Rin Jūken Akugata

is Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. Production began on September 29, 2006, with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It aired on TV Asahi's 2007 Super Hero Time programming block with '' Kamen Rider Den-O'' from February 18, 2007, to February 10, 2008, replacing '' GoGo Sentai Boukenger'' and was replaced by '' Engine Sentai Go-onger''.

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

Story

Four thousand years ago in ancient China, a form of Chinese styled kenpō martial art called was created by a man named Bruce Ee, who came to Japan and built the hidden 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 the monstrous Three Kenma. After Bruce 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 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 called "Geki." It is taught by Grand Master Sha Fu, one of the Seven Kensei, using a sports goods company named as a front. Presently, a fallen student from the Geki Jūken school named Rio turned to the Rin Jūken style. He rebuilds the Rinjū Hall and brings the long-dead Rin Jūken users back to life as kyonshi to collect Rinki, Geki's polar opposite Qi, to resurrect the Three Kenma so that through them, he can become stronger. To fight the new Rinjū Hall, Sha Fu trained two youths: Ran Uzaki and Retsu Fukami. Along with Jyan 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, Retsu's brother and master of the Geki Jū Wolf-Ken style, and Ken Hisatsu, a genius master of the Geki Jū Rhinoceros- style, to save the world from the Akugata's ambitions. However, an even greater evil uses the two sides for its plan.

Characters

Main

*Gekirangers: Students and associates of the Geki Jūken Beast Arts martial arts schools. The primary Gekirangers utilize the arm guards, which harness and amplify their Geki, to transform and store their weapons, such as the . After becoming , they gain the use of the and jet engine-like vents on their suits that channel their Kageki and enable various feats of speed and aerial maneuverability. Furthermore, the Gekirangers can use their Geki to manifest the auras of their fighting styles' totem animals into physical forms and combine them to form .
**: A feral child raised by tigers in the forest outside the who narrowly survived an attack by Long, who intended to kill him due to his lineage, and repressed the memories of the incident. As a result of his upbringing, Jan's vocabulary became limited, leading to him incorporating "Jan-ish" phrases such as "niki-niki", "zowa-zowa", and "waki-waki" in his speech. In the present, Master Xia Fu begins training Jyan as the latter embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken, which allows him to withstand most forms of pain, but requires assistance in mastering the Heart aspect. Soon after, Jan joins the Gekirangers as and becomes a practitioner of the and Geki Jū Shark-Ken styles. While transformed, he wields the and the . As , Jyan embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken and utilizes the Geki Jū Gorilla-Ken style. Jan Kandou is portrayed by as a young adult and as a child.
**: An employee of SCRTC who comes from a high-class family and initially focuses heavily on her willpower and keeping her heart in the highest place, to the point where she embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken. However, a combination of these and her inability to attend to small details leaves her technique lacking. In time, she becomes happier and more relaxed and is appointed leader of the Gekirangers. Additionally, she is a practitioner of the and Geki Jū Elephant-Ken styles. As , she wields the standard-issue weapon in its configuration and the . As , she embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken and utilizes the Geki Jū Penguin-Ken style. Ran Uzaki is portrayed by .
**: An intelligent yet solitary, selfish, and seemingly cold SCRTC employee who holds a grudge against Rio, who he believes killed his brother Gou when he was a child. In pursuit of seeking revenge, Retsu set aside an artistic career to study his brother's fighting style, but believes winning should be like a painting; complete and inspirational. Due to prioritizing his techniques in his training, to the point where he embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken, Retsu's attention to beauty costs him stamina, leaving his body at a disadvantage until he defeats Master Bion Biao in an endurance match and obtains Kageki. Additionally, Retsu is a practitioner of the and Geki Jū Bat-Ken styles. As , he wields the Geki Tonfa in its standard dual tonfa configuration and the . As , Retsu embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken and utilizes the Geki Jū Gazelle-Ken style. Retsu Fukami is portrayed by as a young adult, as a child, and as a baby respectively.
**: Retsu's overprotective older brother and a student in Jūken alongside Rio and Miki Masaki. Despite this, Gou initially lacks passion for justice and fights only for himself. This resulted in him developing and mastering a dangerous form of Geki called and reinventing the style into his personal . After their parents died, Gou forced Retsu to never practice Jūken before leaving to fight Rio using an imperfect form of a forbidden Geki Waza in an attempt to defeat and seal him. However, Gou was transformed into a feral werewolf and wandered the world for fifteen years until he eventually regains his human form and reluctantly joins the Gekirangers as . Unlike the primary Gekirangers, Gou embodies the aspect of Geki Juken and utilizes the brace in order to transform due to his Shigeki being incompatible with Geki Changers. Gou Fukami is portrayed by .
**: A free-spirited martial arts prodigy who trained at the Beast Origin Village and mastered one of the oldest fighting styles in the Beast Arts, the , to overcome the pain of losing his mother at a young age. He was originally meant to join Ran Uzaki and Retsu Fukami as their third teammate, but left to travel abroad due to his Geki Changer being broken and his desire to not restrict himself to the Geki Jūken school. Ken eventually returns in the present to aid the Gekirangers in their battle against the Rin Jūken Akugata and Gen Jūken schools as the white-colored before returning to work at SCRTC Meisters once the aforementioned battle is over. Unlike the primary Gekirangers, Ken embodies the aspect of Geki Jūken and utilizes the gauntlet in order to transform. In combat, he can utilize the technique, which allows him to channel his Geki over his hand and convert it into a diamond blade, along with Kageki. Additionally, the SaiBlade serves as his primary weapon, can switch between the gun-like mode and the blade-like mode, and can combine with the Super Gekirangers' Super Geki Claw to form the , which either Ken or any one of the Super Gekirangers can use to perform a Kageki/Geki Hard Diamond fusion attack. Ken Hisatsu is portrayed by .
*: The leader of the Rin Jūken Akugata school and a practitioner of the style who seeks to gain strength so he can never suffer pain again. He initially joined the Geki Jūken school, trained under Master Xia Fu, and formed a close bond with Gou Fukami, but was dissatisfied with his progress and left to join the Akugata. During this time, he harnessed the power of Rinki to manifest an armored form called . Throughout the series, Rio forms a rivalry with Jyan and cultivates Rinki from his fear, hatred, and jealousy before he is overthrown by Maku and manifests Dorinki from his self-hatred. After receiving more power and killing Maku to regain his position, Rio falls under Long's influence and uses the Gen Jūken school's power to transform into , gaining mastery over the style. Eventually, he discovers Long's treachery and joins forces with the Gekirangers to defeat him, sacrificing himself in the process. Rio is portrayed by as an adult and as a child.
*: A cruel and malevolent practitioner of the style who wields a pair of sais and a tongue-like weapon. Having died during the Geki-Rin Rebellion, Rio used Rinki to revive her as a Rinrinsi and grant her a human form a decade prior to the series due to their similar objectives. As a result, she became highly devoted to him and developed an initially unrequited love for him. She aids Rio in his plans throughout the series, during which she becomes a Vermilion Bird/ rooster-themed Genshou with mastery over the style while working with the Gen Jūken school, before discovering Long is manipulating Rio and joins the latter in helping the Gekirangers defeat him, sacrificing herself in the process. Mere is portrayed by .

Recurring

*: A fictional martial arts school that uses a form of Qi called as a source of power that manifests from the user's passion for justice and emphasizes the concepts of heart, technique, and body. The ultimate form of Geki is , which can manifest if the user has mastered the heart-technique-body triangle and possesses a selfless desire to protect others. The sporting goods company serves as a front for the martial arts school, specifically its Gekirangers.
**: An assistant to Master Xia Fu, a student of the Geki Jūken Beast Arts, practitioner of the style, and the head of SCRTC's special development department who is responsible for designing most of the Gekirangers' weapons. Before training in Geki Jūken, Miki was an infamous '' sukeban'' in her youth and former leader of the Kanto Sukeban Alliance. Miki Masaki is portrayed by .
**: Legendary creators of the Geki Jūken style and students of Brusa Ee. After three of their fellow students broke off to found the Rin Jūken Akugata as the Three Kenma and killed Ee, the Kensei battled them in what would later be called the Geki-Rin Rebellion. The Kensei used a forbidden Geki Waza to seal the Kenmas' bodies, but forcibly turned them into anthropomorphic versions of their fighting styles' totem animals. Following the battle, the Kensei swore a Jūken Oath of nonviolence, only using their skills in defense, established the Geki Jūken in the Beast Origin Village, and created the to prevent Akugata members from entering its sacred grounds. Following this, three of their number have become the after fully mastering one of the three major aspects of the Geki Jūken Beast Arts while one, Master Xia Fu, has mastered all three.
***: A grandmaster of the style and the leader of the Kensei who has mastered all three major aspects of Geki Jūken and serves as a mentor the Gekirangers. Master Xia Fu is voiced by .
***: A playful yet perverted Kensei, plant manager of SCRTC Meisters, and grandmaster of the style, which relies on the use of a meteor hammer, who normally resides on Shibe Mountain disguised as a mononoke. Elehung Kam Po is voiced by .
***: A stubborn and eccentric Kensei and grandmaster of the style, which focuses on graceful and elegant techniques combined with artistic beauty, though it relies on being in a trance. Bat Li is voiced by .
***: An emotional Kensei and grandmaster of the style, which relies on a hardened body and twin swords, who normally resides on the isolated Aozame Island. Sharkie Chan is voiced by .
***: The reserved head of the Jūken Consultation Office and grandmaster of the style, which uses powerful punches and climbing skills, who represents the of the Master Triangle and is also known as the . Gorie Yen is voiced by .
***: The sweet and bubbly director of SCRTC's Sweden branch and grandmaster of the style, which utilizes boardsport skills, who represents the of the Master Triangle, possesses a scary temper, and is also known as the . Michelle Peng is voiced by .
***: The grandmaster of the style, which emphasizes the use of kicks, who represents the of the Master Triangle, is also known as the , and previously monitored a national park in Kenya until he is summoned to train the Gekirangers. Bion Biao is voiced by .
**: Miki's daughter who attends elementary school, assists the Gekirangers, and eventually becomes a practitioner of the style with Retsu Fukami's guidance. Natsume Misaki is portrayed by .
**: Jyan Kandou's father, a practitioner of the Geki Jū Tiger-Ken capable of accessing white tiger-based Geki, star pupil of Master Xia Fu's, and senior master of Rio, Gou Fukami, and Miki Masaki who is also known as . When Rio left to join the Akugata, Dan attempted to save him, but was fatally wounded by Long, who used his Geki Soul to create Suugu. While Suugu initially serves Long loyally, Dan's soul would eventually awaken inside the Genshou and rescue his son, who kills him to release his soul. Dan is portrayed by , who also voices Suugu.
*: A fictional martial arts school and the Geki Jūken Beast Arts' rival school based in the , a dojo located on the remote , with a natural selection-based philosophy, believing that only those strong enough can survive their harsh and inhuman training methods. Rin Jūken practitioners use a form of Qi called , which is powered by the user's darkness and is used to perform fighting techniques called , with the ultimate form of Rinki being , which manifests through infinite rage and a desire to destroy everything.
**The : The Akugata's founders and counterpart to the Geki Jūken's Seven Kensei who mastered the Beast-Man Wicked Body Change technique to transform themselves into monstrous anthropomorphic versions of their respective fighting style's totem animals, though they require high amounts of Rinki. Years prior, they studied under Brusa Ee alongside the Kensei before their desire to use fear and rage to power themselves combined with Maku's grudge against Ee led to them murdering the latter, breaking off to found the Akugata, and starting the Geki-Rin Rebellion. However, the Kenma were defeated by the Kensei, who sealed their souls in three while their bodies were sealed separately. In the present, Rio gains possession of the Kenma Bracelets and steadily resurrects them throughout the series. While they are killed by Long, Jyan Kandou gains ahold of the Kenma Bracelets and receives their help in defeating Long.
***: A grandmaster of the style, which focuses on aerial attacks and damaging the opponent's psyche, whose power comes from hatred and malice. Additionally, he wields the halberd and can create illusions. His body was sealed in a stone tomb that Master Xia Fu sealed with a Geki barrier hidden on a mountain summit beset by a perpetual storm until Rio revives him in the present to train him. Impressed by Rio's ideals, Kata agrees, though the latter's brutal training methods lead to Mere fearing for Rio's well-being and resurrecting Rageku. Following this, Kata agrees to let her take over Rio's training and leaves for a separate section of Rin Jū Mountain. While taking part in an attack on the Beast Origin Village, Kata withstands most of the Gekirangers' strongest attacks until Jyan Kandou overcomes his illusions. An enraged Kata enlarges and overpowers GekiFire and GekiTohja Wolf, but is killed by SaiDaiOh. Amidst the Gekirangers' final battle with Long, Rio transfers Kata's Rinki to Ran Uzaki to unify the Geki and Rin Jūken styles. Kata is voiced by .
***: A grandmaster of the , which allows physical attacks to pass harmlessly through the user, whose training is based on jealousy and envy after being romantically spurned by Master Xia Fu in the past. Her body was sealed at the bottom of the sea before Mere revives her in the present for fear that Kata's brutal training methods would kill Rio. Rageku takes on Rio and Mere as students, teaching them to gain power from envy. While taking part in an attack on the Beast Origin Village, Rageku uses her powers to send the Gekirangers, Rio, and Mere back in time to the Edo period before attempting to destroy SaiDain. However, she is nearly killed and driven off by Geki Chopper and murdered by Long. Amidst the Gekirangers' final battle with Long, Rio transfers Rageku's Rinki to Retsu Fukami to unify the Geki and Rin Jūken styles. Rageku is voiced by .
***: A grandmaster of the , which focuses on brute force. As he possesses tremendous Dorinki from his endless rage, he served as the original leader of the Akugata and can empower his followers. In the past, Maku was infuriated that he was made Brusa Ee's successor on the recommendation of Xia Fu, Ee's first choice, rather than on his own merits. In response, Maku ended his friendship with Xia Fu and, after meeting Long, founded the Akugata, murdered Ee, and started the Geki-Rin Rebellion with the intention of becoming the strongest being on Earth. However, he was defeated by the Kensei and his body was sealed behind a locked door in the Rin Jū Hall. In the present, despite Kata and Rageku's warnings, Rio breaks the seal on the door and resurrects him. Disgusted by the changes that occurred while he was dead, Maku overthrows Rio, resumes his leadership position, and declares a new Geki-Rin Rebellion. While launching an attack on the Beast Origin Village, Rio's disrespect and his fellow Kenma's criticisms towards him cause the enraged Maku to enlarge before fighting the Gekirangers, who eventually defeat him. Amidst the Gekirangers' final battle with Long, Rio transfers Maku's Rinki to Jyan Kandou to unify the Geki and Rin Jūken styles. Maku is voiced by .
*: A practitioner of the style, which turns his vocalizations into Geki, who fought Mere during the Geki-Rin Rebellion, during which he assumed an imperfect anthropomorphic fly-like form, only to be swallowed by Mere before she died. After Rio resurrected her, Bae was resurrected as well and became dependent on her for his survival. Throughout the series, he impulsively serves as a commentator for battles between the Gekirangers' Kenpō Giants and enlarged Beast-Men and serves as an unwanted confidante for Mere before she eventually sees him as an equal. When she underwent the Fist Judgment to cleanse herself of her Genki, it entered Bae and fully resurrected him. Bae is voiced by .
*: A fictional martial arts group who utilize golden Qi called , practice , and seek to exceed the power of natural beasts by mastering the power of mythical creatures via thirteen fighting styles based on the Chinese zodiac and the Four Symbols, the latter of which being represented by the group's leaders, the .
**: The malicious Azure Dragon-themed coordinator and leader of the Gen Jūken, the self-proclaimed master of the , and an immortal whose true form is a many-headed golden dragon with terrible power who manipulates humanity on a whim. Because of his immortality and evil nature, he found the world dull and decided to create the "Destroyer", a mindless monster capable of destroying the world. To this end, he manipulated Maku in a failed attempt at turning him into the Destroyer before turning his attention to Rio and attempted to kill the Kandou family for fear that their ability to enhance their Qi would threaten his plans. In the present, Long reveals himself to personally oversee Rio's training until Mere discovers his true intentions and convinces the latter to join her in helping the Gekirangers defeat Long by sealing him in the , which Jyan Kandou takes possession of to protect it. During the events of the crossover film ''Engine Sentai Go-onger vs. Gekiranger'', Akugata engineer Meka steals the Dōkokugan and converts it into the in order to empower ''Nunchaku'' Banki as part of his plan to rule the world with the dragon's power. After Jyan and Go-on Red defeat ''Nunchaku'' Banki, the Dōkokugan's seal is partially undone, allowing Long to emerge and convert ''Nunchaku'' Banki into so he can seek revenge on the Gekirangers. He enlarges, but is defeated by the Gekirangers and Go-ongers, which restores the Dōkokugan to normal. Long is portrayed by .
**: A talkative, immortal Black Tortoise / snake-themed Genshou, Long's right hand, and master of the style, which emphasizes gravity-based attacks, that Long created from his own body. After inadvertently revealing Long's true plans to Mere, Sanyo battles her and Geki Yellow, Blue, Violet and Chopper. Despite surviving the battle, Sanyo helps recreate Long, who reabsorbs his subordinate after assuming his true form. Sanyo is voiced by .
**: A White Tiger / Tiger of the Earthly Branches-themed Genshou and master of the style, which allows him to use Geki and Rin Jūken styles, that Long created from Dan's Geki soul. While he initially lacked Dan's mind, Suugu slowly takes on aspects of the latter's personality and gains access to his memories. This would lead to Suugu overcoming Long's control and sacrificing himself to save Jyan Kandou. Suugu is voiced by Kenji Ohba, who also portrays Dan.

Production

The trademark for the series was filed by Toei Company on September 19, 2006.

In a final message to the fans, producer cites various items he thanks for inspiring the series, including the past Sentai series and the essayist for teaching them about ''manga'' that they reference in the series. The ''manga'' mentioned are , , , , , , and others. They also thank Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh, and Yuen Biao for allowing them to use their names.

Episodes

At the end of each , 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.

Specials

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

aired alongside '' Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!'' starting August 4, 2007. The plot revolves on the Gekirangers, Rio, and Mere fighting the school of to prevent them from destroying Hong Kong. The events of the movie take place between Lessons 9 and 10.

Gekiranger vs. Boukenger

In , 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. 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. The events of the movie take place between Lessons 35 and 36. The film is dedicated to Machiko Soga who died in 2006

Go-onger vs. Gekiranger

Initially scheduled for DVD release on March 21, 2009, 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''. The story features the Three Gaiark Ministers and their teaming up with the last remaining member of the , , practicer of the 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.

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. 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.

Kyuranger vs. Space Squad

is a V-Cinema special released on August 8, 2018 that features a crossover between '' Uchu Sentai Kyuranger'' and '' Space Squad''. Aside from the main cast of ''Kyuranger'', Yuma Ishigaki and Hiroaki Iwanaga (Geki Jumonji and Shu Karasuma in '' Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie''), Yuka Hirata (Mele), Mitsuru Karahashi (Fuwa Juzo in '' Samurai Sentai Shinkenger''), Kei Hosogai (Basco ta Jolokia in '' Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger'') and Ayame Misaki (Escape in '' Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters'') return to reprise their respective roles.

Cast

* : ,
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
** Rio (Young; 1, 12, 46 & 47), Jyan's Hong Kong Student (49):
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :

Voice actors

* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* :
* Narration:

Guest cast

* , 38:

Songs

Opening theme

*
** Lyrics: Neko Oikawa
** Composition: Takafumi Iwasaki
** Arrangement: Seiichi Kyōda
** Artist: Takayoshi Tanimoto with Young Fresh on chorus

Ending theme

*
** Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
** Composition:
** Arrangement:
** 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.
* performed by
* "Run" performed by
* "Just make it out!" performed by
* "Wandering Wolf" performed by
* performed by
* performed by
* performed by

Notes

References

External links

*
*
* at Super-Sentai.net
* at Nippon Columbia

{{Super Sentai

Super Sentai
Japanese martial arts television series
2007 Japanese television series debuts
2008 Japanese television series endings
Japanese action television series
Japanese fantasy television series
Japanese science fiction television series
Muay Thai television series