The Super Sentai Crossover Hype

I never thought I'd put this into writing but I want to write about the Super Sentai crossover hype. If you try to do some reviews you might notice that the crossover hype wasn't done overnight. There were some stage shows then later TV performances. I want to write about the Super Sentai crossover hype which was shelved for a long time but came back during the late 90s and has been continuing until this present year of 2017. Now, I decided to update this post in regards to Donbrothers really refusing to become more "self-contained" like Go-Busters did. 

The ongoing yearly Super Sentai vs. Super Sentai VS Movies

It started with JAKQ vs. Goranger which were the only two series made by Shotaro Ishinomori. The two movies were somewhat connected to each other. But what's known is that Super Sentai series didn't have any TV crossover after JAKQ ended. Battle Fever J came two years later after JAKQ. JAKQ ended early in 1977 due to slow ratings and Battle Fever J became the first year-long Super Sentai series in 1979. From what I heard there was supposed to be a planned crossover between Sun Vulcan and Denziman but it never pushed through.

The first return of the yearly Super Sentai vs. Super Sentai movies was with Ohranger vs. Kakuranger. Judging by the events of the show there's no way both series could easily fit into both continuities. Mecha that existed after Bacchushund was destroyed by Ohblocker were there and Buldont was still a child. Many succeeding movies tend not to fit into both series involved. It's pretty much a what-if scenario. After Ohranger vs. Kakuranger - there were more of these non-canon movies. They usually have events that can't be reconciled with both continuities. The thought that dinosaurs died differently in various Super Sentai seasons makes it impossible for Zyuranger, Abaranger, and Kyoryuger to meet in their main continuities but possible in a huge what-if VS Movie. These movies apparently served as non-canon fillers before the actual series took over. 

The VS. Movies introduce the VS. movie-only characters. Some of them could even be relatives who exist ONLY IN THE MOVIES. Go-Busters vs. Gokaiger has the Gokaigers still using their powers which they supposedly gave up. These non-canon relatives can be like Chuzubo's brother Chubozu or Bacchus Gill as a nephew of Emperor Ackdos Gill. A descendant of Don Horror also appeared in Gokaiger vs. Gavan. These are pretty much non-canon relatives or some alternate reality. Think of it how Rachel Summers in X-Men is born to Cyclops and Jean Grey from another reality than the mainline. In the Dragon Ball Z movies - they are like the non-canon villains. In short, Chubozu being Chuzubo's brother is similar to how Cooler is supposedly Frieza's older brother in the DBZ's movie continuity and not the series continuity. Events in both films just make it hard to reconcile that Frieza ever had a brother. The very much canon Dragon Ball Z: Frieza's Resurrection never had Cooler mentioned. Cooler's cameo in Dragon Ball GT (which was a failure) should be noted that the series is not canon anymore to the main storyline. 

It's always been the trend and I still can remember how Fantasy Leader (now Sentai Bandicoot) once told me that there's no Super Sentai timeline. It does make sense to think of a Super Sentai multiverse where almost every Super Sentai takes place in its own continuity. Personally, I think the multiverse format is more innovator-friendly than trying to cram everything into one incredibly huge and long continuity. Most of these series are better off self-contained. For instance, Timeranger says that teleportation and time travel weren't invented. However, a lot of seasons yet before it had used forms of teleportation and time travel.

Eventually, the movies gave a four-part miniseries called Super Sentai Strongest Battle. This came some time before Ryusoulger began and made some references. However, the event was apparently forgotten when Ryusoulger was aired. None of the Ryusoulgers talked about Rita (no, not Rita Repulsa) or her plan to revive Dai Satan to avenge herself. I still think the mini-series ran over two stuff I dislike namely the first Super Hero Taisen movie (where sob stories tend to ruin it A LOT) and Power Rangers' special "Dimensions in Danger" - both I'd dismiss as sloppy works. The four-parter what-if miniseries really did what it could to establish a "finale" for the Heisei era of Super Sentai. Ryusoulger was going to be the first Reiwa season after all. 

Anniversary series catch the crossover fever one way or another

It can't be denied that anniversary seasons catch the crossover fever. Ohranger was the 20th Super Sentai season with Goranger and JAKQ now included in the Super Sentai series. It was also the first Super Sentai series to return the yearly Super Sentai vs. another Super Sentai type of crossover. Yet we have the anniversary seasons after that namely Gaoranger (25th), Boukenger (30th), Gokaiger (35th) and Zyuohger (40th). One way or another they couldn't be an anniversary season without a crossover.

There were two anniversary seasons that had the Super Sentai season vs. Super Sentai franchise crossover. These movies are Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai and Boukenger vs. Super Sentai. Both of them had guest casts from each season. Just a note we never had Gaoranger vs. Timeranger and Boukenger vs. Magiranger as a result. Both of these seasons featured somewhat could be considered as non-canon (for main continuity) crossovers while these events got carried over to Gokaiger. 

Then we could think of Gokaiger is one whole season of crossover hype. Most of the episodes show the Gokaigers meeting certain selected Super Sentai seniors before them. Gokaiger had the Hero 199 Movie where they had a crossover with the Goseigers. Then they ended up returning in Zyuohger for a two part crosser. How's that for a huge anniversary fever caught by Gokaiger? 

However, we could take note that both Ninninger and Kiramager had Super Sentai seniors returning. For example, Ninninger had Jiraiya (which Yoshi Sudarso made what felt a very last-minute cameo after he visited Toei HQ) and Tsubasa Ozu/Magi Yellow as guest stars rather than the actors playing a different character. Kiramager even had an episode where Miki Masaki appeared. Granted, both series are ANNIVERSARIES to Goranger so I guess it's very excusable compared to what Donbrothers is doing right now. 

What's NOT too surprising is when Zenkaiger ended up as another crossover hype. As Super Sentai's 40th season - I guess it became mandatory to roll in the references. The Zenkaigers all get some tribute to the different mechas.The designs are too obvious. The plot that the Super Sentai Worlds are captured in cogs by the Tojitendo Dynasty is another. References to past Super Sentai series are done every now and then even without guest stars. I think Zenkaiger is pretty much a weak link to the anniversary seasons. However, I still praise it for its creative concept of being atypical. I feel that Toei Ltd. should really try and see what they could improve overall. 

Super Sentai vs. non-Super Sentai crossovers

The idea was once in many of Toei's stage plays. The idea was somewhat loosely placed in JAKQ vs. Goranger at the film's end. Then we had many stage plays going on that weren't TV specials, but I guess Toei ended up liking TV specials better. I thought about how Toei usually operates by a multiverse and there are many ways to travel into into one universe after the other. The idea itself was later placed into Super Sentai crossovers where one Super Sentai series meets a non-Super Sentai series. Lately, we have Gavan vs. Dekaranger or before that Gokaiger vs. Gavan as well as the EX-AID and Kyuranger "crossover" where both happened exclusively from the other.

The first official Super Sentai vs. Kamen Rider crossover was with Shinkenger's guest role in Kamen Rider Decade. It didn't stop there as we had ToQGer vs. Gaim as a summer movie (which I'll not be afraid to admit, I dislike it even if I'm a fan of Gaim), Ninninger vs. Kamen Rider Drive, and we saw a guest role for both Zyuohger and Kamen Rider Ghost which are all crossovers before we had both Lucky and Emu guest role in each others' shows. The guesting of both Lucky and Emu in each others' shows just couldn't be reconciled at all.

Should I mention Super Hero Taisen movies are becoming another trend? I don't deny I really hate the first Super Hero Taisen movie but I think some of the succeeding ones managed to do better. Super Hero Taisen Z was a bit of an improvement from the first movie. Chou Super Hero Taisen ends up yet to be another mediocre crossover IMHO. I think that the Super Hero Taisen franchise has potential though it's better off as a video game series due to the number of characters involved. 

How I feel Donbrothers is riding on that hype

One may want to observe the trend after anniversary seasons starting with Gaoranger. Hurricanger practically has its own continuity without directly nodding to Kakuranger or the last season. Abaranger NEVER had the Hurricangers joining it at the beginning unlike Dino Thunder did in the early episodes. Maybe, one can notice how Gekiranger ended up being more or less its own within the series continuity. Though, it seeks Gekranger vs. Boukenger was canon because a plot from Boukenger's finale was carried over. However, events in Gekiranger clearly won't fit into Boukenger. Go-Busters pretty much is its own continuity (that's why I felt the Gavan crossover episodes were a mistake). There's NO PLOT of Enetron being derived from some Super Sentai Morphin' Grid which is a GOOD THING. That's why I still criticize Beast Morphers n that regard.

Then, Donbrothers ends up doing the reverse of what most post-anniversary seasons did. I'm not saying it should be dark and gloomy. I feel it's a bad time for Toshiki Inoue to be back. If I'm to say so - maybe Inoue should've been made either the head writer for Go-Busters OR a major secondary writer for the series. Now, Inoue is stuck with Donbrothers which I think can be a bad idea. That's why I wasn't too excited about the idea any longer. Inoue has been better with the more serious stuff though he has had a weird hit or miss humor. I still felt Inoue should've been involved with Shinkenger and given Genta a cooking battle episode. Inoue did well with the Kiva arc in Kamen Rider Zi-O though so I'll give him that. I still feel Donbrothers could've just focused on the folklore of Momotaro and not had them use powers from previous groups. Instead, we had Kaito from Zenkaiger now opening a cafeteria. 

That's why I felt it hard not to think of Beast Morphers while watching Donbrothers. Why are these two seasons getting reliant on previous seasons? It doesn't help that both Zoey and Haruka are service workers in yellow spandex. Haruka works at Cafe Donburo. Zoey works doing laundry in Grid Battleforce. Both show the importance of menial jobs. I still feel Evox should've been just Evox all along and not Venjix. I still feel it'd be stupid if the Messiah Virus were actually Yogoschrimaten or if Ark One (who's also similar to Venjix) from Kamen Rider Zero-One was the Great Leader of Shocker from the Showa-era Kamen Rider series. I also criticized the Showa era Kamen Rider series for recycling the Great Leader too much. I guess it's only poetic that Kamen Rider BLACK RX allegedly ended the Great Leader - a series that caused the 11-year hiatus of Kamen Rider as a series. Right now, I even wonder if this new idea by Toei Ltd. could do wonders or not. 

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Continuing the crossovers with new ideas and what-if scenarios would be good or bad depending on how they're carried out. They would just need proper implementation or try other ideas. They could try and have more video games based on Super Sentai and hopefully, they'll get English versions for non-Japanese readers and speakers. Though, right now, I still feel Super Sentai might need a short break depending on how the franchise is. Anything that goes on for too long can wear itself out. 

What do you think of the Super Sentai crossover hype?

Updated: May 31 2022