Juken Sentai Gekiranger

Juken Sentai Gekiranger (獣拳戦隊ゲキレンジャー, Jūken Sentai Gekirenjā)^{[lower-alpha 1]} is Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the Super Sentai franchise. Production began on September 29, 2006 with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It premiered on TV Asahi on February 18, 2007, and concluded its airing on February 10, 2008.

Its footage was used for the American TV series Power Rangers Jungle Fury. Gekiranger was dubbed into Korean as Power Rangers Wild Spirit for South Korean television.

Story

Juken Sentai Gekiranger

Four thousand years ago in China, a form of kenpō martial arts called Jūken (獣拳, "Beast-Fist") was developed. It was created by a man named Brusa Ee, who came to Japan and built the hidden village Jūgenkyō (獣源郷, Beast Origin Village). Jūken is a martial art in which one mimics the abilities of animals as well as trying to attain spiritual peace. However, dissent grew among the creator's ten students. Three of them believed that they should use the suffering and hatred harnessed within humans to increase their power, using their power to assume their monstrous forms; the Three Kenma. After Brusa Ee was murdered, the Kenma gathered followers to practice an evil form of the Jūken style known as Rin Jūken Akugata. The other seven students believed that true strength should come from within and engaged their former friends in a great war, ending the fight with a forbidden technique to seal the Kenma' powers at the cost of losing their own human forms in the process, becoming the Seven Kensei. Followers of the Kensei created the Geki Jūken Beast Arts school: the Jūken of justice whose sport discipline enhances the human body with the self-produced positive Qi^{[lower-alpha 2]} called "Geki". It is taught by Grand Master Xia Fu, one of the Seven Kensei, using a sports goods company named "SCRTC" as a front. By present time, a fallen student from the Geki Jūken school named Rio turns to the Rin Jūken style, rebuilding the Rinjū Hall and brings the long-dead Rin Jūken users back to life as kyonshi to collect Rinki, Geki's polar opposite Qi, in order to resurrect the Three Kenma so that through them, he can become stronger. To fight the new Rinjū Hall, Xia Fu had been training two youths: Ran Uzaki and Retu Fukami. Along with Jan Kandou, a feral boy raised by tigers in the woods near Jūgenkyō, the Gekiranger team is formed and later joined by two other Geki Jūken users, Gou Fukami, Retu's brother and master of the Geki Jū Wolf-Ken style, and Ken Hisatsu, a genius master of the Geki Jū Rhinoceros-Ken style, to save the world from the Akugata's ambitions. However, an even greater evil is using the two sides for its own agenda.

Production

In a final message to the fans, producer Hideaki Tsukada (塚田 英明, Tsukada Hideaki) cites various items he thanks for inspiring the series, including the past Sentai series and the essayist Tatsuru Uchida (内田 樹, Uchida Tatsuru) for teaching them about manga that they reference in the series. The manga mentioned are Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳, Hokuto no Ken), Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール, Doragon Bōru, 45), Slam Dunk (スラムダンク, Suramu Danku, 31), Judo-bu Monogatari (柔道部物語, Jūdō-bu Monogatari), Ranma ½ (らんま１／２, Ranma nibun-no-ichi), Shigurui (シグルイ), and others. They also thank Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh (King), and Yuen Biao for allowing them to use their names.^[1]

Episodes

At the end of each Lesson (修行, Shugyō), from the first 38 episodes and resuming at the 46-48th episodes, there is a short Beast Arts Academy segment that explains the many pieces of the Gekiranger arsenal, such as the capabilities of the Geki Changer or the performing of Geki Waza.

Nei-Nei! Hou-Hou! Hong Kong Decisive Battle

Movie Edition Juken Sentai Gekiranger: Nei-Nei! Hou-Hou! Hong Kong Decisive Battle (電影版 獣拳戦隊ゲキレンジャー　ネイネイ！ホウホウ！香港大決戦, Den'eiban Jūken Sentai Gekirenjā Nei-Nei! Hō-Hō! Honkon Daikessen) aired alongside the Kamen Rider Den-O movie Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born! starting August 4, 2007. The plot revolves on the Gekirangers, Rio, and Mere fighting the school of Mechung Fu (銘功夫（メカンフー）, Mekanfū) to prevent them from destroying Hong Kong.^[2][3]

Special DVD

Gyun-Gyun! Kensei Great Athletic Meet (ギュンギュン！拳聖大運動会, Gyun-Gyun! Kensei Daiundōkai) is a special DVD given out with the December issue of Terebi Magazine. After their latest win, the three Gekirangers find the Kensei stretching for their annual Kensei Great Athletic Meet. Jyan, wanting to win the gold medal and a year's supply of Terebi magazines, joins the Red Team (Sharkie, Bat, Elehung) to go against the White Team (Xia Fu and the Master Triangle). With Retu as judge and Ran as moderator, the contest starts with the dunking match, as clips of the training results of Bat Li, Elephung, and Sharkie are shown, ending with the white Team winning by default. In the second match, a horseriding match, the White Team had the advantage due to the Master Triangle's teamwork, with clips of their training results shown. But due to the banana Gorie dropped prior to the match starting, the Red Team wins. In the tie breaker, a one-on-one Sumo match between Gorie and Sharkie. But neither refuse to lose, using the Double-Double Clone Fist to take their fight outside SCRTC. Sharkie's attacks have no effect until he managed to use Gorie's strength to make the win for the red team. Despite the White Team's losing, Xia Fu steals the magazines, with the red team and the Gekirangers in pursuit. After Xia Fu is disciplined, seeing he needs more training himself, the DVD ends with a clipshow of the series from Lessons 1 to 35.

Gekiranger vs. Boukenger

In Juken Sentai Gekiranger vs. Boukenger (獣拳戦隊ゲキレンジャーＶＳボウケンジャー, Jūken Sentai Gekirenjā tai Bōkenjā), the Gekiranger team meets up with the team from GoGo Sentai Boukenger. The DVD was released on March 14, 2008, for rental and March 21, 2008, for purchase.^[4] This is the first team-up to be in wide-screen, appropriate as Boukenger and Gekiranger were the first Sentai series to be themselves shown in wide-screen. Dark Shadow's Shizuka of the Wind sneaks into SCRTC to steal a mysterious red jewel, leading to the Gekirangers confronting her. When BoukenBlack, BoukenYellow, and BoukenBlue appear, a battle among the two groups over the jewel occurs at Shizuka attempts to retreat until BoukenSilver retrieves from her. However, Satoru Akashi arrives and takes the jewel to his former teammates' dismay. Soon after, Master Xia Fu reveals that the red jewel in his possession is one of two that belonged to the Cosmic Kenpō Master Pachacamac (宇宙拳法の使い手パチャカマック, Uchū Kenpō no Tsukaite Pachakamakku), who gave them to Brusa Ee after their lengthy 200 day battle. While this occurred, Sakura goes after the blue jewel in the Rin Jū Hall, and with Satoru, they battle Rio and Mere, who join them soon after to gain the power that the Cosmic Kenpō style offers. The Gekirangers and Boukengers head to South America where they race towards the Darkness Pathway ruins as Bouken Silver, Geki Violet, and Geki Chopper battle Rin Jū Hippotamus-Ken Bākā. But once at the top, after they're too late to stop the villains from getting to the Cosmic Kenpō's secrets, Akashi reveals that Sakura was actually possessed by Pachacamac's descendant, the evil Cosmic Kenpō Master Pachacamac XII (宇宙拳法の使い手パチャカマック１２世, Uchū Kenpō no Tsukaite Pachakamakku Jū Ni Sei), who uses his power to turn Rio, Mere, and Bākā into his pawns. The Gekirangers and Boukengers team up to free Rio and Mere before all 13 stop Pachacamac XII in an epic battle on the moon.

Go-onger vs. Gekiranger

Initially scheduled for DVD release on March 21, 2009,^[5] Engine Sentai Go-onger vs. Gekiranger (炎神戦隊ゴーオンジャーVSゲキレンジャー, Enjin Sentai Gōonjā tai Gekirenjā) features the return of Hiroki Suzuki, Mina Fukui, Manpei Takagi, Riki Miura, Sotaro, Hirofumi Araki, Yuka Hirata, Naoki Kawano, and Kazue Itoh reprising their roles as Jyan Kandou, Ran Uzaki, Retu Fukami, Gou Fukami, Ken Hisatsu, Rio, Mere, Long, and Miki Masaki from Juken Sentai Gekiranger.^[6] The story features the Three Gaiark Ministers and their Nunchaku Banki (ヌンチャクバンキ) teaming up with the last remaining member of the Rin Jū Hall (臨獣殿, Rin Jūden), Meka (メカ), practicer of the Rin Jū Tortoise-Ken (臨獣トータス拳, Rin Jū Tōtasuken) who is after the golden orb that Long was sealed in. To defeat their common foes, the Go-ongers, the Go-on Wings, and the Gekirangers team up with the revived Rio and Mere to fight the new evil team and stop them from releasing Long.^[7]

On December 6, 2008, several of the cast members of Go-onger announced on their blogs that there is going to be a second Go-onger movie.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} The next day, Toei announced on its Go-onger website that the film was going to be Go-onger vs. Gekiranger, and that it was to commemorate the 15th of the Super Sentai V-Cinema VS Series, having started initially with J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai vs. Gorenger in 1978 and revived annually with Chouriki Sentai Ohranger vs. Kakuranger in 1996. The film was released to theaters on January 24, 2009.^[13]

Cast

• Jyan Kandou (漢堂 ジャン, Kandō Jan): Hiroki Suzuki (鈴木 裕樹, Suzuki Hiroki)
  • Jyan Kandou (Young; 15, 46-47): Arashi Fukasawa (深澤 嵐, Fukasawa Arashi)
• Ran Uzaki (宇崎 ラン, Uzaki Ran): Mina Fukui (福井 未菜, Fukui Mina)
• Retu Fukami (深見 レツ, Fukami Retsu): Manpei Takagi (高木 万平, Takagi Manpei)
• Gou Fukami (深見 ゴウ, Fukami Gō): Riki Miura (三浦 力, Miura Riki)
• Ken Hisatsu (久津 ケン, Hisatsu Ken): Sotaro (聡太郎, Sōtarō, Sotaro Yasuda)
• Rio (理央): Hirofumi Araki (荒木 宏文, Araki Hirofumi)
  • Rio (Young; 1, 12, 46-47), Jyan's Hong Kong Student (49): Shogo Ehara (江原 省吾, Ehara Shōgo)
• Mere (メレ): Yuka Hirata (平田 裕香, Hirata Yuka)
• Infinite Dragon Long (無間龍ロン, Mugen Ryū Ron): Naoki Kawano (川野 直輝, Kawano Naoki)
• Miki Masaki (真咲 美希, Masaki Miki): Kazue Itoh (伊藤 かずえ, Itō Kazue)
• Natsume Masaki (真咲 なつめ, Masaki Natsume): Sakina Kuwae (桑江 咲菜, Kuwae Sakina)
• Kentaro Hisatsu (久津 権太郎, Hisatsu Kentarō): Taro Ishida (石田 太郎, Ishida Tarō)
• Sachiko Hisatsu (久津 幸子, Hisatsu Sachiko): Juri Ihata (井端 珠里, Ihata Juri)
• Dan (ダン, Dan): Kenji Ohba (大葉 健二, Ōba Kenji)

Voice actors

• Master Xia Fu (マスター・シャーフー, Masutā Shā Fū): Ichirō Nagai (永井 一郎, Nagai Ichirō)
• Elehung Kam Po (エレハン・キンポー, Erehan Kinpō): Yū Mizushima (水島 裕, Mizushima Yū)
• Bat Li (バット・リー, Batto Rī): Shūichi Ikeda (池田 秀一, Ikeda Shūichi)
• Sharkie Chan (シャッキー・チェン, Shakkī Chen): Hiroya Ishimaru (石丸 博也, Ishimaru Hiroya)
• Gorie Yen (ゴリー・イェン, Gorī Yen): Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (大友 龍三郎, Ōtomo Ryūzaburō)
• Michelle Peng (ミシェル・ペング, Misheru Pengu): Atsuko Tanaka (田中 敦子, Tanaka Atsuko)
• Bion Biao (ピョン・ピョウ, Pyon Pyō): Takeshi Kusao (草尾 毅, Kusao Takeshi)
• Bae (バエ): Akira Ishida (石田 彰, Ishida Akira)
• Sky Kenma Kata (空の拳魔カタ, Sora no Kenma Kata): Rokurō Naya (納谷 六朗, Naya Rokurō)
• Sea Kenma Rageku (海の拳魔ラゲク, Umi no Kenma Rageku): Naoko Kouda (幸田 直子, Kōda Naoko)
• Land Kenma Maku (大地の拳魔マク, Daichi no Kenma Maku): Hidekatsu Shibata (柴田 秀勝, Shibata Hidekatsu)
• Sanyo (サンヨ, San'yo): Hideyuki Umezu (梅津 秀行, Umezu Hideyuki)
• Narration: Kei Grant (ケイ・グラント, Kei Guranto)

Songs

Opening theme

• "Juken Sentai Gekiranger" (獣拳戦隊ゲキレンジャー, Jūken Sentai Gekirenjā)
  • Lyrics: Neko Oikawa
  • Composition: Takafumi Iwasaki
  • Arrangement: Seiichi Kyōda
  • Artist: Takayoshi Tanimoto with Young Fresh on chorus

Ending theme

• "Tao" (道（タオ）, Tao)
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Katsuki Maeda (前田 克樹, Maeda Katsuki)
  • Arrangement: Kazunori Miyake (三宅 一徳, Miyake Kazunori)
  • Artist: Ichirou Mizuki with Young Fresh (Chorus)

Character songs

Beginning with Lesson 39 and ending with Lesson 45, the Character Songs replaced the Jūken Academy segments and "Tao" as the ending theme. The Juken Sentai Gekiranger Character Song Album was released on December 19, 2007, and includes the following songs and karaoke versions of each song.^[14]

• "Susume no Susume" (進めのススメ, "Pursuing Future") performed by Jyan Kandou (Geki Red) /Hiroki Suzuki (漢堂 ジャン（ゲキレッド）／鈴木 裕樹, Kandō Jan (Geki Reddo) /Suzuki Hiroki)
• "Run" performed by Ran Uzaki (Geki Yellow) /Mina Fukui (宇崎 ラン（ゲキイエロー）／福井 未菜, Uzaki Ran (Geki Ierō) /Fukui Mina)
• "Just make it out!" performed by Retu Fukami (Geki Blue) /Manpei Takagi (深見 レツ（ゲキブルー）／高木 万平, Fukami Retu (Geki Burū) /Takagi Manpei)
• "Wandering Wolf" performed by Gou Fukami (Geki Violet) /Riki Miura (深見 ゴウ（ゲキバイオレット）／三浦 力, Fukami Gō (Geki Baioretto) /Miura Riki)
• "Sōiu Koto mo, Aru Daro yo" (そういうコトも　あるだろよ, "That's it for Me") performed by Ken Hisatsu (Geki Chopper) /Sotaro (久津 ケン（ゲキチョッパー）／聡太郎, Hisatsu Ken (Geki Choppā) /Sōtarō)
• "Chigireta Hane" (ちぎれた羽根, "The Torn Feather") performed by Mere/Yuka Hirata (メレ／平田 裕香, Mere/Hirata Yuka)
• "Kuroki Kodō ~Yuruginai Omoi~" (黒き鼓動～揺るぎない想い～, "Dark Pulse ~Unwavering Desire~") performed by Rio/Hirofumi Araki (理央／荒木 宏文, Rio/Araki Hirofumi)

Notes

References

External links

• Juken Sentai Gekiranger at TV Asahi (Japanese)
• Juken Sentai Gekiranger at Toei (Japanese)
• Geki Waza.com at Bandai Entertainment (Japanese) (Inactive)
• Super-Sentai.net (Japanese)
• Juken Sentai Gekiranger: Nei-Nei! Hou-Hou! Hong Kong Decisive Battle Official website (Japanese) (Inactive)
• Juken Sentai Gekiranger at Columbia Music Entertainment