Kamen Rider Gaim Summer Movie to Feature Armored Riders in J.League Soccer Collaboration

Reports surfaced that the Armored Riders of Kamen Rider Gaim would play a soccer match against J.League in the franchise’s summer movie, competing to win the Forbidden Golden Fruit. The collaboration followed a similar tie-in the previous year, when Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger partnered with J.League for the ending of “GABURINCHO Of MUSIC.”

Scenes from the movie showed the Armored Riders playing soccer in what was called a Sengoku Soccer Match, with the outcome controlled by a mysterious boy named Lapis, who is able to command all of the Armored Riders. In featured scenes, Kota Kazuraba is shown transforming into Kamen Rider Gaim in the middle of the match to retrieve the ball.

Four Armored Rider teams were confirmed for the movie. Team Gaim consists of Kota Kazuraba (Kamen Rider Gaim), Mitsuzane Kureshima (Kamen Rider Ryugen), and Yuya Sumii. Team Baron consists of Kaito Kumon (Kamen Rider Baron), Zack (Kamen Rider Knuckle), and Peco (Kamen Rider Kurokage Shin). Team Genesis consists of Takatora Kureshima (Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin), Sid (Kamen Rider Sigurd), and Yoko Minato (Kamen Rider Marika). A fourth team includes Oren Pierre Alfonso (Kamen Rider Bravo), Ryouji Hase (Kamen Rider Kurokage), and Hideyasu Jonouchi (Kamen Rider Gridon).

Former J.League player Masashi “Gon” Nakayama was confirmed as a guest star in the movie. At an announcement event, actor Gaku Sano presented Nakayama with a replica of Kamen Rider Ichigou’s Rider Belt; Nakayama said he had wanted to be a Kamen Rider since childhood and had once wished he could buy the Ichigou and Nigou belts, never expecting to eventually receive one this way. Yuto Sato of JEF United Ichihara Chiba and Yuichi Komano of Jubilo Iwata were also confirmed as guest stars. The Sengoku Soccer Match scenes were filmed at Fukuda Denshi Arena on April 22 and April 28, and an announcement trailer for the Kamen Rider Gaim and Ressha Sentai ToQger summer movie included a behind-the-scenes look at Kota meeting Nakayama on set.