Revisiting a 2013 'Kamen Rider Super-1' Reunion Event!

Shunsuke Takasugi prepares to pose as Kamen Rider Super-1. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, February 10, 2013, I attended a Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) reunion event in Tokyo. To be honest, I originally wasn't even aware of the event until an acquaintance of mine told me about it when I was visiting Tokyo and invited me to join him. It was very short notice, but I was able to make some time.

At the time, I have to admit I wasn't that enthused about it, given that I'm not the biggest Kamen Rider fan or aficionado in the world. But I'm always up for something new, so I gave it a shot. In retrospect, I wish I'd paid more attention to it and gotten more involved, but that's only knowing what I know now. This was probably the last event featuring Kamen Rider Super-1 star Shunsuke Takasugi.

As you've probably gathered by now, Takasugi-san portrayed Kazuya Oki, the alter ego of Kamen Rider Super-1, on the series. But he became much more (in)famous in the months following this special event. 

According to Wikipedia:

In 2013, he was reported to have taken ¥50 million (about US$ 450,000) from his fans between 2003 to 2012. Takasugi used the influence of his role as Kazuya Oki/Kamen Rider Super-1 to cheat his fans and refused to return the money. He said that this was because "Super-1's henshin belt was taken by the Yakuza and I need money to get it back." He refused to appear in court after he was sued and disappeared sometime in 2017.

Suffice it to say, I was quite shocked when I learned about this several years ago. I was even more surprised that I actually met the guy just a few months before the scandal broke. It is certainly one of the strangest turns of events I've ever seen in Japanese fandom.

Shunsuke Takasugi, Yumiko Tanaka, and Tetsuya Nakayashiki pose for pictures. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My encounter with Takasugi-san was very brief. As I recall, I think my acquaintance stopped him as he was walking somewhere to introduce me to him. I didn't have much to say (not being that familiar with Kamen Rider Super-1), so I told him that I knew Ulf Otsuki, who played Professor Henry, the scientist in the first episode of the series who transforms him into the titular hero. He seemed happy to hear that Otsuki-san was doing well. Other than that, I just remember the polite small talk that one would normally associate with such a meeting.

Naturally, I never expected to hear that Takasugi-san would be caught up in a massive scandal. He certainly came across as friendly and soft-spoken to me, not at all dissimilar to a myriad of other actors I've met at such events. I was just as surprised as anyone else.

Also on hand at the event was Yumiko Tanaka, who co-stars in Kamen Rider Super-1 as Harumi Kusanami. She also appears in a small role toward the beginning of Godzilla (1984) in a scene with Ken Tanaka.

Tetsuya Nakayashiki, the remaining guest, is a prolific suit actor, closely associated with the Showa-era Kamen Rider series. Nakayashiki-san suit-acted at least part of the time as a Kamen Rider character from the original Kamen Rider (1971-73) through Kamen Rider Super-1. Naturally, his credits in Toei tokusatsu are far too extensive to list here. Beyond Toei, Nakayashiki-san can be seen in the Toho actioner Espy (1974) as well as episode 12 of Tsuburaya Productions' TV series Mighty Jack (1968).

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't stay long at the event, so I don't have much else to add. I just wanted to share these photos, as well as what I remember from it, given what we learned in the wake of it. I'll close by sharing a few more photos. Enjoy!