Is Yamato Kazakiri/Zyuoh Eagle Also A Throwback To Gatchaman's Ken The Eagle?

While watching Zyuohger, I noticed something that the motif behind Yamato Kazakiri is the third eagle swordsman. Every time there's a bird related ranger in motif there seems to be a Jetman throwback. Gaku Washio/Gao Yellow had retractable wings and a two edged sword to fight foes. Then I think of the fact that some of Jetman's characters are inspired by Gatchaman's characters. Even if the show was so 70s, the concept still gets carried on with newer ideas to mix with the old.

Several years ago, we had Ryu Tendo in Jetman as a character who's based on Ken the Eagle but he was called Red Hawk and not Red Eagle. Why Ryu was given the hawk instead of the eagle for his motif wasn't clearly explained. The other four Gatchamen got the same symbols from their respective counterparts but not Ryu himself. Also Raita's Gatchaman counterpart was named Ryu the Owl. So what's with Yamato's Gatchaman and Jetman throwbacks? Zyuoh Eagle has retractable wings (due to his bird motif) that he can keep when he's not flying. Both Ken the Eagle and Red Hawk are also sword fighters. Yamato uses the Eagle Riser as some badass chain blade sword to battle enemies. 

Other stuff, I wanted to really do a bit more throwbacks of what I felt was too shelved. Don't limit the katana to the Shinkengers, the Battle Fever Robo or to Takayuki Hiba/Vul Eagle II! The katana is a national symbol for Japan so why are most Super Sentai using western style swords for every season that has a sword involved? I wished that Yamato/Zyuoh Eagle used a katana instead of a double-edged whip blade. He could have been used as a better version of Takayuki Hiba. But again, Sun Vulcan's among a few shows that I really felt was meh for most for its run. So I guess that's why they didn't give Yamato a katana but again, I feel like the hero could have been cool as well using a katana and using a technique similar to the Hiba Turning Slash against enemies. But I don't see any reason why a chain blade couldn't be cool either.

When I think of the possibility that Zyuoh Eagle is a shoutout to Ken the Eagle (but both are very different in terms of badass training), it's amazing how some concepts tend to be buried back in 19-forgotten but tend to be brought back again or some old concepts still continue to improve with new ideas. Ever felt that Goranger was so 1970s and yet the five man team has become the most common assembly in Super Sentai? Ever felt that spandex was first introduced in Dynaman and spandex has been used ever since? Ever felt that Zyuranger was so 1992 and yet after that the sixth ranger concept still lives on with new gimmicks? Gaoranger was so 2001 and Zyuohger repeats the concept in its own creative way as a 15th anniversary of the former Super Sentai season? As said, some things tend to live on while others tend to perish! Hmmm... it really leaves room for a lot of thought whether or not producer Takaaki Utsunomiya had Ken the Eagle in mind or if it was just a coincidence. For a bit of a joke, I felt like Yamato Kanzaki is almost like what if he's Ryu's and Kaori's son and he's the grandson of Ken the Eagle and Jun the Swan. But we know that's not really true!

Comments

  1. Like most of the Reds after Oh Ranger series with the exception of Go Red, Bouken Red and Gokaigers is the return of the Real Red Leader.
    Yamato is the current if not long current listing of young, unsure, inexperienced Reds that graces series today!

    Ken Washio is a legend of his own rights. His leadership is mostly compared to Captain America and that is so hard to achieve these days.
    But a few years back, Ken Washio is brought to life and is done actually and correctly by Shinken Red which Ryu Tendou failed to deliver for me as what Ken Washio was meant to be.

    Swords, Takayuki Hiba brought the sword in as the blade of justice is worthy to be wielded by a red.

    Though Change Dragon, and even Ryu Tendou are "master swordsman" they did not have a sturdy if not their personal blade since Changeman and Jetman was only limited to their side arm weapons only as with the exception of ZyuOh Red the rest of ZyuOhgers has only sidearms to fight!

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