Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Morphers From Power Rangers/Super Sentai

So a while back, I listed my 5 Favourite Henshin Devices From Kamen Rider. But what about my favourite Morphers from Power Rangers/Super Sentai? Well, let’s count ’em off now. And as always, since I know some people aren’t familiar with the Sentai footage, I’ll primarily use names, terms, and historical events on the PR side of things, while also giving Super Sentai names and history afterwards. Also, keep in mind that I’m going to try to keep this list limited to one Morpher per team (so not the Dino Morpher AND the Brachio Morpher at the same time). Speaking of which, let’s start with…

#1 – The Brachio Morpher from Power Rangers Dino Thunder (Dino Commander from Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger)

Tommy‘s Morpher in Dino Thunder (Asuka’s in Abaranger). People have brought up the similarity of this Morpher to Tommy’s previous Morpher, the Turbo Morpher, in that it’s a wrist-mounted device that uses a key. This is actually a coincidence, as the construction of the Morpher for Abaranger didn’t have Tommy in mind (since for obvious reasons, they hadn’t planned on bringing him back for Dino Thunder yet), but it does lead to a few fan theories. Anyway, the Morpher also lets him call the Brachio Zord, as well as some of the auxiliary Zords for that season, and since it houses the Black Dino Gem inside, it also allows Tommy to become invisible.

#2 – Legendary Morpher from Power Rangers Super Megaforce (Transformation Cellphone Mobilates from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger)

This Morpher has yet to officially appear in Power Rangers yet, but it is the Morpher for the Gokaigers, and when it débuts in PR, it will allow the Megaforce Rangers to become the Super Megaforce. In addition, by using the various Ranger Keys with it, the Super Megaforce Rangers can become a copy of whichever Ranger the key was modelled after, with all their powers and weapons at their disposal. Naturally, being cell phones, they can be used as communication devices, and are used to summon their Zords.

#3 – The Omega Morpher from Power Rangers SPD (BraceThrottle from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger)

Sam’s Morpher in SPD (Tetsu’s in Dekaranger). As cool as the standard Morphers are from that season, the Omega Morpher takes everything it can do (communicator, Judgement Mode, Containment Mode, etc.) and adds more. Revving the throttle on the Morpher allows Omega Ranger to use various modes, including Electro, Muscle, Lightbeam, Blast, and Hyper Modes, granting him different advantages against different opponents.

#4 – The Power Morpher from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Dino Buckler from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger)

The Morphers of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger). It was a toss-up between this and the Zeonizers, and frankly, it was a matter of “which one would fewer people kill me for”. lol Anyway, the Power Morpher is a metallic belt buckle that houses a Power Coin. The coins can also be transformed into Power Crystals, which were used to take full control of the Dino Zords during piloting, or fire beams of light from the Megazord.

#5 – The Transformation Gun Gaburivolver from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

Like the Legendary Morpher, it has yet to appear in Power Rangers. By inserting different Beast Batteries into the Gaburivolver, the Kyoryugers can Morph, call upon their weapons, summon their Zords, and a few other things. Also, not only do they work as the team’s blaster side-arm, but they combine with the Gabricalibur (a sword side-arm) to become the Gaburu Cannon, a powered-up gun, which has been shown to assume a Bayonet Mode for mêlée attacks. So, yes, this is a Morpher, that is also a gun, that can also can become a sword. Something tells me that as soon as it hits stores, Lewis Lovhaug will drop everything he’s doing and go on a hunt for it. XD

Anyway, that’s all for now. Lemme know in the comments if there’s anything else PR/Sentai related you’d like to see me do a Favourite 5 of. Ja né!

Related articles

• #6: Go Go Power Rangers (eriknguyenblog.wordpress.com)
• Power Rangers Super Megaforce Summary (thepowerscoop.wordpress.com)
• The Queue: Super Sentai (wow.joystiq.com)
• Today is the Power Rangers 20th anniversary (kitguru.net)
• Welcome to the PRLG Fan-Film Series Blogsite! (prlgfanfilmseries.wordpress.com)
• The Power Rangers Turn 20 and Morph Back Into Relevance (business.time.com)
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Turns 20! See Where They Are Now! (perezhilton.com)
• Sentai-fy your Games! (tagsessions.blogspot.com)
• Gokaiger x Goseiger x Super Sentai: 199 Great Hero Battle (2011) (asianflixs.wordpress.com)
• Chroma Squad: Assemble Your Own Superhero Team… TV Show (technabob.com)

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Henshin Devices From Kamen Rider

Have I mentioned how much I love Kamen Rider? *ducks thrown objects* Alright, once or twice. Well, one staple of Kamen Rider that I always like to see them experiment with and upgrade from series to series is the henshin (transform) device, nowadays referred to as Drivers. In a nutshell, it’s a belt (most of the time, anyway) that is used to transform the wearer into their Kamen Rider form. In modern versions, it also unlocks different attacks, power-ups, and form changes to adapt to different opponents. The past few seasons have also used additional items in tandem with the Driver to do these things (cards, medals, rings, etc.). And here are five of my all time favourites here for you all. Oh, and before anyone says anything, the first series I ever watched anything of (not counting Saban’s Masked Rider) was Kamen Rider Kiva, the first season I watched from beginning to end was Kamen Rider Decade, and my personal favourite is Kamen Rider W. So, before anyone accuses me of this, yes, I’m going to be at least slightly biased to the more recent ones. Guilty as charged, let’s get this over with. lol

#1 – The Double Driver

The personal henshin device of Kamen Rider W, the Double Driver is unique among all henshin devices in that it essentially connects two people into one. It is first strapped onto Shotaro, then a copy appears on Philip. It utilizes purified Gaia Memories, USB port-looking devices that contain the memories of the world. To transform with it, Philip places a Memory in the right side (usually the Cyclone Memory) which causes his consciousness to travel with the Memory to Shotaro’s Driver. Shotaro then plugs it and a second Memory (usually the Joker Memory) in and slides the two apart to form a W shape, thus becoming…

By switching Gaia Memories in and out (Shotaro’s Metal and Trigger Memories and Philip’s Heat and Luna Memories), Kamen Rider W can execute half-changes, turning one side of his body a different colour to reflect the different power-ups granted. Also, a special Maximum Drive slot on the right side is used to allow W to execute a finishing move, accessed by plugging a Memory into said slot. Now, there does exist a Driver similar to this called the Lost Driver, first used by Kamen Rider Skull, that allows a single person to become a Rider that uses the power of whatever Gaia Memory is inserted, but since it works essentially the same, looks the same (minus a plug-in for a second Gaia Memory), and has actually been used by Shotaro and Philip on occasion to become Kamen Rider Joker and Kamen Rider Cyclone, I’m basically grouping it in here.

#2 – The IXA Belt

Kamen Rider IXA is probably my second favourite Kamen Rider, just behind Kamen Rider Skull, and naturally, I really like his Driver too: The IXA Belt. Simply take the Knuckle section, slap it to part of your body (preferably one that won’t hurt like a bastard later), then one it signals that it’s ready, clamp the knuckle back into place to become…

The IXA Belt also comes equipped with its own Fuestles, much like the ones Kiva has. They allow him to hijack Kiva’s weapons, summon his personal vehicle, power up the knuckle section into an attacking weapon, and more. Since the IXA Belt doesn’t lock itself down to a specific user, it means that, in theory, anyone can be IXA. However, that also means that, in practice, only the best for the job could be IXA.

#3 – The Diendriver

As I said before, MOST Drivers are belts. Here’s an exception: The Diendriver used by Kamen Rider DiEnd. Again, transformation is simple: Insert the DiEnd Kamen Ride Card into the slot on the left side of the gun, load, and pull the trigger, thus transforming into…

Now, wherein Kamen Rider Decade’s Decadriver allows him to assume the forms of other Kamen Riders and mimic their powers, the Diendriver has a different purpose: It summons Riders by having their cards inserted into the slot. Now, whether these are the actual Riders who then do as DiEnd asks, or copies based on their memories that do DiEnd’s bidding, or something else entirely isn’t 100% confirmed. In fact, many times, it feels like they’re one thing, then another thing another time. Like many things in Kamen Rider Decade, they choose not to explain this function too much…which is probably why a lot of people really don’t like that season, because they never frakking explained what the hell was going on most of the time. Still, it’s an awesome Driver/weapon, so I’m not gonna deduct points over that.

#4 – The V-Buckle

The V-Buckle (leave me alone, I don’t know what it’s called in Kamen Rider Dragon Knight) is different among most henshin devices in that it is actually used by a vast number of Riders. Which ones? EVERY SINGLE RIDER from the Kamen Rider Ryuki (Kamen Rider Dragon Knight) series, though obviously one in particular…

There’s an alternate design for the Alternatives, but it pretty much works the same way: Slide the Advent Deck in, and it transforms you into a Rider possessing the powers of said Advent Deck, each one based off a different creature. There’s just something ominous about when one of the Riders from that series drawing a certain card from their Advent Deck, in particular the Final Vent card that allows them to use their finishing move. They make it look as dramatic as possible, especially when they’re about to use it on each other, because you know someone’s about to die (or be Vented in Dragon Knight).

#5 – The OOO Driver

The OOO Driver, belonging of course to Kamen Rider OOO, it can be somewhat complicated to use at times. Basically, slide three Core Medals in, each one in the proper position, and run the O Scanner across all three in sequence to become…

So, why is this complicated? Well, there are seven sets of Medals, plus a few extras found here and there, each colour coded to their set and belonging to different sets of animals (birds, insects, reptiles, etc), and each Medal only works in a specific slot on the OOO Driver, granting a different armour piece to OOO. For example, let’s take my favourite Medals, the red ones. There’s Taka, which is a Head Core Medal, Kujaku, which is an Arms Core Medal, and Condor, which is a Legs Core Medal. To transform, you need Head, Arms, and Legs Medals, and while most of them can be mixed and matched, there’s one set that work entirely as a set only. If you’re missing one, you’re screwed. Plus, there are so many Medals, and at least two extra copies of each Medal, so handling them all can be troublesome. Still, if you can work around it, it’s one of the most powerful Drivers around, as using all three of a specific set grants power equal to the advanced forms of most Riders…although they also can cause you to lose consciousness if you use too much power and aren’t used to it…Yeah, that’s kind of a trade-off. o.O

So, there’s my 5 Favourite Henshin Devices. Got a favourite that isn’t on here? Or perhaps you prefer henshin devices from another series? Drop a line below, and I’ll see you guys next time when I talk about my 5 Favourite Morphers from Power Rangers/Super Sentai. Ja né!

Related articles

• Kamen Rider Decade (dheoalviansyahgoblog.wordpress.com)
• Decade! Girl (chocojenn.wordpress.com)
• Kamen Rider Craft DX 1.6.2 Mod for Minecraft 1.6.2/1.6.1 (minecrafthd.com)
• Kamen Rider Battride War [4] Platinum! & Oboro Muramasa (helugame.wordpress.com)
• Gokaiger x Goseiger x Super Sentai: 199 Great Hero Battle (2011) (asianflixs.wordpress.com)
• Tokusatsu Theater at Filmbar (legionofsand.wordpress.com)
• The Legacy of Japan’s Giant Robot Sci-Fi Shows (tested.com)
• Wonderful 101 Trailer Finally Released and the Trailer Looks Redonkulous [Video] (geekosystem.com)
• Obscura Magazine 2013 Summer Issue – The Ultraman Series (freshnessmag.com)
• Film Review: Pacific Rim (rosslangager.com)

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Most Surreal Moments in Power Rangers

So I was thinking recently about surreal moments in Power Rangers. Basically, the moments where your eyes widened and jaw hanged low and you just went “…Did I really just see that?!” Now, of course, this is simply opinion-based, and you’re all free to leave your own list at the bottom. Also, gonna try to keep this limited to one moment per season, otherwise we’d be seeing a LOT of the same people on here over and over…In fact, as it is, there’s still at least one guy involved in more than one of these. lol And finally, as usual, this is not in order of personal preference, though I will be trying to put them in chronological order.

#1 – Kimberly’s Rita Impression in MMPR Season 2: Beauty and the Beast

…Okay, this one I’m gonna show footage of, because it’s just…WOW.

How much fun do you figure Amy Jo Johnson had to be having in this scene? Also, you gotta imagine Barbara Goodson was having a lot of fun watching it.

#2 – The Command Center exploding in MMPR Season 3: Hogday Afternoon

I should note that another MAJOR surreal moment in this season was Master Vile‘s End of the World party, but I opted to go with this one instead, simply for the massive emotional whiplash involved. The Rangers had just been returned to their proper age after spending several episodes as children, the Alien Rangers had just left Earth after defeating their greatest foe, and the Zeo Crystal had been reformed and was going to be used to return the Rangers’ powers. So what ends up happening? Rito and Goldar sneak in, steal the Crystal, and blow up the Command Center, seemingly with Zordon and Alpha inside. So what should’ve been the Rangers’ greatest victory is now their biggest defeat. It wasn’t until the first episode of Power Rangers Zeo that we saw it all get turned around in their favour again, and until then, we were left with the horrific thought of the Power Rangers without power, Zordon and Alpha dead, and Rita and Zedd in prime position to take over the Earth. SHOCKING.

#3 – The Turbo Rangers get baked into a giant pizza in Power Rangers Turbo: Trouble By The Slice

…..Y’know, this entire season, we’ve had Bulk and Skull turned in monkeys, main characters shuffled off with little to no recognition for their earlier endeavors on the show, four fifths of the titular characters swapped out, and now the Rangers get baked into a giant pizza! Now, I still stand by my statement that the Turbo movie was worse than the ensuing season, but the primary reason for it is because it was pretty much the starting point for all this crap. Plus, they weren’t using Sentai footage, so they couldn’t blame any of what happened in it on that…which, by the way, I will concede that this scene DID happen in Carranger, but for the love of crap, there was nothing that said they HAD to use this.

#4 – Every single thing that Lothor did in Power Rangers Ninja Storm

This guy gives me a frakking headache the size of which even Rita Repulsa would think was insane. Between this and the Ninja Storm drinking game (take a shot everytime someone says ‘dude’), it’s a mystery how Ninja Storm didn’t kill people who watched it. Again, I feel the need to point out a major runner-up, the time that Shane rode on Dustin’s back like a skateboard for a double-attack. However, as bizarre as that is, it pales in comparison to the bizarre activities of Lothor, AKA the man who would’ve been the worst villain in PR history if not for the existence of Divatox.

#5 – Tommy kicks a t-rex in the face in Power Rangers Dino Thunder: Day of the Dino

………….Just show it. -_-

No, I will NEVER get over this! Not only does Tommy spin-kick a mother fuckin’ t-rex, but he actually manages to get away with it! If this was Jurassic Park, that t-rex woulda eaten his ass! Seriously, what would the t-rex from that movie say to this one?

“Dude, really? You got pwned by one guy? What, did he have a grenade launcher?…He SPIN-KICKED you in the face?! Okay, unless he was Chuck Norris, I……Oh. JDF…….*sighs* Okay, nevermind…”

Anyway, those were the 5 Most Surreal Moments in Power Rangers. Leave your own list below, and I shall see y’all later! Ja né!

Kamen Rider Spotlight: Kamen Rider W

Well I decided it was time to start blogs about Kamen Rider, and what better way to give my thoughts than to give each Rider their own spotlight and give my thoughts on each of them individually? So with that in mind, let’s take a look at Kamen Rider W.

"Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!"

Two men, one Rider. Detective Shotaro Hidari, and an amnesiac with the ability to enter the ‘Planetary Bookshelves’ Philip. Together, they form a Rider with speed, skill, power, and an uncanny ability to adapt to nearly any situation.

While I probably shouldn’t make claims as far as who I feel is the strongest, weakest, fastest, smartest, etc. Riders are, I will say that W is likely one of if not the most well-balanced of the Kamen Riders. With two minds in one body and the ability to change the two halves of his, or more precisely THEIR, body to better suit his opponents and/or environment, W rarely finds a situation that’s beyond their ability to adapt to. The only real weakness they have overall is that if Shotaro and Philip aren’t able to stay focused and united, their combo can break down. With that said, let’s take a look at W’s various forms.

Cyclone! Joker!

CycloneJoker is a swift hand-to-hand fighter that can move like the wind. W generally starts battles in this form to start the feeling-out process against opponents and likely due to Shotaro’s affinity for the Joker half. Finishing move is Joker Extreme, a gusty dropkick that sends the two halves splitting apart and then colliding into the opponent before recombining.

Heat! Metal!

HeatMetal is a heavy fighter with a steel rod that burns enemies with intense flames. Although likely the slowest of the different W forms, the blazing Metal Shaft more than makes up for it, as it acts as a powerful weapon from both on offensive and a defensive perspective. Finisher is Metal Branding, focusing all the searing fire into one powerful smack from the Metal Shaft.

Luna! Trigger!

Probably my favourite form, LunaTrigger is a gunslinger that can curve his energy shots to always hit his opponents and no one else. The only real weakness it has is that the blasts aren’t as powerful as HeatTrigger‘s, and should the opponent get through them, W is somewhat defenceless. W’s finishing move in this form is Trigger Full Burst, which sends a barrage of charged up homing blasts at the target.

Heat! Joker!

HeatJoker is hand-to-hand fighter with fists and feet furiously aflame. While not as fast as the other Joker Half Changes, HeatJoker packs the most power behind W’s blows. Finishing move is Joker Grenade, which sees W doing a jumping somersault before splitting in half and delivering a pair of burning punches.

Cyclone! Metal!

CycloneMetal is a fighter that is both speedy and tough. While it doesn’t offer W with as much speed or power as other forms do, it does grant a decent balance. Finishing manoeuvre is the Metal Twister, a flurry of swings from the Metal Shaft that carries a small tornado of energy along with it.

Heat! Trigger!

HeatTrigger is a super-powered-up gunslinger that can shoot bursts of flame from the Trigger Magnum. While it lacks the sheer inability to miss that LunaTrigger possesses, the blasts have far more power. The finisher is Trigger Explosion, a massive stream of flame and magma that burns away anything in its path. An upgraded form of this attack was used once in a Twin Maximum, but the resulting blast also burned away at W, injuring Shotaro and forcing them to never attempt it again.

Luna! Joker!

The last of W’s hand-to-hand fighting forms, only this one has more range…a LOT more range. LunaJoker gives W the ability to stretch out limbs near-infinitely. While his blows don’t pack as much power as in other forms, that W can attack from such a range is certainly helpful. Finisher is known as Joker Strange, wherein the two halves split apart with the Luna half duplicating itself and sending out a barrage of extended slaps and chops, followed by two super-powered chops from the Joker half.

Cyclone! Trigger!

CycloneTrigger is a speedy gunslinger that can fire concussive blasts of wind out of the Trigger Magnum. Fast and furious, this form lets W move in fast and get a quick volley of windy blasts in. The finisher is Trigger Aerobuster, which shoots a small tornado of energy at the target, blowing them away.

Luna! Metal!

LunaMetal is a powerful warrior with near-infinite reach, the Metal Shaft now being able to stretch itself to hit anything anywhere. While it loses some of the power once backing it, being able to stretch out that far is a definite plus. Finisher is called Metal Illusion, wherein the Metal Shaft creates golden razor-sharp rings that slash away at foes.

Fang! Joker!

FangJoker is a touch more unusual a form for W, as with this form Philip forms the body instead of Shotaro. As such, it cannot be used for long before Philip’s weaker body gives out. However, in the time that it works, FangJoker provides W with a more ferocious fighting style that cuts down all before him with a series of blades that can be used for close-up and ranged attacks. Finisher is a spinning, slashing roundhouse kick called the Fang Streiser.

XTREEEEEEEEEEMEEEE!!!

CycloneJokerXtreme is the evolved form of W, given new strength and abilities from the Xtreme Memory. In addition to powering up CycloneJoker form’s natural strengths, transforming the Joker Extreme in the massive-tornado-empowered Double Extreme, it also grants access to the Prism Bicker, a sword and shield that can unite the various elemental powers of W’s into a focused blast, the Bicker Finallusion, or a powerful slash, the Bicker Charge Break.

"Philip! We've become a CG effect!"

CycloneJokerGoldXtreme is the final and most powerful form of W, so powerful in fact that he cannot achieve it naturally and must be empowered further by an outside force strong enough. It grants W wings with which to fly, and W’s finisher is evolved once again into the Golden Extreme, a shining dropkick that obliterates any foe.

Anyway, that’s all for my first installment of the Kamen Rider Spotlight. Lemme know what you think and if there’s any Riders you’d like me to check out in the future.