This blog post will be like me listing off his Legacy and all of the media he’s been, with me giving some of my input on some things. I know for a fact that I will be missing some things on this review of Shadow Moons Legacy, like his appearance in the Kamen Rider Black Manga Since I could not find a translated version of the manga. BUT before I talk about Shadow Moon I would like to talk about his Design first. Because his design as was brilliantly executed than on first seeing it.
Shadow Moon design is based off a White Grasshopper while Black is based on a WELL... Black Grasshopper. His design efficiencies more on mechanical design over Black’s Organic design. He and Black’s Belt colors are inverted, Shadow Moon’s King stone color is Green where Black’s is Red (which are complementary colors on the color wheel). Looking at both Shadow Moon’s and Kamen Rider Black’s Design besides one another gives a very Yin and Yang Feeling. the Most obvious sign of this that is there Century King names are Black Sun and Shadow Moon, the Sun, and the Moon.
Shadow Moon’s Signature weapon is the Satan Saber, and later on, in RX, he gets 2 more swords from the Crisis Empire called the Twin Shadow Sabers. Shadow Moon is also NOT labeled as a Kamen Rider but has an attack called Shadow Kick which is what A Kamen Rider would use for an attack. One can see Shadow Moon as a prelude to what would be classified as Evil Riders or Dark Riders. Something like this was never seen before in the Showa Era (the closest thing you could get to was the Shocker Riders from the original series). He also can produce green electricity from his hands.
Kamen Rider Black: October 4, 1987- October 9, 1988
Shadow Moon first debut was in Kamen Rider Black, the main user of the Shadow Moon Powers is Nobuhiko Akizuki the adopted Step Brother of Minami Kohtaro/ Kamen Rider Black. The 2 brothers were abducted on their 19 birthday, while Kohtaro escaped becoming Kamen Rider Black with his King stone. His Brother Nobuhiko was not so fortunate, Still being capped by Gorgom he was turned into Gorgom's next Century King in episode 35 of Black “Showdown! The Two Princes”.
At the tail end of the series, both Black and Shadow Moon duel with one another with Nobuhiko renounce being Shadow Moon. Excepted his King Stone took complete control over him, making him Shadow Moon and Killing Black. When Kohtaro came back alive the 2 fight again but this time Shadow Moon is the one to die. Shadow Moon laugh at Kohtaro because he will have will live with guilt for killing his own brother. His last words were” Black Sun. Minami Kohtaro", thus dying. Shadow Moon was the first of his kind being a Dark Rider archetype and it was dynamic/ tragic between both brothers. Kohtaro thought he could save his brother but ultimately, in the end, he wasn’t able to and killing his Brother. And living every day knowing that and having that guilt is just down right a horrific feeling.
Kamen Rider Black: Taiketsu Shadow Moon: April 15th, 1988
Kamen Rider Black: Taiketsu Shadow Moon (or Kamen Rider Black: Showdown with Shadowmoon) released on the Famicom and is a side scroller beat em up where you fight Gorgom monsters as Kamen Rider Black. The final boss of the game is Shadow Moon but it really doesn't look like him. That's because this game is unique for this was the first time Kamen Rider Black fought Shadow Moon. This game came out 2 months before Shadow Moon appeared in the show at Episode 35 (June 12th in 1988) so that’s why when you fight him in his (From what the Kamen Rider Wiki says this form is called) Bata Man Form. and ten he turns into a purple recolor of Black.
Kamen Rider Black: Terrifying! The Phantom House of Devil Pass: July 9, 1988
The 2nd Kamen Rider Black movie Kamen Rider Black: Terrifying! The Phantom House of Devil Pass Release between episodes 38 and 39 (as part of the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival). The city of Yūbari Hokkaidō has become a ghost town following Shadow Moon and his Gorgom minions. A scientist named Makino is working on Gorgom's top-secret robot experiment. He escapes from the evil organization and returns to Tokyo, only to find out that his wife and daughter have been taken. Makino soon meets up with Kotaro and Makino travels to Yūbari to save Makino's family from Shadow Moon. There are no subs for this movie but from what I can tell this movie reuses monsters suits that Black already from previous episodes.
Kamen Rider Black RX: October 23, 1988- September 24, 1989
The continuation of the last series Kamen Rider Black, Kamen Rider Black RX has the return of Shadow Moon. This time, however, he joins up with the Crisis Empire. In Episode 27 “Great Counterattack! The Prince of Shadows” The 2 have a rematch but Shadow Moon loses to RX. Shadow Moon admits defeat and then goes off to save 2 children from a fire. In the process, he dies afterward saving them. When Kohtaro sees what his brother has done he feels like his brother humanity has been fully restored to him. SO in his final acts, Shadow Moon’s Humanity has thusly been returned to him. Also on a side note one monster of the week Deathgaron looks a lot like Shadow Moon but with more armor added to him.
For as bad and as evil, as Shadow moon was, in the end, His humanity and what was left of Nobuhiko that still lived within Shadow Moon he was still good and was still redeemed in the end. And they don’t even wait to already start screwing up his charter with his next incarnation.
For as bad and as evil, as Shadow moon was, in the end, His humanity and what was left of Nobuhiko that still lived within Shadow Moon he was still good and was still redeemed in the end. And they don’t even wait to already start screwing up his charter with his next incarnation.
Kamen Rider SD: January 23, 1993
In the Kamen Rider SD OVA Shadow Moon returns as a part of GranShocker and... calls himself a Kamen Rider YEAH! It gets worse from there. He also tries his best to be as evil as possible but keeps failing, all the while RX in the OVA keeps teasing him and even insulting him by calling him, Sunshine Moon. We're already starting off on a bad note with disgrace this charters legacy.
Kamen Rider World: August 6, 1994
Kamen Rider Rider World is a 8 minute “3D” Movie that was shown in Amusement Parks which was also shown alongside with Super Sentai World and Toei Hero Daishugō. It had the 2 movie Riders Kamen Rider ZO & Kamen Rider J fight against monsters from their respective movies (and even had the monster from Kamen Rider Shin). The final confrontation of the movie is J Vs. a giant Shadow Moon that was defeated By J. However this movie is not cannon to any timeline and exits only its own timeline. Fun Fact this movie even makes a reference to 1989’s Kamen Rider Black RX - Stay In The World movie by using clips from that movie. BUT YEAH just using the Shadow Moon Suite for the sake of using a suite with his iconic status as a charter is... just bad. And will currently not be the last time Toei will do that exact same thing.
Saban's Masked Rider: September 16, 1995- November 20, 1996
I already went into detail and my thoughts what happened in Saban’s Masked Rider in my review (and if you haven't check it out yet here ya go) but to recap. Shadow Moon in this interpretation is Dex’s Best Friend who was brainwashed by Count Dregon. But Dex rescued his best friend that gives him a new power up. And this is one of the better interpretations as you will see later on in this blog post.
After 0/ S.I.C.: December 2002- March 2003
Kamen Rider Black RX After 0 was a part of the Super Imaginative Chogokin (or S.I.C. Hero Saga line of toys) story based off of Kamen Rider Black RX. It ran in Monthly Hobby Japan and tells the story what happens in the afterMath of Black RX.
1-night, Kohtaro Minami is walking out when all of a sudden he sees someone floating around and it’s a White RX (or also called Another RX). White RX fights RX with White RX pulling out RX’s King Stone out and White RX becomes The Creation King Another Shadow Moon. Kohtaro yells at Another Shadow Moon to stop. But all Another Shadow Moon does is just sneers at him, removing his chest armor and revealing that inside is Nobuhiko skeleton and… a beating heart. Said bearing Heart is actually the original Century King. In the final fight between both Black and Shadow Moon The Century King attached itself to Shadow Moon before it died. The Century King Another Shadow Moon is just about to kill Kohtaro when Kohtaro wakes up and it was all just a dream. YEAH, they are just using Shadow moon's corps and his appearance alone. It's not Nobuhiko doing any of this but rather someone else just using his likeness.
Weirdly enough though that Red Shadow Moon would be made into actual Suit for the Kamen Rider Ghost Stage Show (which will not be on here because there is no translation of it).
Kamen Rider: Seigi No Keifu: November 27th, 2003
The PS2 game Kamen Rider: Seigi no Keifu is a 3rd Person Action Adventure game which involves various Showa Riders Fighting against a time-traveling monster called evil eye which is a giant eye monster led by Shocker. Shadow Moon appear in the game to save Kamen Rider Black from Evil Eye. BUT in actually he really wanted to get Black's Kingstone the whole time. Black ask why? But all Shadow Moon says is that it's because only he will defeat him and claim the title of Century King. However, Shadow Moon is immediately captured by the Evil Eye and taken away. And his Kingstone is taken by the monsters instead.
Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker: August 8, 2009
the film Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker had Shadow Moon in it. But this time it’s NOT Nobuhiko Akizuki but instead Nobuhiko Tsukikage. He is no relationship to Kohtaro or is an AU version of Nobuhiko Akizuki but instead a different user of the Shadow moon suite/ powers. Nobuhiko Akizuki was the Butler to Tsukasa’s Sister that convinced her to become High Priestess Bishium to take over Great Shocker. When Tsukasa was ousted as the leader, Nobuhiko took over the organization, calling himself the Creation King. and was then killed NOT by Decade or Kuuga Rising Ultimate (which can destroy a planet now X2) But By Kamen Rider W to promote well... Kamen Rider W’s Show. Which yeah that is pretty terrible because he went down easily.
Let's Go Kamen Rider: April 1, 2011
Due to the changes in history by the charters in Let’s Go Kamen Rider Shocker rule the world. Shadow Moon and numerous other villains are alive and are a part of the Shocker alliance. In the film, Shadow Moon is just an in suite only appearance. However, this opens up so many cans of worms of how none of this alliance stuff should happen which will be covered in its own review 1 day.
Super Hero Taisen: April 21, 2012
The movie Super Hero Taisen has Shadow Moon reappearance started to get people like me frustrated with him keep coming back, (so yeah Blame the Taisen Franchise as we should always do). He and numerous other villains have returned from the dead and are a part of Shocker led by Kamen Rider Decade's to destroy the Sentai... and Riders to rule the world alongside the Zangyack Empire. For most of his appearance in the movie, he was just a suit until the final battle with all the Riders and the Sentai's fighting. He was defeated by both Kamen Rider Black and the Hikari Sentai Maskman. Once again mostly a minute appearance only, but was Kohtaro really that trigger happy to just Rider Kick his own Brother? Since you know he did just all out his name.
Super Hero Taisen Z: April 27, 2013
In Super Hero Taisen Z he is the one leading Space Shocker and is rule the galaxy and yeah he is pretty much just seems like an evil grunt and evil grunt only. And for whatever reason, he just starts like a villain for an uncomfortable amount of time. and was defeated by the Kyrouger's with their guns.
Kamen Rider: Battride war Genesis: February 25, 2016
I’m just saying it, Battride war Genesis is by far these absolute WORST interpretation of Shadow Moon! Why is that? Well you see, Kamen Rider: Battride war Genesis (a Hack-and-Slash style game) has Kamen Riders from Showa, Heisei, and Neo-Heisei disappearing from time itself and the one doing this… is SHADOW MOON (it get worse)! Wen you fight as the Final Boss in the game he grows but also becomes his red Another Shoadw Moon Form and able to clone himself and forming SIGH… THE SHADOW MOON ARMY YES The Show Moon Army. This… I am absolutely infuriating. I am speechless you guys, I just truly am, just speechless.
While I did not talk about the Red Shadow Moon from before I can talk about it now, it’s awful! That shiny red color is just awful, I can't tell you exactly why it just looks as bad as it does but something about it just looks bad. And the Shadow Moon army, terrible, terrible, terrible idea. You are fighting waves and waves of Shadow Moon but it does not affect you at all since they are just clones. And to be honest that is more disgraceful than anything else really.
The whole Reason why Black and Shadow Moon fight was the pinnacle point in the whole was it was Kohtaro's Brother. you felt sorry for Kohtaro having to fight aginst his brother and actually seeing Kohtaro kill his own Brother was heartbreaking.
BUT HERE any Rider Will do really and you don't have a connection to him at all what so ever! Shadow Moon in the game is takes everything bad that is related with all of the bad interpolation with Shadow Moon. He wants to become the next Century King, he is evil for the sake of evil, they are using this charter image to have as a final boss, and this more insulting thing you could do is that he is redeemable at all and is no different from a monster of the week, which is why I do strongly believe that this is the worst incarnation of this charter to date. As far as I know there is no translation of this game. this actively offends me as a fan of Kamen
The whole Reason why Black and Shadow Moon fight was the pinnacle point in the whole was it was Kohtaro's Brother. you felt sorry for Kohtaro having to fight aginst his brother and actually seeing Kohtaro kill his own Brother was heartbreaking.
BUT HERE any Rider Will do really and you don't have a connection to him at all what so ever! Shadow Moon in the game is takes everything bad that is related with all of the bad interpolation with Shadow Moon. He wants to become the next Century King, he is evil for the sake of evil, they are using this charter image to have as a final boss, and this more insulting thing you could do is that he is redeemable at all and is no different from a monster of the week, which is why I do strongly believe that this is the worst incarnation of this charter to date. As far as I know there is no translation of this game. this actively offends me as a fan of Kamen
NAH I'M JUST BULL CRAPING WITH YOU GUYS! the Shadow Moon Suit was one of the few Suites that they could use in Masked Rider that's all.
All my sources came from the Kamen Rider Wiki, I hope You all enjoyed this I spent a lot of time on this and also had a ton of fun working on this project I had, maybe I will do this again with another famous Tokusatsu charter.
Kamen Rider: Battride war Genesis
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