Super Sentai, the original show that would eventually become Power Rangers, has officially ended with the release of its final episode after 50 long years of being on the air. The Power Rangers might currently be dormant after 30 years of the TV series in the West, but the original show behind it had gone on for a much more impressive run in Japan. Toei had launched the first Super Sentai series, Himitsu Sentai Goranger, back in 1975, and aired 49 different iterations of the series ever since across multiple eras of Japan. Now it’s all come to an end.
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Following reports popping up last year that Toei was going to be cancelling the Super Sentai series following the end of its most recent entry, No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger, it has now come to pass with the final episode of that series airing this weekend in Japan. This marks the end of the 50 year run of the franchise, and while there is still a hope to see it return someday, Toei is saying goodbye to the franchise with a special poster for the occasion that you can check out below.
Super Sentai Airs Final Episode After 50 Years
No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger first premiered as a special 50th anniversary of the franchise where its team was allowed to tap into the powers of famous Sentai teams from the past. The final episode capped off this generation of the series, and with it 50 years of adventures from that past era. There’s a chance that the series might run someday as this is being categorized not as a full cancellation, but instead just a general end for now. But it might be quite a while before that comeback.
When asked about that possibility of Super Sentai possibly coming back with a new entry someday, TV Asahi’s President had noted the following during the ending announcement,
“There is a possibility.” Any potential plans for that future are still unclear, however, “As of now, there is nothing definitive to say.” So fans hoping to see it return might be out of luck for quite a while as Toei tries something else out instead.
What’s Next After Super Sentai Cancellation?
Although Power Rangers is currently working on its first new entry with Disney+ without using any of the Super Sentai‘s original materials as a base, Toei has plans for an entirely new kind of project taking its place in Japan. Taking over its time slot on Sundays in the region next week, Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity has been announced as the next major Tokusatsu franchise coming that will be introducing the Gavan franchise to a whole new era of fans.
Super Sentai’s ratings just weren’t as great as they used to be (much like Power Rangers internationally) despite the many kinds of experiments Toei has done over the years, and it seems their answer for now is to end that series in the hopes of finding success elsewhere with something new. If this new take on Gavan doesn’t work either, it’s not like Super Sentai will immediately come back after. It’s likely we’re going to see all sorts of other experiments instead.
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Image courtesy of MAPPA
