Animage, January 2026 Issue
ft. Furukawa Yuki Interview
(translation below)
Publication: December 10, 2025
Agent passing through the night
The battle unfolding within dreams involves Yorozu Baku (Kamen Rider Zeztz), an agent of the top secret defense organization CODE, and the monsters known as Nightmare, who plan to make bad dreams a reality. The one plotting behind the scenes is a person calling himself Nox. When Baku first began fighting Nightmares, everything about him, including his background and objective, was shrouded in mystery, but slowly, his true colors are becoming clear.
Nox's real name is Odaka Kensei. He was once an assistant inspector assigned to the Paranormal Affairs Division within the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau, which handles baffling unsolved cases and black cases, where his CODE agent code number was "Four," but after resigning from the police force, he suddenly disappeared.
As he traverses through the dream world, what Nox intends to accomplish remains unknown. The key to unraveling this may lie in the words "It's time for revenge" that he muttered upon seeing Nox Knight's Disguise item restored by the Recovery Capsem, as his anger towards CODE was apparent during his exchange with Baku. When Nox's true intentions are revealed, Baku's fate will undoubtedly begin to change dramatically.
_
-Things will get interesting for Nox going forward-
"What kind of image did you have of the Kamen Rider series?"
Furukawa: Because I returned home from abroad at the time, I had watched shows like "Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger," "Ninja Sentai Kakuranger," as well as "Power Rangers," which is the overseas version of Super Sentai, but I had never watched even a single episode from the Kamen Rider series. That's why I viewed it as a sort of gateway for young actors to launch their careers. To be honest, when I was younger, the possibility of me performing in the Kamen Rider series came up, and while I really wanted to do it, due to various reasons, I ultimately wasn't able to appear. When I entered my thirties I thought, "I guess I'm just not meant for these kinds of productions," so I would've never imagined that I'd receive an offer at this point.
"What kind of explanation were you initially given regarding your role?"
Furukawa: I read the scripts for three episodes, but even after realizing that I'd be playing a so called villain role, I still didn't have a full picture of him. The scripts are being created as we film, and there's information those on the production side deliberately don't tell us, so basically, there wasn't any detailed explanation. Usually, when creating a character, I'll work in reverse and think, "Since this'll happen in the future, I should do this now," but for Zeztz, I'm creating him by reading the scripts, checking my "answers," and making sure everything is consistent with my past performances.
"With original content being aired for a full year, it's the signature style of the Kamen Rider series, isn't it?"
Furukawa: Yes. It's something I've never done before, and the fact that each Director works independently from one another is also pretty challenging. In a typical drama, the story carries over into the next episode, but that's not the case with Zeztz, as sometimes the vision between Directors is slightly different. As an example, I'll work by consulting with Kamihoriuchi's team, but with the other Directors, I'm often left in charge of my performance and proceed based on my own judgment.
"What kind of person do you consider Nox to be?"
Furukawa: Up to this point with episode 13, there's alot I can't say……but if I had to describe him in one word, he's an incredibly kind person.
"We never thought of Nox as having a kind image, so this is unexpected."
Furukawa: That side of him will slowly become apparent, and there'll be parts where you'll find yourself thinking, "Huh, this guy's unexpectedly……?" In the very beginning I was like, "What's wrong with this guy?," but his humanity is gradually starting to show, and then in the first Disguise scene (episode 12), when he said, "You don't understand anything about CODE at all!," it was the first time an exclamation mark appeared during a conversation line. I avoided direct dialogue in the very beginning, as during his conversations with Zeztz, I was conscious of using a storyteller like tone to make it unclear if he was actually speaking to him, but for the scenes just before the Disguise, I was abit more emotionally expressive.
"Episodes 12 and 13 were the ones that really captured Nox's emotions so far, huh?"
Furukawa: In episode 9, there's the line, "That's it…!," and for just that one line, the emotional cue "(excited)" was written at the top. Thanks to that scene, it made it easier to deliver lines that revealed the emotions he had prior to the Disguise.
"Nox currently has alot of scenes with Baku and Nem, but how is it working with Baku's Imai Ryutaro-san and Nem's Horiguchi Maho-san?"
Furukawa: Imai-kun's serious, and is a hard worker who's always filling his scripts with notes. He skillfully incorporates acting techniques unique to tokusatsu, and despite being so young, he's already trying to express himself effectively, so I'm sure that he'll become a great actor. Also, I feel like he doesn't do so well when it comes to being spoiled by others (laughs). On the flip side, Horiguchi-san is good at being spoiled, and will ask questions about everything, such as, "How should I go about doing this?" and "What do you do in situations like this?" Asking people questions can be embarrassing and difficult to do, but being able to approach and talk to various kinds of people means that you'll be well liked by your superiors. It makes people happy when they're relied upon. They give off this impression of being competitive, and there are times when things don't go well on set and they start to cry, but it feels like they're crying out of frustration. Both of them are wonderful actors who are working incredibly hard.
"As mentioned earlier, Nox Disguises for the first time in episode 12."
Furukawa: It took quite some time to decide on whether to tuck the belt inside of the coat or leave it exposed on the outside during the Disguise scene. Shooting close ups of the belt and the cuts where I tucked the belt inside the coat increased the number of takes, which was also challenging in terms of acting, as it required me to be conscious of the continuity that came before and after it. It was also challenging getting used to facing forward and inserting the Capsem without looking at the belt.
"Those are the kinds of difficulties unique to tokusatsu programs."
Furukawa: Also, since we don't get detailed explanations on set about how the CG scenes will turn out, it's difficult to discuss the performance. For the scene in episode 3, where all the butterflies are flying around, Kamihoriuchi-san told me to "look up" on set, but since I didn't know just how the butterflies would be flying around, I thought something like, "Wouldn't this kind of acting be better?"
"The Suit Actor in charge of Nox Knight is Eitoku-san."
Furukawa: I have the utmost respect for the Suit Actors and everyone in the action department. Until now, the impression I had of a Suit Actor's work was that of a specialist, where the pre and post transformation parts are performed in a separate manner, but Eitoku-san incorporates the part I'm playing as well and performs his role like an actor. Whenever he encounters a problem in his performance, he always comes to me for advice with, "If this were Nox, he wouldn't move like this, right?" I was moved by the fact that he's approaching this as if Nox is a single role, and we're communicating closely on set. When it comes to the finer details, after canceling my transformation (Disguise), I often end up with my left foot forward, while Eitoku-san usually has his right foot forward, so we also coordinate how to position ourselves.
"You and Eitoku-san are playing the role of Nox together, huh?"
Furukawa: Yeah. The CG and action sequences are truly wonderful, and I'd say they're at the top of Japan's commercial television dramas.
"At the production announcement press conference that took place before the broadcast began, the Suit Actors were also mentioned, right?"
Furukawa: Within Kamen Rider Zeztz's production, the actors contributions are trivial, while those on the production team, which includes the Producers, Suit Actors, and the action department members, are all truly exceptional. These are all veterans who've built up the Kamen Rider series over multiple years, so their technical skills are seriously impressive and their passion is incredibly high. Everyone possesses the spirit of a craftsman, and they're determined to create "good works." With the pressure to film quickly and no budget to spare, craftsman styled production sites are disappearing year after year, but everyone here brings such passion to the set, so it's only natural that great things come out of it.
"Which scenes have been particularly memorable for you up to episode 13?"
Furukawa: As mentioned earlier, episode 9 featured a scene where Nox showed some emotion for the first time, which I discussed at length about with Director Kamihoriuchi before filming, and it's an episode where I performed some serious action, so it's really memorable.
"That was the action scene they used in the pre broadcast PV, right?"
Furukawa: Yeah, they used it! I thought, "They're already showing off this scene" (laughs). The weapon (Breakam Buster) is simply too heavy. The one used for action scenes was designed to be abit lighter, but the one for close ups is really heavy. By design, it's an incredibly heavy sword, but holding it with one hand is fairly difficult. To begin with, I wasn't confident since I'm not very good at action, so I'm glad that they managed to capture it well.
"Finally, please give a message to the readers."
Furukawa: This is truly a set where everyone's strong desire to create a "good production" shines through, and sets like these always result in good works, so I hope you'll continue to enjoy watching. Regarding Nox, once it became apparent in episode 13 that he holds a grudge against CODE, his personality became much more clear, and he's grown even more interesting as a character. I think that if you look back at his past words and actions, you'll find him all the more interesting. It'd make me happy if you could enjoy Nox's character as well.
TV Guide Dan Vol.57, October 2025 Issue
ft. Imai Ryutaro Interview
(translation below)
Publication: October 16, 2025
Endless
"In Kamen Rider Zeztz, Imai-kun plays the role of the main character Yorozu Baku, a young man who usually suffers from bad luck, but in the dream world, he transforms into Kamen Rider Zeztz and fights, making him a character with a gap. Speaking of, what kind of personality does Imai-kun himself have?"
Imai: I'm usually the type of person who doesn't think about much (laughs). Even on my days off, all I'm doing now is reading the scripts, so I don't really have any hobbies or interesting things happening in my life.
"You're so engrossed with Zeztz that you can't get work out of your head even on your days off, huh?"
Imai: There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thinking about the production. I'll watch films, dramas, and anime as research for my performance, then read the scripts again…so it's like a repeating cycle.
"What kind of input does this provide?"
Imai: For example, I'll watch an anime with action scenes and try doing the voice overs myself.
"I see! In tokusatsu productions, post recording is done for the action scenes after the transformation, right?"
Imai: That's right. It's my first time acting using just my voice, so it's been difficult. I'm studying anime to learn how to handle my breathing during battles and reactions other than the lines I say when I'm angry, so it's been trial and error.
"As you take on new challenges every day, have you discovered anything new about yourself?"
Imai: I used to swim competitively, so I was confident in my stamina. Still, stamina isn't something you can measure, so it's hard comparing yourself to others, you know? However, once filming started, I realized that I actually do have some stamina (laughs). With early mornings and long hours, the film schedule is pretty tough, so everyone says that it's "intense," but I'm totally fine. It's definitely intense, but my desire to make it "the best show possible, even if just by alittle bit!" is so strong, that the fun I'm having outweighs everything else.
"You've still got a long way to go, but when filming for Zeztz wraps up in about a year, what kind of person do you hope to become?"
Imai: Just like Baku, I want to become a man with a strong heart. Currently, I'm playing two roles every day, that being Baku the agent, who fights coolly in his dreams, and reality Baku, who's kinda lame, so sometimes I lose track of who I really am…(laughs). If I'm talking to someone and they ask, "Imai-kun, what do you think?," I find myself wondering, "Huh? What would my normal self think about that?," which shows just how much I feel like I'm living as Baku right now. That's why in a year from now, I might really turn into Baku, both physically and mentally (laughs). Either way, I want to be cool!
"Since it's tokusatsu filming, we think there are many things you'll be experiencing for the first time, but how are you approaching it?"
Imai: It's challenging, but I really enjoy acting. Naturally, being in a new environment can make you feel alittle anxious or pressured, but…still, once I get to the set and start talking with my friends, those feelings disappear right away. Besides, it's such a wonderful set, so even my time outside of acting is enjoyable. My costars often say that I "get lonely easily" though (laughs). I think it's because I'm not alone and can be with everyone that I can forget about the pressure.
"At the production announcement press conference that was held before the broadcast began, it was clear just how much Imai-kun is loved by all his costars. You were even teased by Mishima Kenta-san, who plays Detective Fujimi."
Imai: I talk alot with Mishima-san in particular. Mishima-san seems to think I'm alot younger than him, but I myself don't feel like there's that much of an age gap between us (laughs).
"You're 10 years apart, right?"
Imai: Yes, Mishima-san is 32, and I'm 20. Mishima-san said something like, "Everyone teases me about being an old man!," but to me, he acts like a reliable older brother.
"Did you get along right away?"
Imai: The role of Detective Fujimi is that of an old school, passionate detective. At a glance, when Mishima-san arrives on the set as Detective Fujimi, he gives off an intimidating vibe, so in the beginning, I thought it might be alittle hard to get to know him…However, when I actually spoke with him, he was incredibly kind, and the distance between us closed right away. His acting is also very instructive, and he pulls me along, so he's a senior I truly have alot of respect for.
"He's a kind senior, huh?"
Imai: Yes! Just the other day, the entire cast got really excited about the idea of calling each other by nicknames. We decided on Mishima-san's nickname being either "Ken-chan" or "Kenken," but…as you can imagine, I haven't been able to call him that yet (laughs). Still, it'd be nice if we could establish a relationship where I could call him by that someday. I'm sure he'd be happy.
"Next is a question related to the story of Zeztz. If Imai-kun himself could enter someone's dreams, whose dreams would you like to enter?"
Imai: Eh?! The answer you want me to give is Mishima-san, isn't it? (laughs).
"Not at all! (laughs). Who's someone you admire, or that makes you think, "I'd love to peek inside this person's head!"?"
Imai: I see. Well then….it'd have to be Mishima-san after all. I want to look into Mishima-san's dreams, tell him about them in the real world, and then see his shocked face as he asks, "How do you know about my dreams?!"
"We weren't trying to trick you, but it still ended up being Mishima-san (laughs). Now then, who would Imai-kun say is his ideal actor?"
Imai: Instead of following the flow of our conversation, I'd like to answer from the heart, so regarding this topic, it's Mishima-san. I can really feel the passion he has for the production, and his scripts are filled with incredibly detailed notes like, "This part should convey this kind of feeling." I heard he rehearses his performance in advance at a studio before heading to the set, so he's an incredibly dedicated person. Seeing my senior act like that up close truly moves and inspires me. I want to become an actor like that too.
"Do you sometimes get advice from Mishima-san?"
Imai: I do. In my case, I'm doing my best just trying to embody the role of Baku, but Mishima-san sees things from a broader perspective, so he'll tell me things like, "This is how it looks to a bystander, so why don't you try doing it like this?" I'm learning alot from him, so I'm really glad that we're able to perform together.
"Given the relationship between those two, it should be interesting to watch Baku and Fujimi. And now finally, could you tell us alittle bit about your personal life, Imai-kun? As a person, do you have any particular preferences in the kind of people you like?"
Imai: Hmmm, those like Mishima-san are my type, don't you think?…(laughs).
"This again (laughs)."
Imai: I have a proper explanation for this. I don't have many friends that I can talk to about anything, but for some reason, I'm able to talk to Mishima-san about anything. The music we tend to listen to is also very similar, with artists like Ozaki Yutaka-san and Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi-san.
"It's a relationship where you truly don't feel the age difference at all, huh?"
Imai: That's right. Even someone like Mishima-san has a cute side to him, as he occasionally calls me at night. He'll say things like, "I left filming early today, but did it finish without any incidents?" (laughs). Sometimes we end up talking for about an hour. We have alot of fun during this time, saying things like, "I want to do the next scene like this, but what do you think?," "Okay, I'll do it like this then," and so on. His presence is indispensable, and I'm sure he'll continue to be a reliable friend to work with on set. Still, 80% of this interview ended up being about Mishima-san, huh? (laughs).
TV Guide Dan Vol.56, July 2025 Issue
ft. Fuyuno Mio x Kimura Kaiki Interview
(other pages and translation below)
Publication: July 14, 2025
comrade
"Fuyuno Mio-kun, who plays the the main character Tono Hoeru (GozyuWolf), and Kimura Kaiki-kun, who plays the additional member Kumade Mashiro (GozyuPolar), are currently performing together in "No.1 Sentai Gozyuger," but do you remember the first time you met each other?"
Kimura: The first time we met was during Gozyuger's audition. There were actually two final auditions.
Fuyuno: Yeah. We became familiar with each other during the first one.
Kimura: During the first audition, I mentioned that I usually check scripts at karaoke places to warm up my voice before going to auditions, and that…
Fuyuno: I do the exact same thing…(laughs).
Kimura: Right, right (laughs). And then later, during the second audition, I went to a karaoke place in order to do a final check of the script. The first thing I did was head to the restroom, and that's where I encountered Mio.
Fuyuno: That really shocked me. I mean, we met in a karaoke restroom. What's more, our karaoke rooms were right next to each other!
Kimura: Because of that, I only stayed in my own room for a moment. I immediately made my move to Mio's room and read the script together with him.
"What an incredible coincidence! So, did you feel like you'd get along well from the start?"
Kimura: There are people that we're both mutual acquaintances with, so it felt like we could hold a conversation without much trouble. In that sense, I think we got used to each other quickly.
Fuyuno: During the final audition, Kimura-kun naturally took on the role of leading everyone's conversation, and I got the impression that he was a very cheerful person. That's why I thought Kimura-kun would be chosen as a member, so when the "Gozyugers" met face to face for the first time, I was shocked as I thought, "Eh? He's not here?!"
Kimura: Ah, is that so?
Fuyuno: Yes. Because of that, when the time came and he joined us as the additional member, I was truly happy.
"In episode 16, Kimura-kun's Kumade Mashiro made his first appearance. In episode 19, Hoeru and Kumade teamed up. Did the two of you have any discussions before filming?"
Fuyuno: There was the cockpit scene, right?
Kimura: Yeah. On the day of filming, we started with the scene where they combined. In terms of the story, it was the first scene where those two worked together. We didn't talk about anything specific, but as we were filming, I felt like we were naturally moving in the same direction.
Fuyuno: That's right. Because we started with that scene, I think we were able to emotionally connect in the scenes that followed, even without discussing anything first. Personally, I was really happy to be able to fight alongside Kumade for the first time.
Kimura: When we combined, I felt really excited. Didn't it feel like we had become much stronger?
Fuyuno: It did, it did! I myself felt truly honored to be able to ride in the cockpit with the original GozyuWolf. However! Hoeru won't be outdone, and is going to keep doing his best.
Kimura: Ah, that's right. Hoeru and Kumade aren't so much of friends, they just happen to be walking down the same path.
Fuyuno: They give off the vibes that they want to inspire each other, where they're both thinking, "This guy's doing his best, so I've gotta do my best too."
Kimura: Their relationship is one that's been built up on multiple layers of, "Oh, is that how it's gonna be? Alright then, I'll just get ahead of you" and, "I can go even further."
"What are some particularly memorable scenes?"
Fuyuno: In episode 16, there's a scene where Hoeru, who had been harshly criticized by Kumade, pulls himself together and goes into battle, which was very memorable. To be honest, I was really annoyed by Kimura-kun's acting (laughs).
Kimura: During filming he told me, "You're seriously pissing me off" (laughs).
"So you're saying Kimura-kun's acting was just that realistic?"
Fuyuno: Yes. Well, even though he's heavy handed, Kumade managed to inspire Hoeru in his own way. I could feel my emotions properly responding to that, and I enjoyed performing.
Kimura: Episode 16 was memorable for me too. All of the scenes involving Goodeburn were shot against a green screen, so I had to imagine him in my head while doing it. I've always loved anime, so I was excited about the CG aspect of the production, and when I saw the finished footage I was like, "So this is how it turned out! Amazing!" There's also a scene where the normally unsmiling Kumade smiled at Goodeburn, so it was fun to play a different side of Kumade than I usually do. Still, I was surprised that the opening credits was the GozyuPolar version (laughs).
"As Hoeru, did you have any mixed feelings about that?"
Kimura: When we were reading through the script for episode 16, Mio had a disgusted look on his face (laughs).
Fuyuno: When I read the script for episode 16, I felt really sad. Kumade was the first GozyuWolf, the winner of the battle for the rings, and now he gets to appear as GozyuPolar…I felt really frustrated as I thought, "There's no way Hoeru can win!"
Kimura: That's true, Kumade is depicted as someone who's above Hoeru. Still, we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the future!
Fuyuno: Yeah, the future.
Kimura:…The Producer told him something like that, and then Mio finally started to smile (laughs).
Fuyuno: Well, I…that might've happened (laughs).
"Now then, based on the concept of the show, please tell us what you think are the "Number One" aspects of each other."
Fuyuno: Kimura-kun is, as the saying goes, "someone who falls down seven times but gets up eight times." He often makes jokes, but there are times when they don't land very well (laughs). Nevertheless, he's always trying to tell jokes and respond to them, so…
Kimura: Wahaha! This isn't making me happy at all, okay~? (laughs).
Fuyuno: I think it's amazing that he has the mental strength to keep trying without being discouraged.
Kimura: Well, yeah, I suppose so (laughs). Whether it's in interviews like or on the set, Mio is unwavering. I think being able to remain true to yourself is a form of strength.
Fuyuno: Ever since the audition for Gozyuger, I decided that I wouldn't pretend to be someone I'm not. Since we'd be working together as friends for a year, I hoped that everyone would accept me for who I am.
Kimura: I'm too scared to do something like that. I tend to unconsciously pick up on the vibes around me and then adjust my attitude. That's why I think it's amazing that Mio's not afraid to be himself.
"Now then, is there anything you'd like to do together during your private time this Summer?"
Kimura: Before Summer started, Mio and I promised each other that we'd "break into denim together." And yet! He recently bought a pair of sneakers, so he postponed our plans by saying, "Sorry, I don't have any money left this month, so I can't afford to buy denim" (laughs).
Fuyuno: When I went shopping with a friend, they were like, "These are great! You should buy them!"…and before I knew it, I had bought them (laughs). Looking back, I wonder if I actually wanted those shoes…
Kimura: No, I think they're your favorites. You've been wearing them to work every day.
"Finally, both of you please tell us about some recent personal news."
Kimura: I've started to eat brown rice as of late. I've also been cooking for myself more often…although it's nothing fancy. I tend to make Chinese dishes with spicy seasonings.
Fuyuno: That's great! What I'm into right now is…I guess it'd have to be anime.
Kimura: For real?!
Fuyuno: Yeah. I'm rewatching ones I watched in the past. Like "Bungo Stray Dogs," "Tokyo Ghoul," and "Jujutsu Kaisen." I especially like anime that revolves around battling.
"How about watching anime at Kimura-kun's place while enjoying some of his home cooked meals together?"
Fuyuno: Sounds good! I wanna share drinks at his place!
Kimura: Now hold on just a second! (laughs). Still, having a drinking party does sound like fun~
after the reveals in this week's gozyuger ep, i went back to see if i could glean anything new from rikuo's mv and!!!!!!!!!! the photo that it keeps flashing back to is addressed to rei!
