Shocker

►Kamen Rider, 1971, Episodes #1~79
►Go Go Kamen Rider, 1971
►Kamen Rider vs. Shocker, 1972
►Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell, 1972

Enemy Group Intro

Here it is, the first, the most famous, and as some (including me) would say, the best Rider Enemy Group of all. Shocker, the
secret, subversive society hell-bent on world conquest, set the standard for which all other enemy groups would follow in one way
or another. Whether they would apply the Shocker formula down to the finest detail (Gelshocker, Destron) or take a more
abstract approach (Geddon, Black Satan) all enemy groups would follow in the big bird's footsteps. And even the villains of the
current Riders owe something to Shocker; the identical, status-defining belt buckles, the animal-based monsters, the overseeing
"commanders"– it's all still there, if not immediately recognizable, at least in an underlying sense. Simply put, all the Kamen Riders'
enemies are really continuations of Shocker, either in form or spirit. If you need any more proof of how cool Shocker is, guess
who returns in (and basically owned) Kamen Rider THE FIRST? You guessed it– Shocker!

Okay, enough Shocker-obsessed fan babble. Shocker is the result of a ton of evil characters from across the globe, primarily ex-
Nazis, mad scientists, paramilitary groups, and a whole lot of other nasty guys, being brought together by a mysterious entity
known only as "The Leader of Shocker" or sometimes "Shocker Leader", "High Shocker", or simply "The Boss". The true form
and whereabouts of this Leader is a secret to even the highest-ranking Shocker members. Anyway, all these evil dudes join under
one roof, and the result is Shocker, a secretive organization which seeks to dominate the entire world and subjugate humanity.
They plan to do so with an army of cyborg (Kaizô-Ningen) warriors, mutations created from human and animal/plant matter
through mysterious, advanced scientific methods, as well as a seemingly limitless army of loyal henchmen, the Shocker
Combatants.

And nothing stands in their way, at least until they make the mistake of turning average joes Hongô Takeshi and Ichimonji Hayato
into Kamen Rider 1 & Kamen Rider 2. Of course, they didn't plan on their would-be-cronies being allowed to escape before they
could get them on the team of evil. But it doesn't really matter, because they still have tons of other evil mutant cyborgs (referred
to as Kaijin, which is literally "strange/mysterious person") and are always cooking up more. Not to mention an entire legion of
bizarre and colorful agents, scientists, soldiers and commanders, many of whom aren't exactly regular humans themselves.

Name: Shocker
(Shokkaa)

Leader: The Leader of
Shocker

Major Officers:
-Colonel Zol
-Doctor Shinigami
-Ambassador Hell

Henchmen: Shocker
Combatants (many
variations, see list)

Mutant Agenda:
Shocker Kaijin are
based on animals,
plants, and the
occasional oddity such
as mummies, magma,
and mold.

Enemies: Kamen 1,
Kamen Rider 2,
Tachibana Tôbei, Taki
Kazuya, The Rider
Girls, the Shônen
Riders

Best Smackdown:

While they may not
score any major kills on
the good guys' side,
Shocker does have
some serious staying
power; they last longer
than some other evil
groups combined.

On a more personal
level, Colonel Zol
totally owns everybody
in his first episode, and
Doctor Shinigami pulls
one of the sneakiest
getaways ever in
episode #47.

Biggest Goof: They
capture Hongô again,
and make all sorts of
upgrades, all before
doing the evil brain
surgery, which means
Hongô (who allowed
himself to be captured)
escapes. Whoops.

Enemy Group Major Officers

Under the Leader of Shocker, there are 3 high-ranking Shocker Major Officers (Shokkaa No Dai Kanbu) who are transferred
to Japan from various Shocker branches around the world in an effort to help rid the group of those meddling Riders and
company. Combined with the lone Gelshocker commandant Black Shôgun, they make up, in my opinion, some of the best Rider
villains ever.

Colonel Zol (Zoru Taisa)
Played by Miyaguchi Jirô

The first multiple-episode-surviving villain aside from the Leader of Shocker,
Colonel Zol, the very first Shocker Major Officer, arrives on the scene from
Shocker's Middle East Branch in episode #26, right in the middle of
Ichimonji's turn as Kamen Rider. Despite little fanfare (he wasn't even
mentioned in the episode's title and is barely shown in the preview) the
Colonel was an instant hit, pulling off one of the most evil schemes ever:
impersonating Taki Kazuya and framing him for beating up a bunch of cops,
as well as attempting to kill Ichimonji Hayato. If you've been following the
series so far, you know that messing with both these guys means war.

As you can probably guess, Colonel Zol is formerly of the Third Reich (he
hails from Leipzig, Germany) but it's clear he has pledged allegiance to
Shocker now. Zol is almost never without his eagle-headed stick thingie
(riding crop) that he whacks people in the face with. He also carries a
German Luger pistol, but never uses it until his dynamic return in Kamen
Rider V3. The Colonel is especially recognizable by his eye patch (which
apparently is just for show, as he can see out of both eyes when he was
impersonating Taki) He's a first-rate master of disguise, but only displays this
talent on two real occasions.

Although he usually hangs around at the Shocker base-of-the-week, orchestrating events like the highly skilled, cold-hearted
military tactician that he is, Zol gets in on the frontline in his first appearance, and whups our heroes good. In episode #32, he flips
out and kicks the stuffing out of Ichimonji, proving he's far from being all talk.

Colonel Zol appears to be wearing a different uniform in some episodes. This is because those ones were filmed before the
episodes where he has the outfit shown here, and when actually broadcast on TV, the order was changed, so it appears the
Colonel has a sense of style (or a really big wardrobe.) Or maybe that's not the real reason, but I like to think he has some style.
He sure imparts it on others– he's always reprimanding unlucky Shocker Combatants to keep their belt buckles straight.

Zol reigns supreme until episode #39. Ichimonji & the crew foil his "Operation: Wolf Virus", and Zol is forced to show his true
colors: he transforms into the Kaijin Ookami-Otoko (Ookami = Wolf). Despite putting up a good fight, he goes down (or rather
up) in flames at the hands of Rider 2 (via a Rider Punch). To add insult to injury, the whole thing happens on Christmas Eve when
Shocker is throwing its annual evil Christmas Party (I kid you not) and prior to the fight, all of Zol's fellow ex-Nazi friends who
arrived via a complex secretive invitation plan are crushed to death by the exploding base. That'll teach 'em. Next!

Doctor Shinigami (Shinigami Hakase)
Played by Amamoto Hideyo (aka Amamoto Eisei)

Soon after Colonel Zol's explosive demise, the next Shocker Officer is
introduced in episode #40. Doctor Shinigami (Shinigami can mean either
"Reaper" or more literally, "Death-God"), the gravel-voiced, Dracula-like
scientist arrives in Japan from one of Shocker's European branches in
Switzerland along with the Kaijin Snowman (he's a yeti, people, give him a
break!), and his introduction also marks the return of Hongô Takeshi/Kamen
Rider 1 to the show, in a series of guest appearances before his complete
return as the star in episode #53. You see, while Ichimonji was going toe-toe
with Zol, Hongô had been doing a tour de force of Shocker Europe,
knocking down the bad guy bases like dominoes, until there's nothing left to
do but follow Shinigami back home.

Dark, menacing, & twisted, the good Doctor is one imposing dude. He is
never without his big red & black cape, which contrasts starkly with the
off-white suit he has on underneath. Shinigami carries around a small golden
cane often used for pointing to maps or on some occasions, whacking people
in the face. Numerous sources also state it also converts to a whip capable of
giving out nasty electric shocks on command.

Shinigami is Shocker's self-described "Kaizô-Ningen Expert", and is in fact responsible for many of Shocker's mutant creations as
well as pioneering the whole cybernetic surgery thing to begin with. He dabbles in the occult from time to time, mixing it with super
science to get deadly results for humanity. Shinigami is also a master of hypnotism, and with poor lighting & two candles he can
make anyone do his bidding. On one occasion, he manages to hypnotize Taki Kazuya only long enough to escape, while on other
occasions, primary parts of his plans have revolved around taking control of someone's will.

Shinigami is more of a behind-the-scenes type than even Colonel Zol. He spends some episodes plotting world conquest from a
wheelchair in the Shocker base of the week, although it's not because he needs it. Rather, he wants to fool people into thinking
he's just a weak old man: he's actually still quite spry, and in episode #52, he takes on Hongô Takeshi himself with a big sickle!
Yikes! Doctor Shinigami is, in fact, originally from Tokyo, Japan, and was only on duty at the Shocker Switzerland Branch (just
as the German-born Zol was doing his desk work at the Middle East Branch). Shinigami's back story also involves trekking it to
Germany, where he probably had some brewskies with Zol while discussing world domination. But I figure he must have at least
spent some time in Transylvania.

Shinigami escapes to South America at the end episode #52, and is pursued by Kamen Rider 2. He returns to Japan (and the
show) in episode #61 with his latest creation, Namazugiller, and again in #63 to torment poor Hongô some more, before making
his final appearance in #68, where he turns into the Kaijin Ikadevil (Ika = Cuttlefish or Squid). Able to withstand the might of the
Rider Kick, the evil cephalopod is finally brought down after a long brawl by the Rider Kirimomi Shoot. Boom!

The late, great Amamoto's role as Doctor Shinigami yielded perhaps the most famous (and by many, best-loved) Kamen Rider
villain of all time, and it has been said more people recognized him as Doctor Shinigami than as actor Amamoto Hideyo! Now
that's leaving an impression. Amamoto is also well-known to fans outside Japan for playing eccentric oddball characters in many
of Toho's monster movies. And if you want one more reason why Shinigami is still #1, Amamoto even made a special posthumous
"digital" appearance in Kamen Rider THE FIRST, playing– who else? Doctor Shinigami!

Ambassador Hell (Jigoku Taishi)
Played by Ushio Kenji

Introduced in episode #53, Ambassador Hell (or Hell Ambassador, either
works) hailed from San Francisco, California, in the United States, and his
back story (greatly fleshed out in Kamen Rider Spirits) includes dabbling in
twisted alchemy, helping to spur on the conflict in Southeast Asia along with
his twin brother (future Ambassador Darkness, also played by Ushio), and
somehow getting that funky Egyptian-looking bug outfit as well as how he
hooked up with Shocker. As vainglorious and proud as them come, Hell
Ambassador was the most outgoing of the Shocker officers, never passing up
a chance to take on Kamen Rider himself, though he doesn't go all-out until
his final appearance in episode #79.

As I mentioned, Amabassador Hell has one of the strangest wardrobes of
any Rider villain. I mean look at him! The Ambassador carries around a small
whip, which– you guessed it– he sometimes uses to whack people in the face
with. His other iron-clawed hand is also great for whacking people (or the
occasional unlucky Kaijin) around. Ambassador Hell also has the distinction
of having his own personalized Shocker Belt Buckle of Honor.

He has a nasty temper, and is fond of yelling at everyone and everything. Ambassador Hell greets the returning Doctor Shinigami
in episode #61, and sits out episodes #63 and #68.

In episode #79, after repeated failures, the Shocker Leader cooks up a last-ditch effort to get rid of Kamen Rider once and for
all. This involves making it appear Ambassador Hell has betrayed Shocker by alerting Kamen Rider 1 to the monster
Garagaranda's plans. Shocker stages an elaborate execution, and even invites Hongô to attend. Of course, the big H and friends
have since planned to rescue him and turn his knowledge against Shocker. While they do save him before he loses his head
(literally) Hell reveals his true colors– HE is actually Garagaranda, (Garagarahebi = Rattlesnake)– and he captures everyone
except Hongô and Taki, who stage an all-out battle royale with the villains in this cool desert location. Garagaranda is defeated by
Kamen Rider 1, and reverts back to Ambassador Hell, who dies dramatically. His immortal final words: "Shocker Army...
Banzai!"

Enemy Group Henchmen, Science Personnel & Agents

Shocker Combatants (Shokkaa Sentôin)

Hey, you can't take over the world if you don't have an army of
henchmen, can you? The Shocker Combatants (or Shocker
Legionnaires/Shocker Soldiers) are just that. It's never really
explained where all these guys come from, but most everyone agrees
they were humans who joined Shocker and have been given minor
reconstructive conditioning to give them their cool powers (like
better-than-avarege senses and teleportation, etc.) But one thing is
certain; there sure are a lot of them.

While the Combatants don't pose too much of a threat to the Kamen Riders and friends on their own, they tend to team up and
use strength in numbers to overwhelm the good guys (which doesn't really work too well either.) Basically, they're fodder for both
the heroes and episodic Kaijin. Many a Shocker Combatant has died a horrible, gooey death by accidentally getting in the way of
their superiors' acid spray/fire blast/electric beam/poison dart/killer grip/what have you. In general, the Shocker Combatants (and
subsequently most Rider Series henchmen) get it a lot easier than henchmen in some other Tokusatsu shows, but they are still
considered "expendable" by all the higher-rankers.

Throughout the series the Shocker Combatants are armed with knives, swords, chains, staffs, vines, squirt guns, and a wide
variety of other weapons. They are trained in assorted tasks, from guard duty, to recon, to just being this episode's wheelman.

The different types of Shocker Combatants include:

-Black Early Type: Episodes #1~5, #8. Several varieties, depending on the face paint and sound effects (relating to the Kaijin
of the episode). Wear berets. Also have a patch denoting what Kaijin they serve under on their chests.

-Red Early Type: Episodes #1~5, #8. Ditto to above, though these guys are slightly higher-ranking, denoted by the red
markings on their uniforms. Usually one or two of them show up with a group of the regular ones.

-Eye Mask Type: Episodes #6~7, #9~13, the first movie. Basically like the Black Early type, but with half-face covering masks.
Some sub-variations among them as well, based on the episodic Kaijin.

-Red Eye Mask Type: Episodes #6~7, #9~13, the first movie. (Also a guest appearance in #14.) Ditto again, and like the Red
Early types, they are slightly higher on the food chain.

-Black Full Mask Type 1: Episodes #14~39. The Shocker Combatants trade in berets, face paint and eye masks for full-head
covering wrestling masks. All of this type also wore the different Kaijin patches each episode, on their heads (Colonel Zol also
wears one of these patches on his uniform on some occasions). They also really began what is identified as the Shocker
Combatant sound effect, a high squeaky "Iiii!" (Earlier types had different sound effects in different episodes.)

-Black Full Mask Type 2: Episodes #40~52. Like the above guys, but rather than having a different patch for each Kaijin, in
some episodes they just sport the white Shocker eagle emblem. In others, they have Kaijin-specific patches (again, filming order
at work, as the episodes with the Shocker logo-patched guys were filmed later but in some cases broadcast earlier than the
others.)

-Red Full Mask Type: Episodes #14~52. You can figure out how these guys worked into the big picture. Also wear patches
on their heads, either individualized ones for the monster-of-the-week, or a red version of the good ol' Mean Eagle.

-Skeleton Type: Episodes #53~80, the second two movies. The iconic Shocker troop, like the Black Full Mask Type, but with
a skeletal "rib cage" design on their chests. Also, all of them sport the white Shocker emblem on their heads.

Other sub-groups worth mentioning:

-Female Type: Episodes #1 & #3. Shocker's femme fatales only get to show up twice, which is too bad because they have a
very creepy laugh, and those poison dart shooter rings are just cool. It's also worth noting that they wear fishnet stockings, so you
know they're bad girls. In the first episode, it's a motorcycle-riding gang of these gals that get Hongô mixed up in the whole thing
to begin with. The henchmen in episode #8 make female yells and screams, though they are clearly male stunt guys.

-African Branch: Episode #49. Look just like the Black Full Mask Type 2 (Shocker emblem patch), but also sport a spiffy new
red skull & cross-like patch on their chest. And, coming from the jungles of Africa along with Isoginchack, they are trained in
using poison dart blowers. Yeah, I know those are probably more commonly associated with the jungles of South America, but
hey– Raiders of the Lost Ark hasn't come out yet back in 1972, so give Shocker a break, huh?

-Switzerland Branch: Episode #67. Wondering why there aren't any more "Red" types after episode #52? Apparently the Swiss
Branch (Still smarting from Hongô's time abroad) needed all their uniforms. These guys are essentially the "Red Skeleton Type",
with both the usual higher-ranking red-marked costume and the skeleton design of the Skeleton Type. They cruise around in a
souped-up VW Beetle in the Swiss Alps, and clue in Girizames to the location of the ill-fated Pierre Andre, one of Taki's FBI
buddies.

-The Shocker Murderous Rider Team: Many episodes. The official name for the motorcycle-riding goon-squad that appears
in numbers as small as 3 and larger than 20. They really didn't seem to get the high end of the Shocker budget, as their
motorcycles tend to explode like Pintos, and it's questionable how much experience they have, as they crash into each other a lot.
At least they get neat Shocker license plates!

Shocker Scientists (Shokkaa Kagakusha)

In addition to the regular, fighting Combatants, Shocker has a vast number of scientists, some willing volunteers, others normally
good-natured scientists forced to work for Shocker. In general the innocent, captured guys get to wear regular lab coats or keep
their civies. As for the evil dudes...

-Early Type: Episodes #1~52, the first movie. Many, many sub-variations, but in general they all wear white robes with big
sleeves and decorative hats. Sometimes they also have painted faces, sometimes they wear surgical masks, etc.

-White Skeleton Type: Episodes #52~80, the second two movies. Like the Skeleton Type, but with reversed colors (black on
white).

Shocker Specialists (Shokkaa Supesharisuto)

Prior to the introduction of Colonel Zol, Shocker occasionally brings in a special agent to aid the episodic Kaijin. The most
famous among these are Doctor Heinrich, an ex-Nazi and one of the founding Shocker members (episodes #6~7); Doctor
Ayokoji Ritsuko, a biologist brought in to oversee the revival of Cobra-Otoko (episode #10); the mysterious woman Maya and
Hurricane Joe, a Shocker Kaijin trainer who helm Pirazaurus's wrestling fiasco (episodes #16~17.) These guys and gals tend to
have horrible, horrible demises: Doctor Heinrich gets a sword in the arm (which then gets stuck in a tree); Doctor Ayokaji gets
roasted alive by a newly-revived Cobra-Otoko when she gets on the Shocker Leader's bad side; Maya gets accidentally gassed
by Pirazaurus, and Hurricane Joe is beaten into submission by Taki off-screen. That'll learn 'em all. Post-Zol, there are occasional
Shocker agents that help out, like the creepy guy in black in episode #30 who jumps out of the bushes and sets loose Zanburonzo
on people, and they usually suffer similar fates. Lesson learned: if you're not the Leader, a Major Officer or a Kaijin...you're pretty
much expendable. That's one rule that never seems to change from here on out.

Enemy Group Leader

Leader of Shocker (Shokkaa no Shuryô)
Voiced by Naya Gorô

The Big Kahuna behind it all, the Leader's true form remains a secret throughout
Shocker's reign. In fact, it's such a big secret, no one but the boss himself knows what
he really looks like! He goes on to lead the next group, Gelshocker, which is really a
direct continuation of Shocker.

We do get a shadowy sneak peek at the big guy in episode #34, and a more up-close
view in episode #67. But we won't see him clearly until the final episode, #98.

The Leader speaks to his minions via a flashing wall ornament that resembles an
eagle. There are two types, Type 1 seen in episodes #2~52 (and seen here), and
Type 2 seen in episodes #53~79. The latter is a more angular, golden bird. There is
also this weird fuzzy ball thing the Leader uses in episode #3, and a creepy,
skull-covered cross that resides in the Shocker Graveyard (seen in episode #66.)

The light which flashes when the Leader speaks often comes in different colors, which I like to think depends on how the base's
interior decorators were feeling at the time.

All-knowing and all-seeing, the boss is always blowing the heroes' cover when they sneak into the outposts and is also apparently
able to communicate beyond the walls of the Shocker outposts: in at least two different episodes eerie green light fills the room
and the boss's booming voice is heard (in one truly magical moment he gets Hongô and Tachibana to look around as if he were
actually there with them.)

Something interesting to consider: aside from Tachibana Tôbei, The Leader of Shocker is the only character in the first Kamen
Rider series to get his name listed in the credits for every single episode. You could get away with saying that the story of Kamen
Rider is really about a power-hungry, world-conquering incarnation of evil itself, and a guy who owns a motorcycle racing team
and a coffee shop.

Enemy Group Wrap-Up

Shocker essentially dies along with Ambassador Hell. When the buggy guy goes up in a fireball at the end of episode #79, the
Leader of Shocker bids our heroes a sneering farewell, and the Shocker Eagle communicator thing blows up in a million chunky
pieces. Of course, we know that he ain't going anywhere; the same dude helms the upcoming Gelshocker group, the official
continuation of Shocker, which makes its first objective in Japan to wipe out all the remaining Shocker scientists and henchmen
who are no longer useful to the new group. At least they had some respect in waiting until all the important people (Officers,
Kaijin) were already long gone!

The Shocker logo, which is apparently supposed to be an Eagle, is definitely one cranky-looking evil bird. Notice how on the logo
(which is the same as the "Shocker Belt Buckles of Honor" as I call them) the bird sits atop the world, giving true meaning to the
phrase "claws of evil covering the world". Still the best!

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