Ryuunosuke Ikenami: The Cool Water Dragon

It's been some time since the last time I made a spotlight on a hero.  Well, I guess Ryuunosuke Ikenami shoudl make the spot.  So what's kind of unique about him?  Well he's a blue ranger with a dragon emblem.  While originally a dragon would mean a hot headed character, he is quite the opposite.  In fact, like the water that is his element, he is the cool guy of the group.  There's some things to say about him- loyal vassal who can get annoying like Tanba, team support and ever reliable second-in-command.  What's not to say about this guy?

So here's the big deal- he was a kabuki actor way before he was inevitably called to fulfill his destiny as a Shinkenger.  Hmmm... it was a pretty hard choice to make isn't it?  So anyway, he became a devoted vassal to Takeru Shiba, at first becoming sort of a comic relief due to his rashness at times and inevitably developing into a serious character fans know and love him for.  His seriousness is what would make him a great deputy and also the fact that he is almost close to Takeru Shiba when it comes to fighting.  Also, he did have his short infatuation with Mako Shiraishi which didn't end so well.  Also he initially had some problems with Chiaki Tani (the youngest male) for slacking off but the two learned to work together in tandem.  Perhaps his greatest show in dedication was in getting the Swordfish Origami since he had to do it in order to save the ones he cared about.  Also, it taught a vassal a valuable lesson in letting go of the past.

Before Genta, he was the team genius being the one to engineer the Tenkuu-Shinken-Oh prior to the arrival of Genta Umemori, whom he ridiculed for not being a true samurai and later learned to accept into the team.  He always stood up for his teammates regardless.  His greatest confusion happened when he realized that Kaoru Shiba was the true heir of the Shiba house and that Takeru Shiba was merely a shadow warrior as he was a loyal vassal to Takeru Shiba.  In the end, he chose Takeru Shiba out of friendship which brought back the team together in bracing for the final battle.  Before departing, he showed his appreciation for all he had been through by doing a farewell kabuki dance.