“Kyoryu” means “dinosaur.” “Zyu” is phonetically identical to “juu,” or “beast.” Hence, the show is sometimes called Juuranger. However, “Zyuranger” is written in Romanji on most of the team’s equipment, so we accept that as the official spelling.

170 million years ago, humanity and dinosaurs lived in peaceful co-existence, worshiping the five Protector Beasts. After a terrible tragedy took the life of her son, Kai, the queen of the Dal Tribe, Bandora, sold her soul to the evil god Great Satan and used her new powers to wipe out the dinosaurs. The Protector Beasts sealed Bandora and her henchmen into a magic canister on the planet Nemesis, then placed the last surviving members of each of the five major tribes that existed then into suspended animation. Placed under the sorcerer, Barza’s guardianship, the Zyurangers awaken in the present day when Bandora is accidentally freed from imprisonment.

The Characters-

Geki/Tyrannoranger

Played by Yuuta Mochizuki. Also played one of the Neojetmen in Jetman, Koji Segawa in Kamen Rider J, and Tuxedo Kamen in a live-action musical based on Sailor Stars.

Adopted prince of the Yamato tribe and leader of the Zyurangers. A capable and compassionate leader as well as a loyal friend. Actually son of Black Knight, the full story is revealed when he learns about his older brother, Brai.

Legendary Weapon: Ryuugekigen/Dragon Attack Sword

Protector Beast: Tyrannosaurus

Goshi/Mammothranger

Played by Aohisa Takayasu

Sort of the big brother guy. Goshi is usually called upon when a mature perspective is necessary, whether to aid the team or to kick off an episode. A natural strategist at heart, Goshi is probably Geki’s best friend out of all the Rangers.

Legendary Weapon: Mothbreaker

Protector Beast: Zyumammoth

Dan/Triceraranger

Played by Hideki Fujiwara. Also played Dimensian Dan in Jetman.

Knight of the Etov tribe, and apparently the writers’ favorite Zyuranger, given how often he’s the central ranger in an episode. Fun-loving and playful

Legendary Weapon: Tricelance

Protector Beast: Triceratops

Boi/Tigerranger

Played by Takumi Hasimoto. Played one of the Megarangers’ classmates.

The youngest, and knight of the Dyme tribe. Very mature and level-headed for his age, Boi is the most athletic and agile of the group, combing his formidable fighting skills with a blinding array of acrobatics. And yes, believe it or not he’s male in the original. You’d be surprised how many yellow rangers are.

Legendary Weapon: Saberdagger

Protector Beast: Saber Tiger

Mei/Pteraranger

Played by Reiko Chiba, who went on to become one of Japan’s most popular models after Zyuranger ended.

If Goshi is the big brother, Mei is the big sister. She’s also the only Zyuranger who ever changes their hairstyle. Mei is the heart of the group, with a very warm and nurturing personality. Princess of the Lycia tribe.

Legendary Weapon: Pterarrow (bow and arrow)

Protector Beast: Pteranodon

Brai (Burai)/Dragonranger

Played by Shiro Izumi, who played Yuma in Changeman.

Geki’s older brother, originally appears as a villain. Was raised to avenge his father’s defeat at the hands of the King of the Yamato tribe. Changes sides after realizing his brother’s love, fights on Zyurangers’ side until dying late in the series.

Weapon: Zyuusoken (Beast Signal Sword)

Protector Beast: Dragon Caesar

Note: There was a tremendous postcard writing campaign in Japan after the death of Burai, in which the viewers could wrote in and asked Clotho to bring Burai back to life. In the end, however, the writers chose not to bring him back.

Barza

Played by Jun Tatara

An old magician who kept watch over the Zyurangers should they ever be needed again, and helps them out whenever they need to do research on Bandora’s latest monster (this actually happens pretty often). Barza used to have powerful magic but lost most of it after Bandora beat him in the past. He poses as the superintendent of an apartment building when not helping the Zyurangers.

Clotho

Played by Mayumi Sakai (probably young Clotho)

Clotho is a goddess of life, who usually appears as a pale girl in a white cape and hood. She reveals herself as a beautiful goddess to Dan and Goshi when they try to retrieve a legendary elixir to save Brai’s life. Clotho was the name one of the Fates of Greek myth.

Bandora

Played by Machiko Soga, who played Queen Hedrian in both Denjiman and Sun Vulcan. Apparently also played God Iguana in Rainbowman, Pandora in Spielvan, and was the voice of Dr. Kate in Kamen Rider Stronger.

Formerly queen of the Dal tribe, she sacrificed her soul to Satan for magic power to get revenge when her son Kai was killed by a dinosaur (he started it). Hates kids, which is why they are the show’s endangered civilians of choice. Throws staff to Earth to enlarge monsters. Bandora sounds like Pandora, the woman who released all the evils of mankind into the world, kind of like how Bandora unleashed Dai Satan and all her monsters to bedevil humankind.

Totpat

Voiced by Kaoru Shinoda

A goofy monster with the genes of vampire bats. Wears a monocle. Hangs out with Bukbuk.

Bukbuk

Voiced by Takeshi Watabe

A chubby blue troll who is something of a spazz and Totpat’s buddy. Armed with the Bukrapper pistol, and carries all kinds of stuff in a bag.

Priprican

Voiced by Yutaka Oyama

An aged creature with leprechaun genes who creates Dora Monsters.

Grifforzer

Voiced by Kan Tokomaru

A powerful bestial warrior with griffon genes. Clad in gold armor, his sword, the Grifocaliber 4, is as strong as Geki’s sword.

Lammy

Played by Ami Kawaii

A late arrival and Grifforzer’s loving wife. Frequently fights alongside him after showing up, and changes into the hideous Lammy Scorpion after being enlarged. Has the best haughty laugh ever.

Golems

Bandora’s army of animated clay soldiers. Two rocky Captain Golems lead the group. Hands sometimes change into blades or balls. Later Golems made of Dokeeta clay split in two after being damaged, but can be obliterated with Thunder Slingers.

Dora Monsters

Monsters brought to life from clay sculptures by Priprican in a magic oven.

Dai Satan

Voiced by Seizo Kato, the head belongs to Masahiko Urano

The evil god who gave Bandora her magic powers, and is summoned twice in the series. First to back up Satanfrank, the second to aid Dora Talos. He is defeated by Ultimate Beast God the first time, destroyed by it the second.

Kai

Played by Kazo Takahashi, Tran in Jetman.

Bandora’s son, whose death encouraged her to get power from Satan to wipe out the dinosaurs. Appears in the last few episodes to lead the final attack against the Zyurangers.

Dinobuckler: A belt buckle device which, when fitted with a dino-coin, allows the Zyurangers to transform by calling out “Dinobuckler!”

Ranger Stick: Standard-issue weapon that the five main Zyurangers have. Can be used as a laser gun (Ranger Gun) or a dagger (Ranger Sword).

Road Saurers: Three motorcycles for the group. Geki has his own, Boi rides sidecar in Goshi’s, and Mei rides sidecar in Dan’s.

Legendary Weapons: Acquired in episode 4 and used for the duration. Can be used in human or powered-up forms, and transform when the Zyurangers do. Combine into crossbow-shaped Howling Cannon, which is used to finish off normal-sized monsters.

Zyusoken: Flute/dagger. Can be used as a sword, and its melodies summon and control Dragon Caesar. Originally owned by Brai, passed on to Geki upon Brai’s death.

Dragon Armor: Golden collar worn by Dragonranger, also given to Geki upon Brai’s death. Can enhance his abilities up to forty times when worn, and repel even King Brachion’s attacks.

Thunder Slinger: A new weapon for each ranger acquired by Geki and Brai in episode 29. Can be combined with the Ranger Gun to make the even more powerful Ranger Slinger.

Shugozyu (Protector Beasts): Avatars of the dinosaur gods who give the Zyurangers their powers. While apparently robotic they actually have minds of their own.

Tyrannosaurus: Larger and more powerful than other Protector Beasts. Armed with Tyranno Sonic finishing attack.

Zyumammoth: Sprays the freezing Mammoth Blizzard.

Triceratops: Tank-like vehicle, armed with laser cannon and horn grappling cables.

Sabertiger: Fastest Protector Beast, laser cannon in tail.

Pteranodon: Only flying Protector Beast, shoots lasers from its wings.

Dragon Caesar: Controlled by Zyusoken. Tail tipped with drill, and features missile launchers in its fingertips.

King Brachion: Masterless “carrier” Protector Beast, armed with giant cannons.

Daizyujin (Great Beast God): The giant sentient warrior created when the five main Protector Beasts combine. Initial form is Dinotanker, a rolling tank-like formation with cannons as arms. Uses the Godhorn sword and Zyumammoth’s head as a shield.

Finishing attack: Legend Thunder Light Cut, energized sword slash

Voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata, who also lent his voice to General Shadow in Kamen Rider Stronger and Captain Daiskue Gondo in Ultraman Jonias.

Gouryujin (Mighty Dragon God): A more powerful warrior formed from the Zyumammoth, Sabertiger, Triceratops and Dragon Caesar. Frequently teams up with Tyrannosaurus. Armed with Dragon Antler drill-staff. Can also shoot the fin on its head off as a laser, but that never works.

Finishing attack: Dragon God Thrust, spins the drill on the tip of its staff and jabs it into a monster

Zyutei Daizyujin (Emperor Great Beast God): Dragon Caesar attaches to Diazyujin’s shoulders.

Finishing attack: Empire Attack, fires a ball of energy with the Z-shaped symbol on the Dragon Caesar’s legs in the middle

Kyukyoku Daizyujin (Ultimate Great Beast God): Combination of Zyutei Daizyujin and King Brachion. Ultimate combination.

Finishing attack: Gran Vanisher, barrage of energy bolts

Episode and Monster Guide-

1-The Birth

Two astronauts land on the planet Nemesis at the edge of the solar system and find a strange capsule which they open (there are two children along in their space shuttle, by the way). By doing so, they release Bandora and her henchmen. Thoroughly merciless, she literally blows them into space and prepares to travel to Earth.

Bandora creates Bandra (sic) Palace out of buildings. Barza tries to combat Bandora, but his magic is too weak. Barza decides to awaken the Zyurangers. Goshi, Dan, Boi and Mei come out fine, but when he tries to open the door of the final chamber, the key breaks. The others decide they can’t wait, since Bandora is going to kill the children in a short time. They drive to Bandora’s palace on the Road Saurers and enter, finding themselves on a beach with a bunch of small, cute clay critters. Cute, that is, until they grow into Golems. Bandora zaps the rangers, and they are transported elsewhere.

The four rangers are trapped in a cage, but the tyrannosaurus statue in the temple fires a beam that opens the final door, releasing the fifth ranger, Geki, who quickly frees the others. The five of them run outside the palace, where Barza tosses them special coins, which are inserted into their Dinobucklers, and for the first time the Zyurangers henshin. They introduce themselves one by one with dramatic echoey voices (the effect undercut some by the silly posturing), and then fight Grifforzer and some Golems.

Dan and Mei save the kids in the nick of time, but a giant hand reaches through the wall and grabs the shuttle (which was tiny before but is really big now). It is Dora Titan, the first Dora Monster. He and the palace disappear to their new home on the moon.

Dora Titan was a giant knight with a sword.

2-The Resurgence

The rangers reminisce about the war with Bandora, and her being imprisoned on Nemesis by the Protector Beasts. But now they have to defeat her for good. Bandora has Priprican create Dora Skeleton and sends the now miniature again shuttle to Earth to lure out the Zyurangers (it flies by some schoolgirls and blows their skirts up).

The rangers ride out on the Road Saurers but are attacked by Doraskeleton and transported to an amusement park. Their inferior weapons break, and soon they just transform to fight him. He teleports them to a shadowy room in Bandora’s palace where they are attacked by skeleton-suited thugs. Killing Dora Skeleton is complicated because he can reassemble himself, but Boi throws his head into a chasm and that’s the end of it.

This time the rangers save the shuttle, but Dora Titan reaches through the wall again…this time he grabs Geki! He corners the rangers in a pit, but something very large rises from the ground. It’s Geki’s Protector Beast, which he rides into battle and destroys Dora Titan (for a bit of poetic justice, they send the evacuated shuttle flying into Dora Titan’s face before Geki finishes him off).

Dora Skeleton was a skeleton with a large hat. He could reassemble his body after being blown apart and his flying, disembodied skull could teleport people.

3-Battle in the Land of Despair

The rangers are training, but their weapons keep breaking because the rangers are too strong. Goshi tells them about the Legendary Weapons, powerful weapons hidden in the Land of Despair. Despite the fact that if they give in to despair or remain longer than 24 hours they’ll turn to stone, the rangers decide to go there and get the Legendary Weapons.

Bandora learns of their intentions and decides to raise the stakes a little, abducting a boy named Hiroshi and his mother, and sending them to the Land of Despair. She also has Priprican create Dora Minotaurus. The Zyurangers rush in to rescue the civilians.

In the Land of Despair, the Zyurangers split up when they arrive. Geki, Dan and Goshi have to contend with Dora Minotaurus, who goes giant and forces them to battle with their Protector Beasts. Boi and Mei are confronted by Grifforzer and a gang of Golems. Mei saves Hiroshi from a quicksand pit.

The prehistoric mecha engage Dora Minotaurus when Bandora enlarges him, but he’s a little too much for them to handle. Hiroshi gives in to despair and turns to stone…

Dora Minotaurus was a bull-like monster with a spiked club and shield as weapons. He could shoot lightning from his horns, breathe fire and was practically invincible to the Zyurangers’ attacks until they got the Legendary Weapons. He is based on the monster who stalked the Labyrinth of Crete.

4-Revive the Legendary Weapons

The fight with Dora Minotaurus is still raging, but after a little bit he disappears. The rangers spend a restless and snowy night before setting out again in search of the weapons and, hopefully, a cure for Hiroshi.

They split up again to find the Legendary Weapons and Hiroshi’s mother. Geki, Dan and Goshi run into the stone remains of previous warriors who came looking for the Legendary Weapons and a glass wall that they break through to find some ruins where the weapons must be hidden. Boi and Mei are caught in a dangerous lightning storm and find a booby-trapped door with two knobs. Nonetheless, they manage to meet up with the others and enter the ruins.

They find a sword imbedded in a stone, and Dan tries to pull free, thinking it must be one of the weapons. It’s a trap, though, and turns him evil. It must be the key, though, so after getting Dan back to normal Geki grabs the sword, but shakes off its effects and throws it through a wall, opening the way to the room where the real Legendary Weapons are kept.

Unfortunately, just as the rangers are about to claim the weapons, the time limit starts to take effect and their legs turn to stone. Bandora appears to gloat, since they’ve failed so early, but Geki calls out and the weapons fly into their hands, the power of these magical arms restoring them to normal. They fight some Golems and then break outside of the ruins to take on Dora Minotaurus (they also find Hiroshi’s mother). They change and battle the monster, and destroy him with the Howling Cannon. Hiroshi is restored to normal by the power of his mother’s love, and they all escape just before Bandora destroys the Land of Despair.

Episode 5-Dreadful Riddles

A strange man wearing an Egyptian headdress asks children riddles, and when they get them wrong he changes into a Dora Monster and literally blows them away. Meanwhile, Geki is having visions of a wasteland, and has a sense of terrible foreboding about it. Dan and Boi are in the city, and Dan leaves to chase girls just before Boi is confronted by the man, who blows him away just as Dan returns. Dan reports to the others but leaves to avenge his friend on his own. Geki sees the wasteland again.

The three rangers drive out in the Roadsaurers to look for Dan, but see him flying overhead: the Dora Monster got to him first. They follow him and find all of the monster’s victims trapped in trees, which are going to be cut down very soon (bad news for anyone in them, certainly). He appears and Goshi and Mei are also blown into the trees when they fail to answer his riddles, and Tyrannoranger fights him. Bandora enlarges Dora Sphinx and Geki calls for his Protector Beast, but instead of fighting the giant monster it sends him into the wasteland he’s been envisioning.

Dora Sphinx could disguise himself as a game show host, and would ask people riddles. If they got them wrong, or ran out of time, he would change into this monster form and blow them away by flapping his wings, imprisoning them in trees. For some reason he would change back to his human form before asking another riddle. In his monster form, he toted a staff with a curled tip that he could shoot like-shaped laser bolts from, and could shoot a laser from the cobra ornament on his headdress. He was inspired by the Sphinx, a monster who would ask all who encountered him a riddle, and would kill them if they could not answer it correctly.

6-Rise!! Daizyujin

Geki finds that the wasteland is Tokyo itself, and finds the corpses of the other Zyurangers. He is told by the Protector Beasts that this is the future that will result if he can’t get the Zyurangers to act as a team to stop Bandora. Also, they’ll need the Daizyujin, the combined form of the Protector Beasts. Geki is warped back to the real world and finds the trees containing the other rangers. Barza appears and tells him that to unite the Protector Beasts, he will need the Dino Crystals. Just then, Dora Sphinx attacks. Grifforzer is right behind him. Geki changes and the fight is on (I wonder why Grifforzer slashed that tree with his sword even when it was obvious Geki had rolled out of the way first).

The fight quickly travels to Toei’s private rock quarry (I‘m serious. There‘s so many fights in sentai shows in places like this I almost have to think Toei bought a rock quarry just to film fight scenes in it), where Bandora enlarges her two fighters. Geki’s sword reveals the location of the Dino Crystals, and their power frees the others.

The Protector Beasts arrive and the Zyurangers board them. Using their crystals, they begin the joining process. They form Dinotanker, then Daizyujin and battle Grifforzer and Dora Sphinx. The latter changes to his human form to ask them riddles, and changes back to blow them away when they answer wrong, but they kill him before he can.

7-You’re Visible

Dora Goblin captures the souls of children. A boy named Toru is planning to give a special gift in a box to a girl he likes named Michiko, but she is hexed by Goblin and taken on a bus driven by Totpat and Bukbuk with other hypnotized children, and her soul is removed to feed Dora Goblin. These lifeless children come to the attention of the Zyurangers, who meet Toru. Dan saves him from being taken aboard Totpat’s bus, and they and the other rangers suddenly find themselves outside of a strange cave (the bad guys’ hideout) where something unseen thrashes the Zyurangers around. It’s Dora Goblin, who can’t be seen by adults! Bukbuk steals Toru’s box.

While the rangers plan their next move, Dan asks what’s so special about the box. It holds a caterpillar. Doesn’t seem like much, but Toru’s father is in jail and it was the only gift he could find for the boy. Bukbuk swallows the caterpillar. Toru and the rangers return to the cave. They know how to make Dora Goblin visible; by putting his shoes on the wrong feet. Luckily, he, Totpat and Bukbuk are all asleep, but Bandora screams a warning when Toru sneaks in and tries to switch his shoes. Geki boasts that they can see Dora Goblin, and he puts his shoes on the wrong feet in an effort to become invisible again. After smashing their way through some Golems, the Zyurangers transform and take him on. They blast him to bits with the Howling Gannon, but Bandora brings him back to life giant-sized. The Daizyujin enters the fray, and despite having to face Dora Goblin’s hypnotic music, they take him out for good.

All the children regain their souls. Toru chases Bukbuk to get back the caterpillar, which emerges from his mouth changed into a butterfly, which he gives to Michiko.

Dora Goblin could play an accordion to hypnotize people, and was invisible to adults until the Zyurangers tricked him into putting his shoes on the wrong feet. Used a rake that he could shoot lasers from, and could shoot lightning from the horns on his helmet.

8-Horror of the Sudden Foodsnatcher

Boi meets a hefty kid named Mamoru, who also has hefty parents. Their work keeps them constantly busy, so they make a point to always spend mealtimes together. Bandora is on a diet and is nauseated by food, so she has Priprican create Dora Circe to eat all the food in Japan so she won’t have to look at it. Mamoru’s meal with his family is ruined and their usual time of happiness descends into heated argument. He confides in Boi, who gets a tape of the family eating. When played in slow motion, it shows Dora Circe. They read about the monster and discover his only weakness, the herb moly. They battle Dora Circe, but he swallows their Legendary Weapons. They are saved by a strange old man who swats barrages of golf balls at Dora Circe and drives him into retreat. He then transports the rangers to a strange forest.

The man reveals himself to be Gnome, the king of the elves. He’s willing to give them some moly if they win a contest he puts them to. They have to clean out all the food on a large table. One by one the rangers get full and bow out, but Boi forces himself to keep eating to save Mamoru’s family. The last carrot on the table reappears after Boi finishes the last morsel, but Gnome is true to his word and it becomes moly for them to use. They throw food to the monster, but the submarine sandwich Boi tosses has the moly inside, and when Dora Circe eats that he pukes out everything he ate before, including their weapons, and they blow him away with the Howling Cannon.

Mamoru’s family thanks the team, but they run for their lives when the family offers to reward them with another meal.

Dora Circe was a pig monster that could eat anything and move so fast while doing it that he was invisible to the naked eye. He could shoot a tornado-like beam from his nose and create a powerful suction from his mouth. It took me a while for me to understand the inspiration for this monster: Circe was a witch who was known for turning sailors into pigs (hence the appearance of this monster), and her powers were nullified when the hero Odysseus used the herb moly against her, as the Zyurangers did against Dora Circe.

9-Run, Egg Prince!

A flying Volkswagen is traveling through another dimension into our world. Barza senses it’s arrival and, seeming to recognize its significance, scoots off to warn the team. Aboard are the rulers of the Apello tribe, a section of the humanoid race descended from dinosaurs of which the Zyurangers are also members--prince Euro, and his assistants Daisy and Clockle. They appear in the house of a girl named Emiko, but both the Zyurangers and Bandora’s thugs arrive at the house. Dora Cockatrice transports Euro and Emiko through a dimensional warp.

Clockle explains the situation the team: during Bandora’s rampage, two dinosaur eggs were placed in a chest that was put out to sea in the hopes that they would end up someplace safe and thus dinosaurs would survive. They arrived on Dalos Island, home of the Apello tribe, and the dinosaur gods entrusted them with protecting the eggs until the Zyurangers returned to claim them. Bandora found out, and Euro was coming to tell the Zyurangers about the eggs. Clockle gives them special glasses to see Dora Cockatrice’s warp, and they drive through it on the Road Saurers. Meanwhile, the monster is chasing Euro and Emiko, and captures her. Bandora threatens to kill Emiko unless Euro takes her to the eggs, but she is saved by Daizyujin’s sudden appearance. Bandora enlarges Cockatrice to fight the divine mecha, but he is overcome by Daizyujin. Daisy and Clockle arrive in their car and take Euro and Emiko to Dalos Island, but Bandora is quick to follow. The Protector Beasts travel to Dalos Island in haste.

Dora Cockatrice could fly and toted a pair of scissors as a weapon, which he could use to cut open a door in time and space to teleport during a fight. He was based on a rooster-like monster with a lethal gaze, though the Dora Monster did not have the power to kill on sight.

10-Monkey No More!

Bandora finds the cave where the eggs are being kept, but a magical barrier keeps her from getting to them. The heroes and Euro’s entourage arrive on the island, and find the Apello tribe desperate to keep the eggs safe. They’d already failed the dinosaur gods once, and were cast out from heaven for it. If they fail again they will be turned into monkeys (they start to grow tails). The Zyurangers go to get the eggs but Bandora seals the entrance of the cave by caving it in. She also has Priprican create Dora Cockatrice II.

The Zyurangers are jumped by some kids who look like the Japanese version of the Lost Boys and are armed with dynamite (I have no idea who they are, but I suspect they work for Bandora). Euro runs off with Emiko, who leads him to the cave with the eggs. He removes one of the crystals from the seal, breaking its power, and “Emiko” changes into Dora Cockatrice. The villains quickly grab the eggs as the Zyurangers find the real Emiko bound and gagged and run to save the day. They fight Grifforzer and the monster a little before Bandora enlarges Cockatrice. Out comes the Daizyujin, out the door goes Cockatrice. In a struggle between Euro, Bandora’s gang and the Japanese Lost Boys, the chest containing the eggs ends up in the ocean.

Provided a sterling defense by the Zyurangers, the Apello tribe is allowed to return to heaven.

Dora Cockatrice II was pretty much the same as the original, but used a pair of hedge trimmers instead of scissors. Could also shoot crescent-shaped energy blades from the crest on his head.

11-My Master

Totpat is fishing all the way from the moon, and pulls up a magic lamp. Discovering the genie, Jin, inside, they have him fight the Zyurangers. He is a powerful foe indeed, but during the fight one of his beams is deflected and the lamp is knocked away. Jin disappears, as no one holds the lamp that controls him. A group of children find it, and have great fun as he grants their wishes. They even come to regard the magical being as a close friend. The Zyurangers come looking for the lamp, but so does Bandora’s gang. She blows his lamp to bits.

Jin weeps. What’s a genie without a his lamp, after all? (I think that without it he has no power, but I could be wrong) The kids and Zyurangers agree to help put the lamp back together and search long and far for the pieces. With one piece to go, Bandora appears with a teapot and bonds Jin to that, changing him into a giant Dora Monster. The rangers call Daizyujin, but it’s plain that their mecha is no match. Mei, Boi and Dan disembark to help the children find the last piece and restore Jin to normal before the other rangers are finished off. They do, return Jinn to normal with his reassembled lamp, and Bandora retreats.

The children, realizing how dangerous it could be if Jinn were used for evil again, throw his lamp into the ocean after a tearful goodbye.

Jinn had the standard seemingly limitless powers of a genie. After being changed into a Dora Monster, he used a staff that had a hand-operated drill on the end.

12-Papa is Dracula!

Dan encounters a girl name Michi, who really wants her policeman father to start acting like a hero. She also seems to have a fascination with monsters. Bandora asks Priprican about his new monster, which is the ocular Dora Argus. He makes Mi see a vision of her father as a vampire. She tells Dan about it, and the Zyurangers keep an eye on her dad but see nothing out of the ordinary.

Argus’s main eye sucks Dan and Mi into the imaginary world where she saw her father as a vampire, but Dan fights his way out and joins the others in battling Dora Argus. The Howling Cannon doesn’t work, since as long as Argus’s central eye is safe, he can reform himself effortlessly.

Mi faces the vampire version of her father, and is returned to the real world for Totpat to try to drink her blood himself. Dan saves her and damages the central eye, but Bandora enlarges Argus and Daizyujin engages the monster. It’s a quick fight.

Michi sees her father apparently sucking a woman’s blood, but he was actually giving her mouth-to-mouth. They are reconciled.

Notes: Isn’t “Papa is Dracula!” an episode of Kamen Rider RX, too?

Dora Argus could reassemble his body whenever he was blasted apart until his detachable main eye was damaged. He could also shoot lasers from the eyes covering his body and suck people inside his main eye and make them see illusions. He was inspired by Hera’s multi-eyed servant.

13-Shoot the Golden Arrow

Totpat, disguised in a rabbit costume, gives Mei a poison apple. As Dora Ladon attacks and uses his special arrows on a gaggle of children, Mei’s vision starts to blur. Nothing the other rangers do seems to even slow him down. Finally, Mei collapses, and Ladon leaves to wreak havoc elsewhere.

The arrows he shot made small trees sprout from children’s heads. Soon they will sprout apples that grow bigger as they drain the children’s youth (I think it’s to make Bandora look younger. After all, she’s something like 170 million, right?). She poisoned Mei because Dora Ladon’s only weakness is getting an arrow to the golden apple on his head.

As Mei has a fever dream where she visits a lonely world filled with booby traps and fears for her life, the others must go back out to face Dora Ladon. Without Mei, there’s nothing they can do, though. Mei overcomes her fear and thus triumphs over the poison, and joins her teammates. She hits the apple with the Ptera Arrow, and they blow Ladon to smithereens with the Howling Cannon. The children afflicted by his power return to normal.

Dora Ladon had a bow and arrow, and his only weak spot was the apple atop his head. He could shoot snakes out of his mouth which could coil around his enemies. The monster was inspired by Ladon, the dragon who guarded the Garden of the Hesperides in Greek myth. He was killed by Hercules to accomplish one of his twelve tasks, and Herc did it by using his bow and arrow, which is why only Mei with her Ptera Arrow could defeat him.

14-Get Shrunk!

An elf named Dondon applies for a job as Priprican’s assistant, and shows off his magic bottles which can suck things inside, even if they’re bigger than the bottle! Bandora turns him down, and he goes to Earth and meets a boy who everyone picks on named Toshio. They become friends and go around sucking things into Dondon’s bottles--including planes and buildings with people inside.

They try to get away when the Zyurangers understandably come calling, and Boi and Dan (in a car they “borrowed”) are trapped inside one of the bottles. They’re the only thing the pranksters don’t agree to put back where they found, though. Bandora decides she wants this power if it can get rid of the Zyurangers, and sends down her gang to get the bottle with Dan and Boi, and the others as well. The other rangers show up and during the fight the bottle is almost run over by a train, but Mei saves and releases them.

Toshio and Dondon are on the run, but Bandora promises to give Toshio power to get back at all the people who push him around and enlarges him and Dondon. The rangers bring out Daizyujin, only to be trapped in one of Dondon’s bottles. They free themselves by calling Godhorn and knocking the bottle out of Dondon’s hand.

Toshio’s mother calls out to him to please stop this. She’s worried about him, despite having to drag him to school earlier. He realizes there really are people who love him, and he and Dondon shrink back to normal size. The elf goes on his way, but not before giving Toshio a deluxe black Daizyujin toy.

15-Beat the Ultimate Sword of Darkness

Goshi encounters a girl named Ritsuko who protects her younger brother Shigeru from bullies. She reminds Goshi of his own sister Otome, who taught him how to be a knight. The rangers attend Shigeru’s tenth birthday, but two suspicious characters (suspicious in that they’re obviously Totpat and Bukbuk disguised as humans) deliver a package that sprouts Golems who help the other villains kidnap Shigeru. Bandora needs a child who was born at exactly midnight to create a magical sword for Dora Knight. He is coerced into forging the sword Durandal.

Ritsuko runs out to find her brother, but is also captured. Goshi follows, but finds that Dora Knight’s weapon is far more powerful than his own. Soon the rest of the team joins the fray, but all of their weapons are rusted by Dora Knight’s sword.

Dora Knight is enlarged, but even God Horn is affected by his sword’s degrading touch. Shigeru dashes out and pretty much tells Dora Knight to leave Daizyujin alone, you big bully. Dora Knight tries to silence him, but Durandal can’t touch Shigeru. The magic in its being prevents it from harming its creator. The rangers bring him aboard and are able to throw off the effects of Durandal, then destroy it and its evil owner.

Dora Knight was an expert swordsman and used the evil sword Durandal. It could make any other weapon that touched it rust and corrode and shoot fireballs, but couldn’t hurt Shigeru since he had created it.

16-Operation: Sneeze

A boy named Isamu is rejected from his school’s soccer team, and is extremely bitter about it. A clown appears to him and gives him special soccer balls to get even. When kicked, they explode into sneezing powder. The clown is actually monster Dora Endos in disguise (and what making people sneeze will do to help Bandora’s cause of world destruction, I’m not sure). They go around kicking them at children’s soccer teams all over the city.

Boi keeps an eye on a soccer game, waiting for the perpetrator to strike again, and catches Isamu in the act. He retreats to his buddy the clown, who creates almost a dozen balls for Isamu to kick. Boi tries to catch them out of the air so they can’t burst, but inevitably one will get through, and does. The golden powder in the air gives the other rangers the idea that something is up and they come running. Boi fights Dora Endos but is hampered because of his uncontrollable sneezing, and is chucked into a river (but not before he breaks open a water pipe which Endos shies away from…).

The others battle the monster, but are outmatched. Isamu realizes how petty he was being and saves Boi, who notices the river has rid him of the sneezing. Of course…it must be the water! (or maybe it’s the cold, considering how they weaken him before finishing him off) Bandora enlarges her tentacled flunky, and he can now spread his sneezing powder across the entire city. Boi reunites with his team and the Protector Beasts take on Dora Endos. Zyumammoth freezes him solid, and he is destroyed by Tyranno Sonic.

Isamu tries out again for his soccer team and makes it this time.

Dora Endos had strangling tentacles, could spew little globs of exploding energy, and spray a sneezing powder. Disguised as a clown, he could create soccer balls that contained this powder. He was vulnerable to water and cold.

17-The Sixth Hero

A boy named Ryota returns home and, finding no one else there, decides now is the perfect time to do something he’s not supposed to do. At work, the boy’s grandfather (none other than Gnome) hears an urgent beeping coming from a device he carries. Ryota is taking the forbidden key! The Zyurangers encounter Gnome attacking Ryota on a forklift. Barza drives up and tells them to stay out of this, they have to stop the kid before he does something very, very stupid and dangerous. They don’t, of course. He’s just a kid; what kind of evil could a kid be capable of?

Ryota explains himself to the rangers. He wants to revive Brai, another ancient warrior like them and his hero, who saved his life before. He runs off to do just that with Geki and Mei in pursuit.

Barza and Gnome suit up to stop Ryota, even if it means killing him (seeing these too old man girding themselves for battle like commandoes is hilarious). They know what Brai’s really like. The rangers arrive to help Ryota revive Brai, not able to understand why Barza wouldn’t want another hero around. Thinking that if Barza and Gnome are so set on preventing Brai’s revival, he must be something she can turn to her advantage, Bandora sends Grifforzer and a bunch of Golems to occupy the rangers while Ryota goes to unlock Brai’s sleep chamber. Daizyujn battles the giant Grifforzer, and Ryota unlocks the door in the cave where Brai sleeps, awakening him. He transforms into Dragonranger, then attacks the Zyurangers, knocking them out of Daizyujin and then defeating them all in hand to hand combat…

18-Brother Swords in Hate

The Zyurangers want answers about this evil ranger, and Barza tells them the truth: that Brai is Geki’s brother. They were the children of the evil Black Knight, and Geki was adopted by the rulers of the Yamato tribe because they had no heir. Black Knight later revolted against the Yamato tribe and was killed, but told Brai to grow up to avenge his honor. Now that he’s awake again, he’s going to try to do that by killing Geki.

Bandora decides to form an alliance with this powerful warrior, and for the first time sings her theme song as she goes down to meet Brai and propose that they join forces against the Zyurangers. When he fends off Grifforzer without even transforming, Bandora is even more impressed and warps him to a cave where he will find a powerful sword. He braves fire and the reanimated corpse of a knight to get it, but overcomes, spurred on by his desire to get revenge, and gains the evil Hellfriede sword (which will also make him belligerent, ensuring he shows no mercy to his enemies).

Bukbuk attacks Geki, but is only there to deliver a message. Brai wants to fight. Geki goes to meet him, but he doesn’t want to fight. Brai is his brother. He has no reason to wish him any ill will. Brai trashes him since Geki refuses to fight back, but the rest of the team shows up, changes, and takes on Dragonranger. They don’t do much better, since he was strong before but has a powerful weapon now (and for some reason they don’t use theirs. Maybe they learned their lesson about enemies with magic weapons after the run-in with Dora Knight). As the rangers fight, Bandora plots a trap for Daizyujin.

Brai is about to finish off Geki, but suddenly Daizyujin appears and saves him. The divine mecha tosses Geki his sword, and orders him to kill Brai. Geki refuses, and gets blasted by Daizyujin. This is a very serious matter, and the gods will not be argued with. Brai, however, retreats in the face of Daizyujin.

19-Lady Warrior Scorpion

Bandora calls to someone named Lammy, and another warrior awakes from suspended animation. Geki sees a boy, Kazo, protect his younger brother, Yuuji, from bullies, and think about his relationship with his own brother, who is trying to do the opposite to him. He hears the boys talking about eggs, and learns that they found the chest with the dinosaur eggs that was lost before. The rangers follow the boys to where they’re keeping the eggs, but a huge boulder that had been following them smashes into the building and menaces them. Then it explodes open, and a warrior woman comes out. It’s Lammy, Grifforzer’s wife. When he sees her fighting the Zyurangers, he goes down to help her.

They surround the kids and demand the eggs, but Yuuji goes down a hill with the chest holding the eggs. Soon Kazo is a hostage of the bad guys, and they, of course, plan to ransom him for the eggs.

Yuuji is injured and in a hospital, and Bandora calls the rangers on the phone while they’re there and tells them to bring the eggs to her or Kazo is dead meat. Geki gives his dinosaur coin to Yuuji, as a promise that they’ll bring his brother back. The other rangers think this is a dumb move, and I kind of agree with them. The rangers make the trade, but after they get Kazo back they suddenly attack the bad guys to recover the eggs. Grifforzer and Lammy join the fight, battling the four rangers while Geki tries to get back the chest from Totpat and Bukbuk, but is himself attacked by Brai. Brai changes, but Geki is in serious trouble because he can’t. Bandora gets away with the eggs, and promises that in a matter of days she’ll destroy Daizyujin. At least the brothers are reunited, and Geki is given his coin back. Looks like he’s doubting himself as the leader because of the recent developments, though.

20-Daizyujin’s Doomsday

Lammy demands to know something from Bandora, I guess why they don’t attack and finish off the Zyurangers right now. Bandora plans to attack soon, when Daizyujin will be weakened, just to be safe. Grifforzer is soon attacking the city giant-sized. The Zyurangers run into Lammy regular-sized, and battle. Bandora appears, daring them to call Daizyujin to fight Grifforzer. They hesitate, since they don’t know what kind of trap she has planned for their giant warrior.

Grifforzer grabs a bus full of kids in one of the most obvious toy-substituted-for-a-miniature-object shots I’ve ever seen. Just to goad them into calling Daizyujin. Soon they’re in a rock quarry, with the villains trying to push the bus over a cliff (and it’ll come down right on top of the eggs if they don’t stop it). Just when the rangers are about to cave in and call their mecha, Barza appears and tells them he’s learned what Bandora has planned. Today is the day of the eclipse, when Daizyujin’s power wanes. But then the bus goes over. They have no other choice, and bring out Daizyujin to catch it. The children are safe, but Grifforzer attacks. Bandora enlarges Lammy as well, changing her into the monstrous Lammy Scorpion. Totpat and Bukbuk try to get away with the eggs, but Barza trips them. The eggs fall into a river and are washed away again.

Daizyujin is getting hammered by the two powerful warriors, and can’t put up much of a fight because the eclipse has begun and his power is quickly diminishing. But as Daizyujin tries to make a break for it, Dragonranger appears giant-sized as well to get in the way. Weakened and against three mighty foes, Daizyujin doesn’t have a chance. The rangers are ejected from their defeated mecha, and their Protector Beasts sink into a fissure full of flame and lava…

21-Protector Beast’s Rampage

Bandora and her posse are celebrating the destruction of Daizyujin. Without him, after all, what is there to fear from the Zyurangers? But suddenly Brai attacks her. He wants her power for himself, but is thrown to Earth by her when she shows off her true almighty magic (he falls all the way from the moon to Earth without a scratch!). He lands trembling, humbled by the power he has just seen. Suddenly a girl in white robes, Clotho, appears, and transports him to a strange room full of candles and mist. This is the Lapseless Room. Here rests a small green candle, which he is told represents what time he has left to live. She gives him a new weapon, the Zyusoken, and departs.

Brai finds himself on top of a building near the Tokyo harbor, and decides to see what the Zyusoken can do. What it can do, he quickly learns, is call the Dragon Caesar, a new powerful Protector Beast. It wreaks havoc at his command. The rangers find out about this soon, but without their own Protector Beasts, there’s nothing they can do. Nonetheless, they change and fight, Geki finally realizing that he must fight his brother to stop this heartless destruction. Grifforzer and Lammy Scorpion arrive to put Brai down…

22-Combine! Goryujin!

As the titans battle, the Zyurangers are transported elsewhere, and a huge crack opens in the ground. From it emerge the Protector Beasts! They weren’t destroyed, just recovering from their injuries with the power of the lava. Now they’re back and ready to fight. Bandora calls her warriors back; maybe they’ll get lucky and the other combatants will destroy each other. Tyrannosaurus battles Dragon Caesar, and as they duke it out, Geki goes off to fight Brai--alone.

It’s not an easy fight, but Geki disarms Brai and defeats him. Daizyujin forms himself and whomps Dragon Caesar some, then orders Geki once again to kill Brai. But he can’t. No matter what he’s done, Brai is still his brother. Brai can’t bring himself to kill Geki either. Brai weeps for what he has done, and his tears make Hellfriede crumble to dust. The brothers embrace. Brai has seen the error of his ways and will fight on their side from now on. The team transforms and they identify themselves, a mightier fighting force than ever. Daizyujin tells Brai to play the Zyusoken, because with the other Protector Beasts it can unlock an even greater power. They form the awesome Gouryujin. As they are marveling at it, Brai suddenly disappears. He has only a few hours left to live, but as long as he stays in the Lapseless Room, time won’t pass for him. The rangers wonder why Brai just disappeared like that, though.

23-Love You Magic Pitching

The rangers meet a girl (I never caught her name) who was being picked on by a boy who actually likes her. Deciding to use love as an instrument of conquest, Bandora has Priprican create Dora Pixie, whose baseballs make whoever swallow them fall in love with the first thing, living or non, that they see. His first victims are the girl’s friends at badminton practice, but soon children all over town are falling in love with all kinds of crazy things (a plane, a puppy, a car, etc.). The rangers attack, but Dan and Boi get the ball in the mouth and fall in love with Mei. They have to be locked up in a cage in the Zyuranger hideout. The boy from before steals one of the balls from Dora Pixie.

Things are getting worse, so the un-hexed rangers go back out to find the monster and stop this. The girl (Satoko?) finally manages to give her baseball-induced admirers the slip, but the boy shows up and tries to feed her the ball so she’ll like him back. The rangers show up just as Pixie, Totpat and Bukbuk do, and during a scuffle with some Golems where the villains try to recover the stolen ball, it’s thrown into Goshi’s mouth and he promptly falls head over heels in love with his motorcycle. Giant Grifforzer and Lammy Scorpion show up, so Geki changes and takes them on with Tyrannosaurus while Mei goes after Dora Pixie.

The boy saves Satoko from the other children who’ve been hexed into loving her, and she thanks him. He helps Mei tackle Dora Pixie when they show up a minute later, and she breaks his horn off, making everyone spit the balls back out. It also makes him change to his true form, an orge-like giant monster. He sprays Mei and the kids with a gas that makes them fall in love with him, but Goshi, Dan and Boi change and bring out their Protector Beasts to cut him down to size. They’re not strong enough, but Brai senses that the others are in trouble and brings out the Dragon Caesar to lend a hand. They form Gouryujin, and it and Tyrannosaurus take on the three monsters. They take out Dora Pixie with Gouryujin’s spear attack, but Geki is upset as Brai leaves without a word again. Satoko teasingly runs away from the boy.

Dora Pixie had two forms. The first was a fanged child in a baseball uniform with a horn on his head. He threw baseballs that made people who swallowed them fall in love with the first thing they saw. Breaking off the horn cured this, but also revealed his true form, a giant monster who could shoot a love-inducing gas from the broken horn on his head and lasers from the claws on his catcher’s mitt hands.

24-Here’s Tortoise

While Bandora dozes, Totpat and Bukbuk sneak into the monster workshop to make a monster who will destroy the Zyurangers and make them heroes. Out comes Dora Tortoise. Boi is playing catch with a kid he visited in the hospital, but suddenly a ray of light shoots out and every kid in the park is moving against their will (it was supposed to hit Boi but he ducked). Bandora sees this and is quite amused. Priprican seems rather annoyed that they messed around with his equipment to make this monster. The next blast does hit Boi, and he starts to run uncontrollably down the street.

Totpat and Bukbuk go around causing trouble with Dora Tortoise’s beams. People hit by the green one can’t stop moving, the ones hit by the red one can’t move at all. The remaining rangers engage them, but all but Geki are hit by the red beam. The villains decide to back off. They’ve incapacitated 4/5 of the Zyurangers, so they can come back and finish the job whenever they want.

Barza researches a cure, and finds a flower whose pollen can restore movement to people. It only grows on a certain mountain, but by sheer luck it’s in the direction Boi is heading in his mad dash. Bandora congratulates the two fools on creating such a tough monster, and sends Dora Tortoise back to Earth as a giant. Geki brings out Tyrannosaurus, but is clearly outmatched.

Boi reaches the mountain and finds the flowers, they float into the air, and he grabs them. Tyrannosaurus, meanwhile, is getting stomped, and when Brai hears his brother’s cries of distress, he comes and calls Dragon Caesar to lend a hand. Tortoise freezes them both, but Boi makes the scene with the flower and sprinkles it on Tortoise, breaking the spell. Tortoise is blown away by Tyranno Sonic.

Dora Tortoise’s main power was the traffic light sticking out of his neck, with green beams from it compelling people to move, red freezing them in place. He also had a number of weapons hidden in his shell, like a cannon that came out of his head-hole, a hook that fit over his hand, and a baseball bat, which could be used to hit a flurry of balls at his enemies when Bukbuk pitched them into the air for him.

25-Park Where Devil Roams

Goshi meets up with two children, Daijiro (not sure about that one) and his sister Michiru, who are unveiling a fairy statue that is the last work of their father, the nature-lover Tsumura. In the night, Bandora steals the statue and substitutes it with a copy which houses the monster Dora Tarantula. Strange butterflies surround the statue, sprinkling a poison on children. The Zyurangers try to find the source of the poison, and remembering all the butterflies around the statue, they go there. Goshi senses something amiss about the statue (now the fairy has snakes in her hair instead of flowers), and transforms and blasts it to bits. Dora Tarantula is released, and after a brief fight with some Golems and Grifforzer, Bandora enlarges her monster and the rangers roll out Daizyujin. The gestalt mecha is forced apart, though, and the separate Protector Beasts do battle. They are no match, but Brai appears and brings Dragon Caesar to their aid. Still outclassed, they form Gouryujin and defeat Dora Tarantula. The true fairy statue reappears and Goshi gives Michiru a sapling to plant, symbolic of the nature her father loved.

Dora Tarantula could spew an acidic foam and thick webbing through which he could shock enemies. He could also shoot beams from his eyes and mandibles, and exploding stingers from his body.

26-Beware of Shaved Ice

Totpat comes up with a potion to make people evil, and dribbles it on some shaved ice Mei brings to her tennis-playing teammates. When Mei and Dan eat it, they become rude and leave the others in a huff. Soon they’re walking around as punks (it looks like Dan has on lipstick!), and after that they’re breaking into organized crime. You really have to see it for yourself. As if that’s not bad enough, Bandora sends Dora Boogaranan to deal with the rest of the rangers. He swallows Boi before Geki and Goshi decide to retreat.

They do a little research and find out about a screaming root that makes anyone who hears it disappear, but can probably cure Dan and Mei. Barza goes to get some but is attacked by the Golems, but uses the root’s scream to get rid of them, protecting himself with earplugs. The rangers fight Boogaranan again, but Goshi is swallowed next. Barza finds Dan and Mei and forces them to drink the juice of the root, restoring them to normal. They join the fight, but Geki, then Dan get swallowed and Mei is knocked back to normal form and runs off. She sets a trap for the monster, having noticed what looked like a soft spot underneath his mouth. He grabs her with his tongue, but she undoes a cord around her ankle that launches one of those tree catapults and shoots some makeshift arrows into Boogaranan’s neck. This knocks the rest of the team free. They bash him around a little before Mei finishes him off with a Ptera Arrow. Later, some punks Mei and Dan beat up before come to apologize and offer them leadership of their gang. They run away.

Dora Boogaranan was a frog-like monster who could swallow the Zyurangers whole, either from a beam projected from his horn or his long tongue after losing his horn. He could also create a force field to reflect shots from the Ranger Guns. His horn could shoot energy blasts, and his tongue, of course, could be used as a bullwhip.

27-I Want to Eat Mei

A young boy named Masaru is selling flowers, and Mei delights at the blooms. Masaru grabs away some flowers she was looking at, though, to give them to a girl he likes, Sayuri. Bandora decides she hates flowers, and creates Dora Guzzler to get rid of them.

Masaru shows Mei around the place where his family grows their flowers, and shows her a lovely Lyciam bloom, which is the symbol of her tribe. Dora Guzzler attacks just then, and demonstrates his ability to turn beautiful flowers into killer vampire blooms. Mei fends him off, but he goes on a rampage with his killer flowers, attacking Sayuri too. The Zyurangers fight him, but are overwhelmed by the biting blossoms. Bandora enlarges her monster, and Brai comes to help, but the flowers are too much even for Gouryujin and the rangers are forced to retreat.

Masaru visits Sayuri in the hospital, then starts burning flowers. He hates them now because they hurt Sayuri. Mei stops him; flowers aren’t bad, but Bandora is. As she vows to stop Dora Guzzler, the Lyciam flower’s bloom opens, as if responding to her conviction. Meanwhile, the other rangers are gathering up flowers so that Dora Guzzler can’t create even more of his little pals, and Goshi finds a story of how Dora Guzzler was stopped before. Yui, former princess of Mei’s tribe, used herself as bait and the special power of the Lyciam flower to wipe out both herself and the monster to save her tribe. Mei’s thinking about doing the same thing. The rangers ride out to find and stop her, but Guzzler gets there first. Seeing the Lyciam flower, which he can’t resist, he closes in, but just as the rangers arrive Mei springs her trip, shooting Guzzler in the mouth with her bow, so that now he can’t create anymore killer flowers. He grabs Mei and nearly eats her, but she is saved by her Protector Beast. The rangers transform and blow Guzzler away with the Howling Cannon. Everyone exalts in the beauty of flowers

Dora Guzzler was one monster I honestly liked more on Power Rangers. He had the ability to inhale flowers, then shoot them back out as little biting vampire flowers. He could also shoot lasers from the eyestalks on his shoulders and had nasty lobster-like claws, which he could launch on extending tentacles to catch prey at long distance.

28-Improve Clay Monsters!

Dan gets a job at a ramen restaurant, and this prompts the other Zyurangers to get jobs too. A trio of odd people come into the restaurant to buy lunch (Totpat and Bukbuk disguised as humans, and their pal is Dora Frank). Cockroaches appear in the kitchen and an earthquake wrecks the restaurant, because Bandora is mining Dokeeta clay, with which to make stronger Dora Monsters, right under the joint. Dora Frank is merely the first of such creatures. Dan tells the others. The son of the owner of the ramen place hears strange sounds coming from underground that night, and Dan, investigating as well, saves him from Dora Frank, but they are both chucked into the underground mine.

They land in a cage where we actually see what’s going on. The Golems are balling up the Dokeeta Clay, and Dora Frank throws the cage Dan and the boy are in across the room. It breaks open and they run for it, Dan changing to fight Dora Frank. This monster is way too strong, though. The ground splits open and Bandora flies out on the ball of Dokeeta Clay. Dan emerges from the underground and tells his teammates about the monster right behind him, and another fight begins. He’s too strong even for all five of them, and Bandora makes him big.

The Zyurangers form Daizyujin to battle the enormous Dora Frank, but he overwhelms them yet again…

Dora Frank was modeled after Frankenstein’s monster, and, besides having awesome strength, could remove the bolts in his neck. Connected by a chain, he’d use them as a smashing weapon.

29-Why? Zukishin Attacks

Brai is about to leave to help the others, but he and Geki are transported to a strange world. Meanwhile, Daizyujin splits apart and expels the rangers. The voice of Daizyujin tells the brothers that they will gain powerful new weapons if they can overcome the challenge of King Brachion. Meanwhile, the other four are attacked by a gang of Bandora’s more powerful new Golems, made from Dokeeta Clay, while Totpat and Bukbuk set up an ominous while pillar.

The brothers find the chest with the special weapons on top of a nearby hill, but King Brachion appears and attacks them. They change, and use teamwork. Geki gives Brai his sword to provide cover fire, and Brai gives Geki his chest armor so he can get up there and get the weapons without being blasted back to the Stone Age by Brachion. It works, and they claim the Thunder Slingers. Quickly they return to their friends and give them these new weapons, and overcome the Golems.

Bandora enlarges Dora Frank, so they bring out Daizyujin and Dragon Caesar. Still too strong for them, they combine into Gouryujin. Even this isn’t quite enough, so the rangers jump out and blast him with their Thunder Slingers while Gouryujin administers the Dragon God Thrust. Dora Frank is defeated, but he is reborn as the hideous Zombie Frank. Bandora taunts the rangers, saying that soon Satan will come to Earth and there’s nothing they can do about it. The pillar grows and magical writing appears on it…

30-Satan is Coming!!

The rangers call Daizyujin to try to get rid of the pillar, but are blasted down. It’s too evil and too powerful. Meanwhile, Bandora starts capturing children to sacrifice to allow Satan’s return to Earth. The pillar is another part of the ritual. The rangers try to protect the last kid when Lammy and Grifforzer attack them to capture her, but are forced to leave her in Mei’s care while the boys fight Zombie Frank with Daizyujin. Unfortunately, while Mei’s back is turned, Bandora captures the last kid and with the last sacrifice to complete the spell, Dai Satan appears (the kids are stuck inside the pillar). Satan’s breath turns Zombie Frank into the even stronger (and uglier) Satan Frank. Daizyujin fights a hopeless battle against the monster as the episode ends…

Zombie Frank didn’t seem to have any particular powers or weapons.

Satan Frank was horrifyingly powerful, rendering the Protector Beasts powerless with a thick foam. By beating the “wings” under his arms, he could send Daizyujin flying head over heels. He could also shoot lasers from the eyes of the Dai Satan face on his chest.

31-The Ultimate God Resurges!

Daizyujin is sent tumbling again, but Brai arrives and with Dragon Caesar they tackle Satan Frank again. Still, he’s more than a match for them, and sprays them both with a white foam that saps the mecha’s energy and sends them slumping to the ground. The rangers are expelled from them and land in the Lapseless Room. Clotho appears and explains Brai’s little problem. He actually died when his hibernation chamber caved in. But the Zyurangers would need his Dragon Caesar so he was temporarily revived in the assumption that Geki would kill him and take the Zyusoken.

Anyway, Satan Frank is still on the attack, but with the Protector Beasts out of action, there isn’t much they can do. There is a greater power they can summon, if they travel into the wilderness and activate it. They set out to do so.

The rangers run into some kids stricken with some kind of illness that makes black spots appear on their skin (victims of Satan Frank’s foam), and tend to them at a nearby house. Grifforzer, Lammy and some Golems attack, but the rangers fight back while Geki goes to find how to activate this stronger power (I like this because it’s a rare chance to see Brai in battle). Geki overcomes his fears and dives off a waterfall to reach the secret power, and when he reaches the bottom the other rangers are transported to his side. They find a strange plaque, and the rangers state their purposes and insert their coins into indentations in the plaque, and are transported into their reenergized mecha. They combine into Zyutei Daizyujin and destroy Satan Frank, then combine with King Brachion for the first time into the Kyukyoku Daizyujin, banishing Satan. The pillar disappears and the children are saved.

32-Slash Your Tears, Geki

Geki has a dream about being beaten up by Golems. Brai comes to save him, but the Golems and Bandora threaten him with green candles, and when they blow them out, Brai dies. The next day, vines start appearing around the city and sucking people into a gigantic plant bulb. The rangers save a woman from suffering this fate, but get attacked by more vines. Geki, who isn’t thinking straight because of the deal with his brother, charges in and gets his butt beat by the vines. The others save him, but Goshi can tell something is up with their leader.

The bulb is Dora Narcissus, and Bandora hopes to have him drain enough energy to get big enough to crush the entire Earth. The rangers find the indoor garden where the bulb is located, but when they move to destroy it, Bandora tells them to stop, since Dora Narcissus can bring things back to life (she demonstrates by chucking a wilted flower at the bulb, which becomes a healthy bloom again). Knowing this, Geki can’t bring himself to destroy the bulb, and stops Dan when he tries. This could be the key to saving Brai! But his hesitance gives Dora Narcissus time to complete his evolution and become humanoid, as well as to get away from the rangers. He goes out and captures women to absorb their energy, and pauses to admire himself in the mirror of his first victim’s compact.

Narcissus attacks Geki soon, and since he can’t bring himself to destroy what might be a cure for his brother, the plant easily thrashes him. Suddenly a warrior in black armor enters the fight and attacks Geki, but tells Narcissus to stay out of this, he has no interest in the monster. Narcissus is of course mad about this, and starts draining the warrior’s energy, but he cuts himself free and tells Geki to defend himself. Geki does, and split’s the warrior’s armor apart, revealing…Goshi! He was doing it to force Geki to remember what they’re up against, and Geki does indeed regain his courage. Narcissus grows big all by himself, but the other rangers show up with Daizyujin. Narcissus pauses to admire himself in the windows of a building and they kill him. Geki is back to his old self, but still worried about his brother.

Dora Narcissus could supposedly bring anything back to life, but whether this was really true or just a trick of Bandora’s is unclear. He had a whip-like vine that came out of his back and could stretch to wrap around enemies and drain their energy. Dora Narcissus could also cause explosions. His weakness was in his own vanity, as he would stop to admire himself whenever he saw his reflection. Why he needed a weakness I don’t know, he didn’t seem an especially tough monster. He was based on Narcissus, the self-absorbed youth who starved to death admiring his own reflection and became a flower.

33-Tell Me! Gem of Courage!

Dora Laygor captures children by transporting them another dimension. The rangers hear about this and set out to investigate. A girl, Yuko, being tormented by some bullies is saved by another girl, Saori (her sister, I think), but Laygor almost traps them before a red jewel in Saori’s necklace glows and scares off the Dora Monster. Then the jewel talks to Saori, asking to be reunited with her sister.

Bandora tells Dora Laygor the story behind the special jewel that gives her power; long ago, there were sister princesses (I think it says they were fairies). Bandora cursed them, though, turning them into red (the one Saori has) and blue (the one Dora Laygor wears) jewels. Bandora sends Laygor to create a catastrophic flood with her special powers, and the rangers and Saori go to stop her. They transform and attack, but Laygor transports them to her other dimension, and proves herself quite the powerful foe. The rangers concentrate their powers to return Dan to the real world, and he pretends to eat an imaginary fruit that makes him brave and strong (or something) to get Saori to help. Laygor comes to take care of him, and Dan is overwhelmed. Saori eats the imaginary fruit herself for bravery, then grabs her jewel and jams it against Laygor’s stripping her of her powers and freeing the rangers and the captive children. The rangers blow Laygor away with the Ranger Slingers, and the jewels turn back into the princesses and fly away.

Dora Laygor had a magical jewel that gave her a variety of powers like control over the elements, flight, and strangling people with her long, prehensile braids. With it she was almost invincible, but without it the Zyurangers quickly mopped the floor with her.

34-Live on, Brai!

Tired of the loneliness of the Lapseless Room, Brai leaves. He meets Rie, a girl, and her infant sister, Michiko. When the baby carriage suddenly rolls away, Brai chases it down and saves Michiko, but suddenly she changes into a Golem (the real one has been captured by Bandora) and a gang of them attack Brai. The rangers show up and help, but in the meantime Rie falls prey to the old Sleeping Beauty trick, where Lammy disguised as an old woman is working on a spinning wheel, Rie pricks her finger on it and falls into a coma. It’s all a trick of Bandora’s to use up the rest of Brai’s lifespan.

Brai vows to save the sisters and is transported to a strange mansion, where he finds Rie sleeping. One kiss breaks the spell, but they are dropped into a cavern with the spinning wheel, which becomes a flying spiked wheel and goes after them. The rest of the rangers come to the rescue and get into a big fight with Golems, Lammy and Grifforzer. Bandora enlarges her two warriors, and the rangers bring out the Protector Beasts.

Brai and Rie, meanwhile, are attacked by the wheel again and Rie nearly falls into a flaming pit. While trying to save her, Brai uses his coin to blast a beam of green energy out of a hole in the cave ceiling and into the sky. Realizing that’s where he is, Mie uses Pteradactyl to blow open the cave. Brai changes and calls Dragon Caesar to help his teammates. The giant wheel comes out and menaces the Protector Beasts, and Bandora brings out Michiko’s baby carriage, floating in mid-air. Before the wheel can get her, though, the rangers roll out Kyukyoku Daizyujin and destroy it, and Brai saves Michiko and reunites her with Rie. The villains retreat, but Brai now has less than five hours to live…

35-Boi, Ninja Fighter

Boi enrolls at a ninja academy where a special potion to give extended life is being developed. Bandora wants it, and sends Dora Ninja to find out more and steal it, but he is quickly fended off by Boi. Bandora sends Grifforzer, Totpat and Bukbuk next, but the potions they steal are all fakes and they are quickly fought off by Boi and the other Zyurangers, who all joined the academy to protect the potion.

Dora Ninja has another go, stealing the potion out from under the rangers’ noses. They quickly pursue, but he’s taken the daughter of the head academy hostage and they can’t get in close enough to attack without hitting her. But, remembering a trick he saw her use to clone herself, Boi divides himself into several duplicates, attacking from all sides and rescuing the girl. Dora Ninja is enlarged, but Daizyujin destroys him right quick.

Dora Ninja had a variety of ninja-like weapons including a sickle on a chain and a katana sword. He also had what was apparently a grenade launcher affixed to his arm.

36-Smash the Mirror of Death!

A boy, Tadashi, is out fishing, and catches a bottle. When he opens it, there’s a terrific release of energy that Barza and Bandora both feel, and what appears to be a treasure map in the bottle. Barza and Bandora both know exactly what this means: someone found the map to the Mirror of Havoc, a magical mirror that kills anyone who looks into it. Tadashi sets out to find what this map leads to, and the Zyurangers and Bandora’s goons go out to find the kid and the mirror.

Tadashi soon finds himself caught between the Zyurangers and Bandora’s warriors, and Dan, Goshi and Boi are incapacitated by the new Dora monster, Dora Ganrock’s, sticky boulders. Geki and Mei hurry off to try to find Tadashi and keep Lammy, the monster and Totpat and Bukbuk from getting the mirror. Tadashi follows the map and triggers an ancient mechanism (well, kind of. It shoots a beam that bounces off several things like a pool and a phone booth before blasting open a hidden cave in a mountainside where the mirror is kept). The remaining Zyurangers are taken down by Ganrock, but Tadashi accidentally discovers the Mirror of Havoc’s power when he zaps some Golems with it, then throws it at Ganrock and blasts him to bits too. The Zyurangers are freed from the monster’s rocks and reunite to battle Lammy, but she gets the mirror and is enlarged by Bandora. Out comes Daizyujin, but the rangers have a hard time fighting since not only does a giant Grifforzer show up to help, but they have to keep from looking in the mirror during the fight. Grifforzer tries to force them to look in the mirror, Daizyujin stomps on his foot and he looks in instead, and in an effort to save her husband Lammy chucks the mirror into the sky, giving Daizyujin the chance to destroy it. The villains retreat.

Dora Ganrock could shoot rocks out of his stomach that stuck to whoever they hit and weighed them down so they couldn’t move. Being made out of rock, he was also really hard to hurt.

37-Hatching of the Dinosaurs

Some kids find the chest with the all-important dinosaur eggs washed up on a riverbank. Meanwhile, Bandora is reading some kind of storybook (it looks to be a child’s version of Journey to the West), and reads about a magic bottle that could trap people inside. Learning that dinosaur eggs have been recovered, she sends her warriors to get them, but the Zyurangers protect the kids. As the kids and Mei make a break for it, Dora Kinkaku, armed with a magic bottle like the one Bandora read about, gets in their way. He traps Mei, the eggs and the kids inside. He soon uses his fan to blow the other rangers away, and they are transported to the realm of their dinosaur gods, who say that there is a circle of life and to preserve it, those dinosaur eggs must survive. By listening really hard, Geki can hear the heartbeat of the dinosaur embryos, and the ranger quickly head out to the Golem-staffed restaurant where the villains are hanging out. The rangers bring out their Protector Beasts, and Bandora enlarges Grifforzer and Kinkaku. Unable to unite without Mei, the rangers are pleasantly surprised when Brai appears and brings the Dragon Caesar into the fray and they form Gouryujin.

Gouryujin knocks Kinkaku’s bottle off his belt, freeing Mei and the kids. She fights a few Golems, then brings out her Protector Beast. The rangers switch to Daizyujin and Dragon Caesar, but are blown off their feet by Kinkaku’s fan. They form Kyukyoku Daizyujin and blow Kinkaku to smithereens. The dinosaur eggs are finally recovered, and put inside of King Brachion to incubate; in sixty days they will hatch. But Geki is worried that even though their lives were saved, his brother’s ever ticks down…

Dora Kinkaku had a large fan that he could use to blow people away, literally, and a magic jar that could suck people inside. He also used a pole as a weapon, as well as a rake that is visually identical to the one wielded by Dora Goblin. Kinkaku could also use the spikes on the side of his headgear as exploding darts.

38-Princess Mei’s Masquerade

Lammy feeds the souls of children to Dora Silkis, a tiny larval monster. She uses the small monster’s webbing to trap the male rangers in a cocoon that she pushes out to sea. Mei is still around, though, and as Lammy goes to steal more souls, a clown handing out fliers (actually wanted posters of Lammy) gets in her way. The clown was actually Mei, who then switches to a masked swordsman outfit that wouldn’t look out of place in Rose of Versailles. They chase each other around town in a variety of disguises, like schoolgirl, airline stewardess, little old lady and a girl in Chinese dress holding a giant salt shaker. Meanwhile, the guys manage to blast their way out of the cocoon with their Thunder Slingers. Mei and Lammy eventually get into a fight where Mei cycles through her disguises one at a time (it feels like a fight out of Cutey Honey). She even grabs Dora Silkis, but he finally grows into a human-sized monster and traps Mei. Before Lammy can finish her off, the other rangers, disguised as…well, I don’t really know, but if you’ve seen Ronin Warriors they look like the Ancient (three out-of-series references in one episode summary. I’m on fire!), show up and save her.

Bandora makes Dora Silkis giant, and the rangers reply with Daizyujin. Dora Silkis cocoons the divine mecha, but Brai arrives and Dragon Caesar cuts them free with his drill. They combine into Zyutei Daizyujin and take Silkis out. There’s an epilogue bit where the Zyurangers give plushie versions of their Protector Beasts to a little girl.

Dora Silkis was a giant silkworm. It could spit Silly String that they pretended was some kind of webbing. It could use this to form huge cocoons, big enough to entrap the Zyurangers and even Daizyujin after enlarging.

39-Tears of the Underground Monster

An earthquake awakens Goda, a monster who lives underground. But despite his great strength, he is a gentle creature who just wants to be left in peace (a boy tells the Zyurangers about how Goda saved him once). Grifforzer, Totpat and Bukbuk are sent to bring him back so Bandora can exploit his power. They find a pair of large eggs that they eat, which turn out to be Goda’s eggs. Understandably enraged that his eggs have been eaten, Goda is easily tricked by Grifforzer into believing the Zyurangers did it and beats them senseless.

The boy takes the Zyurangers to a place where one of Goda’s eggs still survives after the fight. The gist of this conversation seems to be that Goda doesn’t lay eggs very often, but with this egg it can be ensured that his lineage is not dead. Bandora, though, appears to Goda and promises to fix his eggs with her magic if he destroys the Zyurangers, and she enlarges him and fills him with hatred of humans. The Zyurangers call out Daizyujin but try to parley with Goda, that they didn’t do anything wrong and that one egg survived. The hate Bandora instilled in him is too strong, though. Brai shows up to help and they finish Goda off with Gouryujin. But the egg will hatch eventually, and there will be another chance for this monster with a gentle heart.

Goda had no real powers aside from strength and claws. After being enlarged he could shoot beams from his eyes or the antennae on his head.

40-Brai, Depart for Death

Brai is having a nightmare about riding a rickshaw into the land of the dead, and sees a young boy sitting at a stop for this route. He wakes up with a start and looks at the candle representing his life, seeing that it has almost totally burned down. Meanwhile, Clotho appears to the other rangers and says that next time Brai leaves the Lapseless Room, he won’t be able to enter it again. They try to research a way to save Brai from dying.

Bandora has a plan to get rid of Brai once and for all, and has Priprican create Dora Fake. Dragon Caesar suddenly appears and goes on a rampage, and while the Zyurangers battle Grifforzer and his Golems, they dare not call Brai to bring Dragon Caesar under control because of Clotho’s warning…

Dora Fake could disguise himself as the Zyurangers’ man-in-suit mecha and shoot a laser from his eye in normal form.

41-Blaze, Brai!

As things get worse and worse with Dragon Caesar, the Zyurangers call Daizyujin. Brai hears the battle and comes also, and Bandora casts a spell to find the Lapseless Room as he does. Brai plays a song to try to bring Dragon Caesar under control, but it doesn’t work. He tries the summoning melody instead, and another Dragon Caesar enters the battle! The one Daizyujin was fighting was Dora Fake. And now that Bandora knows where the Lapseless Room is, she goes there and destroys it. Brai has only a matter of hours to live now.

Desperate, he tries to find the boy he saw in his dream. He finds this boy, Kota, who is weirded out by this stranger…until he finds out Brai is Dragonranger, his most favoritest superhero in the world! They hang out and even go for a joyride on Dragon Caesar’s head.

The others find out about an elixir to save Brai’s life in the “Sacred Land,” and pray to the dinosaur gods to let them go to this land. Dan and Goshi are sent there, but the Dinobucklers are all stripped of their power.

While Dan and Goshi search for the elixir, Dora Fake returns, disguising himself as the Zyurangers’ mecha. Unable to transform, they cannot call their real Protector Beasts…except Brai! He brings Dragon Caesar to battle the imposter, but the mighty mech is outmatched. And Kota is hurt by falling debris in the battle. It was because of Brai that he was at the battle, and Brai suddenly realizes it’s his fault that Kota was going to die. As the people pelt the Zyurangers with stones, thinking this is all their fault, and Dragon Caesar fights a hopeless battle, Brai rushes Kota to a hospital…

42-Brai Dies…

Kota is in really bad shape. He’s going to die soon. Brai gives the boy his coin by way of an apology, then leaves to brood a little. He has until two o’clock, not that far away, to live without the Lapseless Room. Well, he’s going out the same way he came in, screaming and kicking! Brai boards Dragon Caesar to fight Dora Fake, even though he lacks the power to win alone.

Dan and Goshi find the statue holding the elixir, but it comes to life and attacks them! Geki and the others pray to the dinosaur gods to be allowed to help Brai, their friend who has proven himself so many times, and their Dinobucklers regain their power and Brai becomes Dragonranger even without his coin. Dan and Goshi, able to change, fight with the statue while the others form Kyukyoku Daizyujin and kill the monster. Unfortunately, during the fight with the statue the elixir falls into a lake, and the statue transforms into Clotho. Her true form, a lovely young woman. She explains that the elixir would do no good for Brai now. His temporary life has expired and now not even gods can bring him back. But there is some good they can do with it. They give the elixir to Kota, who is soon the picture of health again. Geki finds Brai on the beach, his time almost up, but Brai passes his armor and Zyusoken onto Geki, and dies knowing the world is in good hands. When he rides the rickshaw into the land of the dead, Kota is no longer at that stop, and Brai can go to the hereafter knowing they saved the boy.

43-Revive, Zyusoken!

Dora Antios emerges from a mountain and the Zyurangers, with an assist from Dragon Caesar, easily destroy it with their Protector Beasts. The rangers each compliment their beast for the contribution they made, but Dragon Caesar’s master is gone and he leaves feeling depressed. Meanwhile, the pieces of the dead monster begin dragging themselves together and soon he is revived and even stronger than before.

Dragon Caesar wanders around moping and missing Brai. Bandora takes advantage of this weakness and casts a spell that binds his arms to his sides. The rangers use Daizyujin to fight the new and improved Dora Antios, but he’s quite a bit tougher than before and it’s not easy. Geki tries to call Dragon Caesar to help, but thanks to Bandora’s spell he can hardly even move, let alone make it to the fight. They cut Antios down with Godhorn, but again he’s just revived in an even more powerful form. Dragon Caesar finally makes it to the fight, but becomes weaker and weaker, and can’t join in. Geki jumps into Antios’s mouth, somehow figuring out that the root of the problem lies in there. He gets attacked by Antios’s tentacled heart, but summons the Dragon Armor, and revitalizes Dragon Caesar. Brai may be gone, but they need his help, and he overcomes Bandora’s magic. Dragon Caesar cuts Antios open with his drill, sending Geki and the heart flying out. Geki obliterates the heart, and they form Kyukyoku Daizyujin and destroy Antios once and for all.

Dora Antios was a reptile-like creature that could be revived again and again, and with more power each time, until Geki destroyed his heart. He started with claws, and gained several upgrades during the fight, including spikes on his belly that could be charged with energy and rammed into the Zyuranger mecha, pods on his arms that fired blasts, and horns that could shoot electric beams.

44-Swordswoman! Nation’s Best

Some athletes and celebrities (including a singer named Kaori Hayasaka. You don’t suppose…nah) disappear in strange red tornadoes, absorbed by Dora Chimera. Goshi saves Sayaka, a kendo expert who was his next target. He sticks around to make sure she’s okay, but Sayaka insists she’s tough enough to take care of herself. Something strange happens to her in the middle of the night…

The next day, she wants to spar with Goshi, but she’s suddenly vicious and relentless. Not to mention suddenly using a real sword. Dora Chimera got to her last night and is using her form to attack Goshi. He manages to get Sayaka to fight back and drive Chimera out of her body, and the other rangers show up to take the load of Goshi (his hands got cut pretty bad when he grabbed Sayaka’s sword). But injured or not, he’s a Zyuranger and must go help his friends. Suddenly Sayaka’s bandaging his wounds and trying to keep Goshi from going out to fight in his condition, as opposed to the tough and emotionally reserved woman she was before. Seems he helped her discover her softer side. But go he must. Goshi beats Chimera all by himself, but Bandora makes him big. They call out Daizyujin, only for Chimera to freeze the mecha solid. By spinning really fast they thaw themselves, and take Chimera out with Godhorn.

Dora Chimera could absorb people and copy their skills, even their special weapons. He could shoot beams from the eyes of his lion head, and his goat head could create tornadoes and gusts of snow. He was based on the fire-breathing monster that was part lion, part goat and part snake that was killed by Bellerophon with the help of Pegasus.

45-A Rebellious Child

A boy named Kouichi harasses hunters and polluters, and if anybody gives him any flak he just sics his powerful new buddy on them; Dora Unicorn. The monster claims to be an enemy of despoiling nature too, and takes on the Zyurangers. Kouichi quickly finds out the price of this partnership when the Zyurangers pound on Dora Unicorn, but he gets hurt.

The rangers talk to Kouichi’s mother. He’s always loved nature, but he’s always been a bit extreme about it. The rangers give him a pep talk about how hurting people isn’t justified in protecting the environment. Dora Unicorn attacks a factory, and asks why do they attack him. After all, he’s punishing the people who pollute the environment. Again, they can’t fight, because whatever happens to him happens to Kouichi.

To keep this from happening anymore, Kouichi thinks pleasant thoughts about nature, and Dora Unicorn can’t link with him while he does this. Geki summons his Dragon Armor, hacks off Unicorn’s horn, and Bandora makes him big. Riding King Brachion into battle, Daizyujin is able to attack from above and take Unicorn down hard.

Dora Unicorn could fly and would form a psychic link with Kouichi whenever his horn blinked with light, so that the kid would feel whatever pain the Zyurangers dealt to Dora Unicorn. He could also shoot balls of energy from his horn, and beat his wings to send enemies flying. He could also shoot beams from his eyes.

46-The Horrible Sentai Breaks In

The Zyurangers appear in town, but suddenly begin attacking people and destroying property. The real Zyurangers show up and fight them off, the fakes briefly appearing as Dora Mirage and a group of Golems. But suddenly they turn into regular people, and it looks to the public like our heroes are beating up on innocent bystanders. It’s a master plan of Bandora’s to discredit the Zyurangers, who soon find themselves pursued by a lynch mob.

They hide out at a little old lady’s house, and after a while are convinced by her that not everyone’s against them. They return to fight their evil counterparts, unmasking them and finally destroying them. The rangers’ spotless reputation is restored.

Dora Mirage could disguise himself and the Golems as the Zyurangers. He also toted a sword.

47-Plunge into the Final Battle!

Geki and Mei visit a boy in the hospital named Satoshi, who is a huge dinosaur lover. To do a little something for his spirits, they tell him about the dinosaur eggs incubating in King Brachion. At the same time, a powerful release of energy is detected. The dinosaur gods explain that Dai Satan is soon going to return to Earth, and give Barza a book called the “Dino Apocalypse.”

A strange boy in white attacks Geki and Mei and captures four of Satoshi’s friends, then appears to Bandora. He is her son, Kai, brought back from the dead by Satan. This is going to be the final battle and he is going to lead it. Bandora’s palace flies to Earth and plants itself in downtown Tokyo. Kai summons a giant white mecha, Dora Talos, and starts wrecking the city with it, himself and the four children at the controls. The rangers summon Daizyujin, but they are badly outmatched. And Barza continues to research the information in the Dino Apocalypse…

Dora Talos was a white mecha piloted by Kai, initially with the help of four hypnotized children. Its weapons are too numerous for me to list, but they included telekinesis, missile launchers and blades extending from its arms. The original Talos was a giant robot who guarded the island of Crete. His only weakness was a plug in his heel, which kept his molten blood inside his body. I swear the costume for this was a repainted one from Liveman.

48-Son from the Darkness

Needing a little help, Geki calls Dragon Caesar, but even Gouryujin is no match for Dora Talos. They’re about to call King Brachion when Barza appears and warns them not to. The Dino Apocalypse has warned him of what Bandora must really be up to: trying to destroy the dinosaur eggs in King Brachion. But soon, they form Kyukyoku Daizyujin and blow Talos away, freeing the children. But it’s not over yet.

Bandora casts a spell that makes the ground collapse underneath King Brachion, and he sinks out of sight. Barza explains how important the eggs inside him are to the rangers. If dinosaurs become extinct, which they will if those eggs are destroyed, then the dinosaur gods will probably die, but definitely lose most of their power. Then there will be nothing to stop Satan from conquering the world.

It also tells a tale of the queen of the Dal tribe, whose son Kai was killed by a dinosaur (I have no sympathy. He broke a mother dino’s eggs and fell off a cliff running away). She gave her soul to Dai Satan for magic power to destroy the dinosaurs and the people who worshipped the dinosaur gods. Guess who this is talking about.

Bandora builds the white pillar she used to called Satan before, and he appears again, along with a bigger and badder Dora Talos piloted by Kai. They call Daizyujin, but their divine mecha is a poor match against the two unholy menaces, and it loses an arm…

49-God Has Lost

Dragon Caesar shows up in the nick of time to help, but gets his tail chopped off. Bandora casts a spell on the defeated Zyuranger mecha, and they start to disappear. With the last of his power Daizyujin expels the Zyurangers before they disappear too.

Satoshi, meanwhile, is getting worse. It’s not helped by the fact that King Brachion and the eggs inside him are gone. Lammy and Grifforzer attack the rangers to try to finish them off, and with Daizyujin gone they can’t henshin. But a strange figure appears to the defeated rangers…it’s Brai’s ghost!

He explains that the Protector Beasts aren’t gone, just imprisoned in Bandora’s magical world, then opens a door into it. Geki, Goshi and Dan tie ropes to their waists and the other end to a tree outside, then head in. They encounter the ghosts of Dora monsters--Ninja, Mirage, Fake, and Chimera--who can hit but not be hit. Suddenly a pit opens up, and the rangers fall in. The rope outside breaks, and Geki, Goshi and Dan look about to fall to their doom…

50-Viva Dinosaurs

Barza appears and uses his staff (turned into a steel pipe) to tie the rope around so that Geki and the others in the magic world are saved from their plunge. The dead Dora Monsters fall into the pit and disappear.

Geki, Goshi and Dan find several globes in which their mecha is imprisoned, but they trigger some kind of alarm and Bandora sends Grifforzer and Lammy to stop them. Dan and Goshi propel Geki up onto the platform with the globes, and he smashes them. The magic world explodes, expelling them all back into the real world. Dora Talos gets sent out, but the Zyuranger are back at full strength and fight him through several quickly-ascending stages. Separate Protector Beasts, Daizyujin, Gouryujin, and finally Kyukyoku Daizyujin. Dora Talos and Dai Satan are both blown to bits. Kai calls out to his mother, and dies in Bandora’s arms. She weeps.

The Zyurangers storm the palace, but Bandora finds her powers have deserted her. She lost them when she wept for her son. Daizyujin creates a golden jar that sucks the villains inside and flies into space. Life returns to the world.

Bandora and her group are flying through space in the jar, singing her theme song. Her desire to get revenge on the Zyurangers is hampered not only be the facts that her magic is gone, and now Grifforzer and Lammy have a cute baby for her to gush over. Once a mom, always a mom, I guess. The Zyurangers, after turning over the newly-hatched dinosaur eggs to Satoshi, ascend into heaven, their task completed.

Videogame-

Apparently there was a Zyuranger videogame for the Famicom. I have never played it.

Rangers: To tell you the truth, they’re rather flat.

Mentor: Barza seems like the quintessential wise old mentor. For some reason I like the fact that he has reading glasses. He’s not a bad character.

Add-on characters: Well, Brai was really the first, and Toei seemed a little uncomfortable breaking their five-member dynamic. So I think he was a cool character (easily the best thing Zyuranger had going for it), but he was under-used. Strange that they would use him so sparingly and in all shows hence embrace the sixth ranger (or ranger-like character) concept so whole-heartedly.

Villains: Grifforzer and Lammy were good antagonists, Bandora was cool if only because of her theme song, which she herself sings. The likes of Totpat, Bukbuk and especially Kai I could do without.

Monsters: Some cool ones.

Goon squad: Nothing special about the Golems, except the way they’d sometimes appear from lumps of clay and give the surprised rangers a smack in the kisser.

Mecha: First of the free-thinking mecha. Also the first one, I believe, that truly had a carrier robot. Kind of interesting.

Music: Not dance music, but the opener is okay. The steel drum end theme sounds vaguely Jamaican.

Not-so-secret identities: I have to wonder if the Zyurangers really have secret identities. Even in their regular clothes they stand out a mile, after all, and never to my knowledge concoct elaborate stories of where they come from and what their lives were like, even though they do take on jobs (for one episode). They certainly have no qualms about transforming right in front of the endangered kid of the day. In fact the main reason I bring it up is because the kid of the day is always surprised to find that his strangely-dressed new friends are really the Zyurangers.

Overall: 5. I really wanted to give the first honest-to-God sentai I ever saw a better rating. But I think I’m just so jaded after watching first season Power Rangers so many times I just felt like I was watching it over again for the most part. Pushing that aside as best as I can, I can say that Zyuranger has some good things going for it (Burai was the first regular sixth ranger and one of the best of his kind yet), but is hardly a classic.

Rangers: Not especially deep characters, but they all had their endearing moments to me. Especially Mei and of course, Burai.

Mentor: Barza is one of the better sentai mentors out there, and he was also the inspiration of Guardranger's Beservor.

Add-on Characters: Burai was the first official 6th Ranger, played by Changeman's Shiro Izumi, and he became the focus of a great deal of popularity. Most notably as the subject of a writing campaign by the viewers to bring his character back from the dead during the show's run.

Villains: Bandora is one of sentai's most memorable villains, if for no other reason than that catchy theme song—as Dave already mentioned--she was famous for performing. Lammy and Grifforzer were far more appealing in Zyuranger than they were in MMPR (big surprise). Kai was an all-powerful brat who didn't get his butt kicked enough for my liking, and Dai Satan wasn't used enough, either. The rest of them I could take or leave.

Monsters: A formidable and interesting bunch. Paticularly Dora Talos.

Goon Squad: Not much to say about these guys, really.

Mecha: Daizyujin, Dragon Caesar, and King Brachion were milestones in sentai since they were the first living mecha to be introduced to the genre. Nicely diverse assortment of combinations, and DC gets props for reminding me of Mecha Godzilla.

Costume design: Simple and straight-forward. Nothing really stands out,

Though.

Music:Not bad, although the theme music seems somewhat out of place for the show. Bandora's Theme is great.

Realism: Another fact Dave adressed--it's amazing to me that the Zyurangers didn't stand out more in their civilian clothing. But then again, seeing as how Japan seems to get leveled by aliens and monsters on a daily basis, maybe the Japanese just don't see it as weird anymore.

Overall: 6. Zyuranger was my first sentai experience, too, but seeing it after Saban got through with it kind of dulled the excitement for me a bit. But I still enjoyed it regardless.