Dub Upd — Kamen Rider W English
dubbed Rider content, there have been a few surprise releases: Kamen Rider Agito
These dubs were created by various studios, leading to wildly inconsistent quality. Studios like Hong Kong's Omni Productions and Malaysia's Speedy Video were responsible for many of these dubs, which are now often considered "lost media" or have become infamous for their low-quality, sometimes nonsensical translations. As one fan on the Lost Media Wiki notes, Omni is known for their "infamously awful dubs" of Japanese shows. This ended around 2016, when the franchise essentially stopped producing English dubs at all.
When Toei announced —the direct anime sequel to Kamen Rider W produced by Studio KAI—the international fandom expected an official English dub. kamen rider w english dub upd
The primary hub for official North American Kamen Rider content.
[Kamen Rider W (2009 Live-Action)] ---> [Fuuto PI Manga] ---> [Fuuto PI Anime (2022)] | (No English Dub Produced) dubbed Rider content, there have been a few
In 2013, a professional English-language version of Kamen Rider W (alternatively known as Kamen Rider Double ) was produced for international markets. Unlike western adaptations such as Kamen Rider Dragon Knight , this was a direct translation utilizing the original Japanese footage, music, and sound effects.
For fans of the Kamen Rider franchise, particularly those who are not fluent in Japanese, the lack of an English dub has been a significant barrier to enjoying the show. While some fans have relied on subtitles or fan-made translations, an official English dub would provide a more authentic and accessible viewing experience. This ended around 2016, when the franchise essentially
The dub was even given its own English-style logo for promotional advertisements, and reports suggest that it was briefly made available on YouTube, hinting at a short-lived digital presence. However, that fleeting existence was all the wider world ever saw of it.
These fan dubs are labors of love, often recorded by aspiring voice actors. While they lack the polish of a studio production, they allow new fans who struggle with reading subtitles to engage with the story of the "Hardboiled Detective" and his partner. Toei generally turns a blind eye to these non-monetized projects, but they are not a replacement for an official release.
For fans dedicated to the "lost media" phenomenon, the search for the W dub has become a holy grail. The Apollo Dub Archive, a crucial project dedicated to finding and uploading these dubs, was instrumental in recovering many other series. While the Archive is no longer regularly updated, its work—and the subsequent uploading of recovered dubs to the Internet Archive by users like "evansonic3"—has set the stage for modern preservation efforts.
To make matters worse, these "Asian English" dubs—of which Kamen Rider W is a prime example—were produced sporadically, often using inconsistent naming conventions and different studios across various countries. This fragmented history has made tracking down a complete, high-quality copy an immense challenge for preservationists.