My Own Amateur Rant On Super Sentai Crossovers

 

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers became a hit in 1993 and got extended up to 1995. By now, people would've figured out that selected licensed use of stock footage from Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger was used while keeping 5/6 of the Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger costumes. Toei also produced the Zyu2 footage for Saban Entertainment to use. I'd like to do a bit of a rundown on the history of Super Sentai crossovers and how Power Rangers handled theirs. 

Himitsu Sentai Goranger and Dengekitai JAKQ weren't part of the Super Sentai franchise until 1995. I'm glad Toei made that retcon in 1995 - the same year as Choriki Sentai Ohranger. Toei released some short films that barely lasted an hour. JAKQ vs. Goranger was pretty much like a "follow-up episode" instead of a movie that had 40+ minutes to an hour long. Yes, I'm going to keep saying it that the whole thing was rushed! JAKQ only having 35 episodes would make it all too rushed while Goranger would be too long with 84 episodes. 

The crossover movies didn't return for a long time. I heard there was a planned crossover between Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan (and the show got cursed by Asao Kobayashi) and Denzi Sentai Denziman. Why wasn't that movie ever made? The 1980s kept releasing one Super Sentai yearly with zero crossovers. The next entry NEVER mentioned anything about the previous series. For instance, Choshinsei Flashman never mentioned Dengeki Sentai Changeman in its continuity. There was no non-canon crossover either. I even thought a crossover between Flashman and Hikari Sentai Maskman could be fun. Instead, there was none. 

Should we try to differentiate clip shows from crossovers? Chojuu Sentai Liveman was the 10th Super Sentai series before the retcon in 1995. Turboranger celebrated it with a non-canon episode. Later, Mirai Sentai Timeranger had a special non-canon episode (which can be used as "proof" of a Super Sentai timeline) that happened AFTER the series ended. The Timeranger special episode was merely a clip show that ignored events from the actual show. 

The return of the crossover in the 1990s-present

Kakuranger had two crossovers namely that nine-minute crossover with Chikyu Sentai Fiveman up to Gosei Sentai Dairanger. I feel that crossover was just, "Okay, let's milk it out!" Toei may have gotten a bad reception over it and decided that crossovers should always be limited to two teams. Ohranger became the 20th anniversary with Goranger having been installed as the first and Battle Fever J having become the third. 

However, any watchful eye may notice that several crossovers ignore canon. Watching the Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger crossover would have Oboro Hinata telling the audience, "It's only a special." The events in Ohranger vs. Kakuranger are obviously not canon. Bacchushund is there with Buldont still a child but the Zords that came AFTER the former was destroyed - are there. Kakuranger established that the rangers lost their morphing powers to seal Daimaou once and for all. I can assume that the Zords in Kakuranger would be dormant for a LONG TIME. The movie unfolded anyway the way it was. It's pretty much like how Dragon Ball Z movies unfold as non-canon.

Some creative direction in Power Rangers Zeo made the Ohranger vs. Kakuranger crossover fit into their localized narrative. Okay, I'm no fan of how the Zordon Arc was overstretched, and prefer Ohranger's fresh new cast. In Zeo, we have Gasket and Sprocket, both characters based on ONLY ONE CHARACTER, namely Buldont. It fits the hilarious scene where Bulk and Skull got extra points for concentrating on an exam DURING A MONSTER ATTACK. I still find that scene funny even if I don't like Power Rangers. However, footage from Carranger vs. Ohranger wasn't added due to the poor transition between Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo. It's also interesting that Power Rangers Ninja Storm never had a crossover with Power Rangers Wild Force. The Kalish era of the Disney Power Rangers didn't do crossovers after Power Rangers SPD except for Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. 

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy had two crossovers. One was with Power Rangers in Space and later had a two-parter with Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. Lightspeed Rescue later had a rushed crossover with Power Rangers Time Force - something comparable to JAKQ vs. Goranger and the recent King-Ohger vs. Donbrothers crossover. Lost Galaxy didn't shy away from having two crossovers which were rightfully two parters. Gingaman vs. Megaranger would seem canon until one starts to nitpick why it can't happen. GoGoFive vs. Gingaman presented Darkness King Gill as the true firstborn son but ended up becoming non-canon just like Cooler in Dragon Ball Z. Darkness King Gill was later written into Lightspeed Rescue as another lackey named Triskull. Trakeena returned with a different actress in Lightspeed Rescue but retained her menacing appeal that could make the Gingamen suffer. 

This is where the difference sets in. Super Sentai usually treats the crossovers as non-canon material. That's why the crossovers happen in the form of SHORT FILMS instead of regular episodes. It should be noted that most Super Sentai series usually operate as self-contained. That means Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger may be best viewed as a yearlong continuity error when one still insists on a Super Sentai timeline. Power Rangers has all the series fit into one huge Universe - unless specified. It's already established that Power Rangers RPM and Power Rangers Dino Charge operate in different dimensions. Both shows crossed into Power Rangers Beast Morphers via the convenient portal to another dimension plot device. Super Sentai also used that plot device since it also copies ideas from American superhero folklore. Later, the crossover movie Avatar Sentai Donbrothers vs. Kikou Kantai Zenkaiger established both shows are from two different dimensions. The crossover verified that their Kaito was different from the other Kaito. 

That would mean the anniversary VS. Movies are obviously not canon. Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai and Boukenger vs. Super Sentai are obviously not canon to their respective series. The Gougou Sentai Boukenger movie said Hyde Gene ended the dinosaur era. However, several Super Sentai entries would give a DIFFERENT NARRATIVE whenever the topic is raised. There's NO WAY that they can all fit together. Asuka from Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger was in the Boukenger VS. movie and there's no way to reconcile the dinosaur extinction in his show with Boukenger. Engine Sentai Go-Onger has Horonderthal responsible for the extinction. The Operation Overdrive crossover operated as a regular episode BECAUSE it was part of a timeline. Boukenger had to separate its crossover from the TV series because it's NOT part of a long timeline. That means the "Forever Red" of Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai never happened in the series canon in contrast to Wild Force's "Forever Red".

It's also interesting that Power Rangers Dino Thunder began with a crossover. It's a very different approach from what most Power Rangers crossovers did. Most crossovers tend to occur midseason. What I found amazing was that Evil Ninja Iga was never used even as an upgrade for Lothor in the introductory arc. I heard that time travel was used to explain the crossover between SPD and Dino Thunder. Again, these shows are written with a timeline in mind. Meanwhile, Dekaranger vs. Abaranger and Abaranger vs. Hurricanger were written without a timeline in mind. One can also see that events in Hurricanger vs. Abaranger can't fit in. 

The case of Gokaiger

It can be easy to point out that Power Rangers Megaforce is a huge continuity error. Yes, Gosei's own statement would easily prove it to be. However, to make Gokaiger fit into the 34 other series would create more continuity errors than Power Rangers already had since 1993. A lot of events from Goranger up to Tensou Sentai Goseiger would really contradict or overlap each other. However, Gokaiger did it anyway even if it was going to be a year-long non-canon crossover. Gokaiger would also get involved in that D*MN AWFUL Super Hero Taisen film franchise. Thankfully, Toei already pulled the plug but I'm willing to have the idea made into a video game series instead. 

Gokaiger went as far as to make sure the Hero 199 movie would easily fit into the show. Heck, even the events in the Timeranger episode tried to connect Goseiger vs. Shinkenger to the continuity. I guess some people were still saying, "See I told you so!" That's assuming they only saw a few crossover movies. There could be that convoluted theory that Captain Ryuuya in Timeranger caused time travel shenanigans leading to the non-canon events. Okay, that's a crazy fan theory I developed more than 10 years ago and I doubt it's even official. Gokaiger also tried to link to Space Sheriff Gavan. 

However, the events in Go-Busters vs. Gokaiger showed another continuity error. Didn't the Gokaigers give the powers back to the legends before them? Yes, the whole movie was blatantly not canon. Later, the Gokaigers had a two-parter in Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger. Oh, it was that year that seemed like Super Sentai's history was over. Even the non-canon crossover with the awful Shuriken Sentai Ninninger addressed it! However, Zyuohger was an anniversary series so it shouldn't be self-contained. However, Zenkaiger addressed that each Super Sentai belonged to different worlds like how Kamen Rider Decade introduced Alternate Reality Kamen Riders. 

Later crossover episodes would show an entirely different Universe or try to establish a connection between shows

After what I'd call Toei's rather unexplained incident of why Go-Busters placed Gavan into a two-parter instead of a separate movie -  I believe it got explained in Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger's 18th episode, There's a parallel Universe which may not even be canon to the actual Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger series canon. Yes, that Universe where the Space Sheriff Trilogy is connected to Dekaranger. That might mean that Dekaranger 10 Years After was merely a bridge to a crossover series. That means the actual series doesn't have Jasmine marry that child she rescued! The plot was later reused in Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger to explain why Sosuke arrived into their continuity. Convenient portals are really convenient huh? 

It's also different from what Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger did with the Chikyu-Earth revelation. I wonder why the show decided to get connected to Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger instead of simply entering another dimension. I mean like WTF Toei was my response. However, that doesn't change the fact that dinosaur extinction varies from Super Sentai to Super Sentai. So good luck trying to create a convoluted explanation with all the different events! Dino Charge established itself as another dimension. Here, Kyoryuger established itself to be in THE SAME DIMENSION with King-Ohger. I guess Toei was trying to cash in some nostalgia since it was 10 years after Kyoryuger. Kyoryuger had huge toy sales and it was popular with the kids. So yeah, I've got an unpopular opinion about Kyoryuger as a messy series. However, I now treat it as a watchable mess. 

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The crossovers are best looked at as a cash grab. Children might never care about canon vs. non-canon. Back then, I didn't notice how the Dragon Ball Z movies are obviously not canon. I enjoyed the Filipino licensed edits called Dragon Ball Z: The Greatest Rivals and Dragon Ball Z: The Movie. They're actually four different movies: Cooler's Revenge, Return of Cooler (which is said to have a one-year time jump from the other movie), Return of Broly, and Bio Broly. Broly was first introduced in The Legendary Super Saiyan non-canon film. These films are most likely created with cash over continuity in mind. They may be best viewed as non-canon what-if films. 

The result of Power Rangers trying to merge everything into one continuity is hilarious. It's because trying to make a Super Sentai timeline is even more hilarious. Try merging everything from 1975-present and you'll get, "Okay, how do we reconcile this?" type of hilarity.