Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight

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Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight logo
Format	Superhero
Created by	Shotaro Ishinomori
Developed by	Steve Wang
Starring	Stephen Lunsford Matt Mullins Aria Alistar
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	40 [1] (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Yasuo Matsuo Fumio Sebata Aki Komine
Producer(s)	Steve Wang Mike Wang Roy McAree
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Adness Entertainment Toei Company
Broadcast
Original channel	The CW (The CW4Kids)[2]
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV)
Original run	January 3, 2009 – December 26, 2009
External links
Official website

Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight is the title of the American adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Ryuki, the twelfth installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It is being brought to television by Steve and Michael Wang. The series had a sneak premiere on December 13, 2008, but started official broadcasting on January 3, 2009 ^[3] and played throughout the year. A film was planned for release the year after its broadcast, but with the series cancellation this is highly unlikely.^[4] Adness Entertainment chose to adapt Ryuki over the other Heisei Rider shows as it has a large number of characters (Ryuki had 13 Riders in total) as well as a female Rider.^[5] It is also the first tokusatsu adaptation of a Kamen Rider series since Saban's Masked Rider, which was adapted from Kamen Rider BLACK RX. The show first aired in the United States on The CW Television Network during its The CW4Kids programming block.^[2] Statements by director Steve Wang and male lead Stephen Lunsford show that The CW will drop Dragon Knight at the end of the year before its final two episodes can air in the US.^[6] The final episodes were uploaded to the 4Kids TV website on December 18, 2009.

Plot

While searching for his missing father, Kit Taylor finds an Advent Deck - a special card deck that allows the carrier to transform into a Kamen Rider and utilize unique weapons and powers - and uses it to become Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. He butts heads with Len, who serves as Kamen Rider Wing Knight, but the pair join forces after Kit learns that the wicked General Xaviax has imprisoned his father and is using him and the other humans that his monsters abduct to gain power and rebuild his homeworld. Later on Kase, a fellow survivor of Ventara like Len, would join forces with Len and Kit to fight Xaviax. In addition to training Kit to fight like a Rider, Len and Kase tell Kit all about the twelve Riders who banded together as the protectors of Ventara - a world opposite to our own - to take Xaviax down. However, due to the traitorous actions of Kit's predecessor, Adam, General Xaviax destroyed most of the Riders via a process called Venting - which traps defeated Riders in the "Advent Void" between dimensions forever - and stole their Advent Decks. Furthermore, Xaviax has also begun using his shapeshifiting abilities to coerce humans into joining him, giving each one an Advent Deck and the corresponding Kamen Rider powers, with which they fight to eliminate Kit, Len, and the Riders who oppose him. After Kit is Vented, Xaviax recruits Adam to once again become Dragon Knight. Meanwhile, Len uses his Advent Deck to awaken the Advent Master Eubulon, who brings back the Ventaran Kamen Riders from the Advent Void, including Kit who becomes Kamen Rider Onyx.^[7]

Episodes

Unaired pilot

A pilot episode of Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight filmed in 2007 featuring Matt Smith in the lead role of Kit Taylor and Kandis Erickson as Maya Young was produced and was later leaked online before being taken down in December 2008.

Cast

Main Cast

• Kit Taylor, Adam: Stephen Lunsford
• Len: Matt Mullins
• Kase: Carrie Reichenbach^[8]
• Maya Young: Aria Alistar
• Xaviax: William O'Leary

Recurring Cast

• Lacey Sheridan: Marisa Lauren
• Trent Moseley: Taylor Emerson
• Michelle Walsh: Kathy Christopherson
• Richie Preston: Tony Moras
• Drew Lansing, Chance: Christopher Foley
• Grant Staley: Christopher Babers
• James Trademore, Price: Scott Bailey
• Brad Barrett: Keith Stone
• Chris Ramirez : Michael Cardelle
• Danny Cho, Hunt: Mike Moh
• Albert Cho: Tony Sano^[9]
• Vic Frasier: Mark Cameron Wystrach
• Frank Taylor: Jeff Davis
• Detective Grimes: James Patterson
• Agent Phillips: Jamison Jones
• Eubulon: Mark Dacascos
• Sarah: Camila Greenberg

Guest Stars

• Kit's Foster Mom: Kathleen Gati
• Grace Kiefer: Victoria Jackson
• Grant's Master: T. J. Storm

Suit Actors/Stunt Crew

• Hiroshi Maeda
• Reuben Langdon
• Mark Musashi
• Dorenda Moore
• Tadahiro Nakamura
• Aaron Toney
• Hideki Sugiguchi
• Sam Looc
• McKay Stewart

International broadcasts

Dragon Knight was shown in Brazil on TV Globo during its TV Globinho programming block, and has been replaced by a re-run of Dragonball as of September 2009,^[10] and is only being shown on Cartoon Network in that country, in Mexico on Televisa^[11] and in Venezuela on Venevisión. There are currently plans to air the series in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein on RTL II (starting January 2010), ^[12] in Colombia on Caracol TV,^[13] in Italy on Mediaset^[14][15] and in Latin America on Cartoon Network.^[16]

It is also broadcast in Japan on Toei's satellite subscription channel Toei Channel in the fall of 2009 as part of the Heisei Kamen Rider series 10th Anniversary project.^[17] Voice actors brought onto the project include Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Kit/Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, Hiroki Takahashi as Richie Preston/Kamen Rider Incisor, and Hiroshi Kamiya as Chris Ramirez/Kamen Rider Sting.

Previous actors of the Kamen Rider franchise who lend their voices to the cast include:

• Satoshi Matsuda (Ren Akiyama/Kamen Rider Knight in Ryuki) as Len/Kamen Rider Wing Knight
• Yuria Haga (Mari Sonoda in 555 and Mio Suzuki in Kiva) as Maya Young
• Kōji Yusa (Urataros in Den-O) as Drew Lansing/Kamen Rider Torque
• Tomokazu Sugita (Kivat-bat the 3rd in Kiva) as JTC/Kamen Rider Strike
• Kenji Matsuda (Kamen Rider Zanki in Hibiki and Jiro/Garulu in Kiva) as Grant Staley/Kamen Rider Camo
• Shouma Yamamoto (Takato Shiramine/Kamen Rider Rey in Kiva: King of the Castle in the Demon World and Taiga Nobori/Kamen Rider Saga in Kiva) voices Brad Barrett/Kamen Rider Thrust.

International DVD releases

In addition to airing outside the United States, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight is available on DVD in certain countries. In Brazil, Volumes 1-4 were released on DVD by PlayArte Home Video.^[18][19] In Malaysia, Volumes 1 and 2 were released on DVD by PMP-Entertainment.^[20][21] In Germany, Season 1 - Vol. 1 and Season 1 - Vol. 2 will be released on DVD by m4e (Made For Entertainment) in February 2010.^[22]

Video game

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight: The Video Game from D3Publisher is available for the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms and was released November 17, 2009.^[23][24][25] The Wii Version was based on Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes.

References

External links

• Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight at the Internet Movie Database
• Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight at TV.com

Official

• Official Website
• 4Kids TV
• 4KidsTV.com

Interviews

• Henshin Justice Unlimited - Nathan Long Interview
• Kamen Rider Generations - Matt Mullins Interview
• Cold Coffee - Steve Wang Interview
• SciFi Japan - Steve Wang Interview
• NERDSociety Interviews Steve Wang

v • d • e   Kamen Rider Series Created by Shotaro Ishinomori Shōwa TV series: Kamen Rider • V3 • X • Amazon • Stronger • Skyrider • Super-1 • Birth of the 10th! (ZX's special) • BLACK • BLACK RX Heisei TV series: Kuuga • Agito • Ryuki • 555 • Blade • Hibiki • Kabuto • Den-O • Kiva • Decade • Double Original films: Shin: Prologue • ZO • J • World • THE FIRST • THE NEXT Other visual media: SD • Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider • Hyper Battle series • G (with SMAP) • Ganbaride • Climax Heroes Manga and books: Spirits • Black • Card Warrior • EVE -GAIA- American series: Saban's Masked Rider • Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight See also: Super Sentai • Metal Hero • Rider Kick • RIDER CHIPS • S.I.C. • Hanuman and the Five Riders