is the theatrical film adaptation of the Kamen Rider Kabuto

Kamen Rider Kabuto

is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the sixteenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi. The first episode aired on January 29, 2006, and...

TV series directed by Hidenori Ishida and written by Shōji Yonemura

Shoji Yonemura

is a Japanese writer who has done work for various anime and tokusatsu television shows and films. He is originally from Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu Island, Japan.-Biography:...

. Unlike many others Kamen Rider movies, it does not follow the TV series's storyline. Instead, it is more like a prologue. The movie shows an alternate universe where the close relations between Riders did not exist; the impact of the first meteor evaporated all of Earth's oceans. Seven years after the meteor hit Earth, ZECT pretends to use a passing comet to refill the Earth's oceans, while in fact they are pulling another meteor to crash on Earth, one large enough to destroy the world.

The film was produced by Ishimori Productions

Ishimori Productions

or is a Japanese production company that develops works created by the late manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. Such works include Cyborg 009, Kikaider, Inazuman, Skull Man, Ganbare!! Robocon, Voicelugger, the Toei Fushigi Comedy Series, and the Kamen Rider Series....

 and Toei

Toei Company

is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...

, the producers of all the previous television series and films in the Kamen Rider franchise

Kamen Rider Series

The is a metaseries of manga and tokusatsu television programs and films created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The various Kamen Rider media generally feature a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains often referred to as...

. Following the tradition of all Heisei

Heisei

is the current era name in Japan. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the first day after the death of the reigning Emperor, Hirohito. His son, Akihito, succeeded to the throne...

 Kamen Rider movies, it is a double bill with 2006's Super Sentai

Super Sentai

The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...

movie, GoGo Sentai Boukenger The Movie: "The Greatest Precious". Upon its release, the movie was the second highest selling family movie of the week coming in at 4th place. A Director's Cut version of the movie was released on May 2007.

The theme song of the movie is "One World" and is performed by Koji Kikkawa

Koji Kikkawa

is a Japanese musician. His most recent album is 2009's Double-Edged Sword.Kōji was supposed to represent Japan in water polo in the coming Olympics but chose to be a singer. His music career began on February 1, 1984 with "Monica" and he won 8 music awards in the same year...

.

Synopsis

In 1999, an enormous meteor crashed onto Earth carrying extraterrestrial creatures known as Worm within it. These creatures took on the identities of real humans and then killed them. In order to counter this new threat, ZECT was formed, who in turn created the Masked Rider System to combat the Worms. The battles lasts over seven years, depleting Earth's resources and turning it into a barren wasteland. By present time, power struggles in ZECT have caused a new group, known as Neo-ZECT, to be created by Hidenori Oda. Neo-ZECT is an organization that does not wish to follow ZECT's orders, and fights for their freedom. Daisuke Kazama and Shura Hokuto are also part of Neo-ZECT.

With three groups in existence (Neo-ZECT, ZECT and the Worms), Souji Tendou has decided to sell his power to either Neo-ZECT or ZECT, but his intentions are unclear. At the same time, ZECT has obtained intelligence about a large comet orbiting the vicinity of space. By building the Jacob's Ladder space station, they plan to capture this comet and spread its water throughout Earth, replenishing the Earth’s oceans. The space station includes a function that works in conjunction with the Rider System's Clock Up function. Tendou joins Neo-ZECT after telling Kagami that he will act as an agent: report back what Neo-ZECT is currently planning while destroying the organization from the inside. Tendou, in turns, updates Neo-ZECT about ZECT's operation, effectively manipulating both ZECT and Neo-ZECT against each other.

When Neo-ZECT's plan to take over the Jacob's Ladder is initiated, both groups’ true colors come to light. Tendou and Oda proceed to Jacob's Ladder while Shura and Daisuke act as a diversion. Daisuke transforms into Kamen Rider Drake

Kamen Rider Drake

is one of the characters of Kamen Rider Kabuto. The motif is of a dragonfly; his name is a pun on that, as "Drake" has dragon connotations.-Daisuke Kazama:...

 and exploded a few gas tanks in order to gain attention. The plan failed when Shura betrayed them, and Daisuke realises it's a trap and ZECT already knows about their attack. Tendou and Oda are greeted by Yaguruma Sou and ZECTroopers, while Daisuke faces off against Shura and her troops. Taken by surprise, Daisuke collapses as hundreds of bullets pierce through his body, ending his life. "I just want...to be the wind..." are his last words.

Meanwhile, Tendou and Oda are attempting to fight off Yaguruma. Oda tells Tendou to hurry ahead to the space station, and he will hold Yaguruma and his troops back. Yaguruma transformed into Kamen Rider TheBee

Kamen Rider TheBee

is one of the characters in Kamen Rider Kabuto. It is based on a bee/wasp motif. Similar to the Hopper Riders, it relies on close-range combat because of the lack of any weapons.-Sou Yaguruma:, a 27-year old agent of ZECT, was the first TheBee user...

, while Oda transformed into Kamen Rider Hercus. and he is able to kill Yaguruma. Tendou arrived on Jacob's Ladder first and is confronted by Tetsuki Yamato - Kamen Rider Ketaros. After fighting Ketaros, they both fall off the space station due to the Clock Up function pulling through another meteor infested with Worms. This is ZECT's hidden plan.

Kabuto is able to survive thanks to the Kabuto Extender, but Ketaros dies upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Tendou and Kagami receive news however, that Hiyori is on the point of dying due to the exposure to the meteor dust years ago and it is then that Tendou reveals he is Hiyori's brother. Holding the wedding ceremony in a hospital, Hiyori dies soon afterwards. At this point, Shura tells Tendou that ZECT has betrayed them and is allied with the Worms. ZECT plans to let the meteor crash onto Earth so that the Worms will conquer humanity. However, it seems that Caucasus and the leaders of ZECT are the only ones who know of this plan and attempted to silence her for overhearing their plans. Shura then dies from the wounds inflicted on her as Tendou and Kagami take it on as their mission to save humanity from this disaster.

Making it to the space shuttle in time, they meet Caucasus, who explains to them that the meteor is the medium to transfer Worms. The missiles within the shuttle will be used to destroy weak humans. Humanity will be taken over by the Worms because Caucasus believes he will protect and fight for the strongest and most beautiful, the belief of the rose. The majority of the battle is in Caucasus' favor; however when Caucasus activates Maximum Rider Power and prepares to kill Tendou with a Rider Kick, Kagami steps in the way and protects Tendou. Tendou is then able to use this time to steal the Hyper Zecter from Caucasus, forcing him into an ejection chamber and launching him into space. Tendou then puts Kagami back in an escape pod and sends him on his way back to Earth. However, Caucasus, while in the void of space, latches on to Kagami's escape pod and punches a hole into the window, killing Kagami. At the same time, Tendou becomes Hyper Kabuto and through the use of Hyper Clock Up, he reverses time to save Kagami and destroy Caucasus with a Rider Kick, blowing him up along with the missiles in the space shuttle.

Tendou then uses the Hyper Zecter's Hyper Clock Up to send the second meteor back in time and force it to crash into the first meteor. The result is a small fragment that only hits Shibuya, minimizing the damage and erasing the future in which the Earth's oceans are dried up. However, the shockwave caused by the two meteors crashing hits Tendou and sends him flying backwards towards Earth. Afterwards, Tendou lands in Shibuya and finds himself in the same situation he was in seven years ago. This time however, he gives his belt to the younger Tendou who is then able to save Hiyori. With the disastrous future erased, Tendou disappears as his younger self grows up and lives a better life in the new timeline.

Movie-exclusive characters

• Issei Kurosaki/Kamen Rider Caucasus - Age unknown, he is the user of the Caucasus Zecter and is ZECT's strongest soldier. Usually seen with a single blue rose. He is able to defeat Kabuto and Gatack with his Hyper Clock Up but is stopped by Gatack from killing Kabuto with his Rider Kick. He is later killed by Hyper Kabuto by being sent into the missile heading for the second meteor.

• Hidenari Oda/Kamen Rider Hercus - User of the Hercus Zecter. He seeks freedom from the oppression of ZECT. He creates Neo-ZECT and openly invites Tendou to aid him, but realizes it is a double edge. He defeats TheBee during a fight on the ZECT Base and proceeds to fight Caucasus. However, Caucasus is able to kill him within seconds using Hyper Clock Up.

• Tetsuki Yamato/Kamen Rider Ketaros - Prominent member of ZECT, he uses the Ketaros Zecter and follows Mishima's orders in order to create the Jacob's Ladder station. He is loyal to ZECT and is given the mission to eliminate Neo-ZECT. He knows that members who have betrayed ZECT must be destroyed under any circumstances. After meeting Kabuto in the space station, they begin to fight in outer space using Clock up, but end up falling off of the space station with Yamato dying upon re-entry.

• Shura Hokuto - She is Neo-ZECT's sole female member and controls a unit of Neo Troopers. She fights alongside the Riders and defeats Worms with energy and passion. She supports Oda and obtains information from ZECT through trickery and betrayal. However, she is a spy from ZECT. She betrays Oda and Daisuke and shoots Drake to death. After escaping from Oda, she discovers the truth behind ZECT's plan to use the second comet to increase the number of Worms on Earth, causing Mishima and Riku Kagami to order her assassination. She manages to inform Tendou of the truth just before she bleeds to death.

Notes: the Riders appearing exclusively within the movie do not have a Masked Form and all transform using the Kabutech Zecters. Each Rider shares a similar finisher known as Rider Beat, which involves rotating the Zecter backwards. In addition, the Riders appear to have been customized versions of Kabuto's Rider Form.

Kamen Rider Caucasus

Transforms using the power of the gold Kabutech Zecter, the Caucasus Zecter. His power easily exceeds the power of all the other Riders.

Weapons/Gear

• Caucasus Kabutech Zecter

  Used by Issei Kurosaki, this Zecter allows the wearer to transform into Caucasus. The design is a gold Atlas beetle

  Atlas beetle

  The Atlas beetle, Chalcosoma atlas, is a species of beetle found in southern Asia, especially Malaysia, remarkable for its size...

  
  , which is also called as a "Caucasus beetle". Rider Beat as performed on this Zecter is used to initiate a tachyon-charged punch or Rider Kick

  Rider Kick

  The is the finishing move from the Kamen Rider Series. It has traditionally consisted of a flying side kick and is used against the monster/kaijin after it has been weakened from fighting with the Rider. Throughout the various Kamen Rider series, it has taken many different forms and has become...

  
  .

• Rider Brace

  Installed onto the right arm, this is the transformation tool used for the Kabutech Zecters. The Caucasus Zecter flies onto the Brace and automatically shifts into a vertical position, starting the transformation.

• Hyper Zecter

  Installed onto the left waist buckle of the Rider Belt, this Zecter features the Hyper Clock Up function and the Maximum Rider Power function. Hyper Clock Up allows the Rider to freely control time, and Maximum Rider Power pulls out the power of the Masked Rider System to the highest possible level. It is used to initiate the Rider Punch or Rider Kick

  Rider Kick

  The is the finishing move from the Kamen Rider Series. It has traditionally consisted of a flying side kick and is used against the monster/kaijin after it has been weakened from fighting with the Rider. Throughout the various Kamen Rider series, it has taken many different forms and has become...

  
   attack. On a side note, while Kabuto activates Hyper Clock Up by slapping the button on the Hyper Zecter, Caucasus uses it by slapping the right waist-pad instead. It appears that Caucasus cannot access the Hyper Zecter's full potential, however, as evidenced by his lack of a proper Hyper Form and the weaker power of his Hyper Clock Up (while Kabuto can time travel with Hyper Clock Up, Caucasus merely uses it as a doubled-up version of the normal Clock Up).

Kamen Rider Hercus

Transforms using the power of the silver Kabutech Zecter, the Hercus Zecter. He uses the ZECT Kunai Gun (Gun and Ax modes), and skills in far range fighting.

Weapons/Gear

• Hercus Kabutech Zecter

  Used by Hidenari Oda, this Zecter allows the wearer to transform into Hercus. The design is a silver Hercules beetle

  Hercules beetle

  The Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, is the most famous and largest of the rhinoceros beetles. It is native to the rainforests of Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles . Their title is well deserved, with some males reaching 6.75 inches in length...

  
  . By using Rider Beat, the stored tachyon particles become fused within the ZECT Kunai Gun, resulting in a stronger Avalanche Break.

• Rider Brace

  Installed onto the right arm, this is the transformation tool used for the Kabutech Zecters. The Hercus Zecter flies onto the Rider Brace landing sideways, and the user must turn it straight to initiate the transformation.

• ZECT Kunai Gun (Gun and Ax only)

  Before defecting for Neo-ZECT, this weapon was developed by ZECT for Kamen Rider Hercus. Similar to the Kabuto Kunai Gun, this Kunai Gun only features a Gun and Ax Mode but can be infused with the power of Rider Beat.

Kamen Rider Ketaros

Transforms using the power of the bronze Kabutech Zecter, the Ketaros Zecter. He uses the ZECT Kunai Gun (Kunai mode) and his skills in close-range, speed fighting.

Weapons/Gear

• Ketaros Kabutech Zecter

  Used by Tetsuki Yamato, this Zecter allows the wearer to transform into Ketaros. The design is a bronze Centaurus beetle

  Centaurus beetle

  The Centaurus beetle, Augosoma centaurus, is a species of beetle found in tropical Africa, which measures about . As common in many insect species, the male is larger than the female and usually two males will fight for a female for mating.-Appearance:It is interesting to note that the Centaurus...

  
  . By using Rider Beat, the stored tachyon particles become fused within the ZECT Kunai Gun, resulting in a stronger Avalanche Slash.

• Rider Brace

  Installed onto the right arm, this is the transformation tool used for the Kabutech Zecters. The Ketaros Zecter flies onto the Rider Brace landing sideways, and the user must turn it straight to initiate the transformation.

• ZECT Kunai Gun (Kunai mode only)

  Developed by ZECT for Kamen Rider Ketaros, this Kunai Gun bears similarities to the Kabuto Kunai Gun. However, it only has a Kunai Mode and its power can be fused with Rider Beat.

ZECT / Neo-ZECT

• ZECTrooper

  General foot soldiers used by ZECT, these troopers use the Machine Blade Gun and wear padded, insect-like armor. They act as law enforcers after the crash of the Shibuya Meteorite.

• Neotrooper

  Foot soldiers created by Neo-ZECT, these soldiers act as the cannon fodder for Neo-ZECT's assaults. The armor is silver with blue lines. The Neo Troopers are armed with shield units and Machine Blade Guns which have seals on them.

Next-Worms

Next-Worms are Worms that are only shown within the movie, although they visually resemble the Native Worms seen on the TV series. They arrived on the meteorite that struck the Earth in 1999, and have one objective, which is to conquer humanity. Although massive amounts of Worms are seen at the beginning of the movie, only one evolved Worm, Culex Worm, appears for a fight scene, which is destroyed by Kabuto's Rider Kick, while more evolved Worms are killed in larger numbers by Kabuto and Gatack in Clock Up at the end of the movie.

Cast

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Suit actors

• Kamen Rider Kabuto:
• Kamen Rider Gatack, Kamen Rider TheBee:
• Kamen Rider Sasword, Kamen Rider TheBee:
• Kamen Rider Drake:
• Kamen Rider Caucasus:
• Kamen Rider Hercus:
• Kamen Rider Ketaros:

Songs

Theme song

• "ONE WORLD"
  • Lyrics: Koji Kikkawa
  • Composition: Hiroaki Sugawara
  • Arrangement: Neko Saitō
  • Artist: Koji Kikkawa
    Koji Kikkawa
    is a Japanese musician. His most recent album is 2009's Double-Edged Sword.Kōji was supposed to represent Japan in water polo in the coming Olympics but chose to be a singer. His music career began on February 1, 1984 with "Monica" and he won 8 music awards in the same year...