The 31st entry into the long-running Kamen Rider franchise and the second series to debut in the Reiwa period is set to premiere later this fall. Information including staff, casting, and story details were revealed during a press conference at the end of July. A trailer was released at the end of the press conference showing the new cast and the series’ story details.
The plot of Saber revolves around the conflict for an ancient artifact called The Book of Ancients which held unlimited knowledge of any and all subjects. A group known as The Sword of Logos protected the book until a traitor working for an evil organization called Megiddo betrayed the group, seeking the book for himself. The ensuing conflict between the two groups separated the book into many different chapters – known as Ride Books – which were scattered across the Earth.
Fast forward to the present era, and the setup for the first episode begins with a young novelist named Touma Kamiyama (played by Shuichiro Naito) who dreams of monsters invading from a parallel dimension. One day, vast parts of the city and its citizens start disappearing, then reappearing in another dimension filled with monsters that attack the people now trapped within. Witnessing this event, Touma’s will calls forth the power of the Brave Dragon Ride Book which turns him into the swordsman of fire, Kamen Rider Saber.
Kamen Rider Saber will be directed by Takayuki Shibasaki, a veteran director who has been with the franchise since 2006. His credentials include directing two episodes of Kamen Rider Kabuto and he has since gone on to direct episodes from other fan-favorite series such as W, Gaim, and Drive. The show will be written by Takuro Fukuda who was the main writer for Kamen Rider Ghost.
The production staff and promotional artwork have also shown that the show will feature multiple Riders. In addition to Saber, five other Riders have been shown and potentially more will feature in the show. Playing the role of secondary Rider to Saber is Kamen Rider Blades, a member of The Sword of Logos named Rintaro Shindo (played by Takaya Yamaguchi) who places rules and order as a top priority. Also seen in the trailer is Kamen Rider Calibur, a traitor to The Sword of Logos now working for Megiddo whose identity is currently unknown. Seen in the promotional artwork is also Kamen Rider Espada, whose real name is Kento Fukamiya (played by Ryo Aoki) and is Touma’s childhood friend. Finally, there is Kamen Rider Kenzan or Ren Akamichi (played by Eiji Togashi) who acts as Saber’s rival. A currently unnamed gray Rider has also been seen in the promotional art.
Kamen Rider Saber is set to air on September 6th, 2020, one week after the finale of the current airing series Kamen Rider Zero-One.
