Finally: The Cast Of Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

It's time for the Valentine's Day reveal. I was afraid I couldn't write anything. Now, this is the time when it's time for the cast reveal. I did remember the excitement I had when Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger presented a very atypical team. Right now, I can't wait to see how Avatar Sentai Donbrothers will end its very unorthodox team with CGI. Now, it's back to regular morphing. When I heard about royalty - I felt like that Zenkaiger's formula could be reused with one human member and four monsters to serve the prince. Instead, it's back to how things are. In this case, it looks like a mixed bag.

I did write about how Toei Ltd. may have written unofficial sequels for Saban's shows. I still want to call Kamen Rider Decade the unofficial sequel of Saban's Mashed Rider. I still feel Kamen Rider Saber seemed like a continuation of the Knights of Tir Na Nog which only tried to ride on the hype of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: The Warrior Princess. Right now, I got the information from Ukiyaseed which got me more unfamiliarity. Again, I'm watching a lot of newer Korean shows with newer actors so Toku shouldn't be any different, right?

First, I'd like to give my thoughts on the sovereigns 

Gira/Kuwagata Ohger is descibed as:

....the red stag, and the self-proclaimed king of the "strongest country where protector gods dwell", Shugoddam. He is a man who grew up in an orphanage in the castle town. He is kind hearted man who thinks of everyone, but because he always play the villain when he played hero as kids, he has a habit of saying the words, "I will rule the world!" in a misleading tone. 

He is played by Taisei Sakai, and his suit actor is Shigeki Ito (Ryusoul Red, Kiramai Red). 

At first, my vibes went with Koh in Kishinryu Sentai Ryusoulger - a show I regret even watching. I could rant day in and day out how neither Ryusoulger nor Power Rangers Beast Morphers was enjoyable IMHO. I'm already a bit biased here because I feel Koh's vibes going on with how Gira is dressed.  The guy's backstory as an orphan is typical in some RPG games or in Western legendary stories. Speaking of Koh, both characters will share the same stunt double too!

Yanma Gust/Tonbo Ohger is described as... 

is the blue dragonfly, and the sovereign of the "country of technology", Nkosopa. Born in a slum, he rose to power through his computer. Often referred to as "president", he is running with a yankee spirit to "take the top".

He is played by Aoto Watanabe, and his suit actor is Hirotsugu Mori (Kamen Rider Slash, Sonoi).

I think this is where things are getting a bit weird. Computer greek? That came from Denji Sentai Megaranger. The country of technology makes me think this is Real Life Writes Plot. With the 30th anniversary of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - did David Yost resuming his role influence this in some way? I even want to joke that Yost secretly snuck into Toei HQ at Toei's request. I feel he's going to be the typical nerd, maybe the weakest of the team but he'll always find ways to pull them out. Other weaker members such as Nagare Tatsumi of Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive and Renn Koyama of Engine Sentai Go-onger relied on their brains over brawn... A LOT! 

An interesting note is that the stunt double will be from Kamen Rider Saber's cast. I really like to joke how Saber is the "sequel" of Knights of Tir Na Nog. Ryusoulger failed in that regard to be a sequel. I hope that King-Ohger will get it right! 

Himeno Ran/Kamakiri Ohger is described as:

...is the yellow mantis, and the queen of the "country of arts and healthcare", Ishabaana. She's a beautiful, selfish queen, and has an eye on beautiful things and will get it by any means. Even if that is the case, she is also a doctor who does not hesistate to save lives, and she will do it in a spectacular manner. 

She is played by Erica Murakami (Black Cinderella), and her suit actor is Yume Sakanashi (Future Oni Sister). 

Talk about having contradicting personalities. A valley girl for a queen? I wonder if this is meant to be some "Kimberly Hart Tribute" except making her unlikable (at first) to a certain extent?! I do have the guilty pleasure of comparing Mako Shiraishi to Kimberly. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a deleted footage of Mako joking about her hair getting stuck in the helmet! Now, it's really funny how you can have a queen who's obsessed with beautiful objects while being a doctor who will not hesitate to save lives. Speaking of being a doctor - we did have that in Mashin Sentai Kiranager with Sayo Oharu. Sayo was the typical generic heroine who feels like she was trained by both Matsuri Tatsumi and Dana Mitchell. I feel like Himeno might need a good chastising from Matsuri and Dana any time soon! 

Erica Murakami's father is CANADIAN so I doubt her real surname is Murakami. Subaru Kimura's real surname is Bartsch and Kimura is just his MIDDLE NAME. Oh yeah, she does have Caucasian features though what's with the blonde wig?  

Rita Kanisuka/Papillon Ohger is described as:

...the purple butterfly, and the sovereign of the "country of ice and snow" Gokkan. They* are the chief of justice of the court that protects the neutrality of the world. Stalwart and may appear like a cold-hearted ruler, who is also conservative and cautious, but is also compassionate. They render fair and accurate judgements based on law. 

They are played by Yuzuki Hirakawa (Promise Cinderella) and their suit actor is Yuichi Hachisuka (Princess Shinken Red, Gokai Yellow, Crane Juto).

The use of "they" may indicate that Rita herself (no, not Rita Repulsa or Rita from Super Strongest Battle) is that she's got a multiple personality disorder. Then again we also had Eddie Brock as Venom saying, "We are Venom!" in Marvel Comics. In Mortal Kombat, Ermac is a fusion of souls and refers to himself as "We are Ermac." I wonder how this will play itself since Rita herself may be referring to herself as "we" and "they". 

Okay, is the naming Rita almost just a coincidence to Mighty Morphin's anniversary? Are we now going to pretend that Lord Zedd and Rita in their purified form conceived her and led her to a redeemed existence? As much as I hate Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, I'd want to joke that Thrax might be disgusted if he knew he has a good sister out there. Then again there was also Rita in Super Sentai Strongest Battle. Sure, I don't like Power Rangers but I feel it's no coincidence that this naming happened. 

Interestingly, the suit actress was also Kaoru Shiba's double in Shinkenger and Luka Millfy's double in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. It's also ten years since Megaforce flunked super hard on the fanbase. Gokaiger footage was used in Megaforce as well. 

Kaguraki Dybowski/Hachi Ohger is described as: 

...the black bee, and the lord of the "country of agriculture" Toufu. He is a smiling, lying, two-faced, three-tongued man. He's very selfish, and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty just to keep the peace.

He is played by So Kaku (Kamen Rider Zero-One), and his suit actor is Shogo Teramoto (Future Don Murasame, Black Onitaijin Murasame). 

Looks like wer're going to get another anti-hero. There were some anti-heroes in black already like Gai Yuki from Chojin Sentai Jetman and Inou Masumi from Gougou Sentai Boukenger. Gai and Masumi were both loners who rivaled the red rangers of their show. I wouldn't be surprised if Yasuka Saito or even Toshihide Wakamatsu will guest star in a future episode. It would be cool if Toshihide guested early on as the previous sovereign of the country.

Second, we've got the allies 

These allies are described as:

Supporting the King-Ohgers are:

• Lacleth Hastie (played by Masato Yano) is the true king of Shugoddam, and the one who succeeded his father, Corsus Hastie as king. He is the world's most powerful person, who brings the five kingdoms together with unparalleled leadership. He is also highly trusted by the public. 
• Duga (played by Yutaka Morioka) is Lacleth Hastie's aide.
• Bocimar (played by Jubun Fukuzawa) is part of Lacleth Hastie's entourage.
• Shirokara (played by Yuhei Chiwata) is Yanma Gust's aide.
• Sebastian (played by Hiroto Yoshimitsu) is Himeno Ran's aide.
• Morfogna (played by Kasumi Hasegawa) is Rita Kanisuka's aide.

Above the five sovereigns is the high king or emperor. Lacleth Hastie might be a play on some English words. We have Duga and Bocimar as two aids to the actual high king. Meanwhile, we have assistants to Yanma Gust, Himeno, and Rita. Speaking of which, one character is named Sebastian. Is this a reference to Tekken's Sebastian who is the butler of the spoiled brat Lili Roquefort? Himeno's blonde wig might be a reference to Lili in Tekken as well.

Finally, a glimpse at the villains 

This is how the villains are described as of recent:

Finally, their enemies the Earth Empire Bugnarak, is lead by Desnarak VIII, who is seeking to rewrite the balance of power between humans and the Bugnarak by locating the artifact. He is voiced by Tomoyuki Shimura (Bakuman, Smile Precure!). 

Also a member of the Bugnarak is Prime Minister Kamejim, who is researching insectoid mechanical lifeforms. He strengthens the Bugnarak by giving them insect power, and after they are strengthened by Kamejim, the Bugnarak becomes a monster, and has the ability to grow into giant size. He is voiced by Shini-chiro Miki (Pokémon, Dragon Ball Super, Kamen Rider Den-O).

Right now, I feel the voice actors are very unfamiliar to me. Granted, I'm just a casual fan of everything fiction so I can't really comment at all! I also feel I've seen these designs somewhere. Did I even feel Kamejin's head somewhat taken from some Metal Hero series? I'm almost reminded of somebody from the Neros Empire in Chojinki Metalder. 

Now, for further wrap-up reminders

The series will be written by first time tokusatsu head writer Minato Takano (live-action Kakegurui, Kamen Rider Snipe: Episode ZERO), and will be directed by Kazuya Kamihoriuchi (Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger). The series will be produced by TV-Asahi's Takehiro Ookawa (Tokusou 9), Takahito Omori (Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, Kamen Rider Build), Takashi Mochizuki, Yousuke Minato, and Kouichi Yata. Lastly, Jun Watanabe (Kamen Rider Saber, Kamen Rider Revice) will serve as the show's action director, and Hiroshi Butsuda will once again serve as tokusatsu supervisor. Lastly, the show's opening theme is titled "Zenryoku King" by Takayuki Furukawa.

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger is set to premiere this March 5, 2023, replacing Avataro Sentai Donbrothers in TV-Asahi's Super Hero Time block.

I always feel the need for further experimentation for writers. I wonder how Minato Takano will pull it out to pour in new writing ideas. Sure, Toshiki Inoue, Yasuko Kobayashi, Naruhisa Arakawa, Junki Takegami, and Hirohisa Soda had their best contributions. However, we can also see times when they fall down flat from exhaustion. Maybe, I can't say Donbrothers is a flat moment of Inoue. However, I feel shows like Kamen Rider Kiva and Ressha Sentai ToQGer are best seen as guilty pleasures than masterpieces. I still feel the need to allow more new writers to write. Sure, there can be some failures but what's innovation without failure to learn from? Kamen Rider BLACK RX was a flop but it gave Kamen Rider several ideas to work with and improve. 

So, thinking that we're having some blends of Ryusoulger with the director), I'm still wary of Takahito Oomori as a producer (since Kyoryuger for me is still an absolute mess though Build was a good series), and we have the action director of Saber. It might work out well or not depending on how things are. It's too early to say how it'd work out. It's best not to pre-judge a show, right?