Kamen Rider Black


 * This article is about the television series. For the series' main character, see Kamen Rider Black.

Kamen Rider Black (仮面ライダーBLACK), 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 Kamen Rider Black (仮面ライダーBlack).

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 cyborg 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.

Characters
to be added

Manga
A manga adaptation of Black titled Kamen Rider Black (仮面ライダーBlack) ran in Shōnen Sunday from 1987-1988.

TV specials

 * 1987: This is Kamen Rider Black (これが仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫだ!!) - It was aired one week before the first episode, introduces the character Kamen Rider Black.
 * 1988: Kamen Rider 1 Through RX: Big Gathering (仮面ライダー１号～ＲＸ大集合) - It covers all the Heroes, from Kamen Rider 1 until ZX, and introduces Kamen Rider Black RX.

Theatrical films

 * Kamen Rider Black: Hurry to Onigashima (仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫ　鬼ヶ島へ急行せよ)
 * 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.


 * Kamen Rider Black: Terrifying! The Phantom House of Devil Pass (仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫ　恐怖!悪魔峠の怪人館)
 * Released on July 9, 1988 (between ep. 38 and 39) as part of the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival. The city of Yūbari 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.


 * Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker (劇場版 仮面ライダーディケイド オールライダー対大ショッカー)
 * Tetsuo Kurata reprise his role in a cameo as Kotaro Minami in 2009's Kamen Rider Decade The Movie: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker.

Video games

 * Kamen Rider Black: Taiketsu Shadow Moon (仮面ライダーBLACK 対決シャドームーン)
 * Side-scrolling action game released by Bandai 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 2. 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 1, Kamen Rider V3 and Kamen Rider Agito 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

 * Kotaro Minami (南　光太郎): Tetsuo Kurata (倉田 てつを)
 * Nobuhiko Akizuki (秋月 信彦): Takahito Horiuchi (堀内 孝人)
 * Shadow Moon (シャドームーン): Masaki Terasoma (寺杣 昌紀)
 * Kyoko Akizuki (秋月 杏子): Akemi Inoue (井上 明美)
 * Katsumi Kida (紀田 克美): Ayumi Taguchi (田口 あゆみ)
 * Creation King (創世王): Takeshi Watabe (渡部 猛)
 * Darom (ダロム): Shōzō Iizuka (飯塚 昭三)
 * Baraom (バラオム): Toshimichi Takahashi (高橋 利道)
 * Bishium (ビシュム): Hitomi Yoshii (好井 ひとみ)
 * Bilgenia (ビルゲニア): Jun Yoshida (吉田 淳)
 * Narrator (ナレーター): Kiyoshi Kobayashi (小林 清志) and Masaki Terasoma (寺杣 昌紀)

Guest actors

 * Hdeomi Kuromatsu (黒松 英臣): Susumu Kurobe (黒部 進)
 * Ryusuke Taki (滝 竜介): Masaki Kyomoto (京本 政樹)
 * Masaru Todo (東堂 勝): Sent (セント)
 * Morita: Ryosuke Sakamoto (阪本 良介)
 * Kujira Mutant (クジラ怪人): Eisuke Yoda (依田英助)

Suit actors

 * Kamen Rider Black: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎)
 * Shadow Moon: Tokio Iwata (岩田 時男)
 * Darom: Hirokazu Shoji (庄司 浩和)

Songs

 * Opening theme:
 * "Kamen Rider Black" (仮面ライダーBLACK)
 * Lyrics: Yōko Aki (阿木 燿子)
 * Composition: Ryudo Uzaki (宇崎 竜童)
 * Arrangement: Eiji Kawamura (川村 栄二)
 * Artist: Tetsuo Kurata


 * 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 5000's 1994 EP, True Force.