Engine Sentai Go-onger is the 32nd program in the Super Sentai series, which aired from 2008 to 2009.Including the earth humans live in, the Human World, there are 11 Alternate Dimensions altogether *
Human, Machine, Samurai, Christmas, Junk, Sound, Stormy, Gunman, Magic, Prism, and Grass World, though only a few play any real role in the story
. Three Engines from the Machine World crossed dimensions in pursuit of the three Ministers of the Gaiark, a machine clan which thrives on pollution. They're found in the Human World, which the Ministers plan to conquer through pollution. Finding out that they can only stay in their giant forms for a small period, the Engines' navigator robot, Bomper, recruited three people at a racing circuit to become the Go-ongers to fight together with the Engines. They're soon joined by two more people who see them in action. Some time later, a pair of ESPer siblings connected to Engines also appeared: Though they had frictions initially, they joined the crew as well.Vehicles and racing are chosen as the themes for the Rangers, and the motif is about Ecology; the three Gaiark Ministers represent land, water and air pollutions respectively.Originally unintended to be contractually bound to its US version, Go-onger was... weird. The series took a sharp turn to comedy, sacrificing a significant plotline for Running Gags, Character Exaggerations, and overall tried to be muchLighter and Softer than an average Super Sentai title. For many, this came off as a polarizing shift in the wake of the dark and story-heavy previous series. It didn't help that people weren't informed beforehand about the series being a deliberate attempt at comedy. The incorporated Green Aesop was also seen by some as a bit preachy (though it was for the most part Played for Laughs). That's not to say it's all bad; there are many moments where it's genuinely fun, funny, or both, especially when looked past the seemingly childish premise. It also plays a lot of Japanese Media Tropes, in particular Super Sentai tropes, very often, even to the brink of parody. In short, whether it's a Widget Series of the franchise or a modern-day CarRangerwilldepend on each viewer.And remember: This series is comedy.We're supposed to laugh!"Adapted" for American audiences as Power Rangers RPM.
The Rangers
Go-ongers
1 - Sōsuke Esumi / Go-On Red - "Speed King": A former race car driver. Not a thinker, and expect him to go gung-ho in a battle.
5 - Gunpei Ishihara / Go-On Black - "Chaser": A By-the-Book Cop who resigned from the force to help deal with the Gaiark. As The Lancer, he's the serious one - in comparison) - and also actually competent - again, in comparison.
Go-On Wings
7 - Hiroto Sutō / Go-On Gold - "Philosopher": The older brother. A no-nonsenseGenius Bruiser. The Rival to Go-ongers, but particularly to Sōsuke.
8 - Miu Sutō / Go-On Silver - "Lovely Sensation": The younger sister. Warms up to the others sooner than her brother. Has BST with Sōsuke.
Crossover: Go-onger vs. Gekiranger, the first theatrical installment in the Vs. Series. From this point on, all the Vs. movies premiered as part of the Super Sentai Festival held every January.
Eyecatch: The eyecatch is the five primary Engines shown in a race and BOMPER as the referee, with the viewers told to make a guess who wins. After the break, the winner is shown and that mecha says a short catchphrase. In GP Final, everyone wins and everyone makes a catchphrase altogether.
Finishing Move: "This one is ours! Last Corner! EngineOh - Go-on Grand Prix!"
"Gonna run you through! Final Lap! GunBirOh - GunBir Grand Prix!"
Law of Chromatic Superiority: Sōsuke is the only one who can control KyoretsuOh efficiently, because no one else can understand what the Prehistoric Engines say.
The KanKan Bar and its expansion, KanKan Mantan Gun; they're probably not assigned to only Sōsuke, but by default, they require all three Prehistoric Engine Souls contracted to him.
A side-story and GP50 also show that Speedor, Bus-on and Bearrv can also be used.
Make My Monster Grow: "Industrial Revolution!": KO'd Bankiju can use the Bikkurium capsule inside them to grow to giant size. It's possible for them to shrink back when it runs out. They're also not above activating it before KO.
Two Girls to a Team: Like in the previous series, the main team only has one girl (Go-on Yellow), even after it was extended from the initial trio to a standard five member team. However, a second full-time female ranger is later introduced in the form of Go-on Silver, the female half of the Go-on Wings, resulting in another odd color combination for the female duo (Yellow and Silver).
Achilles in His Tent: or rather, Yogostein In The Banki Chamber mourning the death of Hiramechimedes.
Actor Allusion: or in this case, Voict Actor Allusion, as the voice of Carrigator also voiced the comic relief crocodilian monster Yatsudenwani from Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger.
Scoop Banki in GP 3 mistook the place he's supposed to strike for a hill*
His actual target was "Neo Tokyo Hills".
.
Backronym: At first glance, Bomper's name sounds like a twist of "Bumper", especially because the vehicle theme. But then we find out that it actually stands for "Born-to Outerdimension and Mechanic × Pitcrew-type ENGINE-support Robot".
Bad Boss: Yogoshimacritein, who fires through two of his Quirky Miniboss Squad to hit the Go-ongers. He even denounced his (dead) son as a useless failure.
Batman Gambit: GP 22 is basically about Hiramechimedes and Hiroto trying to out-gambit each other. Pretending to be exiled by Yogostein, fatally injured and all, Hiramechimedes tells the Go-ongers that he wanted to race Hiroto to Hellgaille Palace as his last wish. Hiroto accepted, and knowing him awfully well, had everything prepared. Hiramechimedes finally outwitted them, but there's one thing he didn't calculate about: Go-ongers*
Well, they didn't follow him because they suspect him; on the contrary, they came to cheer for both of them.
.
Benevolent Boss: Despite being the villains, the Gaiark Ministers are surprisingly nice. Their monsters may lose to the Go-ongers' tactics and have to retreat, but if they did well, they praise them. Now that's a boss.*
Beware the Nice Ones: The Go-ongers may be simple, gullible and headstrong Idiot Heroes who can't do not plan ahead, but it's not an advisable course of action to take advantage of them. Hiramechimedes learned it the hard way.
Played straight in GP 13: the Yakuza boss' daughter is a Kawaiiko who's a closet Delinquent.
Boring Invincible Hero: Averted painfully for Sōsuke as an Aesop. In GP 8, while helping Speedor recover from a bad rust, Sōsuke kept believing that a miracle will happen, since they're the heroes; nothing happened. In the end, he decided to make miracles happen, rather than waiting for them.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Done blatantly in GP 45, where the Go-Ongers thank the viewers at home and wish them a happy new year.
Catchphrase: "Go-on!" for everyone; perhaps even too often.
"Go-onger - Checker Flag!"
"Go-onWings - Touchdown!"
Sōsuke, Renn and Saki in particular; Their catchphrases "Mach", "Zubari" and "Smile, Smile." make their way into their daily conversations more than any prior Super Sentai character's possibly could.
Hant and his "Doki doki". Not as often as the other three, but that's not saying much.
Hiramechimedes' "Pok-pok-PING! I just had a flash of brilliance!"
Chekhov's Gunman: Averted with Nigoru. He's introduced as if he might be to Kegalesia as Hiramekimedes was to Yogostein, only to die shortly afterward and never be mentioned again.
The Chosen Many: There are countless other Engines in the Engine World which, from how they look, seem perfectly capable of anything the hero Engines can do.
Cool Plane: Toripter, Jetras and Jum-bowhale; the only members of the Wing Race we get to see, given their rarity. So, in principle, the whole Wing Race can count as Cool Planes.
Crossdresser: Not a direct example, but the effect is pretty much the same. GP 26: In a plan to retrieve Bearrv's Soul, which she willingly gave to Nigoru after proposing to her, Jetras went into Bearrv's Cast to fool him into believing that the real one is actually at large.
Danger Deadpan: A pilot who never loses his cool? A good description for Hiroto!
Deadpan Snarker: Hiroto, noticeably after he accepted the Go-ongers.
Disaster Dominoes: GP 15 opens with one. It's regarded as ominous (especially since this is the week Hiramechimedes debuts). Then it results in an Eureka Moment.
Final Speech: The Bankijuu will often make these types of speeches after being dealt the killing blow from the Go-ongers, and before exploding.
Freaky Friday Flip: The Engine Souls aren't strictly for their original Casts, so the potential is there.
Hant actually did it to the Engines in GP 14. Hilarity Ensues. Among others, Birca doesn't seem to mind.
Saki and Miu used it again in GP 26, this time for a rather serious plan.
Also happened to Hatsuden Banki and Sōsuke in GP 12. While Sōsuke was able to use the opportunity to foil one of Gaiark's plans, Hatsuden Banki wasn't as lucky.
Funny Bruce Lee Noises: Nunchaku Banki in the teamup movie with Juken Sentai Gekiranger just loved this trope. Regardless of whether he was attacking, jumping, getting hit, or painfully getting knocked across the battlefield by exceptionally powerful attacks, he still made these noises.
Fun with Acronyms: Bomper's full name (in a very SOS-dan way): Born to Outerdimensional and Mechanical x Pit Crew Type Engine Support Robot. It's so long that Hant faints, and Saki acts as if she got a headache just from trying to take it all in.
Genius Bruiser: Both Renn and Hiroto, but with differences: Renn inclines more towards "Genius", and Hiroto's more of "Bruiser".
Hiramechimedes also qualifies, although like Renn, he's more of a "Genius". He does and can fight, but isn't very sturdy.
GP 6: Up aginst a Bankiju who spams sound waves? Just bring earplugs! You won't hear anything though.
Hiroto is overall pretty Genre Savvy, especially when it comes to fighting. A good example of his savviness is in GP 17, when, he managed to pull out Happa Banki's Bikkurium capsule during the battle, preventing it from going Industrial Revolution after it falls asleep.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: GP 14: While Hant was ogling at Kegalesia under a human disguise, Sōsuke just had to choose that moment to place a big log in front of him. Upright. And just to hammer it home, Hant later used the Super Highway Buster*
And somehow, the foul spirit of N Ma from Magiranger was purified and turned to an engine soul, also Yukimura brings his fight against Hiramechimedes over here.
Ki Attacks: When the Go-ongers lose their partner's Engine Souls in Go-onger vs. Gekiranger, the Gekirangers teach them a new fightning move called "Engine Fist", where the Go-ongers project Geki versions of their Engine partners.
Lethal Chef: Saki averts and plays this trope straight. The aversion is her sweets; they look suspicious at first sight, but actually taste good. The straight example is pretty much anything else; she uses too much sugar.
Magic from Technology: A student in GP 42 modified his laptop to function as a spellbook. It actually works.
Meadow Run: Spoofed in GP 26 with Saki and Miu; they did run towards each other but since they're actually meeting up for a plan to save Bearrv, there was no hugging or kissing. Not that it stopped the shippers...
Meaningful Name: The Ministers have parts of the words related to pollution in their names; Yogostein*
"Yogosu"/"Pollute"
, Kegareshia*
"Kegare"/"Impurity"
and Kitaneidas*
"Kitanai"/"Foul"
. *
Interestingly, all three words derive from the same Kanji.
And Hiramechimedes: His name comes from "Hirameki"*
"Flash", i.e: an idea.
and "Achimedes", tying him to his mathematics and strategy themes.
Mundane Utility: Invoked in GP 34 when Heater Banki goes into hiding, standing in for a barbecue, then a salon hairdryer...
My Name Is Not Durwood: Hiramechimedes, whose names Go-ongers initially mistake. Only Renn remembers his name right, much to his delight.
Mythology Gag: The second line of opening lyrics say "Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, Go-onger!"; One of the [[Catch Phrase|s]] of SunVulcan was "Ichi, Ni, Sun*
Sounds exactly the same as "San"/"Three".
Vulcan!".
GunBirOh is pretty much GaoHunter; an alligator for the body, a canine and an aquatic animal for arms.
One short scene in GP 19 has Go-ongers rescuing civilians from a collapsing building. Although they're not strangers to civilian rescue, it's the rubbled insides of the building that sparks the nostalgia.
Also, Go-Roader GT's "Giant Tire" gimmick is an analogue to TackleBoy.
Kyouretsu-Oh is very reminding of Daizyujin/Megazord, particularly the horns and how they fold out in the Transformation Sequence, and also having a Triceratops head for a foot. It is also a dinosaur-themed Expy of God Sigma, because of its similar formation and being three-pieced.
"Time to go on" is a line in the full version of the Dekaranger theme song.
In GP 39, Matsuri Banki is decorated with a bunch of masks, including an AkaRed.
The main team ends their transformation with a spin and a revving sound almost identical to (if not the same as) the one used for Carranger.
The team starts with Red, Blue, and Yellow, and are then joined by Green and Black, same as Choujuu Sentai Liveman.
The whole idea of an environment-conscious, car-themed Sentai has already been done before.
Sousuke and Speedor, the Red ranger and his mecha, share the symbol of a winged number 1, which was last seen (though in a simpler form) on the helmet of Akaranger.
Who, in the BIGGEST of ironies, a member of the Water Pollution branch and part of a Gaiark Royal Family.
just loves everything a Gaiark can possibly hate; hygiene, beauty and love, among other things. This trait of his is what prompted the patriotic Kegalesia to leave him to die when he lost against Saki and Miu.
Chibi Jum-bowhale gains one of these and a Badass Mustache out of nowhere.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: in GP 11, the Banki misleads Sōsuke, Renn, Saki and Hant into leaving the team via TV broadcasts, singling out Gunpei - then decides to broadcast Gunpei's plight. Which is precisely what snaps our heroes out of it.
One, Two, Three, Four, Go!: The lyrics in particular take the direct approach; "Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, Go-onger".
One-Winged Angel: Hiramechimedes in GP 23 and Yogostein in GP 35-36. Maki from The Movie even says something about not having used this form for a while - except it's the more humanoid form.
Only Mostly Dead: Hiramechimedes' grudge on Go-ongers made him linger on as a "Yurei"*
Planet of Hats: The various Brane Worlds, Christmas World takes the cake for being so specific.
Pokémon Speak: Somewhat overlaps with Say My Name, and arguably, Verbal Tic; the Engines and the Bankiju say their names quite often, but aren't limited to them.
Poke the Poodle: Despite being a comedy series, this is usually averted.
Brainwashed Sōsuke and Renn's "misdemeanors" in GP 30 gradually devolve into this.
GP 42 opens with the MotW mixing up sorted garbage.
Power Limiter: The Engines can stay in their true giant forms for only ten minutes, after which they immediately split back into the Engine Souls and Engine Casts.
Their massive pile-on combinations (at least G-12) use up energy even faster.
Power Source: The large spinning gear in the background of Gaiark base turned out to be an unlimited power source.
Punch Clock Villain: For villains, the Gaiark Ministers are more antagonistic than actually evil for the most part; the reason they're the bad guys is because pollution is vital for their race and they just happened to choose the Human World for it, which puts them on the different side of the coin from the Go-ongers. The Enemy Mine episode is one instance. So, when it's their turn to die, it was quite sad, especially after what Kegalesia and Kitaneidas said with their last breath.*
In the same vein, even Hiramechimedes can count. Originally a second-rate member of Gaiark, he initially planned to assassinate Yogostein to take his position. But then, to his surprise, Yogostein offered him the position of second-in-command... which prompted him to completely devote his entire self to his Minister without question. After beaten again and again by Go-ongers, he finally threw away his precious mind by overloading himself with Psycho Serum to match them with raw power, despite Yogostein's plea. All for his master right until his last moment... * sniff* Pardon me...
During the events of Shinkenger vs. Go-onger, Sosuke also acted as the Red Oni to his successor's, Takeru Shiba, Blue Oni.
Retraux: it may not look it, but Go-Onger has been lightly touched by this. On the one hand, there's the return to chunkier mecha designs; then there's Sōsuke's display of patriarchial chauvinism in ep 6, Renn (see Yamato Nadeshiko below), that judo master's forest retreat, even the concept behind G3 Princesses is meant to be old-school... not to mention that the token Jidai Geki episode is a movie instead.
Secret Identity: Essentially discarded this time: Go-ongers have no qualms about revealing their identities or having them discovered. In fact, some of them even outright said it to people at some point. People even seem to know that the Go-ongers exist. They even have an online fansite. With ratings for all 7.
Not only does Hiroto use punches for his fighting style, he used◊ a Rider Sting-ish punch in his debut battle, all in its golden-yellow glory*
Kamen Rider TheBee's primary color scheme.
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In GP 22, summoning his Wing Dagger actually causes it to zip around and attack the Uguts before landing in his hand, much like the Zecters were known to do.
When Chirakasonne is attacking the city, he shouts that "The Gaiark are bringing change!." A few moments later, Yogoshimacretein responds with his own Gratuitous English: "Yes, we can!"
Same episode; when finally confronting Mahobin Banki, Miu is shown weilding a yo-yo. It helps that she's been undercover as a schoolgirl for the episode.
The fact that Bomper is 66 cm tall, weighs 66 kg and has a top speed of 66 km/h may very well be a subtle, yet unintentional, shout-out to Route 66, thus strengthening the connection with Cars.
The Smurfette Principle: While averted within the team once the Go-on Wings joined, it is played straight among the Engines, with Bear-RV being the only female (despite Toripter being voiced by a woman, he is male). As well as Kegalesia among the Gaiarc, of course.
Soap Opera: One Go-On Seminar has Saki mentioning that she follows Korean Drama. A more blatant reference appears in the episode where Miu infiltrates a high school, which has a Drama Club attempting a Korean drama performance, complete with Bae Yong-Jun impersonator.
The name is parsed as "Sōsuke" but TV Tropes won't let you put the ō in a link
, Saki◊, Gunpei◊, Hiroto◊, Miu◊), some "OK, I'll give it to you" names (Renn◊), and then Hant◊. Despite the fact that his name was plastered in front of viewers faces for 49 episodes, some English language fansubbers still decided to go with the direct romanization of his name "Hanto".
The official spelling was probably chosen so that the names would divide symmetrically on either side of the zipper: SOS/UKE, RE/NN, SA/KI, GUN/PEI and HA/NT
Stealth Hi/Bye: Jum-bowhale can make his own Engine Soul appear in other Rangers' changers at will.
Stealth Pun: The word "Engine" is actually written with two Kanji in the official title: "Flame" and "God/Deity".
Possibly a stretch, but Kegalesia with her everpresent tap might count...
Also, Carrygator forms the shoes*
It's a pun on Gator, when pronounced in Japanese, is a homophone for Geta, those traditional wooden sandals you see people wearing in Jidai Geki
of every Engine-Oh combination he participates in.
Straw Vulcan: Hiramechimedes is a the straight example, being the smartest person among Gaiark.
Hiroto's strategy of reading his opponents stopped working when Hiramechimedes becomes crazy, and thus unpredictable. Naturally, it took Sōsuke's equally unpredictable antics to match him.
Super Sentai Stance: Spoofed in GP 14 by Hant; he physically set their bodies to the usual pose.
Too Soon: Shortly after the Go-on Wings' debut, some guy committed a murder using a dagger. As a result, the toy version of the Rocket Dagger was called Rocked Booster, and the show avoided using the word dagger for a while (as a result, the Wings would avoid calling some of their attacks).
, the substance which enlarges the Bankiju when they're KO'd.
Which means what makes the monsters grow is, literally, the Element of Surprise.
Verbal Tic: All the Engines have one each, and they use theirs pretty often all the time. But it's a bit arguable with the Prehistoric Engines, because they don't speak.
Bomper's "Bom Bom!".
Renn adds "-su" to every sentence he speaks. But he drops that when in his household.
Birca has a handful of gratuitous foreign phrases, mainly italian, in addition to his usual one.
Even the Ministers: "-nari" for Yogostein, "-(de) ojaru" for Kegalesia, "-zoyo" for Kitaneidas.
During the Dino Engines' debut arc, Speedor actually takes offence at the Drill Banki's Verbal Tic 'Dori', for being one letter away from 'Doru'. A few eps later, the same thing happens with Jetras and the Engine Banki (see Hilarious in Hindsight above).
Villainous Crossdresser: Hiramechimedes's Camp Gay older brother Kokorootomedes takes this trope to its wackiest, complete with pink wig and heart-based attacks.
In one episode, Gunpei wants Hant to wear a dress and pose as his girlfriend in order to stop Gunpei's mother trying to arrange a marriage for him. Apparently, Hant makes a better girl than the actual girls on the team ...
It's also revealed (at the end of the Granddaughter Hant episode) that one of Hant's side-jobs is being a transvestite maid. He even says it's his favorite!
Yakuza: One of the Character Of The Day in GP 13 is played straight as a yakuza boss. And his ferocity is just... out of this world; he can scare not only the Gaiark Ministers, who are by and large main villains, off like little kids, but even objects!. Could be justified by him being an alien, though.
Yamato Nadeshiko: Renn is a textbook example despite being male: tall, modest, polite, gentle and overall the most mature and responsible of the Go-ongers. He is the Team Chef and likes to fuss over others to the point where his teammates call him "mother".
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