Masked Rider (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Masked Rider |
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| Genre | Action/Adventure Superhero Comedy |
| Created by | Haim Saban Shuki Levy Toei Company, Ltd. |
| Based on | Kamen Rider Black RX by Shotaro Ishinomori & Toei Company |
| Starring | T. J. Roberts Rheannon J. Slover Ashton McArn II David Stenstrom Candace Kita Ken Ring Jennifer Tung |
| Voices of | Jason Narvy Paul Pistore Wendee Lee Michael Sorich Steve Kramer Michael McConnohie Julie Maddalena |
| Narrated by | Michael McConnohie (preview and credits narration) |
| Composer(s) | Shuki Levy Kussa Mahchi Udi Harpaz |
| Country of origin | United States Japan |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Haim Saban Shuki Levy |
| Producer(s) | Robert Hughes |
| Production location(s) | California (Santa Clarita & Los Angeles) Japan (Kyoto, Yokohama and Tokyo) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Saban Entertainment Renaissance Atlantic-Films Toei Company, Ltd. Bugboy Productions, Inc. |
| Distributor | Saban International |
| Release | |
| Original network | FOX (Fox Kids) Broadcast syndication |
| Original release | September 16, 1995 – May 2, 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Kamen Rider Black RX |
Masked Rider is an exciting live-action TV show from 1995. It was made by Saban Entertainment and Toei Company, Ltd.. This series is an American version of a Japanese show called Kamen Rider Black RX. It's also a spin-off from the popular Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series.
Masked Rider first aired on Fox as part of the Fox Kids block. You could watch it from September 16, 1995, to August 31, 1996. After that, it was shown in syndication until August 1997.
Contents
The Story of Masked Rider
The show starts with Prince Dex, our hero, escaping from his home planet, Edenoi. He's running from his evil uncle, Count Dregon. Count Dregon took over Edenoi and wants to conquer Earth next!
Dex Arrives on Earth
Dex's grandfather, King Lexian, gave him the special Masked Rider powers. These powers have been passed down through his family for a long time. Dex lands on Earth in a huge crater. He is found and taken in by the kind Stewart family.
The Stewarts are a mixed-race family. There's Hal (the dad), Barbara (the mom), and their adopted kids, Molly and Albee. Dex becomes "Dex Stewart" and tries to fit in. He lives in a town called Leawood.
Fighting Evil as Masked Rider
Dex's main job is to protect Leawood and Earth from Count Dregon. Count Dregon has an army of nasty monsters called Insectovores. Dex uses his Masked Rider powers to fight them off.
Edenoi and Power Rangers
You might remember Edenoi from Power Rangers. It's the planet where Alpha 5 was created by King Lexian. The connection between Masked Rider and Power Rangers can be a bit confusing. Dex tells a different story about his past in Power Rangers than what's shown in his own series.
Masked Rider's Upgrades
As the series goes on, Dex's Masked Rider armor gets cool upgrades.
- Masked Rider Super Gold is a gold and black suit. It comes with a powerful laser gun called the Ecto-Ray.
- Masked Rider Super Blue is blue, red, and grey. This suit lets Dex use liquified teleportation and a strong sword called the Blue Saber.
Edenoite Abilities
Edenoites, like Dex, are said to be descended from insects. They have special telepathic abilities. These powers come from a gem on their foreheads called a mind crystal. Dex can hide this gem, but it becomes visible when he's stressed. The gem helps him focus his thoughts and share mental images with others.
Ferbus, Dex's Furry Friend
Dex has a cute, furry friend named Ferbus. Ferbus looks a bit like a small bear and a duck mixed together. He followed Dex to Earth. Molly and Albee had to hide Ferbus at first because Hal was allergic to fur. But eventually, Ferbus became a part of the family!
Dex's Earth Challenges
Dex sometimes struggles to understand Earth customs. In the first episode, Molly and Albee told him to watch TV to learn how to speak normally. Dex took this literally and started repeating everything he heard on TV in strange ways!
Meet the Characters
Main Heroes
- Prince Dex/Masked Rider (played by Ted Jan Roberts) – The main hero from Edenoi. He's King Lexian's grandson. The Masked Rider powers are passed down in his family. Dex is sent to Earth to stop his evil uncle, Count Dregon. He lives with the Stewarts and tries to learn about US-American culture. Dex has amazing powers like super strength, super speed, and telekinetic abilities. To transform, he shouts, "Ectophase Activate!"
- Ferbus (voiced by Paul Pistore) – Dex's loyal pet and friend. Ferbus is a furry, two-legged alien with a beak. He loves to be by Dex's side and has a huge appetite. Ferbus can get into trouble, but Dex always helps him out. His species is called "Monotomonax."
- Hal Stewart (played by David Stenstrom) – Dex's adoptive Earth father. Hal is a handyman and a part-time inventor. His workshop is full of interesting junk. He often invents strange things that sometimes don't work as planned. But with Dex's help, he's made some useful items, like an alien detector alarm!
- Barbara Stewart (played by Candace Kita) – Dex's adoptive Earth mother. She works as a caterer and takes care of the family. Barbara always makes sure Hal sticks to his diet. In one episode, Count Dregon brainwashed her, but her love for Dex broke the spell.
- Molly Stewart (played by Rheannon J. Slover) – Dex's adoptive Earth sister. Molly helps Dex adjust to life on Earth and they become very close siblings. Dex always supports her.
- Albee Stewart (played by Ashton McArn) – Dex's adoptive Earth brother. Albee looks up to Dex a lot. He tries to help Dex learn about Earth by encouraging him to watch TV. Sometimes, this makes Dex act a little weird in public!
The Villains
- Count Dregon (played by Ken Ring) – Dex's evil uncle and the main bad guy. He was banished from Edenoi for his evil deeds. Count Dregon wants the Masked Rider powers and will stop at nothing to get them. He wears a gold mask to hide scars from a fight with King Lexian.
- Nefaria (played by Jennifer Tung) – A human-looking female in black and red armor. She uses a yellow feather on her helmet as a weapon. Nefaria usually gives commands from afar and rarely fights herself.
- Cyclopter (voiced by Steve Kramer) – A blue, one-eyed robot biker. He rides a powerful motorcycle called Cannon Wheels. His head can even detach and float around!
- Double Face (voiced by Michael Sorich) – A tall man with two faces: a large red visor and a tiny face on his forehead. He fights with swords and daggers.
- Gork (voiced by Michael McConnohie) – A small, strange creature who speaks in rhymes. Gork is often annoying and very cowardly.
- Fact (voiced by Julie Maddalena) – A small robot that gives Count Dregon statistics and probabilities for his plans.
- The Maggots – Tall, humanoid maggots who are Count Dregon's foot soldiers. They aren't very smart and often fail their missions. They can spit slime and shoot threads from their mouths.
Monsters
Supporting Characters
- King Lexian (played by Ralph Votrian) – Dex's grandfather and the wise ruler of Edenoi. He gave Dex the Masked Rider powers. King Lexian also built Alpha 5, who helped Zordon for years.
- Magno (voiced by Wendee Lee) – Masked Rider's talking car. Magno is a red car shaped like an ant. She can drive very fast and even dig underground.
- Combat Chopper (voiced by Jason Narvy) – Masked Rider's talking motorbike. Chopper is a funny, wisecracking bike shaped like a grasshopper. He can go even faster than Magno! Chopper can also change into "Super Chopper" or "Ultra Chopper" depending on Dex's armor.
- Patsy Carbunkle (played by Libby Letlow) – A spoiled child who thinks she's the most popular girl at Leawood High. Patsy often lies and is mean to the Stewarts. She does, however, have a crush on Dex.
- Herbie (played by Matthew Bates) – Patsy's friend and often her unwilling helper in her schemes. Herbie is a bit of a geek but is a nice guy.
- Principal Henry Chalmers (played by Don Yanan) – The principal of Leawood High School. He encourages teamwork and discipline. He's very suspicious of Dex's strange behavior and watches him closely.
- Moon Dude (played by Tom Ayers) – The owner of the arcade where Dex, Molly, and Albee hang out. He even hired Dex for a job once!
- Donais (played by Winston Story) – An Edenoite friend of Dex. He helps Dex get his Super Gold and Super Blue powers.
- Masked Rider Warriors – A team of ten warriors from different times and places. King Lexian calls them to help Dex fight a super-monster named Bruticon. These warriors are based on older Japanese Kamen Rider heroes.
How the Show Was Made
Masked Rider was made by Toei Company and Bugboy Productions. Even though it's based on a Japanese show, it was also a spin-off of the Power Rangers series. Masked Rider has a lighter and more fun tone than the original Japanese version.
The show started with a special three-part Power Rangers episode called "A Friend in Need." However, the Power Rangers were not mentioned in the Masked Rider TV show itself. This was because Saban decided to make Masked Rider separate from Power Rangers.
Just like Power Rangers and VR Troopers, most of Masked Rider's fight scenes and villain scenes came from Japanese footage. This footage was mainly from Kamen Rider Black RX, and also from two Japanese Kamen Rider movies. Only a couple of Count Dregon's monsters were created using American footage.
In 2010, the rights to Masked Rider were transferred to Saban Capital Group.
Images for kids
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Title card.
See also
In Spanish: Masked Rider para niños
