YMMV / Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Episode 46 raises a bunch of implications about the relationship between the Druidon Tribe and their creator Eras. Did the Druidons knowingly deviate from Eras' will to pursue their own desires for conquest of Earth, or did they only do so because they were unaware of Eras' true plans? Furthermore, was Pricious' desire to reawaken Eras out of a genuine sense of loyalty to her creator, or just to use her to create more generals to further his own power?
  • While on the subject of Pricious, when he reached out to grab Wiserue's hand in episode 46, did he genuinely desire to turn over a new leaf? Or was he only doing so because all his other allies were dead and he had nowhere else to go? Knowing Pricious, he could have even been pulling a fake defection and planned on backstabbing Wiserue and the Ryusoulgers later.
  • Eras herself also has a lot of questions surrounding her true nature. Is she a once benevolent deity who sought to protect the Earth out of altruism, driven to extremes by her creations repeatedly rebelling against her? Or is she just an entity trying to protect her source of energy, whose oppressive nature led the Ryusoul Tribe to turn against her?
• Awesome Music:
  • The opening theme, emphasizing the courage and chivalry of the knight theme of the Ryusoulgers, especially whenever it gets used in their fight scenes.
  • READY GO! KishiRyuOh, the song for KishiRyuOh and any of its associated alternate formations, showcasing the dynamic of the Kishiryu in their fights.
  • Tagire! Ryusoulger, which serves as the fight theme for the Ryusoulgers, having the rhythm of action-packed knighthood of the team's fighting strength.
  • Endless Fire, Koh's Leitmotif, filled with an action-packed tempo that illustrates his bravery and perseverance in battle.
  • Hayate No You Ni, Towa's character theme, emphasizing his speedy nature with the appropriate tempo during his fights.
• The Chris Carter Effect: One criticism of the show is that it takes a while for the Myth Arc to develop, with the only overarching plot in early episodes being the mystery surrounding Gaisoulg's identity. Case in point, it isn't until #40 (less than ten episodes away from the finale) that we learn who the Big Bad even is.
• Crosses the Line Twice: The entire episode with Kleon's first day under Gachireus is intended as a reference to actual stories of people working themselves to death in Japan, complete with Shoot the Shaggy Dog ending that dramatizations tend to go for - and it's Played for Laughs here.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Despite being villains, Wiserue and Kleon are among the most popular characters from Ryusoulger, with quite a few fans find them and the dynamic between it to be one of the most entertaining things about the show. For Wiserue it's because he's flamboyant and eccentric yet also devious and threatening, while Kleon being essentially a little kid who looks up to the other Druidon generals makes him quite endearing.
• Evil Is Cool:
  • Gaisoulg is an intimidating, mysterious Black Knight (well, purple knight) and it's hard not to be engaged in the scenes where he shows up.
  • Wiserue can be rather silly, but his flamboyance, massive ego and surprisingly ruthless deviousness make him very entertaining whenever he appears. He and Kleon practically steal the show whenever they're onscreen together.
• Fan Nickname: Kishidenryu Sentai Kyoryusoulger (or roughly "Beast Power Knight Squadron Dinosaur Soul Ranger"), for those who see the series as a blatant Kyoryuger rehash.
• Genius Bonus:
  • Towa gets bitten by a dog-like Minosaur and is taken ill with a high fever, which actually mimics the effects of rabies (which thanks to widespread vaccinations are all but forgotten by now).
  • In episode 42, all the leather-looking books on the table really are Shakespeare, with the title of Macbeth mostly obscured by King Lear. There's a reason for that.
• Growing the Beard: While opinions on the first part of the show are mixed, many agree the show gets better after Nada is introduced. Then it really kicks into high gear once the final arc starts, culminating in one of the most climactic final battles in Super Sentai.
• He Really Can Act: Despite most of the cast having little-to-no acting experience, they managed to deliver some absolutely stunning performances throughout the series:
  • Yuito Obara (Towa) delivers in #20, especially in the scene where Towa is panicked out of his mind, akin to a panic attack. If that isn't impressive enough, he was only 16 at the time of filming.
  • Katsumi Hyodo's (Canalo) heartbreaking delivery of Canalo's doubts in #47 is stunning, especially since Canalo didn't get much to show outside of his usual Butt-Monkey bits. His desperation is extremely palpable as Canalo rightfully admits that fighting Eras might not be enough to save everyone.
  • Ichika Osaki (Asuna) knocked it out of the park with Asuna's absolutely heartwrenching speech in the same episode, really twisting the knife as she sobs out of sadness and anger.
  • Hayate Ichinose (Koh) has shown consistently throughout the series just how versatile his acting can be, but a standout performance has to go to Koh's speech in #48. His somber, nuanced delivery of Koh's speech to Eras is effective in its subtlety, not needing any major theatrics to showcase its power. Yes, that is the same exact person who played a hotheaded (downplayed) Idiot Hero whose energy was practically bouncing off the walls.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • In 2018, the mobile role-playing game Brave Frontier 2 had a collaboration event with Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, with a promotional parody commercial released featuring the main cast of Kyoryuger as knight-like members of a fictitious Sentai based on the RPG, Yuukan Sentai Brave Frontier. Come 2019, and we now have a Sentai series that combines both dinosaurs and fantasy RPG/knight elements into one.
  • In Power Rangers Dino Charge we have Sir Ivan of Zandar, a dino Ranger from Medieval Europe.
  • Fans had gripes over the DX Ranger Key toys from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger being unable to one-flick change into key mode as it does in the show, which led to the release of a limited-edition "One-Click Ranger Key Set" that introduced a side button that triggers the flick into key mode with a push. The said "one-click change" gimmick was eventually reused for the similarly-shaped DX Ryusoul toyline, and it has now become one of their key selling points.
  • Before the reveal, Ryusoulger was thought to be a dragon-based team. Come first episode, and the very first Monster of the Week they have to fight is a dragon.
    • And another Shout-Out to dragon when Tyramigo combine to form the winged Ptyramigo.
  • The Deluxe Megazord released for Power Rangers (2017) was heavily criticized for being basically a "partsformer", with its transformation limited entirely to detaching and reattaching all its parts a different way. The DX Kishiryu take it up to eleven with a modular system that's been compared by many to Lego.
  • With the reveal that Ryusouls actually would run out of power from usage and have to be replaced, they can be seen as "disposable batteries" compared to their predecessor's "rechargeable batteries".
  • Episode 8 has Asuna singing really horribly. On the show's character songs album, her actress Ichika Osaki sings just fine on Asuna's song "Tokimeki Mighty Girl".
  • The 2010 Sentai series Tensou Sentai Goseiger saw its heroes fighting against a pretty obvious Lucifer-analogue. The final episodes of Ryusoulger, which aired in 2020, saw the Ryusoulgers fighting against a being who is effectively their equivalent of God.
• I Knew It!: Many fans guessed correctly that Nada was Gaisoulg.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: When the show's first details started to emerge, fan reaction tended to be "Dinosaurs again? So soon?" This was heightened by a few other factors:
  • The title was already known due to trademark filings, and its use of "ryu" (dragon) suggested that the season was to be Dragon Knight-themed, which many fans are excited about, since this would be the first time there's a fully dragon-themed team. The revelation that it was actually short for "kyoryu" (dinosaur) was an unwelcome surprise.
  • The team setup was uncomfortably reminiscent of the most recent previous dinosaur series Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger: the team colors were the same (Red, Blue, Pink, Black, and Green; with Pink as the only girl and Green being the youngest), the mecha had the same construction (Red makes the main body and the others make the arms, with Blue and Pink as the default), and the Ryusouls act just like the Zyudenchi (not only in providing random extra powers, but being stored in the belt buckle, in summoning weapons that cover the Rangers' right arms in armor, and in being activated by having the 'mouth' of the Rangers' main weapon bite down on it). Even those who preferred Ryusoulger's execution of these elements didn't really like that a recent previous season was being rehashed to such a degree.
  • The Kyoryuger comparisons continued with the Sixth Ranger's introduction, as he's a Gold Ranger with navy blue accents and has Shock and Awe powers.
  • And then there's Kreon, the green childlike gender-ambiguous Monster of the Week maker, who is very similar to Luckyuro, Kyoryuger's green childlike gender-ambiguous Monster of the Week enlarger. Ironically though, Kleon has become one of best received parts of the show thanks to his dynamic with Wiserue, which is reminiscent of Candelilla and Luckyuro's relationship.
• Jerkass Woobie: Kleon may be bratty and sadistic with their deeds, but mainly its due to wanting recognition from the other generals, with a few episodes highlighting how mistreated he is; episode 14 with Gachireus trying to make them create 500 Minosaurs with Kleon being exhausted, episode 25 regarding how insulted they were when Wiserue called their video trash, and with episode 41 having felt and believed that he was misled and that Pricious didn't even need him, causing them to drop tears and perform baby steps to help the Ryusoulgers.
• Memetic Mutation: See this page for examples.
• Moe: Ui is pretty adorable for a Plucky Comic Relief and her Friendless Background only adds to her huggability. Throw in the actress being an ill girl whose portrayal of the cheerful, energetic character had to be taking everything out of her, and she never let it show. She died less than a year after the series ended.
• Moral Event Horizon: See examples here.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Many at the beginning of the series were not on board with Koh, having grown tired of the Hot-Blooded Idiot Hero red that hogs the spotlight. As the series went on, quite a few fans were impressed with Koh's nuance underneath his hot-headed personality, slowly growing to like him. By the time the series ended, a good portion of the viewers have viewed Koh in a much more favorable light, a major factor being Ichinose's surprisingly layered performance.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Many fans found Nada's prior dynamic with the other Ryusoulgers as a experienced mentor-figure interesting, and wanted to see more of the powerful, cool-looking, but seldom-seen Gaisoulg in action. So when he was killed off in his first battle as a Ryusoulger a mere episode after his long redemption arc, they were less than pleased. It also does not help that this was apparently done just to make way for the MaxRyuSoul, which follows the derided tradition of "overpowered Red-exclusive form".
• Unexpected Character:
  • While it's just for the end credits, who would have thought that any number of Pretty Cure would show up for the crossover movie?
  • Seriously who expected Ryusoul Brown to be Seto of all people instead of someone like Master Black.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The suit of KishiRyuuOh lacks the blocklike and bulky look its many predecessors have, but in exchange for that the suit is a lot more streamlined which gives its suit actor more freedom to move in and allow more amazing stunts. For example:
  • While it's just part of the promo. It's amazing to see KishiRyuuOh Three Knights running at full speed against the enemy, but what makes this so amazing is the fact the shot is not made of CGI, instead it's the suit actor running with full force while wearing the heavy costume, something rarely seen in previous Super Sentai. Then there is the full fight, which is almost all practical effects and it's a glorious sight after years of mostly CGI.
  • KishiRyuOh Five Knights is even more impressive, adding parts of Mirneedle and Tigerlance to the mix in a way that doesn't make the suit feel cluttered and still allows for an impressive amount of movement.
• Win Back the Crowd: For Sentai as a brand and as a franchise, since Toei decided to recruit big names outside of Tokusatsu and newcomers like Junpei Yamaoka (the man who wrote Majisuka Gakuen) and Kazuya Kamihoriuchi (the man behind the success of Ex-Aid and Build) in an attempt to bring Sentai back to its former glory after nine consecutive years of TV ratings decline. This also extends to the franchise's toy sales too due to Lupinranger vs. Patranger doing horrible in toy sales and its earnings are just as bad as (or even worse than) the likes of Fiveman and Timeranger. Also, bringing back the dino theme is an attempt at this. Dinosaurs are always a big seller, and as mentioned before, recent series, even the ones the internet likes, aren't sending toys flying off the shelves back home. Unfortunately, it didn't worked out in the end, since it ended up having an average rating of 2.6% in TV viewership and only earned 6.5 billion Yen in toy sales, which is way worse than its preceding Sentai season.
• Woolseyism: A lot of Ryusoulger's naming conventions and puns don't translate well into English, so Over-Time's subs substitute those names for these. Expect to see both versions used by editors.
  • Kishiryu = Dinoknight
  • KishiryuOh = Dinoknight Rex
  • XSoul = (Translated Name) Sou;, e.g., KataSoul = Solid Soul
  • Drunn Soldiers = Druidrones.
  • In episode 13, the Ryusoulgers misinterpret the Minosaur's Catchphrase "Wannada" as "It's a trap" (wana da in Japanese), with Asuna remarking that announcing it beforehand defeats the purpose of setting a trap. As the joke would not have worked in English, Over-Time changed it to "Won a ton", with Asuna replying that the Minosaur has to beat them first before saying it.
  • Mosa Blade insertion announcement = Mosa Gracias^note The phrase in Japanese is "itadaki mosa", which is a play on itadakimasu (loosely, "Thank you [for the food]"). Over-Time's translation is also an additional play on the Spanish muchas gracias ("Thank you very much").
  • In Japanese, Kleon addresses the Druidon generals with "-sama"; Over-Time has them use a different honorific for each general — "Lord" for Tankjo, "Mr." for Wiserue, "Sir" for Gachireus, and "Boss" for Pricious.

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