Tokusatsu is a term that originated in Japan to refer to live action production that makes heavy use of practical special effects. It has roots in old Japanese theater productions, and has become a genre of its own in the modern day.
The most famous types of tokusatsu shows are those featuring superheroes and kaiju. Super Sentai (adapted to Power Rangers in the west), Kamen Rider and Godzilla are 3 tokusatsu series that have managed to remain popular over the years, and have become quite iconic as a result. With as big a fanbase as these shows draw, it’s unsurprising that a lot of anime creators are fans themselves and have included homages in their own series.
9 Pokemon
While the series was first birthed as a set of video games, the Pokemon anime has taken on a life of its own, with its own unique characters, and scenarios. During the Sun and Moon era, Z crystals were introduced to the series, which could power up a Pokemon's move into a massive super attack.
The poses required for using these big moves provided the series the perfect opportunity for another Kamen Rider reference. This time, Team Rocket’s Meowth and Wobuffet strike Kamen Rider 1’s iconic transformation pose while attempting to activate a Z crystal.
8 My Hero Academia
As a series that focuses on superheroes and superhuman society, it would be a tragedy if My Hero Academia only ever paid its dues to western superheroes. Tokusatsu references in the series are somewhat sparse, including some incidental background heroes in Kamen Rider-esque get-ups.
A more concrete reference is in the hero team known as the Wild Wild Pussycats. The team of 4 are color coded like all Super Sentai teams, and even have a roll call and group pose they perform. MHA’s 1st movie also includes a hero whose superpower is simply being Godzilla.
7 Dragon Ball
In general, Dragon Ball doesn’t associate itself with the spandex-wearing form of superheroism. However, it’s not beyond some small homages. The most well known of these is the Ginyu Force, 5 soldiers in Freiza’s army who appear during the Namek saga of the series.
5 team members is the typical number for the Super Sentai series, and is likely why the Ginyu Force has 5 members. When arriving on the scene, they famously perform a roll call and group pose heavily reminiscent of those performed by Sentai teams over the years.
6 Pretty Cure
Pretty Cure is a magical girl series that actually airs near to the ‘superhero time’ block that features Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. The 3 series even have some cross-pollination via writers and actors. Due to this, it actually has quite a few references to them.
Smile Pretty Cure for example, has a character known as Kise Yayoi(aka Cure Peace), who is canonically a huge fan of tokusatsu shows, and dreams of being a mangaka and making her own superheroes. She’s even shown having a kamen-rider themed alarm clock that wakes her up with a heroic speech.
5 Bleach
In the world of Bleach, the soul reapers are a group dedicated to protecting the world from the demonic Hollow; monsters created from wayward souls. However, there are a group of soul reapers who have managed to obtain Hollow powers, despite this being a huge taboo.
Among this group is Mashiro Kuna, who was once a lieutenant soul reaper. When she dons her Hollow mask, she takes on a form very reminiscent of Kamen Riders, including bug-like eyes, and a scarf. She even takes the homage further by focusing on kick-based attacks akin to the iconic ‘rider kick’.
4 Future Diary
Future Diary is a death game anime in which 12 people have been chosen to compete for the opportunity to replace the game’s organizer, Deus Ex Machina as the god of time and space. Each contestant has a diary of their own which can predict the future, although in different manners.
The 12th diary holder is a man called Yomotsu Hirasaka, a delusional man who believes himself to be a hero of justice. He uses a very Kamen Rider-esque belt to transform into his hero form, as well as forming a color coded Sentai team with 4 brainwashed victims.
3 One Punch Man
The world of One Punch Man features quite a lot of parodies and satirical versions of certain media tropes. Saitama himself is a parody of overpowered heroes like Goku and Superman, and when he joins the Hero Association, he meets tons of other strange characters.
One of these is the fan favorite, Mumen Rider, a young man with no superpowers who nonetheless tries his best to save lives. His name is an obvious callback to Kamen Rider, and the bicycle he rides around on is a hilarious downgrade from Kamen Rider’s iconic motorcycles.
2 Rolling Girls
Rolling Girls is an original anime by Wit Studio. It’s set in a version of Tokyo that has been divided into 10 factions due to a great war. Each faction has a ‘best’, a leader of sorts who fights on their behalf in turf wars, using special stones to power themselves up. The main character, Nozomi, first sets off on her adventure in order to fulfill requests in the place of her injured friend, Matcha Green.
Matcha Green is a reference to both Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. The former due to her bright colouration and the “green” suffix in her name, and the latter due to her solo heroics, and scarf.
1 Samurai Flamenco
Samurai Flamenco is an anime that is in love with tokusatsu. It stars Masayoshi Hazama, a male model with dreams of being a superhero, despite having no powers. As a result, he dons a DIY superhero outfit and goes out to fight crime.
Masayoshi’s first suit heavily references the original Kamen Rider’s iconic scarf, visor and belt, and his later suit also keeps up these references, while adding more elements like a crescent head ornament reminiscent of Kamen Rider Gaim. He even at one point joins a full on Super Sentai superhero team called the ‘Flamengers’.