49th Super Sentai Series 'No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger' Officially Unveiled
The next Super Sentai series premieres on February 16. Maybe this time I’ll cover the show better
Well, it’s the first quarter of the new year, which means Japan’s Super Sentai franchise will soon be transitioning from the current series to the next. In this case it’s Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger making way for No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger, with the former’s finale airing February 9 to be immediately followed by the series premiere of the latter on February 16. It is the 49th Super Sentai series, and the 50th team, in the 50th anniversary of the franchise, so you’re going to notice celebratory plot elements.
It actually starts with a special episode zero that will air on the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club channel on February 2. The opening theme is “Winner! Gozyugers” by the band Wienners while the ending theme is “Biri Biri Be-lie-ving” by Miyu Kaneko. Head writer is Akiko Inoue, who comes from Kamen Rider Gotchard, while the action director is longtime franchise veteran Ryuta Tazaki.
In order to talk about the plot, we need to talk about the Rangers. Tono Hoeru played by Fuyuno Miu is the Red Ranger Gozyu Wolf. He is a good-hearted strong man that unsociable and foul-mouthed, with a tendency for violence which does not make for stable employment. He howls if he’s got enough energy on him. His enhanced sense of smell gives him the ability to scent-track. Rikuo Hyakuya played by Hideharu Suzuki is the Blue Ranger Gozyu Leon, a constant people-pleaser and strategist with super-hearing. He’s also a former idol singer but stopped following an “incident”. Sumino Ichikawa played by Maya Imamori is the Black Ranger Gozyu Unicorn. A telepath, she became a private detective after being expelled from a police academy where she was ostracized by her classmates. Still, she has no issue utilizing her charms as weapons when necessary. Sumino projects a calm personality but is devoted to her family.
Kinjiro Takehara played by Jin Matsumoto is Green Ranger Gozyu Eagle. He is a high school playboy who is considered rather serious but aspires to relax and party. He is does not have a good relationship with his family, but he does have super speed. Ryugi Bakugami played by Kanda Masakazu is Yellow Ranger Gozyu Tyranno. He possesses super strength as well as strong naivety, and his obsessive worshipping of the ancient power of the TegaSword has alienated the family.
The aforementioned TegaSword is voiced by Yuki Kaji. TegaSword is responsible for stopping a disaster between Megazord from past series but at the cost of splitting his powers into Sentai Rings that have scattered across the universe. Those Rings are drawn to those with powerful wishes; this will culminate in the Battle for the Rings to determine who is truly #1 in the universe. TegaSword is who assembles the Gozyugers.
The villains this season are the Braidan whose attack on Earth will be part of their plan to awaken TegaSword for themselves. The leader is a fused duo, made of Mr. Shining Knife, voiced by Tomokazu Sugita, and Mrs. Sweet Cake voiced by Reina Ueda. But that’s not all The Undefeated Special Attack Force Leader FireCandle, played by Daisuke Sambongi, is who will target the Gozyugers. They are a passionate fan “maintaining an unusual friendship” with Gozyu Wolf, and assisted by a character called Bouquet, who is played by Marupi but has no further character details
The reveals of the details from suit design to cast began in November, culminating in the annual press conference on Saturday, January 25. No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger premieres on TV Asahi on February 16. It is the earliest full series debut of the Reiwa era and earliest in general since Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger of the Heisei era in 2018. The five series from Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger to BoonBoomger all had March starts. A trailer was released, but not in a U.S.-available official or Substack-friendly fashion.
