Hero Historia: Five Sentai for Those Sad KingOhger is Over

It’s that time of the year; the excitement of the new show is nice but it can be hard to say goodbye. Hopefully, these five shows can patch the crown shaped hole in your heart that Ohsama Sentai KingOhger left behind.

Hero Historia is a series dedicated to helping fans of superhero tokusatsu find shows that don’t get talked about as much; older shows, ones that may not have many defenders or flag wavers online. Consider me that flag waver because, for every person out there interested in tokusatsu, there are dozens of shows they’d love that they’ve never had recommended. Currently, this only excludes shows that have aired in Japan’s Reiwa Era, which began in 2019.

Only very light spoilers follow.

Ohsama Sentai KingOhger is a unique show, even as it draws on the classic imagery and motifs of the Super Sentai Series; the roles the team members play in their civilian identities, the rapidly escalating plot that almost approaches the cosmic horror genre, et cetera, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else like it in the series. Here are the five shows I think are most likely to satisfy fans.

1. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

We’ll start with the obvious choice; the one that crossed over! If you saw that glimpse of the team in episodes 32 and 33 and wanted more, then this is the move. Of course, in case it needs to be said, the character of Prince is original to KingOhger (presumably because Ryusei Ryo wasn’t available to return as Kyoryu Red) and is not in any other media*. Beyond that first impression, though, there are elements seen in KingOhger that you’ll find in this show. First of all, the team itself is a bit similar, with the heroes that star in the show not being the first people empowered, with several even inheriting their powers from deceased Kyoryuger members. The individual mechs that form the team robo are also living beings bonded to the heroes, much like the Shugods. Lastly, the scale of the two shows is comparable, as both shows have a large number of protagonists from all over the planet banded together against an alien threat (though the Red tends to take centre stage a bit more than I’d prefer in Kyoryuger, specifically).

2. GoGo Sentai Boukenger

This anniversary series doesn’t seem to share much at first glance, being about a team of unlicensed archaeologists/mercenaries/museum tour guides, but the parallels are definitely there. If you enjoyed the power plays and political jockeying amongst the KingOhger monarchs, the ongoing struggle for leadership between Bouken Red and Bouken Black will be welcome. Both shows are also set in a world with a history full of adventures we only get hints of, where the main team tries to prevent the fallout of those events from causing modern problems. Boukenger is also a show that provides multiple sets of antagonists with their own motivations, though it has them at cross purposes and working simultaneously as opposed to Dagded and the Five Jesters’ emergence from the shadows.

3. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

On the other hand, if you prefer the idea of different factions that take center stage sequentially, Goseiger is a bit more like KingOhger in that regard. The eventual final foe (whose role and motivation I will not spoil here) is one of the few final enemies in Super Sentai that scales to Dagded in terms of power and motivation when they make their final moves. The team members also have responsibilities in their civilian lives, official roles that place them outside and even above the people they protect. That said, this may be a lower priority if you responded to the multi faceted adult heroes of KingOhger, as this series skews to a younger crowd, even by the standards of the grade school demographics of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuuranger

Cosmic war, ancient prophecies, heroes fighting amongst themselves to direct the team, and a Red with a high power level and low impulse control; Kyuranger again hits a lot of clear points of comparison with KingOhger. The aesthetic is also a good fit, with bits of modular gear that have lots of physical toggles and more a more armoured look to the suits for the team. That said, the place that I think the level the two shows meet on the most is their casts. Both shows have large casts, KingOhger because each monarch has their attendants and assistants, Kyuranger because the eventual full team has twelve members, with a few added recurring side characters on top. They’re both shows with lots of moving parts, lots of relationships.

5. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

I’ve saved the best for last, not just because it’s my favorite of the five shows in the list, but also because I think it has the most interesting comparison to KingOhger. Shinkenger is a team of swordsmen who inherited their roles called to action by an ancient enemy of humanity that has returned en masse. According to their roll call, Shinkenger is even an arm of the government, reporting directly to the Emperor, though in practice this never comes up and their mandate seems limited to the town around their base. More importantly, the balancing forces of power, responsibility, duty and authority are the core themes of the series, all things KingOhger touches on over its run. The differences mostly stem from the fact that Shinken Red is the one with the role of feudal lord and the others are vassals, which makes for an interesting contrast to the team of equals.

While we all keep our eyes on BoonBoomger, there’s a lot of time between episodes that can be filled. Hopefully, at least one of these shows piques your interest and gives you something else to get caught up on.

If you agree with my picks, think I missed one, or have another show to use as a jumping off point, leave a comment below! See you in the next instalment!

All images property of Toei Company Ltd.