Summary

  • Kamen Riders have unique growth arcs facing adversity for character development.
  • Each Kamen Rider series introduces protagonists with varying levels of power and abilities.
  • The article highlights key Riders like Cronus, Genm, and Kuuga for their unique abilities and powers.

Every Kamen Rider is often a protagonist on a mission to save the world against impending doom, with their one-man task rather tricky compared to a team of Power Rangers who can use the power of friendship and their Zords to protect Earth. This distinction is intended, however, as unlike Power Rangers and even their Super Sentai counterparts, a Kamen Rider’s story usually centers around a person coming out of adversity as a better individual.

With more than 35 series under the Kamen Rider slate, this journey to overcome hardship has resulted in Kamen Rider protagonists having alternate forms, super forms, and even final forms to demonstrate their character’s growth. However, which among Kamen Rider protagonists proves to be much stronger than their other series counterparts?

Updated on April 1, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Kamen Rider Gavv being quite the perfect Kamen Rider series for sweet-tooths with its snack-themed premise, fans of the tokusatsu franchise might be wondering how this gummy-themed main Rider would fare against the rest of the franchise’s heavy-hitters. While Gavv is still far from revealing the eponymous Kamen Rider’s final form, other Kamen Riders in the series are already positioning themselves as the most powerful among the bunch. Some contenders for the title include a sentient AI who practically controls machines, one that has complete control over magnetism, and even a being more powerful than one that generates entire black holes.

27 Kamen Rider Ark-One

A Form Born Of Hatred

Kamen Rider Ark-One

First Appearance

Zero-One, Episode 44

Real Name

Ark, Aruto Hiden

Powerset

Disabling Malicious Shockwaves, AI Reprogramming, Malicious Power

Weakness

Emotional Instability, Unpredictable Programming

When tragedy strikes Aruto Hiden in the events of Kamen Rider Zero-One, he seeks revenge against the MetsubouJinrai.net using the Ark-One Progrisekey in the exclusive Ark Driver-Zero. This allows the villainous super-intelligence Ark to tap into Aruto’s full potential as its host, turning this form into a more powerful corrupted version of the Zero-One armor. Interestingly enough, this is also considered the final form of Ark-Zero, which is Ark outside cyberspace.

Despite technically being less powerful than Zero-Two and Horobi Ark Scorpion, Kamen Rider Ark-One has interesting abilities that may counter other Kamen Riders. For instance, Ark-One can use malicious energy shockwaves to disable other Riders and use Ark’s advanced AI capabilities to affect AI-based technology - spelling trouble for Kamen Riders who rely on tech to function. However, Ark-One does possess major weaknesses - notably, Aruto’s emotional instability making him harder to control, and unpredictable programming that Ark cannot anticipate.

26 Kamen Rider Ultimate Revi And Vice

Twin Powers Of Magnetism

Kamen Rider Ultimate Revi And Vice

First Appearance

Revice, Episode 38

Real Name

Ikki Igarashi, Vice

Powerset

Magnetism, Duplication

Weakness

Memory Loss, Power Decrease

When Ikki Igarashi and Vice use the Side N and S of the Giffard Rex Vistamp into the Revice Driver, they each transform into the “Ultimate” versions of their main Rider forms. This resulting Kamen Rider Ultimate Revi and Vice form is even much stronger than their eponymous fused Kamen Rider Revice mode. Unfortunately, Ikki’s fights as Kamen Rider Revi means slowly losing his memories of Vice, and “fighting” without Vice will significantly diminish his abilities.

Such a caveat can be quite the disadvantage, considering how powerful Ultimate Revi and Vice are. Both of their forms represent magnetism itself, with both Riders capable of switching between their poles to manipulate energy in different ways. The duo can create magnetic barriers to shield themselves from attacks or even repel each other to gain bursts of speed and amplify their attack power. They may even use the Vistamp to create clones of themselves. Their only “limitation” here would be their control of just one aspect of the universe’s fundamental forces, making them rather weak compared to other reality manipulators.

25 Kamen Rider CycloneJokerXTreme

Access To All The World’s Knowledge

Kamen Rider CycloneJokerXTreme

First Appearance

Kamen Rider W

Real Name

Shotaro Hidari, Philip

Powerset

Access to True Gaia Memory, Omniscience, Supreme Speed

Weakness

General Lack of Strength, Time Travel

When Kamen Rider Double accesses this CycloneJokerXtreme form, they essentially gain access to the infinite knowledge of the true Gaia Memory - revealed to be Earth’s consciousness itself. While not confirmed to have any special powers about other Gaia Memories, the Xtreme mode specializes in speed and memory retrieval. Its affinity with the wind means CycloneJokerXtreme has one of the best top speeds among Riders, and Philip’s previous access to the true Gaia Memory means the Xtreme form can near-instantaneously access any information from the past and the future and use it to help him in combat. Depending on how much of this information he can access, the Xtreme mode could theoretically grab data about other Kamen Riders to figure out how to defeat them. This could be outmatched by Kamen Riders Ark-One, Zero-Three or even Zein - all of which have a foundation built on artificial intelligence. Moreover, despite this form’s speed, its strength isn’t a dominating factor, as its closest rival - Kamen Rider Eternal - seems to only be able to level cities. Moreover, the form isn’t seen to have any capabilities of stopping time, potentially leaving it vulnerable to temporal effects.

24 Kamen Rider Killbus

A Villain Supposedly More Powerful Than A Black Hole Creator

Kamen Rider Killbus

First Appearance

Build NEW WORLD: Kamen Rider Cross-Z

Real Name

Killbus

Powerset

Blood Tribe Physiology, Shapeshifting, Gene Infusion, Fullbottle Creation

Weakness

Aggression, Overpowering his Regeneration

Fans of Dragon Ball are familiar with the “Cooler Moment” - describing how a formidable threat like Frieza is made even more foreboding at the arrival of his elder brother Cooler who wanted to defeat the same people who killed his brother. In Kamen Rider Build, this came in the form of Kamen Rider Killbus - the supposed elder brother of Evolto from the Blood Tribe. Hellbent on universal destruction, Killbus traveled to Earth after realizing that Evolto had stolen the Pandora’s Box.

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Despite being quite the underwhelming villain, Killbus was positioned to be an overwhelming threat: he’s supposed to be more powerful than the black hole-creating Evolto, and seems to be capable of consuming entire planets. He can infuse his genes into objects to control them, mimic any humanoid, turn his body into liquid, and even create his own Fullbottles. The only way he’s defeated is through the fusion of Build’s Banjo and Evolto himself and overwhelming his regenerative capabilities. While much of his powerset isn’t revealed in the film, the mere implication of having bested Evolt for quite some time meant Killbus is at least a galaxy-level threat. It only took overpowering his regenerative capabilities to truly kill him - a feat that could be difficult to pull off should another Rider have to face Killbus while the latter possesses his own army and would prefer using strategy instead of mere aggression.

23 Kamen Rider Ziin

A Gravity Master Supporting Ace Behind The Scenes

Kamen Rider Ziin

First Appearance

Episode 16

Real Name

Ziin

Powerset

Gravity Manipulation, Expert Gunslinger

Weakness

Nowhere near the physical capabilities to maximize his skillset

Originally introduced as an audience member of the Desire Grand Prix, Ziin eventually reveals himself as one of Ace’s Supporters - mostly due to how he’s looking forward to Ace maintaining his status as the “undefeated” champion of the game. As a Supporter, Ziin has a limited degree of reality manipulation with his Design Ability. Upon the revelation that he’s come from the future, Ziin has some degree of hindsight on events that will happen to him and others, although he hasn’t used these abilities to their fullest.

Soon, Ziin is revealed to possess a Laser Raise Riser and transform into Kamen Rider Ziin. In this form, Ziin is able to manipulate gravity - specifically the vectors of energy and matter. With this ability, Ziin can technically manipulate the gravity around himself and cause feats such as being able to walk on walls. However, a more interesting application of this ability is to change the direction and trajectory of attacks, technically making him capable of auto-dodging hits. The physical nature of his ability limits his capabilities against more powerful Riders.

22 Kamen Rider Solomon

The Manifestation Of A Force Of Destruction

Kamen Rider Solomon

First Appearance

Kamen Rider Saber: The Phoenix Swordsman and the Book of Ruin

Real Name

Isaac

Powerset

Master Logos Title, Almighty Book Fragment, Clairvoyance, Teleportation, Energy Manipulation, Slowed Aging

Weakness

Ankouken Kurayami, Strong-Willed Wonder Ride Book Users

Originally introduced as the hooded Master Logos in charge of protecting humanity and the Almighty Book from the Megid, Isaac witnessing humanity’s perpetual conflicts had made him cynical - wanting to obtain the full Almighty Book to destroy the world and reshape a new one in his image. Isaac’s manipulative nature had led to many of the events - and tragedies - in Kamen Rider Saber, all designed for him to meet his goals.

When he finally receives the Omni Force Wonder Ride Book, he transforms into Kamen Rider Solomon. This form adds even more abilities to Isaac’s powersets of clairvoyance, teleportation, and energy manipulation. As the manifestation of all Wonder Ride Books, Kamen Rider Solomon can possess and even command the bodies of Wonder Ride Holders to do his bidding. Not only that, but such is his destructive power that he can reduce cities to rubble when uninterrupted. Despite his power, however, Kamen Rider Solomon can be sealed by the Ankouken Kurayami, revealing a large flaw in his powerset.

21 Kamen Rider Doom Geats

A Cynical Ace From The Future

Doom Geats

First Appearance

Kamen Rider Geats: Jyamato Awakening

Real Name

Ace Ukiyo

Powerset

God of Genesis Physiology, Nigh-Omnipotence, Reality Warping, Temporal Immunity

Weakness

Paradoxical Interaction

While it’s implied that Ace Ukiyo has had many forms throughout the Desire Grand Prix iterations, the Future Ace is among the more cynical and pessimistic versions. Having realized that humanity cannot be trusted with their own destiny, he decides to travel in the past to take control. Taking the form of a golden Kamen Rider Doom Geats, Future Ace possesses all his Present Self’s powers and then some - such as being able to create pocket dimensions and even bind other Gods of Genesis with his powers. Despite his powerset, however, Doom Geats has a glaring flaw by virtue of his timeline.

Although Kamen Rider Doom Geats doesn’t technically have a weakness, this Future Ace’s existence in the future and willingness to interact with his Present Self is indicative of a paradoxical interaction. It’s hinted in Future Ace’s origins that he hasn’t encountered himself as his Present Self. This means Future Ace’s forced interaction with Present Ace opens an undetermined path for the latter to have a different future - technically opening up the possibility of defeating him.

20 Kamen Rider Cronus

Controls Time In Game Areas

Kamen Rider Cronus

First Appearance

Ex-Aid, Episode 32

Real Name

Dan Masamune

Powerset

Game Programming, Chronokinesis

Weakness

Affects in-game only

Who better to possess the powers of the strongest Bug Buster in Kamen Rider Ex-Aid than its creator? Compared to the other Bug Busters, Dan Masamune reserved the best tech for his usage, as his transformation into Kamen Rider Cronus practically gives him control over time. This makes him powerful enough to defeat all other Riders save for Ex-Aid’s plot armor, courtesy of the Muteki Gamer form.

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3

Sans Ex-Aid’s protagonist powers in the tokusatsu show, Kamen Rider Cronus’s strength only applies within fights in Game Areas, as his temporal manipulation only affects these areas. Destroying the clock that appears behind him also cancels out his temporal abilities.

19 Kamen Rider Genius Build

Use All Fullbottles With His Genius Intellect

Kamen Rider Genius Build

First Appearance

Build, Episode 1

Real Name

Sento Kiryu

Powerset

Use all Fullbottles, Quick Countermeasure Conceptualization, Counter Evol’s Gene Liquification

Weakness

Mostly used for Purification

The setting of Kamen Rider Build is in a version of Japan divided by the impenetrable Sky Wall, with the physicist Sento Kiryu and prison escapee Ryuga Banjo recruited by the government to investigate its origins as well as uncover the mystery of the elusive Pandora Box. As Kamen Riders Build, Kiryu combines Fullbottles to achieve forms that possess multiple powers.

However, Kiryu can use all the abilities of the main Fullbottles in the series when he transforms into Kamen Rider Genius Build. While not necessarily OP in scope, this final form highlights Kiryu’s genius-level intellect as he can formulate strategies and countermeasures against foes with a Fullbottle ready to execute them. Although one can argue that Genius couldn’t defeat Build’s final villain, just the fact that Genius can contend against him means the form is at base capable of fighting otherworldly threats.

18 Kamen Rider Evol

Alien Lifeform Who Can Manipulate Matter, Spacetime

Kamen Rider Evol

First Appearance

Build, Episode 47

Real Name

Evolto

Powerset

Superhuman Physique, Matter Manipulation, Immortality (Gene Liquification), Spacetime Manipulation

Weakness

Genius Fullbottle can stop Gene Liquification

The story of Kamen Rider Build eventually unravels its final villain, Evolto, an alien from Planet Blood whose use of Pandora’s Box allows his Blood Tribe to consume worlds for their energy. By the time it’s revealed that Evol was behind most of Build’s major events, it’s already too late: he’s already become Kamen Rider Evol, with stages that also evolve his powersets. However, Evol is powerful even pre-transformation, as he already possesses superhuman physiology, some degree of matter manipulation, teleportation, and even gene liquefication to ensure his survival.

While Evol has a second final form with Cross-Zevol and an upcoming extra final form in Outsiders via Evol X, Kamen Rider Evol is best known for its Black Hole phase. This “actualized” appearance of Evol is supposedly powerful enough to wipe humankind but refuses to do so out of his amusement. At this point, Kamen Rider Evol goes full cosmic horror, as he can manipulate actual black holes that can eradicate his enemies. Genius Build wasn’t powerful enough to defeat this form of Evol, requiring the support of the other Riders and a few MacGuffins to erase Evol from existence.