Monster of the Month Doruge Demon: FRANKERUGE

ドルゲ魔人 フランケルゲ 「超人バロム・１」より


©Saito Productions/Toei Company

Height: 2.2 meters • Weight: 150 kilos • Origin: Abashiri, Hokkaido • Original Appearance: SUPERHUMAN BAROM-1 (1972) Episode 2 “Cursed Mutant: Frankeruge" • Design: Norio Maezawa • Fabricator: Keizo Murase • Voice Actor: Teiji Omiya

The evil Doruge facilitates the escape of a convicted murderer, Tetsu Kurosato, en route to prison, to convert him into a Dorugeman No. 2. Infected with the sinister Doruge Virus, spliced with the DNA of a Ligia oceanica (or Sea Slater), Kursato is mutated into the insidious Frankeruge. Carrying a police revolver stolen from Detective Kido in his escape, and his left arm alive with a one million-volt current, this grotesque agent of evil goes on a murderous rampage. Only Kentaro Shiratori and Takashi Kido, transforming into Barom-1, can stop the fiendish Frakeruge, whose only weakness is water.

Another of the bizarre "Agents of Evil" from BAROM-1, Frankeruge garnered his moniker from Mary Shelly's "Modern Prometheus"—the Frankenstein Monster—but save for their alchemic creation, the similarities end there. What really sells this monster for me is, not only Norio Maezawa's insane design, but also his human host, played by heavy Kyoichi Sato. A veteran of Toei's Yakuza eiga, Sato began his career as a bit player in several Toho films, including THE H-MAN (1958), but made his first notable appearance as a villain in Hideo Gosha's SWORD OF THE BEAST (1965).

But, at the end of the day, I don't know who's scarier, Frankeruge or Sato.

Monster of the Month Destron Mutant: SCISSORS JAGUAR

デストロン怪人 ハサミジャガー 「仮面ライダーV３」より


©Ishimori Productions/Toei Company

Height: 194 cm • Weight: 86 kg • Origin: Atacama Desert, Chile • Original Appearance: KAMEN RIDER V3 (1973-74) Episode 1 "Rider No.3: His Name is V3!" & Episode 2 "The Last Testament of the Double Riders" • Design: Shotaro Ishimori/Akira Takahashi • Fabricator: Ekisu Productions • Suit Actor: Sadao Kobayashi • Voice Actor: Ritsuo Sawa

Surviving the destruction of Gel-Shocker, the fiendish Great Leader reorganized his forces into more powerful Destron organization. Destron’s first "hybrid mutant," fused with mechanical weaponry, was Scissors Jaguar. His mission, under Destron’s “Operation: Tokyo Annihilation”, was to eliminate witnesses of Destron’s movements, including Junko Tama, and the Kazami Family, who gave her shelter. Scissors Jaguar’s second mission was to destroy the headquarters of the Rider Boy Scouts, and its chief, Tobei Tachibana. While the tables are turned when Kamen Rider V3 arrives on the scene, Scissors Jaguar is joined by Turtle Bazooka to fight all three Kamen Riders.

Arguably, the Destron Mutants designed and created for KAMEN RIDER V3 were the pinnacle of the Kamen Rider series of the 1970s, including Scissors Jaguar. The exceptional synergy in the teamwork on this series, from Ishimori's rough sketches, refined by Takahashi, and realized by Ekisu Productions (under the guiding hand of creative producer Tohru Hirayama), rank as some of the finest ever crafted for a tokusatsu series. While there were many well-executed mutants in the series that followed, none of them had the iconic charm and dynamic look of the Destron Mutants. And you know what? They’re just cool as hell, too.

Monster of the Month Shocker Mutant: SHIOMANE KING

ショッカー怪人 シオマネキング 「仮面ライダー」より


©Ishimori Productions/Toei Company

Height: 187 cm • Weight: 86 kg • Origin: Mindanao, Philippines • Original Appearance: KAMEN RIDER (1971-73) Episode 72 "Bloodthirsty Mosquiras vs. Two Riders" & 73 "Double Riders: Defeat Shiomane King!" • Suit Actor: Isao Sato • Voice Actor: Ritsuo Sawa • Design: Shotaro Ishimori/Akira Takahashi • Fabricator: Ekisu Productions

Another Shocker cyborg mutant created to defeat the Kamen Riders at the Kii Peninsula during Operation: Key Hunt. This abomination of genetic engineering was spawned by splicing the genes of a Fiddler Crab with a human being, and augmented with cybernetic implants. Like all Shocker Mutants, he possesses the relative physical strength of his namesake, and is resilient to all conventional weapons. This amphibious creation can also spit a deadly and highly flammable foam from his mouth, while the mutant's left hand is a razor-sharp, electromagnetic claw.

Shiomane King ranks as one of the best (and coolest) designed Shocker Mutants featured in the final phase of the original KAMEN RIDER series, and because it took the combined strength of Kamen Riders One and Two to bring him down, has only added to the appeal of this monstrous crustacean. This marine mutant was later revived for a two-parter of KAMEN RIDER V3 (1973-74): Episode 27 "Zol, Death, Hell & Black Rise from The Grave" & Episode 28 "The Five Commandants' All-Out Attack!!".