First Impressions of Kamen Rider Gotchard Premiere Episode 2023

The first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard aired on September 3, 2023, replacing the Kamen Rider Geats series which had reached its final episode and joining the Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger series in the Super Hero Time entry. Kamen Rider Gotchard tells the story of Houtarou Ichinose who transforms into Kamen Rider Gotchard Steam Hopper and finds Gotcha in alchemy.

The Kamen Rider Gotchard series presents a new nuance by combining alchemy and cards. Several main characters are introduced in this episode. Likewise, the Chemys add dynamics to the story of the first episode of the Kamen Rider Gotchard series. Hopper1 and Steamliner are in the spotlight in the first episode.

The premiere episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard marks the debut of Kamen Rider Gotchard Steam Hopper in the Kamen Rider Gotchard series. In addition, the theme song titled CHEMY×STORY is also played in this episode. The song sounds cool and upbeat.

Kamen Rider Gotchard Premiere Episode Synopsis

The first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard begins with Fuga Kudo's escape from the Three Dark Sisters with the GotcharDriver. The power of the Three Dark Sisters is shown quite coolly. After that, Fuga Kudo escapes with the Steamliner. Fuga Kudo then asks for help from Hopper1 and the Steamliner.

Meanwhile, Houtarou Ichinose cooks at a food stall and goes to school. At Furasu High School, he is reprimanded by Teacher Minato for not having filled the career path he wanted, as is Rinne Kudo. However, unlike Houtarou Ichinose, Rinne Kudo is quite smart in school. Meanwhile, Houtarou's friend Ryo Kajiki is interested in monsters.

Houtarou Ichinose learns something about Rinne Kudo and meets Chemy Hopper1. In addition, Chemy Steamliner also appears and Rinne Kudo tries to stop Chemy. After that, Houtarou Ichinose is taken by Steamliner to Ouroboros Realm and entrusted GotcharDriver by Fuga Kudo.

The chemy are released from the card into the world and Houtarou Ichinose returns to his original place. The Three Dark Sisters find Houtarou Ichinose and one of their members swallows the Kamantis chemy to become Mantis Malgam. Houtarou Ichinose transforms into Kamen Rider Gotchard Steam Hopper and defeats Mantis Malgam. Kamen Rider Gotchard manages to recapture the Kamantis chemy.

Plot Episode Perdana Kamen Rider Gotchard

The first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard begins with a man named Fuga fleeing to save himself from three evil figures who are attacking him, who want a mysterious belt he carries which they claim is the "key to opening the Door of Darkness". Fuga denies their claims, stating that he created the belt as the door between life and death, the "Key of Hope". He then defends himself from the three figures by summoning strange creatures to help him fend off their attacks and then summons a train creature called the Steamliner to escape to the Ouroboros Realm.

After escaping, Fuga stops at a train station and summons a series of cards housing monsters, selecting Hopper1 to go with the Steamliner to the human world.

Meanwhile, at a restaurant called Kitchen ICHINOSE, a teenage boy named Houtaro is making a special bento box containing Cucumber Hamburg Steak with Yuzu Pepper Mayonnaise, hoping to please the customers. He tries it, but it is too spicy to eat.

His mother, Tamami, looks at the clock and tells him to hurry up and get ready because he's going to be late for school. Houtaro rushes out the door, but before he does he promises his mother that he'll help her out more at work when he gets back. After he leaves, Tamami smiles at an old photo of her family, telling her husband's unseen face that Houtaro is growing up to be just like him.

The premiere episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard continues with Houtaro successfully getting into Furasu High School, but not before the opening bell rings and he is confronted by his teacher, Mr. Minato, about the blank section of his career survey. Houtaro tries to explain that he hasn't figured out what he wants to do yet, and Mr. Minato tells him that he needs to get serious about his future and decide on a career path.

The young man tries to head to class, but instead bumps into Rinne and falls. He apologizes but Rinne coldly tells him he should have known better than to run in the hallway after helping him up, and acts as if she doesn't know him. He refuses to hand over his career form to Mr. Minato when asked and heads to class. Mr. Minato says his career has already been decided when asked about it, saying he is carrying out "ancestral family duties".

Houtaro wonders what Rinne's responsibility is, daydreaming in class and failing to answer correctly about the Renaissance when asked by Mr. Minato. Rinne, despite also daydreaming, correctly answers that it was a movement in 14th century Italy and explains further that among the developments during that period was research on alchemy on turning elements into gold. She then begins to criticize Houtaro for his inability to study.

After class, Ryo Kajiki, Houtaro's occult-loving friend, starts ranting about hearing monsters but is ignored as Houtaro goes after Rinne to scold her for her rude comments. He follows her to a building and sees her chanting a spell, which causes a staircase to rise higher using surrounding objects that merge with it to reach a hidden room.

He tried to follow but couldn't get in as the stairs returned to normal. The maintenance door nearby opened and he entered, it was closed tightly and the monster Ryo warned him about was nearby. Houtaro panicked and thought he was going to be eaten by the scary shadow on the wall, but it turned out to be Hopper1 beside the light.

Meanwhile, Ryo is at the train station on his way home and the confused PA announcer says that a steam train is approaching the platform. The steam train rushes past Ryo, who is delighted to see a monster.

Houtaro is in the park with Hopper1 and tries to befriend him by giving him food, but the little grasshopper screams loudly, calling Steamliner to his location. Houtaro somehow feels happy being around Hopper1 but then hides his new friend in his book bag when Rinne approaches. He knows Houtaro is hiding something but that train of thought is interrupted when Steamliner runs towards them.

Rinne tells Houtaro to escape and he changes into another outfit through his blue ring, revealing himself to be an alchemist as he tries to stop the Steamliner. Houtaro is swept away by a train while trying to protect Rinne and jumps off by holding onto an overpass. He tells Rinne that even though it is his duty to stop the Chemies, he will not leave her alone in a dangerous situation. Hopper1 leaves Houtaro's bag to force the Steamliner to help, saving him from falling by letting him board the train.

Houtaro ends up in the Ouroboros Realm, viewing the life cards and meeting Fuga, who says that Hopper1 and Steamliner have approved and acknowledged Houtaro. With that, Fuga bestows the Driver upon him, but The Three Dark Sisters suddenly appear to claim the belt for themselves and attack. Fuga fends them off and tells Houtaro to run, but the boy refuses to leave him alone, Fuga says he must because the world will be destroyed if the Sisters get the Driver. Fuga's sword shatters and the incoming stream of fire burns him, but he still protects Houtaro and grants the young man the title of Kamen Rider.

Fuga uses alchemy to levitate the Driver to Houtaro's waist. The boy sees a vision of how to transform as Fuga continues to use his body as a shield to protect him, trusting him with the future as he is engulfed in flames and seemingly killed. Houtaro somehow ends up back in the human world with the Driver, with Rinne demanding to know what happened. The Chemies are released from the Ouroboros Realm and run wild, scattering around the city. This upsets Rinne as the 101 creatures were sealed away and are now free to cause chaos as they fly around.

The Sisters appear before the heroes and say that a great change is coming, vowing to take the Driver from Houtaro as Clotho attacks them with her brute strength, then forcibly merges with Kamantis to become a being called Malgam. Rinne says that it is not good for Chemy to merge with the evil of humans and Houtaro can feel the evil radiating from the being.

The first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard continues with Clotho as Mantis Malgam trying to tear Houtaro apart as he runs, who refuses to give him the Driver as it was entrusted to him and names it “Gotchardriver” and himself as “Kamen Rider Gotchard”. He transforms into Steamhopper Wild and tries to fight as a grasshopper but gets pinned by debris as someone watches from a distance, Houtaro remembers the vision and transforms into Steamhopper Rider mode. As he fights Mantis Malgam, Houtaro realizes that he is stronger and his body feels lighter.

Mantis tries to crush him with more falling debris, but Rinne helps out by turning the falling concrete into paper airplanes. Houtaro tries his sidearm, the Gotcharge Gun, blasting Mantis with the Gotchargic Buster attack and then knocking him out with the Rider Punch. He then finishes him off with his first Rider Kick, Steamhopper Fever, which frees Kamantis from Clotho's grip and Chemy is resealed into his card. Rinne watches this and is completely shocked by the Kamen Rider's power. Clotho suddenly regenerates, impressed by her new enemy, she vows to show him true hell next time, before teleporting away.

Houtaro is scared of Clotho, but transforms and happily introduces himself to his three new Chemy friends and thanks Hopper1 and Steamliner for their help. Ryo comes to try and show proof that the monster exists with a photo of Steamliner on his phone, but the mysterious person watching creates a large alchemy circle and erases the picture from Ryo's phone and his memory of the incident. Ryo wonders why he is talking to Houtaro and decides that it is not important, saying goodbye and that he will see him tomorrow.

The first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard ends with the man observing being Mr. Minato, who says that one of the rules that alchemists follow is that all witnesses and records of Chemie must be erased, which shows that he is an alchemist. He says that this is the first time in 120 years that a human has been transmuted with multiple Chemie. Houtaro just stands there, shocked.

Kamen Rider Gotchard Premiere Cast

The cast of the first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard is Houtaro Ichinose played by Junsei Motojima, Rinne Kudo played by Reiyo Matsumoto, Minato played by Rikuto Kumaki, Atropos played by Itono Okita, Clotho played by Kanon Miyahara, and Lachesis played by Alisa Sakamaki.

Ryo Kajiki is played by Amon Kabe, Tamami Ichinose is played by Yoko Minamino, Fuga Kudo is played by Kanji Ishimaru, Hopper1 is voiced by Misato Fukuen, Steamliner is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama, Golddash and Kamantis are voiced by Kazuya Ichijo, and Skebow and Odorippa are voiced by Yuki Kodaira.

First Impressions of Kamen Rider Gotchard Premiere Episode 

The fantasy in the first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard is quite pronounced and there are many scenes that show the theme of alchemy. For example, when Fuga Kudo faces the Three Dark Sisters and the background where Fuga Kudo hides in Ouroboros Realm is filled with laboratory flasks. In addition, the appearance of the writing when Rinne Kudo says something on the stairs is also interesting in this episode.

Some scenes in the first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard are reminiscent of previous Kamen Rider series. For example, using power with rings like the Kamen Rider Wizard series. The transformation scene that has its own setting is also reminiscent of the Kamen Rider Saber series. The scene itself is quite cool and fits the theme of alchemy.

The characters present in the first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard also have their own character depictions, especially Houtarou Ichinose, Fuga Kudo, and Ryo Kajiki. The revelation of Mr. Minato as an alchemist feels fast even though it is a natural thing, especially with Houtarou Ichinose who finds Gotcha in alchemy.

Regarding the debut of Kamen Rider Gotchard Steam Hopper, it was shown gradually from Wild Mode. In the first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard, the main character learned the henshin pose with a vague vision so that he could transform into Kamen Rider Gotchard. This is reminiscent of Ultraman Trigger's first transformation. The action is quite cool even though the opponent doesn't look that tough.

About Kamen Rider Gotchard

Kamen Rider Gotchard is tokusatsu series 2023 in the Kamen Rider Series Toei Company. The series is the fifth series to debut in the Reiwa Period and the thirty-eighth series overall. It premiered on September 3, 2023, joining Ohsama Sentai King Ohger in the Super Hero Time lineup. The series is written by Keiichi Hasegawa, Hiroki Uchida, and Akiko Inoue.

Kamen Rider Gotchard tells the story of Houtaro Ichinose, entrusted with the Gotchardriver and the mission to collect the Chemie that have been released into the world. Some are well suited to be human companions and if they resonate with a good heart, Houtarou can fuse with them and transform into Kamen Rider Gotchard. However, those who are influenced by the evil of humans, there is a danger of giving birth to monsters known as Malgams. This is a story that explores the nature of good and evil, which are two sides of the same coin.

The first episode of Kamen Rider Gotchard is titled “Gotcha! Hopper1!” written by Keiichi Hasegawa and Hiroki Uchida and directed by Ryuta Tasaki. The next episode is titled “Chase! Alchemy! Skebows!” and will air on September 10, 2023.