Stuntman Seriously Injured After Falling Over 2 Meters on Set of Popular Tokusatsu Drama 'Kamen Rider Zets'

An accident occurred on the set of the popular tokusatsu drama "Kamen Rider Zets," where a male stuntman fell from a height of over two meters, sustaining serious injuries including a skull fracture. The victim has been identified as Kotaro Kaji, 30, a suit actor who has been active in numerous productions.

According to reports, the accident happened during rehearsals. It is believed that a safety device on a pulley, used to suspend wires for an action scene, became disengaged. While Kaji suffered severe injuries, including traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and a skull fracture, fortunately, he remains conscious and his life is not in danger.

Following the accident, production company Toei released an apology statement via its official website. "We deeply apologize for the deficiencies in our safety management system," the statement read, demonstrating their commitment to preventing recurrence. Kaji is known as one of the veteran actors supporting the series, having served as the suit actor for the secondary Rider, "Valen," in the previous installment, "Kamen Rider Gav."

On social media, numerous expressions of concern have been posted regarding the severity of the accident, with comments like, "A skull fracture is seriously bad," and "Just saying his life isn't in danger isn't reassuring enough." Particularly, given the traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, many comments expressed worries about potential long-term after-effects, while others highlighted the harsh working conditions of stuntmen and the critical importance of safety management. Although his hospital stay is expected to be around two weeks, fans have sent a flood of messages wishing Kaji a speedy recovery.

The context

"Kamen Rider" is a long-running and highly popular Japanese tokusatsu (special effects) superhero franchise created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It features motorcycle-riding superheroes with insect motifs who fight various villains. "Tokusatsu" is a Japanese term for live-action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects, commonly associated with genres like kaiju (monster) films and superhero shows. "Suit actors" are specialized actors who wear the full-body costumes of characters in tokusatsu productions, often performing complex stunts and fight choreography. Toei Company is a major Japanese film studio and is the primary producer of the Kamen Rider series.