Japan has enjoyed for 20 years
what America has only discovered in the last two: the super sentai television
series (sentai means battle team or task force.) These live-action superhero
epics run the gamut from serious drama to slapstick comedy, always packaged
with a healthy dose of intense action and (sometimes) awe-inspiring special
effects. Every year, Toei Co. produces a brand new 50-episode serial; each
½-hour weekly installment tells its own tale while advancing the ongoing
narrative to its final conclusion. And while the stories, characters and
mythology will change with each new series, the basic concept always remains
the same: Earth is being threatened by a malevolent force and humanity's
only hope lies with a team of warriors who attain their super powers through
fantastic metamorphosis. Each team usually consists of a leader, a rival, a strong fighter, a spirited youth and a gentle female (although females may also fill other team roles.) And, in true Japanese fashion, every team can rely on their trusty giant robot when all else fails. Without being preachy or boring, every sentai series underlines two fundamental principles. First, sentai teams are usually composed of ordinary people, but it is their positive spirit that sets them apart. >From all walks of life, anyone can be a hero. Secondly, although each warrior possesses special powers, everyone is considered equal. In the end, it is teamwork that saves the day. Also prevalent in these programs is the strong student-teacher relationship between the warriors and their mentor/team commander. Lastly, even the most serious sentai series has a sense of humor, citing many inside jokes, even in the naming of its characters. For example, the ranger moniker is, in actuality, from the Japanese renja or rensha, which literally translates to team member.
Himitsu Sentai GORANGER (Secret
Task Force Five-Ranger) - The five brave members of Eagle Japan Corps fight
against the evil forces of the Kuroju Jigun (Black Cross Military). By wearing
the strength-enhancing Goranger power suits, the team becomes their colorful
alter-egos: Akaranger, Aoranger, Kiranger, Momoranger and Midoranger. (In
Japanese, aka = red, ao = blue, ki = yellow, momo = pink & mido = green.)
JACKER Dengeki Tai (JAKQ Power Attack Team) -
The super cyborg warriors of JAKQ battle the international criminal organization
Crime, led by arch-villain Ironclaw. Strong in the four great energies, team
members Spade Ace, Clover King, Daiya Jack (Diamond Jack)and Heart Queen
possess the powers of atomic, electric, magnetic and gravitational force
respectively. Team leader Big One possesses all four of these powerful energies.
The team's costume design motif is symbolic of the highest trump card combination
possible:Jack, Ace, King, Queen. 
BATTLE FEVER J - To combat the
secret society of Egos, National Defense Ministry's General Kurama assembles
five warriors as the Battle Fever team. Team members Battle Japan, Battle
France, Battle Kenya, Battle Cossack (Russia) and Miss America incorporate
their respective country's dance actions in their fighting techniques. (America
is represented by disco!) This series marked the first appearance of a giant
robot mecha in a sentai television program, the Battle Fever Robo, launched
from the even larger flying battleship, the Battle Shark. 
Denshi Sentai DENZIMAN (Electronic
Team Electroman) - Three thousand years ago, an army of trans-dimensional
marauders, the Vader Royal Family, annihilated the peaceful planet of Denzi.
Now, Vader's evil Queen Hedorian, loathing all things beautiful, has plans
to pollute and conquer the Earth! (I guess she has never been to North Jersey.)
I-C, robot dog from the planet Denzi, selects a team of five humans who,
by means of Denzi's super science, become the warriors of Denziman. With
the aid of their giant robot, the Dai Den Jin (Great Electronic God), the
Denziman team battles Vader's monsters for the salvation of Earth. Actress
Machiko Soga, who portrayed Queen Hedorian (in Japanese, hedoro means sludge),
has appeared as the definitive lead villainess in many a Toei television
series. Soga is most familiar to American fans as the evil witch Bandora
in Dinosaur Team Zyuranger, a.k.a. Rita Repulsa in the Mighty Morphin' Power
Rangers. 
Taiyo Sentai SUN VULCAN (Solar
Corps Sun Vulcan) - Commander Arashiyama of the Earth Peace Defense Force
organizes the Sun Vulcan team to fight the mechanical empire of Black Magma.
Corps members Vul-Eagle, Vul-Shark and Vul-Panther command the powers of
air, sea and land respectively, as well as the gigantic Sun Vulcan
Robo in their battles against Black Magma's kikai seimeitai (mechanical lifeforms.)
Actor Shin Kishida, who portrayed Commander Arashiyama, also starred as Interpol
agent Namara in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974). Machiko Soga reprises
her role as Queen Hedorian, reborn by means of an artificial heart to once
again wreak havoc against mankind. 
Dai Sentai GOGGLE FIVE (Great
Task Force Goggle V) - Future Science Research Institute's Professor Hongo
selects five warriors to defend the earth from the dark science empire of
Deathdark. Aided by the Institute's computer kids and equipped with several
hi-tech battle machines that can combine to form the obligatory giant Goggle
Robo, the Goggle V team clashes with Deathdark's army of gosei kaiju (synthetic
monsters) and ultimately confronts the empire's supreme evil ruler Taboo.
Kagaku Sentai DYNAMAN (Science
Task Force Dynaman) - A meteor's impact on ancient Earth sparked the evolution
of the Jashinka empire, an underground race of beings possessing tail-like
appendages. The empire's ruling hierarchy is determined by the greatest number
of tails owned, the maximum held by emperor Aton who sports nine. When Jashinka
schemes to conquer Earth's surface populace, Prof. Kyutaro Yumeno gathers
five young scientists to fight back as Dynaman. They assemble at Yumeno Invention
Center, which also serves as a children's playground, thus concealing the
location's true purpose. The team commands three battle machines that, when
launched from the enormous Dyna Jupiter mothership, can combine to form the
giant Dyna Robo in their constant struggle against the empire's shinka-ju
(evolutionary monsters.) This series gained notoriety in the late '80's when
Night Flight aired several episodes, albeit re-dubbed in nonsensical and
irreverent fashion. 
Chodenshi BIOMAN (Super Electron
Bioman) - When the new mechanical empire of Gear plots the conquest of Earth,
five warriors empowered with bio-particle energy strike back. Aided by Peebo,
mechanical guardian from the planet Bio, and the giant Bio Robo, the team
battles the evil genius of Gear's big boss, the mecha-human Doctorman. Early
in the series, photographer Mika Koizumi (Bioman team member Yellow Four)
is killed by Gear forces and replaced by tough fighter June Yabuki. 
Dengeki Sentai CHANGEMAN (Power
Attack Team Changeman) - In retaliation to an invasion by the great star
collective Gozma, Earth sends forth the mysterious Earth Force energy, engaging
five warriors of the Earth Defense Team to defend the planet as Changeman.
Utilizing the powers of the densetsu-ju (legndary beasts) and the giant Change
Robo mecha, team members Change Dragon, Change Griffin, Change Pegasus, Change
Mermaid and Change Phoenix battle Gozma's army of uchu-jushi (space beast
warriors.) 
Choshinsei FLASHMAN (Super New
Star Flashman) - Five children, kidnapped by space aliens and taken from
Earth, are rescued by benevolent beings from the planet Flash. While raised
by their adoptive parents, the children eventually inherit the special powers
inherent to their foster planet. Now, the five grown warriors return to Earth
and, with the help of robot ally Mag, battle the reconstructive experimention
empire of Mesu (mesu means scalpel.) This series was the first to feature
no less than three giant robo warriors, as Toei began to expand this popular
motif. 
Hikari Sentai MASKMAN (Aura
Task Force Maskman) - When the underground empire Choob (in Japanese, chubu
means center) attacks the surface world, five young people are gathered by
Commander Sugata to defend mankind against the onslaught. The warriors are
taught to release the powerful aura energy that is hidden within the body
and become the invincible team of Maskman. 
Chozyu Sentai LIVEMAN (Super
Beast Team Liveman) - The armament intelligence force Balt attacks Earth
from space, utilizing super-intelligence technology and an army of zuno-ju
(intelligence monsters.) Five young scientists from Science Academia, two
of whom's younger siblings were killed by Balt's aggression, join forces
and become Liveman. Director of Science Academia and team advocate Prof.
Hoshi invents an squadron of giant battle machines including the Land Lion,
the first appearance of the now-popular animal-styled mecha in a sentai series.
Kosoku Sentai TURBORANGER (High
Speed Squadron Turboranger) - The polluted atmosphere of present-day Earth
triggers the rebirth of the Boma Hyakuzoku (Violent Evil Generation) who
once again endeavor to annihilate mankind. Five high school students are
given the powers of super speed by Shiron, surviving descendant of the Yusei
Zoku (Fairy Race), which defeated the Violent Evil Generation 20,000 years
ago. With the help of a plethora of special weapons, machines and giant
robots invented by team consort Professor Dazai, the young warriors fight
as the unified force of Turboranger. Even the team's secret base, when combined
with the giant Super Turbo Robo, becomes an invincible battle mecha, the
Turbobuilder! 
Chikyu Sentai FIVEMAN (Earth
Task Force Fiveman) - As the sentai series' first family team, Fiveman are
the grown children of the Hoshikawa family. While exploring the planet Shidon,
the family was attacked by the galactic imperial forces of Zone, forcing
Prof. and Mrs. Hoshikawa to risk their lives in procuring their young children's
safety. Aided by their adoptive support robot Arthur G-6, the grown warriors
now fight against Zone's present threat to humanity on Earth. The team attains
their super strength, increased to 5 times greater than normal, by means
of their fivetector power-up body armor. 
Chojin Sentai JETMAN (Birdman
Corps Jetman) - Sky Force's J-Project is the top-secret military development
of the Birdnic Wave, enabling subjects exposed to this energy the strength
100 times greater than normal. However, during the procedure aboard space
station Earth Ship to transform Sky Force officer Ryu Tendo into a super
soldier, the dimensional war delegation Byram materializes in Earth's orbit,
commencing their plans to conquer the planet. As Earth Ship is destroyed,
the Birdnic Wave energy is sent awry through Earth's atmosphere, eventually
striking four unlikely candidates on Earth (a gentle farmer, a wealthy
heiress, a lively school girl and a lone-wolf jazz musician) and bestowing
them with super powers. Having survived Byram's initial attack, J-Project
director Commander Odagiri and Ryu (now Jetman leader Red Hawk) must assemble
the misfit team into a cohesive fighting force to defend against Byram and
their jikenju. 
Kyoryu Sentai ZYURANGER (Dinosaur
Team Beast Ranger) - When the mysterious planet Nemesis drifts into Earth's
solar system, astronauts exploring its uncharted terrain accidentally free
the evil witch Bandora from her centuries-old imprisonment to begin anew
her reign of terror against mankind. The white demon master Barza, having
secretly kept watch over Earth for centuries, becomes aware of the
imminent danger and awakens the five warriors of the ancient dinosaur tribes
from their 170 million-year sleep to battle Bandora and her Dora-monsters
as the Zyuranger team. (In Japanese, ju or zyu means beast.) Machiko Soga
epitomizes the ultimate in Toei-styled evil, providing just the right combination
of humor and ruthlessness in her portrayal of Bandora. This series saw enormous
success when imported to America in 1993 as the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
Although new footage of American actors was inserted to make the series palatable
for U.S. audiences, the overwhelming popularity was due to the distinctively-Japanese
action sequences featuring dinosaur-styled mecha and giant robo warriors.
Gosei Sentai DAIRANGER (Five
Star Soldiers Era Ranger) - 6,000 years ago, the evil Goma tribe battled
the peaceful civilization of Daos in a war by which both sides perished.
Anticipating the Goma empire's present-day rebirth, Master Kaku, skilled
in the spiritual arts, gathers 5 young people, all descendants of ancient
Daos. Kaku teaches the five warriors to master the spiritual energy within
themselves and stand against the impending onslaught as Dairanger.
(Dai refers to a time or era, the passing of spiritual power from one generation
to the next.) A 10-year old boy named Ko joins forces with the team, after
struggling with Goma to gain control of his own inner powers, and becomes
Kibaranger (Fangranger) a.k.a. the White Ranger on the Mighty Morphin' Power
Rangers. A seventh member is also found in Kameo (in Japanese, kame means
turtle,) a young man who transforms into the titanic turtle mecha Dai Mugen
(Great Infinite) a.k.a. Tor the Shuttlezord on Power Rangers. 
Ninja Sentai KAKURANGER (Ninja
Force Hidden Ranger) - 400 years ago, five ninjas imprisoned all the world's
demonic spirits inside a sacred vestry. Now, mankind's immorality and corruption
have weakened the confining seal, releasing the evil supernatural energy
back into the world. A group of five young warriors, utilizing the powerful
arts of the ancient ninjas, become Kakuranger and fight to stop the phantasmal
monsters that terrorize civilization. (In Japanese, kaku means concealed
or hidden, referring the ninja's ability to remain concealed and confuse
their enemies.) In the final battle for peace, the team must once again seal
the evil deity DaiMaOh (Great Demon King) behind the sacred door. This series
featured an unprecedented twenty giant robo mecha, physical incarnations
of ancient beast gods called upon by the team in times of crisis. 
Choriki Sentai OHRANGER (Super
Power Corps King Ranger) - In 1999, the mechanical empire Baranoia begins
an invasion of Earth from space, enacting destructive assault by achine-ju
(machine monsters) and takonpas (compact fighters that sprout legs and walk
on land.) (In Japanese, tako means octopus.) The five courageous members
of U.A.O.H., a special division of the United Air Force, battle against this
aggression as the Ohranger team. (Oh means king, referring to the corps'
elite standing within the U.A. organization.) The warriors gain their heightened
abilities from the advanced technology of the mysterious 600 million-year-old
monuments buried deep beneath their secret base in the southern Alps. From
these ancient structures, Earth's energy is channeled through the great pyramid
creating powerful TH energy (tetrahedral energy), the source of the team's
super strength.