The first silhouettes of ZI-O and his gimmick have been revealed! (sort of). The speculation begins now on what this rider will look like and how they’ll portray themselves on screen.
In this article, we’ll have viewpoints from everyone at Toku Toy Store, so be sure to have a read and cast your votes on what you think the Rider will be like!
“The silhouette gives us little to go off, but if it’s anything like the final design it’ll be a very unique Rider. The body is very Heisei themed, but the simple head sculpt feels almost Showa in a respect. With each aspect of the suit we see, we’ll know more on whether this is rider is designed like Showa, Heisei, or something completely different to welcome in the new Era next year in Japan. The gimmicks could be a similar theme to what we’ve seen before, or something totally unique that would reflect this new design of suit. How they’ll move and how they’ll act when on screen will also influence this, as every era have had different movesets influenced directly by their respective eras. Will this be a serious Rider? A childlike Rider? Only time will tell. We will definitely know more once we begin seeing actors surface, but for now the speculation is always exciting!
I even sharpened up the existing silhouette to show more detail as to what Zi-O will potentially look like! Notice the crown motif on the helmet” –Will
Following up on this, Jeremy had this to say:
“The digital/computer code background really jumped out at me, at first glance. It’s reminiscent of many of the Ganbarizing promotions that we’ve seen over the years which leads me to think that Zi-O will have access to other Kamen Rider forms using a connection to a database of some kind.
The silhouette doesn’t really give us much to go on but the fact that it’s so plain could mean that his default form is a template up on which other forms and upgrades are impressed. Either that, or perhaps were getting an old-school bugman Rider without the crazy appendages we’ve become accustomed to ok the Heisei period.
Finally, the price point of the gimmick item almost confirms that we’re getting an electronic based gimmick for Zi-O. As much as Bandai Japan are happy to pile on the wallet pressure, ¥1500 for a single item would be far too much for a gimmick that doesn’t do very much. As much as I’m not ready to let Build go yet, im really looking forward to Kamen Rider Zi-O!” –Jeremy
We even got some opinions from our usual episode review writer, and our very own SODO Sundays host!
“Not much is out there right now for Kamen Rider Zi-O, but what is known has me excited. According to what rumours are out there, Zi-O will be a globe-trotting adventurer type of character. I’m hoping this is something similar to Indiana Jones, or maybe even the PlayStation game series Uncharted. At this point, it is too early to say, but now that we have seen at least a silhouette of Zi-O, let me make some predictions.
The head of the suit, in base form, will be a globe. As the top is rounded, I see this being likely, as well as possibly including some adventuring gear or other world-themed designs on the body of the suit.
There is a certain hope for the story beyond this, as well. The one flash of colour we see is pink, in the poster, so maybe Zi-O will end up jumping between worlds, like Decade on the tenth anniversary of the Heisei era. This would fit, considering Zi-O is the 20th Heisei era Rider, and would allow for Legacy Riders to return for the final year of the Heisei era. Maybe, as a tribute to the past, they could even bring in suits of Showa Riders with new human forms, like Toei has been doing with the Metal Heroes characters, such as Space Sheriff Gavan.” –Matt
“When it comes to the new silhouette released for Kamen Rider Zi-O it’s not a lot to go off of but I get vibes from different Rider designs in him. The shoulder pads make me think of a design like Black, Kuuga, or W. There are little nubs on the sides of his belt which make me think of the designs of the Ryuki Riders with those connectors on the suit. Since it’s a black silhouette there is not a lot here but I think it will be interesting. As for the gimmick it’s just a circle, now that could be to hide what it really looks like, but last year the silhouettes of a bottle like gimmick were shown off in the image for Build so who knows. With the higher price for the gimmick that probably means it has electronics in it, which means Bandai can make many for years to come. That might be great since if Zi-O is an anniversary season this could allow for the gimmicks to continue being based on Rider’s after Zi-O is over. I really hope Zi-O has some sort of Legend Rider theme to him like Decade. Overall I’m very excited to see next month when those 1st quarter toy scans drop.” –Josh
Even our own toy reviewer, and host of Mint In Box Reviews, Richard chimed in.
“Kamen Rider Zi-O is shrouded in mystery and that what makes speculation so hard. The name itself, Zi-O, is still having it’s pronounciation debated among fans (Geo? The King? Who knows!) Then there’s the fact that Zi-O will be the first of a new era of Riders and with sparse details, there’s nothing to go on except a silhouette of the main rider form and the gimmick, being a relatively simple design compared to Build and what appears to be a coin.
In my mind, given that Build is somewhat of a spiritual successor to Kamen Rider W, perhaps Zi-O will be the same for Kamen Rider OOO. The coin gimmick is an obvious link, if it is a coin, but the name itself could be an indicator as OOO had a mythological ‘King’ tied to it’s lore and OOO can be pronounced as Oh, which is Japanese for king.” –Richard
And to close:
“Zi-O will be the 20th (and technically the last) Heisei Rider series and they seem to advertise that in the scan so I’m almost certain it will be some sort of anniversary series (similar to decade). The silhouette of the supposed base form is unusually plain, having a very rounded head and not much armour, similar to Den-O’s base form. This could mean that, if this is an anniversary series, this Rider is mostly powerless on it’s own and has to rely on the power of previous Riders. The gimmick of the series could give Zi-O more detailed armour based on previous riders, possibly like how Gaim’s arms forms worked. The glowing blue-green light around the silhouette could suggest the base form of the rider will be bright blue or green. Finally, In the background of the scan, there seems to be some sort of code, possibly suggesting some sort of technology theme that may be more emphasised in the final design. And, since the gimmick seems to be a perfect circle, perhaps it will be some sort of disc.” –Connor
What do you think to these early release images? What do you speculate Zi-O will be like? Please, do let us know! This is an exciting time for everyone!
