Yuka Motohashi, 'Gekisou Sentai Carranger' Yellow Racer, Dies At 46
Yuka Motohashi, 'Gekisou Sentai Carranger' Yellow Racer, Dies At 46
Motohashi succumbed to cancer after a three year battle
Sometimes life just finds its stoplight. Sometimes it gets cut off. Super Sentai actress Yuka Motohashi, best known as Natsumi Shinohara, the Yellow Racer from 1996’s Gekisou Sentai Carranger, has died at the age of 46.
Her cause of death was an unspecified cancer that she had announced she was battling in August 2021. Director Hidekazu Takahara shared the news of her passing on Twitter, writing (translated): "Yuka Motohashi passed away. Friday, May 31, 8:43 a.m. She was 46 years old. She had been battling with cancer of unknown primary source for three years. Her health suddenly changed on Wednesday and she did not return home. The funeral will be a family affair, so we cannot inform you. I hope to be able to tell you about Yuka Motohashi again. I am just so sorry for her now.” Biographical information is sparse, but it is known she was born on February 23, 1978, in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from Shakujii High School.
Natsumi was the team mechanic, often butting heads with team leader Kyousuke, Red Racer for not taking his role seriously, but was sisterly towards Naoki the Blue Racer. Her team was adapted into Power Rangers Turbo, making Turbo Yellow Rangers Tanya and Ashley her counterparts. She also appeared in both crossover movies, with the preceding Ohrangers and the succeeding Megarangers respectively. She did still act after, appearing in Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core in 2010 as Naomi and is credited in two episodes for separate characters in Kamen Rider Amazons. Motohashi returned to Super Sentai in 2023, portraying the villain Sonona in the final episodes of Avataro Sentai Donbrothers. It would end up her final role.
TokuSHOUTsu, Shout! Studios’s Tokusatsu-centric label, had just spread their streaming operations to YouTube running multiple streams including Sentai series Chōjin Sentai Jetman and Mirai Sentai Timeranger, have added a Carranger stream in tribute. It joins a roster of streams that also include Godzilla, Sonny Chiba, Jackie Chan, ReBoot, The Aquabats! Super Show, Kamen Rider series Geats and Zero-One, a mix stream of multiple Kamen Rider series Ultraman UltraSeven, Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, one for everything Ultraman, a marathon of Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Gamera episodes, Digimon Adventure Tri. and even ALF’s Japanese dub.
Source: The Tokusatsu Network, Hidekazu Takahara