Kamen Rider Black
Encyclopedia
, translated as Masked Rider Black, is a tokusatsu
superhero
television series. It is the eighth installment in the famous Kamen Rider Series
of tokusatsu shows. It is a joint collaboration between Ishinomori Productions and Toei
, and aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System
and the Tokyo Broadcasting System
from October 4, 1987 to October 9, 1988, with a total of 51 episodes. With its very dramatic storyline and its twist of the Kamen Rider having a tragic relationship with his arch-nemesis, the installment not only became very popular in Japan, but also in many countries where it was aired. The series is often regarded as a tv classic and is considered by many as the most popular Kamen Rider show of the late 80s, as well as the most famous of all Kamen Riders in the Showa Period
. Kamen Rider Black RX
was a direct sequel to this series. A manga adaptation of the series is entitled .
surgery with the purpose of becoming the candidates for the next Gorgom Creation King. Both of them are called Century Kings and are destined to best each other in a final battle - whoever wins will become the next Creation King. Kotaro escaped before getting brainwashed (which is the final step in the surgery), with help from his foster father, and turned against Gorgom. He soon finds out the horrific truth from his stepfather: Gorgom originally killed his true parents and, since both Kotaro and Nobuhiko were born on the day of a solar eclipse, referred as "Black Sun" and "Shadow Moon". Kotaro, taking on the name of Kamen Rider Black
, was determined to rescue his stepbrother from Gorgom while protecting Japan. However, later in the series, Nobuhiko emerged as Shadow Moon
to fight Kotaro with the survivor becoming the next Creation King.
adaptation of Black titled ran in Shōnen Sunday
from 1987-1988.
Ending theme:
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
television series. It is the eighth installment in the famous Kamen Rider Series
Kamen Rider Series
The is a metaseries of manga and tokusatsu television programs and films created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The various Kamen Rider media generally feature a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains often referred to as...
of tokusatsu shows. It is a joint collaboration between Ishinomori Productions and Toei
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
, and aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
and the Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
from October 4, 1987 to October 9, 1988, with a total of 51 episodes. With its very dramatic storyline and its twist of the Kamen Rider having a tragic relationship with his arch-nemesis, the installment not only became very popular in Japan, but also in many countries where it was aired. The series is often regarded as a tv classic and is considered by many as the most popular Kamen Rider show of the late 80s, as well as the most famous of all Kamen Riders in the Showa Period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
. Kamen Rider Black RX
Kamen Rider BLACK RX
is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series produced as part of the Kamen Rider Series. The ninth show in the franchise, it was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei Company, and aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and the Tokyo Broadcasting System from October...
was a direct sequel to this series. A manga adaptation of the series is entitled .
Synopsis
After being kidnapped by the cult Gorgom on the night of their 19th birthday, stepbrothers Kotaro Minami and Nobuhiko Akizuki were submitted to a cyborgCyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
surgery with the purpose of becoming the candidates for the next Gorgom Creation King. Both of them are called Century Kings and are destined to best each other in a final battle - whoever wins will become the next Creation King. Kotaro escaped before getting brainwashed (which is the final step in the surgery), with help from his foster father, and turned against Gorgom. He soon finds out the horrific truth from his stepfather: Gorgom originally killed his true parents and, since both Kotaro and Nobuhiko were born on the day of a solar eclipse, referred as "Black Sun" and "Shadow Moon". Kotaro, taking on the name of Kamen Rider Black
Kamen Rider BLACK (character)
is the primary and eponymous protagonist in the 1987-1988 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Black, later evolving into Kamen Rider Black RX of Kamen Rider Black RX...
, was determined to rescue his stepbrother from Gorgom while protecting Japan. However, later in the series, Nobuhiko emerged as Shadow Moon
Shadow Moon
is a fictional character who serves as the primary antagonist in the Japanese tokusatsu drama Kamen Rider Black.-Fictional character biography:...
to fight Kotaro with the survivor becoming the next Creation King.
List of episodes
Manga
A mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation of Black titled ran in Shōnen Sunday
Shonen Sunday
, first published on March 17, 1959, is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.- History :...
from 1987-1988.
TV specials
- 1987: - It was aired one week before the first episode, introduces the character Kamen Rider Black.
- 1988: - It covers all the Heroes, from Kamen Rider 1Kamen Rider 1is a fictional character and main superhero or henshin character featured in Japanese tokusatsu. He first appeared in the television series Kamen Rider, the first in the famous Kamen Rider franchise of tokusatsu programmes. The primary protagonist of the series, Kamen Rider 1 is a motorcycle-riding...
until ZXKamen Rider ZXis the tenth fictional superhero in the Kamen Rider franchise to bear the eponymous title. ZX holds the distinction of being the first Rider who did not star in his own television series. The character debuted in an eponymous manga series which began serialization on the July 1982 issue of the...
, and introduces Kamen Rider Black RXKamen Rider BLACK RXis a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series produced as part of the Kamen Rider Series. The ninth show in the franchise, it was a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei Company, and aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and the Tokyo Broadcasting System from October...
.
Theatrical films
- Released on March 12, 1988 (between ep. 22 and 23) as part of the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival. Originally known simply as Kamen Rider Black during its theatrical release. Children all over Tokyo mysteriously disappear without warning. Kotaro suspects that the Gorgom are behind the abductions and follows a suspicious-looking tour bus with children on it, only to lose its trail off a cliff. With the help of a fisherman (played by Ishinomori himself), Kotaro travels to a remote island and uses his abilities as Kamen Rider Black to save the children and foil Gorgom's latest evil scheme.
- Released on July 9, 1988 (between ep. 38 and 39) as part of the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival. The city of YūbariYubari, Hokkaidois a city in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 12,068. The total area is 763.20 km². Hemmed in by mountains Yūbari stretches for 25 kilometers along a mountain valley....
in the Hokkaido prefecture has become a ghost town following the presence of Shadow Moon and his minions of Gorgom. Makino, a scientist working on Gorgom's top-secret robot experiment, escapes from the evil organization and returns to Tokyo, only to find out that his wife and daughter have been abducted. As Kamen Rider Black, Kotaro travels to Yubari to save Makino's family and liberate the town from Shadow Moon's evil grasp.
- Tetsuo KurataTetsuo Kuratais a Japanese television, stage and film actor and administrator, best known for portraying Kotaro Minami, the main character in the tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider Black and its sequel, Kamen Rider Black RX. At the age of 19 he made his acting debut in Black, and has since appeared in many...
reprise his role in a cameo as Kotaro Minami in 2009's Kamen Rider DecadeKamen Rider Decadeis the title of the first of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. Decade, as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider Series, having begun with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000...
The Movie: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker.
Video games
- Side-scrolling action game released by BandaiBandaiis a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
for the Family Computer Disk System on April 15, 1988. Player takes control of Kamen Rider Black, who must defeat numerous Gorgom mutants. The player gets to ride Battle Hopper in addition to controlling Black on foot.- Kamen Rider: Seigi No Keifu
- Kamen Rider Black appears as the main character of the 1988 storyline in this 3D action game for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. Lead to an old Shocker hideout believing it to be Gorgom, Kotaro is forced to fight various kaijin and Gelshocker soldiers, only to learn the game's true villain is after the Kingstone inside of him. Eventually, Kamen Rider 1Kamen Rider 1is a fictional character and main superhero or henshin character featured in Japanese tokusatsu. He first appeared in the television series Kamen Rider, the first in the famous Kamen Rider franchise of tokusatsu programmes. The primary protagonist of the series, Kamen Rider 1 is a motorcycle-riding...
, Kamen Rider V3Kamen Rider V3is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the second installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series, and the direct sequel to the original Kamen Rider...
and Kamen Rider AgitoKamen Rider Agito, is the eleventh installment in the popular Kamen Rider tokusatsu franchise. The series represented the 30th Anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series. The series was also a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei and was shown on TV Asahi from January 28, 2001 to January 27, 2002....
travel to 1988 to assist him in the game's final battle. Tetsuo Kurata returns to voice the character. Shadow Moon makes a brief cameo as a non-playable character as well.
Cast
- :
-
- : : : : : : : : : and
-
Guest actors
: : :- Morita: :
Suit actors
- Kamen Rider Black:
- Shadow Moon:
- Darom:
Songs
Opening theme:-
- Lyrics:
- Composition:
- Arrangement:
- Artist: Tetsuo KurataTetsuo Kuratais a Japanese television, stage and film actor and administrator, best known for portraying Kotaro Minami, the main character in the tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider Black and its sequel, Kamen Rider Black RX. At the age of 19 he made his acting debut in Black, and has since appeared in many...
Ending theme:
- "Long Long Ago, 20th Century"
- Lyrics: Yōko Aki
- Composition: Ryudo Uzaki
- Arrangement: Eiji Kawamura
- Artist: Norio Sakai
In other media
- Kamen Rider Black is pictured on the cover art of Powerman 5000Powerman 5000Powerman 5000 is an American Metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!...
's 1994 EP, True ForceTrue ForceTrue Force is the debut EP of American metal band Powerman 5000. The album cover features the Japanese tokusatsu character, Kamen Rider Black.-Track listing:# "Strike The Match" – 4:08# "Organizized" - 3:48 # "Hell Burns With Fire" - 0:49...
.