Monday, February 10, 2014

Kyoryuger : a review part 4 : arsenal and mechas.

1) Arsenal

The Kyoryuger change using their Gaburevolver (picture on top), except Cyan, Grey and Gold who started as Kyoryugers before the 20th century (the Gaburevolver was created by Dr. Ulshade); the spirit rangers change using directly their Zyudenchi (however their modern successors use Gaburevolvers as well), and Gold use a special device, the Gaburichanger: Kyoryu Silver (Torin, and then Dantetsu) have a special Gaburevolver, the Gigagaburevolver. To change, each ranger uses his personal Zyudenchi, matching his Zyudenryu partner, and, after a dance, fire: the shot allow them to change into Kyoryuger while being able to harm villains at the same time. The Gaburevolver is also the main firearm of the rangers. The Kyoryuger also use a sword, the Gabricalibur, and can even combine both sword and gun to make the Gaburucannon.

Besides, each ranger has his/ her personal weapon: Red has the Gabutyra Fang (allowing him to make powerful punches), Black has the Parasashot (used as a gun), Blue as the Stego Shield, Green has the Zactor Slasher, and Pink has the Triceralance :  those weapons can combine with each other either in two, three or all five together.

Gold has his personal weapon, the Zandar Thunder, a sword like weapon able to use the power of up to three Zyudenchi.

The Zyudenchi are battery-like devices who are the most important weapons of the Kyoryuger, since they're the basis of their power: they use the power of the spirits of the dinosaurs, and as such, have to be regularly recharged in the Spirit base after use, in order to get that power back.

There are several categories of Zyudenchi:

- Zyudenchi 1-10 (and also 00): those Zyudenchi are associated with the Zyudenryu, which are the live partners of the heroes: those Zyudenchi allow the Kyoryuger to transform, and they can use them for their attacks against the enemies. Those Zyudenchi are also necessary to awaken the Zyudenryu, in order to fight the giant enemies (more details about the Zyudenryu in the next chapter)

- Zyudenchi 11-23: those Zyudenchi are associated with the Guardian Beasts, who died during the fight against the Deboth army, but which spirits survived in those batteries (as well as amber gems):

Zyudenchi 11, Deinochaser (spirit of Deinonychus) are necessary to call two small dinos, Deinos and Chase, which combine to make the Deinochasers bikes, which are the Kyoryuger's main vehicles.

Zyudenchi 12 (spirit of Deinosuchus) allows the rangers to use the Deinogrander weapon, which can be used as a powerful drill.

Zyudenchi 13, spirit of Kentrosaurus (a stegosaur species), which allows the personal weapons of Red, Black, Blue, Green and Pink to combine into the Kentrospiker, which is used for final attacks on enemies

Zyudenchi 14-23 are used for special attacks : Stymero (14, spirit of Styracosaurus), makes enemies fall in love with the first thing they see, Allomeras (15, spirit of  Allosaurus) create fire attacks, Beyonsmo (16 spirit of  Seismosaurus) is used to make the neck of Gabutyra become longer, Ovirapoo (17, spirit of Oviraptor) is used to create a stinking gas (fart attack) who also blinds the opponent, Igeranodon (18, spirit of  Iguanodon) creates tickle attacks, Tuperanda (19, spirit of Tupandactylus (a pterosaur)), temporarly flatten the user, Gurumonite (20, spirit of the Ammonite) creates spirals making opponents feel dizzy, Archenolon (21, spirit of Archelon ( a giant turtle)), create a strong gravity field which slows the opponents (but often the user as well), Pukuptor (22, spirit of Fukuiraptor (a theropoda dinosaur) inflate those hits like balloons, and Futabain (23, spirit of Futabasaurus (a species of plesiosaur)) creates clones of those hits.

There are also special Zyudenchi used for special final attacks : Victory Zyudenchi, which uses the power of Zyudenchi 1-5, and the Maximum Zyudenchi, using the powers of Zyudenchi 6-10 : both can be combined to use the power of Zyudenchi 1-10

Another special Zyudenchi can be used: the Carnival Zyudenchi, used for Red's unique power up (more detail in the next chapter)





2) Mechas  : The Zyudenryu, and their combinations

The Zyudenryu are the mecha partners of the Kyoryuger, the 10 most powerful dinosaurs which were modified to become Zyudenryu (11 if Tobaspino is included): the Zyudenryu are able to combine into robots. Each Zyudenryu has the color of its partner they can be sorted into two categories:

-   4 (5 if Tobaspino is added) are big Zyudenryu which are able to make the major parts of the robot : those are Gabutyra (the Tyrannosaurus partner of Red, powered by Zyudenchi 1), Pteragodon ( the Pteranodon partner of Gold, powered  by Zyudenchi 6), Plezuon ( the Plesiosaurus partner of Violet, powered by Zyudenryu 9), and Bragigas (the Brachiosaurus partner of Silver, powered by Zyudenchi 10) : Gabutyra makes the core part of Kyoryujin, Pteragodon can transform into Pteradenoh, Plezuon can transform into Plezu-oh, and Bragigas can transform, while using the power of the Zyudenchi of the 13 Guardians (Bragigas has golden parts matching the Guardians species), into Gigan Bragioh. Lastly, Tobaspino, a Spinosaurus Zyudenryu, powered by Zyudenchi 00, is the core part of Spindaioh.

- The 6 others Zyudenryu make the arms of in the combinations, and can be switched by each other to make plenty of different combinations : those are  Parasagan (the Parasaurolophus partner of Black, powered by Zyudenchi 2), Stegotchi (the Stegosaurus partner of Blue, powered by Zyudenchi 3), Zactor (the Velociraptor partner of Green, powered by Zyudenchi 4), Dricera ( the Triceratops  partner of Pink, powered by Zyudenchi 5), Ankidon (the Ankylosaurus partner of Cyan, powered by Zyudenchi 7), and Bunpachy (the Pachycephalosaurus partner of Grey, powered by Zyudenchi 8)

Kyoryujin is the combination of Gabutyra, Stegotchi and Tricera and Spindaioh is the combination of Tobaspino, Ankydon and Bunpachy: but of course, those can be switched by the other "arm like" Zyudenryu to make different combinations: those combinations can also be done on Pteradenoh or Plezu-oh: some have specific names: when Zactor and Parasagan are used, it’s the "Western" combination, Dricera and Ankydon make the "Macho" combo, Bunpachy and Ankydon make the "Kung Fu" combo.

The different main robots can also combine together: when Pteragodon combine with Kyoryujin, it makes Raiden Kyoryujin; Plezuon, Gabutyra and Bunpachy combine together to make Bakuretsu Kyoryujin; Bragigas, Gabutyra, Parasagan, Stegotchi, Zactor and Dricera combine to make Gigant Kyoryujin.

Gabutyra has also a special power: when Red uses his Carnival Zyudenchi, Gabutyra shrinks to become Minityra, and is able to change into a gun; when the Gaburevolver and that gun are combined, it allows Kyoryu Red to change into Kyoryu Red Di Carnival, a power up with Kyoryu Red being combined with Gabutyra itself. When Kyoryu Red Di carnival uses the Zyudenchi powering the other Zyudenryu, it allows Red to use modes similar to the different combinations of Kyoryujin.

3) A few comments

The use of a gun as a transforming device has only been seldom used in Sentai and it's a nice idea: while the design of the Gaburevolver is a little over the top, it matches the theme of the show. Otherwise, the weapons include the classic guns and swords, and of course personal weapons themes after the dinosaurs of each ranger, with the combination of those weapons for final attacks. Classic stuff.

The many different Zyudenchi allowed bringing more species of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures than the usual stock and it wasn't a bad idea. Unfortunately, most of the cases, the powers associated with them are very silly (fart attack, love attack, tickle, attack, balloon attack?).

The Zyudenryu are using classic dinosaurs species, most of them having already appeared in Abaranger (except Zactor and Plesion) and the concept of the combinations are similar, with a core mecha making most of the robot and the other being the arms, and the different modes being caused by switching mechas/arms: Kyoryujin has a similar concept as Abarenoh, and Pteradenoh is similar to KillerOh.

However, the Plezu-on mecha is pretty new, as well as the combo with a tyrannosaurus mecha ; and unlike Abaranger, where Brachio was only a carrier mecha, Kyoryuger's Bragigas can transform into a big robot, Gigant Bragioh, and is even able to combine with other mechas to make Gigant Kyoryujin. While Kyoryuger recycled the basic concepts of Abaranger, it also added new ideas for mechas.

Lastly, the Kyoryu Red Di Carnival power-up has the drawback to make Red completely overpowered compared to his partners, and literally turns him into a one-man army, who doesn't even need his teammates.

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