Series / Engine Sentai Go-onger

Let's Go On!

"Pressing forward on the road of Justice!"

Engine Sentai Go-onger (roughly translated as "Blazing God^note pronounced as Enjin Squadron Go-onger") is the 32nd program in the Super Sentai series, which aired from 2008 to 2009. Hideyuki Takahashi sang the Title Theme Tune.

The world of Go-onger is split into eleven different worlds^note Human, Machine, Samurai, Christmas, Junk, Sound, Stormy, Gunman, Magic, Prism, and Grass World, of which the place we live (the Human World) is only one. When three high-ranking members of the Gaiark, a machine clan which thrives on pollution, escape into the Human World, they are pursued by the inhabitants of the Machine World: Engines, humongous sentient vehicles.

Discovering that their power is greatly limited in the Human World, the Engines recruit three people at a racing circuit to become the Go-Onger and fight against the polluting conquests of the Gaiark. They are later joined by two more members, and a pair of psychic siblings who form the aloof Sixth Ranger duo "Go-On Wings".

Originally unintended to be contractually bound to its US version, Go-onger was more in the vein of Carranger, both in its vehicle theme and its strong dedication to comedy over a serious storyline. It also plays a lot of Japanese Media Tropes, in particular Super Sentai tropes, very often, even to the brink of parody.

Partnered with the Kamen Rider series Kamen Rider Kiva before concluding its airing alongside the first episodes of Kamen Rider Decade in the Super Hero Time block. "Adapted" for American audiences as Power Rangers RPM, which chose to take the goofy footage of Go-onger and created the darkest Power Rangers series to date.

In 2018, a Reunion Show, titled Engine Sentai Go-Onger: 10 YEARS GRAND PRIX, was announced for a release later that year, making Go-onger the third Sentai to receive a 10 Years After special after Dekaranger and Hurricaneger.

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Recurring Super Sentai tropes:

• All Your Powers Combined
  • The Super Highway Buster is made of the Highway Buster and Junction Rifle.
    • Highway Buster: Combination of Go-on Red, Blue, and Yellow's weapons.
    • Junction Rifle: Combination of Go-on Green and Black's weapons.
  • Some villain examples:
    • Kagami^note Mirror Banki in GP 10 has aspects of all three Ministers.
    • In one of the last episodes, the Monster of the Week is made up of spare parts from his predecessors.
• Brought to You by the Letter "S": "G" is for not only Go-Onger and Go-On Wings, but also the villain group, the Gaiark.
• Borrowed Catchphrase:

  Toppa Bashin: Mach Full Force!

  Kamen Rider Kiva: Just Correct!

  Cure Dream: Smile Blooming!

• By the Power of Grayskull!: All in Gratuitous English: "Change Soul, Set! Let's Go-On!"
• Calling Your Attacks: A bit overboard to the point of being parodic; everything they do about attacks applies here. Also has Gratuitous English on them.
  • Just for an example, observe EngineOh G6's Finishing Move sequence.
  "This one is ours! Last Corner! Steering Open! Change: Handle Baster! Blaster Soul: Set! Handle Blaster: Target Lock! G6 Grand Prix! Go-On!"
• Color Character: Another "[team prefix] [English color]" Sentai.
• Combination Attack
• 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.
• Custom Uniform: Each Ranger dons a jacket bearing their names with their Ranger form's color scheme adorning it.
• 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!"
• Home Base: The Ginjiro^note Ginjiro-go; the "go" here being a common suffix added to vehicles.: Also Bigger on the Inside, given the number of people, mecha, and pieces of merchandise they're able to fit in there.
• Humongous Mecha: Go-onger held the record in Super Sentai for the in-series^note Not counting outside the TV series. mecha combination with the highest number of pieces. The 12 pieces EngineOh G12 was composed of was eventually surpassed by ToQger's ToQ-Rainbow, which requires 14 Ressha to complete.
  • A Mech by Any Other Name: The Engines.
  • Combining Mecha
    • Speedor + Bus-On + Bear RV = Engine Oh
    • Birca + Gunpherd + Carrigator = Gunbir Oh
    • Toripter + Jeptras + Jum-bowhale = Seiku Oh
    • Kishamoth + K-Line + T-Line = Kyoretsu Oh
  • Transforming Mecha: Go-Roader GT; the only one and the only non-mainline one.
  • Mecha Expansion Pack: The "Engine Busō" system, in which Engine Oh uses other Engines for new weapons or upgrades.
    • Engine Oh + Birca = Engine Oh Birca
    • Engine Oh + Gunpherd = Engine Oh Gunpherd
    • Engine On + Toripter + Jeptras = Engine Oh Jetoripter
    • Engine Oh + Gunbir Oh = Engine Oh G6
    • Engine Oh G6 + Seiku Oh = Engine Oh G9
    • Engine Oh G9 + Kyoretsu Oh = Engine Oh G12
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: "GP"^note Read as "Grand Prix". for episodes. The first two characters in the titles are Kanji, and the rest is in Katakana.
• In the Name of the Moon: The Rangers^note Separately for Go-Ongers and Go-On Wings., the Engines^note Including the Prehistoric Engines who can't speak a word; they get subtitles., the villains and — wait for it — all the Humongous Mecha including Go-Roader GT all have their lines. Short version? EVERYONE.
  • First, the Rangers^note When said in Japanese, all their lines end with "-kai", thus making rhymes.:
    Sōsuke: Mach Full Force! Go-On Red!^note "Mahha Zenkai! Go-on Red!"
    Renn: Just Correct! Go-On Blue!"^note Zubari Seikai! Go-on Blue!"
    Saki: Smile Blooming! Go-On Yellow!^note "Smile Mankai! Go-on Yellow!"
    Hant: Doki Doki^note Heart-thumping/Exciting Delight! Go-On Green!^note "Doki Doki Yukai! Go-on Green!"
    Gunpei: Dash Dynamic! Go-on Black!^note "Dash Gokai! Go-On Black!"
    All: Pressing forward on the Road of Justice! Engine Sentai Go-Onger!
    Hiroto: Break the Limit! Go-On Gold!^note "Break Genkai! Go-on Gold!"
    Miu: Sparkling World! Go-On Silver!^note "Kirakira Sekai! Go-on Silver!"
    Both: Take Off! Go-On Wings!
  • Then the Engines^note The Prehistoric Engines can't speak human language; theirs are subtitles.:
    Speedor: The highway star with a full tank of courage! Engine Speedor!
    Bus-On: The safe ride gallant and pure! I be Engine Bus-On!
    BearRV: The tough girl of charm and guts! Engine BearRV-ya!
    Birca: The easygoing dreamer! Engine Birca here!
    Gunpherd: The hard emergency dispatch! This is Engine Gunpherd!
    Carrigator: The giant chieftain^note More accurately, "star" or "leading figure".! Engine Carrigator-de gozaru!
    Toripter: Flying free and tricky! Me Engine Toripter!
    Jetras: The silver air master! Engine Jetras!
    Jum-bowhale: With me, everything is first class! I am Engine Jum-bowhale!
    Kishamoth: Full speed ahead from the ancient times! Engine Kishamoth arriving!
    T-Line: Ascend^note Go uphill! The Engine of wishes^note "Nozomi"; also the fastest Japanese long-distance railway line., T-Line!
    K-Line: Descend^note Go downhill! The Engine of light^note "Hikari"; also a famous Japanese bullet train., K-Line!
  • And the Ministers^note Notably, each of them uses a slightly different variation of "I".:
    Yogostein: The ground dried and fissured! I'm^note "Ware" the Land Pollution Minister, Yogostein!
    Kegalesia: The water murky and defiled! I'm^note "Warawa" the Water Pollution Minister, Kegalesia!
    Kitaneidas: The atmosphere tainted and black! I'm^note "Watashi" the Air Pollution Minister, Kitaneidas!"
  • As if the concept hasn't been lampooned enough already, Yogostein, Hiramechimedes and Happa^note Dynamite Banki struck the final blow in GP 17.
    Yogostein: The one who hatefully pollutes the land! Earth Pollution Minister Yogostein -nari!
    Hiramechimedes: I gain a flash of brilliance through pok-pok-ping^note The sounds of his Idea Bulbs lighting up.! Earth Pollution Vice-Minister Hiramechimedes!
    Happa Banki: No. 1 ruffian of Earth Pollution! Happa Banki!
    All: In the name of Earth Pollution, we'll eliminate you!
• 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.
• Mini Dress Of Power: Part of the Go-Onger girls' suits.
• Monster of the Week: The Bankiju, or "Barbaric Machine Beasts". They are far more comedic than their Power Rangers RPM counterparts.
• Mooks: Uguts.
• The Movie: Go-onger: Boom Boom! Bang Bang! Gekijō BANG! ("Gekijō Bang" is played on Gekijōban, literally "Movie Version")
• The Narrator: A new change of pace: There's no fixed narrator this year. All the Engines who can speak take turns narrating.
• "On the Next Episode of..." Catch-Phrase: "GO-ON!" (Said mostly by Speedor.)
• Regular Caller: Bomper, whose sensors can detect Gaiark appearances.
• Robot Buddy: The Engines themselves.
• Super Mode: In the crossover movie with the Shinkengers, Go-On Red gets a new form by receiving Shinken Red's Kyoryu Disk and inserting it onto his Mantan Gun. The result is Hyper Go-On Red.
• Supervillain Lair: The Hellgaille Palace.
• Theme Music Power-Up: The Go-Ongers get back up on their feet and mop the floor with the Monster of the Week or their bosses every time their theme plays in the background.
• Transformation Name Announcement: Basically for every combination.
• Transformation Trinket
  • Sōsuke, Renn, & Saki: Go Phone
  • Hant & Gunpei: Shift Changer
  • Hiroto & Miu: Wing Trigger
• 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).
• Villains Act, Heroes React: As is the norm for Super Sentai, we generally have the Gaiark sending out a MOTW with an Evil Plan Once an Episode, with our heroes then arriving on the scene to stop them.

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Tropes specific to Engine Sentai Go-onger:

• Actor Allusion: Or in this case, Voice Actor Allusion, as the voice of Carrigator also voiced the comic relief crocodilian monster Yatsudenwani from Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger.
• Another Story for Another Time :Plays out at the end of the final episode when Speedor tells the audience about the go-ongers battle against the new foes in another dimension is just another story for another time.
• Achilles in His Tent: or rather, Yogostein In The Banki Chamber mourning the death of Hiramechimedes.
• Affectionate Parody: Of Super Sentai tropes while being a Super Sentai itself — just like one from 13 years ago — See Fleeting Demographic Rule below.
• Animal-Vehicle Hybrid: The Engines; giant, sentient animal/vehicle hybrid creatures from the Engine World. They serve as the partners of the Go-Ongers, and make up the parts of the teams Humongous Mecha.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Kitanedas and Kegalesia's death together after they betray Yogoshimacritein. And they don't care at all. Why? They just want to be with Yogostein again. They reach out to each other before finally shutting down.
  • The deaths of Hirachimedes and Yogostein themselves are also this and are seen being mourned by their comrades, even by the mooks in the latter's case.
• Aloof Ally: Hiroto and Miu.
• And the Adventure Continues: GP Final ends with Engine Speedor calling all seven Go-Ongers to battle Gaiark's missing President. The opening of Shinken Vs Go-On even implies that they've been Walking The Parallel Worlds.
• Ascended Fanboy: Hiroto is a Gattai^note Combination maniac.
• 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. Kitaneidas and Kegalesia are far from pleased with this.
  Kitaneidas: Gaiark... doesn't need a dictator -zoyo!
  Kegalesia: Our goal is an ideal wasteland where all the Barbaric Machine Beasts can live comfortably. Since you stepped over your comrades, that world...
  Both: ...can't be made -de ojaru/zoyo!!
• Base on Wheels: The Ginjiro.
• 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^note 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.^note Suck it, Dokoku! Just to drop the anvil; Yogostein personally mourns over Hiramechimedes' death. And that guy's supposed to be the villain!
• Beware the Nice Ones
  • The Go-ongers may be simple, gullible and headstrong Idiot Heroes who 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.
• 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.
• Busman's Holiday: GP 25 has everyone going on holiday, except they don't do much other than what they do when they're busy saving the world, especially when Gaiark's forces strike again.
• Butt-Monkey: Hant.
• 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 Gun: The giant gear in the Gaiark base with their symbol on it: Humorously named "Deus Haguruma Gear"^note "God Gear Gear".
• 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.
• Clip Show: GP 45 partly.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Hant is slightly out of touch from reality at times.
• Comically Missing the Point: This one conversation excerpt from GP 26.
  (Voice): Young lady. Please receive my love.
  Saki: Could this be... a sudden confession?! Oh my.
  Miu: This is too sudden... I have to consult with my bro.
  Nigoru: My beautiful... BearRV.
  (silence)
  Saki: So BearRV is the one you're confessing to?
  Miu: Hey! That's not what you should be surprised about. Look, it's Nigoru!
  Saki: Oh, right.
• Completely Different Title: The Korean dub refers to the show as "Power Rangers: Engine Force".
• Compliment Backfire: In GP 14, Hant, smitten with Kegalesia's Paper-Thin Disguise human-form, complimented her as a "Beautiful" and "Pure" person. Being a Gaiark who loves filthiness, she didn't take it well.
• 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.
  • GP 27 has Hant dressing in female clothes, for the sake of an old lady who misses her granddaughter. ...Or so she claims...she was just trying to keep him distracted to help the Gaiark...and after betraying the Gaiark because Hant was so nice to her, revealed that her granddaughter never even existed. The episode's seminar section reveals that dressing as a maid and working in a cafe is Hant's favourite of all the part time jobs he's had.
  • GP 38: Saki and Miu "hid" the guys paralyzed because of a Bankiju... by dressing them up as mannequins in the front showcase of a women's clothing store. Perhaps the Ginjiro is too small? Saki came up with this plan due to remembering how cute Hant was in GP 27.
  • Creepy Crossdresser: Hiramechimedes's Camp Gay older brother Kokorootomedes takes this trope to its wackiest, complete with pink wig and heart-based attacks.
• Dancing Theme: We have loads to go by. Just one thing: It's the same tune.
• Danger Deadpan: A pilot who never loses his cool? A good description for Hiroto!
• Denser and Wackier: Just like Kamen Rider Den-O and Gekisou Sentai Carranger before it.
• 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.
• Disney Death
  • Sōsuke is turned into a rust statue in GP 35-36. The end of GP 36 has him revived in time to off Yogostein.
  • Everyone except the original three Go-ongers and their Engines once Prime Minister Yogoshimacritein shows up.
• Dub Name Change: In the Korean dub, all but Renn get one: Maha (Sōsuke), Seoni (Saki), Jyo (Hant), Alex (Gunpei), Hiro (Hiroto) and Miwoo (Miu)
• Duck Season, Rabbit Season: Happens at the end of GP 07, when Hant and Gunpei are arguing over who should be Carrigator's partner first and foremost, and end up accidentally swapping pronouns in the process.
• Ecocidal Antagonist: The villains of the season are the Gaiark, a clan of machine-monsters that thrive on pollution and seek to pollute the Earth to make it habitable for their kind. It's also their thematic hat, the higher-ups of the organization literally being called "Pollution Ministers." Justified in the sense that they need pollution to survive; meaning they have to oppose environmentalism by principle. Ironically, the three Pollution Ministers all pull Heel–Face Turns by the end of the season and later post-series content; having long-found their ideal "Junk World."
• Elemental Powers: The Go-On Wings each use an elemental attack from their Rocket Dagger.
  • Playing with Fire: Hiroto's Burning Dagger.
  • An Ice Person: Miu's Freezing Dagger.
• Enemy Mine: Episode 31 has Yogostein, Kegalesia and Kitanedas teaming up with the Go-Ongers to stop a monster which grows using sound from crushing Earth under its weight.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Kitanedas and Kegalesia were rather upset when Yogostein was Killed Off for Real.
• Final Speech: The Bankijuu will often make these types of speeches after being dealt the killing blow from the Go-ongers, and before exploding.
• Fleeting Demographic Rule: It's been 12 years since the last car-based Affectionate Parody Super Sentai, Gekisou Sentai Carranger.
• "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. It also subverts most of the typical tropes this uses in Sentai as Hatsuden Banki (who gives up on trying to infiltrate the Go-Onger after about one minute because they're just THAT annoying to him) just wants his body back and the other Go-Onger realize the body swap almost immediately after being informed by Speedor (who heard Hatsuden Banaki monologuing about his situation out loud from his Engine Soul in Sousuke's pocket) so once Hatsuden-in-Sousuke tries to turn them against the real thing they aren't falling for it.

• 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 Size: The Engines' chibi cartoon forms.
• 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.
• Get It Over With: Lampooned splendidly: Spray Banki in GP 4 followed this trope literally to heart, counting one to three after declaring that he'll finish off Renn and Saki. Naturally, he's stopped at the last moment by Sôsuke.
• Girl Group: G3 Princess, formed in GP31 by Saki, Miu and Kegalesia. Later, in GP45, the male Go-ongers form a Spear Counterpart Boy Band named G5 Prince which never appears or is referred to afterwards aside from the Ending Theme. Both groups come with their own versions of said Ending Theme (see Rearrange the Song below).
• Gratuitous English: All the Engines have a particular phrase about themselves, but Jum-bowhale in particular, considering he's a passenger jet.
  Jum-bowhale: Attenshun puriisu!^note "Attention please!"
  • In fact, their Calling Your Attacks has this (see above).
• Heart Drive: The Engines' Souls that takes in the form of cartridges.
• Heel–Face Turn: Actually, all three Gaiark minsters, though over the course of the finale and post-series appearances. Though they betray Yogoshimacritein for betraying them in the finale and are mostly disinterested in villainy post-resurrection in the Shinkenger team-up, Gokaiger vs. Gavan finds them among the friendly monsters in a prison for villains who became good, and by the time of "Ten Years Grand Prix," they're solidly on the side of the Go-Ongers.
• Hot-Blooded: Sōsuke. Gunpei also has some traits.
• Idea Bulb: Hiramechimedes has real bulbs on his head. Three, in fact!
• Identical Stranger: Not-Kegalesia in The Movie, and another in the last episode.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every episode is called a "Grand Prix".
• Idiot Hair: Saki's hair pops up from time to time at unexpected moments. It's not permanent though.
• Idiot Hero: The first 5 rangers all have their moments.
• Infinite Supplies: The only explanation for everything the Go-ongers, excluding Hiroto and Miu, run on^note  Despite not working because of full-time hero activity.; the obvious cost for daily meals, gas for the Ginjiro and electricity for all those supercomputers in the Bigger on the Inside base, and we haven't even gotten to all those equipments and repairs...
• Insufferable Genius: Both Hiroto and Hiramechimedes. Guess there's a reason they're arch-nemeses...
• Insult Backfire: Intentionally inverted with the Gaiark: Being the ones to thrive on pollution, they love anything dirty; literally or metaphorically. This also results in a compliment backfire later, with Hant's complimenting Kegalesia's beauty, as that's the last thing someone who hates beauty wants to hear!
• 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.
• I Work Alone: How Hiroto and Miu started out.
• Jerkass: Hiroto, and Miu to a lesser extent, when they first appeared.
• Jidaigeki: The Movie setting; justified as being an Parallel Dimension.
• Ki Manipulation: When the Go-ongers lose their partner's Engine Souls in Go-onger vs. Gekiranger, the Gekirangers teach them a new fighting move called "Engine Fist", where the Go-ongers project Geki versions of their Engine partners.
  • Sōsuke: "Doru Doru Dan"
  • Renn: "On On Dan"
  • Saki: "V V Dan"
  • Hant: "Baru Baru Dan"
  • Gunpei: "Ganga Ganga Dan"
• Knight of Cerebus: Prime Minister Yogoshimacritein. When he shows up, everything goes to hell quick.
• 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 anything else; she uses too much sugar.
• Lightning Can Do Anything: Played straight in GP 12: Hatsuden^note Generator Banki's lightning switched its mind with Sōsuke's.
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Saki and Miu, respectively.
• Lotus-Eater Machine: Kama Banki from GP 14; the spell is first broken by Fujio-sensei, who could possibly go by the Weird Superhero name "Get A Hold Of Yourself Man".
• Lovely Angels: Saki and Miu have some episodes centered about them teaming up. For example, in Grand Prix 26, they use an attack named Flower Cannonball. To a lesser extent they can be a kind of Amazon Brigade with Kegareshia (mainly) or Bear RV in the GT Roader as G3 Princess.
• Magic from Technology: A student in GP 42 modified his laptop to function as a spellbook. It actually works.
• Market-Based Title: The series itself is called Power Rangers Engine Force in Korea.
• 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^note "Yogosu"/"Pollute", Kegareshia^note "Kegare"/"Impurity" and Kitaneidas^note "Kitanai"/"Foul". ^note Interestingly, all three words derive from the same Kanji.
  • And Hiramechimedes: His name comes from "Hirameki"^note "Flash", i.e: an idea. and "Achimedes", tying him to his mathematics and strategy themes.
• The Multiverse: In the setting of this series, our world (Human World) is one of 11 Braneworlds.^note The others being Machine, Samurai, Christmas, Junk, Sound, Stormy, Gunman, Magic, Prism, and Grass World.
• Mundane Utility: Invoked in GP 34 when Heater Banki goes into hiding, standing in for a barbecue, then a salon hairdryer...
• Mythology Gag
  • The second line of opening lyrics say "Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, Go-onger!"; One of the Catch Phrases of SunVulcan was "Ichi, Ni, Sun^note 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.
  • GP 9 features a camera-theme Monster Of The Week which makes people disappear by taking pictures.
    • Hey, wait a minute!
  • In his debut GP, Toripter pulled of a sideway flight exactly like Tenkujin.
  • In GP 18, Sōsuke channels Yellow Owl Raita's signature move.
  • 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.
  • Speaking of Carranger, the villains in that vehicle-themed season also spent a lot of time sitting around drinking at the bar, much like the Ministers this season.
  • The team starts with Red, Blue, and Yellow, and are then joined by Green and Black, same as Choujuu Sentai Liveman.
  • Speaking of Liveman, Speedor's ability to fly and use the Engine-Oh arms to attack the drones mirrors how the Jet Falcon component of Liverobo could deploy talons (formed from what became the upper legs, however) and strike the Boffler fighters with them.
  • The whole idea of an environment-conscious, car-themed Sentai has already been done before.
  • Sōsuke 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.
  • In GP 40, the finisher for Engine Dai Shogun looks suspiciously similar to another team's finisher.
    • They even do the finisher the same way as that team along with their predecessor!
• Neat Freak: Prince Nigoru^note 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.
• 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.
• Noblewoman's Laugh: Miu used it a few times.
• Nonindicative Name: Try taking Hiramechimedes' attacks seriously after hearing him say the names.^note Do note that they're freakishly strong.
  "Circumference Ratio: Pi Beam!"
  "Isosceles Right-Triangle Slash!"
  • As such, when he decides to counter the Wings' technique by being random and upgrades himself into Detaramedes (detarame = nonsense), he yells things like "ten minus four equals two hundred!" or "six plus nine equals five hundred!" while swinging and blasting wildly, or saying "Detarame Kick-Punch-Chop-Slash!" and then proceeding to not do those things in that order.
• Official Couple: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger reveals that Speedor and Bear RV got together and had a son, Engine 13 Machalcon.
• Oh, Crap!: "What?! G12?!"
• Omake: "Go-on Seminar!"
• 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"^note Vengeful spirit.
• Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: In GP 46, Bomper runs away because he hears the rangers talking about something malfunctioning. Bomper thinks they are talking about him, but the talk was actually about the bus Ginjiro.
• Overly Long Name
  • Hiramechimedes and all its variations. Sōsuke is usually the first to mispronounce them.
  • And Yogoshimacritein, though his isn't played for laughs in any way.
  • Also, Bomper's unabbreviated name as revealed at the end of GP 16. Gunpei even lampshades it: "It's too long!"
• Palette Swap: Maki's Quirky Miniboss Squad from The Movie get recolored for the series proper. The Go-On Seminar for their first episode addresses it: no, they're not the same monsters, Empress Maki just reuses the same designs.
• Panthera Awesome: Renn's partner, Bus-on, and Miu's partner, Jetras.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Kegalesia appears in different human clothings now and then... for whatever reasons there currently is. But whatever she's dressed as, the tap on her head is a dead giveaway. Not that anyone ever noticed...
• Planet of Hats: The various Brane Worlds, Christmas World takes the cake for being so specific.
• Plot Device All Along: Notice how the Engines can only be in their true form for 10 minutes at a time in our world but the villains can be normal the full time? That's because the Villain Base has that spinning cog on the wall, it turns out that's providing the energy to keep the villains around. Sousuke breaks it in the last episode, which causes the entire Palace to crumble away.
• 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.
• Production Foreshadowing: The Movie has the Go-ongers go to the Samurai World and meet the Samurai Engines.
• 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.^note Of course, this is one viewpoint of Alternative Character Interpretation.
  • 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 being beaten again and again by the 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...
• Punny Name: GunBir-Oh. ^note "GunBir" = "ganbaru" = "hang in there"/"fight"/"do your best".
• Rearrange the Song
  • Ladies and gentlemen; welcome to the Den-O of Super Sentai^note In terms of soundtrack redundancy..
  • The main one has twelve different verses, one per Engine, split across four "Laps".^note Possibly also a pun considering "Rap" and "Lap" are pronounced identically in Japanese.
    • "Engine First Lap -Type Normal-"^note Speedor, Bus-on and BeaRV
    • "Engine Second Lap -Turbo Custom-"^note Birca, Gunpherd and Carrigator
    • "Engine Third Lap -Aero Dynamic Custom-"^note Toripter, Jetras, Jum-bowhale
    • "Engine Final Lap -Type Evolution-"^note Kishamoth, T-Line, K-Line
    • "Engine Winning Run -Type Formula-"; Used only in the finale and it mentions everyone.
  • "Engine Eco Rap -Recycle Custom-"; Green Aesop.
  • "Engine Formation Rap -GekijoBANG! Custom!-"; The Movie mix.
  • "G3 Princess Rap ~PRETTY LOVE☆Limited~"; just... don't ask.
  • "G5 Prince Rap ~BONpaie★Limited~"; same as above, except with the boys.
  • "Samurai First Rap ~GinmakuBANG!~"; A Samurai Sentai Shinkenger-themed mix for their team-up movie with Go-onger.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni
  • Sosuke and Hiroto.
  • 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 Jidaigeki episode is a movie instead. Also, referring to themselves as "allies of justice" and yelling Silver Age-type heroic lines is something you heard a lot more of in the old-school series.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Every Engine in cartoon form counts.
• Robot Girl: Kegalesia actually has machinery under her skin.
  • As if the functional valve on her helmet wasn't any indication.
• 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. They're also traveling the countryside in their motorhome and don't have to worry about people coming to their ever-moving doorstep or complicating their lives back home (which they've largely left behind anyway.)
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Hant is the meek and awkward sensitive guy to Gunpei's bold, manly man.
• Shout-Out
  • During the brief moment we get to see the Engine World in GP 1, there's a race going on and lots of Engines are watching from the side.
  • Sōsuke uses a sideway kick pretty often.
  • Kagami Banki◊; Terminator◊. Coincidence?^note It even has those red glowing eyes!
  • That's not the only thing Kagami Banki is reminding of; according to the Ministers, it's the result of their "Power, Courage and Wisdom".
  • In GP 15, it is remarked that Hiramechimedes is three times faster despite being green, not red.
  • 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^note Kamen Rider TheBee's primary color scheme.
  • 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.
  • Nothing about the Earth Pollution roll call?
  Yogostein, Hiramechimedes and Happa Banki: In the name of Earth Pollution, we'll eliminate you!
  • When Jum-bowhale first appeared over the burning building in GP 20, Sōsuke asked; "Is it a bird? Is it a plane?"
  • GP 23 gives us "Mach Hyakuretsu-Ken!" Which fails.
  • Prince Nigoru's rapier technique ends with a Zorro-ish letter cut; except that it's an N, and it's sideways.
  • During Prince Nigoru and Bearrv's date, he plugged her Soul into a console vaguely reminding of the NES, with the cartridge sticking out upright.
  • In GP 26's Go-on Seminar, Sōsuke backs off, saying there's a Yokai nearby, when he sees Miu's hair standing upright.
  • Speedor's a highway star.
  • And while we're at the topic of Deep Purple: Sōsuke's nickname is "Speed King".
  • Chirakasonne, The Dragon to the final Big Bad Yogoshimacretein has an attack called "Tenchi Muyo!"
  • 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!"
  • GP 42, Miu infiltrates a high school as a student and actually introduces herself saying "I have no interest in ordinary people... if there are creatures from other worlds, Bankijuu, or Gaiairc..."
  • 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.
  • In The Movie, Retsutaka, Shishi-no-shin and Tsuki-no-wa are played by Kamen Rider Faiz, Goggle Black/Dyna Black and Deka Pink respectively. In the ending song, they all do their respective henshin poses with their Engine Casts.
• Single-Stroke Battle: Yogostein's last standoff against Sōsuke. Sōsuke emerges victorious.
• 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.
• Spell My Name With An S: The Go-ongers and Go-on Wings' "civilian" jackets are loaded with Gratuitous English, leading to some normal looking names (Sôsuke◊^note 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".
  • Hiroto's constant boxing exercises — he's clearly a bantamweight.
  • Possibly a stretch, but Kegalesia with her everpresent tap might count...
  • Also, Carrygator forms the shoes^note It's a pun on Gator, when pronounced in Japanese, is a homophone for Geta, those traditional wooden sandals you see people wearing in Jidaigeki of every Engine-Oh combination he participates in.
  • One of Go-Roader GT's special moves could be called a Roader Kick.
• Straw Vulcan:
  • Hiramechimedes is 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.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, which reveals that Saki now works in a bakery, she encounters a customer who looks eerily like Kegalesia (and is also played by Nao Oikawa) ...
• Sweet Tooth: The reason Saki's non-dessert recipes bomb: Too much sugar.
• Swiss-Army Tears: Sosuke attempts to invoke this trope to cure Speedor when he, Bus-On and Bear RV become all rusted up no thanks to Bombe Banki, only for nothing to happen. But he does give his all in curing his partner after a Rousing Speech from his former mentor, and Speedor does get better.
• Team Chef: Renn; though his cooking is limited to egg-based meals due to budgetary constraints.
• Team Mom: Renn gets called this.
• Three Plus Two: Hant/Go-On Green and Gunpei/Go-On Black where advertized in first scans and debut in episode 2 but are distinct from the trio.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: The Engineoh G12 finisher is utterly insane. And awesome: it summons holograms of the four component mecha formations to slash the enemy repeatedly. Then the entire mecha formation somehow becomes bathed in fire and slams through the enemy at high speeds, immolating it and causing it to explode.
• This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: At the end of GP 36, Hiroto prevents the others from interfering in the duel between Yogostein and Sousuke, who had just come Back from the Dead.
• Training from Hell: GP 14 has Sōsuke and Hant going through this.
• Tsundere: Miu and Hiroto.
• Uniformity Exception: Go-On Green and Go-On Black's hand and boot braclets and belts are colored gold, instead of black like the core three.
• Unobtainium: Bikkurium^note "Bikkuri"/"Surprise"., the substance which enlarges the Bankiju when they're KO'd. Which means what makes the monsters grow is, literally, the Element of Surprise.
• The Unpronounceable: Hiramechimedes, whose names Go-ongers initially mistake. Only Renn remembers his name right, much to his delight.
• Values Dissonance: An In-Universe example lies within the villains, where they consider being clean and pure as an insult.
• Verbal Tic
  • All the Engines have one each, and they use theirs 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, some Spanish, in addition to his usual one. Most of them don't make a whole lot of sense in the context, al dente.
  • Even the Ministers: "-nari" for Yogostein, "-(de) ojaru" for Kegalesia, "-zoyo" for Kitaneidas.
    • They mixed up each other's Verbal Tics in GP 7 while instructing the Literal-Minded Bombe^note Gas cylinder Banki what to say via phone.
  • 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).
• Villain Decay
  • As the series went on, the Gaiark Ministers are shown to be quite an odd bunch of fellows themselves, rather than the initial impression of "Evil Invaders from Another Dimension". Near the end of the show surviving members realize just how low their rank with the organization really is. However, showing their silly side and their friendship sets the stage for the Vile Villain, Saccharine Show situation we'll find ourselves in for the final arc.
  • Happens very quickly with the Drill Banki from the Dino Engines' debut arc. He starts out capable of curbstomping all the Rangers, then promptly gets bitchslapped by the Dino Engines - by the next episode, one Ranger is enough to hold him off. And then the Dino train runs him over.
  • Hiramechimedes, first mentioned by Yogostein as Gaiark's sharpest mind, started as a genuinely threatening villain; he has a mecha more powerful then the Go-ongers' at that time, he has excellent predictivity, and the core five Engines are scared witless just by hearing his name because of the experience from prior encounters. The only threat to him was the Go-on Wings. But... his losing streak began really quickly after his appearance, starting with a small tactic of teamwork from Go-ongers, and it just went on all the way, even beyond the grave.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Arelunbra, who was introduced like he was going to be a prominent new officer, only to be killed off in his debut episode and never mentioned again. At the time it seemed like they were playing with the idea of giving all the villain leaders a sidekick like Hiramechimedes, but that arc had gone so badly the only reason this character showed up at all is they'd already made the costume.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: After defeating the Big Bad, they ending shows what the rangers are doing post-battle.
• Wholesome Crossdresser
  • Granddaughter Hant.
  • 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!
• World of Pun: The series is very, very rich when it comes to puns.
  • Scoop Banki in GP 3 mistook the place he's supposed to strike for a hill^note His actual target was "Neo Tokyo Hills".
• 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.
  • In GP 30, brainwashed Sōsuke and Renn dress as a Yakuza and a Delinquent respectively, even though both types are NOT known to associate.
• 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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