Shinichiro Shirakura Acknowledges Power Rangers' Role In Super Sentai's Longevity?

It's already known I don't like Power Rangers. I'm not GOING TO KEEP PRETENDING that I like it. However, Power Rangers was born out of a NEED because the American market is WAY DIFFERENT than the Japanese market. That's what I wrote in JEFusion before I decided to leave it while still endorsing it! It's like a certain group of people who talk like a certain cop (warning: LOTS OF CRAZY STUFF). 

Here are Shirakura's words, regardless of how I feel about Power Rangers:

Shirakura observed that he joined Toei in 1990, when the company was planning the 1992 series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The staff back then thought that it might be the final Sentai entry. So, the younger staffers wanted to try something different, and introduced a sixth regular member mid-story for the first time in the franchise. Shirakura mused that Zyuranger becoming the loose basis for the global phenomenon Power Rangers was divine intervention (literally, "kamikaze") that led to Super Sentai lasting another three decades.

Asahi observed that even Kamen Rider and Ultraman had hiatuses, whereas only Super Sentai among the tokusatsu franchises has had a nearly continuous half-century broadcast run. Shirakura dryly noted that Super Sentai's success defies reason — its origin was a fluke, born from a failed attempt to make a project with five Kamen Riders assembling to fight together. That failure led Kamen Rider creator Shōtarō Ishinomori to develop Himitsu Sentai Gorenger — the first Super Sentai show. The franchise only added giant robots after the once-popular giant robot anime shows ended their continuous broadcast run in the 1970s. The third (or first, depending on who is counting) Super Sentai show, Battle Fever J, took over the Tōshō Daimos robot anime's timeslot after it was cut short.

Power Rangers as Toei's ticket to the Western market

The claim that Power Rangers is a parasite isn't true. If one studies contracts and obligations -- one must think of the arrangements done between Saban (the franchisee) and Toei (the franchisor). Whoever holds the Power Rangers brands bears the responsibilities of the contract. Saban, Disney, or Hasbro NEVER got anything for free. Back in the day, Saban's request for extra Zyuranger footage was granted by Toei Ltd. -- although I believe the latter could've recommended a much different approach so the Gosei Sentai Dairanger model could be sold next. 

That means whoever has the Power Rangers contract must abide by royalty fees used for stuff like:

• The right to use the costumes 
• The right to use the licensed footage that will be blended with American OG footage (Zyu2 existed as a request from Saban)
  
• The use of the form and substance 

Sure, I find the use of stock footage in Power Rangers to be strange. I always thought that the American-only, unmorphed fights getting replaced with the Super Sentai footage felt funny. It's a good thing I decided to watch the Toys That Made Us episode on Power Rangers to understand the international market. This is why I think Toei actually acknowledges Mighty Morphin's anniversary every 10 years -- such as Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, and I want to put Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger. 

I might be annoyed at Power Rangers, but I realized my annoyance has to be with the implementation itself. Why should I pretend to like something that I don't and write a fanfic story that's so bad as a result? Sure, I won't get into hate fics (bad move) but it doesn't mean that I don't have the right to, at least, speak my mind of what I hid in the closet! Right now, the Minimal Continuity Approach could've worked. However, Super Sentai usually kept itself going before Power Rangers by using a self-contained approach. It's a cultural difference that Power Rangers uses the continuity approach more than Super Sentai does. My bigger issues are usually with how Mighty Morphin' got overextended up to Power Rangers Zeo, and how I had to watch Power Rangers Turbo to make sense of the events in Power Rangers in Space. 

The problem behind Power Rangers' ACTUALLY GETTING WORSE could've contributed to a lack of revenues for Toei

I dare say Power Rangers has been getting worse, NOT because it's an adaptation (or localization, given the change of content for an AMERICAN audience) such as the Disney overly rushed era (and that's why I'd watch Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters over Power Rangers RPM), the ridiculous SUMMER BREAK, and the Mighty Morphin' nostalgia. The Disney era paid yearly despite the 32-episode format that felt rushed. The Disney 32-episode format started with Power Rangers Mystic Force and ended with RPM -- the last Disney show. Saban came back, but FOR THE WORSE. Turning the show from a one-year run to a two-year run significantly delayed toy sales -- which may have delayed revenues. Even worse, Power Rangers' overreliance on Mighty Morphin' nostalgia -- such as Rita's Rewind and MMPR: Once and Always can be viewed as a stuck-in-nostalgia mindset. These are plainly BAD FOR THE MONEY!

It made me think of how much money was lost along the way because:

• Disney chose the Mighty Morphin' Remastered path in 2010 over a Samurai Sentai Shinkenger adaptation. The remastered was SO BAD that like WTF.
• Saban came back in 2011. Power Rangers Samurai became a mediocre adaptation with bad acting and UNNECESSARY Mighty Morphin' linkage. This was the beginning of the two-year run cycle. Which meant a lot of shows that could've been adapted, were ADAPTED OUT!
  
• Power Rangers Megaforce is a bad mix of Tensou Sentai Goseiger and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger footage. This was another two-year mix. If both shows were adapted separately then there would've been MORE MONEY from the likeness and stock footage royalties!
• Power Rangers Dino Charge had potential but again, two two-year mix. 
  
• Power Rangers Beast Morphers was basically another going backwards quality -- this time under HASBRO!
• There's a lot of lag footage, meaning more opportunity costs with Toei because these were NEVER adapted thanks to the SH*TTY two-year cycle. The shows are Ressha Sentai ToQGer, Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger, Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger (and only a few of its footage was used in the AWFUL Power Rangers Cosmic Fury), Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger, Mashin Sentai Kiramager, Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger, Avatar Sentai Donbrothers, Avatar Sentai Donbrothers, and last year's Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger. This would be a total of NINE series that could've given Toei extra revenue via likeness and stock footage!

After all, the following could've been IF the yearly run was done, and if Disney DIDN'T create Mighty Morphin' remastered. There were some creative alternatives, like skipping Gokaiger entirely because of its abundant content of the pre-Power Rangers era. A yearly run could've generated a better revenue stream. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Toei Ltd. has any control over where Power Rangers air in the American market either. It's really a bad business decision. It may not have affected Super Sentai production at first. However, when Toei starts running out of extra money, it can become a huge problem!

___________

Update: December 9, 2025