The Kamen Rider Series (Japanese: 仮面ライダーシリーズ | Hepburn: Hepburn: Kamen Raidā Shirīzu | also known as Masked Rider Series | until Decade) is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. Kamen Rider media generally features a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains, often known as kaijin (Japanese: 怪人 | Hepburn: mystery people). 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. 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. Bandai owns the toy rights to Kamen Rider in Japan and other Asian regions. Bluefin Distribution, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco, distributes Kamen Rider merchandise in North America.