The Ninningers find Kyuuemon in the forest. Takaharu goes Chozetsu and they fight him. But Mangetsu also appears with an army of Hyakkarage and two Gashadokuros.

Mangetsu orders them to kill both the ninjas and Kyuuemon.

Kyuuemon manages to poof himself away. Takaharu tells the others to take care of the Hyakkarage and Takaharu hops into Lion Ha-Oh to take care of the Gashadokuros.

But Mangetsu decides to back off and they leave. He asks Masakage to show him all the data that’s been collected of the ninjas so they can have a duel.

The Ninningers receive an invitation to the succession ceremony of the next head of the Kibaoni Clan. They head home to try and figure out what this could be. It might be a trap, but it might also be an opportunity for them to defeat Mangetsu. Either way, it’s a big gamble.

Nagi asks Grandpa what he thinks this all could mean. Grandpa jumps down from the rafters and asks them a question. When you bring a banana to a picnic, do you put it in your bento or eat it for a snack?

The cousins aren’t sure what he’s getting at. But Takaharu says all Grandpa’s asking is for them to think for themselves. They can do things their way and Grandpa will do things his way.

It surprises Grandpa that Takaharu was the first to get it and he poofs away.

Father comes in and says Grandpa was probably shocked Takaharu figured out the riddle before he could lecture them. He tells them that they have entered the final stage of training: Shuhari.

Father explains that a pupil first follows the teachings of their master. Then, the pupil breaks that mold. And eventually the pupil leaves the master. Shurari is the three stages of learning mastery.

The Ninningers have learned the basics of Ninpou, but have also broken away from Grandpa’s model (The Gekiatsu). So now, they must find their own Ninjutsu and once they’ve left Grandpa, they will become full-fledged ninjas.

Masakage explains to Ariake no Kata that Mangetsu is having a ceremony to assume the role of supreme commander in the absence of his father. That excites dear ol’ mom.

The Ninningers arrive and Shishi-Oh says he’s ready to help. But Takaharu says they’re alright for now. Mangetsu gives rise to a four Sealing Shruiken-powered Super Advanced Youkai Shutendouji to battle the Ninningers in a five part duel.

To force the Ninningers to take part, Shutendouji turns the hiding civilians into peanuts which will be eaten if the Ninningers lose.

First round, Yakumo and Shutendouji fight on kites. But Yakumo uses some magic to win this round.

Second round, Kasumi and Shutendouji hop onto their comrades who will act as horses as they try to hit three targets with an arrow. Kasumi hits the first two, but the third target gets pulled up out of the way so she misses. Shutendouji, meanwhile, is taken right to the targets so he can’t miss.

Things are tied as they go to the third round, dancing. Fuuka is excited because this is her speciality. Kinji joins her. But they only get a 90.

Shutendouji and two Hyakkarage dance and they include some interesting acrobatics which gets then a 100.

It’s now 2-1. The fourth round is tug-o-war. Takaharu faces off against Shutendouji. While Shutendouji drinks more sake, Shishi-Oh offers to help Takaharu. But Takaharu says it’s fine and he can do this himself. He takes the rope and wraps it around his waist. With one pull, Shutendouji crosses the center line.

It’s all tied again.

The final round is arm wrestling. Takaharu faces off against Shutendouji. But Shutendouji breathes his sticky drunk breath, pushing Takaharu away. How can they possible take on Shutendouji? Shishi-Oh knows how. He pops out of the brace into his physical form and challenges Shutendouji to fight old man to old man.

Shishi-Oh is not sure why the Ninningers didn’t want his help, but he knows it has something to do with their grandfather.

Takaharu explains that they are working hard to become full ninjas and that they must do so with their own strength. But Shishi-Oh says Grandpa nor Father ever said that.

Anyway, Shishi-Oh locks hands with Shutendouji who breathes on him. But the stinky breath doesn’t get to Shishi-Oh at all since being a heavy drinker himself, he knows the smell well.

Taking Shutendouji by surprise, Shishi-Oh easily beats him and the Ninningers win the duel. The peanuts are turned back into humans and the Ninningers fight off the Hyakkarage.

Kasumi, however, is suspicious of Mangetsu since he hasn’t done anything to them yet after they’ve won.

Shishi-Oh explains that he rampages with them because he sees the potential in them. So why ignore advice from him. Being full-fledged ninjas doesn’t mean they don’t rely on others. When they leave the nest, they must learn to listen to listen to other people’s opinions and to become adults.

Takaharu says he understands and the Ninningers henge.

They fight off Hyakkarage and Jukkarage before turning their attention to Shutendouji.

Shutendouji knocks them around and Takaharu decides to ask Shishi-Oh for help. But Shishi-Oh is too drunk and just falls asleep. But Takaharu gets the idea to use his ninja sempai’s shurikens.

Takaharu combines the Kakuranger, Hurricanger and Jiraiya shurikens for a Legend Nin Violent Slash which takes care of Shutendouji.

The cousins are happy Takaharu has come up with a fresh idea as another step of their development.

Grandfather watches them from a rooftop and gives them a petite bravo for taking another small step.

His hand glows and starts to disappear for a moment before coming back. He says it appears the time has come for them to leave his nest.

Shutendouji embiggens himself and the Ninningers hop into Gekiatsu Dai-Oh.

But suddenly, Shishi-Oh awakens and is forced into Lion Ha-Oh which inexplicably shoots at Gekiatsu Dai-Oh.

Shutendouji explains that this is his power. He can control anyone who breathes in his whole breath, which Shishi-Oh braved earlier.

Suddenly, the other OtomoNin come running on their own too and combine with Lion Ha-Oh to form Ha-Oh ShurikenJin. And at its controls is Mangetsu and five Hyakkarage.

This was Mangetsu’s plan the whole time.

Mangetsu proceeds to attack the Ninningers and they fall after a Mangetsu Buster. A big explosion. Gekiatsu Dai-Oh is in shambles.

Ariake no Kata dances in celebration. Masakage says the master’s prophecy is indeed coming true. He explains that Kibaoni’s return after 444 years would be brought about by his son. So everything is going according to plan.

Shishi-Oh has no idea what is happening around him. Shutendouji knocks him out of Ha-Oh ShurikenJin.

Episode Thoughts

An interesting episode. I think it should’ve been a little more exciting than it was.

The ninja duel stuff was fun, but not when you realize this is Episode 41. They should be getting to the big, heavy stuff now. I don’t know why Mangetsu’s plan wasn’t more of a big shocking twist. I get what the show was trying to do with having the goofy stuff before revealing Mangetsu actually had a sinister plan behind it. They wanted that big shocking moment. But it never really came.

It was an alright twist, but I think it could’ve been handled much better and in a more exciting way. There was no build up whatsoever.

I also feel like Grandpa or Father declaring that the cousins are on their last step to becoming full ninjas was kind of underwhelming too. It’s like they were saying “You are entering the final arc of Ninninger” instead of just letting the story and events themselves project that announcement.

The lack of unmorphed scenes suggests this was one of those weeks the actors were off filming the versus movie. Which might explain the lack of story.

So overall, it was an okay episode and judging from the preview, basically a setup for next week. But I think this episode could’ve been a lot better.

The Ninningers are ejected from Gekiatsu Dai-Oh. Mangetsu padlocks Lion Ha-Oh and uses ShurikenJin to destroy the city until the Ninningers come to face him.

They find they cannot control the OtomoNin so they run off. Father appears and takes them into hiding. He says he’s already asked Tetsunosuke to fix Gekiatsu Dai-Oh as soon as possible.

Right now, their main priority is to regain control of ShurikenJin. Sneaking into the cockpit is not possible since Mangetsu will just sniff ’em out. Father volunteers to go himself as long as they can lure Mangetsu away. He just can’t stand around and do nothing.

Fuuka is worried, but Takaharu tells his father that it’s fine. If that’s what he wants to do, they won’t stop him.

Yakumo has an idea.

While Masakage recounts the prophecy, a familiar looking Youkai appears. It’s Nekomata’s cousin of their second cousin, Meganekomata. He says like his cousin cousin, he’s found the ninja’s hideout.

Ariake no Kata tells Shutendouji to take the cat and help Mangetsu.

Meganekomata leads Mangetsu, in the ShurikenJin, to the dojomanse. But it turns out to be an illusion. The Ninningers, however, appear and Mangetsu goes down to face them.

The Ninningers henge and fight. Yakumo reminds everyone to follow the plan. He had turned Uncle into Nekomata. The cousins would work to keep Mangetsu busy while Father takes back ShurikenJIn. But Yakumo says there is a 30 minute time limit. No matter what, Uncle must escape ShurikenJin.

While the Ninningers send Mangetsu to deserts and the North Pole, Father tries to get Shutendouji out of the cockpit.

Back at the real dojomanse, Shishi-Oh pops in to talk to Grandpa and asks why he doesn’t go help. Grandpa answers that the kids are taking their first step to becoming full ninjas so as their master, he has no place showing himself.

Father’s alarm clock rings as it’s been over 30 minutes. Takaharu says Father will be fine. But Kasumi asks him to fight Mangetsu on his own. Kinji tosses Takaharu the Gekiatsuto and they create a five element barrier around Takaharu and Mangetsu. That finally draws Shutendouji out of ShurikenJin.

At the dojomanse, Shishi-Oh says Grandpa is just being stubborn faking stoicism when he really wants to go help his family. Grandpa remembers Takaharu telling him to do what he wants.

Mangetsu attacks Takaharu and forces him to dehenge. Fuuka calls to her brother, but Shutendouji knocks her aside and forces her to dehenge as well. Mangetsu delivers a Mangetsu Slash to everyone else and they all dehenge.

Father screams out to his children. The Hyakkarage are shocked as the spell wears off and Father is back to his normal human body.

Takaharu sees Grandpa’s Shuriken appear on the Gekiatsuto. He gets up and sends a Chou Chou Chou Gekiatsu attack toward Mangetsu and Shutendouji who fall on their butts.

Also falling on their butts are the Hyakkarage whom Father trips and bumps into after he gets into his ninja shozoku. The Hyakkarage start to get back up. But Shishi-Oh appears just in time. He yells and the Hyakkarage fall.

Father hops into the center seat with Shishi-Oh taking one of the controls. Shutendouji embiggens to face off against ShurikenJin.

The Ninningers henge and they work together to take it right to Mangetsu who cannot believe he is being knocked around in this manner by some whelps.

Kasumi and Yakumo say they are not yet full-fledged ninjas, that’s why they fight as one family. And of course, Fuuka adds, Kinji is part of that family.

Together, with the help of Grandpa’s Shuriken, the Ninningers deliver an Ultimate Igasaki Family Slash which includes a Colorful Flash, Wavering Flash, Petal Flash, Shimmering Flash, Roaring Flash and Splendid Flash.

Mangetsu explodes, but he’s not dead yet. Grandpa’s Shuriken disappears from the Gekiatsuto.

Mangetsu embiggens himself and the Ninningers hop into Gekiatsu Dai-Oh.

Father is not really sure how to control ShurikenJin, so Grandpa pops in to take the controls. He tells Shishi-Oh to get back to his own Karakuri which, along with Bison King, has now been freed by Surfermaru, UFOmaru and Paonmaru.

With all four robos back in their control, Shishi-Oh initiates Ha-Oh ShurikenJin. The cousins stay in Gekiatsu Dai-Oh and take care of Shutendouji.

Ariake no Kata appears with a Gashadokuro to help. But Mangetsu is happy the ol’ bitch is here just so he can use her and the Gashadokuro as a shield. Ariake no Kata gets popped off as Grandpa, Father and Shishi-Oh destroy the Gashadokuro.

The Ninningers can’t believe Mangetsu used his mother as a shield. Mangetsu says he’ll use whatever, even his parents, to get what he wants. That enrages Takaharu and Gekiatsu Dai-Oh switches in to form Ha-Oh Gekiatsu Dai-Oh.

Surfermaru, UFOmaru and Paonmaru join in to complete the Karakuri All-Stars once again. They charge toward Mangetsu.

Grandpa, Father and Shishi-Oh deliver an Appare Giri attack while the cousins deliver a Big Number One attack.

That finally kills the brat for good. Or so it appears.

The Igasakis celebrate, but Grandpa’s hand starts disappearglowing again.

Back at the dojomanse, the Ninningers celebrate Christmas as they open their presents.

Takaharu thanks Grandpa for helping them. Grandpa says he just did what he wanted to today. “You guys are my grandchildren first and foremost before being my students.”

Grandpa poofs into a Santa outfit and unleashes a Merry Christmas no Jutsu. He puts the cousins and Father into Santa suits.

Meanwhile, Mangetsu is still alive. But barely, as Kyuuemon finds him. He takes his mallet back.

Mangetsu wants to know who he really is.

Kyuuemon says he’ll allow Mangetsu to “catch [his] tail” before he dies.

“I am Kibaoni Gengetsu’s son. Your… older brother.”

Mangetsu has no time to properly express his shock as he stones up and explodes. For good good this time.

Episode Thoughts

I wish the final scene was more shocking than it was. I think I would’ve been more shocked if Kyuuemon was actually an Igasaki or something. But if you go deeper, I guess the twist presents the interesting idea of how and why Kyuuemon is Gengetsu’s son. Like, an illegitimate child or something? Definitely not Ariake no Kata’s son. But what of the human child form he took when he signed up for Igasaki school? Hmm…

The other should-be-shocking moment, I really hope Grandpa’s disappearing has a huge reason behind it. I think any resolution to it, whether he disappears forever and confidently leaves the world in his grandchildren’s hands or he’s “cured” and survives, will be good. But the “Why?” of it needs to be something big.

I guess whatever it is, it’s one of the reasons Grandpa actually jumped into battle with his family this week. He knows he’s running out of time maybe?

But I guess that whole deal was also part of emphasizing the Igasaki bond. I’ve said the family aspect has been the strongest aspect of this season. They regularly reinforce their closeness and bond while not forcibly inserting conflict between the cousins when there’s no place for it. The lack of conflict between Rangers may be disastrous if not handled well. But here, it plays to the overall vibe and theme of the season.

And I’ve definitely considered Kinji part of the “cousins,” so it was great to have them acknowledge that on screen. Fuuka being the one to do it was the perfect choice too.

Mangetsu is an asshole, right? And not even one you can love to hate. He’s just pure scum that you wish he could’ve died a more horrible death. But the show definitely did a nice contrast with showing how much family means to the Igasakis while Mangetsu beat and kicked his mother’s face and used her as a shield from a cannon blast.

If that was Mangetsu’s main purpose to exist, then it was successful since it made the Igasakis that much more awesome. But really, I think he was merely here to introduce the whole prophecy angle and reveal that Kyuuemon was the son that would fulfill it all along.

Kyuuemon was always set-up to be the big bad. So the show better deal with the explanation of his existence in the next few episodes well.

In other news, it was fun seeing the “olds” piloting ShurikenJin. Hehe. Shishi-Oh, in physical form, piloting a mecha was a fun sight. And it was an example of Ninninger using the supporting/recurring characters well (like Tetsunosuke too).

It was pretty obvious Father was Meganekomata, so it’s good they didn’t drag out that “twist” beyond a minute.

The Ninningers should’ve gotten a little call from Tetsunosuke to say Gekiatsu Dai-Oh was ready before they summoned them. But just mentioning him is more than other shows have done with convenient plot holes. So it’s alright.
Overall, a solid episode. Not the best, but it did what it had to do with regards to emphasizing and reinforcing the Igasaki bond which I hope and assume will play a big part going into the finale.

The cousins are cleaning the dojomanse. But Father decides he wants to duel with Takaharu. Father is pretty good and gives Takaharu a tough fight.

Tsumuji walks into the living ro… Tsumuji?!?!

Turns out the skilled ninja is actually Shurikenger. He’s here because the Committee for the Preservation of Ninja Honor would like them to have a winter review after the previous visits.

Shurikenger says they will first review the Youkai they have defeated using Youkai Karuta Cards.

Meanwhile, Ariake no Kata tries looking for her son, saying she is not mad he almost killed her. Masakage arrives and does not tell her he is dead. Instead, he says he’s gone to battle. Ariake no Kata is relieved because she had a bad feeling.

Back at the dojomanse, the Ninningers begin their karuta game. They recap different defeats and learnings and new toys and defeating monsters that killed their fathers and brothers.

Father decides to join in the game too when he remembers getting tricked by the umbrella octopus but also being able to help Takaharu with some Ninpou.

Without any of them knowing, a Sealing Shuriken literally walks into the living room and inserts itself into all the remaining cards.

When they resume the game, the card Fuuka is about to choose gets quickly switched to the wrong one. She then gets sucked in.

Shurikenger says he didn’t use any Ninpou to enhance the cards. Suddenly, the Gamagama-jus react and a voice comes out of nowhere.

Youkai God Fudagaeshi admits sucking Fuuka into the card.

Fuuka is taken into a live flashback of the Yamabiko incident. She remembers what happened, but Yamabiko appears and attacks her.

Fudagaeshi says the Youkai in the Karuta are upgraded versions. The only way to save Fuuka is to finish playing Karuta.

Fudagaeshi gives more clues which Yakumo and Kasumi get “wrong,” so they too get sucked into flashbacks.

Nagi has an idea and the four of them remaining in the living room give it a try. Shurikenger gives three clues and Nagi, Takaharu and Kinji purposefully get them wrong so they can head into the flashbacks to help their cousins.

Nagi helps Fuuka, Kinji goes to Yakumo and Takaharu helps Kasumi.

They all henge.

And they all easily take care of the three undead Youkai which allows them all back into the real world and out of the cards.

Fudagaeshi resurrects more Youkai and they fight them in the living room.

Shurikenger helps them out as well and prevents Takaharu from Chozetsu-ing the dojomanse.

There’s one card left. And it turns out Fudagaeshi wasn’t “god” kami, but “paper” kami. He’s just a regular ol’ Youkai.

Fudagaeshi, still in the card, hops around the living room so Takaharu uses Shrinking Technique to make himself small and able to also hop around.

With only a small amount of Chozetsu in small form, Takaharu is able to use his transcendental slash to defeat Fudagaeshi.

The Ninningers clean-up after Fudagaeshi’s mess. Up on the rafters, Shurikenger compliments the cousins to Grandfather and says to call whenever he’s in trouble.

Shurikenger leaves.

The cousins ask Grandpa to watch the dojomanse while they go out.

In the forest, Ariake no Kata continues looking for Mangetsu but instead, she finds Kyuuemon.

Kyuuemon tells her Mangetsu is dead because of the Ninningers. She is beside herself and explodes in anger. Quite literally. She explodes into rain and Kyuuemon happily revels in this immense fear that has sprung. This is now the time for his father to revive!

The Ninningers are on their way home from New Year’s shopping when the Earth suddenly starts to shake. Grandpa arrives as they watch a dark tornado appear on the horizon. He tells them it’s Kibaoni Gengetsu and he is reviving.

Episode Thoughts

So, the end of season recap episode is not a surprise. And apparently it was also a way to help promote the movie by showing how awesome free karuta cards are.

At first I was a little upset hearing this was a recap episode, especially with the three week break coming up. But on the other hand, this episode was also an example of typical storytelling where we have the heroes falling into a sense of comfort and complacency (celebrating New Year’s, playing cards, defeating an easy opponent) before they are faced with something HUGE!!!! In this case, it is Kibaoni Gengetsu finally popping in.

I think Kyuuemon will still be the final big bad of the season. I can see Gengetsu ending up as just an afterthought and getting defeated well before the season finale.

Is Ariake no Kata dead though? She literally BURST into tears?! Actually, I think I saw her in the preview. lol

Seeing Shurikenger is funny for me because having never watched Hurricaneger, I know of the suit as a Samurai (Cam from Ninja Storm) and not as a ninja like he is here in Sentai. Just an amusing feeling.

Overall, a typical recap episode. But I wish it was a little more exciting going into the long three week break.

Kibaoni Gengetsu has finally revived and he drops the bombshell on Masakage Tsugomori and Ariake no Kata that Kyuuemon is his son with a concubine. She had given birth to him in secret 444 years ago. And on the verge of death, Gengetsu used his You-power to send him through time.

This son’s full name is Kibaoni Kyuuemon Shingetsu.

Gengetsu revives Gabi Raizou and the quintet is complete. With that, Gengetsu raises his castle out of the mountain and declares that they will take over the world with fear.

Gengetsu tells his wife to rest and proclaims that Kyuuemon Shingetsu will take command. Kyuuemon sends Masakage off first.

The Ninningers don’t want to waste any time, but Grandpa tells them to wait. He says they must take the final test first as well as make sure they are capable of taking on Gengetsu. Only one person can take the test at a time and the others will go fight Masakage.

Takaharu will go first. But Yakumo senses Fuuka a little hesitant.

While Masakage is downtown misting people, Takaharu and Grandpa begin the final test. Grandpa gets right to it, attacking Takaharu who quickly henges.

Grandpa says this is a duel for their lives.

The others decide to split up. Kasumi, Nagi and Kinji go one way and Yakumo asks Fuuka to stay with him. Masakage mists the three first and plays them some highlights of when they were being beaten by Kyuuemon. (Another recap episode?!?!?!)

But as they are watching, Masakage activates something and they suddenly feel a sharp pain in their head.

Yakumo asks Fuuka if she’s worried about Taka-nii. She says no, but she just has a bad feeling. Yakumo says it’s natural to feel nervous about Gengetsu. But right now they can just focus on Masakage.

One of the people enjoying lunch suddenly slams the table, upset that they would speak ill toward their great benefactor Masakage Tsugomori. Everyone stands, agreeing with him that Masakage has helped them in the lives.

A cop points a gun at these two blasphemes and orders the others to capture them. Yakumo uses a spell to put them to sleep.

Back in the forest, Grandpa and Takaharu continue their duel. Grandpa acknowledges Takaharu has grown, but not enough to take his life. Takaharu says of course he wouldn’t take his life.

But Grandpa says Takaharu is gravely mistaken if he thinks he can become Last Ninja with that naiveté.

“If you won’t kill me, then I’ll just have to kill you!”

Grandpa unleashes a Final Strike at Takaharu.

Fuuka wonders if they should call Oniichan. Their cousins jog towards them and wonder what Fuuka is talking about. Yakumo and Fuuka explain what happened. Kasumi, Kinji and Nagi all agree that it was a bad idea to badmouth the great Masakage. After all, it was Masakage who brought Kinji to Japan and got them Lion Ha-Oh to defeat the Karakuri Kyuubi.

WTF?! That was Takaharu’s hard work, Fuuka protests. No no no. Kasumi, Nagi and Kinji figure Yakumo and Fuuka are being controlled by someone and they must be caught and dealt with.

Yakumo and Fuuka run with the three following until they come face to face with Masakage.

Yakumo shoots at Masakage, but Masakage instead mists them and gives them a show in the dark room too. Just like their cousins earlier, they get the brainwashing treatment. Masakage replaces Takaharu, a person they rely on, with himself in their memories.

Meanwhile, Grandpa approaches a dead Takaharu… only, it’s actually a dummy. The real Takaharu jumps out of nowhere and gets his sword right at Grandpa’s face to excitedly score the point.

But Grandpa says Takaharu hasn’t even finished him off yet. He is indeed very naive. Takaharu replies that it is Grandpa who is naive in that he won’t lose to such simple techniques any longer.

Takaharu starts to go and join the others, but Grandpa stops him, asking if he worries more about the others than the test. Takaharu says no since he knows they won’t lose even if he’s not there. That’s why they let him do the test in the first place.

Besides, Takaharu adds, it’s not much of a test when he has to beat his Grandpa when he’s not well. Takaharu wants to beat his Grandpa at his best.

Masakage tells Fuuka and Yakumo that he has almost finished replacing their memories. But Fuuka says he is wrong. While Takaharu is a central figure in their lives, Fuuka will always see him as her reckless, no-good brother who she will always worry about. Yakumo says he doesn’t remember ever relying on Takaharu.

Yakumo tells Fuuka to remember all Takaharu’s failures. Instead of Takaharu wins, they remember Takaharu fails including getting scolded by Fuuka for fighting Kinji in the dojomanse, being scared of peppers and getting turned into a juggling pepper.

Masakage doesn’t want to be edited into such failings. This opens the opportunity for Yakumo and Fuuka to break Masakage’s spell, releasing their cousins and the other people earlier.

The Ninningers henge with Yakumo going Chozetsu and Kinji going Super to deliver what should be a big final strike at Masakage.

But not even a scratch on Masakage. They remember it happened again before when Takaharu failed to kill him for good. Kasumi thinks there must be some karakuri to this, but Masakage just laughs that they will never figure it out.

Yakumo uses a spell to reveal what’s in Masakage’s mind. Turns out Masakage is actually really small and just jumps into his big body’s face to control everything.

Yakumo and Kinji grab hold of Masakage and Fuuka shoots right at Masakage’s face, revealing him.

Maskaage decides to jump out and embiggen himself. x100!

The Ninningers hop into King ShurikenJin.

Takaharu sees his sister and cousins need his help. But Grandpa stops him again, upset at Takaharu’s arrogance in saying he isn’t in top form. There is no place for personal feelings like that in a fight to the death.

Takaharu repeats that he doesn’t want to fight him to the death. And neither do the others.

The cousins summon Lion Ha-Oh and deliver an Appare Buster to finish off Masakage for good.

“So neither you nor the others can kill me?” Grandpa asks.
“Of course not,” Takaharu says.

If that’s the case, Grandpa says, then none of them are qualified to become the Last Ninja. The power of the Last Ninja comes from killing the previous one and taking his Nintality.

Grandpa flashes back to killing his father.

Takaharu can’t believe this shocking development. He tries to get Grandpa to explain further, but Grandpa just knocks him away.

“Looks like it was a mistake for me to teach you.”

Episode Thoughts

OMG what?! Okay, very interesting developments this episode.

First of all I can’t believe it’s already been one year since ToQger and Yasuko Kobayashi made me cry like a little baby with all her manipulation of my feels. Ahhh. I miss ToQger. Even more now that Power Rangers has decided to skip it. Time flies. But second, I can’t believe there’s only three episodes of Ninninger left!!

And the biggest shock being all you need to do to become Last Ninja is to kill the previous one. Say what now?! Very morbid turn of events on Ninninger, but I knew there was going to be something shocking here at the end.

I’m sure though that the cousins will find a way around that. Just like I’ve been hoping the Last Ninja won’t get put on one person and will turn out to be a big family effort. (Now apparently including Father and Grandpa.)

Again, the family aspect has been the best part of Ninninger.

So we’ll see how that goes.

About Kyuuemon. So Gengetsu had a concubine?! How racy for a kids show! He impregnated someone just to have a son to send into the future. That’s insane! lol I guess they won’t be translating that into Power Rangers Ninja Steel lol

But I’m kinda sad we didn’t get this reveal earlier and maybe get one or two episodes showing how Kyuuemon did come into this time and then turn into a human kid to infiltrate the Igasakis. That’s at least two episodes worth of material there.

So Masakage was an action figure this whole time?! I don’t understand! lol That was a very random development. I don’t seem to remember anything this season that would suggest he was just a tiny dwarf controlling a human-sized robot. So random.

But I honestly thought we were going to get another recap episode with those Masakage highlight reels lol I was getting ready to be very upset. Especially after the three week break.

Anyway, this was a good episode since there was a lot big story developments setting up the finale. Hope the action and the emotions get ramped up 10x in the final episodes.

Takaharu wakes up at the dojomanse. Father carried him home after Grandfather knocked him out.

Father is surprised when Takaharu tells him about the Last Ninja rule.

Meanwhile, Kyuuemon sends Gabi Raizou out and into an Advanced Youkai Oboruguruma. Thinking Takaharu is still doing the test with Grandpa, the cousins henshin and hop into ShurikenJin and Bison King.

But Takaharu arrives and they hop into Gekiatsu Dai-Oh. They manage to take down the Oboruguruma and Gabi Raizou retreats.

Takaharu tells the others about what happened with Grandpa. They say they would’ve given the same answer as Takaharu about not killing Grandfather.

Kyuuemon arrives, laughing and introduces himself as Kibaoni Kyuuemon Shingetsu. He explains how he used them and the Last Ninja to revive daddy Gengetsu, including how he exploited Grandpa’s lack of trust in them.

Kyuuemon says Grandpa was afraid that telling them the truth about the Last Ninja rule would discourage them from attempting to become it. And of course, none of them have the guts to kill him, thus none of them will become Last Ninja. That leaves it open for Kyuuemon to take the title and the Finishing Shruiken of the End for himself.

The Ninningers henge, but Kyuuemon reminds them he was trained in Igasaki style by easily countering their attacks.

Kyuuemon flashes back to him originally taking the mallet and “forbidden” Shuriken. Grandpa tried to take it back, but only got the mallet while Kyuuemon took the Shuriken.

Kyuuemon tries to deliver a Crossfire Technique on them, but the Ninningers escape for now.

The Ninningers return home and ponder their seemingly impossible predicament. They wonder if they really have no options left. Kyuuemon gave up his humanity, after all, just to reach this point. Kinji thinks otherwise.

He tells them about his encounters with Kyuuemon who saw the weakness in his heart. Kyuuemon must have been able to feel it because he has the same feeling. Kinji is not sure, but they might be able to exploit that to their gain,

Kinji says he wants to repay them for saving his life many times. This time, he will save them. Father says he will help by looking around the dojomanse for any clue Grandfather might have left them.

Next morning, Grandfather goes to confront Gengetsu at the castle. Gengetsu hops out.

Grandpa says he only had enough power to seal Gengetsu before, but now is ready to defeat him once and for all. Gengetsu is confident that today will be the day the Kibaoni Clan will take over the world and destroy the Igasakis for good.

Grandpa says he will settle this himself without involving his family.

Grandpa charges at Gengetsu who counters with a blast.

The cousins hear the explosion, but Kyuuemon stops them. They henge and take on Kyuuemon.

Father has turned the dojomanse inside out looking for any clue, but not finding anything. He turns to the only place he hasn’t looked yet, the tanuki by the wall. He rubs his stomach and picks it up. There’s something inside.

Grandpa and Gengetsu are engaged in a huge, explosive battle. Grandpa uses every Ninpou he’s got up his sleeve. Huge explosions, thunder, wind, fog, all elements. Mountains are blown to bits. Craters are made. Fireball nuclear explosions.

Gengetsu is impressed, but he also has some big power stored. He completely eliminates all of Grandpa’s attacks with the wave of a hand.

The Ninningers are engaged in their own explosive battle with Kyuuemon in the Toei warehouse. It’s a well matched fight until Kyuuemon is able to take all six of them on and eventually knocks them down.

“I already told you! You’re nothing compared to me!”

Kinji answers. “That’s true. We’re nothing like you.” He says having darkness in one’s heart makes it easy to be tempted by power. That is Kyuuemon’s weakness.

Kinji gives Takaharu the Gekiatsuto and turns himself into a Shuriken using Nagi’s Possession Fusion Technique. Takaharu uses Shuriken Kinji as a weapon against Kyuuemon.

Kasumi says this is definitely not their Grandpa’s Ninpou. They have truly created their own path. Fuuka says they will become the Last Ninja their own way.

Kyuuemon thinks they’re fools living in a dream world. But they remember what Father told them. You can never easily see the path to your dreams. That’s why you must open and light your own path to them.

Father arrives just as the Ninningers get their second wind. They charge at Kyuuemon who doesn’t understand what’s happening. They cousins explain that Kyuuemon is stuck in the old times while they have learned how to forge their own way.

Kyuuemon will not have any of this talking down. But the Ninningers unleash a Shocking Explosive Slash together.

Somehow, that attack releases Father’s Nintality from Kyuuemon. Takaharu tells his father to proudly take back what’s rightly his.

Father steps forward and declares himself a Ninja once more as he finally gains back his Nintality.

A Sealing Shuriken burns Takaharu’s butt.

Gabi Raizou arrives to whisk his young master away despite Kyuuemon wanting to stay and enact his revenge.

They head outside and Father thanks them for getting his powers back. But the Ninningers thank him for teaching them about dreams and helping them be resolute in their battle.

They’re all in.

And just in time. Grandpa is losing badly to Gengetsu. They arrive just in time. Grandpa is surprised, but happy to see Tsumuji standing with the kids.

Takaharu tells Grandpa that while they did not have the resolution Grandpa wanted, they have gained the resolution to forge a new path and legacy for the Last Ninja.

Grandpa likes what he hears. He tosses Father an Ichibantou and Takaharu gives him the new Shuriken… a Tsumuji Shuriken.

Grandpa jumps up to the cliff to join his family.

The Igasakis henge.

An they’re all ready to rampage.

Episode Thoughts

Great place to end this episode! Very nice. I definitely enjoyed this one. Things definitely kicked into high gear.

The fight scenes… no, the BATTLE scenes were amazing. Those were huge! Lots of special effects with Grandpa and Kibaoni’s fight. It was INSANE! It was like some Koichi Sakamoto-level extravaganza. I loved it. The Ninningers battle with Kyuuemon was amazing as well. The entire sequence of them in the warehouse was done excellently.

I really liked the direction in this episode. Some very nice cinematography, some subtle and artsy angles and shots. It was great. Added a great sense of drama and tension which culminated in the great scenes of the whole family together.

I’ll repeat it every episode until the end. The strongest aspect of this season has been everything about family. If ToQger was about the bonds of friendship as family (in a world of imagination of course), Ninningers takes that idea and runs with it. The idea of family topping anything else and how family doesn’t only mean by blood. I expect the last two episodes to continue emphasizing that theme and bringing it home.

The Igasaki morph was beautiful.

I wonder what Father found in the tanuki statue. Finishing Shuriken of the End maybe? Where you least expect it of course.

I assume the last episode will be the ultimate battle with Kyuuemon. Gengetsu will probably be killed in the penultimate episode, yeah? Kyuuemon just has to be the final battle. And I hope we get to see more flashbacks of him before the end. That flashback of him and Grandpa and the mallet was great.

Overall, definitely a great and exciting episode. I’m very excited for the final two. Definitely different from ToQger‘s final episodes which had me drowning in my own tears. (Which I absolutely love and do not regret.) Ninninger instead has me pumped, especially after this episode of pretty explosions and action.

Grandpa and Father charge toward Kibaoni first with the cousins following to back them up.

Grandpa tries a Raining Shells Technique while Father, Takaharu and Fuuka follow up with a Combined Parent-Child Slash Technique.

Grandpa, Father and Takaharu try a Three Generations Technique and the entire family tops it off with an All-Igasaki Appare Nin Violent Slash.

They think that has killed Kibaoni Gengetsu for good. But he just laughs at them and sends a huge attack their way, throwing them back.

Takaharu charges toward Kibaoni, but he just swats him away. Grandpa follows up with an Ultimate Finisher. A huge explosion, but nothing. Kibaoni laughs some more and says Grandpa indeed cannot escape fate.

Grandpa doesn’t know what he means. Just then, Kyuuemon zips in and impales him with his mallet stick. Tsumuji and the cousins gasp in horror.

Kyuuemon says this is just what he’s said all along. It will be him who takes the Last Ninja title. He uses his mallet and absorbs all of Grandpa’s power before one more thrust into Grandpa’s body.

That thrust brought out the Finishing Shuriken of the End which was keeping Grandpa alive all this time. Grandpa admits to his family that he already died. Kyuuemon says his fate was already sealed 444 years ago.

Kyuuemon slashes at Grandpa one more time and he disappears into glitters of light. The Igasakis scream out to him, shocked at what has just transpired.

Kyuuemon proclaims himself the Last Ninja. Kibaoni Gengetsu is very proud of his son and gives him the last Sealing Shurikens. The five Shurikens attach to Kyuuemon’s body and transform him into a frightening and monstrous new form.

Kyuuemon slashes at the Igasakis forcing them to dehenge. Kibaoni and Kyuuemon laugh at them and before they leave, tell them to watch as the Kibaoni Clan takes over the world.

At the castle, Gabi Raizou congratulates Kyuuemon, but Ariake no Kata is still mourning the death of her son. Kibaoni tells both of them to go into battle as soon as morning comes.

At the dojomanse, the Igasakis are mourning their grandfather. Takaharu apologizes for not doing more to save him, but Kasumi says it’s not his fault. The only thing is they weren’t even able to say goodbye.

Yakumo leaves and Nagi and Fuuka follow him. He says he just doesn’t want to be in the living room. Nagi says that’s pretty cold of him, but Yakumo explains that they still have to fight and not give in to their grief.

While of course it’s horrible that they’ve lost their grandfather, Yakumo says, the one he’s been chasing after was Takaharu. He came this far so he could beat him. Fuuka says she understands as she too has blindly followed her Oniichan.

Father asks them to come inside.

He shows them a box and a note saying “Open when in trouble.” This is what Father found in the tanuki earlier.

Takaharu opens it, but it’s empty. That is until a hologram of Grandfather pops out.

Grandfather recorded this message in the event that he is gone. He scolds them knowing none of them have become the Last Ninja. He then explains how he died in his final battle against Kibaoni. But the Finishing Shuriken of the End was able to help him remain in a human form.

Grandpa apologizes for not telling them sooner… then yells at them for being fools, knowing they’re sitting here sulking and miserable. He reminds them that they’ve worked hard and brought out the best in each other. And most of all they’ve supported each other, which is why they’ve made it this far. As long as they are together, they have nothing to fear.

He sends them off to do what they need to do with a final “Ciao!”

HoloGrandpa disappears. The cousins understand Grandpa’s words and find a new resolve to move forward and finish what they started.

Next morning, the six cousins head out to face Gabi Raizou and Ariake no Kata.

“Fighting for revenge?” Gabi Raizou asks.
The cousins say there is no such thing and that they are here because they’re going to do what they want.

The cousins henge.

Hyakkarage appear to back up their bosses and the battle is on.

Kasumi takes on Ariake no Kata while Takaharu faces off against Gabi Raizou. Suddenly two embiggened Hyakkarage and a red kitsune piloted by a regular sized Hyakkarage appear.

Back at the dojomanse, Father is praying with the tanuki when the hologram box falls to the floor.

HoloGrandpa pops out again with a P.S. Father listens. Addressing the six cousins, HoloGrandpa says he is sure they will surpass him and create a brand new Last Ninja tradition.

Grandpa says Yakumo is the most competitive of the six, but the others rely on him as he will be a ninja that bring everyone together.

Yakumo tells Nagi and Fuuka to take care of the embiggened arrivals. He then takes Gabi Raizou off of Takharu’s hands so he can go retrieve the Finishing Shuriken of the End.

While Nagi and Fuuka are in ShurikenJin, Grandpa continues. Nagi is the most considerate of them all and will become a most well-beloved ninja around the world. Fuuka may be a bit clumsy, but she is full of energy and pep. She too will become a ninja everyone will love.

Kasumi fights Ariake no Kata. Grandpa says she supports everyone with her wisdom and ingenuity. And now that she has been able to experience defeat, she will become a ninja that will lead others to new heights.

Kinji has suffered much. But he who once had a weak heart, has earned Grandpa’s respect as a student. Kinji will become a great ninja on the world stage.

Kinji joins Kasumi as they tag-team against Ariake no Kata.

And finally Takaharu. Grandpa doesn’t have much to say to him, only that he knows he will become the most powerful ninja in the world.

And with those assessments, the Last Ninja Race has come to an end. It is time for them to follow their own paths. HoloGrandpa disappears.

Father is happy to hear how much Grandpa really looked after the kids after all.

But HoloGrandpa reappears for a P.P.S. He apologizes to Tsumuji for not being much of a father to him. He once told Tsumuji he was too kind. But it is that kindness that has saved everyone. Perhaps.

“Take care of the rest.”

Grandpa leaves for good this time.

“Don’t worry,” Father says, “Those kids… I know they’ll win.”

Nagi and Fuuka defeat the embiggened kitsune and Hyakkarage. Yakumo delivers a Ninja Flash and easily defeats Gabi Raizou.

Kasumi and Kinji deliver a Simultaneous Nin Violent Slash to take care of Ariake no Kata.

Ariake no Kata apologizes to her son for not avenging his death. But before she explodes, Kibaoni Gengetsu arrives and says she is no longer of use to him. So Kibaoni absorbs her power as Ariake no Kata cries out.

Takaharu arrives at the castle and is met by Kyuuemon. He holds the Finishing Shuriken of the End which transforms.

Kyuuemon places it on his mallet and activates it.

The world goes dark and a cataclysmic event releases hundreds of Jukkarage and Hyakkarage as they attack the people.

Nagi and Fuuka, still in ShurikenJin watch as Nekomata and other familiar faces are resurrected and automatically embiggned. Suddenly, they dehenge.

Kasumi, Kinji and Yakumo also dehenge as they are surrounded by the Kibaoni Army.

Takaharu dehenges as Kyuuemon explains that the Finishing Shuriken of the End ends this world and creates a new one. A new world united in fear where the Kibaoni Clan will rule!

“You Igasakis have lost your power, and soon, you will all die!”

Takaharu says they are not finished yet. They will not give up here.

“This is hot!”

Episode Thoughts

A very exciting episode. Definitely a penultimate episode feel.

So it was interesting to see Grandpa’s “death.” Of course it was sad, but I don’t know if I was really surprised that he was already dead. I was more shocked when Kyuuemon popped out of nowhere and basically sliced a hole through Grandpa, though I guess it wasn’t even a real human body anyway.

I know we’ve seen Grandpa slowly disappearing lately, but I kinda hoped it was more than just him already being dead and losing his Finishing End Shuriken juice.

I did like the family sitting in the living room though, in the dark and almost silent. It expressed the shock of the whole thing. Yakumo’s reaction was also interesting. I think that scene needed a few more lines instead of Yakumo and Fuuka basically reminding everyone that Sentai will always be Red-centric. =( I think the show left a little bit of good material on the table with that scene.

But I do like how they “revealed” Grandpa’s true feelings for his grandchildren. I guess we can interpret him as specifically grooming and teaching them how to surpass the Last Ninja traditions and encouraging them to forge their own path and future. He was perfectly ready for any of his grandchildren to kill him, since he was already dead, after all. But he also believed that they would never do that in the first place and instead knew (or maybe hoped) that they would find a new path. And they did.

Grandpa also apologizing to Tsumuji was excellent. All season, Grandpa had ragged on Father and even the show sometimes shortchanged him and made him the butt of jokes. But really, since Grandpa was MIA and mysterious and only popping in whenever he felt like it, it was Tsumuji who guided and cared for the kids most of the time. It was a great scene.

Love that Parent-Child Technique! It was awesome to see Takaharu and Fuuka fighting alongside their father.

And I’m gonna repeat it again. Family! Ninninger has done an excellent job of establishing the importance of family and how strong that can make a person. Even ninjas.

Now for the other stuff.

I’m kinda disappointed at the direction they took Ariake no Kata. She went from awesome HBIC to loopy ditz. And now she was easily defeated without some big battle. Plus, Kibaoni sucking her up could’ve been much more impactful if she hadn’t already exploded in grief to end an episode a few weeks ago after Mangetsu died. I did like (hate?) how ruthless and disgusting Mangetsu and now Kibaoni Gengetsu are. It makes you feel excited and happy when the heroes finally kill them off. So the finale will be awesome just for that.

I’m kinda confused though because I was under the impression that Kibaoni was defeated was 444 years ago then came back like 40-50 years ago and that’s when Grandpa sealed him.

But it’s like Grandpa himself sealed Kibaoni 444 years ago? What? I gotta go look that up.

I’m sad we didn’t get more Kyuuemon flashbacks as a “kid.” I think those episodes would’ve been really fun, seeing him become a human then inserting himself into the Igasaki dojomanse and then him leaving to rejoin the Kibaoni Clan. I hope the final battle (almost surely against him) will be an epic one AND with the entire family involved.

And I think there was some drone action this episode too! That shot of Takaharu running toward the castle. Sentai and Kamen Rider should both definitely utilize drones more often. They could get some incredible shots I think, especially with big battles and explosions.

So overall, a great penultimate episode. Very exciting, nice emotions. And a great lead-up to the finale.

Despite the Finishing Shuriken of the End starting to tear the world apart and their Ninpou on the fritz, the Ninningers continue to fight on.

Nagi and Fuuka continue to pilot ShurikenJin against the embiggened zombies. Kasumi, Kinji and Yakumo continue fighting the Jukkarage and Hyakkarage.

Takaharu takes on Kyuuemon 2.0. They battle, but Kyuuemon is able to overpower Takaharu who collapses to the ground.

Takaharu tries to remind Kyuuemon that he was once Grandpa’s student too. But Kyuuemon says it was just so he can get the Finishing Shuriken of the End. Just like Grandpa used him as a stepping stone for Father.

Takaharu disputes that. Thinking about the cousins’ own experience, he’s sure Grandpa was hoping that through competition and supporting each other, Kyuuemon and Tsumuji would help each other grow and become comrades.

Kyuuemon doesn’t want to hear such nonsense. He is about to cut him right down the middle, but Kasumi and Kinji arrive just in time.

Nagi, Fuuka and Yakumo quickly jump in. Kyuuemon thinks they can’t do anything to him without their powers. But Yakumo says they can as long as the six of them are together.

Together, the cousins dig deep to bring out the Nintality that’s still in their bodies. The overflowing Nintality allows them to henge.

The Ninningers charge toward Kyuuemon and the battle is on.

The cousins work together, perfectly in sync to absolutely overwhelm a dumbfounded Kyuuemon. These kids aren’t even Grandpa, so how can they be beating him like this? Yakumo says they’ve always worked to surpass their grandfather.

They deliver a huge Chouzetsu Shocking Explosive Slash which easily counters Kyuuemon’s attack. Incredibly immense explosions as the Ninningers deliver the definitive slashes… that force Kyuuemon back to his base form.

Kyuuemon laments the fact that he was supposed to surpass Igasaki Yoshitaka.

The cousins watch as Kyuuemon stumbles on the ground.

Takaharu dehenges and approaches Kyuuemon. He asks, “Could it be… that you admired Grandpa?”

Kyuuemon scoffs at the idea and tries to deny it. The cousins also come close.

“You also wanted to become the Last Ninja. If you wanted to surpass Grandpa, then you’re just like us.”

Takaharu says his admiration for Grandpa is what drives him. Maybe it’s the same for Kyuuemon?

Kinji says while it was Kyuuemon’s destiny to become a student of Yoshitaka, wasn’t Kyuuemon just trying to reclaim his family. They both were wandering alone, but Yoshitaka-sama took them in and gave them the home they were looking for.

Kyuuemon starts to realize what he has been repressing all this time, that he may have indeed admired Grandpa. He remembers the happy times he had with Tsumuji and Yoshitaka.

Suddenly, a Sealing Shuriken twinkles from inside his sleeve. It’s the Sealing Shuriken Grandpa had which Kyuuemon took.

It morphs into a Green Nin Shuriken! Could it be Grandpa saved this for Kyuuemon? Hoping Kyuuemon would return as his student? Kyuuemon cannot believe it.

Suddenly, Kibaoni roars in and says Kyuuemon cannot escape his fate. It’s time for Kibaoni to suck Kyuuemon in just like he did everyone else. That was his only purpose anyway, a mere tool for Kibaoni’s own ambitions.

Kyuuemon drops the Green Shuriken as Kibaoni absorbs him and embiggens.

The Ninningers cannot believe how disgusting Kibaoni has been, using his family as mere pawns. They hop into Gekiatsu Dai-Oh.

The cousins will not give up and have a firm resolve to put an end to Kibaoni Gengetsu once and for all. Kibaoni says he will make them regret being born Igasakis, but the cousins don’t budge. They will be ninjas to the end, no matter what. Takaharu adds that Kyuuemon is the same.

The sentiment reaches Kyuuemon inside Kibaoni’s body and he manages to eject himself, weakening his father.

This allows the Ninningers to deliver the final strike. Kibaoni Gengetsu just laughs and says even if he’s defeated, he will return one day to destroy the old world.

Kibaoni Gengetsu explodes and it reverberates over Tokyo.

A weak Kyuuemon is on the ground, holding the Finishing Shuriken of the End. He hates to do it, but admits that he lost to the Igasakis.

He looks up and suddenly sees Grandpa smiling as he reaches out a hand to him.

Kyuuemon reaches toward Grandpa and shines away.

The cousins watch as ghastly moans fill the world still being eaten away even with Kibaoni gone.

The Finishing Shuriken of the End appears in front of them since they are all the Last Ninja. Kasumi suggests they spin it and wish for a peaceful world. But Takaharu says no. They should wish for a world without the Finishing Shuriken. That way, the world won’t be able to be destroyed by it.

And of course without the Finishing Shuriken of the End, there would be no need for the Last Ninja title. Takaharu knows that and it doesn’t matter, this is what they have to do.

The cousins each grab a piece of the Finishing Shuriken of the End and spin, wishing for a world without it.

The Shuriken shines bright over the world. The Kibaoni castle disappears and everything is back to normal.

The Finishing Shuriken of the End disappears as well.

Fuuka asks if Takaharu is okay with this. Of course, he’ll just become the New Last Ninja.

Kasumi agrees, she can just become the Last Tech Ninja. Fuuka wants to be the Last Idol Ninja. Kinji will be the Last Worldwide Ninja and Nagi will be the Last Helping Hand Ninja.

Fuuka says Yakkun can be the Last Magic Ninja.

Takharu holds the Green Shuriken and says to “Be a ninja even when you’re reborn.”

Back at the dojomanse, Takaharu tries sneaking out with his backpack, but is stopped by Kinji who sees him. Kinji, however, was also planning to leave without anyone else knowing.

Yakumo has his luggage and is surprised to see Takaharu and Kinji there too.

Nagi tosses shurikens at Kasumi who was hiding as the wall. She too is packed and wanting to return to her lab.

Father and Fuuka poof in.

Takaharu says he has to train immediately since he is the New Last Ninja. He apologizes to his little sister. She turns to hide her sadness and says it’s alright. She’ll be happy he’s gone anyway.

Nagi says he thought they’d always be together. Yakumo says they won’t be apart for long. They are family, after all. Kasumi knows they will return to this dojo.

So let’s gather here in two years, Father says, to see who’s become the strongest. They all agree.

Fuuka suggests they do Rock paper scissors to see who leaves first.

We see the cousins in their post-Kibaoni life.

Yakumo is teaching magical Ninpou in England, but it’s definitely not easy.

Fuuka is auditioning for Police Reporter Pescatore 2 and uses Cloning Technique to try and impress the casting directors.

Nagi is at school when his friends ask him to come play soccer with them.

Kinji has an oden car in a foreign country.

Kasumi is at the lab using her Nin Shuriken to conduct an experiment.

Takaharu has four young pupils he is training with.

Episode Thoughts

“DAMN!”

That’s my immediate reaction to this episode.

So first of all, I love when I’m wrong about my expectations when it comes to stories. Especially when what actually happens absolutely exceeds my expectations in the best way possible.

That’s definitely what happened. I don’t think this finale could’ve been any more pitch perfect.

So, one quality I love about any story is one that gets me to feel emotions. Whether it’s happy or sad, if it can get me to really feel and make me feel the story I am reading or watching, then it’s a winner for me.

I cried my eyes out for half of ToQger last year (oh Queen Kobayashi!), most especially in the final episodes. But that was definitely not the case for Ninninger this year. I’ve enjoyed the story, most of all, the episodes that focused on their family and bond. But it wasn’t until this final episode that really got me to turn on the waterworks.

Opening scene, I was already tearing up.

I’ve pointed out in the last couple of weeks how much I wanted to see more flashbacks about Kyuuemon entering the dojo and all his interactions with Grandpa and Father. And when we got to the penultimate episode last week, I was definitely sad that the opportunity for all that passed. So how shocking was it for me to see that there was a perfectly good reason we didn’t see any more flashbacks.

I already knew something was up when we got the Kyuuemon battle at the start of the episode instead of as the decisive battle. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for Kyuuemon after the Ninningers knocked him down from his ultimate form.

I think why this part was effective, seeing the cousins stop and just watch him instead of finishing him off right there, was because Kyuuemon was never all that slimey and evil and disgusting (like his father and half-brother were). Sure he “finished off” Grandpa last week, though you can make the argument that he was already dead anyway. And Grandpa knew it. He’s been disappearing more and more every week and was eager to either get the grandkids ready or just go at it himself. But Kyuuemon’s acted mainly with the sole intention of doing everything to revive his father and bring their clan to power. That was his fate, his destiny.

But like the cousins did, maybe Kyuuemon could have changed his destiny as well.

Now, as soon as Takaharu walked toward Kyuuemon, my tears started freely flowing. We didn’t get to see any of Kyuuemon as a young boy because it would’ve spoiled the truth about him. And what a truth that was!

All those face offs with Grandpa, all his talk of wanting the Finishing Shuriken of the End. It was all because he wanted a family! Grandpa and Father welcomed him into their home. While there certainly could’ve been a little more to emphasize Kyuuemon’s feelings, I think we get the main point. Maybe he already found a family.

The green Shuriken just capped it all off. And Grandpa welcoming Kyuuemon to the great light? Come on now. I just lost it right there. Yeah, I was crying. MaGMCMs everywhere.

One of my biggest criticisms of the season was how Grandpa was being all too mysterious and how his competition and egging on his grandchildren felt forced and hollow. He came off as a douche. But as we saw, maybe it was just to push his grandchildren to better themselves and each other. It was the same for Tsumuji and Kyuuemon. We’ve seen Grandpa feel regret and guilt about Kyuuemon, even before he was revealed as his student.

But as Father realized last week, Grandpa had complete faith that his son and grandchildren would choose the right path. And not make the same mistakes he made in the past.

Not to mention the idea of working as a team instead of alone. They regularly touched on that with Kinji early on and of course in the Last Ninja competition. I always hoped the Last Ninja would end up having them all working together instead of just one person being the star. And that’s exactly what they happend. Thankfully.

That’s a pretty satisfying conclusion though, isn’t it? It brought the whole season full circle.

I didn’t mind the simple defeat of Kibaoni because he’s an asshole anyway and deserves to rot in Ganma hell. Sucking his own wife and children into himself. Ugh.

That did, however, make it such a sweet piece of justice when Kyuuemon bailed on his father which allowed the Ninningers to defeat him.

See! Family theme!

The epilogue was nice and I assume they setup the V-cinema and next year’s Vs. movie with the Green Shuriken and meeting up after two years.

For the other stuff in this episode…

That finale helmetless roll call/henge was awesome! That overflowing Nintality scene right before was amazing too. But while last year’s roll call with the ToQgers was epic, this came pretty close.

Then the HUGE explosions when they attack Kyuuemon was even more insane than last week’s battle between Grandpa and Kibaoni. The music was on point in the scene too.

And drones!

Plus fun fact! The movie Fuuka was auditioning for was the sequel to the movie the ToQgers stumbled onto and Kagura directed! Hehe.

Just an overall great finale. I loved it. It couldn’t have been any better.

Hindsight Review

Now for my Hindsight Review, I think I touched on a lot of what I liked about the season above already.

So I didn’t really follow the general sentiment of the fandom during the season. That’s why I was shocked there was debates over whether or not Ninninger should even be adapted to Power Rangers since some fans thought it was pure trash.

Like Go-Busters and ToQger before, I don’t really care what others think about a season and don’t allow those negative opinions to affect my own feelings. If I like or enjoy something, why would I let someone else discourage me from feeling that way? I’m not going to base my opinion of something just because someone has been proclaimed the all-knowing opinion-setter in the fandom or something like that. They can express and defend their opinion, as can I, no problem.

So I don’t really know what people’s problems with the season were.

For me, I didn’t really have many big problems. I’ve pointed out my annoyance with Grandpa’s shadiness all season. But these last few episodes certainly put things into a new perspective that actually fits and makes sense as opposed to feeling too late or forced. (HELLO DRIVE!)

I also felt like there wasn’t much direction with the villains early on. We didn’t know what the Finishing Shuriken of the End could do even though we knew the villains wanted to resurrect Kibaoni Gengetsu. But Kyuuemon was that one constant throughout the season. He (originally a She!) developed quite well I think. Though I definitely would’ve delved deeper into his time with the Igasakis.

The placement of that revelation in this finale was good as it delivered a final surprise. But I think there would’ve been a lot of great story there, even if they used these last couple of episodes to explore it. I think the Kyuuemon “redemption” played out well and I enjoyed it as it was. But there was definitely possibility for more if they wanted and deliver an even bigger emotional punch.

As it was though, the finale brought the season’s entire theme full circle.

I firmly believe this season was all about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. Like seriously, Gengetsu and Mangetsu are two of the most despicable villains I’ve ever seen on toku. You can’t even love to hate them. You just plain hate them.

When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures.

One of my criticisms for Kamen Rider Drive was that they lacked the bond between the main group/team to really make an impact on the finale. And even if everything else was falling apart, as long as you got a great emotional bond with and between the main team, the show should be perfectly enjoyable.

Ninninger did that. There weren’t many conflicts between the cousins. Just like last year with the ToQgers too. They already have an established bond and connection. The ToQgers were childhood best friends. The Ninningers are blood related. No need to force them through various conflicts and tension to build up their teamwork. They were already close friends.

Any conflict between them was because of Grandpa’s Last Ninja competition. And one can argue, Grandpa did that to really train them and build them up to get them ready for the big final battles.

I felt that connection with the Ninningers. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great. I enjoyed it very much and would love to see Power Rangers Ninja Steel incorporate some family aspect as well.

So while Ninninger was certainly not perfect (Go-Busters and ToQger are safely tied as #1 for me), I fully enjoyed the season and liked how it developed. My Sentai list goes Go-Busters = ToQger > Shinkenger > Gokaiger > Goseiger. And I might very well insert Ninninger between Shinkenger and Gokaiger, I enjoyed it that much.

Definitely excited for the V-Cinema!

Wasshoi!

TYPE OF REVIEW : GOOD OL’ REVIEW
Full spoilers, but with a warning before it starts in the review.

I absolutely hate Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger the Movie: Ninja in Wonderland !

I hate it because it means that this is the last official time we’ll be seeing our awesome train children. ='(

But as for the movie itself, I think this might be the best Sentai vs. movie in years. (Go-Busters vs. Go-Busters, not included) The last couple of outings have been forgettable and/or repetitive. But Ninninger vs. ToQger felt like it was a more cohesive and engaging story. It used some familiar set-ups, but was able to draw more upon both seasons’ storylines and characters to create a full stand-alone movie.

Now I’ve already expressed my deep love and admiration for ToQger as well as my defense of Ninninger. So when I saw the predictable tweets disparaging both series after the movie was first made available on DVD and now with English subs, I just rolled my eyes and proceeded to excitedly sit down and watch it.

*spoilers begin now!*

The movie starts off with the Ninningers in a very familiar-looking train. They’re on vacation and on their way to Ninja Land. There are still a couple of stops before they arrive, but the cousins suddenly get picked off at each of the stops which turns into strange dream sequences. And in each of those dream sequences, they meet the ToQgers.

Rock star Kinji is saved by pop idol Kagura.

Ninja spies Yakumo, Nagi and Kasumi are saved by the one and only Kendama Detective Hikari.

And finally, Mio runs into the church to stop Tokatti and Fuuka’s wedding.

The dream sequences were a great way to quickly introduce the ToQgers. And each of them touching on character beats from the series was pretty awesome. We saw Kagura the future idol/director and the return of Hikari’s unbeatable kendama. And then we got the continuation of Tokatti and Mio’s OTP-ness. (“I was just carried away. We’re still good, right?”) Be still my shipper heart.

After a great little montage of ToQger‘s most fun and memorable scenes, we have the meeting of the Reds as Right saves Takaharu from the Shadow Line’s newly arrived Doctor Mavro. Right sees himself in Takaharu. They are both selfless, but also sometimes too impulsive and forget about the people who care about them.

The movie sees Doctor Mavro wanting to steal the Ninningers’ Nintality to help spread darkness over the world. And when he is able to take Takaharu’s Nintality and turn it evil, Takaharu slowly begins to disappear. He is fully ready to just die, as long as he will be able to stop the evil plan and save the world and his family.

The situation of course draws a parallel to Right’s own impulsive decision to sacrifice himself to save his best friends. And he himself realizes it. Throughout the movie, we see the story reinforce the idea that it’s better when they’re all together. Whether it’s as a team, as best friends or as family, nothing beats working together rather than carrying a burden all alone.

The scene at the dojomanse of a worried and frightened Tsumuji was one of the best of the movie. It might have been the most emotional one.

And whenever the ToQgers are involved, I expect some emotional sentimentality. Interestingly enough, this movie lacked that usual MaGMCM the ToQgers are ones to provide. But this scene came closest to it for me.

One criticism of Ninninger is the lack of story that supported the family aspect of the characters. I already explained my take on that in my Hindsight Review. And it basically played out again here. You wouldn’t see this kind of emotional gut reaction to a dire situation if the team’s bond wasn’t by blood or close to it (like the ToQgers) or been preceded by a perfectly crafted story.

The final final scene of the movie, when the cousins arrive home to a relieved Tsumuji, illustrates this point very well.

So pairing the ToQgers and Ninningers definitely provided an easy template for a story that would blend both series’ strengths.

Not to mention IMAGINAAAATION being one of the biggest drivers of the story as well.

Back to the story… With some great cameo appearances from General Schwarz, Madame Noire, and the just can’t catch a break with big intros Baron Nero, we get the requisite team-ups from the ToQgers and Ninningers. Each little group of team-ups again worked well to draw upon each character’s personalities as well as provide some fun gags and jokes.

Simultaneously, we saw Takaharu and Right starting the battle against the evil Akaninger and Akira finally arriving to stage an epic battle against Doctor Mavro.

Speaking of, that battle between Akira and Mavro was spectacular. Toei only recently started to increasingly using drones to film their series. And I would not be surprised if they used drones to film this epic fight. (Drones aren’t limited to only aerial shots, of course.) It was an excellently choreographed battle and maybe the most exciting human battle of the movie.

That doesn’t discount the final on-ground morphed battle which was very good as well. Though it hurt to see Noire, Schwarz and Nero get killed all over again (even if just copies), the battle was full of fun action.

But it only got better after that with an incredible mecha battle. Nighttime (or in this case, just regular darkness) mecha battles always present a different, more exciting feel than the usual. And the set design and direction for this final battle was just amazing.

The different, new combos (Ha-Oh ToQ-Dai-Oh!) and weaving the mechas of both the ToQgers an Ninningers together in interesting ways added a great deal to make the movie’s climax well worth it.

As the ToQgers bid farewell to the Ninningers, I was just hoping and hoping that we’d get just even a short glimpse of the amazing younger versions. And right after they passed through the turnstile, we did. I’d say the Ninningers’ reaction to the “ToQgers are kids” reveal was much better than the Kyoryugers’ reaction.

Going back to the rest of the movie, it’s interesting how the ToQgers (who are still kids of course) basically took the lead and came across as more mature than the cousins. Some might point out that puts the Ninningers in a bad light. But then again, the ToQgers went through a much rougher ordeal than the Ninningers. And they did A LOT of growing up during their year. It’ll be something that really sets the ToQgers apart from any other team. They were of course the vets too. But the Ninningers’ story didn’t really have them “grow up” like the ToQgers did. Instead, they acted like they did in the series; as young, teenage cousins who are more carefree than young kids who had to fight evil to get home to their families.

Elsewhere, it was just amazing to hear ToQger‘s excellent grand score playing again. And Ninninger‘s score was able to fit very well too. Doctor Mavro’s design continues the streak of excellent, creative designs from ToQger and the Shadow Line. It really is a shame that Saban Brands, Bandai and Nickelodeon are so dumb and incompetent that they can’t figure out how to get one adaptation a year and make it work instead of skipping seasons.

While it was great to see Ticket again, I’m sad we didn’t get even small cameos from Conductor or at least Wagon. And the Zyuohgers were forcibly shoehorned in again like every next-Sentai team, though not as bad as previous years.

Overall, Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger the Movie: Ninja in Wonderland is the best and most cohesive vs. movie in years. It was able to take the best parts of both seasons to put together a great story, using each characters’ strengths and quirks to full advantage. It definitely made me miss both teams, but of course ToQger more. While the Ninningers still have two more movies to go, this is the last time we’ll see the ToQgers in a full and official capacity. (Unless in 10 years, we get the kid actors and main cast all in one hilarious, fun, crazy and emotional reunion special.) And it was a nice way to say goodbye… that is, “Until next time…” to these wonderful train children.

TYPE OF REVIEW : GOOD OL’ REVIEW
Minor and HUGE spoilers ahead, but with fair warning before they begin in review.

Sentai V-Cinema Returns movies are always nice little epilogues for each season. Some can add a lot to the previous season’s story while others are just fun little visits with old friends.

Come Back! Shuriken Sentai Ninninger: Ninnin Girls vs. Boys FINAL WARS, however, is a messy though strangely well-intentioned extra chapter to the series. And I’m saying this as someone who actually liked and enjoyed Ninninger the series and did not think it was the Japanese Super Megaforce.

*minor spoilers ahead*

The movie focuses on the Ninningers reuniting after two years to find remnants of the Kibaoni Army still wreaking havoc. Not only that, but Kasumi and Fuuka have become ninja idol stars thanks to the management of none other than Mommy Igasaki!

That’s right. Igasaki Sakurako, Takaharu and Fuuka’s mother and Tsumuji’s wife, returns to the dojomanse. Being a HUGE ninja “freak” and fanatic, she’s made ninja stars all over the world. And now she’s done the same with her daughter and niece.

Obsessed with keeping her girls at the top of the ninja idol game and maintain their popularity, she sets up a globally streamed face-off between them and the boys. And to make the teams equal, the girls are joined by Tsumuji and a newly scouted member, Luna Kokonoe who becomes NinninGreen. That’s much to the surprise of everyone, including the girls, since they know Grandpa meant for Kyuuemon to be MidoNinger.

But a revived Ariake no Kata uses this game to lure the Ninningers into a trap resulting in Mommy Sakurako delivering the immense amount of fear Ariake no Kata needs to revive her disgusting son Mangestsu.

And we all know how the movie ends, of course. Ninningers win, happy ending for the cousins.

*MAJOR spoilers ahead*

Certainly an interesting premise for a movie and an epilogue. But I came out of this movie feeling weirded out and disappointed and slightly confused.

I usually look for something to connect to when I watch my toku. Especially when it’s post-show things like a V-Cinema, I want to feel like I’m jumping back into something I’ve missed for a couple of months or a year.

But with this movie, I felt like I was jumping into something completely brand new. I recognize most of these characters, but I certainly didn’t feel a connection for most of the movie.

I think the biggest reason this movie doesn’t work for me is that the central premise focuses on Takaharu and Fuuka’s mother who (after a quick check) was barely, if at all, mentioned in-series. The only thing I could find from my recaps was one scene early on where Tsumuji compares Fuuka’s being strict with Takaharu and Kinji as reminding him of his wife.

We never really knew if she was dead or alive. Did they separate or something? None of that. And it never really mattered. But in this movie, she was the main catalyst for all the trouble. Not to mention she was a controlling $*%@# most of the movie.

I felt nothing about her reunion with the family or the children. Her leaving Tsumuji because he lost his money Nintality and then reuniting with him when he got it back is so sleazy.

And since I didn’t care or connect with Mommy Igasaki, that meant I didn’t care for most of what was happening in the movie.

That’s a shame since other parts of the movie were great.

Kyuuemon coming back and becoming MidoNinger should’ve absolutely been the main focus of the movie. They could’ve done a great dramatic and emotional epilogue by having the Ninningers surprised and happy to see Kyuuemon return, even if only temporary. Kyuuemon pretending to be Luna and his hinting to Kinji about their connection are the kinds of things I want to see. That’s the kind of stuff that connects me and pulls me into the story.

Especially since the series ended on the idea that Kyuuemon was always looking for a family and that Grandpa was willing to give him that family, this movie should’ve been all about that.

One of the few positives of how the story actually developed in the movie is getting Megumi Han on-screen. Her playing Luna and Kyuuemon-possessing-Luna as well as a cameo by Ariake no Kata’s voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi were two of the best parts.

But everything else in the movie just missed the mark.

The other big subplot was Fuuka building up her confidence and skill and Takaharu acknowledging his little sister’s progress. That too should’ve been a much bigger plot in the movie and done in a way that didn’t need their mother suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

But in turn, that left Kasumi, Yakumo, Nagi and even Kinji with nothing to do. Nagi was just his usual happy-go-lucky maknae/youngest self. And Yakumo and Kasumi’s roles in the movie were basically to further some fantasy incestuous ship between the two.

Speaking of… Bringing back Ariake no Kata was great, but then they had to bring back her disgusting asshole of a son too. Mangetsu was just too disgusting and almost over-the-top in his being complete scum. I’ve never seen a more unredeemable villain in all my toku-watching ever. Bringing back this disgusting misogynist meant dragging Ariake no Kata into the mud by making her a battered mother again. And to top it all off, a battered mother who apparently was in love with her son. WTF.

Me describing the disappointment to the fun highs and concluding with the twisted destruction of Ariake no Kata’s character is a great illustration of the messy clusterfrak and the tonal whiplash this movie had.

For someone like me who actually liked and enjoyed Ninninger the series, it pains me when I actually felt relieved at the goodbye scene in this movie. Relieved that it was over instead of sad and emotional that the cousins and our friends that we’ve come to know for almost 50 episodes are going their separate ways again.

The series wasn’t perfect, but Come Back! Shuriken Sentai Ninninger: Ninnin Girls vs. Boys FINAL WARS majorly dropped the ball. And maybe because I enjoyed the series, I am so harsh with this movie when others actually loved it. Crazy times. But this was definitely a crazy, messy movie that wasted a lot of potential.

The Gokaigers (minus Luka) are being absolutely wrecked by a mysterious purple knight. Marvy-chan confronts the knight and he is shocked when the knight uses Luka’s attack.

The knight delivers a finisher that forces Marvelous to demorph. He introduces himself as Gaisorg who travels the galaxy searching for “the strongest.”

Gaisorg walks away.

Just then, a mysterious gold ticket appears in front of Marvelous.

Meanwhile back in Tokyo, Keiichiro also gets a gold ticket. A young woman pops out of the ticket to say he has been chosen to participate in the Super Sentai Strongest Battle. If he wins, he can have any wish granted.

Keiichiro says he only has one wish. He is suddenly transported, along with all the other Sentai participants, to some kind of large hall in a strange planet. Also spotted are Yamato, Takaharu, Kagura, Stringer and Marvelous.

Keiichiro acknowledges all these sempais who have fought before him. Yamato immediately notices the newbie.

The woman from the invite, Rita, welcomes them all to Planet Nemesis. She says she is the protector of the Moebius Connect which can create a miracle every 500 years when the universe aligns. So whoever wins this battle will have their wish granted.

She first splits everyone up into 32 teams of five. Yamato is the last one to get beamed away and he smiles at Keiichiro thinking they will get along very nicely.

Yamato finds himself in a team with Kagura, Takaharu, Stinger and Marvelous.

Yamato says they should introduce themselves. Takaharu goes first and says his wish is to become the nuLast Ninja. Kagura says her wish is for her family to be happy. Yamato says he wants to keep a certain (secret) promise.

Stinger has his back to everyone else. Kagura notices his tail and she excitedly grabs it. He spins around and tells her not to touch it. Yamato asks if he’s a Zyuman.

Stinger introduces himself and Kagura is amazed that he’s an alien. Yamato asks to touch his tail.

Takaharu turns to Marvelous Oniisan. But Marvy tells them not to talk to him. Yamato introduces him to the others instead since they’ve already met before. Kagura thinks he’s scary.

Rita appears and announces the tournament will begin. The members of the team that wins five matches will have their wish granted. In the first bracket, it’s the Oddball Team (Yamato-tachi) versus the Serious Team. And battling first will be Yamato and Keiichiro.

Yamato can’t believe he’s an Oddball, but it’s alright. He heads to the battlefield.

Keiichiro bows and says while reluctant to fight his sempai, he will do his best. Yamato tells him it’s alright. They’re not trying to kill each other, after all.

Rita appears to explain the rules. Moebius Connect causes the planet’s energy to crystalize into gems. The first person to grab the gem in each face-off wins. When they grab the gem, it is transferred into the Nemesis Pulse. And when the gems fuse into a giant crystal, it can grant a wish.

Rita declares the first round has begun. Yamato and Keiichiro morph and they battle.

Other battles in this first bracket continue in the other three locations, the Quarry, a Rooftop and an Underground Carpark. Team Oddball are watching the action from their HQ.

Back at the Waste Warehouse, Yamato is impressed by Keiichiro. Keiichiro says he has a wish greater than anyone else’s: World Peace.

Yamato demorphs and invites Keiichiro to come and sit. Keiichiro says World Peace is what everyone on the Serious Team wishes. Yamato says all of them wish that, but they just don’t say it. World peace isn’t something one person can give. Its something everyone in the world must work together to achieve.

Keiichiro understands. Takaharu and Kagura think this exchange is very refreshing.

Keiichiro asks Yamato what his wish is. We don’t hear it though and Keiichiro allows Yamato to grab the stone. Keiichiro says Yamato’s wish deserves to be granted. They will all continue to fight for world peace in the future.

As the next section of the bracket commences, Yamato returns to HQ. Kagura and Takaharu congratulate him on being a nice guy. But Takaharu says they’ve got to keep going. He turns to Stinger and he agrees.

Marvy-chan plops down on the couch as Kagura asks Yamato about his wish. Takaharu says they couldn’t hear Yamato and Keiichiro earlier. Yamato wants to keep it a secret for now since he feels embarrassed about telling everyone.

Rita excitedly watches the next battles wrap up. But suddenly, Gaisorg appears on the Rooftop battlefield.

Rita does not recognize Gaisorg as being from Super Sentai.

Gaisorg is disappointed when he easily defeats BoukenYellow, Green Sai and GaoBlack. He wants a stronger opponent.

When the others see Marvelous recognizes Gaisorg, he initially tells them to mind their own business. But he eventually tells them about how Gaisorg has been attacking Sentai teams to find the strongest person in the galaxy.

Kagura says this is no time to be playing around in the tournament then.

Rita pops in to confirm Marvelous’ information and she promises to take care of the situation. She pops out again to start Round 2. Kagura says it’s like magic how she can pop in and out like that.

Stinger wonders about magic.

For this second round it’s Stinger and Takaharu against BoukenSilver Eiji Takaoka and Go-On Red Sosuke Esumi. Before they leave, Marvelous warns them to stay out of it if Gaisorg appears again.

The battle begins. Sosuke tries summoning Speedor, but he gets no response. Stinger engages Eiji and asks him if he’s noticed anything strange while on the planet. Eiji says there seems to be a powerful jamming signal blocking access outside the planet, though they’re all still able to morph.

When Stinger blocks Eiji’s attack, he sees it bounce off an invisible barrier in the sky. He remembers Kagura mentioning “magic” earlier.

Eiji and Sosuke have Stinger and Takaharu on their backs so they approach the stone. But they bump into each other and force themselves to demorph. While enjoying some celery and tomatoes, Takaharu is able to swoop in and grab the stone.

Eiji and Sosuke wish them well before getting zapped back.

But just then, Gaisorg appears and sends Takaharu and Stinger flying! Marvelous quickly runs out.

Elsewhere, we get a Ryusoulger tease.

Episode Thoughts

Yes!!! I’ve been looking forward to this since it was first announced! Definitely the most excited I’ve been for anything Sentai or Power Rangers-related since Kyuranger, to be completely honest.

I actually very much like this All-Star “Oddball” Team. It’s a great mix of personalities and would be fun to watch for more than just four episodes.

Though I must say, Yamato mentioning he had met Marvelous already reminded me that I actually haven’t watched Chou Super Hero Taisen yet! I will be getting right to that later today. Hehe

Anyway… looks like we have another “Have your wish granted” plot eh? Considering we just did that with LuPat, it does feel kind of tired. But it’s a good reason to have the Sentai teams fighting each other. Like, a charity match or something. They’re more willing to fight each other for the wish, even if it’s just light and not serious or “real” in the sense that they hurt each other badly.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rita ends up the Big Bad and put this tournament together just to use the Sentai teams to get her a galaxy-dominating power. But the Gaisorg-aspect seems to add a different element to the plot.

I definitely liked Kagura’s wish. She just wants her family to be happy. That’s a wonderful wish and certainly something Kagura would think of. So cute. Though I wonder if she’s supposed to still be a kid or grown up already. It’s only been four years since ToQger.

I also liked Yamato’s explanation to Keiichiro about world peace being achieved by not just one person, but by everyone. Certainly a little preachy, but it worked.

Though if this is true: “World peace isn’t something one person can give. It’s something everyone in the world must work together to achieve.” … Then we’re all doomed! Lol

Anyway, I can’t imagine what Yamato’s wish might be. I assume Marvy-chan’s wish has something to do with Luka being missing. And Stinger seems to be all business, as expected of him as well. Takaharu wanting to be the new Last Ninja is kind of annoying though since it’s like a check off the box kind of thing by the writers who likely know nothing about Ninninger and just read his character description instead.

Elsewhere, watching this also reminded me of one of the biggest reasons I hate Saban Brands (though hopefully not Hasbro) recycling the MMPR theme song for every season since Samuari. It was awesome here getting to hear the actual, unique themes for each Sentai team as they battled in this episode. You won’t be able to get that for any of the Saban Brands Era seasons since they would all sound like MMPR. No unique musical identity for those Ranger seasons and that’s a shame.

Overall, this was a fun time and it’s great seeing old friends again. Hope things get even more exciting for the next episodes!

As Stinger and Takaharu battle Gaisorg, Marvelous arrives. But he gets knocked back by Gaisorg. Gaisorg attempts a finisher at Marvelous, but Takaharu blocks it and absorbs the attack instead, forcing him to demorph.

Marvelous is upset and says Takaharu got in the way. Stinger grabs Marvelous and tells him to cut it out.

Rita happily watches the stones getting gathered up. Gaisorg approaches her, having been summoned. She wants to know why he is here wreaking havoc without an invitation. But Gaisong actually does have one.

Kagura helps bandage Takaharu up. Yamato asks Marvey-chan if he’s going to just disregard Takaharu risking his life to save him. Marvelous doesn’t respond.

Yamato gets up and scolds Marvelous for being rude by ignoring it. Takaharu says it’s alright, but Yamato says it’s not at all and tells him to shut up.

Yamato says fate has brought them together as comrades with an understanding of a bond of trust between them all. Yamato flashes back to when he first met who seemed to be a very different Marvelous from the one he’s seeing now.

Marvelous says he’ll only work with them to obtain a treasure and use Super Sentai power if it benefits him. Yamato asks if treasure is the only thing that’s important to Marvelous. He says yes.

Takaharu gets up and tells everyone to watch him. He squeezes his arm to make it look like a butt, just to lighten the mood. Kagura says he’s gross.

Rita pops up on the screen to announce Gaisorg is now joining the tournament as a Wild Card and will pop up wherever he can make things interesting.

Stinger points out Gaisorg only wants to battle the strongest so he should have no interest in the wish granting gem. Yamato says now more than ever they must work together. But Marvelous could care less. He leaves.

Yamato wants to follow, but Takaharu says to leave Marvelous to him instead. Kagura says that’s even more worrisome so she follows with Takaharu’s clothes.

Stinger excuses himself to go check on something else. Yamato acknowledges they’re truly oddballs.

While everyone else is gone, Rita announces the start of the next round and this time it’s a 3-on-3 tag team battle. Yamato is chosen along with Stinger and Marvelous. Yamato asks Rita if he can fight alone against his three opponents.

Meanwhile in the corridors, Marvelous remembers Akarenger giving him his key. Kagura watches as Takaharu runs up to Kaizoku-san to try and get him to smile.

Takaharu says he will give up if this next thing won’t do it.

Takaharu does a Shuriken Ninpou Gyoza attack. That is, fold his ear over to look like a gyoza. That actually does make Marvelous smile. Kagura joins them and says the smile means Marvelous isn’t a bad guy after all. She asks what Marvy-chan’s treasure is.

Takaharu says his treasure is his family. He tells them about how he fights alongside his sister and cousins and them aiming to become the Last Ninja. Marvelous says he’s a dumbass. Takaharu says Marvelous is a leader, but he’s not acting like one.

Takaharu adds that he wants to see Marvelous get his treasure. He and Kagura are happy he’s loosened up.

On the battlefield, Yamato faces GaoRed, Kakaru along with GingaGreen and VulShark. Kagura, Takaharu and Marvelous return to their room and are shocked to see Yamato fighting alone.

Though Yamato struggles against his opponents, he refuses to give up his promise. Kakaru asks what his promise is.

Yamato explains that he met a boy with a terminal illness who enjoyed drawing pictures of animals. Yamato had promised to take him to the savanna to see them in person, but the little boy died before he could do so.

Yamato hopes to wish to be able to bring Takaaki’s soul back, even for just a short while and fulfill his promise to him.

Yamato gets fired up and is able to really take on his three opponents. He goes Gorilla and Whale and is able to grab the stone.

Kagura, Takaharu and Marvelous are happy to see Marvelous win this round. Takaharu says he’ll go and help Yamato back.

Kakaru says Yamato is passionate which is fitting for a Red. No one will follow a leader who isn’t passionate, even though some only appear to be indifferent. That makes Yamato think about Marvelous.

Kakaru says the trust they build as a team is what unites all Super Sentai teams. And all a Red needs to do is to trust their teammates and never give up.

Takaharu hurries through the corridors, but suddenly runs into Gaisorg.

Yamato arrives back at their room, but without Takaharu. Marvelous gets up to go find him, but Yamato grabs his shoulder. Kagura tells Yamato that Marvelous isn’t a bad guy.

But Yamato actually just wants to apologize for not trusting Marvelous earlier, especially after they had already met before. Yamato bows twice, but he is still weak. Marvelous seems touched by them all.

Rita pops in and decides to deploy Gaisorg to Battlefield 4 as the battle has been going on for quite a while. Marvelous hurries over and leaves Yamato to Kagura.

Rita seems to address a group of people as she expresses how excited she is the wish will be granted sooner.

Stinger, meanwhile, unsuccessfully tries contacting Tsurugi. He searches through the corridors and finds a strange vine-like contraption with technology that shouldn’t exist on this planet. He then enters a library where it appears Rita has been researching all Super Sentai teams.

Gaisorg is able to easily handle Red Mask, RyuuRanger, NinjaWhite and OhRed. Gaisorg knocks RyuuRanger back and he is able to touch the stone, allowing it to get transported.

Marvelous arrives and he morphs. He Gokai Changes to DekaRed and then HurricaneRed. Marvelous is surprised when Gaisorg’s ninja stance reminds him of Takaharu from earlier.

Marvelous is able to counter it, forcing Gaisorg to drop his shield. That allows Marvelous to deliver a Final Wave. That knocks Gaisorg’s helmet off to reveal…

…Takaharu?!

Another Ryusoulger tease.

Episode Thoughts

So this was actually a very emotional episode because of Yamato’s wish. And it was not only because it was a very sad situation for Yamato and the little boy.

But because it seemed to be speaking about Super Sentai in general. Kakaru asked Yamato why he insists on continuing even in his condition (when Yamato was already all beat up). Sentai is certainly not in the healthiest condition lately. And there’s talk that Ryusoulger is Do or Die for the franchise.

But Yamato explains that he’s made a promise to a little boy. And Yamato’s wish is almost like the show wanting to keep fighting for all the kids and kids at heart who enjoy watching Super Sentai.

Now, of course we know Sentai (and Kamen Rider and Power Rangers) are big toy commercials. But at the same time, these shows are fun, entertainment, an escape and even more for many people around the world. It means a lot to many people. So I definitely hope Sentai will continue for years to come.

Back to this episode, I still haven’t learned my lesson about doing what I can to avoid spoilers. Especially for a season/show I’m invested in. So a couple of days ago, I stumbled upon a screencap of Takaharu in Gaisorg’s suit! It was my fault, but I was still so upset. Lol

Anyway, I did mention how odd Takaharu seemed last week. But there’s definitely something else going on there. So we’ll see what the big explanation is next episode for Takaharu being in Gaisorg’s suit. Also looking forward to see Kagura finally get in on the action as well.

Stinger seems to be on the trail of what’s really going on with this tournament and Rita’s true intentions.

And back to Yamato, I think him wanting to keep his promise to the little boy in the hospital (where his father works of course!) is very much in his character. And Yamato telling the story was really a MaGMCM for me. The first one from Sentai for me since Kyuranger!

Overall, a great, exciting episode!

Marvelous is shocked to see Takaharu under the helmet. Takasorg shoots at Marvelous, forcing him to demorph. He puts his helmet back on and walks away.

Meanwhile, Doggie Kruger runs into Stinger and they compare notes. Turns out both are here undercover. SPD had detected a mysterious and artificially created magnetic field around Planet Nemesis. Commander Stinger says they’ve also detected it in another galaxy.

Yamato and Kagura are wondering where Takaharu and Marvelous could be now. They think about what Marvelous’ treasure could be. But Rita pops in to announce the start of the semi-finals. And up first is the B Block semis between the Martial Arts Team represented by RyuuRanger and TimeRed and the Monstrous Strength Team represented by GaoBlack and GingaBlue.

Stinger brings Doggie Kruger to the contraption he found earlier and Doggie sees a magic circle around it. Stinger realizes this must be what is preventing them from making off-world contact. He shows Doggie Kruger the book he found, but it’s all written in ancient glyphs from another planet. Doggie Kruger scans the writing to get it translated.

Just then, foot soldiers from many different Sentai seasons appear and attack them. Stinger tells Doggie Kruger to go find Yamato-tachi to tell them about they’ve found while he stays to take care of this.

Takasorg walks along in the underbelly of the facility with a very Luka-like looking woman is chained up nearby.

Back at the semis, the Martial Arts Team has grabbed the stone and they tell their opponents to leave Gaisorg to them. GaoBlack and GingaBlue are sent away. But suddenly, RyuuRanger and TimeRed are also suddenly zapped away by Rita.

Rita is happy to see everything has gone according to plan and tells her staff that she is excited to see everyone’s reaction to the wish being granted.

Stinger finishes off the foot soldiers when Gaisorg suddenly appears. They battle.

Doggie Kruger finds Marvelous and helps him get up. They remember the first time they met during Gokaiger. Doggie Kruger gets Marvelous back to the Oddball room and they tell Yamato and Kagura about Takaharu.

Yamato says they shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Takaharu. Marvelous says he’s noticed Gaisorg has seemed like a different person every time he’s faced him. Yamato suggests someone is putting the armor on different people and controlling them. Kagura worries about the person who was last being used in Gaisorg.

Doggie Kruger is sure someone is trying to use the wishing power of Planet Nemesis for evil purposes. He tells them about what he and Stinger found.

Doggie Kruger says they must take care of Gaisorg. Yamato adds that they will be able to save Takaharu as well. They all put their hands in, even Marvelous.

Rita pops in again to announce the start of the last semi-final. And this time, it’s Kagura vs Doggie Kruger! But this is a perfect situation for them.

Doggie Kruger and Kagura head to the battlefield. They morph.

Watching from their waiting room, Yamato and Marvelous talk about all of this. Will the winners end up disappointed when they have to make their wishes? Marvelous says it doesn’t look good, but he promises to be right there with Yamato unleashing his anger when that happens.

Doggie Kruger and Kagura continue to battle as she remembers the plan. He will lose to her on purpose. And an overpowering performance like that will certainly attract Gaisorg. Kagura says she should lose then, but Doggie Kruger says she can’t. He is only here on undercover work, but Kagura has her own wish that she wants granted. Doggie says he can’t let her throw away her dream so Kagura should give him all she’s got. He certainly won’t go easy on her, regardless.

Those words rev Kagura up and she now has the power to really take it to Doggie Kruger. He says he is surprised at how strong she actually is and asks for what wish is she pulling this strength out from.

Kagura explains it’s for her family. She wants to create a menu at her family’s restaurant that will allow people with no families a chance to find a new family. And her wish is to have the time and the means to do that. As long as she has the means, she’ll figure out the rest. Even for families that are separated, she wants food that they can all enjoy together.

Kagura is able to push Doggie Kruger away and use her imagination power to believe she is the STRONGEST GIRL. Her Lightning Blade Bamboo Splitter attack is able to send Doggie Kruger back and force him to demorph.

Kagura demorphs and hurries over to check on Doggie-san. He tells her she absolutely handed his a—over to him.

Doggie Kruger hands Kagura cuffs and his License and tells her to give them to Stinger to help figure out what is happening. He will leave the rest to them. Kagura understands and she turns to grab the stone.

Rita declares Kagura the winner of this battle and the Oddballs advance to the finals.

Doggie Kruger is transported away. Kagura promises to do her best in the finals.

With the finals set, Rita’s demeanor suddenly seems to change from bright and cute to something much darker. She pulls her necklace off and tosses it. She looks up and decides they must have enough gathered.

Kagura turns to head back to their waiting room. But Gaisorg finally appears. Kagura quickly morphs as Gaisorg attacks, wanting her to show him her power. He sends her flying and she is forced to demorph.

Yamato and Marvelous arrive. Marvelous tells Takaharu not to take this personally as he and Yamato take him on.

Marvelous uses several Gokai Changes and Yamato goes Whale and they give all they’ve got against Gaisorg as well.

Gaisorg explodes and his helmet goes flying. They are all shocked to find emerging from the flames is…

Stinger!

Rita looks up at the collection orb and expresses how she’d be so happy for justice to disappear from the galaxy.

Stinger explains what’s happened to Kagura, Yamato and Marvelous. The Gaisorg suit is a sentient armor. It goes around looking for the strongest and then possesses them, one after the other. Stinger says while possessed, he saw some of Gaisorg’s memories including seeing Takaharu and a yellow pirate.

It was Luka’s invitation that Gaisorg used to get here.

Marvelous asks if Luka is safe and where she is. Stinger doesn’t know.

Kagura gives Stinger the License and cuffs from Doggie Kruger. Stinger reads the deciphered glyphs and it explains a spell to summon Ultimate Dai Satan, a demon who can destroy the galaxy instantly. Rita must want to revive him.

Marvelous says they should go. But Yamato says they should get his treasure back first, that is, Marvelous’ friends.

But how? Marvelous walks over and grabs the Gaisorg helmet. He tells them he’ll catch up. And warns they better still be alive when he arrives.

Marvelous puts on the helmet and Gaisorg takes over his body.

*insert more Ryusoulger stuff*

Episode Thoughts

Well, they finally gone and did it. Super Sentai Saikyo Battle made me cry.

If you’ve followed my Sentai ramblings over the years, you will know ToQger is tied as my favorite Sentai season of all time. (Maybe even #1 outright some days and even including Power Rangers. hehe) So of course hearing the ToQger theme song playing during the episode was already going to get me emotional and nostalgic. But what made it even more amazing was just how they handled giving Kagura the spotlight.

I was looking forward to Kagura finally getting a chance to battle in the tournament. But when the big twist arrived and seeing that she’d have to go against Doggie Kruger, I already feared they were going to go through this “Doggie lets Kagura beat him” route. That it would eventually end up showing Kagura is weak or just a kid or a “girl” and wouldn’t have ever won in a “real” battle anyway.

But I was thankfully proven wrong. Instead, the show really made a point to show Kagura could absolutely go toe-to-toe with Doggie Kruger. He didn’t need to let up or just lay down and let Kagura defeat him with minimal effort. They actually went at it. And he commented that he too was surprised that she was so strong. He may admit that he underestimated her, but he acknowledged that he shouldn’t have in the first place. Especially knowing what Kagura was fighting for and how powerful that goal can truly be.

Kagura is obviously more than sincere in her wish. And as she was explaining to Doggie-san why she wanted it, anyone who watched ToQger would know that that is very much in line with her character and one of the major themes of the season as a whole.

And of course we know of Kagura’s imagination power, especially when she imagines and materializes that she is strong. So she absolutely fits perfectly with this Strongest Battle tournament.

All of this combined just got me bawling. MaGMCM? Absolutely! And I loved it.

This was really an amazing episode. Certainly the best so far as all the pieces have fallen into place.

The Gaisorg twist makes perfect sense. Controlling the bodies of those it deems most powerful. Who or what Gaisorg is and where it came from should be one of the big reveals in the finale.

Meanwhile, we see Rita switch from being the kawaii host we’ve seen so far to the real, more sinister Rita with an evil plan. Nana Asakawa has really done a great job. Like, from the beginning, you know she wasn’t just some peppy host. But still, her bright personality lulled you into a sense of security. And her sudden 180 turn this episode really had a lot of impact. And that’s very much thanks to her performance as well. Should be exciting to see her full-on Big Bad in the next episode.

This has really been such a great miniseries so far and it really has enough material to go on for even one or two more months really. These first three episodes have been packed with stuff and many ideas. But we just have one episode left.

Overall, a really amazing episode that I absolutely loved.

Marvelous tells Yamato, Kagura and Stinger he’s fine in Gaisorg’s helmet and he will use it to find Luka. He takes off, but Yamato tells Kagura to follow and make sure he’s alright.

Marvelous finds where Luka and Takaharu are chained up and he frees them. But Marvelous can’t control Gaisorg taking over. Luka acts fast and shoots at the helmet, knocking it off and releasing Marvelous.

Kagura and Takaharu rush over to Marvelous, but Luka just kicks him in the stomach and he regains consciousness. She scolds him for acting foolish, but he says he knew it’d be okay since she was here.

Luka calls him an idiot. Takaharu and Kagura just watch amused and in disbelief at their dynamic.

Meanwhile, Stinger asks Yamato to hold up a minute. He apologizes for acting on his own. But Yamato says without Stinger, they wouldn’t have found out about Ultimate Dai Satan in the first place. Stinger appreciates the kind words. They hurry over to Rita.

Luka explains the Gaisorg armor was created from the emotions of an aggressive tribe that tried to conquer the galaxy and has wandered tens of thousands of years searching for the strongest hosts.

Just then, Rita gleefully calls to the now activated gem to grant her wish. Yamato and Stinger arrive and try to stop her, but she proceeds with her wish. The large gemstone glows.

Stinger asks what happened to the former guardian of the stone and Rita basically says she killed them. Because she couldn’t collect the stones herself, she used Super Sentai to do it for her.

Rita does not care if she too is killed by Dai Satan. She’d rather the entire universe disappears.

Stinger calls Marvelous to allow them to listen in to Rita’s explanation.

Rita says there was no justice on her planet. Everyone served evil. She heard stories of heroes from across the galaxy, but no one ever came to save them on their poor planet. Instead, people pretending to be heroes victimized even children. That’s how she lost faith in everything.

Rita says even if she lives, she would have nothing to believe in. So she might as well destroy the universe and die right along with it.

Stinger says she should believe in herself then. He says if she can hate the universe for having no justice, then she can’t possibly be evil. Even when people around her served evil, she didn’t, because somewhere deep down she wanted to fight for justice.

Rita tells Stinger to stop talking to her like he knows anything about her. Stinger tells her about his brother who hated evil, but fell to it when seeking power to fight it. He lost his sense of righteousness in pursuit of power and there was no turning back.

“That’s why… That’s why I don’t want you to die!”

Rita refuses to be fooled by Stinger’s words. She sends both Stinger and Yamato flying as they immediately morph.

Rita heads to the quarry. She tosses her staff into the ground, the gemstone activates and crashes, causing the ground to open up. Dai Satan emerges.

Rita calls out for Dai Satan to begin ending the universe and huge explosions engulf Stinger and Yamato. They try leaping up to attacking Dai Satan head on, but they just get swatted back down to the ground, forcing them to demorph.

Rita summons classic foot soldiers to take on Stinger and Yamato.

Marvelous, Kagura and Takaharu arrive and quickly join in to take on and finish off the grunts.

The Oddball Team are on the battlefield for the first time together. Marvelous tells Yamato to take the lead.

The Oddballs morph and deliver an explosive roll call.

Rita is not impressed. She is confident Dai Satan can handle the five of them.

The Oddballs all power up and fly straight at Dai Satan before running through and jumping up in the middle of explosions. They then fire at Dai Satan as Marvelous calls Luka to check on her progress.

Luka gets to the mechanism blocking the off-planet frequency. A dozen grunts appears and she easily fights them off. She morphs and shoots at the contraption.

The Oddballs all use their finishers at Dai Satan, but the attacks get swatted right back at them. Dai Satan stomps the ground and the surge of fire forces the Oddballs to downmorph to their base forms.

The Oddballs refuse to give up. They remember all their Super Sentai comrades entrusting the fate of the universe to them and they use that trust and belief in them to give them power they need.

Just then, Akarenger appears to Marvelous and gives him a key with the power of all Super Sentai heroes ever.

The jamming contraption has knocked Luka around and forced her to demorph. But she is now able to shoot at the contraption, shattering it and deactivating the signal jamming seal around the planet.

Marvelous summons GokaiGalleon and has it ram into Dai Satan, pinning him to the rockface.

The Oddballs get in formation for a Super Sentai Special Storm.

They each kick and whack the super ball to each other before Marvelous uses a Final Wave to send it flying to Dai Satan and finish him off for good.

The Oddballs are forced to demorph.

Rita is incensed and she summons the Gaisorg armor for herself which she is able to control on her own.

Rita delivers an Ancient Break Edge at the Oddballs, but two Ryusoulgers appear and take her on.

Rita takes Kagura hostage, but the Ryusoulgers use their Ryusouls to grab Kagura before slicing the Gaisorg armor off of Rita.

The Ryusoulgers leave. The Oddballs think they’re pretty strong.

Kagura gives everyone a high five, but Marvelous isn’t in the mood.

Stinger walks over to Rita and puts the handcuffs on her. He tells her he wants to see her smile someday. So she must atone for her crimes first. She nods.

Yamato asks Marvelous if it’s okay for him to forget his “treasure”. He says it should be okay. Luka is annoyed she has to wait this long to get picked up.

The Oddballs prepare to say goodbye to each other.

Kagura says she is glad to have met them all. She may not have gotten her wish granted, but she feels like she has worked hard. Takaharu says she definitely did.

Yamato adds that while some dreams may be impossible, they can lead to new dreams as well.

Takaharu finds a gem fragment in his pocket and gives it to Yamato for his wish.

Kagura hopes they can meet again someday. Yamato is sure of it. As long as Super Sentai continues.

Someone picks up Gaisorg’s helmet. And one last Ryusoulger teaser.

Episode Thoughts

No!!! I want more!!!

This has really been a great little miniseries. Ryusoulger looks interesting, but I definitely wish we got more of the Oddballs. They really crammed in a lot into these four weeks and there was a lot of material to really stretch this out even a month or two more.

Still, I definitely enjoyed the four episodes we got. This was a solid finale though things got a little haphazard in the last third of the ep, especially with the requisite pop in for the next season team that we usually get in the VS movie.

Rita’s motivation as she explained it was pretty good and definitely the stuff fit for a full season worth of story. Unraveling that side of a villain or Big Bad would’ve been a great story. But it was definitely sad and relatable to hear her story as she described it. Obviously, you don’t have to go the lengths she did. But for anyone who was traumatized like her, most likely, you can see how she could be driven to madness like she was.

Stinger’s words to her definitely fit with his character. And we’ve seen him have compassion and understanding for people who may have been driven to the dark side. First his brother, as they reminded here. And then of course there’s the problematic Episode of Stinger movie. So him wanting to lift Rita up, but not disregarding her sins is again very much in character for him.

And that’s been the case the whole series. Each of the five Oddballs, plus Luka, really got their time to shine on their own. And except for the first episode or two with Takaharu, each character was as we know of them. The series pulled from their history and backstories to really tie everything together. And that was a really great tribute to the series as a whole, as well as the respective seasons of course.

Always great to sneak in some singing Yousuke Kishi of course, even if only in the background. And I was getting very romantic vibes between Marvelous and Luka. It was definitely more than the simple banter we saw during Gokaiger and all their other visits after. Hehe

The episode was also one of the best Koichi Sakamoto explosion extravaganzas ever! Completely insane, but definitely lots of fun and enjoyable.

I really could’ve done without the Ryusoulgers popping in to take on Rita. I would’ve preferred the Oddballs be the ones to face off against Rita as well after Dai Satan. I get the need to promote the next season, like I do with the movie cameos. But I still prefer not having those cameos instead.

Anyway, while I’m looking forward to Ryusoulger, I’m definitely going to miss the Oddballs and wish we got more than just four episodes. But they were four amazingly fun and enjoyable and emotional episodes. And that’s definitely great.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. After the conclusion of Kamen Rider Saber back in August, I decided to rank the seasons I’d watched so far. (Partly because of how negative I felt about Saber, I wanted to very clearly place it at the bottom of any list lol)

And so with Zenkaiger having wrapped up its run and Donbrothers coming up, I decided to do the same with Sentai. I actually did a ranking of Sentai (and Power Rangers) seasons back in 2014. So it’s about time I updated that list and do a complete one this time. So here goes!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

4. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Toei! Give me that crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

4. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 13 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

9. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #9 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great.

9. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

11. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place.) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

12. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him.

13. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive.

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what a full series could have been like. Fwhat it was Dino Force Brave was great fun. It was more than just an extra toy commercial for the Korean market. It was a well-done story in a unique format. Lots of creativity, especially with the mecha battles. It was refreshing and very enjoyable.

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 13 Seasons of “Super Sentai” I’ve Watched So Far appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. A few years ago, I started to rank the seasons of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I have watched so far. Last year was actually the first time I had a complete Sentai list.

So with Donbrothers having wrapped up its run and KingOhger coming up, it’s time to update that list. So here we go!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

4. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers

Recency bias will put Donbrothers high on this list. But I do keep it in line with the rest of my #4s. That is, they all have really strong aspects that aren’t hurt too much by whatever missteps or shortcomings they might respectively have.

Donbrothers is simply a fun season. The goodwill they were able to foster early on help to set the tone for the rest of the season. An overall lighthearted approach to the usual Sentai format allowed for endearing characters and a charming cast to really just have fun. And that in turn allowed the audience to have fun as well. Soaking in the random, amusing and wacky shenanigans week after week while being treated to some legitimately emotional and sweet moments; Donbrothers really had a lot to like and enjoy.

Though the season might have been lighter on the explosive action, the season still had just enough toku magic to support the more character-focused narrative.

It’s slice of life style is something I accepted early on. And ultimately, I think that is what allowed me to fully enjoy this fun season.

4. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Toei! Give me that crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

4. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 13 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

10. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #9 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great.

11. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

12. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place.) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

13. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him.

14. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive.

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 14 Super Sentai Seasons I’ve Watched So Far! (2023 Update) appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. A few years ago, I started to rank the seasons of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I have watched so far. And wow! I’ve now watched 15 seasons of Sentai. And it’s been almost 15 years since I watched my first one in Shinkenger!

So with King-Ohger having wrapped up its run and Boonboomger coming up, it’s time to update that list. So here we go!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

4. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers

Recency bias will put Donbrothers high on this list. But I do keep it in line with the rest of my #4s. That is, they all have really strong aspects that aren’t hurt too much by whatever missteps or shortcomings they might respectively have.

Donbrothers is simply a fun season. The goodwill they were able to foster early on help to set the tone for the rest of the season. An overall lighthearted approach to the usual Sentai format allowed for endearing characters and a charming cast to really just have fun. And that in turn allowed the audience to have fun as well. Soaking in the random, amusing and wacky shenanigans week after week while being treated to some legitimately emotional and sweet moments; Donbrothers really had a lot to like and enjoy.

Though the season might have been lighter on the explosive action, the season still had just enough toku magic to support the more character-focused narrative.

Its slice of life style is something I accepted early on. And ultimately, I think that is what allowed me to fully enjoy this fun season.

4. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Toei! Give me that crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

4. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 13 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

10. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #10 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great.

10. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

Tied for #10 might seem very low for King-Ohger to many people. But I have really enjoyed most of the Sentai seasons I’ve watched so far. (Except for one or two as you see below.) Like I mentioned in my Season Wrap-up, this season did a lot of things very well. The few nitpicks I might have of the season did not keep me from enjoying and being entertained by the season overall. The season offered refreshing new approaches to familiar themes. It was of course visually different from any Sentai season we’ve seen yet.

But for me, it still misses that certain something that really would make me love the season more than I do. It’s tough when aside from my Top 3, I have six other seasons that I love and enjoyed equally. For different reasons of course, but it’s hard for me to put one over the other. Heck even Nininnger is *thisclose* from tying them as well. Which would then mean King-Ohger joins the seasons all bunched up in the middle.

Again, having King-Ohger this low doesn’t mean it’s bad or I dislike it. It’s just I have other seasons for which I have stronger feelings for.

12. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

13. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place.) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

14. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him.

15. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive.

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 15 Super Sentai Seasons I’ve Watched So Far! (2024 Update) appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. A few years ago, I started to rank the seasons of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I have watched so far. And wow! I’ve now watched 16 seasons of Sentai. And it’s been almost 16 years since I watched my first one in Shinkenger!

One thing when it comes to Sentai for me is that I actually have enjoyed most of the seasons. Which is why several seasons are bunched up in the middle of my list. Seasons that I liked and enjoyed a lot, but not enough to be my absolute favorites. And certainly no anywhere near as regretful as those on the bottom of my list.

So with Boonboomger having wrapped up its run and Gozyuger coming up, it’s time to update that list. So here we go!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh at the time and it has now since become the norm.

It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger

Perhaps it’s partly because the season was a return to a more traditional execution of a Sentai season after three years of creatively different approaches. But the most basic things I look for in a Sentai season, Boonboomger delivered and then some. Endearing characters, a talented cast, engaging plots, relatable and sincere stories, and creative action sequences accompanied one of the most well-paced stories I’ve seen on any toku series.

Deep character-driven narratives will be something I will always be drawn to. And with this season’s solid focus on each character, heroes and villains alike, it was able to convey its core message of taking control of your handle/wheel and being able to confidently drive toward your future. While of course welcoming others on the ride along the way.

When a season can leave a smile on my face (or welcome tears in my eyes) week after week for an entire year, it’s easily secured a spot near the top of my list.

5. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

5. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers

Recency bias has Donbrothers high on this list. But I do keep it in line with the rest of my #5s. That is, they all have really strong aspects that aren’t hurt too much by whatever missteps or shortcomings they might respectively have.

Donbrothers is simply a fun season. The goodwill they were able to foster early on help to set the tone for the rest of the season. An overall lighthearted approach to the usual Sentai format allowed for endearing characters and a charming cast to really just have fun. And that in turn allowed the audience to have fun as well. Soaking in the random, amusing and wacky shenanigans week after week while being treated to some legitimately emotional and sweet moments; Donbrothers really had a lot to like and enjoy.

Though the season might have been lighter on the explosive action, the season still had just enough toku magic to support the more character-focused narrative.

Its slice of life style is something I accepted early on. And ultimately, I think that is what allowed me to fully enjoy this fun season.

5. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Mr. Toei! I’m still waiting for that colorful crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

5. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. And for this 2025 update, I’ve nudge it up my list, even as it still ties with its fellow #5s.

One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 16 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

5. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

5. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

11. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #11 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great. And the finale was able to bring all of it together in a very satisfying way.

11. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

Tied for #11 might seem very low for King-Ohger to many people. But I have really enjoyed most of the Sentai seasons I’ve watched so far. (Except for one or two as you see below.) Like I mentioned in my Season Wrap-up, this season did a lot of things very well. The few nitpicks I might have of the season did not keep me from enjoying and being entertained by the season overall. The season offered refreshing new approaches to familiar themes. It was of course visually different from any Sentai season we’ve seen yet.

But for me, it still misses that certain something that really would make me love the season more than I do. It’s tough when aside from my firm Top 3, I have other seasons that I love and enjoyed equally. For different reasons of course, but it’s hard for me to put one over the other. Heck even Ninninger is *thisclose* from tying them as well. Which would then mean King-Ohger joins the seasons all bunched up in the middle.

Again, having King-Ohger this low doesn’t mean it’s bad or I dislike it. It’s just I have other seasons for which I have stronger feelings for.

13. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

14. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place!) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

15. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him. But even the fact that he was wasted kind of docks even more points off for the season for me.

16. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive. (It’s been years and I still feel that way when I end up remembering it.)

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what a full series could have been like. Dino Force Brave was great fun. It was more than just an extra toy commercial for the Korean market. It was a well-done story in a unique format. Lots of creativity, especially with the mecha battles. It was refreshing and very enjoyable.

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 16 Super Sentai Seasons I’ve Watched So Far! (2025 Update) appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.