I know it’s supposed to be epic, but there’s something really funny to me about seeing four Kamen Riders from different shows transform together.
Even before the real transformation begins, we have a guy who used to be a ghost and looks like a ninja/firebender, a neon-colored gamer/doctor, a… police officer?? Who’s really posing it up, by the way. And the actual wizard who looks nothing like a wizard and is instead wearing ripped, pink jeans.
And then there’s the music. Danny Phantom over here has this catchy chant coming out of his belt that’s all “AAAAYE!!” and “WATCH THIS! WATCH THIS!” (The latter of which is repeated through pretty much the whole sequence, by the way.)
Immediately the neon-colored doctor takes the stage, summoning a bright, circling character select screen while Ghost-Ninja has a hoodie barrelling towards him. Cop Man continues to Pose It Up. Pastel Punk Wizard is only just getting started.
This is around the point I started laughing. Ghost-Ninja has evolved into a Tron character, the Neon Doctor is now a borderline-chibi mascot, Cop Man has taken on an upgraded version of Going Ghost, and the guy you had no idea was a wizard just summon the gates to Satan’s personal living room. And that hoodie of Ghost-Tron’s still hasn’t finished circling the room yet.
Everything is chaos. The hoodie is glowing now and looks to be possessing its host. There’s more singing (more like borderline-rapping) thanks to the Neon Doctor who is no longer chibi and seems to be doing a Mario impression. Cop Man has turned into a weird bug thing that looks like it came out of Megaman. Pastel Punk Wizard has been consumed by the flames of his own creation.
And then, finally, things calm down. Everyone is in their Power Rangers getup of choice. Ghost Guy took down his hood for no discernible reason. Neon Gamer’s theme song is still going in the background. Bug Cop’s eyes calmed down a little. Pastel Punk is no longer pastel and way more obviously a wizard.
This all happens in the span of about ten seconds.
These transformations are so ridiculous yet so weirdly cool, I can’t help but love them. Everything about this moment is incredible in so many ways. It’s hilarious, but you can’t help but feel awed by the whole experience.
Would you guys believe me if I said that the reason I described Wizard’s portal as going to “Satan’s personal living room” was because I was 16 at the time and wasn’t used to saying “hell” yet
仮面ライダー１号================================================================ “I will not die! All the comrades who’ve fought alongside me and the friends that I’ve made abroad…they’re all supporting me! That’s why I’m immortal!” - Hongo Takeshi (KAMEN RIDER ICHIGOU) ================================================================
