Henshin Men artwork

Henshin Men

90 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★ - 38 ratings

Henshin Men is a weekly podcast that explores the fascinating world of Japanese superheroes and all their high flying (and high kicking) adventures.

Hosts Travis and Nathan will dive into series like Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Power Rangers episode by episode to look at the exciting, the silly, and the "WTH" moments from across the many decades these shows have been running.

Allow us to be the guides up the mountain of tokusatsu (Japanese special effects) content, and let us transform the way you see transforming heroes.

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Episodes

035 – Hongo’s Back…and This Time, We Mean It | Kamen Rider Eps. 52-53 | Ft. August Ragone

March 15, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 106 MB

A momentous episode of Henshin Men about a pair of momentous Kamen Rider (1971) episodes requires a momentous guest—Kamen Rider super-fan and tokustasu scholar August Ragone. Yes, Nathan managed to snag the one person in the English-speaking world who loves Kamen Rider more than Travis! After August regales the boys with his long list of credentials, storied life, and copious knowledge, the three of them discuss Hayato’s final episode as the star of the show. It features Dr. Shinigami with a...

034 - The One-Eyed, One-Horned, Punching Purple Rider Eater (Kamen Rider Eps. 50-51)

March 08, 2022 06:30 - 55 minutes - 50.6 MB

Kamen Rider (1971) keeps teasing the audience with Hongo returning, and Nathan and Travis tease a HUGE upcoming episode of Henshin Men! (Listen until the end to find out!) First up, Kamen Rider battles Gamera, er, Turtlestone, er, Kamestone. Who, besides crashing through walls like the Kool-Aide Man, blinds people with Deadly Daylight Disco lighting. Then Shocker unleashes the weirdest unicorn you’ve ever seen in the second episode. He’s made by transfusing powdered blood from a unicorn foss...

033 – These Monsters Suck! (Kamen Rider Eps. 48-49)

March 04, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MB

Travis and Nathan mean that title literally! Shocker’s kaijin-of-the-week are a leech and an anemone with tornado powers. (Ever get the feeling Toei had the same dart board as the infamous film studio The Asylum that has animals and natural disasters on it?) Leecherilla does look horrifying—until he doesn’t. But Anemone is juxtaposed against the most Japanese-looking version of Africa you ever saw. Your intrepid hosts also discuss the missed potential of Shocker mind-controlling Hayato (and ...

032 – Bearhug It Out (Kamen Rider Eps. 46-47)

February 22, 2022 05:55 - 1 hour - 58.9 MB

This week’s episode of Henshin Men is brought to you by…snow and hugs. (At least it’s not mind control, am I right?) Nathan and Travis discuss the coldest episodes of Kamen Rider (1971) yet. In the first, Team Rider goes on (another!?) vacation to a ski lodge that, predictably, gets ruined by Shocker’s kaijin, Bearkonger. Hayato injures his arm and isn’t able to transform—for five seconds. Then he becomes the “Kamen Snowmobiler” for a chase that looks straight out of In Her Majesty’s Secret ...

031 – There’s a Humongous Fungus Among Us (Kamen Rider Eps. 44-45)

February 15, 2022 17:53 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MB

Nathan and Travis get back into the Kamen Rider (1971) routine. This required they re-watch a pair of episodes they intended to cover a month ago—and it’s a good thing they did. This week’s KR offerings feature one of the scariest kaijin yet—Moldinga/Kabibinga—and one that should’ve gotten Toei sued by Toho—Slugzilla. You’ll hear Travis and Nathan discuss the symbolically corruptive nature of mold/fungus and how to translate crazy kaijin-of-the-week names—and complaints about more mind contr...

030 – It’s Henshin Time! (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Eps. 113-115, ‘A Friend in Need’) | Henshin Men x The Power Trip

February 08, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 90 MB

It’s a doubly special occasion because Travis is back, and Henshin Men joins forces with The Power Trip! Yes, in a crossover of many firsts, Travis and Nathan are joined by their mutual co-host, Michael, from their fellow Kaiju Ramen Network podcast, The Power Trip: A Journey through the Power Rangers Franchise. What could possibly bring them together? None other than the three-part backdoor pilot on Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers that introduced the world to Kamen Rider, er, Masked Rider! Bu...

029 – Bad to the Chrome (Mechanical Violator Hakaider) | Ft. Elijah Thomas

February 01, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 81.8 MB

With Travis away for one last week, the “Littlest Gatekeeper,” Elijah Thomas, of the Kaiju Conversation podcast joins Nathan to go ’90s EDGELORD EXTREME!!! By that we mean discuss the 1995 film Mechanical Violator Hakaider directed by the mad genius Keita Amemiya. This is a gritty reboot done right. It’s a bold reimagining of a character from Toei’s Kikaida TV series from the early 1970s. You’ll hear Nathan and Elijah speak with Epic Trailer Voices™ and constantly compare the film’s villain ...

028 – WTH: The Movie | Super Inframan | Ft. Chris Cooke

January 25, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 77 MB

With Travis still on break, Nathan brings on his friend Chris Cooke of One Cross Radio and Radio Arcade to see, as he puts it, “Power Rangers on Crack”—aka Super Inframan. If you’re thinking, “That’s from Hong Kong, not Japan! It can’t be on Henshin Men!” you’re wrong. It was made to tap into the “Henshin Boom” of the 1970s, and it had Japanese crewmembers who worked on Ultraman and Kamen Rider, among other tokusatsu. In an episode almost as energetic and crazy as the movie, Nathan and Chris...

028 – WTH: The Movie (Super Inframan) | Ft. Chris Cooke

January 25, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 77 MB

With Travis still on break, Nathan brings on his friend Chris Cooke of One Cross Radio and Radio Arcade to see, as he puts it, “Power Rangers on Crack”—aka Super Inframan. If you’re thinking, “That’s from Hong Kong, not Japan! It can’t be on Henshin Men!” you’re wrong. It was made to tap into the “Henshin Boom” of the 1970s, and it had Japanese crewmembers who worked on Ultraman and Kamen Rider, among other tokusatsu. In an episode almost as energetic and crazy as the movie, Nathan and Chris...

027 – Zero Killed the Radio Beatstar (Ultraman Zero Side Story: Killer the Beatstar | Ft. Jack “GMan” Hudgens and J.R. Villers

January 18, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 84.1 MB

With Travis still on his much-needed “pod-cation,” Nathan brings on Jack “GMan” Hudgens and J.R. Villers from The Drift Space podcast to discuss the second of the “duology” of Ultraman Zero specials. This one, Killer the Beatstar (which would be the best DJ name ever), was released as a tie-in with Ultarman Saga (2012), but for Jack in particular, this special doesn’t live up to the pinnacle of the previous special Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero or the film Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Bel...

026 – Unto Us an Ultra-Child is Born (The Birth of Ultraman Stage Show) | Feat. Michael Hamilton | Kaiju Weekly

January 11, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 91 MB

Travis needed time off for a family emergency, so Nathan brought in their co-host in “kamen” (ba-dum-tsh!), Michael Hamilton, to discuss The Birth of Ultraman Stage Show. Sorta. What you’re about to hear is actually an episode of Kaiju Weekly (Travis’s main podcast, which he co-hosts with Michael) that featured Michael and Nathan discussing this unique beginning for one of the greatest henshin heroes. It features new bookends recorded for you, Heroes of the Internet, where Nathan and his gue...

025 – Faux-dan’s Death Tumble (Kamen Rider Eps. 42-43)

January 06, 2022 06:47 - 1 hour - 59.4 MB

After an epic two-parter with the return of Hongo…it’s business as usual on Kamen Rider (1971). Your intrepid hosts Travis and Nathan are almost bored with the first in a long series of overplayed mind-control stories in the post-Hongo world. But at least the kaijin-of-the-week are fun. First, there’s Fly Man (who should’ve been by Vincent Price, for obvious reasons). He’s no Egyptas, but his constant buzzing is almost as entertaining. But nothing compares to “Faux-dan” (what’s his actual na...

024 – Double the Rider, Double the Fun (Kamen Rider Eps. 40-41)

December 29, 2021 05:59 - 1 hour - 66 MB

FINALLY! Hongo has come back to Japan! And he brought his own pair of kick@$$ Rider Girls! (But what happened to Ruriko?) Nathan and Travis are overjoyed to see the OG Rider return, and in true superhero fashion, team-up (and fight?!) with Hayato in an epic two-parter coming off the heels of the crazy Christmas special. Shocker’s Japanese division has a new commander: Dr. Death/Dr. Reaper/Dr. Shinigami/Dr. Who (one of those is a pop culture reference, but not the one you’re thinking) played ...

023 – A Non-American Werewolf in Japan (Kamen Rider Eps. 38-39)

December 20, 2021 06:48 - 1 hour - 71.2 MB

There are a few pairs that go hand-in-hand. Peanut butter and jelly. Pen and paper. Bread and butter. Werewolves and Christmas. (Wait, what?!) Yes, Travis returns as Nate celebrates Christmas the Japanese way by eating a KFC dinner and watching Kamen Rider (1971). While the first episode they discuss is a bit typical for the show (despite the kaijin-of-the-week being “Bat-manta”), the second one—what a doozy! Col. Zol unleashes a werewolf virus, steals a little girl’s doll, and holds a costu...

022 – Girls Really Like a Guy in Spandex (The Special Combat Unit Shinesman) | Feat. The Omni Viewer

December 13, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 68.1 MB

Travis needed some time off, so Nathan is joined by YouTube personality and sci-fi author Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins to discuss something a little left-of-center for Henshin Men: an anime. The Super Sentai parody The Special Combat Unit Shinesman (aka Tokuma Sentai Shinesman), to be exact. This hilarious OVA is a tale of corporate warfare with the Good Trading Company’s Shinesmen battling alien invaders disguised as a rival corporation secretly plotting world conquest. (Can you say, “Dis...

021 – Talk Like an Egyptas (Kamen Rider Eps. 36-37)

December 06, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 60.1 MB

“Are you my mummy?” That’s the question Nathan is asked by Travis to start this week’s episode of Henshin Men. In today’s Kamen Rider coverage, as is the unwritten law of all popular entertainment, there must be an ancient Egypt episode featuring a mummy monster. In this case, it’s the proto-King Sphinx who can somehow understand Japanese but only speaks in gibberish that may or may not be ancient Egyptian. It’s even more confusing than it sounds. The next episode features another flower kai...

TRAILER - The Power Trip: A Journey through the Power Rangers Franchise

November 30, 2021 17:00 - 1 minute - 1.21 MB

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Power Rangers with Michael Hamilton (Kaiju Weekly, The Kaiju Groupie Podcast) and Nathan Marchand (The Monster Island Film Vault, Henshin Men) as they embark on a quest through every season of this morphenomenal franchise. Coming January 4, 2022, to a podcatcher near you! IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! Follow The Power Trips on Twitter: @ThePowerTripPod. Join the podcast’s official Facebook group: Power Rangers Legacy.

020 – Ant-Woman and the Rider (Kamen Rider Eps. 34-35)

November 29, 2021 04:01 - 1 hour - 60.3 MB

Nostril eye holes. That’s one of the many important things discussed in this week’s Henshin Men by Travis and Nathan. Why? Because both of the kaijins-of-the-week, Toadiller and Alkimedes, have their “eyes” on the tops of their heads, but the suit actors are obviously seeing out the masks’ noses. It’s not unlike what Travis brought up last week about the Kamen Rider costume. Besides that, they discuss the first (sorta) on-screen appearance of the Shocker Leader (using a brainwave scanner tha...

019 - Corpse Flower Power! (Kamen Rider Eps. 32-33)

November 22, 2021 08:00 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MB

Rainbow factories explode (again) and a Brazilian archer girl seeks revenge in this week’s Kamen Rider (1971) episodes! In the first KR2 adventure, Nathan and Travis marvel at the man-eating, multicolored Dokudahlian, a plant kaijin who has the power to turn any room he enters into a disco. He kidnaps women and forces them to manufacture poisonous drugs, because only women have hands delicate enough to do it. (Shocker, you sexist fiends!) Next, your dynamic hosts are entranced by Connie “the...

018 - Trilo-bonanza (Kamen Rider Eps 30-31)

November 15, 2021 05:59 - 1 hour - 59.8 MB

Travis and Nathan come to another pair of Kamen Rider (1971) episodes that want so very badly to harken back to the “Hongo era”—by featuring a vampire trilobite and a plague-spreading anteater. Yep. Col. Zol performs a bizarre ceremony to resurrect a fossilized trilobite (that may or may not have been found under Godzilla’s foot) while the Rider Girls try ward the monster off with garlic. Because that makes sense. Ironically, the anteater proves to be one of the scariest and most powerful ka...

017 - The Eyes Have It (Kamen Rider Eps 28-29)

November 08, 2021 06:20 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MB

What does a mole and a jellyfish have in common? No, this isn’t a joke; it’s actually something Nathan and Travis try to figure out in today’s edition of Henshin Men. Kamen Rider 2 battles a mole kaijin and a jellyfish kaijin in this week’s episodes. Both of them have eyes in weird places—like biological periscopes and at the end of tentacles. Did we mention that the jellyfish looks like Cobra Commander with a Tentacool for a hood? The series also continues its weird obsession with flinging ...

EXTRA LIFE 2021 PROMO - Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid Charity Livestream!

November 02, 2021 09:00 - 1 minute - 1.09 MB

Greetings, heroes of the internet! Join me this Saturday (November 6) for a special charity livestream for Extra Life, an organization that raises money for children's hospitals through marathon gaming sessions. I'll be playing Power Rangers: Battle for The Grid! Click the links below for more information and to contribute to my donation goal! Thanks!  -Extra Life -Nathan Marchand/Theology Gaming Team Page -Theology Gaming Twitch Channel -MIFV YouTube Channel

016 – Children of the Shockorn (Kamen Rider Eps. 26-27)

November 01, 2021 04:55 - 1 hour - 73.2 MB

“Guess who’s back…back again. Trav is back! Tell a friend!” Yes, Travis returns to Henshin Men to talk more Kamen Rider (1971) with Nathan. First up is an episode featuring Antlithunder (which sounds like a pro-wrestler name, so where’s Pirasaurus when you need him?), who’s plotting to destroy Japan’s highways with sandstorms and underground tunnels. So, the spice must flow and we don’t like sand! We also meet the new manager for Shocker’s Japan branch, Col. Zol, who sports a pseudo-Nazi uni...

015 – Ultraman Zero Darklops 30 (Ultra Galaxy Legend Side Story: Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero) | Feat. Jack “GMan” Hudgens and J.R. Villers

October 25, 2021 07:00 - 1 hour - 79.7 MB

With Travis still taking time off, Nathan is joined by two of the co-hosts of The Drift Space Podcast, Jack and J.R., for Henshin Men’s first ever Ultraman episode! In this, they discuss the surprisingly cinematic 2010 direct-to-video special Ultra Galaxy Legend Side Story: Ultraman Zero vs. Darlkops Zero. For a tie-in story to the blockbuster movie Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial (a name your hosts can’t agree on how to pronounce), it has shockingly huge stakes and callbacks all the wa...

014 – Aye-Yi-Yi Can’t Believe This Almost Happened! | Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Lost Episode (feat. Michael Hamilton)

October 18, 2021 07:00 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MB

Wait…this isn’t Kamen Rider (1971)! And where’s Travis? Calm down, heroes! Travis needed some time off, so Nathan invited Travis’s Kaiju Weekly co-host, Michael, onto Henshin Men to discuss the unaired pilot for Michael’s favorite tokusatsu show, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. This very rough draft of “Day of the Dumpster” features a different actress for Trini, no Bulk and Skull (sorta), and an interdimensional mentor named Zoltar and not Zordon. Also, the Zords are called “Droids,” and you...

013 - This Episode is in Spore Taste (Kamen Rider Eps 24-25)

October 12, 2021 06:04 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MB

“Death Mushroom!” Not only should that be the name of a Euro metal band, it’s the name of the kaijin-of-the-week featured in today’s episode…sorta. Travis and Nathan discuss a two-parter from Kamen Rider (1971), where Hayato/Kamen Rider 2 battles a convict who is pickled in weird mushroom juices for a week by Shocker to make him into a supervillain only a Matango would love. Yep, you read that right. Along the way, your intrepid hosts discuss the episodes’ impressive action set pieces; Shock...

012 - Five Nights at Squirrelly’s (Kamen Rider Eps. 22-23)

October 04, 2021 07:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MB

Nathan and Travis discuss two episodes of Kamen Rider (1971), the first of which has a murderous merman—and that doesn’t matter. You came to hear about Musasabeedle, aka Fly-Squidle—with a “d” and not a “t” to avoid a lawsuit from Nintendo. We guesstimate about 50 percent of this episode is your intrepid hosts laughing at this squirrelly kaijin’s expense. So. Many. Jokes! What else is there to talk about in this week’s episode of Henshin Men besides this giant killer plushie that sounds like...

BONUS: Shin Kamen Rider 2023 News (10-2-21)

October 03, 2021 01:00 - 33 minutes - 31 MB

Did you think your intrepid hosts, Travis and Nathan, could not talk about the BIG news that dropped about Shin Kamen Rider (2023)? Not when they’re a quarter of the way through the classic series that inspired it! They discuss the promo video that recreates the original intro as well as the actors playing Takeshi and Ruriko, among other things; make crazy “fan castings” for some of the other characters; and discuss what kind of story they’d like to see in this upcoming film being written an...

011 - This Isn't Even My Final Form! (Kamen Rider Eps 20 - 21)

September 28, 2021 05:30 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MB

Episode 11: This Isn’t Even My Final Form! (Kamen Rider Eps. 20-21) This week, Kamen Rider II battles Mothra! (Moth Man? Mothra Man?) Well, kinda. Your toku-loving hosts, Travis and Nathan, are just as confused by Shocker’s kaijin-of-the-week because, once again, he has two names: Dokugander and Poison-Mothdar! But if that wasn’t enough, Toei tries to upstage Tsuburaya Productions by crucifying Tachibana and the Rider Girls on electrified crosses—twice! To say newbie Nathan wasn’t prepared ...

010 - Don't Be So Shellfish (Kamen Rider Eps 18-19)

September 20, 2021 06:34 - 1 hour - 58.9 MB

Last week, you smelled what Nathan and Travis were cooking…and now we’re going to Long John Silver’s. Or maybe Red Lobster? Anyway, Kamen Rider fights Shocker’s monstrous seafood in two episodes featuring Starfish Hitler’s forerunner, Stafinjer, and the ridiculous but deadly Crabubbler. And as usual, both of them have alternate names in the episode listings compared to the subtitles. (Insert Picard facepalm gif here). Team Kamen Rider also keeps going on vacations in pretty locations. And th...

09 - When Rider-Mania Runs Wild On You! (Kamen Rider Eps 16-17)

September 13, 2021 04:58 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MB

You don’t have to listen on pay-per-view (“pay-per-listen”?) to hear what the Henshin Men are cookin’! Your tag-team hosts Travis and Nathan discuss two of the most electrifying episodes of Kamen Rider (1971) where Hayato battles Pirasaurus, a champion pro-wrestler-turned-kaijin by Shocker. The least secret of secret organizations disguises the King of Dinosaurs (if you got that reference, you are a nerd among nerds) as the obvious heel, Satan Mask, to attract an arena full of people and mur...

08 - Kamen Rider 2: Electric Boogaloo (Kamen Rider Eps 14-15)

August 30, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 65.2 MB

A new phase begins on Kamen Rider (1971)…and the show almost crashes and burns. Nathan and Travis discuss the transitional two-part episode of the series that switches from Hongo to Hayato and from horror lite to “friendly neighborhood Kamen Rider” territory. Sadly, Nathan cringes at the Rider Girls (aka “Tobei’s Angels”), among other things, while Travis explains that the show does get better from here (which is good because they still have 80-plus episodes to go!). Our kaijin-of-the-week i...

07 - Bend it Like Lizardlon (Kamen Rider Ep 13)

August 23, 2021 04:59 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MB

Go, Go, Kamen Rider! Kamen Rider hits the big screen! Well, sorta. Your intrepid hosts Travis and Nathan spend an entire episode of Henshin Men discussing one episode of Kamen Rider (1971) because it’s a momentous one. At one point, it might’ve been the last episode of the series (and the franchise?), so Toei pulled out all the stops! Shocker resurrects all of their fallen kaijin and creates Tokageron (or Lizardlon…or “Bootleg Godzilla”…or “The Gorn’s Cousin”) as the group’s leader. But in ...

06 - Carrion, My Wayward Son! (Kamen Rider Eps 11-12)

August 16, 2021 04:59 - 1 hour - 56.3 MB

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's definitely not a condor! Just when Nathan and Travis thought Shocker’s kaijin couldn’t get more ridiculous than Bee Woman—Gebacondor comes in second place. Mostly because he looks more like a Lord of the Rings Orc than a condor. And he can somehow fly despite that costume not looking like it should be able to do so. Oh, and did we mention he’s awakened by the blood of virgins? Again, we would like to remind you that Shocker is evil. Then the next episode of K...

05 - Don't Hiss Off the Cobra Man (Kamen Rider Eps 9-10)

August 09, 2021 05:47 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MB

If this week’s Henshin Men was an episode of Friends, Travis and Nathan would’ve titled it, “The One with Cobra Man.” This Kamen Rider two-parter isn’t for faint-of-heart dog lovers, though. Cobra Man kills a “Kamen Kenny’s” German shepherd named Dummy (off-screen…apparently). But even after KR goes full-tilt John Wick on him, the Shocker fiend is resurrected by a mad dominatrix scientist using—no joke—the blood of puppies. In case you didn’t think the (Yahtzee)-adjacent secret society that ...

04 - Swarm Greetings from the Bee Woman (Kamen Rider Eps 7-8)

August 02, 2021 04:55 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MB

Nathan wasn’t prepared for this. With no warning from Travis about what was coming, he finally watched the conclusion to Kamen Rider’s two-part fight with Chameleon-Man over the (Yahtzee) treasure—and it might be the biggest “What the henshin?!” moment of the entire series! It could be described using a line from an old hymn: “Up from the grave he arose!” But then the madness continued in the next episode, which features the gaudiest of Shocker’s generals: Bee Woman, a kaijin with…questionab...

03 - If I Go Crazy Will You Still Call Me Super-Mantis (Kamen Rider Eps 5-6)

July 26, 2021 04:55 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MB

Just when you thought Shocker couldn’t get more evil, it turns out the secret society bent on world domination has ties to another group that rhymes with Yahtzees! Who’d have thunk it? Yes, Travis and Nathan continue their journey through classic Kamen Rider in an episode that risks getting banned on YouTube due to the necessary naming of a certain WWII political party in Germany. This time Shocker unleashes the diabolical Mantis-Man and Chameleon-Man—and drives Nathan crazy because episode...

02 - Rock, Paper, Rider Scissor-Kick! (Kamen Rider Eps 3-4)

July 19, 2021 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MB

Newbie Nathan now ventures into uncharted Kamen Rider territory with super-fan Travis as his guide! The duo marvels at the grotesque murder methods of Scorpion Man and wonder what in the heck is a Sarracenian. Also, who let the “Kenny” onto the Kamen Rider set to do the fakest crying ever? All this and more in the latest episode of the harrowing Henshin Men podcast! Kamen Rider (1971) can be streamed on Tubi and Shout!Factory TV. Watch there to follow along with us.

00 - (Introduction) How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Kamen Rider

July 07, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

Time for the “Rider Kickoff”! Travis Alexander (Kaiju Weekly) and Nathan Marchand (The Monster Island Film Vault) launch their new spinoff podcast discussing Japan’s transforming, kaiju-fighting superheroes. In this episode, your intrepid hosts introduce themselves and give their history with henshin heroes, starting with the likes of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad and Saban’s Masked Rider. They define what a “henshin hero” is and even argue that American-created characters like Marvel’s Th...

01 - Get Your Rider Kicks on Route 66 (Kamen Rider Eps 1-2)

July 07, 2021 05:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MB

Travis and Nathan begin their henshin hero journey with one of the most popular: Kamen Rider! Toei’s iconic motorcycle-riding grasshopper-inspired superhero burst onto the scene with a classic manga and TV series in 1971. Nathan the noob is educated by super-fan Travis as they discuss Kamen Rider’s origin story and first battles with the evil organization Shocker—against villains confusingly named “Spider Man” and “Bat Man.” Or is it more accurate to say, “Man-Spider” and “Man-Bat”? Except t...

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