It's Been 30 Years Since 'Masked Rider' Tried to Give 'Kamen Rider' Its 'Power Rangers' Moment

When audiences were in the grip of Power Rangers mania in the early ’90s, Saban Entertainment sought more ways it could leverage its relationship with Japanese studio Toei to turn even more Tokusatsu series into U.S. hits. Thirty years ago today, Saban debuted its take on one of the medium’s most legendary entries , Kamen Rider , hoping the next Power Rangers was in its hands.

Instead, audiences got Masked Rider , and Kamen Rider ‘s own journey to the U.S. would take the long way round over the next three decades.

Like Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and VR Troopers before it, Masked Rider —a literal translation of the Japanese title—which began airing 30 years ago today on Fox, utilized costume design and action sequences from a Japanese TV series, re-editing th