Remember ‘Masked Rider?’ Priest Dresses Up As Real-Life Superhero To Hunt For Drunk Drivers
In Japan, a masked rider priest dresses up as real-life superhero to catch drunk drivers. No kidding! The police force supports him. The locals love him!
Dec 08, 20232634 Shares35118 Views
There’s a masked rider priest dresses up as real-life superheroin Japan.
A priest dressed up as Kamen Rider 1, a fictional Japanese superhero resembling a giant grasshopper, has taken the streets of Japan to track down drunk drivers, reported Japan Today.
By day, the priest, Shinjiro Kumagai, is a mild-mannered environmental artist, who makes statues out of old aluminum cans in the city of Kitakyushu within Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan.
At night, after he finishes his day job, Kumagai dresses up as Japanese sci-fi TV hero Kamen (Masked) Rider 1, and he patrols the streets on a Cyclone motorbike to hunt down drunk drivers.
All-Out Support
Kumagai, who wears an armband identifying him as an “official drink-drive patrolman,” is supported by the Japanese police.
The priest is also funded by Priest Fukumitsu, a local Buddhist priest and the head of the Gokuraku-ji, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Kumagai said that Fukumitsu is a “true fan of Kamen Rider 1” and has been collecting memorabilia for over years now.
He added:
“„So, when he heard about what I was doing, he jumped at the chance to help.- Shinjiro Kumagai
As most of them grew up watching the famous superhero, locals are thrilled to see the helmeted crusader patrolling their streets.
Kageki Umeta, a 43-year-old shopkeeper, said, as quoted by Mirror U.K.:
“„He is doing a very good job. On one hand, it is quite geeky and comical, although the kids love to see him riding around.- Kageki Umeta
Then she added:
“„Kamen Rider is a big thing in Japan.- Kageki Umeta
Umeta continued:
“„But on the other hand, he is actually raising awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and is catching people at it who he then reports to the police.- Kageki Umeta
She concluded:
“„Every city should have a Kamen Rider.- Kageki Umeta
The Masked Crusader
Kamen Rider 1 is a fictional superhero character featured in Japanese live action drama. He first appeared in the TV series Kamen Rider, the first in the famous franchise.
The hero is a motorcycle-riding superhero modeled upon a grasshopper.
In the Philippines, it’s Kamen Rider Black, translated as Masked Rider Black, the eighth installment in the franchise that captured the hearts of Filipino kids.
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