Common elements

Although each entry in the series is different, each one shares similar traits with one another. All generally involve at least one young adult male transforming into a Kamen Rider to fight various monsters and organizations linked to that specific Kamen Rider's origin. As the series progresses, the Rider often learns more about the monsters in the series, other Kamen Riders or the origin of his powers. Early Kamen Riders were generally based on grasshoppers, but this practice has only been done twice in the newer set of shows. Usually referred to as Rider Machines, motorcycles are an integral part of the series. Since 1971, Suzuki originally provided motorcycles for the series until Kamen Rider Agito when Honda became involved and the single Ducati featured in Kamen Rider W. Early Kamen Riders wore scarfs along with their costumes, but this practice was dropped with Kamen Rider Black until the premiere of W.

A trait shared among recent Kamen Riders is their ability to change forms and become stronger versions of themselves. The first power up appeared in Kamen Rider Stronger which was used by the title character. Kamen Rider Black RX had multiple forms, including the 'base' Black RX form, along with two others called Roborider and Biorider respectively. Since then, every title Kamen Rider in the Heisei era has had at least one alternate form with powers either different or stronger than the base form. The main Riders in Kamen Rider W and Kamen Rider OOO, rather than having forms, introduced the concept of multiple combinations (referred to as "Half Changes" in W and "Combos" in OOO).

All Shōwa Riders gained their powers through some form of surgical alteration to their bodies, a practice rarely seen in Heisei Riders who are often simply "naturally" different from normal humans (imbued with mystical powers, protagonistic kaijin, etc.) or are given access to advanced technology. The nature of the Heisei Riders also varies greatly; whereas all early Shōwa Riders fought on the side of justice and peace, there have been numerous Heisei Riders that have fought for personal reasons such as greed, revenge, the personal enjoyment of battle, and even as antagonistic characters.

The most common trait shown by all Kamen Riders (except for the protagonist of Shin: Kamen Rider Prologue) is the Henshin or Rider Belt, enabling the transformation from man into armored fighter. In the later series, the belts allow access to the characters' weaponry and unique finishing attacks. The Heisei run of franchise introduces unique belt gimmicks each year, including the different card-based belts of the characters of Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Blade, and Kamen Rider Decade, the USB flash drive-based belts of Kamen Rider W, and the sentient character belts of Kamen Rider Kiva.