Katsuyuki Konishi Reveals Audition Story "Actually with a Tape"! Kamen Rider Love Explodes Throughout with Gathering of 'Tojima Rider' Freaks

On ABEMA, the special program "Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Special! Show Me Your Rider SP" was broadcast exclusively for free from 9 PM on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.

"Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider" is a story about the 40-year-old protagonist Tanzaburō Tōjima, who had been seriously training to become a "Kamen Rider" but was on the verge of giving up on his dream, only to find himself thrown into battle against Shocker, which actually existed. The work depicts adults who love Kamen Rider too much engaging in "serious Kamen Rider role-play."

The program featured voice actor Katsuyuki Konishi (playing Tanzaburō Tōjima), the show's director of photography Junpei Takatsu, as well as six people known as fans who deeply love Kamen Rider: Muga Tsukaji from the comedy duo Drunk Dragon, Ishii from Sayaka, impersonation talent JP, and Yoshiyuki Arai from Hurricanes. While unraveling the story, segments were conducted including "Explode Your Love! What I Really Love About Tojima Rider!" where each performer presented the highlights of the TV anime, resulting in a broadcast overflowing with Kamen Rider love.

The program started with powerful self-introductions that transformed Kamen Rider love into passion. MC Arai quipped "Take off the mask!" to lead actor Konishi, who introduced himself while wearing a Kamen Rider No. 1 mask, but he retorted "Riders must not show their faces!" drawing laughter from the opening. As Konishi expressed his joy at the special program being broadcast, everyone in the studio nodded deeply. Following this, Ishii introduced himself with a Kamen Rider V3 version call, and JP continued with a greeting modeled after Tojima, saying "Mine isn't an impersonation! I'm serious!", creating an opening that conveyed the fervor to viewers as well.

Regarding the response to the work, Takatsu, who served as director of photography, said with a smile, "Many of my acquaintances have told me 'I watched it, it was interesting,' and while I thought it would be good if it resonated with a niche audience, I'm extremely happy to receive responses on SNS as well." Konishi also mentioned feeling that industry viewership rates were high, and shared an episode where the protagonist Tanzaburō Tōjima's name was mentioned during a certain game recording. The cast and staff behind-the-scenes stories drew cheers of "Oh~!" from all the fans of the work. Additionally, Tsukaji passionately spoke about the appeal of the work, saying "There was a story about a fictional hero that I thought I was watching with admiration, but I never thought I'd see a development like it actually becoming reality in my lifetime. Combined with the live-action-like footage and the performances of the voice actors breathing life into it, it's just irresistible."

Furthermore, Takatsu introduced the work of the director of photography while watching actual footage. Regarding the original work recreation scene at the beginning of Episode 1, he explained, "Including myself, I thought viewers would be unhappy if they were shown something different from the original work, so I compared it with actual scenes while bringing it closer to the texture of live-action," and voices of admiration were raised at his dedication.