History Series / KamenRiderV3

''Kamen Rider V3'' has had two theatrical releases: the film also titled ''Film/KamenRiderV3'' is a film version of episode 2, while ''Film/KamenRiderV3VSDestronMutants'' is an original story.

Voted #3 series in the Showa era, and #25 product overall in NHK’s All Kamen Rider Popularity Ranking.

* FakeCrossover: In a photocomic published in Televi Magazine, V3 gave [[Series/SpiderManJapan Spider-Man]] a helping hand in his fight against the Iron Cross Army.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/v3_bd_3.jpg]][[caption-width-right:350:''Henshin, V3!!'']]

[[header:[[center:[-'''''Franchise/KamenRider'' -- Shōwa Era'''\\
''[[Series/KamenRider Original]]'' | '''V3''' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderX X]]'' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderAmazon Amazon]]'' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderStronger Stronger]]'' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderSkyrider Skyrider]]'' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderSuper1 Super-1]]'' | ''[[Film/BirthOfTheTenthGatherAllKamenRiders Birth of the Tenth!]]'' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderBlack BLACK]]'' | ''[[Series/KamenRiderBlackRX BLACK RX]]'' | ''[[Film/ShinKamenRiderPrologue Prologue]]'' | ''[[Film/KamenRiderZO ZO]]'' | ''[[Film/KamenRiderJ J]]''\\
'''[[Series/KamenRiderKuuga Phase 1 Heisei Era >>>]]'''-]]]]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the previous series, ''V3'' deals with the Riders going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against an enemy organization. Not to mention that the DownerBeginning shows that Shiro's entire family were ''brutally'' murdered by the first Destron Kaijin.

* FullyAbsorbedFinale: The series ends with a large unresolved plot thread, [[spoiler:Destron's leader alive and well, with the monster defeated by V3 just having a tape player inside]]. However, V3 and Riderman would return in ''Series/KamenRiderStronger'' to finish that plot thread in Stronger's own finale.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/v3_bd_3.jpg]]

->''Kamen Rider V3, Shiro Kazami, is an altered human. Mortally wounded by Destron, he is rebuilt by Kamen Riders 1 and 2, reborn as Kamen Rider V3.''

** The Fang Tribe all practice magic in a cult like group worshipping Doovoo. Baron Tusk implies that the Witch Smilodon was their founder.

''Kamen Rider V3'' has had two theatrical releases: the film also titled ''Film/KamenRiderV3'' is a film version of episode 2, while ''Film/KamenRiderV3VsDestronMutants'' is an original story.

%%* BadassBiker: Take a guess.
* BigBad: The Great Leader[[note]]Dai-shuryo[[/note]] of Gel-Shocker returns as the master of Destron.

* TheDragon: Just like Shocker, Destron has four successive executives[[note]]kanbu[[/note]], Doktor G[[note]]pronounced "Gei"[[/note]] (13-30), Baron Fang[[note]]Kiba Danshaku[[/note]] (31-35), Archbishop Tsubasa[[note]]Tsubasa Dai-sojo[[/note]] (35-40) and Marshal Armor[[note]]Yoroi Gensui[[/note]] (40-52).
%%* FinishingMove
%%* HenshinHero

* OneWingedAngel: Just like Shocker, Destron's executives are modified humans who reveal their true forms in their LastVillainStand. Doktor G's is Kani[[note]]Crab[[/note]] Laser, Baron Kiba is Vampire[[note]]Kyuketsu[[/note]] Mammoth, Archbishop Tsubasa is Vampire Bat[[note]]Shibito Komori[[/note]] and Marshal Armor is Zariganna[[note]]a crayfish[[/note]].

** TheMovie has Cannon Buffalo leading an army of old monsters.[[note]]Guillotine Saurus, Poison Needle Spider, Magnet Wild Boar, Spray Mouse, Pickel Shark, Missile Gecko, Drill Mole, Chain-Sickle Ladybug, Burner Bat, Lens Ant, Toad Boiler.[[/note]]
** A tribute to the original series, #27-28 has Doktor G preside over the revival of not just Shocker's four [[TheDragon Dragon]]s[[note]]Colonel Zol, Doctor Shinigami, Ambassador Hell and General Black.]] but four monsters[[note]]Dokudahlian, Shiomaneking, Imoriges and Unidogma.[[/note]] as well.

* StuffedIntoTheFridge: Kazami's family.

!!''Kamen Rider V3'' features examples of:
* AchillesHeel: A devastating, but handily forgotten, one is discovered in the third episode when it turns out that if the fans in V3's belt are clogged he loses his power. Slightly more prevalent is that once Shiro changes, he has to wait exactly three hours before he can do so again. A later episode mentions that he actually has four glaring weaknesses, but the only one that's ever confirmed is the "one henshin every three hours" one.
** However, the show ''does'' take pains to show that V3's Henshin sequence isn't a free action. Kazami being interrupted while doing it is a minor RunningGag.
* AllYourPowersCombined: A lesser example of this. V3 was stated to have all the strength of #2 and all the technique of #1. His more well-known trait, the "26 Secrets," are unique to him.
* AnnoyingArrows: V3 get's shot with a harpoon in episode 23, pulls it out and keeps on fighting. It didn't throw him off nearly as much as when he was shot.
* AnArmAndALeg: In Episode 43, Joji Yuki's debut, he's lowered into a vat of acid by his rival, Marshall Armor. His right arm is burned off past the elbow, though before his left is lost, the Science division of Destron soldiers intervenes.
* ArtificialLimbs: After he loses his arm, Yuki is given a prosthetic that his underlings managed to smuggle out.
* BadassBookworm: Joji Yuki, former Destron scientist and creator and user of the Riderman suit. In episode 49 he manages to use his knowledge of medicine and Destron science to remove a deadly Vatal Bullet from Shiro. During the procedure Shiro was standing, holding a door closed and being knocked around by Destron soldiers trying to get in, and the operation still went off without a hitch.
* BackFromTheDead:
** TheMovie has Cannon Buffalo leading an army of old monsters.[[note]]Guillotine Saurus, Poison Needle Spider, Magnet Wild Boar, Spray Mouse, Pickel Shark, Missile Gecko, Drill Mole, Chain-Sickle Ladybug, Burner Bat, Lens Ant, Toad Boiler.[[/note]]
** A tribute to the original series, #27-28 has Doktor G preside over the revival of not just Shocker's four [[TheDragon Dragon]]s[[note]]Colonel Zol, Doctor Shinigami, Ambassador Hell and General Black.]] but four monsters[[note]]Dokudahlian, Shiomaneking, Imoriges and Unidogma.[[/note]] as well.
** The final episode has V3 making short work of revived monsters Will-o'-the Wisp Walrus, Man-Eating Banana Plant, Zombie Bat (aka Archbishop Tsubasa).

* BadBoss:
** Doktor G orders Bomb Boar to open fire on the three Riders during TheMovie, in spite of his soldiers being in the blast radius.
** Baron Tusk holds his Tusk Tribe in high regard, but that doesn't extend to the regular mooks. In one episode he kills one to demonstrate the new chemical Destron had acquired.
** Archbishop Wing demonstrates his shrinking technology on one mook, all it does is blow the guy up.
** Marshall Armor not only had Joji Yuki carted off, but then he proceeds to smash up the experiments that the other Science Division soldiers were working on for no real reason. When Chameleon unveils his new powers in episode 50, and kills two Combatmen, Marshall Armor's only expresses annoyance that they died so easily.
** The Destron leader doesn't have a whole lot of regard for his minions either. In the final episodes he [[spoiler:reveals that he was going to have Yuki killed anyway for being a liability]] and later [[spoiler:blows up one of his communication plaques to kill Marshall Armor for failing him]].
* BadSanta: Rhinoceros Tank's human form was a Santa Claus who gathered children together all to give them fruit and force them to join Destron. When they refuse, he undergoes an EvilCostumeSwitch and has black Santa robes rather than the heroic red. He also starts beating the children.

* BigDamnHeroes: A few times our hero(s) manage to make some dynamic saves
** In Episode 33, Tachibana, Junko and Shigeru are all captured by Baron Tusk, who's managed to freeze Shiro. All seems lost as he prepares to sacrifice them until [[spoiler:Hongo bursts in and rescues them, followed closely by Ichimonji]].
** In Episode 34 Shiro and [[spoiler:Hongo]] have been defeated by Smilodon and put into a transformation cancelling room. [[spoiler:Ichimonji as Rider #2]] breaks in to let them both out.
* BreakingTheBonds: Shiro's reconstruction left him with a strong durable cyborg body. He's put into chains and handcuffs a few times, and always manages to snap them with ease.
* ByThePowerOfGrayskull: Kazami uses "Henshin... V3!" to transform into the titular V3.
* ConspicuousGloves: Yuki rarely is seen without a glove on over his prosthetic hand.

* CurbstompBattle: What happened when a mutant tried to kidnap, brainwash, and marry V3's love(?) interest. He spent the better part of seven minutes simply punching the hell out of the guy through at least three different scenes.
* CuteMonsterGirl: Averted with [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kamenrider/images/a/ac/V3-vi-chainsawlizard.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120704203054 Buzzsaw Lizard]] and [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/kamenrider/images/7/7c/V3-vi-primordialtiger.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120704203615 Primordial Tiger]]. Both look the same as the male monsters: guys in freaky rubber suits.
* DarkActionGirl: Buzzsaw-Lizard and Primordial Tiger (aka Smilodon) are female monsters who give the heroes a hard time. Smilodon even took on all three Riders.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the previous series, ''V3'' deals with the Riders going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against an enemy organization. Not to mention that the DownerBeginning shows that Shiro's entire family were ''brutally'' murdered by the first Destron Kaijin.
* DeathByFallingOver: While the monsters are usually killed by a finishing move, Magnet Boar in episode 13 charges at V3 (who dodges by accidentally falling over) overshoots him and falls off a small cliff. He then gets back up... and explodes.
* DeathByOriginStory: Shiro's family, [[spoiler: subverted with Riders 1 and 2]].
* DecoyLeader: [[spoiler:Hinted when V3 cracks open the skull of Destron's leader, revealing a tape player.]]
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: Creator/HiroshiMiyauchi (Shiro) sings the opening theme.

* DressedToHeal: The Science Destron mooks have an inverted color scheme. Whilst the soldiers have a black suit with white markings, they wear a white suit with black markings. Their masks are white in color with red markings. Often times they wear lab coats, and when Yuki was part of them he wore that uniform. He apparently kept this uniform after his HeelFaceTurn as he later uses it as a disguise to infiltrate an outpost.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Marshal Armor makes one in #40, the LastVillainStand of his predecessor.
* EpicFlail: Marshall Armor's primary weapon is a flail. Granted he never uses it as anything more than a boxing glove or mace likely for fear of damaging the prop weapon.
* EvilTwin: Riderman gets one late in the series. He actually ends up switching places with him.
* {{Expy}}: Of a sort. While most (if not all) Riders are based off of some animal or have some sort of theme, Riderman is generically based on a 'Kamen Rider'. This ties into Yuuki's [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge backstory]], and for most of his appearances during this show he is specifically fighting Marshall Armor, ''not'' Destron. That he actually gets an ''Evil Twin'' is just flat out ironic.
* EyeScream: Lens Ant's eye beams are reflected back at him in episode 11 using V3's Red Lamp power, blowing his eyes up.
* FakeCrossover: In a photocomic published in Televi Magazine, V3 gave [[Series/SpiderManJapan Spider-Man]] a helping hand in his fight against the Iron Cross Army.
* AFatherToHisMen: Baron Tusk seems to regard the Tusk Tribe this way. When Fireball-Walrus is wounded, he limps back to the Baron who cradles him as he dies. Tusk attacks V3 in rage over Fireball-Walrus and the previous monster, Skull Warthog's, death. The exception seems to be Smilodon as he considers her his superior and treats her with more reverence than paternalistic affection.

* FreeRangeChildren: The Rider Scouts. The literal one time one of their parents is seen (in the serial where the Shocker commanders come back to life), the man seems to think his son is doing his civic duty being part of a monster-hunting superhero's information network.
* FullyAbsorbedFinale: The series ends with a large unresolved plot thread, [[spoiler:Destron's leader alive and well, with the monster defeated by V3 just having a tape player inside]]. However, V3 and Riderman would return in ''Series/KamenRiderStronger'' to finish that plot thread in Stronger's own finale.
* GoodIsNotNice: Kazami has a vicious streak when it comes to Destron. (Later media tone this down a bit.)
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: In Episode 10, when Tachibana and some of the Rider Scouts are in a Destron prison, a guard makes a point to come down to give the scouts back their helmets as a mocking "final gift." Tachibana grabs him in a headlock through the bars and has the kids steal his keys.
* HandStomp: In Episode 37, Dryad-Flying-Squirrel fights Shiro on top of a slope, and manages to throw him down so Shiro's clutching at a root. The monster stomps on his hand, but seeing as they're both on the angled slope, he has to put his weight on the foot stomping Shiro. Shiro moves his hand away and the monster ends up losing his balance and tumbling down the cliff.
* HeelRealization: Riderman has a hell of a realization when he learns the truth behind Destron's actions, which lead him to say some damning words about his obliviousness…
-->'''"I've been worshipping the devil!"'''

* HeroicBystander:
** In episode 7, Professor Kawai is attacked by Knife-Armadillo. He runs into a jogger, who defends the professor and attempts to fight the monster. Though Knife-Armadillo kills him, he later expresses frustration that the jogger managed to stall him long enough for the professor to escape.
** In Episode 51 a group of hikers witness a Destron crime and are attacked. The group's leader, Nishioka Tamotsu, ops to take a pick-axe to the monster's head to give everyone else a chance to escape.
* HeroicSacrifice: Riderman stops a Pluton Rocket from hitting Tokyo by blowing it up mid-flight. While inside. [[spoiler: He gets better.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Burner-Bat likes to jump to higher trees and hang from them upside-down in order to evade attacks and to put himself in a better position to rain attacks down on his enemies. After being shot by a civilian, the bullet wound is untreated, and all of his acrobatics and upside down hangings cause him to bleed out.
* HowDoIShotWeb: V3 has 26 abilities, and since Riders 1 and 2 are apparently killed before they can tell him what they all are, V3 has to figure out what he can do all by himself.
* InterserviceRivalry: Episode 43 shows a minor one in Destron. Marshall Armor and the combat division butt heads with Jouji and the science division. Marshall Armor even tries to have the latter killed because he saw Jouji as a threat to his position.
* InvisibleParents: We see a Rider Scout's parents like once in the course of the show. Probably to avoid introducing the question of these people approving of a bunch of 11-year-olds riding around looking for very real, very dangerous villains.
* TheJuggernaut: Rhino-Tank from episodes 45-46. Marshal Armor's soldiers are all well armored, but Rhino-Tank really shines as one of the most powerful monsters, beating back Kamen Rider V3 and Riderman at different points, and being near unstoppable when charging into them. He even pushed an entire bulldozer into V3 to try and crush him against a wall, and the climax had him smash V3 through several floors of a building.
* KickTheDog: Marshall Armor framing and sentencing Joji Yuki to death because he saw the scientist as a threat to his position. All the Destron Commandants have done evil deeds but they did them for the glory of Destron, the Marshall did this for his own glory.
* LargeHam:
** Knife Armadillo rocks this trope like Van Halen. (His human form, not so much.)
** Destron's first commander, Doktor G, allows rocks this trope.

* MeatgrinderSurgery: Unlike V3's reconstruction, which was done under better circumstances, a grievously wounded Joji Yuki is converted into Riderman while inside of a storm drain by a group of renegade Destron Scientists. The team didn't want to go through with the untested procedure under the unsafe circumstances with his open wound, but Yuki managed to convince them as he was going to die anyway.

* NuclearWeaponsTaboo: Averted; in the very second episode, Riders 1 and 2 sacrifice themselves to stop a nuclear bomb planted by the Destrons from going off in the center of Tokyo.
* ObviouslyEvil: Lens-Ant's human form is a grotesquely deformed man with an obvious hunch, crooked protruding teeth, a horrific burn on half his face, and a threateningly awkward air about him. He even offers Tachibana and three Rider Scouts, some milk (which he insists they drink) and food that appears from nowhere. The four pretty easily figure out he's a monster.

* PapaWolf: In episode 15, when Dr. Okajima sees his daughter being menaced by Burner-Bat, he blasts the monster with a shotgun, making him retreat.
* PlayingWithFire: Several Destron monsters have fire based powers. Squid Fire has a flamethrower arm, Primordial Tiger, Burner Bat, and Pyre Condor have fire as a BreathWeapon.
* PoliceAreUseless: Police are seldom seen in the series, and the ones that do appear tend to zig-zag the trope.
** One Police team freely allows Shiro to walk about a crime scene to examine a dead body. Though they were disguised Combatmen looking to catch him.
** Interpol keeps tabs on them and a Destron response team was sent. They managed to defeat a few foot soldiers during a raid on an outpost and blow said outpost up. Though they later run into Doktor G who kills most of them.
** Episode 45 has Black Santa's kidnapping operation discovered by a policeman, who attacks and manages beat back an armed Destron soldier using his truncheon. Though Rhino Tank quickly kills him soon afterward.
* PoweredArmor: What the Riderman suit basically is, as Yuuki is either a unaltered human or a mook-level cyborg.
* PowerIncontinence: Shiro is hit with a Vatal Bullet in episode 49, causing him to lose control of his strength. He breaks his door handle off trying to use it, and rubbing his shoulder tears his shirt, amongst other things.
* ReligionOfEvil:
** Destron has many facets, one of which manifest as a group of cultist like Destron mooks whose uniform consists of long black robes and pointed face obscuring hoods. They treat Destron as their religion.
** The Fang Tribe all practice magic in a cult like group worshipping Doovoo. Baron Tusk implies that the Witch Smilodon was their founder.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Kazami's entire career as V3 is this, as is Yuuki's career as Riderman, but for different reasons. Kazami is hunting all of Destron, while Yuuki simply has beef with Marshal Armor and (until just prior to his HeroicSacrifice) considers himself a loyal member of Destron.

* SinisterMinister:
** In the first episode, Scissors-Jaguar takes the form of a priest to make himself less suspicious, before dropping the act and acting like an evil preacher.
** In episode 17, Spray-Rat finds and kills a local priest before taking on his form in order to lure in an unsuspecting couple to kill with a toxin. As the priest he's prone to evil bouts of laughter, sadistic banter, and general creepiness.
** There's also a division of religious Destron Mooks who wear black robes and pointed hoods. They treat Destron like a ReligionOfEvil, perform a threatening funeral for Rider 1, and help oversee an evil marriage between Drill-Mole and Junko.
* SomethingPerson: Riderman is a rare example of a Kamen Rider playing this trope.
* StalkerWithACrush: The human that would become Drill-Mole. He's either Junko's stalker or a very pushy ex-boyfriend. As Drill-Mole he attempts to force her into a wedding... of evil.
* StuffedIntoTheFridge: Kazami's family.
* TagalongKid: The Rider Scouts tend to fill this role. Whichever one is involved with the monster of the week's schemes, or reports the action hangs around the gang while they solve the mystery. Junko's brother Shigeru is the most recurring.
* TrainingFromHell: Practically any time V3 loses a fight, he turns to Tachibana Tobei. Who... Well. Trains him in ways that involve motorcycle racing, machine guns, taking shots from a wrecking ball...
* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Very much averted. Shiro Kazami frequently has to move to higher or safer ground and restart his transformation.