History Series / VRTroopers

* AdaptationVillainy: Remember Jeremy/Graybot from "The Virtual Spy"? His ''Metalder'' counterpart, Bigwayne, was previously a top warrior in the Neros Empire who retired and became a repair robot because [[VictoryIsBoring he never lost to anyone in battle]], only to come out of retirement to save his protege Gochak (Cannonbot) from being destroyed, only to fall in battle against Metalder. Here, Graybot was newly-constructed, and given a human cover identity to infiltrate the Troopers and learn their secrets, and be better than them at everything.

The show has a rather interesting production history, to say the least: originally a vehicle for Creator/JasonDavidFrank, an unaired pilot was both shot and sold to several stations, who proceeded to buy it due to the popularity of Power Rangers , but at the last minute Saban decided to bring JDF back to PR, which meant that the starring role had to be recast with Brad Hawkins (who was originally set to play the White Ranger in the second season of ''Mighty Morphin''), although the show by that point was deemed highly unsalvageable and was filmed only for contractual obligations with the TV stations who had already bought the series. To the surprise of many, the first season was actually quite successful and a second season was soon green-lighted by Saban. However, during the second season all the ''Metalder'' action footage ran out and Saban was forced to use footage from a third and drastically different (and much older) show for the Ryan Steele segments. Eventually all the remaining ''Spielban'' footage, as well most of the ''Shaider'' footage, were used up too.

** Some monsters fit this trope, but an egregious example was the last monster they ever fought, Fanbot, a Creator/JerryLewis {{Expy}} who was clumsy on the battlefield and seemed to trip over his own feet. Until the end where [[LetsGetDangerous JB's finishing attack failed to do any real damage and the robot simply]] [[OhCrap grabbed JB's laser lance (while it was lit) and tossed him aside and prepared to suck him up]], in order to win, JB had to use the VR Technobazooka to finish him off, something normally reserved for Grimlord's air forces and not a MonsterOfTheWeek.
** Another example is Fiddlebot, who's main weapon is a fiddle and roses he throws and is powered by an Irish musician. However, Grimlord created him personally after [[SurroundedByIdiots being fed up with Icebots' robots failing him]], and he gives Ryan a CurbstompBattle for nearly the entire episode.
* {{BFG}}: JB's VR Technobazooka, and Ryan's VR Shoulder Cannon; unmentioned in dialogue, but the Skybase and Ryan's unnamed airbase would transform into these. Usualy used on aircraft.

* BrickJoke: A rare serious version. The mutant Dark Heart is only mentioned in the first episode until his true identity as [[spoiler: Ryan's father]] is revealed.

** Dark Heart is directly based on Top Gunder of ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'', but his backstory [[spoiler:as Ryan Steele's father, Tyler,]] not only merges Dr. Koga from ''Metalder'', but Dr. Bio from ''Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban''.

** Ryan Steele, by virtue of his two armored forms, is a composite of ''Metalder'' and ''Shaider''.
** J.B. Reese and Kaitlin Starr were composites of [[Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban Spielban and Diana Lady]], as well as Metalder's two human friends, [[Series/ChoujinkiMetalder Hakko and Mai]] (despite the fact that Spielban was the hero of his own show, J.B. was more of a sidekick to Ryan like Hakko was to Ryusei, while Kaitlin was a reporter like Mai). When footage of Spielban's sister Helen Lady (who wore the same suit as Diana Lady) was adapted into ''VR Troopers'', she became a mirror image of Kaitlin who could be summoned in battle, essentially making Kaitlin a composite of three characters.

[[SpiritualSuccessor In the spirit of, on the heels of, and by the makers of]] ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', the ''Franchise/MetalHeroes'' {{Toku}} series was adapted by Creator/SabanEntertainment into a new show known as ''VR Troopers'' in 1994.

Like ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', three ''Franchise/MetalHeroes'' series were used as source materials to make one. Ryan's armor, Grimlord, and any villain ever seen ''in'' Grimlord's lair came from ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder''. Another show, ''Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban'', provided armored Kaitlin and JB, General Icebot and Ivar, the Skugs, many of the team's vehicles, and most of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek villains of the week]] (such as Red Python and Desponda). The second season, in which Ryan's armor and Grimlord's tech are switched out, takes footage from still another show, ''Series/SpaceSheriffShaider''.

* CompositeCharacter: Combining different ''Franchise/MetalHeroes'' series, it's had its share:

* NoEnding: Due to running out of MetalHeroes footage, the show never had a proper finale. Then again, [[spoiler: Metalder [[DownerEnding didn't have the happiest of endings...]]]]

* EnemyMine: The penultimate episode had the Troopers teaming up with Grimlord.

* SecretIdentity: Unlike the heroes, Ziktor keeps his identity as Grimlord very under wraps and by the time the series ended, he still had his identity intact. It's to the point the Troopers don't even know he ''has'' a SecretIdentity and believe Grimlord is an extradimensional invader.

** Another example is Fiddlebot, who's main weapon is a fiddle and roses he throws and is powered by an Irish musician. However, Grimlord created him personally after [[SurroundedByIdiots being fed up with Icebots' robots failing him]], and he gives Ryan a CurbstombBattle for nearly the entire episode.

* KryptoniteFactor: [[{{Mooks}} Skugs]] dissolved if they touched each other.

* VillainWorld: "Dream Battle" sees Knighttime trap the Troopers in a nightmare where [[TheBadGuyWins he already won]]. The entire city has posters of him, the Underground Voice is a propaganda machine for him, the Dojo is an abandoned due to Tao being evicted and in ruins as is the lab, and the world is crawling with Skugs and Grimlord's minions.

* VillainWorld: "Dream Battle" sees Knighttime trap the Troopers in a nightmare where [[TheBadGuyWins he already won]]. The entire city has posters of him, the Underground Voice is a propaganda machine for him, the Dojo is an abandoned and in ruins as is the lab, and the world is crawling with Skugs and Grimlord's minions.

** Another example is Fiddlebot, who's main weapon is a fiddle and roses he throws and is powered by an Irish musician. However, Grimlord created him personally after [[SurroundedByIdiots being fed up with Icebots' robots failing him]], and he gives Ryan a CurbstomBattle for nearly the entire episode.

** Ryan has several, including a flying drop kick and a flying, spin move, but his most common is his Lightning Hand attack, a super charged karate chop.

* HumongousMecha: In Season 2, Ryan gains one called the VR Troopertron, the alt form of the Skybase; his unnamed shuttlecraft was also one, but we're not sure if that was ever used in show, mainly due to Shaider's terrible-looking suit (a clip of its' transformation sequence was shown in the season 2 intro, however). Both the Skybase and Ryan's analogue shuttle also transformed into their respective BFGs, according to the footage at least, it wasn't mentioned in dialogue (the Japanese series had giant Trooper holograms firing these guns, the same thing might have been used in here as well).

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Skugs can assume human form and generally look just like normal everyday people until they reveal their true forms. This makes them extremely useful for Grimlord's plans. Doom Master has this power as well.

* VillainousBreakdown: Ziktor/Grimlord has a slow one as season 1 goes on, and in later episodes is shown seething with rage [[SurroundedByIdiots over his minions' inability to win]], in contrast to his more jovial and confident demeanior earlier in the series.

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Skugs can assume human form and generally look just like normal everyday people until they reveal their true forms. This makes them extremely useful for Grimlord's plans.

* SoLastSeason: Ryan's new armor and Grimlord's revamped forces. Oddly enough, ''Shaider'' (the show that was used for Ryan's second season suit) is a much older show than ''Metalder'' (the source of his original suit). The Skybase is a better example, as it quickly gets demolished by Grimlord's new fighters and has to be rebuilt stronger than before.

* SoLastSeason: Ryan's new armor and Grimlord's revamped forces. Oddly enough, ''Shaider'' (the show that was used for Ryan's second season suit) is a much older show than ''Metalder'' (the source of his original suit).

* VillainousBreakdown: Ziktor/Grimlord has a slow one as season 1 goes on, and in later episodes is shown seething with rage [[SuroundedByIdiots over his minions' inability to win]], in contrast to his more jovial and confident demeanior earlier in the series.

* TransformationTrinket: The Virtualizer pendants worn by the Troopers. Grimlord also has his orb in Season 1 and his prism in season 2.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Grimlord blows his old base and most of his remaining old minions to smithereens once he gets his prism and can upgrade to a new, better base and army. Crossed over with YouHaveFailedMe, as he'd threatened for the entire season to do just that for their failures.

* BadBoss: When Grimlord gets new tech and uses it to make a new fortress and minions, he self-destructs his old base, killing all of his old minions except for the small handful he decided were useful enough. On one occasion he mentioned that he didn't care that they destroyed his monster of the week since it was just a distraction from the master plan.

* SurroundedByIdiots: Grimlord feels this way about his minions on many occasions.

* BadassNormal: Tao is Ryan and J.B.'s sensei and explicitly a better fighter than either of them. He's more than capable of pounding a group of Skugs into the ground by himself despite having no superpowers of his own.

** Grimlord himself is one himself, as he ''programmed'' Icebot and created more or less everything Icebot didn't himself. The few times he personally creates a minion himself, it turns out far stronger than anything Icebot was able to come up with.