Why Kamen Rider New 1 Still Resonates with Tokusatsu Fans

Kamen Rider New 1 Bottle Cap Figure, 7-Eleven Japan, 2004

The Character Behind the Figure

Kamen Rider launched on TBS in April 1971, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. The series centered on a motorcycle-riding cyborg hero who transforms using a wind-powered belt, and it established the template for an entire genre of tokusatsu superhero fiction. The franchise has continued uninterrupted into the present day and remains one of Toei’s core properties.

This figure depicts Kamen Rider New 1, the revised suit worn by protagonist Hiroshi Hongo (played by Hiroshi Fujioka) that appeared around episode 53 of the original series. Enthusiasts distinguish “New 1” from the earlier “Old 1” design by a specific set of visual details: a silver helmet with red compound eyes and twin antennae, green upper-body armor, black limbs with white stripes along the outer thighs, a red scarf draped over the left shoulder, silver gloves and boots, and the Typhoon belt — the wind-powered transformation device that has become one of the most recognized props in the history of the genre. The figure’s coloring in green, black, red, and silver aligns directly with those defining characteristics.

7-Eleven, Bottle Caps, and Japan’s Campaign Collectible Era

In the early-to-mid 2000s, Japanese convenience-store chains regularly produced character goods tied to in-store campaigns. Bottle cap figures were one of the period’s signature formats: small painted PVC or hard-plastic figures mounted on a ridged base designed to resemble a beverage bottle cap. They circulated as campaign prizes or as premium standalone items depending on the specific promotion. The format never established itself outside Japan, which makes surviving examples a record of a distinctly domestic moment in collectible culture.

This piece was manufactured in 2004, the same year Toei was broadcasting Kamen Rider Blade as its current weekly entry. Demand for the Showa-era classics was strong throughout that period regardless. The 2005 theatrical film Kamen Rider THE FIRST revisited Hiroshi Hongo’s origin story; whether this 7-Eleven figure was officially connected to that production is not confirmed, but the surrounding appetite for original-series goods is clear context for why classic-character items were appearing on convenience-store shelves that year.

What Draws Collectors to This Particular Design

Kamen Rider 1 is widely regarded as the character who originated the genre, and among international tokusatsu fans he tends to be a natural entry point. Within the more dedicated collector community, the New 1 and Old 1 distinction carries real weight: the mid-series redesign was a deliberate artistic change, and collectors who follow suit history treat the two as meaningfully separate variants. Items that specifically depict the New 1 suit — rather than a generically rendered approximation of “the original Kamen Rider” — tend to attract that more knowledgeable segment of the audience.

As of 2026, this figure is approximately 22 years old. 7-Eleven Japan campaign goods were never distributed internationally, so overseas collectors had no access to them at the time of release. The only routes to ownership were domestic purchase, Japan’s secondhand market, or international resellers — a pattern common to convenience-store exclusives, which were typically produced for a brief campaign window and then discontinued.