 This article is about an episode in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.
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Niki-Niki! Kenpo Lesson (ニキニキ！拳法修行 Niki-Niki! Kenpō Shugyō) is the seventh episode of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. It is a tribute to Juken Sentai Gekiranger.
Synopsis
With the next clue from Navi saying that they need to find the tiger child, the Gokaigers face off against Pachacamac XIII. When he takes away their weapons, Doc and Ahim find their hand-to-hand skills are lacking and start training under Jan Kandou, the former GekiRed.
Plot
With the next clue from Navi saying that they need to find the tiger child, the Gokaigers search to no avail before their search is interrupted by Cosmic Kenpō Master Pachacamac XIII. Furious of the interference, the Gokaigers fight Pachacamac yet Ahim and Don are outmatched by Pachacamac's Cosmic Kenpō fighting style with the others assume the forms of the GaoRed, GaoYellow, and GaoBlue to drive him off. Later, talking over their level of skill in fight, Ahim and Don come across Geki Jū Tiger-Ken master Jan Kandou with the former wanting to train along with the children that Jan's teaching while Don chickens out. That night, after Navi explains to the crew that they jump to the wrong conclusion by going after a tabby and later realize that they trained themselves, Don resolves to get strong as Captain Marvelous and Luka. The next day, Don joins Jan's class to Ahim's surprise while the rest of the GokaiGalleon crew battles Pachacamac using the power of the Sun Vulcan team. However, Pachacamac uses a new technique thanks to Insarn's modifications. When contacted by Navi about their crewmen in trouble, Ahim and Don learn from Jan that their training is over as he reveals himself as the tiger child they are looking for. Arriving at the battle, GokaiGreen and GokaiPink tell the others to use the Gekiranger Keys to counter Pachacamac, weakening him before using the Gokai Blast Final Wave to finish him off. When Pachacamac enlarges, GokaiOh is formed to fight him using the Gekiranger Keys to summon Qi-based images of the GekiBeasts to destroy the villain. Elsewhere, as Don is now able to stand up for himself, Jan tells Master Xia Fu that he will entrust the future of the planet to the Gokaigers.
Cast
- Ryota Ozawa as Captain Marvelous (Gokai Red)
- Yuki Yamada as Joe Gibken (Gokai Blue)
- Mao Ichimichi as Luka Millfy (Gokai Yellow)
- Kazuki Shimizu as Don Dogoier (Gokai Green)
- Yui Koike as Ahim de Famille (Gokai Pink)
- Hiroki Suzuki as Jan Kandou (GekiRed†)
- Yukari Tamura as Navi (voice)
- Hirofumi Nojima as Warz Gill (voice)
- Gaku Shindo as Barizorg (voice)
- Koji Ishii as Damaras (voice)
- Kikuko Inoue as Insarn (voice)
Gokai Changes
- Gokai Changes in Niki-Niki! Kenpō Lesson:
- All of the Gokai Changes in this episode involve felines.
- Sun Vulcan: First team with a feline (VulPanther).
- Gaoranger: First team lead by an actual feline (a lion; while GingaRed also had a lion, it was actually a Gingaleon, a lion-like alien creature).
- Gekiranger: Main trio/Triangle are all felines (Tiger/Cheetah/Jaguar).
- Both of the Gokai Changes prior to the Gekiranger one involve teams with members connected to the elements of air, water, and land. However, Marvelous and Luka switch places with both teams, while Joe remains the aquatic creature in both changes, which coincidentally are both Sentai teams that utilize sharks.
Elements/Homages to Gekiranger
GekiRed's Legend Shift
- The title of this episode is similar to one of Gekiranger: it begins with an onomotopeia-like word that is made of a two-syllable word repeated twice, which is a typical trait of Jan. This title is reminiscent of the first Gekiranger title from the onomotopeia, with the original as Niki-Niki! Fierce Beast-Fist!
- Pachacamac XIII is the descendant of the main villain of the Juken Sentai Gekiranger vs. Boukenger crossover movie.
- The Air/Water/Land change by Marvelous, Joe and Luka is representative of the air/water/land concepts utilized in the first half of the series, both in the three training masters of the Gekiranger (Bat, Shark, Elephant) and in the three Fist Demons who are the main villains of the first half (Hawk, Jellyfish, Bear).
- While not directly referenced, Jan is still wearing Long, who was transformed into an orb in the final battle with the Gekirangers, around his neck
- The splitting of the Gokaiger into two groups for most of the episode has multiple significance connected to Gekiranger:
- Having Marvelous, Joe and Luka on their own emphasizes the concept of the "Triangle", the main trio which is the core of the main Geki Juken team; while the joining of Don and Ahim by the end show the addition of the two team-members (GekiViolet and GekiChopper) in the second half to support the Triangle.
- The splitting of the teams into two show the style of two parallel teams having stories that intersect, thus the stories of the Gekiranger alongside their rival, the Confrontation Beast-Fist warriors Rio and Mele.
- Further, with the main Gokaiger focused on being Don and Ahim, it's no coincidence that both Gokai Changes early on with the other side of the team focus on teams with lions: Rio, the main rival of the Gekirangers and the leader of the Confrontation Beast-Fist forces, has a theme of a lion; and with Rio as part of the "other" focus team, it allows for focus on the other team (the Gekiranger themselves; or in this case Gokai Green and Gokai Pink).
Notes
- As part of Super Hero Time, this episode aired alongside Kamen Rider OOO episode 28, 1000, the Kamen Riders, and the Birthday.
- This tribute episode includes the following firsts:
- The first to center around a Sentai team that started with 3 Rangers.
- The first with no Sixth Rangers.
- The first to not use the theme song of the dedicated team and the first not to feature a special transformation sequence based on the original. (This was later stated to be an unintentional mistake by the director of this episode)
- This is the only tribute episode where the legend and the tribute exactly match the equivalent Super Megaforce episode
DVD/Blu-ray releases
Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Volume 2 features episodes 5-8: Ep. 5: Judgement Pirates, Ep. 6: The Most Important Thing, Ep. 7: Niki-Niki! Kenpō Lesson and Ep. 8: Little Spy Tactics. It was released on August 5, 2011.[1]
See also
- Spirit of the Tiger - Power Rangers counterpart in Power Rangers Super Megaforce. See comparison page.