Kamen Rider V3 (Adventure King)

Kamen Rider V3 was serialized in Adventure King (Boken-O) during the 1973 broadcast of the television series. Written and illustrated by Mitsuru Sugaya, this manga adaptation sought to capture the high-octane transformation sequences and dramatic stakes of the Toei tokusatsu show while translating the visual language of masked heroics onto the printed page. Sugaya, a protégé of Shotaro Ishinomori, leaned into the frantic, energetic paneling that characterized the era's shonen publications.

The reception of the V3 manga in Adventure King was rooted in the massive popularity of the TV show, which cemented the Kamen Rider franchise as a cultural phenomenon. Sugaya's take is often noted for its slightly darker, more streamlined approach compared to the screen version, emphasizing the tragedy of Shiro Kazami’s transformation and his relentless conflict with the Destron organization. It remains a hallmark of 1970s manga tie-ins, reflecting the period's standard practice of expanding popular IP through parallel narrative media.