* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** A lot of it in this series, especially the [[https://youtu.be/qVE_dJZFgDc opening]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27VHyF4kHz4&index=3&list=PLxPxMg6own1ie3O3P_8AtR2r-MMiRj4_c ending]] themes and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9GYiEZ5nH8&index=5&list=PLxPxMg6own1ie3O3P_8AtR2r-MMiRj4_c Henshin, Rider Black!]]'')
** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnxxrTHqD4o&list=PLxPxMg6own1ie3O3P_8AtR2r-MMiRj4_c&index=2 Black Hole Message]]'' is one of the things that can make the words ''love'' and ''peace'' sound like a BadassCreed.
* CommonKnowledge: Despite clearly being designed as Black's opposite number, Shadow Moon is ''not'' a Rider, who were strictly heroes of justice at the time. It wouldn't be until ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' that villainous Riders would be established as a franchise staple, thus making Shadow Moon's Rider status is debatable at best by today's standards.
* CompleteMonster: While Gorgom was a {{Cult}} led by literal monsters, these two [[PsychoSupporter Psycho Supporters]] prove that HumansAreTheRealMonsters:
** [[MadScientist Professor Hideomi Kuromatsu]] is a Nobel Prize winner who moonlights as Gorgom's chief scientist. The man responsible for converting victims into mutants, Kuromatsu's MO is to propose a DealWithTheDevil to young men, promising to make their bodies stronger by performing an experiment that makes them worse, which once resulted in a suicide. After making a deal with Kohtaro's close friend, Kuromatsu turns him into a WolfMan and confesses to using him as a guinea pig. Kuromatsu orders his subordinates to cause several car accidents for him to save the injured victims and send them to a TrainingFromHell where they shoot and throw grenades at each other until they are prepared to become domestic terrorists.
** [[CorruptPolitician Ryuzaburo Sakata]] is the Pro-Gorgom leader of the [[PuttingOnTheReich EP Party]]. With the help of a psychiatrist, Sakata kidnaps artists and brainwashes them into becoming spies for Gorgom with [[FantasticDrug RSD]] and hypnosis. Sakata teaches young musicians about the "[[BrownNote Devil's Melody]]", a song that can damage a person's senses, ordering a girl to play the song in a public location. After stealing a prototype from a benevolent man, Sakata takes advantage of his political party's boy squad to make himself look like a peacemaker and spearheads a systematic GenocideFromTheInside against the sickly and frail with a machine that supposedly cures their illnesses but slowly kills them instead.
** In the manga, by Creator/ShotaroIshinomori, [[FutureMeScaresMe Kohtaro Minami]]/[[TheDreaded Kamen Rider Black]] himself is the [[EvilOverlord Demon King]] in the BadFuture of 2018. Achieving the position of Gorgom's majesty by killing his rival stepbrother, Kohtaro started a war by launching nuclear bombs towards every continent, eradicating human civilization and forcing the few survivors to live in tribes. Kohtaro routinely orders his troops to attack any colony that they come across and kill everyone inside, allowing them to dismember corpses and slaughter [[WouldHurtAChild babies]]. Recognizing his younger self and desperately trying to preserve his own existence, Kohtaro argues to have done nothing wrong as he was "simply the ruler of this world". Proudly calling himself a "truly all-powerful Demon King", Kohtaro reveals that he has drained the energy of the planet just so he could "take this world to hell with me" in the event of an assassination.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: [[BreakoutVillain Shadow Moon]] remains as one of the more popular go-to guys [[EvilIsCool for Kamen Rider villains]]. So much so that he made a return appearance in a few crossover movies. Even the fans theorized that if Shadow Moon is officially a Rider, he would be named ''Kamen Rider Shadow''.[[note]]Not without merit, as Kotaro's [[YouAreNumberSix referred to insistently by Gorgom members]] as ''Black'' Sun.[[/note]]
* EvilIsCool: Shadow Moon, for being an unflinching badass who [[CerebusSyndrome leads the series in a darker direction]] with his debut and for being a consistently imposing enemy to Kotaro. There's a reason he's considered the Ur-evil Kamen Rider, despite not technically being a Rider himself.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
** It's popular all right in Japan, but in other Asian regions, it's something of a childhood hero for many who were kids around the 90's, especially ''Indonesia'', so phenomenally popular there that if any Indonesian shows are doing 'tributes' to Kamen Rider, they will be represented mainly by Black. This is because it's the ''first'' one to be shown on TV there. It became the GatewaySeries. And for Indonesia, GatewaySeries are usually very well-liked.
** It is also rather popular among Brazilian otaku who have the slightest notion of tokusatsu, next to RX (of course, these were the only Japanese Riders to air there).
** It has a lot of love in the Philippines. Even in the present day, fans there will refer Kotaro as ''Kuya Robert''.[[note]]Kuya is the Tagalog equivalent of the Japanese honorific nii-san or "older brother", blood relative or not.[[/note]]
* GrowingTheBeard: Episode 35, where [[BreakoutVillain Shadow Moon]] takes over as TheHeavy, is the point where the show gets really memorable.
* HarsherInHindsight:
** Episode 39 features [[CastTheExpert then-aspiring]] IdolSinger, Yuko Ooi, [[AsHimself as herself]]. While in-universe Yuko seems to have earned her HappyEnding, in real life, Yuko did ''not'', quitting after releasing just one single.
** In-universe, an early episode has Bilgenia control Battle Hopper to turn on Kotaro. [[spoiler:Later Shadow Moon does the same, in an even more painful betrayal.]]
* HilariousInHindsight:
** A young Creator/YokoHonna appears as a girl Kotaro helps. Years later, she voices [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure Cure Black]].
** Also, the closing song is unintentionally funny now. "[[IWantMyJetpack Long long ago twentieth century]]."
** When Kotaro transforms into Black in episode 16, Ryusuke Taki calls him 'Kamen Rider', while the English-speaking Professor Smith calls him 'Masked Rider'. Ironically, the sequel series ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX'' would be the first Kamen Rider show adapted in America as, you guessed it, ''Series/MaskedRider''.
** [[Series/KamenRiderRyuki One episode involves Black getting trapped in a Mirror World, and Road Sector, the bike with its own overhead cowl, is able to pass through a mirror to reach him.]]
** Kotaro's henshin pose looks a ''lot'' like dabbing.
** In one episode, Kotaro visits a hospital to meet a young boy named Hisao, [[VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo who is being treated for a heart condition.]]
** This series can be credited for starting the trend of actors who have heroic role in [[Creator/TsuburayaProductions Tsuburaya Universes]] as the Ultraman hosts/human form having villainous role in [[Creator/ToeiCompany Toei Universes]], with Gorgom affiliate Professor Kuromatsu being portrayed by Susumu Kurobe, who have role as the main lead Shin Hayata in 1966's ''{{Series/Ultraman}}''. Later on, we have Kohji Moritsugu ([[{{Series/Ultraseven}} Dan Moroboshi]]-[[Series/KamenRiderBlade Hiroshi Tennoji/Kerberos Undead]]), Hideo Ishiguro ([[Series/KamenRiderDenO Kai]]-[[Series/UltramanOrb Gai Kurenai]]), and Tomoya Warabino ([[Series/KamenRiderDrive Roidmude Heart]]-[[Series/UltramanBlazar Gento Hiruma]])
* HypeBacklash: With Black's reputation for being DarkerAndEdgier and the best of the Showa Riders, some viewers are disappointed to find that it's still ultimately a very episodic MonsterOfTheWeek show, with almost every episode involving a [[OneShotCharacter newly-introduced]] [[KidAppealCharacter pre-teen]] [[VictimOfTheWeek caught up in Golgom's plots]], who Kohtaro befriends. While the series becomes more serial after the debut of Shadow Moon in episode 35, it can still be jarring to those expecting something more like the ongoing plots of the Heisei-era Rider series.
* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/KamenRider See this page for examples.]]
* {{Narm}}: Kohtaro [[SpikingTheCamera glares at the viewer]] the first time he transforms. The production crew must have realised how silly it looked, since he never does it again.
* NarmCharm: Kotaro being a [[ForGreatJustice justice-loving]] hero who's hyper-alert for Gorgom plots and has "ThisIsUnforgivable" as effectively a second catchphrase may seem a bit ridiculous on paper, but because Kotaro is [[ProperlyParanoid always proven right]] about his suspicions and has the badassery to back up his warnings, most fans find these qualities make him an endearing hero who's fun to root for.
* NightmareFuel: While not as out-and-out horrifying as some elements in [[Film/ShinKamenRiderPrologue some later installments]], there's Golgom's disturbing tendency to almost ''always'' go after kids, and there are quite a number of scenes from the poor kid's point of view as the MonsterOfTheWeek - not as creepy as [[Film/KamenRiderZO some]] but some are creepy ''enough'' - comes for him/her. It had to have put a lot of kids behind the couch.
** Also doesn't help that most monsters [[http://www.kamen-rider.com/database/1987_black/vi-monsters.htm look very intimidating]], especially considering the previous shows.
* RetroactiveRecognition: Shadow Moon's [[Series/KamenRiderDenO strength will make you cry]]!
* SacredCow: Being a GatewaySeries for many fans in the US (who first discovered Rider during [[UsefulNotes/TheNineties the rise of the internet]]) among others (see GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff) has given it this status. On top of that, there is a sentiment among many fans that the Showa era peaked during Black's run, thanks to its DarkerAndEdgier tone. Criticize Black at your own peril.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: A lot of its instrumental pieces would sound very similar to several instruments used in the ''Manga/HadesProjectZeorymer'' OVA, since both soundtracks are made by the same composer.
* {{Squick}}: As a high mutant, Bishum breasts are replaced by two beaks that have sharp pointy teeth.
* TearJerker: Being one of the darker installments in the franchise, there are a few moments like this, such as [[spoiler:Kotaro's supposed death at the hands of Shadow Moon.]]
* ToughActToFollow: While it's been VindicatedByHistory, Black's sequel, [[Series/KamenRiderBlackRX Black RX]], was nowhere nearly as well-received as Black was at the time.
* TheWoobie: Poor Whale Mutant. The only Mutant to turn good, he [[spoiler:ends up dying as a consequence of helping Black stop Gorgom.]]
* {{Woolseyism}}: The Filipino dub rendered [[ByThePowerOfGrayskull "Henshin"]] as "Rider Change", when a more literal translation would just have been akin to "Change" or "Transform". But the addition of "Rider" lines up with [[CallingYourAttacks "Rider Kick"]] etc, and coincidentally or not it mirrors [[Series/KamenRider the original Kamen Rider]]'s eventual transformation phrase "Rider Henshin".
----