According to the in-universe picture book The Great Path of Alchemy (錬金術の大いなる道, Renkinjutsu no Ōinaru Michi), featured in the 2023 instalment Kamen Rider Gotchard, 120 years prior the title was first used by an individual known as the Alchemist of Daybreak, who fought those who became Malgams (the main monsters of the series) by breaking the rules of alchemy.
As a result, some commentators and producers, including Shin-Ichiro Shirakura,[5] define Kamen Riders by the fact that their powers are in some way connected to the villains they fight.
[3] Nonetheless, according to University of Tokyo researcher Haruka Tsutsui, "Kamen Rider is a being who wanders on the line between enemy creatures and humans, unable to rest comfortably on either side.
[9] As a result, they perform their signature poses to stimulate the mechanical workings inside the belts, which may also possess alternative weapons.
Most of the Riders, following the stimulation, jump into the air to complete the transformation, landing onto higher places to ensure their identities are kept secret.
Due to concern over both occupational discrimination and the growing prominence of technology used in daily life, these Riders’ powers are not given to them via cybernetic surgery.
[17][18] Instead, the sources are either mystical or technological in nature, and usually are not intended for nefarious purposes, but rather are neutral, utilised differently by the heroic protagonists and their opponents.
When fitted, the name of the device is usually spoken by the belt, which transforms the user without requiring them to engage its mechanisms via poses and jumping into the air.
[11] Many Riders’ belts have expanded upon this by combining melodious words, jingles and music, usually ensuring high sales of their toy counterparts.
This has led to an increase in evil Riders with unique appearance and set of abilities, few eventually reverting to the side of good.
Team-ups usually involved the participating Riders fighting the Great Leader (大首領, Daishuryō), a mysterious entity revealed to have been behind most of the organisations they opposed.
[27] Some involved the protagonist of the then-current iteration becoming officially recognised as part of the defined group of Kamen Riders.