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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/akibaren_v1.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:"[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Good kids, stay away from this show. Got it?"]]]]
3
4->''Akihabara, a town which floats in a sea of delusions. There, we find three warriors who believe "cringe is power", and fight extravagant battles [[AllJustADream inside their own heads.]] They are:''
5
6''Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger'' (literally, ''Unofficial Squadron Akibaranger'', "Akiba" meaning the famous Akihabara computer district, a byword for nerdiness) is an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "unofficial" installment in]] (and AffectionateParody of) the ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' franchise. It began airing in April 2012 and ran concurrent with the official 36th Franchise/SuperSentai series, ''Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters''.
7
8Nobuo Akagi is a twenty-nine year old [[ThisLoserIsYou loser]]. He is a ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' [[{{Otaku}} fanatic]], lives out delusions of grandeur in his head, and [[PerverseSexualLust crushes horribly on the female protagonist]] of an [[{{Anime}} animated television show]].
9
10One day he and two others- martial artist Mitsuki Aoyagi and CosplayOtakuGirl Yumeria Moegi (StageName)- are scouted to become the Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger, tasked with defending the {{Otaku}} mecca of Akihabara from the "[[ObviouslyEvil Blatantly Evil]] Guerilla Marketing Firm B", who wish to re-purpose the land into a generic business district devoid of {{Otaku}} culture.
11
12Armed with an [[GenreSavvy encyclopaedic knowledge]] of ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' tropes and no shortage of misplaced enthusiasm, they fight to become officially recognized as a ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' team, complete with merchandising line and Sunday morning television show.
13
14Except it's AllJustADream. [[OrWasItADream Or is it...?]]
15
16In April 2013, a second season called ''Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger Season Two''[[note]]A wordplay pun based on "Tsuu", meaning "painful", or in this case "cringe".[[/note]] began airing. Taking place in an AlternateUniverse from the original series (and shamelessly {{Retcon}}ning several important events in the process), the Akibaranger have disbanded following their climactic victory over the Blatantly Evil Guerilla Marketing Firm B nine months previously. But all that changes when Nobuo discovers official ''Akibaranger'' merchandise for sale in one of his usual {{Otaku}} boutiques: have the Akibaranger somehow become an official ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' without them knowing?! Along with Luna Iwashimizu, an energetic wannabe IdolSinger who inherits the role of Akiba Blue, the Akibaranger must re-assemble to solve the mystery and battle a new arch-enemy, the "[[OverlyLongName Neo Dimensional Intellectual Remodeling Underground True Empire of Baros lol]]".
17
18----
19[[foldercontrol]]
20
21[[folder:Recurring ''Super Sentai'' tropes]]
22* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: As usual for tokusatsu, there are words and phrases the characters say to activate their powers
23** ''Jūmōsō!''[[note]] Translated as "Grand Delusion!". If you break down the phrase into its component parts, it can be interpreted as "deluding oneself that one has a life".[[/note]]
24** ''Chōmōsō''[[note]] Translated as "''Super'' Delusion!" [[/note]] for Super Akiba Red.
25** ''Jamōsō''[[note]] Translated as "Dark Delusion" [[/note]] for Malshina.
26* '''{{CAMP}}''': Being a Franchise/SuperSentai parody, the suit battles take every campy element and takes it up to eleven.
27* ChestInsignia: The Akibarangers have emblems on their chests.
28** BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: It's a mashup of the ''kanji'' for 'Hi' in ''Hikonin'' with the 'A' for ''Akibaranger''.
29* ColorCharacter: Another "[team prefix] [English color]" Sentai.
30* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The trope of team members being distinguished by colors is pointed out by Nobuo in ep. 1.
31* EyeCatch: The eyecatch varies per episode. Generally they involve the live actors or morphed Rangers ([[AndZoidberg and maybe Hakase]]) messing around in the same black smoke-filled stage, and some involve running off to the left.
32** As befitting the [[WhamEpisode Wham Arc]], the eyecatch is taken over by Malshina and the {{Mooks}} in #7. Gets taken further in #10 when a WhipPan is used to ''combine two such clips into one.''
33** In #13, the recap episode, the eyecatches become more traditional.
34* FinishingMove: Moe Magnum is used to defeat every MonsterOfTheWeek.
35* HomeBase: Our heroes hang out at the Sentai Cafe (complete with "Secret Base" on its logo in large red kanji)
36* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: All the episode titles have the word 'ita'[[note]]usually meaning 'pain' in some form; episode 2 and 7's titles reference {{Itasha}}, which uses the kanji for pain[[/note]] in them, in a case similar to ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'' and their usage of 'abare'. Season 2's episodes are all titled "Delusion [something]".
37* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Their role call is part subversion, part played straight. It changes each episode, usually following the template:
38-->'''Nobuo''': ''[states one of his personal Sentai superlatives]...'' [[PowerEchoes Akiba Red!!]]\
39'''Mitsuki''': ...Akiba Blue. [[spoiler:Until the training with Sentai stunt veteran Kazuo Niibori, afterwards, she gets more pumped up in this trope with this: "Akiba... [does a long stunt movement] ...Blue!"]]\
40'''Yumeria''': ''[goes off about her cosplay adventures & dances about [[RunningGag before being interrupted]]]''\
41'''Nobuo''': Cringe is power! Ready!\
42'''All''': Hikonin Sentai... Akibaranger!\
43''[followed by the team reacting to the [[StuffBlowingUp explosion]] in some way]''
44** [[spoiler:Yumeria's mother's role call as Akiba Yellow in #5 is more traditional (and in Nobuo's eyes, "better").]]
45** In #7, Yumeria was cosplaying as Satomi from ''Nijiyome Gakuen Z-Cune Aoi'', instead of continuing her rant she remarked that they should be more worried about [[spoiler:the "vampire" attack]] in the real world instead.
46*** In #8, Yumeria forgets her place in her rant so she starts a new one.
47** #9 has [[spoiler:the team ''finally'' doing a proper role call, including Yumeria actually finishing one of her anecdotes. They get the customary explosion, then run full pelt at the monster-of-the-week whilst still holding their poses]].
48** [[spoiler:Played completely straight in Episode #11, when Takuma is head of the team. The new temporary role call is basically a massive ShoutOut to the ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'' role call, but with lots of MeaninglessMeaningfulWords thrown in- also, the first characters in each phrase, when placed together, can be read as "Juumousou".]]
49--->[[spoiler:'''Takuma''': Strength through flexibility, burning red! Intelligence! Akiba Red!]]\
50[[spoiler:'''Yumeria''': Gratitude to miracles, like a blind turtle finding driftwood! Practitioner! Akiba Yellow!]]\
51[[spoiler:'''Mitsuki''': A pearl within the blue, perfection through diligence! Fast Master! Akiba Blue!]]\
52[[spoiler:'''Takuma''': Shine on!]]\
53[[spoiler:'''All''': Hikonin Sentai... Akibaranger!]]
54** In season 2, Luna usually tries to follow the pattern of Nobuo's roll calls, but often messes something up.
55* MakeMyMonsterGrow: ''Averted'', the monsters stay dead rather than becoming gigantic after their defeat, much to Nobuo's surprise.
56** Finally played straight in #7 when the Chief Clerk turns into a {{giant spider}} monster. Though not ''nearly'' as big as the normal instance of this trope, being closer to the OneWingedAngel transformations seen in ''Franchise/KamenRider''.
57** And a heroic [[spoiler:(well, only partially, given [[EndOfSeriesAwareness the circumstances]])]] example occurs in episode 12, when [[spoiler:the Itassha Robo grows to the size of an official Sentai mecha to fight Doctor Z's giant robot.]]
58*** An actual heroic example occurs in S2 12 when [[spoiler:Malshina uses the Wolzaphone to make Super Akiba Red grow to take on Prism Ace.]]
59* MerchandiseDriven[=/=]OffTheShelfFX: Blatantly parodied in Season 2, episode 1, where half the time the recap involves the use of the ACTUAL Toys/SHFiguarts for the Akibarangers and the official Sentai teams -- and of course, there's commercials for them during the premiere.
60** #2-9: [[spoiler:[=SHFiguarts=] for Itasshar Robo, or is that Itasshar Boy?]]
61** ''Weaponized'' when [[spoiler:General 2 orchastrates things so it's 'winter', and thus the time for the new toys...meaning the Akibarangers are weak because the Christmas toys will be coming out and thus the new stuff needs to look cool. This resulted in [[CurbstompBattle him demolishing them]] in the resulting fight. They turn the tables with Itasshar Boy, who demolishes his monster for the same reason.]]
62* MetaSequel: The ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' franchise exists as an in-universe show (including ''Franchise/PowerRangers''), which is another reason the children aren't supposed to watch ''Akibaranger'', as it will break the illusion.
63* MiniDressOfPower: Part of the Akibaranger girls' suits.
64* MonsterOfTheWeek: The Chief Clerks fulfill the role of one-shot antagonists permanently defeated in every episode in Season 1; General Pain's creations in Season 2 pay homage to the official monsters and as such are fashioned after different groups with noticeable gimmicks (such as the cycloptic [[Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger Gorma Monsters]] or the composite [[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger Trinoids]]).
65* MoodWhiplash: The ED Theme of ''Akibaranger'', set to a melancholic piano piece with pictures showcasing the fame and glory (merchandise, movie deals, etc) that the team will likely never be able to obtain. It's especially jarring in #5, which has a pretty DownerEnding (mostly due to how #5 ends at the last moment).
66* {{Mooks}}: The Shatieeks ("Sacrificial Corporate Drones") are the standard enemy foot soldiers of this series.
67* OnTheNextEpisodeOfCatchPhrase: Every episode of the first season has the Akibarangers say "Good little kids, don't watch."
68* SpandexLatexOrLeather: Latex armor, unlike most ''Sentai'' (spandex) or [[Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters the concurrent one]] (leather).
69* StrictlyFormula: Parodied in that each episode is a parody of [[OnceASeason a different kind of Super Sentai episode]]. HilarityEnsues as Nobuo tries to figure out what kind of episode is currently playing out (sometimes [[EventFlag crucial]] to defeating the MonsterOfTheWeek).
70** #1 is the parody of a PilotEpisode.
71** #2 is the parody of a TenMinuteRetirement Episode.
72** #3 is the parody of a Training Episode.
73** #4 is the parody of both a Brainwashed Ranger Episode ''and'' a Doppelganger Ranger Episode.
74** #5 is the parody of a Parental Reunion Episode.
75** #6 combines elements of a Training from a Swordmaster Episode and a Movie-making Monster episode, along with generally spoofing the editing tricks and suit acting skill that go into the making of a ''Super Sentai'' series.
76** #7 combines elements of a [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs villain storming the heroes' base]] episode and a stolen TransformationTrinket episode.
77** #8 combines elements of a Training episode and befriending the [[MonsterOfTheWeek MOTW]] episode.
78** #9 contains elements of a Disbanded Team episode.
79** #10 parodies CerebusSyndrome.
80** #11 parodies ExecutiveMeddling and [[ReTool Retooling]], both happening InUniverse.
81** #12 parodies the FinalBattle with use of EndOfSeriesAwareness.
82** #13 is a ClipShow, and even that is lampshaded. (Mainly due to being a "bonus" episode funded during the production of the series; for all intents and purposes, #12 is the end of the story.)
83** #2-1 is a RecapEpisode that also parodies poorly-handled {{Retcon}}ning.
84** #2-2 and #2-3 are both parodies of a two-part Greater Power episode for ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger''. It could also be a parody of WhatCouldHaveBeen.
85** #2-4 parodies the SuperMode gaining episodes.
86** #2-5 parodies how ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' was imported to America as ''Franchise/PowerRangers''.
87** #2-6 parodies cute monster episodes.
88** #2-7 parodies SailorEarth.
89** #2-8 parodies the ever popular DuelToTheDeath [[spoiler:AgainstTheSettingSun no less]]
90** #2-9 parodies BeachEpisode and HumongousMecha
91** #2-10 parodies TheStarscream and also the plot of season 1!
92** #2-11 parodies how the heroes always win when the villain triggers a defeat flag.
93** #2-12 parodies [[spoiler:the IntercontinuityCrossover, the Super Hero Taisen movies, and Heroic Sacrifice.]]
94* StockFootage: Recycling pre-existing footage is averted, at least for Yumeria's transformation. Whenever she's in a different costume, the outfit in her transformation changes accordingly. Especially noticeable in episode 4, though it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it in 3.
95* StuffBlowingUp: Nobuo expects explosions after defeating enemies, but the girls (at first) clearly don't.
96* SuperMode: Parodied with Super Akiba Red. While it equips him with armor, the armor in question is [[spoiler:formed by Aoi-tan embracing him, and thus formed with ThePowerOfLove, but [[LoveMakesYouDumb he takes the blows that the armor is supposed to take]], playing up a sort of TakingTheBullet angle. Despite this, [[GlassCannon it apparently makes him four times stronger due to said love]].]]
97* SuperSentaiStance: Blue especially has trouble with striking a pose during team formations. Red usually pulls off his role in them well enough.
98* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Most notably used in episode #9. Parodied in #12 - a new song starts playing and the Akibarangers start winning a fight... but they were trying to ''lose''.
99* TransformationTrinket: The Moe Moe Z-Cune (MMZ-01), an "officially licensed" figure of Aoi that also transforms into the team sidearm and also acts as the communication device. It only works in the delusional world [[spoiler:until #9]].
100** Season 2 introduces the Moya Moya Z-Cune (MMZ-00), a repaint used by General Pain to transport his creations into the Delusion World and by Malshina to transform, and the Munyu Munyu Z-Baan (MMZ-02), a new figure with a NavelDeepNeckline that doubles as a knife and enables Akiba Red's SuperMode.
101* TransformingMecha: The Itasshar Robo, an {{Itasha}} with a ridiculous paint job.
102** MiniMecha: Rather than the usual HumongousMecha, Itasshar Robo is extremely small by Sentai standards, transforming from a normal car and remaining the size of a normal car. It's bigger than the Rangers, at least. The Itasshar Boy in season 2 is ''toy-sized'', but still manages to be just as powerful as a full-size mecha.
103** Then in the final episode, [[spoiler:the Itasshar Robo actually becomes a HumongousMecha as an AssPull by the producer to force a final confrontation]].
104* TwoGirlsToATeam: Yellow and Blue are the only two female members of the team and are in fact the only members other than the male Red.
105** Naturally, Nobuo points this out.
106%%** {{Handguns}}: The Moe Moe Z-Cunes are the standard weapon used by the Akibarangers.
107%%** ShapeshifterWeapon: The Inordinate Powers are created from transforming one or more Sentai Rangers:
108%%*** Dekaranger: Deka Wapper
109%%*** Boukenger: [[ShovelStrike Bouken Scooper]]
110%%*** Jetman: [[JetPack Jet Winger]]
111%%*** Dairanger: Dairen Bomber
112%%*** Zyuranger: Zyuren Buckler
113%%*** Hurricaneger: [[EpicFlail Hurricane Ball]]
114%%** Super Akiba Red: Munyu Munyu Z-Baan. When [[BifurcatedWeapon combined]] with the Moe Moe Z-Cune, it creates the [[HandCannon Munyu Moe Zubakyuuun]].
115[[/folder]]
116
117!!Tropes specific to ''Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger'':
118
119[[folder: A-C]]
120* AbandonedWarehouse: The fights only occuring in abandoned locations where it's impossible for any severe casualties or destruction to occur is invoked and lampshaded in the first episode.
121** Played straight in the finale.
122* AbortedArc: [[spoiler:At the end of episode 11, after Nobuo gets the other Akibarangers to realize they're in a TV show, Takuma abruptly leaves the team even though Deluknight claims they're fated rivals, and Hiroyo is just as suddenly cured of the scorpion mark curse. The blatant obviousness of the ExecutiveMeddling means that the heroes can't really celebrate though.]]
123* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Takehiro Tsuzuki/Doctor Z. Starting from his attempt from the beginning to curse his own daughter (Hiroyo) to ruin her seiyuu career, and also completely dismissing Malshina, whom has treated him like her own father and called him respectfully...]]
124* TheAce: Takuma Tsuzuki is portrayed as the cool guy who's perfect at everything, who even gets a {{Leitmotif}} to boot.
125* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: Akagi refers to them as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telop telop]] chances". Sure enough, an announcement comes scrolling across the screen the second he says it.
126* ActorAllusion: In #4, an ImagineSpot shows Malshina going into past villainess outfits ([[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Shelinda]] and [[Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger Kegalesia]]) that also belonged to former porn stars. And in #7, Malshina's focus ep, we see Hakase handling a diorama that features [[Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger Zonette]], who also falls under this group.
127** [[Creator/RicaMatsumoto Yumeria's mother]] actually says to the Kabukicho MOTW "I'll buy 10 bottles - no, [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} 151]], ''[[CatchPhrase getto daze!]]''"
128** Partial example in #10. Kozukozu is the first to notice that Takuma Tsuzuki is identical to [[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger Retsu/Geki Blue]] - but the Rangers shoot her down immediately. And they're not wrong - Takuma is played by ''Shinpei'' Takagi, while Retsu is played by his twin brother ''Manpei'' Takagi [[note]]Shinpei only appeared in ''Gekiranger'' for an EvilTwin story[[/note]]. That's right, our heroes have outdone [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Gai]] by being able to tell ''twins'' apart!
129*** To play further on Shinpei's Gekiranger association, Episode 11's fight is full of Gekiranger references, starting from the verbally and physically elaborate roll call, then going all out on unarmed combat, and then right down to spelling out the "heart-technique-body" triangle and using AnimalBattleAura KiManipulation. Interestingly, Takuma himself had something from each one of the core Gekirangers: the [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority color]] of Jan/Geki Red; the [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower element]] of Ran/Geki Yellow; and the [[PantheraAwesome animal spirit]] of Retsu/Geki Blue.
130** In Season 2, Nobuo addresses a toy shop clerk that has a [[spoiler:[[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger Bae]] doll riding his arm. Said clerk may have possibly been a [[Series/KamenRiderOOO mad scientist with an obsession for endings]] that had a creepier-looking doll riding his arm.]]
131*** [[spoiler:Said creepier-looking doll is actually on top of the cash register]]
132** [[spoiler:Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi voices a smartphone-themed [=MotW=] - which he used the [[Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger last time]] he was in a Sentai series.]]
133** General Tsuu is singing Ginga Honey from ''Series/DenshiSentaiDenziman'' when he's at the karaoke. He is played by Creator/RyoHorikawa, and the one-off character who originally sung the song was played by Creator/RyuseiNakao. In other words, [[Franchise/DragonBall Vegeta is covering a song originally sung by Frieza]].
134* AdultsAreUseless: Mitsuki thinks this when everyone is too drunk to fight properly in #3.
135* AffectionateParody: Not only of ''Sentai'', but of {{Otaku}} who would ''watch'' ''Sentai'' into adulthood.
136* AllJustADream: The Akibaranger powers and their entire conflict with the (fictional) Blatantly Evil Guerilla Marketing Firm B are simply a shared hallucination brought on by the [[TransformationTrinket Moe Moe Z-Cune]] and the Akibarangers' own imaginations. This {{Handwave}}s things like why the location suddenly changes after their transformation, why two non-combatants [[UpgradeArtifact suddenly know how to fight]] and why VillainBall is in full effect.
137** [[spoiler:As of #6, [[WhamEpisode not any more.]]]]
138** [[spoiler:As of #11, Nobuo has figured out that their world exists as the TV show Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger]]
139** [[spoiler:The Akibaranger Stage Show, titled "Episode 14," follows the premise of #12; though since the stage show [[RealWorldEpisode takes place in the real world,]] and [[RefugeeFromTvLand the Akibarangers are aware of this....]]]]
140* AlternativeCalendar: In season 2, one of General Pain's schemes turns the [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Goraigers]] evil and adds a third member, making them Jakanja's 8th, 9th, and 10th spears of darkness. Since the original seven spears were named after the seven days of the week, this causes history to change in such a way that a week consists of 10 days instead of 7, with new days Uranday, Posday, and Hadday appearing between Saturday and Sunday. [[spoiler:As it turns out, this is much more damaging than it first seems. More days in a week means less weeks in a year, and with Sentai still airing only once a week, each Sentai series now only lasts 36 episodes instead of the usual 51. On top of that, the three new days each have strictly enforced anti-otaku laws: Uranday is otaku garbage day (otaku goods are forcibly seized and disposed of), Tokusatsu songs cannot be played on Posday, and cosplay is banned on Hadday]].
141* AlternateHistory[=/=]LawyerFriendlyCameo: [[http://www.akibaranger.jp/news/#news00050 This]] Japanese news post states that ''Akibaranger'' exists in a world with a rather different cultural backdrop; while ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' exists pretty much as we know it today (as does ''Franchise/PowerRangers''- though season 2 altered this somewhat), other series, even ones owned by [[Creator/ToeiCompany Toei]], are altered from their original forms, while others seem to not exist at all. ''Franchise/KamenRider'' and ''Series/MetalHeroes'' seem to be affected by this, the latter apparently having been replaced with "recent" anime such as ''[[Series/SpaceSheriffGavan Gavian]]'' and ''[[Series/JuukouBFighter B-Trooper]]''. ''Anime/PrettyCure'', ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', and the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' (which is Tsuburaya property anyway) don't exist either.
142** Takuma says a ScarfOfAsskicking reminds him of some hero show he used to watch as a kid. Naturally, the words "Franchise/KamenRider" do not come up.
143** Particularly noticeable in Season 2 Episode 4, which features a LawyerFriendlyCameo of ''Series/NinjaCaptor''. What makes this especially odd is that [[DiscontinuityNod the show *was* considered by some to be an official Super Sentai]].
144** In the episode with Yoshinori Okamoto, we also get a cameo by suit actor Seiji Takaiwa, and Nobuo can even name all the past Red senshi he's been suited as... while ignoring the fact that he's had ''twice as many roles'' in Heisei Kamen Rider alone.
145* AlternateUniverse: Season 2 is confirmed to take place in one spinning off of the events of episode 7 in S1.
146* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:The attempt to prolong the show backfires by playing the trope of more threats needing to be dealt with instead.]]
147* AngelsPose: Done at the end of the opening. Also done as part of the Moe Magnum finisher.
148* AnimeHair: Exaggerated and ludicrous hairstyles are not on the characters themselves, but rather ''molded into their helmets''.
149** ShonenHair: Akiba Red has spiky hair.
150** TomboyishPonytail: Akiba Blue S1 has a ponytail and is a bit tomboyish. (S2 version is considerably less tomboyish)
151** GirlishPigtails: Akiba Yellow S1 has pigtails.
152* TheArtifact: In season two, at first Marushina seems this. As the corporate dronery thing was ''literally'' SoLastSeason, one may wonder why the villainess whose name is basically a pun on a copyright symbol is still around. Turns out it's because she's [[spoiler:still herself from season one, knows exactly what happened to the show's world and the "real" world]], and is actually [[spoiler:in Saburo Hatte's world trying to take the reins of sentai itself.]]
153* ArtifactTitle: Mentioned in-universe: [[spoiler:In the altered history in which Akibaranger was an official series, "Gosei Sentai Akibaranger" instead of Dairanger, Nobuo points out that it doesn't make sense for a "Five-Star" Sentai to have only three members, and figures that this means that there were scrapped plans to add two new members to the team. This turns out to be the reason why Kibaranger attacked them, as he was one of the planned characters. (They also guess that the other one was an "A-ranger", but we never see who this might be.)]]
154* AsHimself: Ryuuji Sainei cameos as himself in #2. (Though he does voice his Deka Red self in the delusion world.)
155** Suit Actor Kazuo Niibori[[note]]suit actor for Akaranger and all the other early reds from [[Series/BattleFeverJ Battle Japan]] through [[Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman Red Hawk]].[[/note]] appears as himself in #6.
156** Lampshaded and averted in episode 9. When a character sees Takuma Tsuzuki for the first time, they instantly assume that it's Manpei Takagi, the actor who played [[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger GekiBlue]], playing himself. The rest of the cast points out that the idea is ludicrous because they're clearly not the same guy. (Takuma is actually played by Manpei's real-life twin brother Shinpei Takagi)
157** Yukio Yamagata and [=MoJo=], who (along with Creator/HalkoMomoi) sing Season 2's OP, are summoned by Malshina in 2-2.
158** Legendary Franchise/SuperSentai narrator Nobuo Tanaka lends his talents in 2-6
159** In Season 2 Episode 8, Yoshinori Okamoto appears, as does Seiji Takaiwa[[note]]The suit actor for [[Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger NinjaRed]] and ''twelve'' out of the fourteen Heisei Franchise/KamenRider.[[/note]]
160** In #10 of season 2, after having made a brief cameo in season 1 and voicing the MonsterOfTheWeek in 2-6, Creator/HalkoMomoi (who also sings the show's theme song) appears, this time explicitly as herself.
161* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:After failing to extend the storyline via {{Foreshadowing}}, being forced to engage & defeat the BigBad, and even ''attempting to destroy the [[TheEnd end title]],'' the Akibarangers still can't stop Saburo Hatte, represented as an in-universe god, from ending the series early. He finally shows up "in-person" and [[FilmTheHand covers the lens]]. There is eventually a second season, but this in itself turns out to be Malshina's plan.]]
162* BaitAndSwitch: This gets pulled off in-between #3 and #4. At the end of #3, Mitsuki says that [[spoiler:she is leaving, only to add that she's just leaving for three days and isn't leaving the team.]]
163* BackgroundMusic: In-universe example. At the Sentai Cafe, Super Sentai opening themes can be heard in the background, there seems to be a different theme each episode, and the theme is relevant to something going on in the cafe.
164** #1. Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman: Upon arriving at the Sentai Cafe, Nobuo spotted a man-sized model of Gingaman's [[HumongousMecha Gingaioh]].
165** #2. Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger: Yumeria is eating multiple bowls of curry to emulate the curry-eating yellows. The Abarangers' base was the [[InnBetweenTheWorlds curry house between the worlds]], Dino Curry.
166** #3 has several:
167*** Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger when Hiroyo is pondering how Nobuo could have [[spoiler:summoned Deka Red in the previous episode]].
168*** Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman when Nobuo compares himself (a ranger drinking booze) to the badass Gai Yuuki/Black Condor.
169*** Series/RescueSentaiGoGoFive when Nobuo and Yumeria are looking at that team's weapons in a magazine.
170** #4. Series/ChoushinseiFlashman: When Hiroyo is bored and Kozukozu lays out red helmets on the cafe bar, starting with Flashman's and ending with Zyuranger's.
171** #7. It's not a Sentai theme, but the Z-Cune Aoi anime theme is heard twice. And again in #8
172** #8. Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger, Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger & Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman (the latter just after Chief Clerk Alpaca [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]] in the sky)
173* BeginWithAFinisher: The Akibarangers use this tactic in their first MonsterOfTheWeek battle. The monster's {{Mook}}s end up TakingTheBullet for him and he criticizes the Akibarangers for resorting to a cheap move early on.
174* BerserkButton: [[spoiler:Sayaka being harassed by the MOTW in #9 triggers Nobuo's burst of manly spirit, enabling him to transform into Akiba Red in reality.]]
175* BeyondTheImpossible: In episode #9, [[spoiler:Nobuo transforms into Akiba Red for real through sheer HeroicResolve.]]
176* BlandNameProduct: Hiroyo searches the Internet with "Ugle! Japan" in episode 5. The page itself looks like Google's, but the logo is fashioned after Yahoo's.
177** Any toku that aren't Franchise/SuperSentai are vulnerable to this in the show - even Toei productions, so there's no real reason for WritingAroundTrademarks. See AlternateHistory above.
178** "Tikutter" for Twitter.
179** 2-3 has "Mikiqedia" for Wikipedia.
180** 2-4: Website/NicoNicoDouga + Website/YouTube = [=NicoNicoTube=]
181* BloodierAndGorier: Retooling the work to make it bloodier and more violent happens to [[spoiler:''Z-Cune Aoi'']] in #4 of season 2.
182* BookEnds: Nods to [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger the Legend War]] in season 2. The first episode has an Akibaranger take on the ground war with [[Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman just the]] [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger three teams]] [[Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger they've already encountered]]; [[spoiler:the second to last episode references the Zangyak galactic armada ''and'' the HeroicSacrifice]].
183* BreastExpansion: When Yumeria transforms into Akiba Yellow, her breasts expand in a none too subtle manner.
184* BrickJoke: Mitsuki practices a kicking maneuver that originated from [[Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger Tenma Ranger]] during her offtime in #9, which is added to her rollcall pose in #10 to drag it out even longer.
185* BrutalHonesty: Luna is very blunt in stating that joining the team is just a means to an end for her.
186* TheCameo:
187** In #7, while Yumeria and Mitsuki reenact a scene from ''Z-Cune Aoi'', a patron in the cafe mouths the words to the scene. This patron is none other than [[Anime/TheBigO Keiichi]] [[Anime/TigerAndBunny Sato]] who did the designs for ''Z-Cune Aoi''!
188** The show's singers Creator/HalkoMomoi and Yukio Yamagata cameo at #9 as the victims of the burning hot monja by the MOTW.
189** A rather obscure one in #12 that borders on crossover territory: Mio Usagi, the rival Mitsuki mentions in the team's string of {{Sequel Hook}}s, actually originates from the martial arts film ''Salvage Mice'' (which was directed by ''Akibaranger'''s director Ryuta Tasaki.)
190** Koichi Sakamoto as an American movie director who is into ''[[Franchise/PowerRangers Powerful Rangers]]''.
191* CarryingACake: Happens as the closing gag of episode 5 with Yumeria's birthday cake.
192* CardCarryingVillain: ''Literally'' - all the villains carry business cards that they toss to the Akibarangers.
193* CastingGag. Koichi Sakamoto as George Spielburton in 2-5. Sakamoto was the stunt director on Franchise/PowerRangers from 1993-2009. No wonder George likes Powerful Rangers so much.
194* CelebrityParadox: Season 2 kicks off when Nobuo discovers some ''Akibaranger'' merchandise for sale.
195* CerebusSyndrome: As a result of the MidSeasonTwist, there's a lot more drama in the show's second half.
196** Lampshaded in #10 with Doctor Z talking about a 'new direction' for the Blatantly Evil etc. Company, starting with [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything laying off all the MotW-class monsters in favor of Dragon-level ones.]]
197** [[invoked]] In #11, Nobuo is ''aware'' that Cerebus is encroaching the world, and actively tries to steer the show back to its {{Moe}} root.
198* CharacterDerailment: InUniverse, [[spoiler:Dr. Z's character and backstory is entirely rewritten when he seems to be going against the author's plans]].
199* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:Z-Cune Aoi]]
200** Also, [[spoiler:the scrolling giveaway text, and its habit of showing up during lulls in the action.]]
201** [[spoiler:the pen name Saburo Hatte appearing at the beginning of the opening.]]
202* CherryTapping: The soda can trick from the SelfDisposingVillain trope is also used in the season 2 opener's retcon - except, this time, it somehow hits Malshina over the head inside the cockpit, then lands on a self-destruct button.
203* CliffhangerCopout: Played for laughs, one episode ends with Mitsuki telling the others she won't be transforming anymore, framed to make it look like she is quitting, 15 seconds into the next episode she reveals it's for 3 days while she's out of town.
204* ClassicVillain: Dr. Z with his cape, robotic eye, claw hand and plans to take over the world. Pointed out by Akagi when he first appears:"A Showa-era villain has appeared!"
205** General Pain designed his costume to look like [[Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman General Kar.]]
206* CoconutSuperpowers: Noticeable with the very limited appearances of the Itasshar Robo, which, being all-CGI, is one of the more expensive effects in the show and therefore appears very infrequently for a sentai mecha.
207* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: In #4 Nobuo and Yumeria struggle to not have delusions while Mitsuki is away at "training camp at Izu" but they keep getting into situations that relates to either sentai or their other interests.
208* ComicTrio: Right on cue, Nobuo is the leader, Yumeria is the follower and Mitsuki the [[OnlySaneMan only sane one]].
209* CompanionShow: The ''Akibaranger'' web radio series is a variation in that it started after the series itself ended. It's hosted by Masato Wada (Nobuo) and features interviews, music requests, fan mail, and other segments themed around ''Akibaranger'' (though it doesn't further the show's story).
210* ConflictKiller: In Season 1, the heroes vs. villains fight morphs into both vs. [[spoiler:the show's creators]]. Seems set to happen again once everyone realizes what's going on in season two.
211* ContentWarnings: The series announcement on the official website ended on the following:
212-->"Adding some new blood and abandoning the taboos and restrictions of the sentai genre, this is a forbidden reverse sentai series meant for the adult core group."
213** There's also the fact that ''Akibaranger'' acknowledges that ''Super Sentai'' is a fictional series produced by a television company, so they don't want to "ruin the magic" for young kids.
214* CoolOldGuy: Kazuo Niibori and Yoshimoto Okamato, who're the oldest people seen, and are veteran suit actors who played the heroes and big bads - and can ''still'' kick ass.
215* CosmicRetcon: Other than [[spoiler:Saburo Hatte's AuthorPowers]] in season 1, the villains of season 2 have the power to alter history. For example: [[spoiler:''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' has been replaced by the 13-episode flop ''Gosei Sentai Akibaranger''; and ''Nijiyome Gakuen Z-cune Aoi'' is now BloodierAndGorier, driving Aoi's voice actress Hakase into financial trouble.]] The changes are caused by the Delusion World affecting the real world, so the Akibarangers have to return history to normal by transforming and defeating the MonsterOfTheWeek.
216* {{Cosplay}}: It is Akihabara; there are several cosplay cafes and shops.
217** Mitsuki cosplayed as Aoi in #7.
218* ConvenientReplacementCharacter: Takuma Tsuzuki, Hiroyo's brother who debuted in Episode #10 as [[spoiler:an agent working for Interpol.]] Supposedly, he's to [[spoiler:replace Nobuo as Akiba Red]] after the former is [[spoiler:[[WrittenInAbsence summoned to the Pentagon to work at the Department of Defense.]]]] [[GenreSavvy This character's mindset and mannerisms established,]] [[ConscienceMakesYouGoBack conscience makes him go back.]]
219** He comes back at the end of the next episode. Though just before Takuma leaves, his face shows what can be deciphered as [[spoiler:a TraitorShot]] that appears way too late to be a surprise. [[spoiler:He must have known about the ExecutiveMeddling from the beginning and was doing their bidding, if he wasn't a creation of it directly.]]
220* CosplayOtakuGirl: Yumeria wears a CatGirl costume on the first episode, complete with an appropriately bright blonde wig. In #4, Nobuo points out that she's surprisingly good at cosplaying female sentai villains after she dresses up as [[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger Mele]] and does a remarkable job at acting like her, remaining in character even after morphing to fight.
221** And so is her mother. [[spoiler:Or rather, ''was''.]]
222** Kozukozu even moreso. She enjoys dressing up as past Sentai heroines.
223* CrackIsCheaper: This side of being a fan is portrayed in-universe. Nobuo intensely stares at a mint-in-box [[Series/HikariSentaiMaskman Great Five]] toy, but Aoi-tan also tempts him. The Great Five eventually is bought in Episode 4.
224-->'''Nobuo:''' ...And it's only 108,000 yen![[note]]About $1,300[[/note]] So cheap... So expensively cheap.
225* CreatorThumbprint: Discussed in 2-2 with Sentai directors: Luna mentions Noboru Takemoto[[note]]episode director since ''[[Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger Megaranger]]''[[/note]] and his use of sailor fuku, Katsuya Watanabe[[note]]who worked with Sentai from ''[[Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger Zyuranger]]'' to ''[[Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger Kyoryuger]]''[[/note]] and his use of proper, innocent heroines, and Koichi Sakamoto and his love for ShowSomeLeg. Even Nobuo is impressed with this.
226* CreditsJukebox: Season 2 features covers of old Sentai songs sung by the main cast. Including a cover of "[[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger girls in trouble! DEKARANGER]]" by Nobuo and General Pain.
227* CrossoverAlternateUniverse: The main characters can create a delusional universe where every Super Sentai team exists.
228* CultClassic: In-Universe example in Season 2: Despite the Akibarangers being a crap show in Super Sentai history (especially from a production standpoint) after history being altered, there are some people that actually consider it the best... [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Which might hit close to home for some real life fans]].
229* CurbStompBattle: Which leads to them spending an episode training the MonsterOfTheWeek, because being able to win with a single strike just won't do.
230* CutShort: Parodied. Malshiina is very surprised when [[spoiler:Dr. Z suddenly and uncharacteristically decides to lay off the 40 remaining chief clerks.]]
231[[/folder]]
232
233[[folder: D-G]]
234* DancingTheme: Kozukozu sometimes performes dances in the cafe set to Sentai themes (that didn't originally have them). She also does one for the Z-Cune Aoi theme and is seen in the OP [[LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn dancing to Akibaranger's own theme]].
235* DarkerAndEdgier: [[spoiler:Happens through #10 and #11, with a dark twist to the story and the appearance of Delu-Knight, a competent and menacing enemy with no amusing gimmick. Nobuo realises during #11 that this is the writers attempting to retool the show to appeal to a wider audience, in tandem with him being PutOnABus.]]
236* DaydreamSurprise: Happens a lot with Nobuo- we see him acting cool or heroic in his head, then being a lot more awkward in reality.
237** [[spoiler:The Akibarangers themselves in the #2-13, they really died in the previous episode and only came to also provide narration for the recap.]]
238* DeathIsCheap: [[spoiler:At the end of Episode #2-12, the Akibas make a HeroicSacrifice to prevent an alien invasion. (Which in itself is out of place; see YourMindMakesItReal) This means that they were DeadAllAlong during the RecapEpisode that follows. Nobuo's ghost lampshades the cheapness of the Rangers' death by outright acknowledging that Hatte Saburo can bring them back to life if they are ever needed again.]]
239* DeadUnicornTrope: The fact that all Sentai Yellows love curry, lampshaded in #2 when Yumeria orders four bowls of curry, Hiroyo tells her not to overdo it, reminding her that only two ([[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger Daita Oiwa]] and [[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan Asao Hyo]]) had it as their TrademarkFavoriteFood.
240* DefiedTrope: Episode 11 is full of the usual Sentai tropes being defied. Even ExecutiveMeddling gets defied!
241* DesignatedGirlFight: #3. Mitsuki only managed to beat Malshina with Yumeria's help.
242* DeusExMachina: Parodied in the 2nd Season Finale. During their fight with [[spoiler:Malshina, the Akibarangers receive a call from Hiroyo to pray to a CaptainErsatz of Series/{{Ultraman}} named Prism Ace. They do so, and he appears and defeats Malshina almost effortlessly... Then after a couple of scenes it's revealed that Prism Ace just became the TrueFinalBoss]].
243* DiabolusExNihilo: Boomerang Titan is a threat that comes out of nowhere, [[spoiler:especially since the corner of the Delusion Empire in deep space that it came from ''didn't even exist before #12.'']]
244* DoItYourselfThemeTune: The EndingTheme, "Ashita wa Akiba no Kaze ga Fuku", is sung by Nobuo's actor Masato Wada.
245** Also, [[spoiler:in what's both a real-life ''and'' in-universe example (see ActingForTwo above)]], the Z-Cune Aoi theme is performed by Maaya Uchida, who plays Hiroyo [[spoiler:and Aoi]].
246** In season 2, each ending theme is a Sentai song sung by a member of the cast.
247* DoNotAdjustYourSet: Malshina does this [[spoiler:to Akibaranger's own audience]]!
248* {{Doujinshi}}: Yumeria draws unofficial manga in her spare time.
249** This becomes ChekhovsSkill in #7 when [[spoiler:she draws the Akibarangers and Malshina for Hiroyo so she can see them]].
250*** Happens again in season 2 episode 4 [[spoiler:when she draws a manga that restores Akagi's delusional powers, giving him access his SuperMode.]]
251** In #5, the team members come across "Z-Cune Aoi's Doujin Corner" in a store. Mitsuki confuses one such work for an official product:
252--->'''Mitsuki:''' There's an Aoi manga? I didn't know about this!
253--->'''Nobuo:''' Don't. You don't wanna read that.
254* DreamLand: The Delusion World they fight in is an alternate world of people's dreams and imagination.
255* DreamPeople: Malshina and the Chief Clerks are inhabitants of the Delusion World.
256* {{Eagleland}}: The Powerful Rangers are Type 2 American stereotypes, being portrayed as rude and dismissive towards the Japanese (much contrasting to [[Franchise/PowerRangers the original source]], who are definitely Type 1)
257* EliteMook: Averted in #7. Turns out the Mook is actually a symbiotic host to the MonsterOfTheWeek, who's really ''a spider about ten inches long''.
258** In #11, as part of his takeover, Dr. Z debuts his own set dressed in imperial garb.
259* TheEnd: One can argue that TheEnd is the final boss of the first season! [[spoiler:The combined force of Akibarangers and Malshiina fails to defeat it.]]
260* EternalHero: [[spoiler:At the end of season 2, the spirits of the recently deceased Akibarangers reassure the audience that they are eternal, and that they'll return if Hatte Saburo wishes it.]]
261* EventFlag: Referenced many times, such as in the theme song. Mostly, it involves the villains doing something ([[JustBetweenYouAndMe like telling the heroes their master plan before killing them]]) which in a ''Sentai'' series usually results in the heroes turning things around.
262** #3: Nobuo finds out that [[spoiler:Sayaka doesn't have a boyfriend]]. He thinks this is a love flag.
263** #12: Taken to absurd levels now that [[spoiler:the characters are trying to fight the producers by avoiding ending flags so that their show will remain on the air. At one point the villain shows up and declares that he wants to settle things once and for all, he's using a DeadlyUpgrade, all other villains are dead and his troops will die if he's defeated, and that [[{{Retirony}} he plans to visit his fiancée after the fight]]. And then challenges Akiba Red to a one-on-one battle, destroying his own chest armor and telling him to shoot for the hole to make things fair.]]
264** Being savvy of these is part of what makes General Pain into a much more challenging adversary.
265** [[spoiler:Malshina later takes Pain's knowledge, though, and combines it with her experience and Saburo Hatte's powers to become an even bigger threat, which includes turning flags of defeat into victory conditions and vice-versa.]]
266** [[spoiler:At this point, it's been played with so many times. For example, #2-12 exploits the visual trope of showing who's gonna win depending on what side the fighters are on]].
267* ExecutiveMeddling: [[spoiler:InUniverse, it becomes a major plot point as of episode as of #11, when it turns out that the characters realise they'e in a TV show and that it's actively being rewritten by a [[Creator/ToeiCompany Toei]] executive. Nobuo is able to sense and even predict this to a degree.]]
268* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Simultaneously {{Inverted}} and PlayedStraight. [[spoiler:In the final battle with [[BigBad DeluKnight]],the Akibarangers discover that no matter what they do, it is literally impossible for them to lose the battle. This is exactly what they ''don't'' want, since they're fully aware that they're in a TV show, and that it will end if they win the final battle]].
269* FakeOutOpening: The show kicks off with a [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Deka Red]] walking towards us, theme song and sirens blaring... but it's just Nobuo being a fanboy.
270** #8 starts with the ''Z-Cune Aoi'' intro instead - it's just our heroes watching the show though. The real OP kicks in later.
271* FakeShemp: Spoofed at the start of episode 11 when [[spoiler:Nobuo is replaced with Takuma]]. All the standard techniques are used [[StylisticSuck and abused]].
272** Thankfully subverted in episode #2-1. [[spoiler:Mitsuki's departure scene initially seems to be this, before quickly revealing that it's her genuine actress in the scene. Mitsuki's actress actually *was* leaving the show, but they were luckily able to get her back for long enough to avoid having to do fake shemping for real.]]
273* FandomEnragingMisconception: InUniverse, Nobuo berates Mitsuki for saying [=BoukenRanger=] instead of ''[[Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger Boukenger]]'', and for being unaware that "ger" is an abbreviation of "ranger".
274-->'''Nobuo:''' You newfags are all the same! The rest of us got over that during [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Hurricaneger!]]
275* {{Fanservice}}: Mostly provided by the main villainess' costume, which is more [[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Shelinda]]-esque than [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Insarn]]-esque.
276** Turned up to eleven in episode 4, the cosplay episode. Let's see: Yumeria cosplays as [[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger Mele]], then in Nobuo's delusion, we see Mitsuki as [[Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger Kaze no Shizuka]], and [[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger Jeanne, with Yumeria as Lije and Hakase as Lijewel]], then Hakase as [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Swan]], then Sayaka as [[Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger Tetomu]], Sayaka/[[Series/DengekiSentaiChangeman Change Mermaid]] and [[Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman Shelinda]], followed by Malshina as Shelinda, [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Wendinu]] and [[Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger Kegalesia]]. Whew!
277** Also, in #2-4, [[spoiler:Malshina's henshin actually strips her, like a magical girl transformation.]]
278* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:In ep 12, Nobuo tries to avert the end of the show by destroying Itashar Robo with its own missiles. [[SelfDisposingVillain Guess what happens to Boomerang Titan barely a minute later]].]]
279* FreudianTrio:
280** Ego: Nobuo
281** Superego: Mitsuki
282** Id: Yumeria
283* FreezeFrameBonus: a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem PowerGlove]] is spotted on General Pain's desk near the end of 2-7.
284** All the merchandise in the Sentai Cafe is practically ''daring'' fans to name it all.
285** Even though the show uses {{Bland Name Product}}s, there is a genuine Gmail icon in Mutsuki's smartphone.
286* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Usually involving Kozukozu in the cafe, in the spirit of [[Series/KamenRiderDenO Naomi and Ryuutaros on the DenLiner.]]
287* FunWithAcronyms: Nobuo works for '''S'''asaki '''P'''onpoko '''D'''elivery. Being a Sentai fanboy, he exploits it to mean the ''other'' [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger S.P.D.]].
288* FusionDissonance: In the first episode, the Akibarangers encounter two {{Meido}} cosplaying as the ElegantGothicLolita [[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Nai and Mea]] who, instead of combining into the more thematically relevant vampire Vancuria like the originals, combines into the male aphid-themed Shibuyaseitakaawadachisohidenagaaburamushi.
289* GagCensor: In #3, a Mook's face appears over Maruseena's mouth when she starts to swear.
290* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler:The first season ends with our heroes fighting off against a giant "The End" only to fail to stop Saburo Hatte from covering up the camera and ending their series.]]
291* GenreBusting: It's a highly self-aware action-comedy-drama-parody....thing.
292* GenreSavvy: Some characters demonstrate an awareness of how things usually happen in Super Sentai and attempt to use that knowledge to their advantage.
293** General Pain, though it's thanks to the fact that he's a fan of Sentai villains. [[spoiler:He even invokes a ''meta'' trope in Super Sentai, in which sometime before Christmas, a new foe comes and becomes such a threat that [[MerchandiseDriven only a new mecha is required to defeat it]].]]
294** Nobuo is as much an AscendedFanboy as [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Gai Ikari]], only, this being a parody, his attempts at heroism don't always work out. When it does though, well, see EventFlag.
295** WrongGenreSavvy: Thus, Nobuo is this at least half the time. More than once, he stares dumbfounded as the rules are being broken. Also, he thought the third Ranger (after learning he was red and Mitsuki was blue) might be a green or a pink, when we know all 3-member [[Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan starting]] [[Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman teams]] [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger are]] [[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger red]], [[Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger blue]], [[Series/EngineSentaiGoonger and]] [[Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters yellow]].
296*** However, that last part might have just been him thinking that they were going to have the full 5 member team, and he wasn't sure which of them was going to be next.
297*** He is surprised when the first [[MonsterOfTheWeek monster]] doesn't [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grow]] after it is defeated even though in several series, most recently ''[[Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger Goseiger]]'' and ''[[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Gokaiger]]'', the first monsters of the week didn't become giant either.
298** The heroes stop the MonsterOfTheWeek's movements so they can use [[FinishingMove Moe Magnum]] on the monster.
299** In the first episode they started the fight with their FinishingMove. The monster calls them out on it, saying that using their best move right at the beginning is unfair (and because he had to sacrifice his mooks to block it).
300* TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin: The tendency for the heroes to always win over the bad guys is parodied and deconstructed to hell and back near the end of season Tsuu. See EventFlag above and StrictlyFormula below.
301* GoofyPrintUnderwear: Akiba Blue's panties have a teddy bear face at the rear. Not Mitsuki's or Luna's. ''Akiba Blue''[='=]s. As in, ''the suit comes with GoofyPrintUnderwear''.
302[[/folder]]
303
304[[folder: H-L]]
305* HandSignals: Used in #2 by the fake Deka Red to give his message to Nobuo, as he was actually a man in a suit hired by Hiroyo and as such couldn't speak, he eventually resorts to giving Nobuo the same drop kick Ban used to snap Hoji out of it in Dekaranger.
306* HardDrinkingTropes: Episode #3 provides a few of these:
307** DrunkenMaster: ...Sort of. Hiroyo tells them that alcohol can help them become more delusional and, hopefully more powerful. This leads into a...
308** DrunkenMontage: Most of the episode is spent on Akagi and Moegi[[note]](Mitsuki cannot drink as she is underage.)[[/note]] getting sloshed in hopes of increasing their delusional power. It fails within the system as Akagi's [[HeroicFantasy Heroic Fantasies]] keep colliding with Moegi's YaoiFangirl fantasies creating a RunningGag loop of Akagi saving Malshina disguised as Sayaka from the MonsterOfTheWeek and then said Monster of the Week getting a little too comfortable with Akagi which causes Moegi to pass out. Thankfully, Mitsuki is there and she leads us to-
309** SuddenlySober: Mitsuki attacking Malshina directly and quoting lines from ''[[Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger Boukenger]]'' is able to snap Akagi and Moegi from their drunken stupor and stops the loop allowing them to finish off the Monster. This is lampshaded by Nobuo.
310* HeroicBSOD: Nobuo goes through one in #2 after finding out that the team's battle from the previous episode was just a delusion. He snaps out of it thanks to "Deka Red" (actually someone in a Deka Red suit).
311* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Sort of. Thanks to the Akagi's script, Prism Ace's defeat to the Akibarangers, and Hakase triggering Suicide Flags the Akibarangers end up sacrificing themselves to stop an invading alien fleet in the second season finale.]]
312* HijackedByGanon: In season 1, Malshina initially seemed to be the BigBad, but [[spoiler:she was replaced by Dr. Z and then in the final episode by Saburo Hatte- and it even seemed like she was going to join the heroes in their efforts to extend the show.]] Near the end of season 2, [[spoiler:with Hatte apparently dying in the hospital, she took back her spot as the top villain from General Tsuu, but had her spot as the BigBad hijacked ''again''; this time by [[DiabolusExNihilo Prism Ace]], a hero from another company slated to take Super Sentai's timeslot.]]
313* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Akibarangers paid so much active attention to victory and defeat flags during the last few episodes of season 2 that when [[spoiler:Hakase tells them all to come back in the end it trips a suicide attack flag, causing them all to die stopping the alien invasion. The invasion is also their fault, having been the ExcusePlot for the VS movie against Prism Ace.]]
314* HonestAxe: 2-10 plays a variation with a plastic spatula or a golden spatula (a very obvious setup for General Tsu's variation of the Alpaca brothers). Luna chooses the golden one without batting an eyelid.
315* HopeSpot: There are a few moments in episode 12 where it seems like [[spoiler:the heroes have succeeded in forcing the story to continue.]] Most obviously with [[spoiler:Dr. Z and Malshina arriving to stop the battle between Delu-Knight and the Akibarangers, with Dr. Z saying he won't be manipulated anymore, only to... be manipulated again.]]
316* HostileShowTakeover: [[spoiler:Near the end of season 2, Malshina uses the knowledge of Super Sentai villains' defeats that she's learned throughout the show to defeat all the official Sentai heroes and take over their shows, turning the Super Sentai series into the Super Malshina series, where the villains win every time.]]
317* HotterAndSexier: While not on the porno level that some suggested it would be, it still shows some definitely TV-14 content (ableit played for humor more than sexiness.) One aspect of note is how the female Rangers wear skimpy skirts and occasionally flash their panties during fights.
318* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: Discussed in episode 4. Nobuo and Yumeria think Mitsuki has been brainwashed and try various methods to snap her out of it that have been used in various Sentai series. [[spoiler:Actually, it's not Mitsuki at all. Malshina's impersonating her... just like she did with Sayaka the previous episode. Nobody guesses, even after not seeing through such things was ''just'' a running gag. Admit it, neither did you.]]
319* ImprovisedWeapon: The [[CallingYourAttacks "Akiba Rod" and "Akiba Pylon"]], a perfectly ordinary traffic barrier and cone used by the girls. Yumeria does use her pylon for an AssShove.
320* ItRunsOnNonsensoleum: The Akibarangers are powered by delusions and have a henshin call of grand delusion, thus it literaly runs on nonsense.
321* JustBetweenYouAndMe: An EventFlag for villain failure, according to [[DiscussedTrope the rules]].
322-->"We must be the first superheroes to ''actually'' nearly die after the enemy says 'before you die, I'll tell you!'"
323* LampshadeHanging: To BetterThanABareBulb levels. The series announcement on the official website began ([[http://boards.4chan.org/m/res/7442965#7443822 Translated]]):
324-->"Super Sentai shows have a glorious tradition that has been going for 36 years. But in its shadow there's a pile of discarded material, wild delusions and ulterior motives, which have been supporting the toku series without ever having the chance to actually shine in the open. And now that tremendous chaotic power has finally burst out. Its name is 'Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger!"
325** Nearly half the common Sentai tropes are pointed out in the first episode alone. Most of the tropes get pointed out by Nobuo, also.
326** Malshiina's BreakingTheFourthWall rant in 2-11 lampshades common complaints that apply to Super Sentai and Akibaranger as a whole, along with her exhortation to blame it on Saburo Hatte.
327* LikeRealityUnlessNoted: The world of ''Akibaranger'' is our world with the exception that ''Super Sentai'' and ''Power Rangers'' exist but other [[Creator/ToeiCompany Toei]] and toku series don't or exist as something else.
328* LostInTranslation: ''Akibaranger'' is chock-full of wordplay, Internet memes, cultural in-jokes and 2chan slang, not to mention all the ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and fandom references. All of this has made ''Akibaranger'' an incredibly tough show to translate into other languages.
329* LoudOfWar: in s2, [[spoiler:Kibaranger]] delivers a sound attack that basically summons [[Series/HyakujuuSentaiGaoranger Yukio Yamagata]] and [[Series/BattleFeverJ Ichiro Tomita aka MoJo]] to ''sing you into submission''. Imagine summoning Music/OzzyOsbourne and [[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Steven Tyler]] to fend off [[Film/Armageddon1998 asteroids about to obliterate the Earth...]]
330[[/folder]]
331
332[[folder: M-R]]
333* MaleGaze: Mitsuki gets into a comical fight with Nobuo about this in the OP after he points out her skirt is ruffled after a fight, showing the large teddy bear face emblazoned on her suits backside.
334* MarkOfTheBeast: [[spoiler:Hiroyo turns out to have one ever since receiving the Moe Moe Z-Cune from her father, in form of a scorpion tattoo that moves upwards everytime the Z-Cunes are used in the real world. If it reaches her neck, she will lose her voice and thereby her seiyuu career. What's worse, an Aoi-tan movie is coming soon...]]
335** As of Episode #11, [[spoiler:it's gone completely as if it had never happened.]]
336** [[spoiler:It reappears with a vengeance in Season 2 Episode 9]]
337* MasterOfDisguise: Malshina, who can [[ShapeShifting change her clothes, voice, and appearance instantly]]. In contrast with Enter, the primary villain of the [[Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters official Sentai series]] Akibaranger airs alongside, who merely [[PaperThinDisguise changes his clothes, retaining his appearance and even his signature sunglasses.]]
338* [[spoiler:MediumAwareness]]: [[spoiler:This is actually a plot point, and happens when the main characters realize that they are indeed in a TV show. Believe it or not, it's PlayedForDrama.]]
339** [[spoiler:And then they forget it all in the second season thanks to WordOfGod.]]
340* MediumBlending: The live action is blended with a bit of anime when Aoi "talks" to Akagi in the first episode.
341** One of the most significant moments of this comes with the lead-in to Akiba Red's SuperMode, which is shown first in the form of manga panels and then becomes animated. The eventual StockFootage of the SuperMode activating includes animation as well.
342* MickeyMousing: Yumeria's actions, both in and out of suit, are frequently punctuated by sound effects for added {{UsefulNotes/Kawaisa}}.
343* MidSeasonTwist: [[spoiler:Continuing from the previous episode, Malshina is in the real world and it seems to know Hakase, evident from a drawing the latter had in a safe in the back of the cafe drawn up by her father. Later the Akibarangers, Machine Itashar, and the MonsterOfTheWeek appear and fought in the real world.]]
344* MindScrew: [[spoiler:Episode #11 has everyone find out that they're actually characters in a show.]]
345* MoodWhiplash: The first six episodes were quite upbeat in tone and delivery; however, after the WhamEpisode, (#6) the story has gotten considerably darker.([[HilariousInHindsight "Darker" being a loose statement given the overall premise.]])
346** #2-11 delivers multiple ones, to the point of being the episode's very focus.
347* MotiveDecay: Dr. Z. This is one of the cast's first hints [[spoiler:that they are fictional characters.]]
348* MythologyGag: [[MythologyGag/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger Has its own page.]]
349* NakedPeopleAreFunny: The MonsterOfTheWeek in #2 takes the clothes of people away (and Malshina's too, after a misfire). Malshina gets a recurring dose of this trope as it is part of her TransformationSequence in the second season.
350* NerdsAreVirgins: Nobuo is described this way. He tries to hide his being a Sentai fanboy for fear of instantly losing any chance with his would-be LoveInterest.
351* NeverRecycleYourSchemes: Double-subverted in a meta-sense [[spoiler:(and, as it's revealed next episode, in-universe as well]] in season 2: [[spoiler:General Tsu attempts to use a similar plan to the one Malshina used in season 1 to break out of the Delusion World and into reality, but it turns out that Malshina's suggestion that he should do this was a lie, intended to both get Tsu out of the way and resurrect Delu-Knight.]]
352* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Depending on how delusional they are, the Akibarangers can suddenly gain new abilities. The Inordinate Powers are an example.
353** In #2: They were deluded enough to cause the Machine Itassher to transform (but not enough for a cool battle with it yet); Nobuo was deluded enough for Deka Red to appear to help fight and give them the penultimate power of the Dekarangers, the Deka Cuffs, wielded by Akiba Red.
354** In #3: Nobuo was drunkenly delusional enough to call forth Bouken Red in his one episode silly outfit for the first battle; in the second battle, Nobuo and Yumeria were too drunk and their delusions interfered with one another; Later they received the penultimate power of the Boukengers, the [[ShovelStrike Bouken Scooper]], wielded by Akiba Blue.
355** In #5: [[spoiler:The team was deluded enough for Yumeria's deceased mother to appear.]]
356** In #6: They were deluded enough to give the MOTW the movie episode runaround[[note]] normally done by the MOTW to the other sentai warriors[[/note]] and call forth Red Hawk and receive the penultimate power of Jetman, the [[{{Jetpack}} Jet Winger]], wielded by Akiba Red. [[spoiler:It was also allowed Malshina to go into the real world.]]
357** In #7: They were deluded enough to change the delusional world and finally have a cool robot battle. [[spoiler:They even go into the real world and turned a real world sign into a gun for their mecha.]]
358** In #8: They were deluded enough to combine their Inordinate Powers (Deka Cuffs, Bouken Scooper, and Jet Winger) into the Inordinate Cannon[[spoiler:, all while in the real world]].
359** In #9: [[spoiler:Nobuo transformed in the real world and single-handedly defeated the MOTW by consecutively using the Inordinate Powers.]]
360** In #10: [[spoiler:Akibas Yellow and Blue ALSO gained the ability to transform in real life in order to assist against Delu-Knight, despite the plot clearly establishing that Nobuo is the most deluded out of the three of them. (And thus the only one that was capable of pulling the feat off.)]]
361** In #11: [[spoiler:While not a power per se, Nobuo suddenly gains enough perception to realize that he is in fact in a TV Show, despite being completely unaware of it, or being able to perceive it, prior.]]
362* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
363** In #9 [[spoiler:the Akibarangers inadvertently helped the enemy break the wall between reality and delusion]].
364** In #2-4, Nobuo [[spoiler:inspires Malshina to use her dark Aoi-tan and henshin. Yumeria and Luna unhappily lampshade this]].
365* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In Season 2, General Pain gives Malshina a book detailing all of Sentai History to help better herself against the Akibarangers. [[spoiler:She read the part where an early Sentai villainess backstabs her higher up to take charge and promptly does that]].
366* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The name George Spielburton is obviously a combination of Creator/GeorgeLucas, Creator/StevenSpielberg and Creator/TimBurton
367* NoFourthWall In Episode 10 Nobuo, becomes aware of the fourth wall. He convinces the rest of the characters of this and this trope is in full effect for the rest of season 1 as the final episodes revolve around the Akibarangers trying to thwart attempts from the producers to end the show. Season 1 ends with The heroes fighting the end credits.
368** #2-11 has a scene like this in which Malshina justifies her evil plan by directly addressing the audience.
369* NoticingTheFourthWall: Used as a PLOT POINT of all things in #11, in which Nobuo finds out that [[spoiler:the world he and the Akibarangers are living in is in fact a TV Show called [[TitleDrop Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger]] and that someone [[RealLife on the Toei production staff in the real world]] is modifying the show's tone for their own satisfaction.]] [[FlatWhat What?]]
370* OfficialParody: It's produced by the Creator/ToeiCompany, like the official Super Sentai.
371* OhCrap: [[spoiler:At the end of #6, Malshina has crossed over to reality. None of the heroes take this discovery well.]]
372* OlderThanTheyLook: Nobuo is 29, although he looks more like he's in his early-to-mid 20s. Made even funnier by that fact that his actor, Masato Wada, is actually '''32''' in real life.
373* TheOneGuy: For the first time in Super Sentai history, girls outnumber boys when it comes to being a ranger. Nobuo/Akiba Red is TheOneGuy in a team of four, counting the scientist mentor Professor Hiroyo.
374* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Mitsuki is the only one who notices just how ridiculous the concept of, well, practically everything in the show, and is also the least Otaku of the bunch ([[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial she only likes Aoi for the fighting scenes]]).
375* OppositeDay: [[spoiler:In 2#11, victory flags become defeat flags and vise versa.]]
376* {{Otaku}}: With all the repercussions to boot. Nobuo hides his fanboyism to both Aoi and Sentai from public in fears that his would-be girlfriend would reject him for being an Otaku.
377* OutOfCharacterMoment: [[spoiler:Yumeria deciding to wear generic clothing along with an Akibaranger jacket in #11, rather than one of her outlandish costumes. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that it's a symptom of the attempted retooling of the show that Nobuo discovers.]]
378* PerverseSexualLust: Nobuo's in love with Aoi-tan, an anime character. This especially comes into play in Season 2, when these feelings are strong enough to form his SuperMode.
379* PintSizedPowerhouse: [[spoiler:Itasshar Boy, the size of a child's toy.]] So small it's invisible when compared to a giant monster. [[spoiler:It still kicks its ass, helped in part by a victory flag.]]
380* ThePowerOfHate: [[spoiler:What allowed Malshiina to retain her memories of the real season 1 ending was her seething hatred for Hatte Saburo and the way he wrote her.]]
381* PowerTrio: TwoGirlsAndAGuy, in an inversion of the usual ''Sentai'' trio (the guy's still Red, though).
382* ProductPlacement: Official Rangers that appear tend to be ones with an Toys/SHFiguarts figure coming soon. In turn, the figure usually comes with accessories related to their ''Akibaranger'' appearance.
383* ProductionForeshadowing: The show's WritingAroundTrademarks version of ''Series/SpaceSheriffGavan'', "Galactic Sheriff Gavian", is shown to have a movie version, stated to begin filming in the summer of 2012. After the end of ''Akibaranger'', an actual ''Gavan'' movie was announced, which indeed began filming in the summer of 2012.
384* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:Because of the AlternateUniverse-induced {{Retcon}}, Mitsuki leaves at the beginning of season 2 to aid the Pentagon (and as far as we can tell, it's not a trap like it was for Nobuo this time.) It's also mentioned briefly that Sayaka moved to Bhutan for work as well.]]
385** This ended up [[KilledOffForReal saving]] [[AvertedTrope Mitsuki's life]]. Luna does say she wished she could've met her.
386* RageAgainstTheAuthor: [[spoiler:The first season ends with the characters realizing they're in a television show and doing everything they can to prevent the creator from ending the series.]]
387* RealTrailerFakeMovie: A variation in the form of Real Movie Posters, Fake Movie; a cardboard stand-up and tickets were made for an ''Akibaranger'' movie called "Treasure of the Maid Kingdom" (the same one that is shown in parts of the ending credits) which presumably won't really be made.
388* RecapEpisode:
389** Episode 13 has the Akibarangers [[spoiler:watching a DVD sent by Saburo Hatte, containing a recap of their previous adventures.]]
390** The first episode of Season 2 summarizes what happened in Season 1, but it becomes [[SubvertedTrope blatantly clear]] that the summary is ''[[SeriesContinuityError wrong]]''.
391** The series finale is also an episode devoted to recapping the events of previous episodes, covering both seasons.
392* RecycledScript: {{Invoked}} in the show. [[spoiler:Akagi got replaced in a very similar way to how the first Vul Eagle was replaced, and he points out the similarity. This is how he finds out he's in a TV show]].
393* ReplacedTheThemeTune: A minor instance of this. Episode 11's opening switches to the second verse of the main theme, which contains more electric guitar and synthesized elements. [[spoiler:If the differing 'feel' of [[PreviouslyOn the previous episode recap]] didn't already clue you in, this is a another warning sign that [[ExecutiveMeddling something's wrong.]] At the end of the episode, Nobuo snaps his allies out of their executive-meddling-induced personality changes, and come next episode the theme has changed back to the bubbly, moe-esque tune of the main theme's first verse.]]
394* {{Retcon}}: In the last few episodes [[spoiler:Dr. Z [[CosmicPlaything frequently has his resources and motives changed against his will]].]]
395-->[[spoiler:'''Delu-Knight:''' "I've received word from the Delusion Empire homeworld on the edge of the galaxy, that our armada has mobilised and is approaching Earth."]]
396-->[[spoiler:'''Dr. Z:''' "The edge of the galaxy? But I thought the Delusion Empire existed in a parallel universe..." *jerks in pain as screen fills with static* "Oh, yes! The massive invasion force, the pride of our Empire... When it arrives, none shall stand against us!"]]
397** In episode #12 [[spoiler:Dr. Z is able to reactivate Delu-Knight after killing him because he "used the blunt edge of [his] sword", despite clearly having shot him with a gun. The other characters notice this.]]
398* {{Retirony}}: The trope of someone getting killed when they had some time left before retirement is PlayedForLaughs in episode 12 as one of the many ways in which [[spoiler:Deluknight [[EventFlag signals that he's going to die]]. Hilariously, the Akibas react with panic, because they're trying to ''lose''.]]
399* {{Retraux}}: A lot of the marketing and merchandise for the show are throwbacks to the early days of ''Franchise/SuperSentai''. The opening theme single CD, for example, has an old-style colorful cover, while the CD itself is made to look like a vinyl record.
400* {{Robosexual}}: Nobuo has a fetish for gynoids stemming from a childhood crush on [[Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman Colon]]. Hence why he is so infatuated with Aoi (who would be a cyborg by definition) [[spoiler:and another reason why he cannot properly fight the MonsterOfTheWeek of 2-6, a RobotGirl with a '''''very''''' {{Moe}} look]].
401* RuleOfPerception:
402** #9. [[spoiler:Despite Akihabara being home to some excellent cosplay, the cafe customers can somehow tell it's a ''real'' monster before them even before it attacks (not fatally, thank goodness).]]
403** Also, in the episode where Mitsuki trains with Kazuo Niibori, and the ''good guys'' initiate the TrappedInTVLand plot, she strikes a good distance from the monster and does damage, because "whatever the camera captures is reality". We then switch to another camera, over the monster's shoulder, and see that it ''really'' looks like she was hitting him from that angle.
404** This Rule is taken up to eleven in Episode #11. See the "Noticing the Fourth Wall" entry.
405** Lampshaded in the ClipShow, where Nobuo only spots the head clips on the impostor [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Deka Red]] helmet during the recap.
406** Averted in the S2 OP, when the new BigBad gets swamped by otaku. [[spoiler:Then justified as that's real-world General Pain, who's really just a cosplayer.]]
407* RunningGag: Not only is Akiba Yellow's little ''story'' during her roll call getting constantly interrupted, so far she's been managing to pick it up where she had left it the previous episode.
408[[/folder]]
409
410[[folder: S-Z]]
411* SailorEarth: In season 2, General Tsu's monsters are designed in the style of previous official Sentai series monsters, even following their ThemeNaming. Also, the Deluded Rangers that appear follow the motif of WhatCouldHaveBeen (what if Dairanger ''was'' Chinaman, and what if the Gouraiger were still evil and had themselves a third member), save for the Powerful Rangers.
412** This manages to become inverted with season 2's episode 7: [[spoiler:Three new members were added into [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger the Seven Spears of Darkness]]. But since each of those were [[DayOfTheWeekName named after days of the week]], the end result in the real world is that a week now has ten days, a year is only thirty-six and a half weeks long, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking which severely reduces the yearly episode count for each season of Sentai]].]]
413* {{Salaryman}}: The {{Mooks}}. Their name, Shachiku, basically means corporate drone, though apparently it's written a bit differently from the real-life term.
414* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler:Akiba Red saves Doctor Z from being killed in the destruction of the Boomerang Titan in the final episode... though it's more out of a desire to still have a villain left to fight, and thus continue the show, rather than being worried about his life.]]
415* ScarfOfAsskicking: The Rangers have white ones. Nobuo has a scarf as his civilian self to evoke the image, but he doesn't exactly kick much ass while wearing it.
416* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Malsheena's go-to tactic in season two, like a lot of Sentai villains. Unlike most Sentai villains, it's not ''really'' because she's being beaten, but more like, "okay, this is getting stupid, MOTW, you handle the rest".
417* SelfDisposingVillain: [[spoiler:Boomerang Titan. One soda can thrown ''just right'' causes one of its own boomerangs to hit itself, tripping it into the path of all the other boomerangs, capped off with the biggest one [[OffWithHisHead taking its head clean off!]] Can be counted as an EnforcedTrope, though.]]
418* SeasonalRot: {{Invoked}} in episode 3, as it's shown that [[spoiler:"''Gosei Sentai Akibaranger''" was a total flop with both kids and adults, and it was cancelled and replaced with ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' after 13 episodes.]]
419* SequelHook: Nobuo and friends try to invoke as many SequelHook as possible in episode 12, down to those that are outright AssPull. Unfortunately, The Executives conspire to resolve all of them in the very same scene the hooks are introduced.
420* SequelReset: The sequel undoing the resolution of the previous installment is parodied in Season 2 by taking it to extremes. The second season premiere outright contradicts how the first season ended in order to justify replacing Mitsuki with Luna as Akiba Blue, among other changes.
421* SeriesContinuityError: One that is deliberately put in place. Season 1 most definitely ''didn't'' end the way first episode of Season 2 depicts it to end. Blame [[spoiler:Saburo Hatte, ''again]].'' Or rather, blame [[spoiler:his injury]].
422* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: The premise of Season 2. [[spoiler:Somehow, Akibranger became official... and became the 17th Super Sentai, somehow ousting the ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger''!]]
423* ShoutOut:
424** The A in the Akibaranger seal looks suspiciously like that of ComicBook/TheAvengers' logo.
425** Z-Cune Aoi has a lot in common with the Toys/BusouShinki girls, substituting "always 8 inches tall" with "always in 2D".
426** The stances that the Akibarangers pull is VERY similar to that of the [[Anime/DragonBallZ Ginyu Force's]].
427** Adding some ''Franchise/KamenRider'' to an existing Sentai gimmick, our heroes can gain [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger "Sentai Ultimate Powers"]] that actually function more like the [[Series/KamenRiderDecade Final Form Ride.]] And instead of Decade grabbing the past Riders from behind, the past Sentai Reds grab our heroes by the chest... including the ladies.
428** When Yumeria says she's cosplaying as a schoolboy in #3, she does a finger point similar to [[Series/KamenRiderFourze another school student]].
429** ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' and ''VisualNovel/UtaNoPrinceSama'' merchandise can be seen in the cosplay shop in #4.
430** Yumeria's costume from the end of #7 is pretty much [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Rin Kagamine]] with a ''samurai'' helmet just because.
431** #8 has the monster quoting [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Amuro Ray's]] "Not even my father hit me!" after getting a "GetAHoldOfYourselfMan" Slap from Nobuo. Doubly so as we remember that Warz Gill showed the same reaction in ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'' when Marvelous shot him.
432** When the MonsterOfTheWeek in #9 breaks into reality, his pose and cry of "It's reality time!" mimic the hero of ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', who shouts "It's space time!" when he transforms.
433** #2-2: When Kibaranger appears, Yumeria does [[Series/KamenRiderFourze Kamen Rider Nadeshiko's]] pose.
434** #2-4 mentions an old anime called "Ninja Cap-tan", which is a reference to a real-life {{Toku}} show produced by Toei in 1976 called Series/NinjaCaptor (Which, depending on who you ask, may or may not have been considered an installment of the [[Franchise/SuperSentai Sentai]] series at one time, possibly making this a DiscontinuityNod).
435** #2-5, aside of [[Franchise/PowerRangers Powerful Rangers]], has an American successful director named [[Creator/GeorgeLucas George]] [[Creator/StevenSpielberg Spiel]][[Creator/TimBurton burton]]. Who made a successful alien movie called [[Film/{{ET}} E.T.E]].
436** #2-6. Yumeria is channeling Ichirou Mizuki for some reason.
437* ShowWithinAShow: ''Nijiyome Gakuen[[note]]2D Wife Academy[[/note]] Z-Cune Aoi'', which is tied into the main show's plot; the Akibarangers' morphing devices are transforming action figures of Aoi-tan, and all 3 of them are fans of the show. [[spoiler:It later turns out Malshina is actually a rejected design for the main villain of the show by Hakase's father, that he ''also'' happens to be the head of Stema Otsu, and that Hakase herself is Aoi-tan's voice actress.]] Season two has an Aoi movie coming up.
438* ShrinkingViolet: Subverted. Despite being described a virgin, Nobuo isn't exactly a shy guy, he's actually very passionate and occasionally boisterous about being a Sentai fanboy.
439* SillyMeGesture: In #4, Hiroyo does this when Nobuo reminded her that she was the one who made both him and Yumeria drunk in the previous episode.
440* SpecialEffectsFailure: [[PlayedForLaughs Deliberately invoked]] in season 2 episode 1, as toys are used for a flashback robot battle.
441* SpellMyNameWithAnS: An alternate spelling for Malshina's name is "©na."[[note]]Read the exact same way. "Maru-shi" literally means "circle-C".[[/note]]
442* SpoilerOpening: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in season 2's first episode. Sketches hide the new Akiba Blue (with Kyoko Hinami still credited as Mitsuki), mecha and main villain, and all lyrics in the new OP related to the three are replaced with na-na-na's. Season 2 episode 2 brings out the full version of the opening, after there's no longer anything to spoil. The end credits and next episode preview, however, ''do'' spoil the new characters.
443* SpotTheImpostor: Discussed in episode 4. When the supposedly brainwashed Mitsuki turns out to be a fake, Nobuo thinks this situation is going to happen. Subverted when Malshina just reveals herself on her own, figuring there's no point in keeping up the disguise when the real Mitsuki has shown up.
444* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: "The very concept of consistent power levels doesn't exist in sentai!"
445* StylisticSuck:
446** Used a lot in episode 11, most prominently the obvious FakeShemp techniques in the first scene, as well as [[spoiler:Takuma getting on his bike super-quickly.]]
447** The first episode of ''Season Two'' has a bit of this thanks to the ham-fisted {{Retcon}}ning, such as bad overdubs of scenes from the first season, "flashbacks" where characters have slightly different costumes (and in Mitsuki's case, a completely different hair style) and the most blatant example, ''when they {{Retcon}} events that happened five seconds ago'': before the mid-show eyecatch, Hakase reacts with happiness but after the eyecatch she reacts with dismay.
448* SubvertedTrope: Several ''Super Sentai'' tropes are subverted, much to Nobuo's dismay. For example in #1, where the MonsterOfTheWeek fails to grow after being defeated, Nobuo notes that "these bad guys are subverting all the tropes!"
449** Ironically, just before this, the Akibarangers subverted a trope of their own when the monster initally gave them a hard beating before Malshina decided to let him take it from here, spelling certain doom for the monster. Whereas in pretty much all modern ''Super Sentai'' series, the team's debut is a CurbStompBattle where they utterly obliterate the monster and its {{Mook}}s without difficulty.
450* SuddenDownerEnding: The end of season 2. [[spoiler:Nobuo, Yumeria, and Luna really did give their lives to end the alien threat in the penultimate episode and have shown up at their old hideout as ghosts.]]
451* SwissArmyTears: Yumeria tries to invoke crying returning the corrupted to normal to turn the supposedly evil Akiba Blue back to normal. It doesn't work when one is wearing a helmet.
452* TakeThat:
453** In the technical finale of the first season, Delu-Knight says his response time is a hundred times faster than the Japanese government's response in a crisis, referencing the slow response to the Tohoku Earthquake.
454** [[spoiler:Prism Ace and the company behind him's entire plot is a gigantic one to Chaiyo Productions' attempt to steal the Ultraman franchise.]]
455* TenMinuteRetirement: Nobuo in #2, after Hiroyo revealed to him that his adventures as an Akibaranger is merely a delusion, until he is snapped out of it by a drop kick from [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Deka Red]] (actually a man in a suit hired by Hiroyo). Nobuo notes that that was the same drop kick Ban used to snap Hoji out of it in ''Dekaranger''.
456* TheoryOfNarrativeCausality: Winning battles isn't a matter of strength or tactics - it's how many victory or defeat flags you trip by TemptingFate. ''All'' the major characters have intentionally tripped flags to try and get an advantage at some point or another.
457* ThemeNaming:
458** The three heroes all have their color in their surname.[[note]]Nobuo ''Aka''gi, Mitsuki ''Ao''yagi, and Yumeria Moe''gi''[[/note]] This is also lampshaded by Nobuo in the first episode. Invoked with Luna's recruitment: one of the first things Nobuo checks is that her name contains the kanji for blue (it does, inside another kanji at least).
459** Meanwhile, the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Chief Clerks]] are all given very long names that are combinations of areas in Tokyo and animals (usually insects). For example, Alpaca Tsukishima's main weapons are a set of monjayaki spatulas, Tsukishima being the district of Tokyo where monjayaki is thought to have originated.
460* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
461** Mitsuki is tomboyish and Yumeria is traditionally feminine.
462** In Season 2, Yumeria became the tomboy to the new Akiba Blue, Luna's, girly girl.
463* {{Troperiffic}}: This is intentional, as it references and plays around with all the Sentai tropes.
464* {{Tsundere}}:
465** The Itassha Robo's [[DualWielding twin swords]] are based on this concept, with one being the "Tsun sword" and the other being the "Dere sword". In the first episode of season 2, they declare that they'll never use the Dere sword on an enemy they really dislike.
466** Also, Aoi Ichikawa of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Nijiyome Gakuen Z-Cune Aoi]]'' is prone to altering between being loving and intimidating.
467* VerbalTic: Yumeria has a different word or phrase she peppers her dialogue with for each character she plays. Most commonly, she says "nyan" a lot when in her CatGirl costume.
468* VillainExitStageLeft:
469** Parodied in #6. Once in reality, Malshina raises her hand menacingly at our heroes... and hails a cab.
470** Played Straight in #9, where Malshina and Dr. Z make their getaway after the Akibarangers' victory.
471* VocalDissonance: [[spoiler:Yumeria's "true" voice when she loses her cosplay ears in #2. She drifts in & out of it when in YaoiFangirl mode in #3]].
472* UnCancelled: Initially it seemed there would only be one twelve-episode season, but it proved popular enough to get a RecapEpisode for #13, and then a second season.
473* {{Undercrank}}: Footage shot at slower paces and sped up is frequently used in bursts for comedic effect.
474* WatchingTheSunset: Our heroes do this in #1 while waiting [[spoiler:in vain]] for the MOTW to [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grow]].
475* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: You can tell the "Powerful Rangers" (altered Zyurangers) are American because they have stars and stripes on their collars and belts.
476* WellIntentionedExtremist: Most of the monsters of the week actually have good intentions, or generally, intentions that aren't all that evil at all, such as remaking Akihabara into a second Shibuya, a hostess entertainment district, or just cleansing Akihabara of all impure desires. As with most of these tropes, this is played for laughs and most of these plans are played up to FelonyMisdemeanor
477* WhamEpisode:
478** Episode 6 ends with Malshina [[spoiler:leaving the delusion and entering reality, meaning the Akibarangers' fights now have real consequences.]]
479** In #9, [[spoiler:Malshina manages to trick the Akibarangers and completely destroys the barrier between reality and the Grand Delusion, Hakase's dad reveals himself as [[ManBehindTheMan Doctor Z, the head of Stema Otsu]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Hakase is revealed to be Aoi's voice actress]].]]
480** In #11, [[spoiler:Doctor Z [[MotiveDecay changes his goal from "ruin moe anime culture" to "take over the world"]]. Nobuo realises that the recent onset of CerebusSyndrome means that their world is a TV show which [[ShooOutTheClowns he is being written out of]], and informs both Malshina and the other Akibarangers. Malshina tries to convince Doctor Z to [[RageAgainstTheAuthor work with the Akibarangers to fix things]], but his personality is suddenly rewritten by the editors and he tries to kill her. The "scorpion curse" and "new Akiba Red" plotlines vanish so abruptly that the characters fear for what the Toei executives are up to.]]
481** In 2-6, [[spoiler:General Pain learns that he can rewrite reality and starts putting more effort into being the villain.]]
482** In 2-7, [[spoiler:the Akibarangers and General Pain learn who each other are. AND General Pain can now enter the delusion world.]]
483** In 2-9, [[spoiler:the Akibarangers defeat General Pain, but now he's an EmptyShell. Not only that, but one of the retcons that Season 2 made is revealed... The Scorpion Tattoo subplot is ''back''!]]
484** In 2-10... [[spoiler:Super Sentai's GodIsDead]]! Also, Malshina [[DragonAscendant becomes the]] BigBad.
485** In 2-12, [[spoiler:the Akibarangers are killed following a HeroicSacrifice to stop an invading alien fleet.]] 2-13 twists the knife even further by revealing that [[spoiler:the Akibarangers were KilledOffForReal, and are only shown as spirits whilst reminiscing about the events of the season.]]
486* WhatAPieceOfJunk: The Machine [[{{Itasha}} Itasshar]] is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin; a normal two-door sedan (specifically a Prius) with a garish ''Z-Cune Aoi'' paintjob. This is the team's TransformingMecha.
487* WholesomeCrossdresser: In the ending of #2-4, Nobuo dresses up as a female character from an in-universe anime series. Though, said character is an altered version of one of the ''male'' characters from ''Series/NinjaCaptor''.
488* AWizardDidIt: Any inconsistencies between season 1 and 2 (or even any inconsistencies in the series at all) can be easily explained [[spoiler:as being the result of [[AuthorPowers rewrites]] by [[AuthorAvatar Saburo Hatte]]]]
489* WritingAroundTrademarks:
490** As mentioned above, a lot of actual Toei material gets renamed and redesigned specifically for the ''Akibaranger'' universe. More to the point of the trope, Yumeria's cosplays, unless from Franchise/SuperSentai or [[ShowWithinAShow Z-Cune Aoi]], do not reflect any specific anime.
491** Also, the Machine Itashar has the Akibaranger logo replacing the Toyota logo on the front and back.
492* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Nobuo's reaction to the fact that Yumeria throwing a soda can at the kaiju-sized final boss caused it to defeat itself is one of astonished and irked disbelief.
493* YourMindMakesItReal:
494** In Season 1, [[spoiler:Malshina manages to appear in the real world halfway through the season, soon followed by bringing monsters over as well, and the Akibarangers being able to transform in reality.]]
495** In Season 2, [[spoiler:changes made to Sentai characters in the Delusion World have the power to [[RetCon alter the history of Sentai in the real world as well.]]]]
496** Subverted at the end of Episode #2-12. The Akibas [[spoiler:sacrificed themselves to save Earth from an invasion, but are implied to be in the delusion world during.]] (Making it a delusion, despite it being treated as an actual, real event) However, their [[spoiler:deaths in the Delusion World are confirmed to have killed them in reality.]]
497[[/folder]]

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