Kamen Rider (Japanese: 仮面ライダーシリーズ, Hepburn: Kamen Raidā Shirīzu, translated as "Masked Rider Series"), also known as Masked Rider, is a metaseries / media mix of tokusatsu television programs and films, and manga, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The Kamen Rider media generally features a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains, often known as kaijin (怪人). The franchise began in 1971 with the Kamen Rider television series, which followed college student Takeshi Hongo and his quest to defeat the world-conquering Shocker organization. Its popularity has grown; the original series spawned television and film sequels and launched the Second Kaiju Boom (also known as the Henshin Boom) on Japanese television during the early 1970s, impacting the superhero and action-adventure genres in Japan.[1] As Bandai (now part of Bandai Namco Holdings) mostly owns the Kamen Rider toy-selling rights in Japan (and some Asia regions), BlueFin Brand handles its toy-selling rights in USA as of November 7, 2019.[2]