Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (侍戦隊シンケンジャー, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Samurai Squadron Shinkenger) is the 33rd Super Sentai series,which began airing on February 15, 2009. Using a feudal Japan motif, Shinkenger is a portmanteau of Shinken (true sword) and Ranger. In 2011, Shinkenger's footage and stoyline was adapted in Power Rangers Samurai and its second season, Super Samurai, the 18th season of the Power Rangers franchise.

Plot
For centuries, there has been a war between humanity and the Gedoshuu, creatures who emerge from the depths of the underworld and cause fear and terror to those around them. To fight against these creatures, the Emperor of Japan ordained five clans of samurai to fight against the Gedoshuu threat three-hundred years in the past, forming the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. These samurai possess the abilities of "Modikara", which allow for them to manipulate the kanji (Chinese characters) of the Japanese language to draw upon abilities and ordain themselves with the elements to fight the threats. They likewise utilize "origami" (folding gods) to fight against these creatures "second life", which turns them into giants which rampage through the nation.

For 17 generations, the war between the Shinkenger and Ayakashi continued, with slight reprieve given due to a massive sacrifice of the former leader to temporarily stop the Gedoshuu leader, Doukoku Chimatsuri. However many years later, with the Gedoshuu beginning their attacks again and Doukoku rerising to flood the world with the water of the Sanzu River of the underworld, Takeru Shiba, the 18th Shiba Clan leader, must gather his retainers again to fight back against the threat and protect the world. However, as this generation faces the toughest threat from the Gedoshuu yet, a dark secret may cloud over the Shinkenger as the war rages onwards.

Allies

 * Takeru's father (志葉 烈堂, 1, 12, 46)
 * Hikoma Kusakabe (日下部 彦馬)
 * Kuroko (黒子)
 * Sakutaro Komatsu (小松 朔太郎, Komatsu Sakutarō, 7, 47)
 * Ryuzaburo Ikenami (池波 流三郎, Ikenami Ryūzaburō, 1)
 * Ryota (4)
 * Mitsuba Hanaori (花織 みつば ,Hanaori Mitsuba, 6, 41)
 * Richard Brown (リチャード・ブラウン, Richādo Buraun, 14)
 * Kurando Tani (谷 蔵人, Tani Kurando, 21)
 * Jokan (浄寛, Jōkan, 23-24)
 * Hiro Sakakibara (榊原 ヒロ, Sakakibara Hiro, 32-33)
 * Toji Sakakibara (榊原 藤次, Sakakibara Tōji, 32-33)
 * Mamoru Shiraishi (白石 衛, Shiraishi Mamoru, 34)
 * Kyoko Shiraishi (白石 響子, Shiraishi Kyōko, 34)
 * Kaori Sawada (沢田 香, Sawada Kaori, 38)
 * Koichi Sawada (沢田 晃一, Sawada Kōichi, 38)
 * Haruna (沢田 陽菜, Sawada Haruna, 38)
 * Toshizo Tanba (丹波 歳三, Tanba Toshizō)
 * Engine Sentai Go-Onger
 * Tensou Sentai Goseiger
 * Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
 * Heads of the Shiba House- The previous heads of the Shiba House (Kaoru and Takeru's predecessors) are as follows:
 * Retsudo Shiba (志葉 烈堂)
 * Resshin Shiba (烈心)
 * Iori Shiba (伊織)
 * Sakuya Shiba (朔哉)
 * Yukiyasu Shiba (行康)
 * Koshinari Shiba (越成)
 * Atsuhide Shiba (篤秀)
 * Katsunoshin Shiba (勝之進)
 * Akitsugu Shiba (明継)
 * Aritsugu Shiba (有継)
 * Arishige Shiba (有重)
 * Morinobu Shiba (守信)
 * Seisuke Shiba (誠輔)
 * Akira Shiba (晶)
 * Kōichirō Shiba (幸一郎)
 * Yōjirō Shiba (陽次郎)
 * Masataka Shiba (志葉 雅貴, Shiba Masataka)

Gedoshu

 * Dokoku Chimatsuri
 * Shitari Honeno (1-Goseiger vs Shinkenger/Gokaiger 40)
 * Dayuu Usukawa (1-48)
 * Juzo Fuwa (7-47)
 * Manpuku Aburame (Movie)
 * Akumaro Sujigarano (27-43)
 * Buredoran of the Chimatsuri (Goseiger vs Shinkenger)
 * The Nanashi Company
 * Susukodama
 * Sakamata
 * Kirigami
 * Ayakashi

Arsenal

 * Main article:Arsenal (Shinkenger)

Mecha

 * Super SamuraiHaOh
 * SamuraiHaOh
 * DaiKaiShinkenOh
 * ShinkenOh
 * Shishi Origami (lion)
 * Ryuu Origami (dragon)
 * Kame Origami (turtle)
 * Kuma Origami (bear)
 * Saru Origami (monkey)
 * DaiKaiOh
 * Ebi Origami (lobster)
 * Ika Tenkuu Buster
 * DaiTenku
 * Kabuto Origami (helmet/beetle)
 * Kabuto ShinkenOh
 * Kajiki Origami (swordfish)
 * Kajiki ShinkenOh
 * Tora Origami (tiger)
 * Tora ShinkenOh
 * Ika Origami (squid)
 * Ika ShinkenOh
 * Ika DaiKaiOh
 * MouGyuuDaiOh
 * Ushi Origami (bull)
 * Kyoryu Origami (dinosaur)
 * Kyoryu ShinkenOh
 * Tenkuu ShinkenOh
 * Secret Lantern Daigoyou.
 * Paper Lantern and Jitte Mode
 * Shinken Daigoyou

Cast

 * Takeru Shiba: Tori Matsuzaka (松坂 桃李)
 * Ryunosuke Ikenami: Hiroki Aiba (相葉 弘樹)
 * Mako Shiraishi: Rin Takanashi (高梨 臨)
 * Chiaki Tani: Shogo Suzuki (鈴木 勝吾)
 * Kotoha Hanaori: Suzuka Morita (森田 涼花)
 * Genta Umemori: Keisuke Sohma (相馬 圭祐)
 * Hikoma Kusakabe: Gorou Ibuki (伊吹 吾郎)
 * Kaoru Shiba: Runa Natsui (夏居 瑠奈)
 * Toshizo Tanba: Kazuyuki Matsuzawa (松澤 一之)
 * Juzo Fuwa: Mitsuru Karahashi (唐橋 充)
 * Doukoku Chimatsuri: Rintarō Nishi (西 凛太朗)
 * Dayu Usukawa: Romi Park (朴 璐美)
 * In episodes 25 and 40, Romi Park appeared on screen as Usuyuki, Dayu's original human form.
 * Shitari of the Bones: Chō (チョー)
 * Akumaro Sujigarano: Ryō Horikawa (堀川 りょう)
 * DaiGoyou: Kōichi Tōchika (遠近 孝一)
 * Narrator: Hironori Miyata (宮田 浩徳)

Suit actors

 * Shinken Red: Hirofumi Fukuzawa (福沢 博文)
 * Shinken Blue, Mougyudaioh: Yoshifumi Oshikawa (押川 善文)
 * Shinken Pink, Shinken Yellow (sub), Princess Shinken Red (sub), Dayu Usukawa (sub): Sanae Hitomi (人見 早苗)
 * Shinken Pink (sub): Naoko Kamio (神尾 直子)
 * Shinken Green: Yasuhiro Takeuchi (竹内 康博)
 * Shinken Yellow: Miwa Hashiguchi (橋口 未和)
 * Shinken Gold, Daikaioh (sub): Jiro Okamoto (岡元次郎)
 * Doukoku Chimatsuri, Shinkenoh, Daikaioh, Samuraihaoh: Hideaki Kusaka (日下 秀昭)
 * Dayu Usukawa, Princess Shinken Red: Yūichi Hachisuka (蜂須賀 祐一)
 * Shitari of the Bones, Shinken Green (sub): Masaru Ōbayashi (大林 勝)
 * Juzo Fuwa, Akumaro Sujigarano, Shinken Red (sub), Shinken Blue (sub): Riichi Seike (清家 利一)
 * DaiGoyou: Hiroyuki Tanaka (田中 宏幸)

Trivia

 * The show's narrator is Hironori Miyata, the same narrator that appears in Hurricaneger.
 * This is the first Super Sentai series that features a team-up with Super Sentai's sister franchise, Kamen Rider.
 * This is the first season to feature a female Red Ranger in a Super Sentai Series.
 * During the time Kaoru replaced Takeru, it became the first time the amount of same-gender Sentai Rangers on a team equal (3 male, 3 female). While Dekaranger did have overall an equal amount of same-gender Rangers on the team, they did not all appear together at once.
 * Like Hurricanger, Shinkenger was not dubbed in South Korea. A Korean dub of Gaoranger called Power Rangers Jungle Force was shown in its place. However, Shinkenger still appeared in South Korea in the Korean dub of Kamen Rider Decade, due to the crossover between the two series, where they were known as Power Rangers Samurai Force.
 * This is the first season in which a suit undergoes a gender change, as a skirt is added onto the Shinken Red suit when Kaoru replaces Takeru. This would become commonplace later in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, in which skirts are added to the suits of male Sentai warriors when a female Gokaiger changes into them, and vice versa.
 * This is the first season to have an all alliterative Sentai title.
 * This is the first series since Timeranger that had a power transfer occur in Sentai.
 * Although here, it wasn't permanent, and the original Red got his position back in the span of a few episodes.
 * Kayoko Shibata, also known as Matsuri Tatsumi (GoPink) of Kyukyu Sentai GoGo-V, made an appearance in episode twelve as a preschool teacher.
 * This series was almost the first since Choujin Sentai Jetman to not get adapted into Power Rangers, between RPM's end and the annoucement of Power Ranger Samurai, a period of a few months.
 * This is the first Super Sentai series ever to be used completely for two seasons of Power Rangers; while the Zyuranger suits were used for all three seasons of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the zords and monsters after season 1 came from its two successor shows, while Samurai and Super Samurai both used Shinkenger footage exclusively.