Kamen Rider Episode 13!

   
    Well, this is it.  The last Hongo episode for a while.  Don't worry, he'll be back.  Next episode is the debut of Hayato Ichimonji, Kamen Rider Number 2!
    However, we're losing Ruriko this episode, too.  Her disappearance is mentioned briefly in the coming episodes, but it's hardly a proper send-off for the character.  I'll really miss her, she was my favorite supporting cast member next to Tachibana.  If anybody knows the behind the scenes reason why she left, let us know!
    Also, this episode is the official debut of Taki, and he finally joins the show as a regular cast member.  Check out the trivia at the bottom of this post for some pretty cool background on Agent Taki Kazuya.

     If you've been putting off watching this show until we're "done," you should actually take this opportunity to watch the first 13 episodes.  They represent a story arc that's fairly self contained, and has a pretty neat and tidy ending.  The next arc focuses on Rider 2's story, and after another 13 episodes a new arc will begin.

Kamen Rider Episode 13:
MKV
Script
AVI

Some trivia about this episode:

If you think this episode looks familiar, that's because it was released in theaters as the first Kamen Rider movie.  It's identical to this episode, just cropped for widescreen projection.  Ironically, the TV version seems much more cinematic than the theatrical edit.  It's a boss-rush, Kamen Rider versus every Cyborg monster he's faced so far, and one strangely out-of-place new threat.

Lizardron's human form, Ken Nomoto, is played by Shinzo Hotta.  You might recognize him as General Monster, from Skyrider!  He might be a little hard to recognize out of makeup, but that voice is pretty distinctive.

Agent Taki Kazuya is played by Jiro Chiba, who also played a detective in Robot Detective K, another great Shotaro Ishinomori tokusatsu show.  However, what you might not know is that he's action movie super-star Sonny Chiba's younger brother!  That's a pretty substantial legacy for an action star!