Honoring Kamen Rider Black RX: A Rider Caught In Between Showa And Heisei

What made Kamen Rider Black RX unique is that he's the first (and only) Kamen Rider to have been a direct sequel of a previous installment. The popularity of Tetsuo Kurata caused them to finally take Kamen Rider Black, upgrade him and finally the Child of the Sun, Black RX is born! This series Kamen Rider Black ended on October 9, 1988 while its successor aired on October 23, 1988. The Showa era finally ended on January 7, 1989 and the Heisei era just one day after. Right now, the tentative date that the Heisei era is coming to an end is April 30, 2019 assuming that the current emperor manages to reach said date!

Technically, the final pure Showa Rider is Kamen Rider Black. Black RX got caught in between Showa and Heisei because it ended on September 24, 1989. Episode 11 of Black RX was delayed for one week because of the death of Emperor Hirohito. It was Modern Japan entering into the Heisei era which we are in right now. Also, the first Heisei era Super Sentai would be Kosoku Sentai Turboranger while the final Showa era Super Sentai would be Chojuu Sentai Liveman. Black RX is caught in between.

Black RX didn't have much of the popularity to actually start a purely Heisei era Kamen Rider series immediately for some reason. No, please don't count that abomination known as Saban's Mashed Rider. We did have some Kamen Rider movie flicks but they all ended up like Kamen Rider ZX -- a series of TV movies that never became series. Kamen Rider Shin, ZO (not to be confused with Zi-O) and J were just movies. Sadly, Shotaro Ishinomori passed away before his vision could be realized two years after his death -- the birth of Kamen Rider Kuuga!

How do I think Black RX should still be honored even when I don't find myself as a fan of most old school Kamen Rider? Come to think of it -- Black RX did some things better than Black. Joe No Haze and later Reiko would be more active in helping him fight the Crisis Empire. Also, he was the first Kamen Rider to test out multiple rider forms though it was pretty much a rough draft. I found the whole introduction of Robo Rider to Bio Rider arc to be quite a rushed toy sale. But again, without it I don't think the people behind Kamen Rider today would find mistakes to fix and turn what didn't easily work out at first into epic proportions.

I just wonder though -- why did Kamen Rider Decade create two realities? One was where Kotaro never became Black RX and the other where he did? Personally, I think I would probably just merged all four forms into one person. Make an alternate Kotaro who can use all four forms rather than two Kotaros of two different alternate realities. Then again, I guess you can't beat Black's popularity and actor Tetsuo Kurata is said to like Black better. But for me, I still have a soft spot for Black RX even when I don't really think much of old school Kamen Rider.