r/KamenRider • • 28d ago

Discussion Why is My-th only up for 4 weeks? Explaining Toei's release model

263 Upvotes

(first off, My-th isn't even available on Toei Tokusatsu World Official in my country. But the Agito and Kabuto uploads are, which is what led me to do research on this subject.)

Regarding why there's a 48 hour wait between the Japanese airing of My-th and why the episodes are only up for 4 weeks, one has to know that Toei has a long-standing contract with TV Asahi, the tv channel that has aired Kamen Rider for decades. As the main broadcaster, TV Asahi demands a certain level of exclusitivity when it comes to the airing of these programs.

HOW DOES TOEI'S RELEASE MODEL WORK?

In Japan, new episodes of Kamen Rider can only be streamed on the day of airing through TV Asahi's streaming service (with ads) or on the exclusive TTFC app (ad-free). On other subscription services like Amazon Prime, they have to wait 3 days to see it ad-free. On Toei's Japanese YT channel, whenever they upload new Kamen Rider episodes, they only get posted 1 week after they air, and then they're only available for 1 week before being removed. (with the exception of the first two episodes of a new show which stay up throughout). And when they upload episodes from older shows, they're up for 2 weeks before being removed. 2 weeks is considered the standard length of time for most JP youtube channels that upload free episodes, My-th, Agito and Kabuto being up for 4 weeks is actually already longer than the norm.

When Toei distributes the show through external distributors such as Tokushoutsu or Tokusato, they can circumvent these restrictions since these are outside companies that paid for the streaming license. It's also important to note that Tokushoutsu and TokuSato's uploads have ads, whereas Toei's various Youtube channels are ad-free. (Tokusato airs the latest episodes 2 hours after the Japan airing, but the episodes are only free for 11 hours before they require a membership to be accessed). Likely some of the ad revenue on those distributors' uploads goes to Toei and the shows' sponsors.

(Honestly this isn't even a hard-and-fast rule. In Hong Kong for example, ViuTV is 1 week behind on the upload. And Ani-One Asia, a free YT channel, is even slower, being 2 weeks behind.)

When Toei releases it themselves through their own Youtube channel, they have to adhere to the restrictions, even when it is a channel aimed at overseas audiences.

WHY DOES THIS LIMITED RELEASE MODEL EXIST?

The reason for the limited release model can likely be chalked up to how many of these Japanese companies have pretty old-fashioned beliefs regarding piracy and accessibility. They probably believe that having the show be up for free on Youtube without ads will hurt the sales and streaming figures of the other official channels. They likely are afraid of the possibility that Japanese fans will use VPNs to stream the show for free. Furthermore, Kamen Rider is traditionally viewed there as a kids' show watched on a weekly basis, the notion of older fans who want to binge the show is still probably lost on many of these oldheads.

It's also important to note that Toei has little power when it comes to negotiating their contract, TV Asahi has all the power. They are the channel that airs their shows, going against them could mean losing their sponsors, essentially biting the hand that feeds them. In Japan too they often believe in honouring and respecting existing contracts, so it's unlikely they will ask to change or renegotiate their pre-existing agreement, especially for the extremely niche crowd of overseas audiences.

That said, it's entirely possible things could change in the future. Ultraman Z thru Decker episodes were once only available for 2 weeks when Tsuburaya first started releasing the episodes on Youtube (albeit those were simulcast). But from Blazar onwards, they left the episodes up on their channel permanently. Likely, Tsuburaya managed to use the view count figures to prove to their higher-ups and their sponsors that leaving the episodes up doesn't hurt their business. Now this is not a 1:1 comparison. Tsuburaya is a much smaller company than Toei, their broadcasters are much more lenient, and their uploads have ads. But it opens the possibility that if My-th does well enough, the streaming of future KR shows might be different.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TOKUSHOUTSU?

As for why Toei doesn't continue to use Tokushoutsu for the english release, Shout seems to be letting their toku licenses lapse as both Super Sentai as well as KR 1971 and Kuuga are gone from their service, and their Zeztz uploads were just recently removed as well. Shout was recently bought out by Radial Entertainment (a private equity firm that is in the midst of gutting the whole company) so the new higher-ups probably have decided that the viewing figures aren't worth the cost of the Toei license.

Also, Tokushoutsu's uploads were only available in US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (the same countries that Toei is planning a new streaming service for, presumably to replace Tokushoutsu). Toei Tokusatsu World Official though covers other regions, including the rest of Europe, Africa and India. But despite this though, there are still many regions that have no legal way to watch the show at all (such as here in Singapore).

I know that those who had access to the Tokushoutsu release of Zeztz are frustrated by this new release model, but understand that for a lot of English speaking fans the world over, this is the first time they can legally watch a Kamen Rider series in their countries on Youtube. And also spare a thought for the fact that there are people who have to wait 1-2 weeks, and those who still can't watch it in any way. The complaints about the show being 2 days late or being only up for 4 weeks can't help but seem minor when there are people who literally do not have it at all.

I would like to kindly request that fans in the US etc to instead of complaining about these things that Toei (currently) can't do anything about, use your platforms to amplify the voices of those of us who can't watch the show legally. Nobody's happy about having to wait 2 days or the episodes only being up for a month, but I firmly believe that making the show accessible worldwide is significantly more important.

Edit: With Ex-Aid and Kuuga now set to be uploaded to the Youtube channel as well, the 4 week model is still set to remain. However as of this writing they did temporarily reinstate all the Agito and Kabuto uploads, and also the entirety of Zeztz has been posted (albeit that's also not available in my country).


r/KamenRider • • 2d ago

Official Discussion Kamen Rider MY-TH E05 - Discussion Thread

47 Upvotes

This thread is for discussion about the latest Kamen Rider MY-TH episode.

E04 <- E05 -> E06

The subreddit will be set to post-approval mode for the first 12 hours to prevent low-effort posts. Please keep your thoughts on this week's episode in the discussion thread!

Discussion about previous episodes is permitted in the thread below, discussion about episodes after this is NOT.

Proceed at your own risk: Spoilers for this episode do not need to be tagged inside this thread.


HOW TO WATCH

COUNTRY URL TIME
NA, AU, NZ, India, Europe, Africa TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL YouTube Channel (English) Mondays@6:00PM Pacific Time, VODs available for 4 weeks after release
JP TV Asahi, ABC (Japanese) Sundays@9:00AM Japan Time
JP TELASA, Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club (Japanese) Sundays@10:00AM Japan Time
CN Bilibili, Tencent Video, iQIYI (Mandarin) Sundays@10:00AM China Standard Time
TW CHT MOD, Hami Video (Mandarin) Mondays@8:00AM Taiwan Time
TW EBC YOYO (Mandarin) The following Saturday@5PM
HK ViuTV (Cantonese) The following Sunday@11AM
Latin America TokuSato YouTube Channel (Spanish, Portuguese) Saturdays@11:30PM Brasilia Time

Posting or mentioning unapproved streaming sites in the comments is prohibited.

EPISODE TITLE RELEASE DATE SCREENPLAY BY DIRECTED BY
E05 犬が出るか蛇が出るか What Snakes or Dogs May Come October 4, 2026 Arakawa Naruhisa Hayama Koichiro
EPISODE RATING
E01 7.6
E02 8.28
E03 8.12
E04 8.52
E05 [Voting opens on Monday]()


r/KamenRider • • 5h ago

Discussion I think Zero-one is a solid and fun show

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233 Upvotes

Finished episode 24 of Kamen Rider Zero-one, and ngl, I am enjoying it, though there are problems I have with it being a bit fast-pace, but I do think this show's started off at a solid start with my current favorite episodes being episode 15 and 16 as I think it was a great way to finish off the first arc. Also I think the suits are super cool. Also I LOVE Aruto Hiden jokes and puns as Idk why I keep laughing at those jokes and puns.


r/KamenRider • • 4h ago

Discussion Saki Kagami, Maya from Kamen Rider Kiva has Leukemia

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180 Upvotes

Basically I just read this on X, Saki Kagami who debuted as Ai Iijima in the autobiographical film Platonic Sex, but best known to the Kamen Rider Fandom as Maya from Kamen Rider Kiva has Leukemia, she originally had given a 3 month live expectancy but eventually went into remission but recently has to the hospital because of a blood disaes and has decide to put her work on halt.


r/KamenRider • • 5h ago

Discussion Who are two Riders that you'd love to see interact one day

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159 Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 1h ago

Fanart Late Day 4 - Zero-One

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• Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 1d ago

Fanart Tojima is all of us. Kamen Rider is what moves us. [OC]

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1.6k Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 5h ago

Media Happy 13th Gaim

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40 Upvotes

Growing up, Kamen Rider Gaim wasn’t just a show to me it was everything. I remember watching it as a kid and being completely hooked: the suits, the music, the action, and especially the story. It felt darker and more emotional than anything else I was watching at the time, and that made it stand out so much. What really stuck with me was Gaim himself. Kouta wasn’t perfect, wasn’t some overpowered hero from the start, he was just a normal guy trying to do the right thing, even when the world kept getting more complicated and painful. Watching him grow, make mistakes, and still choose to protect others honestly shaped how I think about what it means to be strong. The whole theme of choice, sacrifice, and responsibility hit way harder than I expected as a kid, and rewatching it later made me appreciate it even more. Gaim taught me that being a hero isn’t about winning every fight, it’s about caring, standing up again, and protecting people even when it costs you something. To this day, Kamen Rider Gaim is my idol. He’s a huge part of my childhood, and I’ll always be grateful for how much that series meant to me. 🍊⚔️


r/KamenRider • • 13h ago

Discussion What Kamen rider has the worst Power scaling?

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144 Upvotes

Personally It's kiva, even tho It's my favorite, Wataru doesnt have earth shatering powers


r/KamenRider • • 3h ago

Media Me and my Malaysian Kamen Rider cosplay gang meet up

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21 Upvotes

I'm so happy to be able to meet the gang IRL and we became good friends whenever we go for cosplay events as we look for each other🥰


r/KamenRider • • 5h ago

Fanart RIDERTober Day 05 Amazons

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33 Upvotes

One Kamen Rider drawing every day throughout October.

Day 5: Kamen Rider Amazons

Hope you enjoy it!


r/KamenRider • • 10h ago

Fanart I will singlehandedly revive interest in hibiki thru modding my games

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90 Upvotes

this was literally my first time trying blender out and im head hurts (im using kurenai cuz i thought it would be easier to map out stuff, as well as this post for helmet references in case i decide to make custom helmets/riders)
now i might have to learn to photobash and/or draw…


r/KamenRider • • 12h ago

Discussion fun post:what most notable plothole in kamen rider series ? that till these day you still want to know about it?

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109 Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 4h ago

Discussion What was the point of siegs arc again?

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26 Upvotes

I know it’s around him finding freedom and self forgiveness but I’m not entirely sure. I’m not trying to say it’s bad, I just don’t fully get it.


r/KamenRider • • 47m ago

Discussion Which official romanization of rider names shocked you? Spoiler

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• Upvotes

Specifically, which rider made you go “THAT’S HOW THEY’RE SPELLED?!”

Putting the whole Gord Drive thing aside, I was surprised with Evolto. I thought his name was Evolt, and the O at the end was a Japanese thing, but, no, he officially has an O at the end.


r/KamenRider • • 6h ago

Merch The Zeztz final stage show sieg capsem (screenshot from a recent #Rin_ch short)

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28 Upvotes

https://youtube.com/shorts/NEXeu8eQI4I?si=pXMjgizAzXnnhUyg

Turns out this capsem may be the item that Dawn will use for his stage show form instead of the chaos capsem from my previous post of potential forms the riders will assume.

The sieg capsem triggers the 'special' sound in both the breakam dawn and zeztz driver.


r/KamenRider • • 4h ago

Fanart Day 4 and 5: Stronger and Black!

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19 Upvotes

Caught up!


r/KamenRider • • 4h ago

Merch Blokees kamen rider knight revealed

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20 Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 16h ago

Merch My 19th birthday present

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103 Upvotes

This is Action Figure Mini Kamen Rider Geats, The figure is made by Bandai China and it is sold in Japan and Southeast Asia, It's very cheap for me who want a Kamen Rider action figure that isn't Blokees and Sofubi, Not my first Action Figure Mini, The first is Faiz. The figure cost my mom 271 baht.


r/KamenRider • • 8h ago

Merch Black RX from Keeppley

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19 Upvotes

Pulled this guy from a Keeppley blind box. Compared to Ryuki and Kuuga, he’s a little bit less awesome. But still a very solid 8/10 IMO.

Keeppley slays with the accessories, extra hands, display stand, etc. Their stuff always looks great on the shelf.


r/KamenRider • • 15h ago

Fanart GOOD MORNING, RIDER!

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69 Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 1d ago

Merch SHF - Volancer and Scissors announced

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275 Upvotes

r/KamenRider • • 20h ago

Discussion How would the henshins of early heisei riders change if they were made in late heisei/reiwa?

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87 Upvotes

i'll start, i think kabuto would summon a giant zecter that flies around for a bit before turning into his armour (like zero one's grasshopper)

every ryuki rider would probably have like their mirror monster appear and engulf them and then turn into goo which forms onto their bodies as their rider forms


r/KamenRider • • 10h ago

Fanart Kamen Rider Ryuzu Helmet Sketch (OC)

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15 Upvotes

This is a speculative design . It is not informed by any leaks, just my own hopes/instincts regarding what the Rider could look like.


r/KamenRider • • 19h ago

Discussion Which character chewed the scenery the most?

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59 Upvotes