Henshin Ninja Arashi Roots Surface in a Kamen Rider Hibiki Novel

During Kamen Rider Hibiki’s early planning stages, Toei had actually considered putting the Kamen Rider franchise on hiatus and instead building a series around Henshin Ninja Arashi, an older hero created by Shotaro Ishinomori. Bandai did not favor that direction, and Hibiki went on to become a Kamen Rider series after all.

Hibiki nonetheless returned to some of its Henshin Ninja Arashi roots in a novel written by the series’ head writer, Tsuyoshi Kida, released May 23, 2013 for 650 yen. The novel has no direct connection to the television series: rather than following Hibiki and his apprentice Asumu, it centers on a different Hibiki and a man named Hayate.

The story is set immediately after the end of the Warring States era, as the Edo era begins. Hibiki and his clan are shown hiding in a small village while fighting the Makamo, until Hibiki meets Hayate, a ninja waging his own fight against the evil Chigurumatou clan.