Uchu Sentai Kyuranger is, at the time of writing, the 41st installment of the long running Super Sentai series and is in some ways quite a departure from what we’ve come to expect from Sentai, while still retaining familiar codes and conventions. This is little doubt, due in some way to the involvement from Bandai of America during this season’s development, that this series will become the next Power Rangers series, after Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel in 2018. As we’re more than halfway through the show’s run, it seems appropriate to recap the events leading up to this point in case some people have forgotten or not caught and episode of the series yet.
Kyuranger is set in a future where the evil Space Shogunate Jark Matter had conquered the galaxy and now rules it with an iron fist. The only force that can hope to oppose Jark Matter and it’s leader Don Armage are the ultimate saviors Uchu Sentai Kyuranger.
These Rangers are: Lucky (Shishi Red), Stinger (Sasori Orange), Garu (Ookami Blue), Balance (Tenbin Gold), Champ (Oushi Black), Naaga (Hebitsukai Silver), Hammie (Chameleon Green), Raptor 283 (Washi Pink), Spada (Kajiki Yellow) Shou (Ryu Commandor), Kotaro (Koguma Skyblue) and finally Tsurugi (Houou Soldier).
Kyuranger is structured in smaller mostly self contained arcs so to properly recap the show’s story it’s best to do so on an arc by arc basis. These arcs are:
The Assembly Arc
The first segment of the show is an arc in which the incomplete team of rangers (Lucky, Hammie, Garu, Spada and Champ by the end of episode one) must locate and recruit the remaining rangers. This takes up the first 5 episodes and features Eriedrone as the ranger’s most recurring villain. For the most part this goes smoothly, however, Stinger briefly aligns with Jark Matter in his capacity as a spy which throws off the plans of the other rangers. The nine rangers are eventually united and Eriedrone is defeated, bringing us on to the next arc.
The Assassin Arc
The second arc involves the rangers battling Ikagen and Madako, two assassins sent by Don Armage to kill the Kyurangers, who are now operating mainly on earth for budgetary reasons. They aim to to solve the mystery of Don Armage’s interest in the planet. Shou’s two ranger forms are debuted in this arc as well, the first being the imperfect Ryu Violet and the second being his permanent ranger form Ryu Commander. The quest to recover the three Kyutama needed to summon the Argo ship begins in this arc also and provides a more solid goal for the team beyond simply saving the universe. The arc ends with Ikagen’s death and runs from episode 6 to episode 12.
The Scorpio Arc
The Third arc focuses on Stinger, his brother, Scorpio, and, to a lesser extent, Champ. The two rangers leave the Orion in order to operate more independently and to track down and apprehend Scorpio, who now works for Jark Matter. The Argo plot is continued in this arc with the Kyutama needed to summon it changing hands a few times. Kotaro leaves for training at Rebellion HQ and Champ is destroyed while defending Stinger. There is also a crossover episode with DekaRed and Gavan Type G in an alternate universe. The arc concludes with the climactic death of Scorpio and the return of Kotaro and Champ. The Argo is summoned and Ohtori Tsurugi (Houou Soldier) is revived. This arc covers episodes 13 to 21.
The Phoenix Arc
The following arc is much shorter and serves to affirm the new team dynamic, introduce more lore in the universe’s history and establish a new goal for the rangers to achieve. Tsurugi and the others clash initially but quickly come to respect each other and work together as a team. Tsurugi reveals that, in the past, he believed he had killed Don Armage which sets up the following arc’s driving force. Three new villains are also introduced to antagonize the rangers. They are the Vice Shoguns and are much higher ranked than previous villains thus showing their progress so far. This arc lasts between episodes 22 and 23.
The Time Travel / Hebitsukai Metal Arc
The current arc involves traveling back in time to discover the secret to Don Armage’s survival. However, the rangers must also deal with a now evil Naaga, who has joined forces with a Vice Shogun to gain the emotions he’s been trying to develop since his introduction. He also debuts a new evil ranger form, Hebitsukai Metal, making use of the Dark Seiza Blaster and Dark Kyutama. The team decide, therefore, to split in two; one half will travel to the past while the rest stay behind to rescue Naga. This arc began with episode 24 and is still running, at the time of writing, to the current episode, 28.
That’s it for now! Kyuranger is not over yet, thankfully, and the current arc has yet to conclude after introducing some incredibly interesting backstory and lore. Furthermore, the saga of the Kyurangers is far from over; they have already made some impressive progress and we can only hope they keep this up and have more exciting adventures in store for us down the line.
You must log in to post a comment.