Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters (特命戦隊ゴーバスターズ) is the title of the 36th entry in the Super Sentai series. It premiered on February 26, 2012, and joined ', replacing Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and ' after Fourze's finale as a part of the Super Hero Time programming block on TV Asahi. It is the first Super Sentai series not to be adapted into a Power Rangers series Since Choujin Sentai Jetman. The series follows a spy motif and follows a group of warriors in their goal to stop a malevolent computer virus and its organization. On February 17, 2013 it was replaced by Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger as part of the Super Hero Time block.

With the recent announcement of an extension of Saban Brands' partnership with Nickelodeon and Bandai America stretching Power Rangers to at least 2016, an adaptation of Go-Busters following Power Rangers Super Megaforce was expected to be broadcast in 2015. However, the next season's name has been revealed to be Power Rangers Dino Charge - an adaption of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. It was reported that elements of Go-Busters would be incorporated into Power Rangers Dino Super Charge, namely the costume for Neo-Geildon being used for Snide.

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 are now run by a major power source known as Enetron (エネトロン). An evil organization from a different dimension 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 are tasked with stopping Vaglass from obtaining the Enetron from the city. Heroes and villains alike battle alongside 'roids' and giant villainous 'MegaZords' (メガゾード).

Go-Busters

 * Main article: Go-Busters (team)

EMC Special Missions Unit

 * Takeshi Kuroki
 * Miho Nakamura
 * Toru Morishita

Family

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

Other Allies

 * Mika Hazuki
 * Dr. Saburo Hazuki
 * Kenta Sawai
 * All Super Sentai
 * Super Sentai 199
 * Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
 * Kaoru Shiba
 * Ressha Sentai ToQger
 * Kyoryu Super Sentai
 * Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger
 * Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger
 * Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
 * Shelly
 * Psycholon
 * Shelly
 * Psycholon
 * Psycholon

Vaglass

 * Messiah
 * Escape
 * Buglars
 * Metaloids
 * MegaZords

Other Villains

 * Dai-Shocker
 * DaiZangyack
 * Rhino Doubler
 * Space Shocker

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!)
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Kenichiro Oishi
 * Artist: Hideyuki Takahashi
 * Opened into episodes 01-27
 * "Morphin! Movin! Busters Ship!" (モーフィン! ムービン! バスターズシップ!)
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Kenichiro Oishi
 * Artist: Hideyuki Takahashi
 * Opened into episodes 28-49
 * Ending theme
 * "Bonds ~ Go-Busters!" (キズナ～ゴーバスターズ!)
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Kenichiro Oishi
 * Artist: Mystery's New Unit STA ☆ MEN
 * One Wish, One Day
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Morihiro Suzuki
 * Artist: Katsuhiro Suzuki & Keiji Fujiwara
 * Ended into episodes 09-10, 24
 * "Worry Honey ♥ Bunny" (心配ハニー♥バニー)
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Masaaki Asada
 * Artist: Arisa Komiya & Tatsuhisa Suzuki
 * Ended in episode 23
 * Blue Banana Moon
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Hiroshi Takaki
 * Artist: Ryouma Baba & Tesshō Genda
 * Ended in episode 25
 * "Bonds ~ Go-Busters! (2012 Summer MOVIE MIX)" (キズナ～ゴーバスターズ! (2012 Summer MOVIE MIX))
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Kenichiro Oishi
 * Artist: Mystery's New Unit STA ☆ MEN
 * Ended into episodes 26, 27
 * Insert theme
 * "Buster Machine, Starting Way!" (バスターマシン、発進せよ!)
 * Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude
 * Composition & Arragement: Megumi Ohashi
 * Artist: Yukio Yamagata
 * Inserted into episodes 09, 23, 26, 44
 * "Boost Up! Beat Buster" (Boost Up! ビートバスター)
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition: Hideaki Takatori
 * Arragement: Satoshi Kawase
 * Artist: Z Hata
 * Inserted in episode 15
 * Brand New Spark!
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Kuroda Kotaro
 * Artist: Hideaki Takatori
 * Inserted in episode 17
 * Perfect Mission
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: NoB & Kouno Yougo
 * Artist: NoB
 * Inserted into episodes 18, 24
 * "Li-Oh! Is Here!! Champion!" (ライオー! 見参! チャンピオン!)
 * Lyrics: Fujibayashi Seiko
 * Composition & Arragement: Megumi Ohashi
 * Artist: Ichiro Mizuki
 * Inserted into episodes 35-36

Between missions 31 and 32, are inserted Uchuu Keiji Gavan's songs, some instrumentally.

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 × 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.
 * 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).

Official websites

 * Go-Busters at Toei.co.jp
 * Go-Busters at Tv-asahi.co.jp (Archived)
 * Go-Busters at Super-sentai.net