Renowned artist and illustrator John Bellotti Jr., professionally known as Robo7, has officially secured the rights to produce Kamen Rider merchandise, which includes highly anticipated T-shirts and collectible keychains, slated for release throughout 2026.
This new partnership marks a significant milestone for Bellotti, whose hyper-detailed, screen-accurate style has earned him a devoted following among monster, superhero, and tokusatsu fans alike. Known for blending classic American comic and Anime aesthetics with retro Japanese film poster charm, Robo7’s upcoming Kamen Rider collection will feature iconic figures from the franchise’s history, continuing his mission to bring authentic Japanese pop culture art to the North American market.
The announcement comes after a string of successful years working with Tsuburaya Productions on the Ultraman franchise. Since 2022, Bellotti has created officially licensed Ultraman apparel, posters, and even original artwork for the global Ultraman Card Game. His dedication to the “Giant of Light” has solidified his reputation as a premier artist in the tokusatsu community.” Having the opportunity to work with legendary properties like Ultraman and now Kamen Rider is not only surreal, but a dream come true,” says Bellotti. “My goal has always been to treat these characters with the respect they deserve while bringing my own artistic vision to the fans.”
The first run of Kamen Rider T-shirts is expected to debut in late spring and will be available through the official Robo7 website, as well as major conventions including G-FEST, AnimeNYC, NYCC, and more! As part of this major milestone and opportunity for fans in the West to obtain Kamen Rider merch, Kaiju United had the exclusive opportunity to interview John Bellotti Jr., discussing his reaction to the exciting news and what else to expect from this collaboration!
Joseph Acosta: You first started doing official merchandise with Tsuburaya Productions, and now you’re working with Toei! Congrats! Two of the most prestigious names in tokusatsu. How does it feel to reach this point as an artist?
Robo7: First off, thank you for the kind words, and thank you for your continued support of what I do with Robo 7 as well as Kaiju Brooklyn! Overall, the feeling is pretty spectacular! It’s something that I never would have predicted just a year ago. Kamen Rider was something that I always really liked from afar (I’ve been aware of it since I was a kid), and knowing how popular the brand is worldwide, I feel pretty lucky that Toei is trusting me to represent their brand here in the United States!
JA: When you first got into art, how did tokusatsu become an influence on your work? Was it something that came before your love for Toku, or did it grow FROM it?
R7: I always drew tokusatsu and Kaiju stuff as a kid, but along the way, I stopped during art college to focus on drawing humans mostly, so I could work in comic books. My love for doing artwork and my love for tokusatsu started sort of at the same time when I was a kid, so they do go hand-in-hand with each other. It wasn’t until 2014 when I drew that Godzilla vs. Hedorah poster (that I have since redone) that truly kicked off what I’m currently doing now with Ultraman and Kamen Rider. If people didn’t respond to my work so positively, I probably wouldn’t have jumped so far into tokusatsu artwork, but I’m glad I did, as it gave me a real sense of purpose for what to focus on and carve out a nice niche for myself.
JA: How did this collaboration come about? Did it come as a surprise, or was this partnership slowly developing over time?
R7: Oh, it was totally all by surprise! It was never truly on my radar as something that I wanted to pursue, as it’s no secret that I have always been pursuing a certain famous radioactive Kaiju for the last 10 years. He’s become my Moby Dick to my Captain Ahab at this point! However, I should preface this that the first Kamen Rider show that I ever saw in its entirety was Black Sun in 2022, and I was absolutely blown away by not only the amazing suit designs, but the mature themes and violence. However, when I went to Japan for the first time last September, I was able to experience Kamen Rider in person. [Kamen Rider] Zeztz debuted while I was there, so that merchandise was at every place that I went toy shopping. I was just bombarded by Kamen Rider imagery!
I think between going to the various Mandarake shops and the official Kamen Rider store, I started to really fall in love with the franchise. What firmly cemented it was when we went to Toei Studio Park in Kyoto, and I visited a Kamen Rider and Super Sentai exhibition with all of the filming suits on full display. By the time I came back to the states, it was time for NYCC, and a good friend and somebody that I consider a mentor in some ways, Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment, came over to my booth, and as we got to talking, somehow I remembered that he’s been working with Toei on some projects recently. I asked him for some contacts at the company, and he put me in touch with their head of licensing. They were very familiar with my Ultraman shirts, and they liked my sales pitch enough to grant me the license for the next two years! I have been watching more Kamen Rider shows since I’ve been home!
JA: Which era will be your main focus during this partnership? Showa? Heisei? Is it up to you or whatever Toei gives you?
R7: Thankfully, it’s mainly up to me as to what I want to do! They gave me such great freedom in picking which characters I wanted to work with. I’m focusing a little bit on every generation! I chose six different Rider shows to develop shirts for. My original list was very long, but I had to cut it back just to fit all the shirt releases into the next two years!
JA: Now that you’re stepping into this collab with Toei, are you going in with a clear vision, or are you leaving room to adapt as the project develops?
R7: Thankfully, because of my work with Ultraman, it gave me a lot of experience as to how to properly approach the rollout of these shirts over the next two years, so I went in with a very clear vision of what I want to do and how I want to release and promote them. I have a lot of really fun stuff planned. Of course, there’s always room for adaptation, and I’ll see what people respond to as the shirts are released.
JA: Right now, this is all Rider-focused. But do you see yourself exploring other franchises within Toei, like Project R.E.D. or even Super Sentai (despite being on hiatus) down the line?
R7: Oh absolutely! Super Sentai, Hakaider, and Kikaider are all things that I would love to tackle if the demand is there! I’m sure I can do a Zyuranger shirt and probably retire on that one shirt alone, but there is so much merchandise for that stuff already that I would rather do stuff that you can’t find at your local Target. I think what I am most excited about is for people to see how passionate I am about tokusatsu and how I could work with more than one famous franchise!
About Robo7:
Robo7 is the artistic alter-ego of John Bellotti Jr., a Brooklyn-based scenic artist and illustrator specializing in kaiju, tokusatsu, and kung fu-inspired pop art. His work has been featured in Famous Monsters of Filmland and G-FAN magazine.
Media Contact:
John Bellotti Jr.
Robo7.com
@roboseven (Instagram)
