From Heisei to Reiwa...
The great Heisei era finally came to an end on 30th April 2019, when the Emperor Akihito passed his reign of Japan to his Prince Naruhito. Reiwa era will start right after the end of Heisei period.
"Heisei", a term totally exotic to all of the Tokusatsu fans outside Japan, but at the same time carries huge meanings and memories for all of us. For Kamen Rider fans, Heisei is often linked to the new era of Kamen Rider show, i.e. when Kamen Rider Kuuga started airing in Year 2000. Technically speaking though, Kamen Rider Kuuga is not the first Heisei Rider - Kamen Rider Shin was the first Kamen Rider franchise released in Heisei era, but being "old-school" and "Ishinomori-ish", he's labeled as Showa Rider. Same goes to ZO and J.
Anyway, Kamen Rider Kuuga created a new era, or rather "a new trend", for Kamen Rider series. Contrarily to the Showa Riders who mostly gain super abilities from body modifications, Heisei Riders tap into superhuman powers by utilizing their Drivers, i.e. the Rider belts. Besides that, it is common for Heisei Riders to have LOTS of form-changes and LOTS OF LOTS OF fancy gadgets, especially the "Neo-Heisei" Riders (i.e. Kamen Riders after Year 2009).
From production point of view, Heisei Rider series are more daring in exploring and trying new concepts, no matter how bizarre it may sounds. Thanks to the boldness of the production unit to experiment on new ideas, we had had a 20-years worth of unique stories to enjoy. We had Battle Royal inside the mirror world involving 13 Riders; we had Riders who hunt monsters in an ancient game which will decide the dominant species of the world; we had Rider with 5 split personalities, who can time-travel inside a freaking train; we also had a 2-souls-in-one-body Rider who happened to be a private detective protecting his city, and Riders who don fruit-armors and wield fruit-weapons fighting each other for the Golden Apple... The list can go on, but that's story for another time.
I've truly enjoyed the adventures with the Riders for the past 20 years. Odd taste, you may say. But look at the success of superhero movies, like the recent Avengers: Endgame. It's the same: inside every adult, there's a little child who wants to be superhero! For a Kamen Rider fanboy like me, these ever-going Tokusatsu shows played a big part in my childhood, and they are what keep the little boy inside me alive and kicking (pun intended).
With the end of Heisei era, we can expect a very different kind of Reiwa Kamen Riders in the coming years. Knowing how Toei runs their stuffs, I expect the Heisei Riders to make some cameo appearance in the Reiwa shows, so the Heisei legends will probably continue to live on. Even if they didn't have special cameos, the Heisei Riders will not be forgotten. Because if we don't stop believing, Kamen Rider will never cease to exist.
