Tokusatsuis a term that originated in Japan to refer to live action production that makes heavy use of practical special effects. It has roots in old Japanese theater productions, and has become a genre of its own in the modern day.
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The most famous types of tokusatsu shows are those featuring superheroes and kaiju.Super Sentai(adapted toPower Rangersin the west),Kamen RiderandGodzillaare 3 tokusatsu series that have managed to remain popular over the years, and have become quite iconic as a result. With as big a fanbase as these shows draw, it’s unsurprising that a lot ofanime creators are fans themselves and have included homages in their own series.
9Pokemon
While the series was first birthed as a set of video games, thePokemonanime has taken on a life of its own, with its own unique characters, and scenarios. During the Sun and Moon era, Z crystals were introduced to the series, which could power up a Pokemon’s move into a massive super attack.
The poses required for using these big moves provided the series the perfect opportunity foranotherKamen Riderreference. This time, Team Rocket’s Meowth and Wobuffet strike Kamen Rider 1’s iconic transformation pose while attempting to activate a Z crystal.
8My Hero Academia
As a series that focuses on superheroes and superhuman society, it would be a tragedy ifMy Hero Academiaonly ever paid its dues to western superheroes. Tokusatsu references in the series are somewhat sparse, including some incidental background heroes in Kamen Rider-esque get-ups.
A more concrete reference is in the hero team known as the Wild Wild Pussycats. The team of 4 are color coded like allSuper Sentaiteams, and even have a roll call and group pose they perform.MHA’s 1st movie also includesa hero whose superpower is simply being Godzilla.
7Dragon Ball
In general,Dragon Balldoesn’t associate itself with the spandex-wearing form of superheroism. However, it’s not beyond some small homages. The most well known of these is the Ginyu Force, 5 soldiers in Freiza’s army who appear during the Namek saga of the series.
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5 team members is thetypical number for theSuper Sentaiseries, and is likely why the Ginyu Force has 5 members. When arriving on the scene, they famously perform a roll call and group pose heavily reminiscent of those performed bySentaiteams over the years.
6Pretty Cure
Pretty Cureis a magical girl series that actually airs near to the ‘superhero time’ block that featuresSuper SentaiandKamen Rider. The 3 series even have some cross-pollination via writers and actors. Due to this, it actually has quite a few references to them.
Smile Pretty Cure for example, has a character known as Kise Yayoi(aka Cure Peace), who is canonically a huge fan of tokusatsu shows, and dreams of being a mangaka and making her own superheroes. She’s even shown having a kamen-rider themed alarm clock that wakes her up with a heroic speech.
5Bleach
In the world ofBleach, the soul reapers are a group dedicated to protecting the world from the demonic Hollow; monsters created from wayward souls. However, there area group of soul reaperswho have managed to obtain Hollow powers, despite this being a huge taboo.
Among this group is Mashiro Kuna, who was once a lieutenant soul reaper. When she dons her Hollow mask, she takes on a form very reminiscent of Kamen Riders, including bug-like eyes, and a scarf. She even takes the homage further by focusing on kick-based attacks akin to the iconic ‘rider kick’.
4Future Diary
Future Diaryis a death game animein which 12 people have been chosen to compete for the opportunity to replace the game’s organizer, Deus Ex Machina as the god of time and space. Each contestant has a diary of their own which can predict the future, although in different manners.
The 12th diary holder is a man called Yomotsu Hirasaka, a delusional man who believes himself to be a hero of justice. He uses a very Kamen Rider-esque belt to transform into his hero form, as well as forming a color codedSentaiteam with 4 brainwashed victims.
3One Punch Man
The world ofOne Punch Manfeatures quite a lot of parodies and satirical versions of certain media tropes.Saitama himselfis a parody of overpoweredheroes like Goku and Superman, and when he joins the Hero Association, he meets tons of other strange characters.
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One of these is the fan favorite, Mumen Rider, a young man with no superpowers who nonetheless tries his best to save lives. His name is an obvious callback toKamen Rider, and the bicycle he rides around on is a hilarious downgrade fromKamen Rider’s iconic motorcycles.
2Rolling Girls
Rolling Girlsis anoriginal anime by Wit Studio. It’s set in a version of Tokyo that has been divided into 10 factions due to a great war. Each faction has a ‘best’, a leader of sorts who fights on their behalf in turf wars, using special stones to power themselves up. The main character, Nozomi, first sets off on her adventure to fulfill requests in the place of her injured friend, Matcha Green.
Matcha Green is a reference to bothSuper SentaiandKamen Rider. The former due to her bright colouration and the “green” suffix in her name, and the latter due to her solo heroics, and scarf.
1Samurai Flamenco
Samurai Flamencois an anime that is in love with tokusatsu. It stars Masayoshi Hazama, a male model with dreams of being a superhero, despite having no powers. As a result, he dons a DIY superhero outfit and goes out to fight crime.
Masayoshi’s first suit heavily references the original Kamen Rider’s iconic scarf, visor and belt, and his later suit also keeps up these references, while adding more elements like a crescent head ornament reminiscent of Kamen Rider Gaim. He even at one point joins a full onSuper Sentaisuperhero team called the ‘Flamengers’.
