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 Aired: 1973 - 1974
Show Type: Live Action
Country of Origin: JAPAN
Shiro Kazami witnesses the murder of a man by Destron. This makes him a target for Destron. Shiro rescues a young woman named Junko Tama who is also a target for Destron, because she had stumbled on the location of Destron's base. When she faints, he takes her to his family's home.
A Destron mutant breaks into the Kazami home and stabs Shiro's father, mother, and sister to death. Shiro comes home in time to see his family murdered and is attacked. He is saved when his chemistry teacher, Takeshi Hongo, arrives and transforms into Kamen Rider 1. Kamen Rider 2 also arrives in the place. Looking for revenge, Shiro asks the Kamen Riders to make him into a cyborg, just like them. The Kamen Riders refuse.
The two Riders enter Destron's base but are trapped, with a laser pointed to them. Shiro also finds the location of the base and saves the Kamen Riders, but is fatally wounded by the laser. To save his life, the Kamen Riders have no choice but to change him into a cyborg. The Kamen Riders leave Shiro on the operating table to fight the mutant Bazooka Turtle who is firing on their location. During the battle a new Kamen Rider appears, Kamen Rider V3.
Kamen Riders 1 and 2 appear to be killed in a kamikaze explosion caused by Bazooka Turtle, but they return alive in episode 33.
In the early episodes, the forces of Destron are led directly by the Great Leader of Destron, who appears only as an unseen voice coming from a scorpion figure. In these episodes, V3 must learn to use his abilities; his inexperience and lack of knowledge about his own abilities is a key story element. Destron monsters are all cyborgs, named after a man-made item and an animal, such as Television Fly.
Soon, Doktor G is introduced as Destron's new general. The series does not change significantly, though the conflict between Shiro Kazami and Destron now turns into a more personal conflict between Kazami and Doktor G. After many of his plans are stopped by Kamen Rider V3, Doktor G is forced to fight V3 directly, in order to redeem himself in not only in the eyes of Destron's leader, but his own as well. He fights V3 in the form of Crab Laser and, despite putting up a heroic fight, is destroyed.
After Doktor G is killed, a new Destron general, Baron Fang, appears. He is a sorcerer, whose power comes from black magic. Baron Fang awakens various members of his family, the Fang clan, to fight V3. The monsters of the Fang clan are all based on animals which are known for having tusks or large teeth, such as Skull Warthog and Smilodon. The tone of the show is somewhat darker, involving story elements such as ritual sacrifice. When Baron Fang is in charge, the Destron headquarters is decorated with shields, painted in an African style. The Destron soldiers are armed with tusk-tipped spears and beat jungle drums. In the end, after all of his clan have been destroyed, Baron Fang is forced to fight Kamen Rider V3 directly. V3 fights Baron Fang, who appears in his true form, Bloodthirsty Mammoth.
After the destruction of Baron Fang, a new Destron general appears: Archbishop Wing, the leader of the Winged Corps. His monsters are all mutated versions of winged creatures (including one plant with large, wing-like leaves). Most of his monsters can fly, which causes great difficulties for V3, though he defeats him relatively quickly, His time ends when V3 destroys Deadman Bat, the true form of Archbishop Wing.
After Kamen Rider V3 destroys Archbishop Wing, Destron sends in a new general, Marshal Armor (or The Armored General). His monsters are based on armored animals and animals which are known for having tough skin. This begins the final story arc.
Joji Yuki is a Destron scientist, who is betrayed by Marshal Armor, and sentenced to death. He escapes, but not before his arm is destroyed. He replaces his lost arm with a mechanical arm, which gives him special abilities. He takes on the identity of Riderman. He vows vengeance on Marshal Armor, but is loyal to Destron leader, who he thinks is a good man. Eventually, V3 convinces Yuki that Destron is an evil organization, and Riderman fights Destron alongside Kamen Rider V3.
The series comes to a close when Crawganna, a cyborg based on a crayfish, appears. His plan is to use a missile to destroy Tokyo. Riderman is killed when he takes control of the missile and destroys it in mid-air. V3 declares Riderman to be Kamen Rider #4 as a tribute.
V3 continues to fight Crawganna, and eventually defeats him. Crawganna turns out to be the true form of Marshal Armor, who flees into a Destron base. He runs to the carved scorpion which used by the Great Leader of Destron to communicate. He begs Destron's Great Leader to save him, but the Great Leader of Destron kills him instead. V3 follows Marshal Armor. V3 breaks the carved scorpion and finds the hiding place of the Great Leader of Destron, who is revealed as a moving skeleton which contains a living heart. He claims to be the God of Death. V3 kills the skeleton by destroying its heart.
With Destron destroyed, the world is safe. Shiro Kazami, his mission now complete, is seen riding his motorcycle, alone. Tachibana and Junko do not know where he is, but Tachibana assures Junko that Shiro will return whenever he is needed.
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