The Power of Passion - Tojima Wants to be a Kamen Rider

Written by Rei Caldombra 12/21/25 Video: TBD

Hello everyone, Rei Caldombra here. Today we are talking about the anime adaptation for Tojima Tanzaburou Wants to be a Kamen Rider / Toujima Tanzaburou wa Kamen Rider ni Naritai. This show was an absolute delight to watch. I will be keeping the spoilers as light as possible while discussing content from the 1st cour of the anime (episodes 1-12).

Tojima Tanzaburou has spent his entire life wanting to be his favorite fictional hero, Kamen Rider. Loving and becoming Kamen Rider was the center of his life, and it even fueled him to train to absurd levels of physical strength. But upon turning 40 years old, he decided that now is the time he needs to give up on this dream. But soon after, criminals pretending to be Shocker (a major villain group from Kamen Rider) show up on the news as serial robbers. This opportunity to finally live out his dream spurs him into action, embroiling him into conflicts with the Shocker right out of the show and brings him into contact with other like-minded Kamen Rider fans who fixate on a particular character.

I want to come right out and tell you that you do not need to be a fan of Kamen Rider to enjoy this to show. At least I think so, seeing as I absolutely loved this show from episode 1 and only had basic general knowledge of Kamen Rider and its legacy. The show gives you what information you need to know, without wasting too much time on it. I think it gives the right amount so anyone can understand the Kamen Rider characters these characters have been influenced by and why they mean so much to them. And the true core behind this show is not to say that Kamen Rider is awesome. The feelings behind the characters are what truly matter in my opinion. What I think you do need, is at least some level of appreciation for campiness and the show unironically being ridiculous and over the top.

The single word you can use to describe this anime perfectly is passion. The positive energy of the show is incredibly infectious. Everything comes together to make you feel every bit of the passion these characters feel. I was spending most of every episode smiling and feeling hyped up alongside them.

I absolutely love Tojima as a character. He is pretty much feral when it comes to his love for Kamen Rider.

The first episode sets him up incredibly well as a super endearing character. Notable spoilers for this episode, but not beyond that. One way this show gets off to such an amazing start is that we have this ridiculous story anchored by Tojima’s very real emotions and life experience as an aging adult. We see how Kamen Rider has influenced his life from childhood to young adulthood, to the present. When he decides to give up on his dream, he sells all of his Kamen Rider merchandise, remarking that the idea of his merch being trashed upon his death makes him too sad. At only 40 years old, he is practically preparing for his death. I don’t think you are meant to interpret him as being actively suicidal in the most extreme sense. Rather, it’s the idea that giving up his dream to become a “normal adult” might as well mean he is dead. He is giving up the part of his identity that has fueled and directed his life. This scene is very sad and compelling from a characterization standpoint. Whether you are a huge nerd, a merch collector or simply someone who has something fictional that has helped you through life, I think most people can connect with his feelings towards giving up an important part of himself. This great setup has amazing payoff when we see him come face to face with apparent shocker combatants. He does not immediately jump into action. He’s actually scared. He may be so strong that he can fight a bear and win and finally has the opportunity to be a Kamen Rider, but he still hesitates.

We all imagine ourselves in fictional scenarios that satisfy us in some way, but acting that out in reality is different. Like how most people think they’d kick ass in a real fight but end up the one on the ground when it actually happens. Here he is faced with his dream becoming a reality. And that’s scary. The show takes the time to give weight to his decision to act as Kamen Rider, because even decades of imagining and training doesn’t make you immediately prepared for the pressure of getting exactly what you’ve always wanted. I much prefer this to him immediately jumping into action without hesitation, he can feel much more grounded and relatable to the average person thanks to this. When he thinks back on his years of posing as Kamen Rider, he puts on the mask and sets his heart ablaze. He is breathing joy back into his heart again by following through with his desire to be Kamen Rider. Instead of rejecting himself, he embraces being who he wants to be. But even then, he is still nervous and hesitating. He tells them to stop, and then they ask who he thinks he is. Once he calls himself Kamen Rider, he bursts into tears as he continues to stand still. They laugh it off, but he is serious. His words in this part have double meaning. When he says “he is not playing”, he doesn’t just mean that he is not joking about telling the shocker combatants to stop. He is also saying to himself that he is finally not pretending to be Kamen Rider like a child plays make-believe. He is finally being the Kamen Rider he always dreamed of being for real. He takes down the shocker combatants with all the moves and poses of Kamen Rider. The timing of the music along with the song played fits perfectly with the scene too, with my favorite song playing that metaphorically confirms to us that yes, he now deserves to say he is Kamen Rider. After his victory, he runs away with joyful tears in his eyes, telling himself how amazing that felt. This is one of the moments of this show that perfectly sell the passionate emotions of these characters. We see why Kamen Rider is so important to him, then see exactly how his deep seeded love and commitment towards Kamen Rider can push him to be better rather than be something that brings him down like society would likely say. Seeing a 40 year old man cry his heart out as his life peaks is just so heartwarming. This is one of my favorite first episodes of an anime period.

We meet 3 other characters who likewise have diehard love for their respective Kamen Rider character and have their own sets of personality quirks that make them endearing weirdos. I won’t go deeply into them so as to not spoil reveals, but I will be saying some of their names.

Through these adult characters, this show helps fight one problematic idea that anime can unintentionally convey, which is that life stops being fun and eventful after high school. Life doesn’t have to stop being exciting just because you are getting older. I am 26 years old, but I have an appreciation for the less common explorations of older characters as main characters in anime. It makes me feel so happy to see these geeks in their 30s and 40s living out the dreams they have held since they were children. One of my favorite little moments is Tojima geeking out of Ichiyou’s bicycle, which he customized to have a Kamen Rider mask at the front where the eyes are the front lights.

This show is just so freaking fun! The same way the characters are living out their childhood dreams, this show really embodies that energy. It makes me want to do poses and call out attack names the same way many of us did as a kid. The way we see these adults be happy together as shared fans, despite the actual danger they are in, is just so wholesome. I love seeing these adults gushing about Kamen Rider together. Their euphoria and tears over seeing the allies and foes of their dreams come to life is so sweet and as I will keep saying, infectious. I love the idea of these grown adults seeing actual fantasy villains in front of them and being genuinely happy as their natural response. It is certainly a weird juxtaposition, but it works so well. Characters screaming a lot and having such extreme personalities can be annoying when done poorly, but it totally works here. The absurd feats we see from these human characters works because of how well everything fits together to have love and passion be the strongest thing humans have. The last arc does this part really well. This show embraces being over the top while simultaneously having these nice human moments too. And even some dark moments here or there to remind you that Shocker is actually dangerous despite the silliness it gets into. Tonally this show just works really well for me. I can understand it not being everyone’s cup of tea, but this cup of tea felt like it was made for me. It’s not perfect, but it excels at the most important thing entertainment media is meant to do, which is be entertaining. It does this while also having a great human heart at its core. I have had such a good time watching this show.

This show is a perfect example of what I think makes anime as beloved as it is. It’s the sincerity it often has at the heart of its extreme characters, plots and drama. Anime (a lot of the best of it at least) tends to boldly wear its heart on its sleeve while being weird, ridiculous and delving deep on the emotions of its characters across the emotional spectrum. Here we see emotions to the max on the positive end. This show proudly shows you that you should not give up on the things you love and that, instead, you should let them fuel you. The way their passion for each of their Kamen Rider characters figuratively and quite literally empowers them to be better versions of themselves. One detail I really like related to this is that Tojima doesn’t get a better mask or helmet, at least not yet. He continues to wear the mask he got in episode 1 at the festival. This metaphorically connects him back to his childhood dream and the childlike wonder he holds towards Kamen Rider. And we see this in action when Tojima refuses to go down in a fight while wearing his mask, because Kamen Rider never loses. This show exemplifies how fiction inspires reality. Our favorite fictional characters can inspire us and give us the strength to be better people and do better in the world. It gets at ideas like how you fight through your fears and struggles by holding onto the things that make you want to keep going. I’m sure everyone has had characters who do that for them, and THAT is the main point of the show to me. To showcase that to the extreme.

I would like to mention that I can see any of the 4 main characters, particularly Tojima and Ichiyou in my opinion, as being strong representatives of neurodivergence such as autism and ADHD. This is what a good portrayal of hyperfixation (a term that many people don’t use correctly) looks like in my opinion. We see that these fixations are integral to who they are, and they are better off for embracing them rather than repressing them. They have their moments of being juvenile, which can be commonly associated with autism and other neurodivergence, often to a degrading level sadly, but we don’t see that negative association here. We do get some jokes from the characters at the other's expense for being weird, such as not understanding social and romantic cues, but each of these characters has their own weirdness that can be poked fun at as well. All of them have some quirks that make them not exactly fit in with social standards, but they are all still functional adults and capable, good people despite that. Despite their quirks, they are heroes who are doing what no one else is. I am not going to claim any intentionality from the author, but I see them in this way and wanted to share that. I am not the most knowledgeable and qualified to speak on this topic, but that’s my perspective at least as someone with ADHD and knows a fair amount of other neurodivergent people. I’d love to hear other people’s opinions on this if you’ve watched or read it.

All the visual and auditory elements of this production help you be deeply immersed into this anime and feel the fun, passionate vibe it is going for. The voice acting from the entire main cast is absolutely fantastic. Everyone has moments that really make you believe these characters are putting their entire souls into what they are doing. Whether they are screaming or crying their hearts out or calling out attack names and giving themselves sound effects, you feel the emotions and passion behind these characters. As I write this, I can hear Tojima calling out his Rider Punch and everyone doing their transformations in my head. The performances really stuck with me. This very well may be my favorite voice acting cast of the year. The art direction is also great. I love the art style, it really pops while having a good amount of detail. Movements for things like poses and other moves generally have smooth and great looking animation, while there are many still shots that are made extra dramatic thanks to lighting and color. The fight scene in episode 1 looks incredible, and there will be more fights throughout the season that have great choreography. If you like hand to hand combat without any weapons or powers mixed in, then you should really check out the fights on YouTube at least. The fighting is definitely exaggerated, but I think it fits perfectly and is done in the best way possible.  The soundtrack is also incredibly good, hyping up all the action scenes and playing into the over-the-top nature of this show and tokusatsu as a whole. Let’s Go!! Rider Kick is my favorite and the peak of a hype building song Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to be a Kamen Rider Insert Theme - 『Let's Go!! Rider Kick』 by TeddyLoid. The opening and ending songs are both super great. Most of the songs with lyrics are also in English by the way.

This show is super funny, most of the comedy works really well for me. One minor character named Asano accomplished absolutely nothing for me, but his presence was very brief at least. There is also a bit of a fanservicey angle to the show (also related to him). It, like most of this show, is pretty silly. It does not bother me a ton, but I do think that the boobs of the main female characters are a bit ridiculous looking with their size and roundness. But with Yuriko at least, I do not think she is degraded as a female character by the presence of the fanservice. Sure, she has ridiculous proportions, but she is a genuinely strong and capable character. It would not make sense for her not to be anyway, as this series intends to pay homage to the characters of the past. Yukarisu does not fare as well in terms of being strong, but again despite the fanservice I don’t think you can go as far as calling the show degrading towards the female characters. She is not meant to be on the level of the main characters, though I’d be happy if she contributed more. I think they do a solid job toeing the line of it being noticeable and a little distracting for people who don’t care for it, but not to a true detriment to me at least. I don’t love the fanservice, but I don’t think it brings down the show as much it could have.

All of this praise is also coming from someone who is not a big fan of action comedies by the way. They tend to be the shows I drop because I get bored of their comedy shticks, with two recent popular examples being Spy x Family and Sakamoto Days. With those shows, I didn’t get invested in the characters or the story enough for what I thought were interesting premises. These shows felt flat, usually being very repetitive with comedy and episode plots while generally returning to the status quo over and over rather than bringing the story forward. But here I am all about these characters and the journey they are going on despite it not being deep or super dynamic. Their passionate energy and endearing qualities make me love them enough that I want to stick with them. And the story, while pretty simple so far, feels better executed in a way to make me interested in how it will continue to play out. I hope I will continue to enjoy this show the way I am now. Thankfully I won’t have to wait much longer, as it was just announced that a 2nd cour is coming in January. This show in a vacuum was super enjoyable and definitely succeeded at making me realize how much I can enjoy tokusatsu.

In conclusion, this show’s passionate energy and comprehensive design around the energy of these characters made it my favorite of the season. It brightened up my day with every episode, leaving me with that infectious positive energy it radiates so strongly. I can’t recommend this show enough if you don’t mind it being super over the top. I tend to not say underrated and overrated, but I think this show is super underrated. Please give the first episode a try and see how you like it. Thanks for reading!

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