History YMMV / KamenRiderBlackSun

** [[EvilIsPetty Shinichi Dounami]] works with the Gorgom Party to round up and execute [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain those he deems as "undesirables"]] in order to create Heat Heaven, which he also uses to forcibly transform humans into Kaijin and auction them off as weapons and {{sex slave}}ry, among other things. To continue the production of Heat Heaven, Dounami orders a manhunt for the Kingstone that leads to numerous deaths, and orders Aoi Izumi killed to keep her from exposing his crimes.

* CompleteMonster: [[EvilIsPetty Shinichi Dounami]] works with the Gorgom Party to round up and execute [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain those he deems as "undesirables"]] in order to create Heat Heaven, which he also uses to forcibly transform humans into kaijin and auction them off. To continue the production of Heat Heaven, Dounami orders a manhunt for the Kingstone that leads to numerous deaths, and orders Aoi Izumi killed to keep her from exposing his crimes.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
** Kotaro agreeing to take Aoi under his wing and teaching her self defense, becoming a father figure of sorts for her

* CompleteMonster: [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Shinichi Dounami]] initially started out as a SpoiledBrat, but later grew to become something far worse. Leading the Gorgom Party in the present day, Shinichi encourages [[FantasticRacism mass discrimination against kaijin]] while also ordering the killings of any elderly, poor, and LGBTQ so that their corpses are used alongside the Creation King's extract to create [[FantasticDrug Heat Heaven]], while also using the extract to [[ForcedTransformation forcibly transform humans into kaijin]] to be auctioned off. When the potency of the Creation King's extract is weakening, Shinichi orders a manhunt for the Kingstone, resulting in numerous deaths, and when Aoi Izumi begins to expose his crimes, he orders her to be assassinated.

* TaintedByThePreview: Early merchandise reveals included the phrase "stop kaijin hate", a reference to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Asian_Hate "Stop Asian Hate" movement]], which led a lot of people to assume it was going to be a standard FantasticRacism story that leant into the idea that BothSidesHaveAPoint, appropriating the imagery of real-world civil rights activism without committing to a genuine position. [[WinTheCrowd Many of those fans were won over]] when it turned out that ''Black Sun'' is instead unapologetically political, taking a very clear stance against xenophobia and bigotry in Japan. Although this attracted new criticism of it taking real world issues and overlaying them to an allegory that [[BrokenAesop doesn't really work]], cramming in hot button topics its narrative isn't equipped to address.

* TheWoobie: Aoi, oh so much. [[spoiler:Not only is she forcefully turned into a kaijin, she loses her guardian, her parents, her best friend, and has to kill Kotaro, who she only recently created a strong bond with]]. Someone give this poor girl a hug.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Much of the initial Japanese and international reviews praising it highlight the violence and unsubtle political commentary in the narrative, even with the BittersweetEnding and the very high risk of [[TooBleakStoppedCaring bleakness-induced apathy]].

** ''Black Sun'' aims to deliver a take on surface-level appropriation by the political establishment has often the rhetoric and struggles of minority and civil rights groups in a manner without actually doing anything to improve their material conditions, by using Gorgom as an analogy for political movements co-opted by self-serving politicians. However, because the circumstances in the show come about due to a series of contrived character decisions and lore inconsistencies, the show unintentionally frames the Kaijin as responsible for their own oppression.
* DesignatedHero: The show seems to intend for Bilgenia's arc to be that of a well-intentioned person who becomes a villain, only to eventually return to his original heroic ideals and [[spoiler:redeem himself through his LastStand against the police forces in the penultimate episode of the series]], but because of how nasty and barbaric he is as a villain, how aloof he was even when he was nominally "good", and how he only defects later on to get back at Dounami and Shadow Moon, rather than out of any altruism, quite a few fans found him to not just be a consistent villain, but one of the most repulsive characters in the series.

** ''Black Sun'' also has a surprisingly nuanced take on how the political establishment has often reappropriated the rhetoric and struggles of minority and civil rights groups in a surface-level manner without actually doing anything to improve their material conditions, with Gorgom: a political party founded on idealistic dreams of improving Kaijin rights in Japan becoming merely another mainstream party in the diet and the political wing of a cult who seek to [[spoiler: kill welfare and aged-care recipients and transition Japan into a nationalist Kaijin war-economy while doing nothing to actually help struggling Kaijin]]. However, this is lost in the framing of the series and the conventions of the Tokusatsu genre, which unintentionally frames the Kaijin as responsible for their own oppression.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Some have heavily downplayed many of Bilgenia's nastier moments due to his HeelFaceRevolvingDoor actions and [[spoiler:his LastStand against the police forces in the penultimate episode of the series]]. This in spite of the fact that he gleefully admits to seeing a human transform into a Kaijin [[spoiler:during Aoi's ForcedTransformation into the Mantis Kaijin]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Bilgenia seems to have been intended to be seen as someone driven to extremes/despair to fight for Kaijin rights and subsequently ground down to be TrappedInVillainy, but with how sadistic some of his actions are, like [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forcing Aoi and her mother to watch]] as he converts the former into a kaijin and murders the latter, or turning Nobuhiko's girlfriend into Heat Heaven and tricking him into eating her]] (even his original counterpart didn't go that far), it's hard to see him as anything else other than an unrepentant sociopath. Even when [[spoiler:he sides with Aoi later on, it has shades of him just wanting to get back at Shadow Moon and Dounami. It also makes his epic LastStand at the end feel undeserved]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Bilgenia seems to have been intended to be seen as someone driven to extremes/despair to fight for Kaijin rights and subsequently ground down to be TrappedInVillainy, but with how sadistic some of his actions are, like [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forcing Aoi and her mother to watch]] as he converts the former into a kaijin and murders the latter, or turning Nobuhiko's girlfriend into Heat Heaven and tricking him into eating her]], it's hard to see him as anything else other than an unrepentant sociopath. Even when [[spoiler:he sides with Aoi later on, it has shades of him just wanting to get back at Shadow Moon and Dounami. It also makes his epic LastStand at the end feel undeserved]].

** Beyond the fact that ''Black Sun'' conveys its anti-racism message using [[{{Dehumanization}} literal animal men]], it also takes place in a setting where the practical solution to the issue is to stop new kaijins from being made, effectively putting an end to kaijins as a species. While this makes sense in universe since kaijins are for the most part humans who've been unwillingly turned into kaijins, and that it isn't as bad as certain other media that attempt [[VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman similar]] [[Film/{{Bright}} messages]], its unable to coexist with the heavy-handed analogies ''Black Sun'' makes between kaijins and real life civil rights struggles.

** Surprisingly, even though they're the two main characters, Kotaro and Nobuhiko's relationship takes a backseat to the plotline revolving around kaijin rights. The lack of focus they receive makes their eventual FinalBattle feel less emotionally powerful than it could have been if their relationship had received more development.

** Beyond the fact that ''Black Sun'' conveys its anti-racism message using [[{{Dehumanization}} literal animal men]], it also takes place in a setting where the practical solution to the issue is to stop new kaijins from being made, effectively putting an end to kaijins as a species. While this makes sense in universe since kaijins are for the most part humans who've been unwillingly turned into kaijins, its unable to coexist with the heavy-handed analogies ''Black Sun'' makes between kaijins and real life civil rights struggles.

** ''Black Sun'' also has a surprisingly nuanced take on how the political establishment has often reappropriated the rhetoric and struggles of minority and civil rights groups in a surface-level manner without actually doing anything to improve their material conditions, with Gorgom: a political party founded on idealistic dreams of improving Kaijin rights in Japan becoming merely another mainstream party in the diet and the political wing of a cult who seek to strip welfare and aged-care to transition Japan into a nationalist Kaijin war-economy while doing nothing to actually help struggling Kaijin. However, this is lost in the framing of the series and the conventions of the Tokusatsu genre, which unintentionally frames the Kaijin as responsible for their own oppression.

* DontShootTheMessage: Beyond the fact that ''Black Sun'' conveys its anti-racism message using [[{{Dehumanization}} literal animal men]], it also takes place in a setting where the practical solution to the issue is to stop new kaijins from being made, effectively putting an end to kaijins as a species. While this makes sense in universe since kaijins are for the most part humans who've been unwillingly turned into kaijins, its unable to coexist with the heavy-handed analogies ''Black Sun'' makes between kaijins and real life civil rights struggles.

** For all the bigotry he caused towards the good-natured kaijin, Wataru Igaki [[spoiler:got his well-deserved death at the hands of an enraged, fully-evolved Nobuhiko Akizuki]].

* MemeticMutation:
** "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2159541-garth-marenghis-darkplace I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards]]."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The quote itself comes from ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', a British television show. The screenshot has been a perennial meme amongst English-speaking cinephiles when describing {{Anvilicious}} productions--and reactions to the show's sledgehammer-level political messaging (even up to [[RippedFromTheHeadlines the extent of portraying]] the brutal and UndignifiedDeath of a Shinzo Abe {{expy}}) has been a ripe opportunity to quote the meme, both from detractors who [[BrokenAesop feel the show executes its anti-racism analogy in a poor and insulting way]] or [[WatchedItForTheRepresentation people who like the way it depicts its messaging]].[[/labelnote]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Bilgenia seems to have been intended to be seen as someone driven to extremes/despair to fight for Kaijin rights and subsequently ground down to be TrappedInVillainy, but with how sadistic some of his actions are, like [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forcing Aoi and her mother to watch]] as he converts the former into a kaijin and murders the latter, or turning Nobuhiko's girlfriend into Heat Heaven and tricking him into eating her]] it's hard to see him as anything else other than an unrepentant sociopath. Even when [[spoiler:he sides with Aoi later on, it has shades of him just wanting to get back at Shadow Moon and Dounami. It also makes his epic LastStand at the end feel undeserved]].

* DontShootTheMessage: Beyond the fact that ''Black Sun'' conveys its anti-racism message using [[{{Dehumanization}} literal animal men]], it also takes place in a setting where the practical solution to the issue is to stop new kaijins from being made, effectively putting an end to kaijins as a species. While this makes sense in universe since kaijins are for the most part humans who've been unwillingly turned into kaijins, it doesn't align with the heavy-handed analogies ''Black Sun'' makes to real life civil rights struggles.

** Making use of kaijins to tell a ham-fisted civil rights allegory where the kaijins are the ones being oppressed denies the show a chance to explore the realistic implications of plot elements such as what Japanese society would look like such as what Japanese society would like if select people had superpowered animal forms, or who would be interested in becoming kaijins and what practical applications they could be used for.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Bilgenia seems to have been intended to be seen as someone driven to extremes/despair to fight for Kaijin rights and subsequently ground down to be TrappedInVillainy, but with how sadistic some of his actions are, like [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forcing Aoi and her mother to watch]] as he converts the former into a kaijin and murders the latter, or turning Nobuhiko's girlfriend into Heat Heaven and tricking him into eating her]] it's hard to see him as anything else other than an unrepentant sociopath. Even when [[spoiler:he sides with Aoi later on, it has shades of him just wanting to get back at Shadow Moon and Dounami. Yet even despite all this, his death is hard to stomach as he uses the last of his life to protect Aoi so her message can be heard]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Bilgenia seems to have been intended to be seen as someone driven to extremes/despair to fight for Kaijin rights and subsequently ground down to be TrappedInVillainy, but with how sadistic some of his actions are, like [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forcing Aoi and her mother to watch]] as he converts the former into a kaijin and murders the latter, or turning Nobuhiko's girlfriend into Heat Heaven and tricking him into eating her]] it's hard to see him as anything else other than an unrepentant sociopath. Even when [[spoiler:he sides with Aoi later on, it has shades of him just wanting to get back at Shadow Moon and Dounami.]]

** "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2159541-garth-marenghis-darkplace I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards]]."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The quote itself comes from ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', a British television show. The screenshot has been a perennial meme amongst English-speaking cinephiles when describing {{Anvilicious}} productions--and reactions to the show's sledgehammer-level political messaging (even up to [[RippedFromTheHeadlines the extent of portraying]] the brutal and UndignifiedDeath of a Shinzo Abe {{expy}}) has been a ripe opportunity to quote the meme, both from detractors who [[BrokenAesop feel the show executes its analogy in a poor and insulting way]], or [[WatchedItForTheRepresentation people onboard with its messaging]].[[/labelnote]]

** Making use of kaijins to tell a civil rights allegory where the kaijins are the ones being oppressed denies the show a chance to explore the realistic implications of plot elements such as what Japanese society would look like such as what Japanese society would like if select people had superpowered animal forms, or who would be interested in becoming kaijins and what practical applications they could be used for.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Bilgenia seems to have been intended to be seen as someone driven to extremes/despair to fight for Kaijin rights and subsequently ground down to be TrappedInVillainy, but with how sadistic some of his actions are, like [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch forcing Aoi and her mother to watch]] as he converts the former into a kaijin and murders the latter, or turning Nobuhiko's girlfriend into Heat Heaven and tricking him into eating her]] it's hard to see him as anything else other than an unrepentent sociopath. Even when [[spoiler:he sides with Aoi later on, it has shades of him just wanting to get back at Shadow Moon and Dounami.]]

** "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2159541-garth-marenghis-darkplace I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards]]."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The quote itself comes from ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', a British television show. The screenshot has been a perennial meme amongst English-speaking cinephiles when describing {{Anvilicious}} productions--and reactions to the show's sledgehammer-level political messaging (even up to [[RippedFromTheHeadlines the extent of portraying]] the brutal and UndignifiedDeath of a Shinzo Abe {{expy}}) has been a ripe opportunity to quote the meme, both from detractors who [[BrokenAesop dislike the perceived hamfistedness of it]], or [[WatchedItForTheRepresentation people with left-leaning political sympathies onboard with its messaging]].[[/labelnote]]