Kyôryû sentai Jûrenjâ

I'm old enough to remember when Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was on TV, and man that was 20 years ago. I went from being obsessed with the Power Rangers to no longer watching or caring about them after Season 2 around the time the movie came out in 1995. It seemed that way for a lot of my friends. I mean I remember how in the Halloween of 1994, so many kids including myself at school were dressed as Power Rangers, but the Halloween the year after I only noticed one kid dressed as a Power Ranger. I believe Power Rangers was at it's peak in popularity after the Green With Evil episodes to the second half of Season 2. When that show aired, I did not realize the show was using footage from a Japanese TV show. I did not hear about that until years later. But, I did notice at times even as a kid and more as an adult how the show wasn't always well done. Part of the reason is because the show changes from American footage to Japanese footage, and frequently there were the Zyurangers in scenes not morphed fighting alongside morphed characters, or lots of times there'd be people in the backgrounds of the fights, including kids that they tried to edit out in the American version, but weren't always successful.

I've seen all 50 episodes of Zyuranger, and I can't help but think about reasons why I'd say this show is better than the Power Rangers, and definitely better done. I believe part of the reason I lost interest in the Power Rangers was because the show wasn't well done, and it was predictable, as watching it years later I notice how the show doesn't have much of a plot to it. Zyuranger has more of a plot to the show. There also is more depth to the characters including the Zyurangers, even though we might prefer the characters from the American show over them. There is also more of a story behind the villains and even the monsters that strike. It also is fun watching this TV show as we get to see Japan. You can buy the DVDs subtitled, and if you're studying Japanese it would probably be a fun way to get to learn Japanese watching Zyuranger episodes.

So, while this show is a kids show and it seems like it would be PG-rated, it has a darker atmosphere than the Power Rangers. They edit some of the darkness from this show as lots of things from Japanese franchise gets edited for American audiences such as scenes from another Japanese TV show I really like called Dragon Ball Z, and one of my favorite video games Super Mario Kart where Bowser and Peach would drink champagne after winning the cup in the Japanese version, but not the American version. This show should entertain you more for the darker atmosphere and watching 50 episodes of Zyuranger feels more productive than watching 50 episodes of Power Rangers.

This show is also a little, but not much older than the Power Rangers. It's hard to believe that it's over 20 years old, it doesn't seem that old and it even looks less dated than Power Rangers. Though, if it were done today it would have had better effects.

So, while I as a lot of you think this show is better I wish they said more often at the time, how Power Rangers was from a Japanese TV show. Also, we can wonder what if this show came over to America instead of just using the Japanese footage and if it was dubbed, or even subtitled back then? Would it have done better than the Power Rangers? Oh Well, I guess we will never know.

If you're like me, you'll think of this show as better than the Power Rangers and will be sad when it ends after the last episode. I'm glad to see years later, what my childhood show was based off of.

I remember my days as a kid watching the Power Rangers, but when I saw this show last year, I discovered that it was much better than it's American adaptation and it also has a much darker tone than that.

Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger is a famous "Super Sentai" series which came to the air in 1992. It grew immensely popular in Japan until it had it's American adaptation in 1993 and they were known as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers which the battle scenes featured footage from the Japanese series.

If some people who still watch the Power Rangers come and ask me. Which I would chose, I would answer them that I would choose the "Super Sentai" any day.

The differences between this show and the American version are these The zords are colossal robots controlled by the Power Rangers. In Zyurangers, the dinosaurs are gods from the respective tribes of the heroes.

The legendary Tommy Oliver loses the powers of the Green Ranger while his counterpart Burai, dies from the green candle.

In most Sentai series, Yellow Rangers are mostly male while in the Power Rangers most of the Yellow Rangers were female. Boi is Tigerranger, while here in the US, Trini Kwang played by the late Thuy Trang is the Yellow Ranger.

I loved this show and I give this a 10 out of 10

The title says it all.

For those of you who don't know--I didn't, until about a year ago--the footage for the first season of the show "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers," a show that I and many others adored as kids, was only about half original. All footage of the Rangers unmasked or in the Command Center is original stuff, but their fights while in costume is actually footage from this show: "Kyôryû sentai Juurenjâ." Thank God for sites like YouTube, otherwise I might have never been able to see this show. Think Power Rangers, but much darker. Don't get me wrong, it's still a kids show, but an INCREDIBLY DARK kids show. The storyline is much more epic in scope than Power Rangers, and the characters are pretty lovable.

The basic plot is that a couple hundred million years ago, there were five kingdoms (Sharma, Etof, Daim, Risha, and the most prominent one, Yamato), who lived in peace and harmony with each other, watched over by a race of guardian dinosaurs for each tribe. For Sharma, the Mastadons, for Etof, the Triceratops', for Daim, the Sabre Tooth Tigers, for Risha, the Pteranadons, and for Yamato, the Tyrannosauruses. Even the kingdoms lived in harmony with each other, watched over by their God, Ultimate Daizuzyin. All seemed peachy...

Until a witch named Bandora (otherwise known as Rita Repulsa to us Americans) sold her soul to Great Satan--yes, THE Satan--and declared war on the dinosaurs and anyone who aided them. The war was a brutal one that almost wiped out the entire human race and pretty much DID wipe out the dinosaur population. Bandora almost won the war entirely, but each of the kingdom's best warriors were given a sacred medallion of their guardian dinosaur that allowed them to harness Gaiatron energy, the sacred power of the dinosaurs, and become Zyurangers for their respective dinosaurs. Goushi of Sharma became the Mammouth Ranger, Dan of Etof became the Triceratops Ranger, Boi of Daim became the Sabre Tooth Tiger Ranger, Princess Mei of the Risha kingdom became the pteranadon...and the mightiest warrior of the mightiest kingdom, Prince Geki of Yamato, became the Tyrannosaurus Ranger and leader of the Kyôryû sentai Juurenjâ.

When it became time for the final battle, Ultimate Daizuzyin appeared before the kingdoms, sending down a giant robot inhabited by his spirit. The Kyôryû sentai Juurenjâ, together with Ultimate Daizuzyin, banished Great Satan forever and defeated Bandora and her comrades. In the process, though, Ultimate Daizuzyin was split into three different forms--King Brachion, Dragon Ceasar, and Daizuzyin (who himself was the five combined sacred robot avatars of the gods).

Having pity upon Bandora, the kingdoms sealed her away on the moving planet, Nemesis, never to be opened again. As most stories like this go, however, a few idiots end up letting her out in modern times. And also as most stories go, the royalty of the ancient kingdoms predicted this. Therefore, the Kyôryû sentai Juurenjâ volunteered to have themselves put in suspended animation, to be awakened in the event that Bandora ever returned. Baarza the White Wizard, an influential force in the ancient war and a rival of Bandora, volunteered to watch over their bodies over the years to ensure that no harm came to them. It is he who awakens them and then serves as their mentor.

Things later get complicated when it is revealed that a Zyuranger possessing the medallion of the Dragon also exists--Burai, the Dragon Ranger. He too existed in ancient times and he too put himself into suspended animation...but not under Baarza's watch. Because unlike the others, he wanted to survive into the future so he could destroy the Zyurangers and get revenge on them, Geki in particular. Why? Well, it turns out, Geki is not the biological son of the Yamato king. He was actually taken away from his real biological father, the Black Knight (a prominent non-Zyuranger warrior of the ancient war), as punishment for rebelling against the Yamato government. The King of Yamato later killed the Black Knight in person when he tried to get Geki back. The Black Knight swore his firstborn son who he still had, Burai, to get revenge for his death and to become the new King of Yamato. The ancient war ended before he got the chance to prove himself from his training, however.

But wait, notice something? Yep. Burai is Geki's older brother. Doesn't it make sense now why Jason and Tommy always fought in Power Rangers? Or why they later worked together so closely? Yep, that's why.

Okay, now TELL ME you are not AT LEAST A LITTLE curious about this series after reading that plot outline and comparing it to Power Rangers. My suggestion? Get to YouTube right now.

"Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger" is one of the Super Sentai shows that is known to us Americans as the original version of "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" Season 1 with no Angel Grove, no Angel Grove Youth Center, no Bulk and Skull, no Command Center, and no Zordon and Alpha 5. You see, "Zyuranger" takes place in the city of Tokyo, Japan, which is getting under attack by the witch Bandora (aka MMPR's Rita Repulsa), who recently sold her soul to Dai Satan (aka MMPR's Lokar) to avenge her son Kai, right after she and her henchmen, Grifforzer (aka MMPR's Goldar), Tottpatt (aka MMPR's Baboo), Bookback (aka MMPR's Squatt), and Pleprechuan (aka MMPR's Finster) from imprisonment by two astronauts.

Bandora's nemesis, the Mysterious Wizard Barza, who wields a scepter that is similar to Bandora's, can disguise himself as an apartment manager working at the Sakura Mansion above his resting place (much like Superman/Clark Kent), and he also serves as an ally to the Zyurangers consisting of Geki/TyrannoRanger (aka MMPR's Red Ranger), Goushi/MammothRanger (aka MMPR's Black Ranger), Dan/TriceraRanger (aka MMPR's Blue Ranger), Boi/TigerRanger (aka MMPR's Yellow Ranger), and Mei/PteraRanger (aka MMPR's Pink Ranger). Grifforzer's wife Lamie/Lamie-Scorpion (aka MMPR's Scorpina) appears later in the show, and so is Geki's brother, Burai/DragonRanger (aka MMPR's Green Ranger).

In each episode, the Zyurangers battle Grifforzer, Lamie, and an army of clay foot soldiers known as the Golems (aka MMPR's Putty Patrollers), and later the Dokiita Golems (aka MMPR's Super Putty Patrollers), as well as the Dora Monsters, and the Zyurangers also battle them with the Guardian Beasts Tyrannosaurus (aka MMPR's Tyrannosaurus Dinozord), ZyuMammoth (aka MMPR's Mastodon Dinozord), Triceratops (aka MMPR's Triceratops Dinozord), SaberTiger (aka MMPR's Saber Toothed Tiger Dinozord), Pteranodon (aka MMPR's Pterodactyl Dinozord), Dragon Caesar (aka MMPR's Dragonzord), and King Brachion (aka MMPR's Titanus) when Grifforzer, Lamie, and each Dora Monster grows to giant size.

These Dora Monsters are not only based on World History, World Folklore (Greek Mythology and such, Fairy Tales we know, etc.), Plant and Animal Life, and such, but they are also classified into three groups: the Regular Dora Monsters, the Dokiita Dora Monsters, and the Zyu2 Dora Monsters. Here's what I remember from them.

REGULAR DORA MONSTERS=Dora Titan (aka MMPR's Giant), Dora Skeleton (aka MMPR's Bones), Dora Minotauros (aka MMPR's Minotaur), Dora Sphinx (aka MMPR's King Sphinx), Dora Goblin (aka MMPR's Gnarly Gnome), Dora Circe (aka MMPR's Pudgy Pig), Dora Cockatrice (aka MMPR's Chunky Chicken), Dora Cockatrice II (aka MMPR's Chunky Chicken), Jin/Dora Jin (aka MMPR's Genie), Dora Argus (aka MMPR's Eye Guy), Dora Ladon (aka MMPR's Snizard), Fairy DonDon (aka MMPR's Mr. Ticklesneezer), Dora Knight (aka MMPR's Knasty Knight), Dora Endos (aka MMPR's Pineoctopus), Dora Pixie (aka MMPR's Babe Ruthless), Dora Tortoise (aka MMPR's Shellshock), Dora Tarantula (aka MMPR's Spidertron), Dora Boogaranan (aka MMPR's Terror Toad), Dora Guzzler (aka MMPR's Spit Flower)

DOKIITA DORA MONSTERS=Dora Franke (aka MMPR's Frankenstein), Zombie Franke (aka MMPR's Mutitus), Satan Franke (aka MMPR's Mutitus), Dora Narcissus (aka MMPR's Octoplant), Dora Reiger (aka MMPR's Madame Woe), Magic Spinning Wheel (aka MMPR's Wheel of Misfortune), Dora Ninja (aka MMPR's Dark Warrior), Dora Ganrock (aka MMPR's Rockstar), Dora Goldhorn (aka MMPR's Samurai Fanman), Dora Silkis (aka MMPR's Weaveworm), Monster Goda (aka MMPR's Fang), Dora Fake (aka MMPR's Cyclops), Dora Antaeus (aka MMPR's Hatchasaurus/Cardiatron), Dora Chimaera (aka MMPR's Goatan), Dora Unicorn (aka MMPR's Polluticorn), Dora Mirage (aka MMPR's Twinman), Dora Talos (aka MMPR's Cyclopsis)

ZYU2 DORA MONSTERS=Goofish (aka MMPR's Goofish), Fleamonster (aka MMPR's Fighting Flea), Jellyfishmonster (aka MMPR's Jellyfish), Mantismonster (aka MMPR's Mantis), Dramole (aka MMPR's Dramole), Bee Monster (aka MMPR's Grumble Bee), Parrot Monster (aka MMPR's Two-Headed Parrot), Peckster (aka MMPR's Peckster), Lysinator (aka MMPR's Lizzinator), Pumpkin Rapper (aka MMPR's Pumpkin Rapper), Speed Shark (aka MMPR's Slippery Shark), Soccadillo (aka MMPR's Soccadillo), Rhinoblaster (aka MMPR's Rhinoblaster), Crayfishmonster (aka MMPR's Commander Crayfish), Oystermonster (aka MMPR's Oysterizer), Piranha Head (aka MMPR's Pirantishead), Pre-Gorilla (aka MMPR's Primator), Galamander (aka MMPR's Salaguana), Flowerbaster (aka MMPR's Bloom of Doom), Octophantom (aka MMPR's Octophantom), HoeSoilBeetle (aka MMPR's Stag Beetle), Venueleon (aka MMPR's Invenusable Flytrap), Robogoat (aka MMPR's Robogoat), MinGuitar (aka MMPR's Guitardo), Turban Shell (aka MMPR's Turban Shell), Pythor (aka MMPR's Pythor)

Overall, "Zyuranger" is the best of the best among other Super Sentai shows being adapted into such Power Rangers shows such as "Zeo", "Turbo", "Wild Force", "Ninja Storm", "Dino Thunder", and such.

I like Power Rangers, and it wasn't until late in 1996 I became aware of Sentai. Zyuranger from what I have seen appears to be darker that Power Rangers in a lot of ways even though there is a lot of silly humour in Zyuranger. I wish that a lot more Zyuranger footage had been used in Power Rangers, and I wish that the character dynamics had been copied to PR more. Also, I wish that Zyuranger would come out on video for the UK. I have still never seen the first ZYU ep - and I really really want to!!!! Does anyone have any video files of zyu for the first ep that they'd be willing to share? Does anyone know of any cool zyu sites out there or any cool zyu related stories or behind the scenes stuff? Please let me know.