Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters (特命戦隊ゴーバスターズ, translated as Special Mission Squadron Go-Busters) is the title of the 36th entry in the Super Sentai series. It premiered on February 26, 2012, and joined Kamen Rider Fourze and Kamen Rider Wizard after Fourze's finale as a part of the Super Hero Time programming block on TV Asahi. The series follows a spy motif and follows a group of warriors in their goal to stop a malevolent computer virus and its organization.

Story
"Neo AD 2012. The massive energy source, Enetron, is the foundation of city functions. After it are the Vaglass, a threat to humanity. The Go-Busters are youths entrusted with special missions to fight and protect the people."

- Narrator

The urban lives of the city now runs by a major power source known as, Enetron (エネトロン). An evil organization from a different dimesion called Vaglass (ヴァグラス) aims to threaten the city by stealing the Enetron from it. Three warriors are chosen by the Energy Management Center to be a group of elite heroes, known as Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, that will protect the city from any evil threat. Along with their partners known as Buddy Roids (バディロイドヅ), they have to stop Vaglass from obtaining the Enetron from the city. Hero and villain alike battle alongside 'roids' and giant villainous 'MegaZords' (メガゾード).

Go-Busters

 * Main article:Go-Busters (team)

EMC Special Missions Unit

 * Main article: Energy Management Center


 * Takeshi Kuroki
 * Miho Nakamura
 * Toru Morishita

Family

 * Rika Sakurada
 * Yousuke Sakurada
 * Michiko Sakurada
 * Kei Usami

Buddy Roids

 * Main article: Buddy Roids


 * Cheeda Nick - Red Buster's Buddy Roid.
 * Gorisaki Banana - Blue Buster's Buddy Roid.
 * Usada Lettuce - Yellow Buster's Buddy Roid.
 * Beet J. Stag - Buddy Roid form of Stag Buster and Beet Buster's Buddy Roid.
 * Ene-tan - A partner-less buddyroid who first appeared in Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters the Movie: Protect the Tokyo Enetower!.

Other Allies

 * Super Sentai 199
 * Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
 * Shelly
 * Mika Hazuki
 * Dr. Saburo Hazuki
 * Kenta Sawai

Evil Organization Vaglass

 * Main article: Vaglass


 * Messiah
 * Escape
 * Buglars
 * Metaloids
 * MegaZords

Other Villains

 * Dai-Shocker
 * DaiZangyack
 * Rhino Doubler

Cast

 * Hiromu Sakurada (桜田 ヒロム): Katsuhiro Suzuki (鈴木 勝大)
 * Ryuji Iwasaki (岩崎 リュウジ): Ryoma Baba (馬場 良馬)
 * Yoko Usami (宇佐見 ヨーコ): Arisa Komiya (小宮 有紗)
 * Cheeda Nick (チダ・ニック): Keiji Fujiwara (藤原 啓治)
 * Gorisaki Banana (ゴリサキ・バナナ): Tesshō Genda (玄田 哲章)
 * Usada Lettuce (ウサダ・レタス): Tatsuhisa Suzuki (鈴木 達央)
 * Masato Jin (陣 マサト): Hiroya Matsumoto (松本 寛也)
 * Beet J. Stag Voice (ビート・J・スタッグ): Yuuichi Nakamura (中村悠一)
 * Takeshi Kuroki (黒木 タケシ): Hideo Sakaki (榊 英雄)
 * Miho Nakamura (仲村 ミホ): Fuuka Nishihira (西平 風香)
 * Toru Morishita (森下 トオル): Naoto Takahashi (高橋 直人)
 * Rika Sakurada (桜田 リカ): Risa Yoshiki (吉木 りさ)
 * Enter (エンター): Syo Jinnai (陳内 将)
 * Escape (エスケイプ): Ayame Misaki (みさき あやめ)
 * Messiah (メサイア): Seiji Sasaki (佐々木誠二)
 * GB Custom Visor Voice (GBカスタムバイザー音声), Tategami Raioh AI Voice (タテガミライオーAI音声), Saburo Hazuki (葉月 サブロー): Ichirou Mizuki (水木 一郎)
 * Narration: Shoo Munekata (宗方 脩)

Guest cast

 * Geki Jumonji: Yuma Ishigaki (石垣 佑磨)
 * Shelly: Suzuka Morita (森田 涼花)
 * Rhino Doubler (Voice): Kōsuke Toriumi (鳥海 浩輔二)

Suit actors

 * Red Buster: Yoshifumi Oshikawa (押川 善文)
 * Blue Buster: Yasuhiro Takeuchi (竹内 康博)
 * Yellow Buster: Yuichi Hachisuka (蜂須賀 祐一)
 * Beet Buster: Riichi Seike (清家 利一)
 * Beet J Stag, Stag Buster: Daisuke Satō (佐藤 太輔)
 * Cheeda Nick, Go-Buster Ace, Gavan Type G: Kosuke Asai (浅井 宏輔)
 * Gorisaki Banana: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎)
 * Buster Animal GT-02 Gorilla: Hiroyuki Tanaka (田中 宏幸)
 * Enter Unite: Yugo Fujii (藤井 祐伍)
 * Escape Evolve: Mizuho Nogawa (野川 瑞穂)

Songs

 * Opening theme
 * "Busters Ready Go!" (バスターズ レディーゴー!)
 * Artist: Hideyuki Takahashi (Project.R) (1-27)
 * Morphin! Movin! Busters Ship!" (モーフィン! ムービン! バスターズシップ! Mōfin! Mōbin! Basutāzu Shippu!? )


 * Artist: Hideyuki Takahashi (Project.R) (28-50)
 * Ending theme
 * "Kizuna ~ Go-Busters!" (キズナ～ゴーバスターズ!)
 * Artist: Nazo no Shin Unit Starmen (謎の新ユニットSTA☆MEN)

Stage Shows

 * Go-Busters Stage Show at Double Hero Theatre G-Rosso
 * Go-Busters Stage Show at Red Heroes WAKAYAMA Marina-cityble
 * Go-Busters Stage Show at Return of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger at Theatre G-Rosso
 * Go-Busters x Kamen Rider Fourze Stage Show at Super Hero WAKAYAMA Marina-cityble
 * Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: LIVE & SHOW 2013

References to Power Rangers
Go-Busters contains several references to Power Rangers - some obvious, some not overtly stated, and some possibly not intentional. Usually these references refer to 'firsts' in Sentai history of plot devices already in place in Power Rangers.
 * The mecha are called MegaZords. This is for both the heroes and villains. The difference is that the humanoid forms of some individual mecha are also called MegaZords, unlike in Power Rangers where the name refers to a "giant robo", usually a combiner. 'Zord' is used as a suffix for Metaloids' MegaZords, such as Shovelloid's ShovelZord.
 * The term "Zord", which originated in Power Rangers, was also used for the G-Zord in Mirai Sentai Timeranger.
 * The Morphin Brace announces "It's Morphin' Time!" when activated, which was used throughout Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Zeo, the first two Power Rangers adaptations of Super Sentai shows.
 * Also, the Morphin Brace has a sunglasses theme similar to Jungle Fury, except the Go-Busters don't actually put them on like the Jungle Fury Rangers. However, the sunglasses do form the visor lenses when transforming.
 * The Go-Busters can wear their suits without their helmets. This is similar to how the first Power Rangers frequently appeared helmetless; though the Go-Busters weren't the first Sentai to do so (Go-Onger constituting a recent example).
 * The main villain Messiah is very similar to'' 'R.P.M.s Venjix as they were both computer viruses, not to mention very impatient and angry.
 * Messiah is a floating head from a different dimension, just like Zordon.
 * The Go-Busters have Super Powers (super speed for Hiromu, super strength for Ryuji and super jumping for Yoko) they can access to fight better. This is very similar to the heroes of Dino Thunder, S.P.D., or Operation Overdrive.
 * Unlike the Power Ranger series' powers, however, this series has given the Super Powers Weakpoints, which balance out the overall effectiveness of the Busters. Also, the Busters can use their "Civilian Powers" while transformed.
 * Similar to some Power Ranger seasons, the main monster making method involves using random items.
 * Powered Custom is similar to the Red Sentinel Ranger, a mode in which Mack, the Red Overdrive Ranger, combined with the supporting robot (Sentinel Knight).

Trivia

 * This is the first Sentai team to have their name be in plural format as their official name, being Go-Busters as opposed to "Go-Buster".
 * Wikipedia code for various tokusatsu articles can be found in the opening for the first episode; most notable an entry reading "Super Sentai" which mentions various other Toei-related properties of the past that have an American connection, including Spider-Man, Voltron (an Americanization of Toei anime Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV) and Sailor Moon.
 * Every Metaloid having a MegaZord version of itself is similar to Battle Fever J, where the series had their monsters not grow, but instead summon Big Brother Robots.
 * This is the 2nd season where the name of the show starts with "Go-". The first one is Go-Onger.
 * Go-Busters shares many similarities to Engine Sentai Go-Onger, and its American adaption Power Rangers RPM:
 * Both Go-Busters and Go-Onger feature the word "Go-" in the title, they both feature animal mechas merged with machines, both feature mecha with some sort of numbering, both feature Rangers that often take off their helmets after fights, both feature Gold and Silver Rangers as a duo, and both feature very similar belts.
 * Both Go-Busters and RPM take place in different worlds than the other series, and both feature computer viruses as the main villians.
 * This is the first Sentai to completely replace the opening music mid-season. The only season to change the opening theme, before Go-Busters, was Gekisou Sentai Carranger, but the replacement was a different version of the same song.
 * Missions 31 and 32 feature a crossover with the new Space Sheriff Gavan.
 * This is the first Sentai since Ninja Sentai Kakuranger to feature a frog-themed mecha.