 This article is about a villain/ranger in Gosei Sentai Dairanger.
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Iron Face Chouryou (鉄面臂張遼 Tetsumenpi Chōryō) was the original RyuuRanger who betrayed his team and joined the Gorma Tribe, becoming immortal. 20 years prior to the series, he fell in love with a human woman who gave birth to his son, Ryo of the Heavenly Fire Star.
Biography
Early Life
Six thousand years before the start of the series, Chouryou led the first team of Dairangers against the Gorma and was the first pilot of RyuSeiOh. Lured by the promise of power and longevity, he became the Archbishop Saw's subordinate, and led his four teammates into a trap costing them their lives.
Chouryou joins the Gorma
Slightly over 20 years before the start of the series, Chouryo met a woman and married her, hiding his true identity, and fathered Ryo and Yoko. Five years later, however, Chouryou was called back to the Gorma, so he faked his death, taking with him a photograph of his wife and children.
Despite knowing this, Master Kaku did not reveal this to Ryo, the current day RyuuRanger, when Chouryou re-emerged.
Dairanger
Chouryou first appears when Archbishop Saw shows up to help Shadam, Gara, and Zydos take down the Dairangers, despite their protests. Zydos, aware of who Chouryou really was, attempts to kill him, only for Saw to strike him back. Saw sends Chouryou to kill Master Kaku, and he engages the present day Dairangers, thoroughly beating them before capturing Daigo, Rin, and Kazu, leaving a beaten and traumatized Shoji to tell Kaku to meet him at 3 o'clock, or else the three Dairangers would be killed.
Ryo, blaming himself for not showing up to the fight on time, volunteers to fight Chouryou, though Kaku locks him in a room and leaves to fight Chouryou himself. Upon arriving at the meeting place, the two engage in a stalemate battle before Ryo arrives and attempts to free his teammates; Kaku, distracted by Ryo, takes several heavy blows and collapses, and Ryo transforms and attempts to fight Chouryo, only to be stopped instantly. Preparing to kill Ryo, Chouryou raises his sword and brings it down, only for Kaku to reveal that Ryo is his son before he could strike him. Chouryou is left stunned and shocked at this revelation. 
TV STORY-Ep. 7: Traito-o-or!
Looking into Ryo's eyes and frozen in shock that he nearly killed his son and that he was a Dairanger, Chouryou siilently walked away, leaving a equally shocked Ryo to watch.
Later, Ryo, unable to cope with the truth about his father, runs from base and looks out over the ocean, asking his mother to himself if all he found out was true. Chouryou tosses his photo of their family to Ryo, and the two confront each other. Expressing regret over leaving Ryo, Chouryou states that some day, the Gorma will rule over the world, and tells Ryo to leave the Dairangers. Ryo tells him that he will not, and Chouryou says that the next time they meet, they will be enemies. As he turns to walk away, Ryo questions how he could fall in love and marry Ryo's mother if he betrayed his allies for the Gorma. Wearing an expression of pain and guilt, Chouryou silently disappears, leaving their family's photo to float into the river below.
Back at the Gorma's base, he is beaten by Saw for hesitating to kill Ryo just because he was his son, and Saw attacks the city to lure the Dairangers to him. When the Dairangers appear, he transports them to the first plane of Hell, and tells them he will kill the Dairangers in Chouryou's place. He summons Chouryou and tells him to watch as the Dairanger's use Chi Bomber on him, only for Saw to blow them away. He begins to torture Ryo as Chouryou painfully watches before turning away, although Ryo begins to beg for his father's help.
Ryo's cries finally reignite Chouryou's once lost honor, and Chouryou screams his son's name before attacking Saw, striking him several times before stabbing him. Saw in turn engulfs him point blank with a flame breath, mortally wounding him, and Ryo runs to his father's side. Ryo removes his mask to look at his father's face, and begins to cry as Chouryou admits that even as a traitor, he could never give up his love, and that is why he married Ryo's mother. With a tear in his eye, Chouryou asks for forgiveness.
Finally redeemed, the past four Dairangers appear before him and Ryo, and he asks them for forgiveness as well. He tells Ryo and the other Dairangers that the Lai-Lai Balls have great power and due to his betrayal his team never got a chance to use it, and he and the other past Dairangers pass them down to the present day team.
Chouryou takes one last look and Ryo before turning into energy and leaving to the afterlife with his team. TV STORY-Ep. 8: D-a-a-ad!!
RyuuRanger
Dairanger suit
Mythical Chi Beast
- Mythical Chi Beast RyuseiOh / Mythical Chi Warrior RyuseiOh
Arsenal
- Aura Changer
- DaiBuster
- Dairen Rod
- Naginata
- Sekiryu Double Dragon Swords
- Heavenly Treasure Lai-Lai Jewels
- Great Wheel Blade
- Red Kiber 1
Dragon-Fist attacks
- Heavenly Fire Star Lightning Blaze Destruction
- Heavenly Fire Star Blaze Destruction
Other Chi and Yo Powers
Chouryou seemingly possess his own version of all the other Dairanger's Chi abilities, as well as Gorma's Yo abilities, using them to great effects, and even posses the ability to combine them into powerful attacks.
- Reverse Straight Line Tornado: A version of Rin's Heavenly Wind Star Straight Line Tornado.
- Reverse Gravity Destruction: A version of Shoji's Heavenly Gravity Star Inversion Wave.
- Great Exploding Earthquake: By combining his Chi and Yo powers, Chouryou can cause an earthquake that swallows his opponents.
- Flaming Hell: A Yo power that surrounds the target in flames before exploding.
Notes
concept art
- Chouryou and Kaku's fight is ironic, as Chouryou betrayed the Dairangers for the Gorma Tribe, Kaku betrayed the Gorma to make sure that the Dairangers lived on and defeated the Gorma. Despite their previous alliances, both became very proficient in the powers they once fought against (Kaku in Chi power, and Chouryou in Yo power).
- Chouryou is the only past Dairanger whose name is mentioned in the series.
- Choryou and Ryo's story mirrors the story of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars franchise in many ways. The father of the hero joins the side of darkness/evil and seeing his son in peril ultimately causes redemption at the cost of the father's life. His helmet also resembles Vader's minus the decorative ornaments. In addition, Archbishop Saw's role bears a resemblance to Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sideous', Vader's master.
See Also
- Ryo of the Heavenly Fire Star - his son and successor as RyuuRanger.
- Ryo's grandson - his great-grandson and successor as RyuuRanger.