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Kamen Rider Zetts After One Year: Fan Reactions and the Series’ Experimental Evolution
After 15 years of following the Kamen Rider franchise, a longtime fan analyzes Kamen Rider Zetts’ groundbreaking multiple-protagonist format and its polarizing reception among fans. The series represents both an ambitious creative leap and a controversial departure from the franchise’s traditional single-hero narrative structure.
What Happened
Kamen Rider Zetts, which premiered in January 2024, has completed its first year of broadcast with a deeply divided fanbase. The series introduced the franchise’s first multiple-protagonist structure, where several characters share the same Rider transformation. This fundamental shift from 50+ years of single-hero storytelling has generated intense debate across fan communities, with reactions ranging from praise for its innovative approach to criticism of its execution and reduced action sequences.
Why It Matters
Zetts represents a critical inflection point for the Kamen Rider franchise and the broader tokusatsu (live-action special effects) industry. The series’ experimental narrative structure reflects larger industry trends toward ensemble storytelling seen in contemporary anime and media. How audiences and producers respond to Zetts will likely influence the creative direction of future Rider series and determine whether the franchise can successfully evolve beyond its traditional formula while maintaining its core appeal.
Background
The Kamen Rider franchise has maintained a consistent narrative structure since its debut in 1971: a single protagonist discovers the ability to transform into a masked hero and grows through their journey. This formula remained largely unchanged through the Heisei era (1989–2018) and into the Reiwa era (2019–present). Previous series like Kamen Rider W (2009) featured multiple Riders but distinct transformation sources. Kamen Rider Zetts breaks this tradition by having multiple protagonists share access to the same Zetts transformation, creating unprecedented narrative complexity.
The shift reflects broader industry changes. Recent Rider series including Zero-One (2019), Saber (2020), and Revice (2021) progressively introduced multiple-protagonist elements, but Zetts represents the first complete commitment to this approach. Simultaneously, anime and serialized media have increasingly adopted ensemble-cast narratives, as seen in Attack on Titan’s final arc, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Kyoto arc, and Chainsaw Man’s multi-perspective storytelling.
Key Points
- Multiple-protagonist innovation: Zetts introduces the franchise’s first structure where multiple characters transform into the same Rider, fundamentally altering the traditional hero’s journey narrative
- Polarized reception: Fan evaluations split sharply between those praising the experimental approach and those criticizing unclear storytelling and reduced action content
- Psychological depth: Character psychology receives significantly deeper exploration than previous Rider series, comparable to the acclaimed Kamen Rider Amazons (2016)
- Action-narrative balance: The series prioritizes psychological character development over action sequences, reducing traditional tokusatsu spectacle within the 30-minute broadcast format
- Generational divide: Heisei-era Rider fans (accustomed to single-hero narratives) clash with Reiwa-era fans (familiar with ensemble storytelling) over the series’ value
- Thematic ambiguity: The series attempts to balance experimental complexity with traditional accessibility, resulting in what some perceive as incomplete execution across both dimensions
Timeline
- November 2023: Production announcement reveals multiple-protagonist structure
- January 2024: Kamen Rider Zetts premiere begins broadcast
- Episodes 10–15: Multiple protagonists’ relationships undergo significant development and conflict
- Episodes 15–20: Psychological complexity reaches peak, exploring themes of shared power and mutual understanding
- December 2024: Series completes one-year broadcast run with mixed critical reception
Perspectives
Supporters’ View: Zetts represents necessary evolution for the franchise. Advocates highlight the innovative multiple-protagonist structure, sophisticated character psychology, and thematic exploration of shared responsibility and conflicting perspectives. They argue the series successfully adapts contemporary ensemble-narrative trends to tokusatsu, opening new creative possibilities for the franchise.
Critics’ View: The series fails to commit fully to either experimental or traditional approaches. Critics note that psychological depth comes at the expense of action sequences, reducing the entertainment value for younger audiences. They argue the multiple-protagonist structure creates narrative confusion rather than enriched storytelling, and that the series feels “caught between” competing visions.
Industry Perspective: The series functions as a test case for franchise evolution. Producers are evaluating whether multiple-protagonist structures can sustain long-term viewership and merchandising success. The outcome will determine whether future Rider series continue this direction or return to traditional single-hero formats.
Insights
Zetts exemplifies the creative tension between innovation and tradition in long-running franchises. The series’ mixed reception reflects not failure, but rather the challenges of transitioning established properties to new narrative paradigms. The generational divide in fan response—with older viewers seeking familiar single-hero narratives and younger viewers embracing ensemble storytelling—mirrors broader shifts in media consumption patterns.
The series’ most significant contribution may be demonstrating that tokusatsu can accommodate complex, psychologically sophisticated narratives without abandoning its core identity. However, Zetts also reveals execution challenges: balancing multiple protagonists, maintaining action spectacle, and delivering philosophical themes within broadcast constraints requires more refined storytelling techniques than the series currently demonstrates.
Rather than a definitive success or failure, Zetts functions as a necessary experiment. If future Rider series learn from Zetts’ strengths (psychological depth, innovative structure) while addressing its weaknesses (narrative clarity, action balance), the franchise could enter a new creative phase. For viewers, Zetts rewards those willing to approach it as a different type of Rider story—one that prioritizes character complexity and thematic ambition over traditional action-hero spectacle.
