My Thoughts On Super Sentai's Dignified Retirement VS. Power Rangers' Limbo This 2026

It's Power Rangers day, isn't it? The recent news that Power Rangers' planned reboot is crashing on August is really something. My reaction towards that show has changed course overtime. I used to like it a LOT as a child. However, I view it as just "fitting into the playground". However, the older I got, the more accessible the Internet became, and I discovered Super Sentai. Sure, I learned how and why localization DOES HAPPEN in the international market, as America and Japan are two culturally diverse worlds. That's why Power Rangers was born, although I just grew to dislike it at a PERSONAL LEVEL. Over time, I just decided I prefer Super Sentai to Power Rangers for rather PERSONAL reasons. I guess I was on the "winning side," even if Super Sentai is anything but perfect.

I wrote my "controversial rant" HAMMERING IBC-13 after Super Sentai ended. I was actually expecting a 50th Super Sentai series for 2026, but we had Project RED instead. RED means Records of Extraordinary Dimensions. However, No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger showed every sign that Super Sentai was ending with that giant Megazord Graveyard. Even more, the finale signs already began flashing in neon lights for five seasons, starting with Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger (45th entry). Avatar Sentai Donbrothers didn't shy away from Ranger History Lessons. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger didn't shy away from being a festival. The "diet" Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger gave us some more Ranger History Lessons. Those were clear signs that Super Sentai was going to end.

Reexamining the history of Power Rangers 

I looked back at the history of Super Sentai and Power Rangers. I even watched The Toys That Made Us episode about Power Rangers to understand the vocabulary. However, it was also there that truly cemented my further dislike for Power Rangers. I wrote an article where I talked about how Power Rangers was actually better for the American audience. However, stuff like the overextension of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers for three seasons, Power Rangers Zeo as a mere continuation, Power Rangers Turbo as a mere continuation, and well, I must admit Power Rangers in Space felt overcrowded no matter how much of a franchise saver it was. Sure, Power Rangers started with a "short era" of less focus on Mighty Morphin'. However, other issues like Disney's 38 episodes down to 32 episodes format made me annoyed.  

Super Sentai kept its format in such a way that even if theoretically the entries can belong to a single timeline -- I can choose to watch them in any order. I was even hesitant to watch Himitsu Sentai Goranger as it was 84 episodes long, while Dengekitai JAKQ was pretty much rushed with just 35 episodes. There was a year-long hiatus before Battle Fever J. 2013-2015 were those times when I chose to watch more older shows since the newer shows "felt boring". I watched shows that I missed at my OWN PACE. So far, I remember watching Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger while watching up on Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (which is an action-fest), and Ressha Sentai ToQGer, as well as Shuriken Sntai Ninninger.

The Nickelodeon disaster that may have accelerated Power Rangers' limbo

Nickelodeon, a station I used to like so much before, worsened it with the SUMMER BREAK FORMAT. Saban managed to buy back Power Rangers in 2011, and that's when the summer break mayhem began. Honestly, the format is so stressful that I felt, "Why am I even torturing myself here?" It was really proof of Power Rangers getting worse and worse due to one word: MISMANAGEMENT. I could understand if I could write terrible stories on MY OWN since I'm not being scrutinized by a producer or director. However, Power Rangers is supposedly handled by professional adults, just like Super Sentai. I have to ask, "What in the world are these executives thinking."

Super Sentai didn't go for that summer break. Instead, from 2011-2025, the franchise always went for the yearly release with SUMMER EPISODES. However, Power Rangers had missed the opportunity thanks to Nickelodeon's bad scheduling meant these as opportunity losses for these shows:

1. Ressha Sentai ToQGer 
2. Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger
3. Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger 
4. Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger
5. Mashin Sentai Kiramager
6. Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger 
7. Avatar Sentai Donbrothers
8. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger
9. Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger

If I'm not mistaken, the royalty fees that are involved could cost around USD 10 million to USD 15 million per show. Just think of the opportunity cost is around USD 90 million to USD 135 million has been becasue of the bad scheduling. Sure, there was some mish-mash like using Baron Nero from ToQGer to Cosmo Royale from Power Rangers Ninja Steel. However, all the mish-mash may have cost a staggering opportunity cost that huge for Toei. After all, the deal's contractual now, isn't it? 

That Great Leap Backward when Power Rangers Beast Morphers (during the Hasbro tenure in 20189) was based on Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters from FREAKING 2012. Honestly, I felt that was already a red flag. The series got too focused on choking in several continuities than operating with soft continuity. Mentioning Rita Repulsa to Galvanax? Honestly, then we had Power Rangers Dino Fury which if I must admit, made Kishinryu Sentai Ryusoulger a little more "watchable" regardless of how I feel the show's not worth watching. We had the mini-series Power Rangers Cosmic Fury which was just a mini-series. Honestly, YAWN, and Lord Zedd returning just for the sake of nostalgia and ratings was all about the Mighty Morphin' overdose SINCE 2011.

In fact, after 2011-2022, Super Sentai was somehow ready to just say goodbye. I thought about how Beast Morphers was stuck with its 2019 up to 2022 schedule, when it should've ended in either late 2019 or 2020. I thought about how Super Sentai was willing to finally close the book. King-Ohger happened in 2023 during Mighty Morphin's 30th YEAR. Beast Morphers had Jacqueline Scislowski was just "there" in Beast Morphers (bare minimum approach in a MODERN SHOW) while Erica Murakami was given something better to work with. I mean, Jacqueline CAN ACT and I bet she could've made a good Himeno for King-Ohger too if she could speak Japanese. 

The issue was that Power Rangers chose the "easy approach". I mean, I must admit I was laughing at how OLD people can become. Watching Mighty Morphin' Once and Always ends up being torture for me. Nostalgia fever? Well, I must admit that Ninja Sentai Kakuranger had a 30 years after story but it was on MIDDLE AGE STRUGGLES. Mighty Morphin' Once and Always felt more like a bailout especially with the release of a Robo Rita's Revenge game. Kakuranger 30 Years Later had no follow up video game or anything. Even the 20 years later films for Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and Bakuryu Setnai Abaranger where merely fun tributes that even a newbie could watch them first without getting lost. Sure, I'm also skeptical over the Super Sentai reunion movies but they don't look like they're bailouts -- just sideline projects.

The difference came eventually. Gozyuger became the final Super Sentai. Super Sentai was slowly preparing to move away from the TV screens. However, Power Rangers was somehow "stubbornly pushing" even after the series was mismanaged too much. I think about it that seriously, the brand that once allowed Toei to get money from the Western market is STUCK IN LIMBO while Super Sentai, the source material, just had a dignified retirement.