Ask John: Is Kamen Rider Ryuki Influenced by Highlander?

Question:
I’ve recently been following episodes of Kamen Rider Ryuki and couldn’t help but notice how incredibly much it resembled Highlander! Is this just coincidence?

Answer:
Since I’ve only seen the first 3 episodes of Kamen Rider Ryuki, I don’t know if its story becomes more obviously influenced by Highlander as it progresses. The concept of Kamen Riders commanded to eliminate each other is definitely similar to Highlander’s “There can be only one” theme, but I don’t know if the similarity is intentional or coincidental. It’s not entirely improbable that Kamen Rider Ryuki may be influenced by the 1985 American fantasy film. Especially the original Highlander movie was quite popular in Japan in the 1980s, and even now still has strong support from Japanese fans. Versus, Ryuhei Kitamura’s cult hit horror/action film from 2000, includes extensive homage to Highlander including obvious Highlander story parallels and several scenes that exactly recreate sequences from the original Highlander movie. And well known anime character designer Nobuteru Yuuki also acknowledges Highlander’s popularity in Japan by having an original Highlander painting announcing the February 2003 Japanese DVD re-release of the original movie included in the January 2003 issue of Newtype Magazine. With the influence of Highlander still obviously evident in the Japanese entertainment industry, it’s not difficult to imagine that the recent Kamen Rider Ryuki television series may have been influenced by Highlander.