Kamen Rider W

Advertisements throughout the months of May, June, and July 2009 built up to the debut of Kamen Rider W,[3] who first appeared at the 10th Anniversary Project MASKED RIDER LIVE & SHOW event,[4] and also featured in Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker.

Hiroshi Tanahashi of New Japan Pro Wrestling is a self-admitted fan of Kamen Rider W, in June 2010 made a new costume designed after Kamen Rider Double FangJoker's design[5] and wore it at a match in Osaka on June 19.[6] Rin Asuka also appeared at the match to promote the show.

The Tokyo National Museum's Honkan building is used as the facade for the lavish mansion of the Sonozaki family.

The series' main writer is Riku Sanjo and the main director is Ryuta Tasaki. The theme song titled "W-B-X ~W-Boiled Extreme~" is performed by Aya Kamiki with former JUDY AND MARY guitarist TAKUYA as the unit "Aya Kamiki w TAKUYA" (上木彩矢 w TAKUYA, Kamiki Aya wizu TAKUYA).[7][8][9] The creature designer is Katsuya Terada, previously the character designer for Blood: The Last Vampire, the designer of Monster X for Godzilla: Final Wars, the designer of Cutie Honey's costume for Cutie Honey, and the mechanic and character design refinement for Yatterman.

Newcomer Masaki Suda portrays the mysterious Philip. Drama actor Renn Kiriyama, who made his acting debut as Bunta Marui in Musical Prince of Tennis: Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service, joins the cast as Shotaro Hidari. Hikaru Yamamoto, who made her acting debut in Watashitachi no Kyōkasho as Chiharu Nobue, portrays the female lead Akiko Narumi. Comedian and actor Takeshi Nadagi portrays Mikio Jinno and veteran actor Minori Terada, known for his leading role in The Human Bullet, portrays Ryubee Sonozaki.

Many people live in peace and harmony in Futo (風都, Fūto, the "Windy City"), an ecologically-minded and wind-powered city. However, this peace is undermined by the Sonozaki Family, who sell mysterious flash drive-like devices called Gaia Memories to criminals and other interested parties. These individuals use the Gaia Memories to become Dopants, committing crimes with the police force powerless to stop them. To make matters worse, the Gaia Memories can cause their users to go insane, to the point where they could die from using the devices unrestrained. After the death of his boss Sokichi Narumi, the self-proclaimed hard-boiled (actually half-boiled) detective Shotaro Hidari works with the mysterious Philip, who possesses a set of purified Gaia Memories, to investigate Dopant-related crimes in Futo. With their Gaia Memories and the Double Driver belts, Shotaro and Philip transform and combine into Kamen Rider Double to fight the Dopant menace and keep Futo safe. While joined in their fight by investigator Ryu Terui, who transforms into Kamen Rider Accel, the mystery of Philip's past, his relation to the Sonozaki Family, and their Museum organization are revealed.[3][10]

All episodes of Kamen Rider W have two titles: the first indicates a story arc while the second indicates the episode's title. The letter of the Latin alphabet in the story arc title has a double meaning: it represents a major character (Kamen Rider, Dopant, or otherwise) that is featured in the arc and another English word that indicates the theme of the arc.

To tie into the show, TV Asahi, Toei, and Avex Trax have produced the Wind Wave FM Internet radio station. Only one of the shows, Wakana's Healing Princess (園咲若菜のヒーリングプリンセス, Sonozaki Wakana no Hīringu Purinsesu), also exists within the fiction of Kamen Rider W. The other programs, DJ Hurry Kenn's FU-TO Hit on Groove music show and Tsuyoshi and Ayano's Head Wind: One-Game Match!! (向い風 一本勝負!!, Mukaikaze Ipponshōbu!!) show, treat the television series as fiction, explicitly referring to the songs they play as theme songs (as part of a mail in request, DJ Hurry Kenn played AAA DEN-O form's "Climax Jump", and referred to it as the theme song for Kamen Rider Den-O). All of Double's theme songs have been played as part of the various radio shows, several of which were first heard on the "radio" before being utilized as part of an episode's soundtrack. On March 7, a new radio show featuring Queen & Elizabeth titled Queen & Elizabeth's White Hearts!! (QueenとElizabethの白抜きハートマーク!!, Kuīn to Erisabesu no Shironuki Hātomāku!!) began "airing", but was discontinued a month later. To mirror the current events in the show's story, Healing Princess was cancelled on June 13, 2010.

• A second port of Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes titled Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes W (仮面ライダー クライマックスヒーローズＷ（ダブル）, Kamen Raidā Kuraimakkusu Hīrōzu Daburu) for the Wii was released on December 3, 2009.[20] It features Kamen Rider Double as a playable character and also features Dopants and other kaijin as characters in the game.
• Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez is a 3D action game, which was released on October 29, 2020 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. It features the cast from Kamen Rider W, OOO and Zero-One, whereas Kamen Riders Double (including Joker and Double FangJoker) and Accel as playable characters, though with Yoshimasa Hosoya, Koki Uchiyama, and Makoto Furukawa voicing them instead of Renn Kiriyama, Masaki Suda, and Minehiro Kinomoto respectively.[21][22]

As part of the special features on the DVD releases, a series of short films are included called "Shotaro Hidari Hardboiled Delusion Diary" (左翔太郎ハードボイルド妄想日記, Hidari Shōtarō Hādoboirudo Mōsō Nikki) in which Shotaro daydreams about what life would be like if he, Akiko, or Ryu acted differently. These feature a Dopant from the DVD volume in a completely different role than it had in the series proper. These are then followed by members of the cast discussing their favorite parts of the episodes included in the DVD volume.

Volume titles

1. If Akiko Was Actually an Excellent Secretary (もしも亜樹子が優秀な秘書だったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Yūshū na Hisho dattara)
2. If Akiko Was Actually a City Councilwoman (もしも亜樹子が市議会議員だったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Shigikaigiin dattara)
3. If Akiko Was Actually a Maid (もしも亜樹子がメイドだったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Meido dattara)
4. If Akiko Was Actually a Phantom Thief (もしも亜樹子が怪盗だったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Kaitō dattara)
5. If Ryu Was Actually a Private Investigator (もしも竜が探偵だったら, Moshimo Ryū ga Tantei dattara)
6. If Akiko Was Actually an Idol (もしも亜樹子がアイドルだったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Aidoru dattara)
7. If Akiko Was Actually a Magician (もしも亜樹子がマジシャンだったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Majishan dattara)
8. If Akiko Was Actually "Gokutsuma" (もしも亜樹子が【極妻】だったら, Moshimo Akiko ga "Gokutsuma" dattara)
9. If Akiko Was Actually a Younger Sister (もしも亜樹子が妹だったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Imōto dattara)
10. If Akiko Was Actually a Hit Man (もしも亜樹子が殺し屋だったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Koroshiya dattara)
11. If Akiko Was Actually an Old Woman (もしも亜樹子がおばあちゃんだったら, Moshimo Akiko ga Obaachan dattara)
12. If Everyone Was Actually Hard-Boiled (もしも誰もがハードボイルドだったら, Moshimo Dare mo ga Hādoboirudo dattara)

At several planetaria throughout Japan, Toei had produced a film called "Kamen Rider: The Fearful Global Warming Plan" (仮面ライダー 恐怖の地球温暖化計画, Kamen Raidā Kyōfu no Chikyū Ondanka Keikaku) to teach children about global warming (with narration by Hirohiko Kakegawa). Shotaro Hidari (portrayed by Kiriyama) and Philip (portrayed by Suda) who transform into Kamen Rider Double, alongside Kamen Rider 1 (voiced by Tetsu Inada), Kamen Rider 2 (voiced by Takahiro Fujimoto), and the ten previous Heisei Riders, fight Shocker led by its President (Hidekatsu Shibata) and Gel-Shocker's Hiruchameleon (voiced by Yasuhiro Takato) who plan on destroying the Earth by having it succumb to global warming. Airings first began at the Fukuoka Science Museum on June 5, 2010, and later at Kagawa Prefecture's Sanuki Kid's Land, Chūō, Tokyo's Time Dome Akashi, the Seki Manabi Center, the Kagoshima Municipal Science Center, the Tondabayashi Subaru Hall, and the Sendai Astronomical Observatory in Aoba-ku, with shows starting later in the year at the Kobe Science Museum in Chūō-ku, Kobe, and the Saitama Municipal Youth's Astronomical Science Museum in Urawa-ku, Saitama.[23]

The Hyper Battle DVD for W is titled Kamen Rider W Hyper Battle DVD: Donburi's α/Farewell Beloved Recipe (仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル） 超バトルDVD 丼のα／さらば愛しのレシピよ, Kamen Raidā Daburu Haipā Batoru Dī Bui Dī Donburi no α/Saraba Itoshi no Reshipi yo). It features a cooking contest between Ryu Terui, Akiko Narumi, and Shotaro Hidari, in order to best figure out what the contents of the Donburi Dopant are, to eventually discover that he is the Oyakodon Dopant. The Hyper Battle DVD features guest stars Hiroshi as the OmuriFu Shop's Master Izo Aida (相田 伊三, Aida Izō), Reina Fujie of AKB48 as his daughter Eriko Aida (相田 エリコ, Aida Eriko), and Shinichiro Ohta of Iron Chef fame as the voice of the Frog Pod who comments throughout the cooking contest (Ōta also served as the narrator in GoGo Sentai Boukenger).

The Kamen Rider W DVD: Gaia Memory Field Guide (仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル） DVD ガイアメモリ大図鑑, Kamen Raidā Daburu Dī Bui Dī Gaia Memori Daizukan) is a DVD packaged with the August 2010 issue of Televi-Kun magazine. The issue also comes with a short book with the information described in the DVD. The DVD is set shortly after the Hyper Battle DVD, and features the content normally found in the Hyper Battle DVD (explaining the powers and weapons of the Kamen Riders), explained as Philip having come down with temporary amnesia after slipping on an egg shell and hitting his head.

Kamen Rider W Returns (仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル） RETURNS, Kamen Raidā Daburu Ritānzu) is a set of two V-Cinema releases that focus on side stories of Ryu Terui as Kamen Rider Accel and Katsumi Daido as Kamen Rider Eternal. Both releases are named after their primary character.

W's S.I.C Hero Saga side story Kamen Rider W: Playback commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series with Shotaro Hidari and Philip leading Shotaro Ishinomori through the events following his creation of the television series in 1971. The first episode was published in Hobby Japan, July 2011. Each episode is named after a different story written by Raymond Chandler.

1. Red Wind (赤い風, Akai Kaze)
2. The Finger Man (指さす男, Yubisasu Otoko)
3. Double Indemnity (深夜の告白, Shin'ya no Kokuhaku)
4. The Big Sleep (大いなる眠り, Ōinaru Nemuri)
5. The High Window (高い窓, Takai Mado)
6. The Little Sister (かわいい女, Kawaii Onna)
7. The Long Goodbye (長いお別れ, Nagai Owakare)

Kamen Rider W ~The One Who Continues After Z~ (仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル） ～Zを継ぐ者～, Kamen Raidā Daburu ~Zetto o Tsugu Mono~), written by Riku Sanjo, is part of a series of spin-off novel adaptions of the Heisei Era Kamen Riders. Phillip takes up Shotaro's job in solving cases after he becomes sick. Phillip uses Kamen Rider Double FangJoker and fights alongside Kamen Rider Accel, however the Dopants get tougher and force Philip to become a Kamen Rider himself: Kamen Rider Cyclone. The novel was released on November 30, 2012. The novel takes place between episodes 32 and 33.

Futo Detectives (風都探偵, Fūto Tantei) is a manga sequel that has been serialized in Big Comic Spirits weekly magazine since August 7, 2017. Riku Sanjo, the main writer for the original series, was in charge of the manga's scripts, Masaki Sato drew the manga, Toei producer Hideaki Tsukada supervised the manga, and Katsuya Terada was credited for creature designs.[24][25][26]

Futo Detectives story is take place after Kamen Rider W Returns: Kamen Rider Accel and is running between Kamen Rider OOO and Kamen Rider Fourze events.

• Shotaro Hidari (左 翔太郎, Hidari Shōtarō): Renn Kiriyama (桐山 漣, Kiriyama Ren)
• Philip (フィリップ, Firippu): Masaki Suda (菅田 将暉, Suda Masaki)[27]
• Akiko Narumi (鳴海 亜樹子, Narumi Akiko): Hikaru Yamamoto (山本 ひかる, Yamamoto Hikaru)
• Ryu Terui (照井 竜, Terui Ryū): Minehiro Kinomoto (木ノ本 嶺浩, Kinomoto Minehiro)
• Mikio Jinno (刃野 幹夫, Jinno Mikio): Takeshi Nadagi (なだぎ 武, Nadagi Takeshi)
• Shun Makura (真倉 俊, Makura Shun): Shingo Nakagawa (中川 真吾, Nakagawa Shingo)
• Watcherman (ウォッチャマン, Wotchaman): Nasubi (なすび)
• Santa-chan (サンタちゃん, Santachan): Zennosuke Fukkin (腹筋 善之介, Fukkin Zennosuke)
• Queen (クイーン, Kuīn): Tomomi Itano (板野 友美, Itano Tomomi, AKB48)
• Elizabeth (エリザベス, Erizabesu): Tomomi Kasai (河西 智美, Kasai Tomomi, AKB48)
• Ryubee Sonozaki (園咲 琉兵衛, Sonozaki Ryūbee): Minori Terada (寺田 農, Terada Minori)
• Saeko Sonozaki (園咲 冴子, Sonozaki Saeko): Ami Namai (生井 亜実, Namai Ami)
• Wakana Sonozaki (園咲 若菜, Sonozaki Wakana): Rin Asuka (飛鳥 凛, Asuka Rin)
• Kirihiko Sudo/Sonozaki (須藤／園咲 霧彦, Sudō/Sonozaki Kirihiko): Yuki Kimisawa (君沢 ユウキ, Kimisawa Yūki)
• Shinkuro Isaka (井坂 深紅郎, Isaka Shinkurō): Tomoyuki Dan (檀 臣幸, Dan Tomoyuki)
• Jun Kazu (加頭 順, Kazu Jun): Gong Teyu (コン・テユ, Kon Teyu)[28]
• Smilodon Dopant (スミロドン・ドーパント, Sumirodon Dōpanto, Voice): Yasuhiro Takato (高戸 靖広, Takato Yasuhiro)
• Shroud (シュラウド, Shuraudo, Voice): Naoko Kouda (幸田 直子, Kōda Naoko)
• Narration, Gaia Memory Voice: Fumihiko Tachiki (立木 文彦, Tachiki Fumihiko)

Opening theme

• "W-B-X (W-Boiled Extreme)"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Shuhei Naruse
  • Arrangement: TAKUYA, Shuhei Naruse
  • Artist: Aya Kamiki w TAKUYA (上木彩矢 w TAKUYA, Kamiki Aya w TAKUYA)

  Read as "Double-B-X ~Double Boiled Extreme~", the song is written by Fujibayashi and Naruse, who have contributed to the production of the highest peaking Heisei Kamen Rider Series theme songs "Climax Jump" (#2), "Break the Chain" (#3), and "Journey through the Decade" (#2) on the Oricon charts, performed by Kamiki and TAKUYA and was released on November 11, 2009. In its first week of release, it peaked at #8 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.

  Episodes 28 and 49 used the song as the ending theme.

Insert themes

• "Cyclone Effect"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD)
  • Arrangement: Labor Day
  • Artist: Labor Day
  • Episodes: 3–6, 9, 21, 23, 24, 25, 45

  The first of the Kamen Rider Double ending themes "Cyclone Effect" was released on November 25, 2009, on a maxi single. While the song is intended to be the theme for Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker, the song is also played during other forms' fight scenes. The vocalist is Sunaho Takeuchi (竹内 沙帆, Takeuchi Sunaho) of Utayacco with AYANO of FULL AHEAD on guitar.

• "Free your Heat"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Ryo (of defspiral)
  • Artist: Galveston 19
  • Episodes: 10, 11, 13, 19, 20, 21

  This theme for Kamen Rider Double HeatMetal was first played on the Wind Wave radio show. It later entered circulation as one of the three ending themes, released on CD on December 16, 2009. The band is composed of the members of the band everset, with Tsuyoshi Himura (緋村 剛, Himura Tsuyoshi) on vocals, tatsuo on guitar, and Tenji Nagano (長野 典二, Nagano Tenji) on bass.

• "Finger on the Trigger"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi & Otoko Usagi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Junichi "IGAO" Igarashi
  • Artist: Florida Keys
  • Episodes: 7, 8, 14, 16, 18, 23, 30, 39

  This theme for Kamen Rider Double LunaTrigger was featured briefly on the Wind Wave internet radio shows shortly before premiering in the series. This song was released on CD on December 16, 2009. The band is composed of members of the band Shamo (軍鶏), featuring vocals by Yosh and U-Sagi with IGAO on keyboard.

• "Naturally"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Shuhei Naruse
  • Artist: Wakana Sonozaki (Rin Asuka)
  • Episodes: 13, 14, 17

  Wakana Sonozaki (Rin Asuka) also has her own single titled "Naturally" that debuted during her talk show.[31] It was later featured in the television series during a story arc that focused on her (Shotaro and Philip, as fans of her show, know all the lyrics and the accompanying dance). "Naturally" was released on CD on January 27, 2010.[32]

• "Leave all Behind"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Ryo (of defspiral)
  • Arrangement: Wilma-Sidr
  • Artist: Wilma-Sidr
  • Episodes: 22, 44

  This new song premiered on the FU-TO HIT on GROOVE show which marked the day of Kamen Rider Accel's appearance in the series.[33] In episode 22, it is first used as Kamen Rider Accel's ending theme. It was released on CD on April 28, 2010. The members of Wilma-Sidr are the current line up of defspiral, previously known as Transtic Nerve and the Underneath.

• "Love♡Wars"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition & Arrangement: Shuhei Naruse
  • Artist: Queen & Elizabeth (Tomomi Itano & Tomomi Kasai)
  • Episodes: 23, 24

  As part of their involvement in the Kamen Rider Double production, Tomomi Itano and Tomomi Kasai of AKB48 released the song "Love♡Wars" on March 31, 2010, as four different CDs, three of which contain DVDs with a music video, trading cards, and a special bonus track. The fourth is a CD-only release without the bonus track(s) available on the other three discs.[34][35] The song debuted in the show during episodes 23 & 24 in which their characters Queen & Elizabeth are performing in a competition akin to Pop Idol to get a major release. In its first week of release it sold over 21,000 copies, reaching #4 on the Oricon Weekly Rankings.[36]

• "Nobody's Perfect"
  • Lyrics: Gorō Matsui
  • Composition: Sokichi Narumi (Koji Kikkawa)
  • Arrangement: Hiroaki Sugawara
  • Artist: Sokichi Narumi (Koji Kikkawa)
  • Episodes: 32, 38, 41, 42 & Movie War Core

  Koji Kikkawa recorded "Nobody's Perfect" as Kamen Rider Skull's theme song. A single (as a CD single and a CD+DVD version) was released on June 30, 2010. Although it is not used as an ending theme, the song is featured in several episodes and was used as the instrumental theme for the final episode preview. The song's music video, directed by Ryuta Tasaki, tells a side story with Philip finding a book entitled "Nobody's Perfect". He views a number of flashbacks involving Sokichi Narumi and his past as Kamen Rider Skull, taking on a case with Shotaro.[37]

• "Extreme Dream"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD)
  • Arrangement: Labor Day
  • Artist: Labor Day
  • Episodes: 46, 48

  On the June 13, 2010 episode of FU-TO HIT on GROOVE, Labor Day debuted their newest song for the series: "Extreme Dream".[38][39][40] The song was not featured in the television series until 2 months later.

• "Cyclone Effect (acoustic edit.)"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD)
  • Arrangement: Labor Day
  • Artist: Labor Day
  • Episodes: 48

  This variation of "Cyclone Effect" is first heard in the background of episode 21. The song is later used as the ending theme for episode 48.

During the events of episode 8, the song "Glorious Street (Eikō no Michi)" (Glorious street 〜栄光の道〜) by Florida Keys was played within the show by a character. During episodes 23 and 24, the character Jimmy Nakata performed an original song titled "Futo Tower" (風都タワー, Fūto Tawā); this song was included as a bonus track on the standard DVD release version of the "Love♡Wars" single. During episode 23, Shotaro and Philip cover "Finger on the Trigger" in the Fuuuuuutic Idol contest. In addition to these songs, Head Wind One-Game Match!! DJs Tsuyoshi & Ayano (つよしとあやの, Tsuyoshi to Ayano) have written and performed the song "WIND WAVE" as a theme song for the fictional radio station. This song, as well as "Glorious Street (Eikō no Michi)", and "Extreme Dream" have been included in the complete CD box set.[41]

The bands that perform the series' ending themes are also featured in the programs as being local bands in the fictional city of Futo: crossover rock band Labor Day's "Cyclone Effect", heavy metal/hard rock band Galveston 19's "Free Your Heat", and hip-hop group Florida Keys' "Finger on the Trigger". Each of these bands is named after a major early 20th century hurricane: the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane. The newest group, the visual kei band Wilma-Sidr, is named after Hurricane Wilma and Cyclone Sidr.

Episode 295-A of Sgt. Frog titled "Keroro, The Two of Us are One Kerororm" (ケロロ 二人が一人ケロロ〜ム! であります, Keroro Futari ga Hitori Kerorōmu! de Arimasu) features the members of the Keroro Platoon finding an artifact that allows two of them to combine into a single Keroro, each with new powers. The episode title is based on Kamen Rider W's catchphrase and the resultant transformation resembles that of Kamen Rider Double (the characters appear to be split down the middle, with one side being, for example, Keroro and the other Tamama).

• Official website at TV Asahi at the Wayback Machine (archived December 13, 2016)
• Official website at Toei Company
• Official website at Avex Group
• Wind Wave official website at the Wayback Machine (archived June 1, 2016)