When Super Sentai "Adapts" General Sakimori Miwa From Daimos (Spoilers)

 

With Daimos having its 45th anniversary - I felt like writing this article. I guess I never bothered to observe how the defunct Super Robot anime still influences Tokusatsu. Sure, we aren't going to see any more of those giant robots since Super Sentai took the spot. It's like how Power Rangers ends up overshadowing the Voltron franchise - both based on a Toei license. I guess World Event Productions (WEP) didn't stand a chance when Haim Saban got his turn with a Toei license. Some shows may be quite old but it doesn't mean they don't deserve a revisit. One character from Daimos would be an interesting revisit. It's the concept of that Stupid Evil bigot named General Sakimori Miwa. Yes, that Baam-hating general who'd do anything to get rid of them AND take the credit for himself.

If I'm not wrong, the last Super Robot Anime that Toei had was Dairugger XV. Yes, that very show became the source material of the unpopular Vehicle Voltron cartoon. I guess Toei finally saw that the money's with the Megazords. However, the Super Robot concepts never got away. Instead, Toei probably thought of revisiting them and creating newer versions of Miwa. I'd like to name characters who I believe were based on Miwa.

Supreme Commander Akira Ichijou 

Jetman episodes 40-41 introduced the Neo-Jetman arc. The episode had Radiguet attempting to defeat Tranza so he could become the Evil Overlord he always wanted to become. The episode featured the Jetmen losing their powers to Meteorite BEM only to be saved by the Neo-Jetmen team. The Neo-Jetmen were on the side good. Unfortunately not their commander Ichijou. Ichijou's a real jerkass who probably gives Radiguet's justification of how worthless humans can be. If Radiguet were Olban then Ichijou was Miwa.

It was just a two-parter yet one can wonder how sick Ichijou can get. Ichijou's jealousy of Chief Aya Odagiri is what drives him to do his stupid behavior. To Ichijou, the team was just a disposable asset which he blatantly makes it clear. "You can still be replaced!" is basically how Ichijou views the Neo-Jetmen. The actor Hideaki Tezuka plays such a delightfully wicked human.

Obviously, Ichijou just ISN'T the right person to be in charge. Aya is a stern but compassionate commander. Ichijou is a cowardly person who wants credit for himself. Eventually, the Neo-Jetmen realize that their commander is a hypocritical Complete Monster. Ichijou lied that the Jetmen couldn't get their powers back SO HE COULD BE IN CHARGE. The Neo-Jetmen helped the Jetmen get their powers back. Ichijou did escape but he's most likely on the run. If there was anything to think about - Ichijou should be in jail FOR LIFE for his actions. 

What's too sad though is that Toshiki Inoue wasn't the writer of this arc. I mean, I wanted to see Ichijou die at the hands of Meteorite BEM. I guess Kenichi Araki wanted writers to be free to decide what happened. Ichijou escaping isn't Karma Houdini either. Ichijou escaped but he's now a crook in the public eye. 

Captain Ryuuya Asami

I guess another character worth mentioning is Timeranger's Walking Spoiler, Ryuuya. He's a descendant of the a**hole Asami family. I guess generations of repeated parental trauma get played straight for some time huh? Wataru was also pretty much mistreated by his own father. Wataru pretty much mistreats his own son Tatsuya. I guess the Asami family was meant to be rotten but Tatsuya tries to change destiny. However, one Asami became a rotten apple throughout the centuries. I guess the Asamis are doomed to be a**holes extraordinaire, right?

At first, it felt Ryuuya was a good guy. However, things start to show his true colors during the Christmas Arc. Ryuuya first gets the Time Red powers back so he could bully the others. His attitude irritates the others to no end. He goes to free Gien so he could do everything as he had planned. Ryuuya's master plan was to create the ideal 30th century where he lives. Yet, He was more than willing to let 1/3 of the 21st Century be destroyed. Like WTF man! 

I think Ryuuya's time as Time Red really showed his true colors in part. It was Tyrant Takes the Helm as the other Timerangers JUST CAN'T STAND HIM AT ALL. He backed up only because it was inconvenient. Later, he warns the others to return to the future before the Great Disappearance which would destroy 1/3 of the 21st Century.

Ryuuya's final colors showed during the finale. I guess it's predictable it'd go that far. He ordered for the memories of the other four to be deleted. He also had Tac thrown like junk. It's because there was a dreadful secret. He had arranged for Naoto Takizawa to DIE IN HIS PLACE. He later commanded his soldiers to KILL THE OTHERS IF NECESSARY. Eventually, he ended up shooting himself after a struggle with Ayase. He tries to justify his actions as if it were for the best. That also includes that he could've done something to prevent Don Dolnero's escape but CHOSE TO LET IT HAPPEN. It's not merely sleeping on the job. He was trying to use disasters for his own cause.

I think Toku Warrior got it right in saying that Ryuuya wanted to save his life without otherwise changing the 30th century. Some people want to paint Ryuuya as a Pure Evil guy. Though, it seems that Jillun has mixed feelings on the guy. I still feel he was trying to save himself and his world. Unfortunately, his power-mad tendencies led to his descent into another Miwa-type villain. He's supposedly a mentor but he ended up the third wheel in everything.

If anything, I think this guy also inspired Toshiki Inoue to write in Masato Kusaka. Kamen Rider Faiz has the concept of a mutant-human war with shades of gray. Kusaka hated Orphochs but showed himself to be no better than the villains of the show. Like Ryuuya, Kusaka did eventually die out-of-suit with a very deserving death.

King Racules Hastie of Shogoddom (ongoing)

I remembered how he made me think of Ryuuya at first. The guy's shown to be a bigot in many ways. However, he ended up foolishly signing a treaty with Bugnarok so he could get even with Yanma. Was it because of that fart cushion attempt? Fortunately, he got owned by Yanma who made him sit on the fart cushion. Unlike Miwa, he belongs to the royalty. Yet, both he and Miwa may have a lot more in common than you think.

Both Racules and Miwa are both power-hungry despots in some way. Both could care less about civilian casualties, the Token Evil Teammate supposedly on the side of good, with Skewed Priorities one way or another, and both are very arrogant Stupid Evil. Both of them are prone to doing idiotic stuff just to get more power. Who could remember when Miwa has multiple times tried to seize control of the Daimobic? Racules has also tried to seize control of the four other kingdoms for his own benefit. I did laugh at the scene when Racules thought that Yanma and Jeramie were there to "save him". That scene reminds me of how often Miwa takes advantage of Daimos to save the day or was there to save him.

How Racules will be handled as a Miwa-type character after his fall is yet to be seen. I could imagine if Racules might have the resources to form an army somewhere. His backstory that led him to become a Miwa-like villain is not yet fully revealed. I'm excited to see how it'd turn out.