The upcoming TV anime adaptation of Yokusaru Shibata’s Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Masked Rider manga has unveiled its main cast, staff, TV format, and a 2025 premiere date in its first promotional video. The announcement was made at a stage event at AnimeJapan 2025, generating considerable excitement among fans of the manga and tokusatsu genre.
Anime Adaptation of Tojima Tanzaburo Announced
On March 7, 2025, Aniplex officially announced that Yokusaru Shibata’s manga, Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to be a Masked Rider, would be receiving an anime adaptation. The anime’s logo officially lists the title in English as Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to be a Masked Rider.
First Promo Video and Teaser Visual
A stage event at AnimeJapan 2025 on Sunday, March 23, 2025, revealed the first promotional video and teaser visual for the anime adaptation.
Premiere Date Set for 2025
The anime adaptation of Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Masked Rider is officially set to premiere sometime in 2025. This was announced during the Aniplex stage event at AnimeJapan 2025 along with the release of the first main trailer and visual.
Main Cast Announced
The main cast for the anime has been revealed, with Katsuyuki Konishi (known for his roles as Tengen Uzui in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) voicing the protagonist, Tanzaburo Tojima.
To commemorate the announcement, a photo of Konishi himself holding a Kamen Rider’s mask, just like the character the manga’s 13th volume cover, was released.
Konishi shared the following message:
“I’m Katsuyuki Konishi and I play the role of Tanzaburo Tojima. I originally liked Shibata-sensesi’ works and have been reading them for a long time. When I was also promoting this work in various places, saying, ‘This is interesting!,’ I learned about the anime adaptation and an audition for it. I recorded an audition tape while losing my voice, and I was so happy when I received the result. The staff and cast worked with ‘tremendous passion’ on the anime, and I think we brought out 120% or 200% of the charm of the original work by Sensei. Please look forward to the broadcast in 2025. Rider Punch!!!!”
Staff Details
The staff for the anime adaptation includes:
- Director: Takahiro Ikezoe (Show By Rock!!)
- Series Composition: Touko Machida (Allison & Lillia, Wake Up, Girls!)
- Character Design: Cindy H. Yamauchi (Blade, Sōten Kōro)
- Music: TeddyLoid (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT)
- Animation Production: LIDEN FILMS (Tokyo Revengers)
TV Format
The anime will be a television series. Further details regarding the specific broadcast schedule are yet to be announced.
Story Synopsis
Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Masked Rider follows Tanzaburo Tojima, a 40-year-old man who still dreams of becoming a Kamen Rider. Just as he is about to give up on this dream, he gets caught up in a “false Shocker” robbery.
Yokusaru Shibata commented on the news: “I can’t believe the day has come when Tanzaburo Tojima will get to shout his heart out in an anime! This story is about a kid who wanted to be Kamen Rider and simply grew up without letting go of that dream — it’s a hot-blooded, passionate tale! It’s so intense, viewers might find themselves shouting along with him: ‘Rider Punch!!!’ ‘Rider Kick!!!’”
About the Original Manga
The Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Masked Rider manga is a Japanese series created by Yokusaru Shibata in collaboration with Toei and Ishimori Productions. It debuted in Hero’s Inc.’s Monthly Hero’s, a seinen manga magazine, in May 2018. Following the magazine’s closure in October 2020, serialization continued on the Comiplex website from November 2020 onward. As of September 2024, the series’ chapters have been collected into fifteen tankōbon volumes. Hero’s will publish the 16th compiled volume on April 4.
Yokusaru Shibata: The Author
Yokusaru Shibata is a Japanese manga artist known for his previous works, including:
- Air Master (which inspired a television anime in 2003)
- 81diver (which ended in July 2014 and inspired a live-action television series in 2008).
Production Details
The anime adaptation is supported by Ishimori Productions and Toei. The manga has been serialized in Monthly Heroes magazine since its June 2018 issue, releasing 15 tankobon volumes to date.
Kamen Rider Franchise
Kamen Rider is a popular Japanese tokusatsu franchise created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The franchise features motorcycle-riding superheroes who fight evil.
The American adaptation of Kamen Rider Black RX, titled Masked Rider, aired on Fox as part of the Fox Kids program block from September 16, 1995, to August 31, 1996.
Where to Watch
Crunchyroll is currently streaming the series.
