steve Wang convinced them to keep "Kamen Rider" for this show. He felt "Masked Rider" sounded strange. He also wanted to make sure people knew this show was different from the earlier Masked Rider TV series.
Filming the Action
Akihiro “Yuji” Noguchi planned the action scenes. The show used a lot of action footage from the Japanese Kamen Rider Ryuki. But the American team also filmed many new scenes. This helped make sure the new footage matched the Japanese backgrounds and stunts.
The special suits for the Kamen Riders and monsters were sent from Japan. The costume team had to work hard to keep the suits ready for filming. The suit for General Xaviax was the only one designed completely new for the American show.
Episodes
First Look Pilot
A special pilot episode was filmed in 2006. It starred Matt Smith as Kit and Kandis Erickson as Maya. This pilot was made to show the idea for the series to the Japanese and American TV networks. It was later shared online in December 2008.
Where it Aired Around the World
Dragon Knight was shown in many countries!
- In Brazil, it aired on Rede Globo and Cartoon Network.
- It was shown in Mexico on Televisa and in Peru on Global Television.
- In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, it aired on RTL II. However, it was stopped after 17 episodes.
- It also aired in Indonesia on Indosiar.
- There were plans for it to air in Colombia, Italy, and on Cartoon Network channels across Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, and Australia.
- In Australia, it aired on 9Go!.
The show was even broadcast in Japan! It aired on Toei Channel and later on TV Asahi. Japanese voice actors, including some from other Kamen Rider shows, lent their voices to the characters.
Video Games
| Developer(s) | Natsume (Nintendo DS) Eighting (Wii) |
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| Publisher(s) | D3 Publisher |
| Engine | Climax Heroes (Wii) |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS Wii |
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| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer (Wii only) |
A fighting game based on Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight was released. It came out for the Nintendo DS and Wii on November 17, 2009.
Nintendo DS Version
The Nintendo DS game was made by Natsume. In this game, you use Advent Cards to do special attacks. You fill up an Advent Gauge to use stronger moves, like the Final Vent. You pick two cards before each battle.
The game has a "Ventara Mode" where you fight monsters and other Riders. You can unlock new Riders and cards. Xaviax is the final boss for most characters. Once you unlock all 13 Riders and finish all missions, Xaviax becomes playable in other modes. You can also play as twelve of Xaviax's monsters! This version is only for one player.
Wii Version
The Wii game was made by Eighting. It uses a similar game engine to the Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes games. The stages and music are the same. You can perform special attacks using Advent Cards when your Advent Gauge is full. You can choose any Advent Card before a fight.
In the Wii game, you can unlock special "survive modes" for Dragon Knight and Wing Knight. Xaviax is a boss you fight, but you can't play as him. The "Mirror World" mode lets you fight other Riders and defeat foot soldiers. As you play, you earn Rider Points to buy more Advent Cards. Unlike the DS version, the Wii game lets two players play together!
See also
In Spanish: Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight para niños
