Top 10 Best Kamen Rider Series

Over the decades, Kamen Rider has become a staple of Japanese pop culture, known for blending intense battles with human drama, intricate mysteries, and some seriously unforgettable characters. Each series brings something unique to the table, whether it's the story of a lone hero fighting for justice or a group of Riders in a fierce competition for survival.

When it comes to choosing the best Kamen Rider series, every fan has their favorites. Maybe it's the dark and gritty vibe of an older series, or the complex, twist-filled stories of more recent ones that capture your imagination. Some series are celebrated for their creative Rider designs, others for their innovative fight choreography or memorable villains. And while newer shows bring fresh tech and storytelling twists, the classics have a charm all their own - often setting the foundation for what Kamen Rider is today.
The Top Ten
1 Kamen Rider Gaim

A bizarre concept with an excellent execution. A truly addicting grim story that makes you want to learn more about its characters, environments, and the interactions that occur within it. There is nothing more to say than to "Just live more."

(Although they milked the series in tons of movies that do not compare to the series.)

Samurai concept, well-defined transformations, well-designed costumes, well-balanced power ceiling, good CG compared to other previous generations, actors are good-looking. Everything is just awesome.

2 Kamen Rider OOO

My second Rider series I've watched, I really enjoyed the story and how it doesn't paint greed and desires in a black and white view. It shows the positive sides and negative sides.

The characters were really good, and I really liked Ankh's character development. I thought the villains were some of the best I've seen in a long time. And the costume was so awesome! (I think it might be my favorite.)

But overall, OOO is a show I'm glad I watched!

Best first episode and best final episode. Really a fantastic series with plenty of humor, heart, and a villain with an insane yet relatable motive. The look at PTSD is unique for a toku show. Fantastic for newcomers and not too hard to understand.

3 Kamen Rider Build

Sorry to say, but it's the first time for me to fall in love with the second hero more than Kamen Rider Build himself. Hyuga Bonjo (Kamen Rider Cross-Z) is more entertaining. The storyline makes him appear more heroically, manly, and honest. Because of him, I feel it's worth watching.

Kazumi Sawatari (Kamen Rider Grease) was the hilarious one. The best part is, he was one of Misora's fanboys. But, there wasn't much story about him. It's so sad when he had to die. I always hoped he would stay alive.

It became more hilarious after Gentoku Himuro (Kamen Rider Rogue) became one of them. I love when Bonjo, Kazumi, and Gentoku did something foolish. It's hilarious.

4 Kamen Rider W

The first series that got me into Kamen Rider. The moment I saw the first episode, a huge wave of excitement was thrown at me, and I had to watch more! And I loved everything about it!

I love the idea of two people becoming one, the characters, and the overarching mystery that went on. I also love Shotaro Hidari and Philip's character dynamics. The series does a great job at drama and comedy!

Overall, it's one of my favorites!

Absolutely beautifully crafted. The characters are very nicely made. Everything was very clearly designed. Tears will be shed.

5 Kamen Rider Faiz

Faiz is too underrated. This series is such a gorgeous, magnificent piece of art, with its overall designs and characters fleshed out really well. The story is also well written, starting light-hearted (well, not really but really close to that point) then it got darker and more badass through the episodes.

One of the Riders that I like most since my childhood. If you just begin to start your first series, then Faiz is your answer.

Best storyline. When the protagonist reveals himself to be the monster, it's a masterpiece. Too bad the ending is typical of Kamen Rider series. Underrated.

6 Kamen Rider Den-O

I like Kamen Rider Den-O because of the Imagin. The Imagin show us that one person does not have just one personality. It's like Nogami Ryotaro, he has four Imagin. The first one is Momotaros, who represents Ryotaro's anger. The next one is Urataros, who represents Ryotaro's romantic side. The third one is not from Ryotaro, but Ryotaro made a contract with him because he was almost dying. His name is Kintaros, and he represents Ryotaro's strength.

The last one is Ryutaros, who represents Ryotaro's childlike side. Among all the Imagin, I like Ryutaros the most because of his cute attitude. After all, I want to say that everyone has their own attitudes that they hide from us. Goodbye.

7 Kamen Rider Drive

Best plot ever. It started with a funny scene, then it's getting intense and more intense. Moreover, the best couple hides their feelings for each other, ha ha.

A rare Kamen Rider who is smart. Nice. The end of the series is a bit frustrating, but the characters are really cool!

8 Kamen Rider Ex-Aid

Personally, I love Ex-Aid. Praise to the almighty Shin Dan Kuroto. The characters are cool, fun, and funny, with an awesome storyline and incredible plot twists. I love how the story is so twisted. It makes me want to be in the world. I love Kujo Kiriya and the story is very enjoyable. Thank you, Toei, for making Ex-Aid.

It may start off looking pretty stupid, but it shifts drastically by episode 12 (those who've seen it know what I mean). It has a well-paced and mostly filler-free story filled with many great characters, and the greatest villain in all of Kamen Rider. Watch it now.

9 Kamen Rider Black

Written by the writer of Resident Evil 2 with strong production values by the standards of the genre. No wonder it was remade.

Darker, relatable, amazing story and acting! Design, transformation, final attacks, Battle Hopper! The epitome of Kamen Rider!

The best episodes overall, from acting to execution, originality, cinematics, story, design. All the ideas have an impact. The best formula exists in this Kamen Rider series.

10 Kamen Rider Kuuga

No other Kamen Rider show can even compare to the sheer amount of character and story development present in this series. Every episode in Kuuga is artfully spaced, with story arcs and character arcs satisfactorily resolved. Yet, the entire series never fails to stray from its central theme.

Though some may complain that Kuuga feels overpowered at times, these critics miss out on the fact that emotional damage is caused as much as physical damage. No character exists merely for fanservice, and everyone affects the plot in their own important manner, with even the comedic relief injecting a dose of reality towards the end of the series. Bonus points for it being the first Heisei era show. Simply one of the best Kamen Rider shows ever made.

The Newcomers

? Kamen Rider Gavv
The Contenders
11 Kamen Rider Blade

An amazing season. It doesn't get really good until the 20-episode mark, but after that, it does an amazing job.

What a great story! You all have to watch this Kamen Rider series. Too bad the ending was very sad.

12 Kamen Rider Ryuki

Ryuki really set itself apart from the rest of the Kamen Rider series at that time. Leaving behind the righteous hero persona, it focused on a more interesting human vs. human desire, creating conflict between the riders. All of the characters were so well developed you can't help yourself but fall in love with every single one of them, including the villain. Actually, the villain is my favorite character.

It was my first and the best. I liked the drama, the human conflict, desires, and tragedies. You cannot even say that a rider is evil or doing the wrong thing. Almost everyone has his reason to fight.

You will find yourself at a conflict of emotions. You do not want anyone to die and want everyone to achieve his goal. I wish it would get more focus and a better remake, making it into a longer story.

13 Kamen Rider Kabuto

Kabuto is the most amazing rider among all the riders I've known, and the cool guy Hiro Mizushima matches the attitude as Tendou Souji. Please make a comeback, Kabuto.

14 Kamen Rider Wizard

This is the one with the best plot of the ones I've watched yet, underrated. 555 is great too, but the end is not clear about whether the King is dead. Amazon wrecks because of too many plot holes in S2.

Kabuto is good yet too rushed in the final 5 episodes, so plenty of situations are unanswered. Fourze's boss's characteristics are weird at the end because it forces a happy end. OOO's plot is so-so, Gaim is too childish.

Different flow from the other Kamen Riders. If you enjoyed the storyline aspect of the show as much as I do, I would highly recommend you to watch this.

15 Kamen Rider Fourze

I love the whole goofy tone of the show! Especially after OOO was more drama-heavy, this was refreshing.

I love the main character, Gentaro Kisaragi. He was just a great and fun character that I really enjoyed watching. (He reminds me of Pinkie Pie in a way.)

And the action was a lot of fun, the story was really good and fun, and the characters were really good and fun! Overall, that's the best way to describe Fourze... it's just fun to watch and one of my top favorites next to W.

Just a fun ride from start to finish with good gimmicks through the Astroswitches. My favorite secondary rider ever, taking Zeronos's spot after many years. Great side characters through the Kamen Rider Club, with my favorites being Tomoko and JK. Overall, just a great season, my second favorite overall behind Den-O.

16 Kamen Rider Ghost

Meaningful characters and solid forms. Great ending and good movies as well!

17 Kamen Rider Amazons

Wow! Just wow! The darkest series yet. They truly had courage when they made this one. Kudos for the perfect first season, but downvoted because of the horrible second season. Stop at Season 1. You will thank me.

Amazons was an incredible series that gave the older generations what they wanted and played a great homage in season one to the original 1974 series. Number 1 in my personal top five.

18 Kamen Rider Agito

Best storyline, best plot driving, best plot twist.

It's a perfect Rider series. Period.

19 Kamen Rider Kiva

Has the best soundtrack in Kamen Rider. Also, Wataru has the best character development out of all the main characters. With Wataru being a major shut-in, he slowly breaks the chains that confine him to being shy.

Wataru starts making friends and begins to be able to deal with his own problems, like his neighbors.

Amazing storytelling, rocking insert themes that are amazingly sung, and some amazing characters. This series is way underrated.

Has great storytelling, writing, and acting! All around a fantastic entry. Each episode leaves you wanting to know more!

20 Kamen Rider Decade

You get to see all the previous Heisei Riders just by watching this alone. A really good starting line for those who are interested in diving into the Kamen Rider universe. Isn't it so badass that the main rider can transform into another new rider?

21 Kamen Rider Black RX

I'm still watching it these days because it has too many classic scenes!

22 Kamen Rider Hibiki

Had the potential to be one of the best, but Toei had to go and fire the director, ruining the series onwards, especially with Kiriya. Episodes 30 onwards are a total disaster. Episodes 1-29 and Seven Senki are amazing though, so at least watch that.

Kamen Rider Hibiki has a story of its own as they are based on oni, and I think that's really cool.

23 Kamen Rider Saber
24 Kamen Rider Geats
25 Kamen Rider Zi-O

A good intro to the past of the Heisei Riders. Like Decade, but handled better.

The best Kamen Rider show by far!

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