Super Sentai

Series overview

In every Super Sentai Series, the protagonists are a team of people who transform into superheroes and gain superpowers – color-coded costumes, signature weapons, sidearms and fighting skills – in order to battle a group of evil beings that threaten to take over the Earth. In a typical episode, the heroes thwart the enemies' plans and defeat an army of enemy soldiers and the monster of the week; in a last effort to defeat the heroes, an enlarged version of the monster confronts them, only to be defeated again when the heroes fight it with their mecha (huge robotic machines that can combine to form one or more giant robots). While each Super Sentai Series is set in its own fictional universe, various TV, video and film specials feature a team-up between one or more teams.

The series was originally created by Shotaro Ishinomori, known for his creation of Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009. He developed the first two Super Sentai series Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai. Toei Company put the franchise on hiatus for a year, collaborating with Marvel Comics to produce the live action Spider-Man, which added giant robots to the concept of tokusatsu shows. This was carried over to Toei and Marvel's next show, Battle Fever J, and the giant robot concept was used throughout the following Super Sentai programs.

The term sentai is also occasionally used to describe shows with similar premises such as the magical girl team in Sailor Moon. Naoko Takeuchi used Sentai ideas as inspiration in the creation of the Sailor Soldiers.

Power Rangers

In 1993, American production company Saban Entertainment turned 1992's Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for the Fox Kids programming block, combining the original Japanese action footage with new footage featuring American actors for the story sequences. Since then, nearly every Super Sentai series that followed became a new Americanized season of Power Rangers; most countries also switched from Super Sentai to Power Rangers, such as France, Brazil, Thailand, and the Philippines. In 2002, Saban sold the rights to broadcasting of Power Rangers to Disney's Buena Vista Entertainment, who handled the franchise until 2010, broadcasting on ABC Kids, ABC Family Channel, Jetix, and Toon Disney. In 2010, Saban bought back the rights to Power Rangers and moved the show to the Nickelodeon network for 2011.

TV series

The following is a list of the Super Sentai Series and their years of broadcast:

Theatrical releases

V-Cinema releases

Televi Magazine releases

The following releases were on Super Video or Special DVD:

Distribution

Although the Super Sentai Series originated in Japan, various Sentai series have been imported and dubbed in other languages for broadcast in several other countries.

Europe

Bioman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, Turboranger, Fiveman, and Jetman were broadcast in France in the 1980s and early 1990s, with Maskman and Liveman marketed as Bioman 2 and Bioman 3, respectively. Additionally, Liveman, Turboranger, and Jetman were broadcast in Spain and Portugal. Denziman, Goggle-V, Sun Vulcan and Battle Fever J were broadcast in Italy. In addition, some episodes of Bioman and Turboranger were released on VHS in Greece.

Asia

Sentai Series were broadcast in Malaysia starting with Hikari Sentai Maskman during the 1990s, dubbed in English and later in Malay. Almost all Super Sentai shows were broadcast in Thailand since the 1980s, a year following their Japanese debut. They were exclusively broadcast on Channel 9 from the late 1980s to early 1990s until Power Rangers replaced Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger in the mid-1990s. Since then, the series have appeared on various channels.

In Vietnam, most of the Super Sentai series were fansubed into Vietnamese and posted on public internet sites. Phuong Nam Film licensed Vietnamese distribution of Super Sentai series, starting with Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger in 2003, which was the best-selling series in the country at that time. As of 2016, Phuong Nam Film continue to release the series a year or two after their Japanese premieres.

Philippines

J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai was the first Sentai Series to be shown in the Philippines in the late 1970s, but it was Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (retitled Star Rangers) that is most familiar to fans (both were shown on RPN). Choudenshi Bioman (the last tokusatsu dubbed in English on Philippine television) and Hikari Sentai Maskman (the first Super Sentai Series dubbed in Filipino on IBC) were broadcast in the Philippines in the 1980s. Choudenshi Bioman was so popular that many people from that generation came to associate all the Super Sentai series as continuations of it, and Hikari Sentai Maskman was marketed as Bioman 2 Maskman on local TV. During the early 1990s, some other series were shown, such as Kousoku Sentai Turboranger, Chikyu Sentai Fiveman and Chōjin Sentai Jetman which became the last Sentai series to broadcast on ABC5 in 1994. From 1995 to 1999, ABS-CBN aired the American-produced Power Rangers.

South Korea

Super Sentai has been broadcast in South Korea, dubbed in Korean. The first such series was Choushinsei Flashman which aired as Jigu Bangwidae Flash Man (Earth Defence Squadron Flashman), released in video format in 1989 by the Daeyung Panda video company followed by Hikari Sentai Maskman and Chodenshi Bioman. Throughout the 1990s, Dai Sentai Goggle Five, Dengeki Sentai Changeman, Choujuu Sentai Liveman, Kousoku Sentai Turboranger were also released in video format. Recently, Tooniverse (formerly Orion Cartoon Network), JEI-TV (Jaeneung Television), Champ TV/Anione TV (Daewon Broadcasting), Cartoon Network South Korea, and Nickelodeon South Korea have broadcast Super Sentai series a year following their original Japanese broadcast, but have changed the titles to "Power Rangers". Recently, the TV program have broadcast Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, Mahou Sentai Magiranger, GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Juken Sentai Gekiranger, Engine Sentai Go-onger, Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger, Tensou Sentai Goseiger, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, and Ressha Sentai ToQger under the titles of Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Magic Force, Power Rangers Treasure Force, Power Rangers Wild Spirits, Power Rangers Engine Force, Power Rangers Jungle Force, Power Rangers Miracle Force, Power Rangers Captain Force, Power Rangers Go Busters, Power Rangers Dino Force, and Power Rangers Train Force, respectively. The Super Sentai series is expected to continue in South Korea with a dub of Shuriken Sentai Ninninger, which will be known as Power Rangers Ninja Force. Furthermore, Power Rangers Dino Force has the South Korea-exclusive sequel called Power Rangers Dino Force Brave.

Latin America

Flashman and Liveman were broadcast in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru in the early 1990s, and as reruns in the early 2000s. Flashman arrived with Spanish dubbing done in Brazil and Liveman in Venezuela.

Changeman, Flashman, Maskman and Goggle V were broadcast in Brazil. The first season to air was Changeman in 1988, on the TV Manchete channel (currently RedeTV!), and caused a tremendous impact in its time, considered a cult classic.

United States

After Honolulu, Hawaii's KIKU-TV had success with Android Kikaider (called Kikaida) and Kamen Rider V3 in the 1970s, multiple Super Sentai series, including Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and Battle Fever J, were brought to the Hawaiian market (all broadcast in Japanese with English subtitles by JN Productions). In 1985, Marvel Comics produced a pilot for an American adaptation of a Super Sentai series, but the show was rejected by the major US TV networks. In 1986, Saban Productions produced a pilot for an American adaptation of Choudenshi Bioman titled Bio Man. In 1987, some episodes of Kagaku Sentai Dynaman were dubbed and aired as a parody on the USA Network television show Night Flight.

In 2014, Shout! Factory announced at San Diego Comic-Con International that they would begin sale of subtitled DVDs of Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Shout! Factory then released box sets of Gosei Sentai Dairanger in 2015 and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger on May 17, 2016. Chōriki Sentai Ohranger will be released on DVD in November 2016.

Parody and homage

The Super Sentai Series has been parodied as well as emulated in various ways throughout the world.

There have been many tribute series that pay homage to the long-running franchise, starting with the Japanese fan film Patriotic Squadron Great Japan (愛國戰隊大日本, Aikoku Sentai Dai-Nippon) created by what is now Gainax. The most recent tributes have been the Thai TV series Sport Ranger and the French online series Jushi Sentai France Five (now Shin Kenjushi France Five); the latter being so popular in Japan that Akira Kushida recorded its opening theme.

As part of the Omoikkiri Ii!! TV television program, a series of features was produced on various spas and onsen around Japan titled Bihada Sentai Sparanger (美肌泉隊ＳＰＡレンジャー, Bihada Sentai Suparenjā, Handsome Muscle Spring Corps Sparanger). This featured tokusatsu and drama actors Takashi Hagino (Changéríon of Choukou Senshi Changéríon and Kamen Rider Ouja of Kamen Rider Ryuki) as Spa Red (ＳＰＡレッド, Supa Reddo), Kento Handa (Kamen Rider Faiz of Kamen Rider 555) as Spa Blue (ＳＰＡブルー, Supa Burū), Kengo Ohkuchi (Emperor Z of Ressha Sentai ToQger) as Spa Green (ＳＰＡグリーン, Supa Gurīn), Masashi Mikami (Bouken Blue in GoGo Sentai Boukenger) as Spa Yellow (ＳＰＡイエロー, Supa Ierō), and Kohei Murakami (Kamen Rider Kaixa in Kamen Rider 555) as Spa Murasaki (ＳＰＡムラサキ（紫）, Supa Murasaki, "purple" or "violet" in Japanese, a running joke would involve people referring to him as Spa Purple).

In 2013, Gainax produced EA's Rock (エアーズロック, Eāzu Rokku), a 13-episode miniseries of live-action shorts which parodied the Super Sentai Series. The series' characters are all former members of a fighting group called Sensation Warriors Gokan Five (感覚戦士ゴカンファイブ, Kankaku Senshi Gokan Faibu, "gokan" is Japanese for the "five senses"). EA's Rock is broadcast on the Tōmeihan Net 6 Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations as well as Nico Nico Douga.

Akibaranger

Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger (非公認戦隊アキバレンジャー, Hikōnin Sentai Akibarenjā) is a Toei-produced parody series that premiered in April 2012 on BS Asahi and Tokyo MX. Akibaranger is made for adult fans who were fans of the Super Sentai Series as children. The story features three otaku who live in the Akihabara district of Tokyo who receive technology from a scientist to fight an evil threat that at first only exists in their delusions, but eventually starts materializing itself in the real world. Like Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Akibaranger features guest appearances by veteran Super Sentai actors (as themselves rather than their characters), and voice actors and musicians who have worked in anime and tokusatsu. A second season aired in April 2013.