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 produced by Toei Company, and aired on the MBS, TBS and other JNN affiliates from October 23, 1988, to September 24, 1989. The series is a direct sequel to Kamen Rider Black and the first to feature a team-up with the past Riders since the 1984 TV special Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!!. For distribution purposes, Toei refers to this television series as Black Masked Rider RX.
This was also the last installment of the Kamen Rider series to be produced in the Shōwa era and the first to be produced in the Heisei one — Episode 11 was delayed by one week following Emperor Hirohito's death.
In 1995 Black RX was adapted into the American television series Masked Rider by Saban. The show featured a heavily altered story and all-new characters, in an attempt to fit the series in as a spin-off of Power Rangers.

Story

Following the Fall of Gorgom, Kotaro Minami tries to live a normal life with the Sahara family. However, this brief moment of peace is soon shattered by the arrival of the Crisis Empire-an evil alien menace that aims to eradicate humanity and claim dominion over Earth. After refusing to aid them in their nefarious goals, Kotaro is thrown hurtling back towards the planet with his transformation belt shattered. However, when he awakens, Kotaro discovers that the sun's rays have blessed him with new power-the power of Kamen Rider Black RX!

Episodes

  1. The Child of the Sun! RX
  2. Bask in Light! RX
  3. RX vs. the Knight of the Wind
  4. The Car of Light, Rideron
  5. The Cave Exploration's Falling Hole
  6. The Kaima Extraterrestrials' Great Riot!
  7. SOS! The Circle of Friendship
  8. Dad's And Mom's Secret
  9. Maribaron's Witchcraft
  10. Surprised With Replicas
  11. The Scraps' Revolt
  12. The Assassin in Dreams
  13. The Targeted Kaima Girl
  14. The Kidnapped Hitomi-chan
  15. Robo Rider Is Born
  16. The Miraculous Valley's Princess
  17. Bio Rider!
  18. The Mystery! Swimming in the Air of Dreams
  19. The Artificial Sun of Terror!
  20. The Banana Eating Ogre
  21. The Front of Love And Friendship
  22. Shadow Moon!
  23. RX Became a Pig
  24. Dad Is Dracula
  25. The Bride of Scorpio
  26. Bosgan's Revenge
  27. Huge Counterattack! The Prince of Shadows
  28. The Agent of the Majestic Emperor
  29. A World Without Water
  30. Tokyo Desert Without a Tomorrow
  31. The Woman Who Saw the Kaima World
  32. The Sky of Love And Hope
  33. Decisive Battle on the Great Seto Bridge
  34. Making a Plan For The Shikoku Aircraft!!
  35. Kotaro Not Wanted!!
  36. Who's the Hero!?
  37. Skinning With Tusks, the Beastman Ninja Troop
  38. The Wicked Dance Troop of the White Bone Field
  39. A Running Explosion! Mini 4WD
  40. The Trap of the Ghostly Housing Development
  41. The Terror of the 100 Eyed Hag
  42. The 4 Commanders Are Banished
  43. Defeated! RX
  44. Fight! All Riders
  45. The Fake Rider's Last Days
  46. The Riders' All Out Charge
  47. A Shining Tomorrow!

TV special

  • 1988: Kamen Rider 1 Through RX: Big Gathering - It covers all the heroes, from Kamen Rider 1 until ZX and introduces Kamen Rider Black RX.

Films

Kamen Rider: Run All Over the World is a short 3D film originally screened in the Coal History Village in Yubari between April 29 throughout October 31, 1989. The film involves a team-up between Kotaro Minami's four Kamen Rider alter-egos to fight against the Crisis Empire. Tetsuo Kurata plays Kotaro Minami and voices all four of his Kamen Rider alter-egos. General Jark, the four commanders of Crisis, and three high priests of Gorgom also appear in the movie, all played by their original actors with the exception of Bosgan and Darom. The movie was written by Yoshio Urasawa and directed by series director Yoshiaki Kobayashi.
In the film, the Crisis Empire devises a plan to defeat Kotaro by reverting him back to his old form of Kamen Rider Black and sending out several revived monsters after him. However, Kamen Rider Black is assisted by another Black RX, who used a time warp to help his past self. The two are joined by Black RX's alternate forms of Robo Rider and Bio Rider, and the four Riders combine their powers to defeat the revived monsters.
The film is included as a bonus on the Region 2 DVD release of Kamen Rider Black RX Vol. 2. The DVD versions lack the original 3D effects of the theatrical release. A bonus Blu-ray 3D disc containing the movie is included in the "Kamen Rider: The Movie Blu-ray Box 1972-1988" set.

''After 0''

The S.I.C. Hero Saga story for Black RX ran in Monthly Hobby Japan in the December 2002 through March 2003 issues. Titled Kamen Rider Black RX: After 0, it tells the story of what happened after the finale of Black RX. It features the original characters the White RX, Shadow Moon with RX powers, and the Creation King, the result of Shadow Moon absorbing both King Stones.
;Chapter titles
  1. Ceremonial Day
  2. Dazzling
  3. Earth's Demise
  4. King of Dreams

Cast

Songs

;Opening theme
;Ending theme

International Broadcast, Home Video and Streaming

  • In its home country of Japan from August 1993 to September 1994, the full series was released on VHS by Toei Video and spread across 12 volumes with four episodes on each tape, with the last volume containing only three episodes. Six volumes of the series were released on Laserdisc from March 21, 1999, to January 21, 2000, with all episodes. Then from May 21 to August 5, 2005, a total of 4 volumes were released with each holding two discs with 12 episodes, the last volume holding only 11. Then from June 10 to October 7, 2015, the full series was released on Blu-Ray in three volumes, with each one containing 3 discs and 16 episodes. The Official Toei Tokusatsu YouTube channel also broadcast the series online from January 23 to July 1, 2012, then from June 16 to November 29, 2014, November 4, 2017, to April 21, 2018, and December 15, 2021, to May 25, 2022. The Toei Tokusatsu Nico Nico Official Channel also broadcast it online from April 21, 2013, to March 9, 2014.
  • It aired in Thailand on Channel 3, dubbed as weera burut nakak dam. and this along with the previous series was also released on VCD by Dream Vision and later again by TIGA Company under Rāchạny̒phlạng s̄uriyạnn.
  • In the Chinese-speaking world, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Hmong dubs were produced and aired in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Hmong-speaking regions respectively.
  • *In Hong Kong, the series aired with a Cantonese Chinese dub aired from July 1, 1991, and finished by around 1992. Originally, it aired from July 1 to August 1991 at first on Asia Television. Then that same channel re-broadcast the previous series, Kamen Rider Black at that time, from August 2 to September 6, 1991, and the two dramas were collectively called "Kamen Rider 1991". The first rebroadcast was from June 14, 1992, to January 10, 1993. The name was changed to "Kamen Rider RX", and the broadcast time was every Saturday night or every Sunday night. The finale was broadcast on the evening of January 10, 1993, on a Sunday. The last episode gave the series' title a renamed "Kamen Rider RX Final Battle". Due to the high ratings at that time, many rebroadcasts were scheduled until March 31, 2002. The program name was still "Kamen Rider RX" and the broadcast time was every Sunday morning at 7:00. Therefore, the program was broadcast a total of 5 times, overall, with four re-runs throughout 11 years. On the contrary, because the ratings of the previous series Kamen Rider BLACK in Hong Kong were lower than that of this one, Asia Television Hong Kong has not arranged to rebroadcast the original series again. However, when Kamen Rider Decade was first broadcast on the TVB Jade Channel, it was translated as Kamen Rider BLACK RX directly translated from the original Japanese.
  • *In Taiwan, the series aired from December 1997 to November 1998 as Masked Rider RX on the Star Chinese Channel with a Taiwanese Mandarin dub, alongside its previous series that came before.
  • *For the Hmong-speaking regions, A Hmong dub was produced and titled under Hnub Leej Tub Black RX and was released direct to video.
  • In Malaysia, the series received a Malay dub and aired from 1996-1997 on TV2. Nippon Vision also licensed and released a Malay dub of the series on VHS and VCD in addition. It also was released with an English dub on VCD by Speedy Video as simply Masked Rider Black RX.
  • Spain has aired a Castilian Spanish dub of the series on Antena 3.
  • In Indonesia, the series aired on RCTI as Ksatria Baja Hitam RX with an Indonesian dub on August 14, 1993. They also aired the Saban adaptation Masked Rider on Indosiar in 1997, as a separate series.
  • It was initially the second of the two series of the Kamen Rider franchise to be broadcast in Brazil with a Brazilian Portuguese dub, by the now-extinct network Rede Manchete debuting on the network on July 24, 1995, airing as Black Kamen Rider RX in the region. Like the previous series, the last episode did not air initially. However, the episode was still dubbed and was eventually shown on TV Diário in the state of Ceará when the series was rebroadcast. However, it was only shown once. InterMovies Action released the series on home video as well. On November 7, 2023, a Brazilian Portuguese dub of Kamen Rider Build was confirmed to be in the making.
  • *As of 2024, this is the only entry in the Kamen Rider series to have dubbed versions of both itself and its American adaptation Masked Rider as two separate shows in Brazil.
  • The series was licensed by Discotek Media for Blu-Ray in the US and released on August 29, 2023.