 This article is about a recurring villain who has taken various forms in the Kamen Rider Series.
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- "You are all correct! The mastermind pulling the strings against the Kamen Riders was me all along!"
- ―The Great Leader reveals himself to the Seven Legendary Riders.[src]
The Great Leader (大首領, Daishuryō) is the mysterious high ruler of the criminal organization Shocker and the main antagonist of the Kamen Rider Series in the Showa era.
Appearance
The Great Leader's appearance remained hidden for nearly the entire series, however he made his first physical appearance in episode 34 briefly in a video footage. In his physical appearance, the Great Leader wore a red capirote that resembles the hood worn by the Ku Klux Klan and a black cloak. Over the course of the Kamen Rider series in the Showa Era, the Great Leader took on several forms and personas.
History
Origins
According to the producer of the Kamen Rider Series Tohru Hirayama and his book Uchusen Book Collection Special Edition: The Characters I loved: the Great Leader was once a Tibetan monk named Chan Mao (チェン・マオ, Chen Mao) who was said to be able to bring the dead back to life with mysterious, mystical techniques. However, he grew detached from human emotions and he found a way to transcend his earthly body into a completely different being unable to truly be destroyed. It is believed what's left of his humanity is long dead. Which leads to what becomes of him now.[1] In another book from Tohru Hirayama, Our Shocker is Forever, Kurayami Taishi speculates that the Great Leader is a Monster of the Id, like the monster in the 1956 American sci-fi film Forbidden Planet.
In Kamen Rider Stronger, he was presented as an alien, which carried over to the 1979 series. However, in Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!!, he was described as an evil spirit, which lined up better with the previous concepts by producer Hirayama.
In Kamen Rider Eve -Masked Rider Gaia-, the Great Leader's origins elaborate on Stronger's concept. Here, the Great Leader is a parasitic organism that arrived in a meteor and seeks to remake the world for its own kind.
Great Leader of Shocker (Kamen Rider)
- Main article: Great Leader of Shocker
His ultimate goal is to turn the entire human race into monsters under his rule in order to unite the world as one being. He orders his subordinates via speakers on Shocker's emblem to destroy Kamen Riders 1 and 2 who are the obstacles of his conquest. The two riders were able to severely weaken the Shocker organization by eliminating most of their key figures (Colonel Zol, Dr. Shinigami and Jigoku Taishi), forcing the Great Leader to reform Shocker by allying himself with General Black of the Geldam organization, thus creating Gel Shocker.
Deeming Shocker's members unfit for the new organization, the Great Leader had them all killed, with their secret bases destroyed to erase all evidence. However, the Double Riders eventually defeated Gel Shocker's forces, confronting the Great Leader himself.
Initially unmasked as snake headed monster, the Great Leader was soon revealed as a one-eyed gorgon humanoid. Being cornered, the Great Leader decided to set off the headquarters' self-destruct system, seemingly dying in an explosion. Unbeknownst to the Double Riders though, the Great Leader secretly implanted his mind into his eye beforehand, escaping certain defeat.
Great Leader of Destron (Kamen Rider V3)
- Main article: Great Leader of Destron
Having rebuilt Gel-Shocker into Destron, the Great Leader first revealed himself to the Double Riders in a secret base, taunting their efforts.
Similar to his original body, the Great Leader wore another robe with a hood which hid all of his features. In the final episode, his second body is revealed as a living skeleton with an external beating heart, calling himself "the God of Death". Once defeated by V3, a tape recorder appeared from his head, hinting that the Great Leader was still at large.
G.O.D. and Gedon
It is revealed in Kamen Rider Stronger that he was responsible for creating the Government of Darkness (led by Kingdark aka Dr. Noroi) and Gedon (led by Jyumenki Golgos) behind the scenes, although his exact involvement with the organizations isn't elaborated upon. Zero the Great from the Garander Empire also had claimed to be the one behind Gedon's creation and the relationship between both is never elaborated upon.
Great Leader of Black Satan and the Delzer Army
- Main page: Great Leader of Black Satan and Great Leader of Delzer Army
Though never explicitly confirmed, it is hinted that the Great Leader of Black Satan (ブラックサタン大首領, Burakku Satan Dai Shuryō, 26) is another persona of the Great Leader. With the Satan Bugs (サタン虫, Satan Mushi) at his disposal, the Great Leader of Satan plagued Japan with several acts of terrorism, before ultimately succumbing to Stronger's Stronger Electro Kick.
The Great Leader later appeared as the Great Leader of Delzer Army (デルザー軍団大首領, Deruzā Gundan Dai Shuryō, 37-39): revealing to the Seven Legendary Riders that he had been behind Shocker, Gel Shocker, Destron, Government of Darkness, Gedon and Black Satan.
He takes on the form of a rock giant, impervious to the attacks of the Riders. However, the Seven Legendary Riders combine their powers and go into his body. There, they find a giant alien brain who self-destructs in an attempt to kill all seven Riders, but they all escape successfully and leave, reminiscing everything they've gone through so far.
Great Leader of Neo Shocker (Skyrider)
The Great Leader of Neo Shocker
- Main article: Great Leader of Neo Shocker
He reappears as the Great Leader of Neo Shocker (ネオショッカー大首領, Neo Shokkā Dai Shuryō): A giant dragon who is the leader of the Neo Shocker organization. He was destroyed by the Eight Riders 1 through Skyrider, who appeared to sacrifice themselves to destroy the Great Leader. It's later revealed that they survived as they assisted Super-1 in the movie. In this incarnation the Great Leader is revealed to be an alien from the B26 Dark Nebula and tried to conquer Earth. After many futile attempts he attempts to destroy all life using an oxygen bomb that would have destroyed all of the planet's oxygen, costing countless lives. However, the bomb was destroyed with the Great Leader by The 8 Kamen Riders.
Generalissimo of Badan (ZX)
The Generalissimo of Badan.
- Main article: The Generalissimo of Badan
The Generalissimo of Badan (バダン総統, Badan Sōtō): a giant skull which appeared after Kurayami Taishi's death. It disappeared sneering at the ten Riders. Dr. Kaidō said that it was the energy of an evil spirit. In the manga, the leader is identified as Great Leader JUDO (大首領 JUDO, Dai Shūryō JUDO), JUDO has a Kamen Rider form called Susanoo (スサノオ), a golden version of ZX with the ability to transform into nine Shōwa Kamen Riders. He has his own language, which he can telepathically compel others to understand.
OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders
The Great Leader makes a return in the movie OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders, serving as the film's main antagonist. During a small conflict between the characters of Kamen Riders OOO and Den-O during their time travel in Japan during the 1970s while hunting the Imagins, General Black discovered a Cell Medal that was accidentally dropped by Ankh during the conflict. General Black gave the medal to the Great Leader which he combines with the Shocker medal in order to create Shocker's most powerful monster, Shocker Greeed. The monster was able to defeat both Hongo and Ichimonji, thus causing a time paradox that created a world where Shocker reigned supreme. Various evil organizations that would have manifested in the normal timeline after Shocker's destruction later affiliated with Shocker and the Great Leader such as, the Delzer Army, the Crisis Empire and the Government of Darkness. Shocker also gained control of both Hongo and Ichimonji via brainwashing.
OOO and Den-O returned to 1970s Japan in hopes of stopping Shocker Greeed from being created and returning the timeline back to normal. The Great Leader was confronted by the Riders, but was able to create Shocker Greeed and the monster managed to take down the Riders. Having failed to restore the timeline and the DenLiner destroyed, the Riders retreated back to the Shocker-ruled future and decided to confront Shocker, but were overwhelmed by the various monster forces. As the Riders were about to be publicly executed, Hongo and Ichimonji (having faked their brainwashing in order to wait for the right time to fight Shocker) summoned all the other Riders and were able to defeat the monster army.
The Double Riders have a rematch with Shocker Greeed while the other Riders rushed toward Great Leader. Shocker Greeed is destroyed by the Rider Double Kick before Ankh takes the Shocker Medal. When the Riders are overpowered by Great Leader's attacks, Ankh convinces OOO to use the Shocker Medal and an Imagin Medal from Momotaros in combination with the Taka Medal. With the three Medals, OOO changes into Tamashiy Combo and destroys Great Leader with the Tamashiy Bomber. The attack, however, unleashes Great Leader Colossus - the true form of Great Leader, who throws fireballs at the Riders and consumes the other Shocker leaders in an earthquake. The Riders are joined by Kamen Rider Birth and all of the extra Riders to battle the new menace. All of the Riders jump into their motorcycles to execute the All Rider Break, destroying the Rock Great Leader once and for all.
Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3
Prior to the movie's events, the Great Leader once again reappeared alive, commanding Shocker once more. Using the late Dr. Dee's research on history manipulation via Roidmude 089, they bring the Ninningers
to their world and join forces with the Kibaoni Army Corps. [Shuriken Sentai Ninninger Vs. Kamen Rider Drive Spring Vacation Combining Special]
Eventually the entire history is changed. In this alternate timeline, the Great Leader controls the Rider Robo, which has the History Modifying Machine within it.[Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3]
Followed by Shocker's failure in altering the timeline in Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3, the remaining members salvaged the History Modifying Machine and altered the timeline again. Thanks to the History Modifying Machine, Takumi Inui was kept alive, avoiding his genetic breakdown. However, the Great Leader reappears with an appearance identical to Takumi's. [D-Video Special: Kamen Rider 4]
Successors
Great Leader of Dai-Shocker (Kamen Rider Decade)
In the Heisei period film Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker, Tsukasa Kadoya/Kamen Rider Decade was the Great Leader of Dai-Shocker before he was overthrown by Shadow Moon. Tsukasa later became Great Leader again during the events of Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, before revealing that he was actually working to sabotage Dai-Shocker's Big Machine operation, as well as having awareness of his subordinates' betrayal against him.
Shocker Leader III
Shocker Leader the Third
Shocker Leader III is the new leader of Shocker in Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Chou Super Hero Taisen.
The Great Leader in alternate continuities
Big Machine (Ishinomori's Manga)
- Main article: Big Machine
In the Manga Tie-in, the Great Leader of Shocker is revealed to be a Robotic entity called Big Machine.
Great Leader of Shocker (Kamen Rider The Next)
- Main article: Great Leader of Shocker (The Series)
The Great Leader makes a cameo appearance in the film Kamen Rider The Next via speaker from the Shocker symbol. He commands the Shocker group led by Hasami Jaguar to run the Nanobot Operations in Japan. By the end of the film, the Great Leader remains at large.
Great Leader JUDO (Kamen Rider Spirits)
JUDO
- Main article: Great Leader JUDO
In Kamen Rider Spirits, which is an alternate telling of the story of Kamen Rider ZX, the Great Leader appears with the name JUDO with forms resembling a Giant Skull and a golden version of Kamen Rider ZX called Susanoo that is able to change into forms of the other Showa Era riders.
Great Leader of Delzer Army (World of Stronger)
Shigeru Jo as the Great Leader.
The Great Leader of Delzer Army: Wirepuller of the Delzer Army. Appeared in World of Stronger. His true identity is a parallel world Shigeru Jo.
Great Leader of Grand Shocker (Kamen Rider SD)
- Main article: Great Leader of Grand Shocker
The Great Leader of Grand Shocker.
The Great Leader of Grand Shocker: The apparent controlling force of every Kamen Rider villain since the original series. He appears in SD as an overly large body sitting atop a throne with a booming voice.
Shin Kamen Rider
- Main article: I (Shin Kamen Rider)
I
In Shin Kamen Rider, Shocker is managed by an artificial intelligence named I, created by the late founder Daizo Ishigami. I is the overarching main antagonist of the film and its position is thus comparable to that of the Great Leader.
Emperor Crisis (Kamen Rider Black RX)
Emperor Crisis.
- Main article: Emperor Crisis
In Kamen Rider Black RX, Emperor Crisis of the Crisis Empire is the ruler of The Demon World via the use of General Dasmader as one of his host bodies. The Crisis Emperor sent his minions led by General Jak, Staff Officer Maribaron, Naval Commander Bosgan, Captain Gedorian and Officer Gatezone to help him conquer the Earth. His troops claimed that since humans are evil and don't care about Earth, they'll take Earth to themselves to save the population of their doomed planet.
In the last episode, he offered Kotaro Minami the chance to help him rule the universe and become his successor. When Kotaro refused, Dasmader called on Chaps to destroy Kotaro, the original ten Riders and all of Kotaro's friends. When Dasmader was seemingly destroyed (by RX stabbing him with the Revolcane), Crisis revealed his true form as a monstrous head. RX destroyed him in the end and soon the entire Crisis world was destroyed alongside its emperor as it was linked to him.
The Crisis Emperor has several similarities to the Great Leader. He is voiced by Gorō Naya, his giant head appearance bears some resemblance to the Great Leader's previous appearance as a giant skull in the ZX special and the 10 original Riders also had been fighting against his troops around the world. However, that connection has never been confirmed in-continuity. It's also notable that in the tv show the Riders don't acknowledge the Emperor Crisis' voice, even though in previous appearances the known voice of the Great Leader always was brought up due to his physical form changing with every appearance.
- In the crossover videogame Tokusatsu Adventure Battle Super Hero Retsuden (特撮冒険活劇 スーパーヒーロー烈伝, Tokusatsu bōken katsugeki supā hīrō retsuden), which has a retelling of the stories of several tokusatsu series mixed into a large original crossover story, the Crisis Emperor is revealed to be the real form of the Great Leader in the game's Rider route, but due to the nature of the game's story (an often comedic crossover retelling of various series with SD characters), that's not necessarily true for their mainline counterparts.
Appearances in other media
Video Games
Kamen Rider video game
The Great Leader of Shocker appears in the PlayStation Kamen Rider video game. He is the boss the player fights in the "Kamen Rider Story" after defeating all the Shocker and Gel Shocker kaijin.
Net Movies
Super Hero Taisen Otsu
to be added [Kamen Rider × Super Sentai × Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Otsu: Heroo! Answers]
Behind the scenes
Portrayal
In Kamen Rider, the original series, the Great Leader of Shocker was voiced by late Gorō Naya (納谷 悟朗, Naya Gorō). He would go on to voice the Great Leader's various incarnations in the Showa Kamen Rider Series: the Great Leader of Destron, the Great Boss of Black Satan, the Great Boss of Delzer Army, the Great Boss of Neo Shocker and The Generalissimo of Badan.
The fact that he voiced Emperor Crisis in Kamen Rider Black RX is one reason why that villain is considered to be yet another form taken by the Great Leader. Gorō Naya also voiced the Kamen Rider The First reboot version of the Great Leader in the movie Kamen Rider The Next.
Following Naya's death in 2013, Tomokazu Seki (関 智一, Seki Tomokazu) voiced the Generalissimo of Badan in Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai (2014) and the Great Leader of Shocker in Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3 (2015).
Notes
- Although in Kamen Rider Spirits the Great Leader acts rather uncaring towards the Kamen Riders (possibly aside from ZX) and seems to see them as pests rather than threats, in each of the Kamen Rider's series where the Great Leader appears, he seemed to see them as a great threat that should be eliminated at all costs.
- This can easily be explained by the fact that Kamen Rider Spirits is non canon to the Rider series as it contradicts the Rider series in a number of ways.
Appearances
Kamen Rider- Kamen Rider V3
- Kamen Rider X
- Episode 27: Special Edition, Full Force of Five Riders!! (archive footage only)
- Kamen Rider Stronger
- Kamen Rider (Skyrider)
- Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!!
- Kamen Rider 1 Through RX: Big Gathering (archive footage only)
- OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders
- Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai
- Kamen Rider Drive
- Shuriken Sentai Ninninger Vs. Kamen Rider Drive Spring Vacation One-Hour Combining Special
- Super Hero Taisen GP: Kamen Rider 3
- D-Video Special: Kamen Rider 4
- Episode 1: Deathmatch! The Kamen Rider Died Three Times!!
- Episode 2: Fighting!! The Airstrike of Sky Cyclone
- Episode 3: Duel! The True Identity of Shocker's Great Leader
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