| Genre: | Tokusatsu Superhero fiction Science fiction Action Biopunk |
| Runtime: | 24–25 minutes (per episode) |
| Country: | Japan |
| Network: | ANN (TV Asahi) |
| Num Episodes: | 49 |
| List Episodes: | List of Kamen Rider Kabuto episodes |
| Creator: | Shotaro Ishinomori |
| Narrated: | Eiichiro Suzuki |
| Composer: | Kuniaki Haishima |
| Opentheme: | "NEXT LEVEL" by YU-KI |
| Company: | TV Asahi Asatsu-DK Toei Company |
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 Asatsu-DK and Toei. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi. The first episode aired on January 29, 2006, and with the final episode airing on January 21, 2007, completing the series with 49 episodes. It aired as a part of the Super Hero Time slot alongside GoGo Sentai Boukenger.
The series represents the 35th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, as indicated by a notice at the beginning of the pilot episode reading, in Japanese, "Kamen Rider 35th Anniversary Production."
See main article: List of Kamen Rider Kabuto episodes and List of Kamen Rider Kabuto characters. Seven years before the series, a meteorite struck the Shibuya district in Tokyo. An alien lifeform, known as the Worms, emerged from the meteorite and became a threat to humanity. Souji Tendo has been trained for seven years while waiting for the Kabuto Zecter so that he may properly take up the mantle of Kamen Rider Kabuto. Making many enemies while at the same time meeting other Riders with mysterious origins, Tendou attempts to accomplish his goal at all costs: to destroy all Worms that threaten humanity. He meets ZECT operative Arata Kagami, who later becomes Kamen Rider Gatack. The two soon work together to save humanity from the alien Worms—but not before uncovering the conspiracies within the ZECT organization and the "Natives" species.
, also known as the, are a compilation of mobile systems that affect space/time. They were created by the Natives, a species of Worm that arrived on Earth 35 years ago. These Natives in turn gave the Zecters to humans so that they may protect them from alien Worms that would arrive later. The Zecters appear instantaneously from the ZECT headquarters to the selected personnel so that they may transform into the respective Rider to fight any Worms in the vicinity. Each Rider (except for the Hopper Riders and the Kabutech Riders) possesses two forms: the bulky armored cocoon-like and the sleeker which can use the, a system that allows the Rider to move at high speed. They also have the ZECTroopers to help them. Worth noting is that the Zecters have a mind of their own and can reject their present user in search of another one if they so choose.
There are eight known Zecters within the Masked Rider System, each allowing the user to become a different Rider. Most Zecters are based on insects, with the exception of the Sasword Zecter, which is based on a scorpion.
There also exist two other Zecters known as the Perfect Zecter and the Hyper Zecter. The Perfect Zecter serves as a primary weapon while the Hyper Zecter is a power-up device that enhances the powers of the original Zecter. Both were only used by Kabuto in the series, but Gatack got to use the Hyper Zecter in the Hyper Battle DVD.
The series made some allusions to the whole Kamen Rider series. Masked Rider Project as mentioned in the course of the series was said to have started on 3 April 1971. The Worm species known as Natives also first arrived on Earth on the same year. In real-life, it was the date the first Kamen Rider show aired for the first time.
See main article: List of Kamen Rider Kabuto episodes.
See main article: Kamen Rider Kabuto: God Speed Love. The movie of the 2006 Kamen Rider Series, entitled, was released in Japan on August 5, double-billed with GoGo Sentai Boukenger the Movie: The Greatest Precious. The film took place in a previous timeline and served as a prequel to the series, featuring three new Riders known as Hercus, Ketaros and Caucasus.
In, Arata Kagami seeks to get the Hyper Zecter just like Souji Tendou, so he tries to emulate Tendou. Once he realizes that he has to be himself, the Hyper Zecter appears and allows him to transform into Kamen Rider Gatack Hyper Form, which only appears in the DVD. The Kabuto and Gatack Zecters speak to Tendou and Kagami throughout the DVD, voiced by Tomokazu Seki and Kōji Yusa, respectively.
The Kamen Rider Kabuto trademark was registered by Toei on October 26, 2005.[1]
A video game based on the series was produced by Bandai for the PlayStation 2, under the name Kamen Rider Kabuto. Released on November 30, 2006, it is a fighting game featuring all Riders seen in the show and movie, along with Hyper Gatack. The game features 5 different modes of play, ranging from a story mode to several multiplayer modes.
, written by Shōji Yonemura, is part of a series of spin-off novel adaptions of the Heisei Era Kamen Riders. The mysteries behind Kamen Rider Kabuto are revealed as Tendou Souji fights his final battle with the Worms. After the battle, he travels around the world starting from Bangkok, Thailand to Varanasi, India. During this time, the story followed Arata Kagami as he tries to court with Hiyori Kusakabe. The novel was released on November 30, 2012.
During episodes 23 through 27, this segment called the 35th Masked Rider Anniversary File, acted as a look back to the franchise and an early advertisement for the God Speed Love movie. These look backs are held in a movie theater and the segment is hosted by Soji Tendo (Kamen Rider Kabuto), Arata Kagami (Kamen Rider Gatack), Tetsuki Yamato (Kamen Rider Ketaros), Yuzuki Misaki, and Masato Mishima. During these five segments, they discuss the history of the Kamen Rider franchise, sometimes in a comedic tone, but always with serious background music.
Episode 327-B of Sgt. Frog titled features the members of the Keroro Platoon trying to invade Earth in Clock Up mode.