It was revealed on May 28th that actress Fumika Baba will appear in "V-Cinema Next: Kamen Rider Kabuto 20th: The One Who Inherits the Heavens," a brand new installment of the tokusatsu drama "Kamen Rider Kabuto" (2006-07). She will play the adult version of Gon, the amnesiac girl who worked as a makeup assistant to Kamen Rider Drake/Daisuke Kazama (Kazuki Kato) in the TV series.
Baba is known for her role as Medic, an enemy executive in "Kamen Rider Drive" (2014-2015), and revealed, "I never imagined that I would be returning to the world of Kamen Rider in this way, so I was very surprised when I received the offer." She added, "I was able to reunite with the staff from when I appeared in Kamen Rider Drive, and it was a very valuable experience. I hope you enjoy it."
"Kamen Rider Kabuto" is a story about Kamen Rider Kabuto/Tendo Souji (Hiro Mizushima), "the man who walks the path of heaven and controls all," and his battles against "Worms," extraterrestrial life forms that mimic humans, and "ZECT," a secret organization that fights against the Worms. All 49 episodes were broadcast on TV Asahi from January 2006 to January 2007. It still enjoys strong popularity, and in the fan vote for the "Kamen Rider Movie Project" held this January, it came in first place.
"Kamen Rider Kabuto 20th: The Successor to the Heavens" is a work commemorating the 20th anniversary and is a sequel that depicts the world 20 years after the TV series.
In addition to Baba, it was also announced that Tsubasa Araki and Yuka Kodera will be appearing in the film. Araki will play Yu Kagami, the son of Kamen Rider Gatack/Arata Kagami (Yuki Sato), the protagonist of "Kamen Rider Kabuto 20th: The Successor of Heaven," while Kodera will play Hikaru Tendou, Yu's schoolmate. Baba, Araki, and Kodera are guest cast members, and their character visuals have also been released.
Araki said, "I've loved Kamen Rider since I was a child and watched it all the time, so I was very surprised when I first received the offer."
"I was scouted at the age of seven and joined the agency, and ever since then I've always dreamed of playing a Kamen Rider, so it feels like a dream come true that I'm actually getting to play the role. Before filming began for 'Kamen Rider Kabuto,' which was one of my favorite series, I went back to my parents' house and pulled out all the Kamen Rider merchandise I had collected back then. I remember looking at my nostalgic Kabuto toys and feeling excited every day until I started filming, thinking, 'I'm actually going to be in this series!' I'm truly happy to be able to celebrate this 20th anniversary milestone with Kabuto," he said.
Kodera commented, "The Kamen Rider series has been my dream, as many of my seniors at the agency have appeared in it. And 'Kamen Rider Kabuto' was broadcast the year I was born, and it was a show that my father and sister loved. I am so happy to be able to appear in a work that I have such a connection to! There were many things I experienced for the first time and many things I didn't understand on set, but each time, the director and the senior cast members gave me advice. I really felt everyone's passion and love for the work."
"Kamen Rider Kabuto 20th: The Successor to Heaven" will be screened for a limited time at Shinjuku Wald 9 (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) and other theaters as part of Toei's "V-Cinema Next" label, and will be released on Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD on February 10, 2027.
