I heard years ago that Momotaros is based on the folktale of the Peach Boy (Momotato, whose name literally means Peach Boy, as I understand it) and I thought that it was some big secret, shared by a big brained, big name Tokusatsu fan. I still think highly of this fan’s contributions to commentary and analysis of Kamen Rider and the like, but watching Den-O 1, it struck me that Ryotaro just comes out and says that this red Imagin bound to him looks like his childhood hero Momotaro. What I for thought was this juicy piece of secret knowledge was simply something presented at surface level of the show, something anyone could have remembered. That tickles me. I feel like it’s a reminder to always check out primary sources before believing something without question. At the time, I dis look into this folktale, linked below, and read it. It’s been at least two years, but I remember the boy had some animal friends who helped him in his adventure. At the end of Den-o 2, when he fought the out of control Bat Imagin, I think there is a secondary reference to the folktale because the special weapons deployed by the DenLiner are animal related. They sound, look and move in a way reminiscent of the monkey, dog and pheasant in the story.
For your enrichment, below is a link to an old illustrated book telling the story of Momotaro. Do you think Ryotaro read something similar as a kid?
MJ Muñoz 