Ryujino! Ryukendo! Ryuguno! Raijin!
- "Born in the light, the dragon fang! Slashing the demons in the darkness! Ryukendo, Raijin!"
A Toku show that aired in 2006. Kenji Narukami comes to the small town of Akebono, where the city's Power Spot is of great interest to the demonic Jamanga. Dr. Worm and an assortment of others send down monsters that defy description in an attempt to gather "Minus Energy" - the negative feelings from people- to revive the Big Bad.
Enter the Madan Warriors. Their Empathic Weapons of Choice, Gekiryuken and Gouryugun, along with a collection of magical keys, are the only things that can set things right. Along the way, newcomer Koichi Shiranami joins in, the villains start to turn on each other, and the series' 52-episode run comes to a fulfilling conclusion.
Despite constant rumours of a sequel (though it had extremely low television ratings compared to Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, it amazingly sold far more toys) it never came to be. It later got a Spiritual Successor in Tomica Hero Rescue Force.
This program provides examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight - Many minor characters get focus near the end.
- Adjective Noun Fred - The series itself, and the heroes' full titles - Madan Swordsman Ryukendo, Madan Gunman Ryuguno, and Madan Fighter Ryujino.
- Antagonist in Mourning - The Madan Warriors do follow Dr. Worm's wishes to come to Rock Crimson's funeral. The funeral gets interrupted partway through for a battle, and that's when Dr. Worm snaps.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking - One episode has the Mooks swarming the city and committing acts of villainy, from general vandalism to
reading Kaori's diary out loud. It's funny 'cos they're usually The Unintelligible. - Attack Its Weak Point - After Lady Gold's Ultimate Key is removed, a shot to her earring kills her for good.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever - Including one square-off between Ryukendo and a giant version of himself.
- Bond One-Liner: "Embrace the darkness and sleep."
- By the Power of Grayskull!
- Ryukendo: Gekiryu Henshin!
- Ryuguno: Gouryu Henshin!
- Ryujino: Zanryu Henshin!
- Camp - the show doesn't take itself the least bit seriously. In fact, it embraces the silliness.
- City of Adventure
- Cult - The whole town, temporarily.
- Dance Party Ending - The series finishes with every member of the cast doing a rather awesome dance
to the first Opening Theme. - Deader than Dead - The three Ultimate Madan Keys give Lady Gold, Bloody and Rock Crimson the ability to revive every time. Until they're taken out by force.
- DaiMaOh himself near the finale. When his larval form is killed, his soul survives and fuses with Dr. Worm. However, once DaiMaOh enters his true form, the MaDan Warriors destroy him completely.
- Elaborate Underground Base - SHOT HQ
- Eldritch Abomination - DaiMaOh
- Elemental Powers - Fire, Aqua and Thunder Ryukendo. Later, his Super Mode upgrades them to Burning, Blizzard and Lightning Ryukendo respectively.
- End-of-Series Awareness: The final episode starts with a clip show of the main cast set to a somber piano version of the theme song. Also, the main cast is hesitant to end the series by sacrificing its Empathic Weapons to seal the Power Spot that caused everything.
- Exclusive Enemy Equipment - Sort of. Dr. Worm creates new Monsters of the Week from Madan Keys, which are in turn taken and purified by SHOT, leading to Kenji getting more powerful, leading to Worm sending down more monsters.
- Eye Beams: Balloon Gamma and DaiMaOh's final form.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning - Fire, Aqua, and Thunder Ryukendo. I'm not sure it can be played any straighter.
- Fun with Acronyms - Shoot Hell Obduracy Trooper, aka SHOT
- Go-Karting with Bowser - The heroes and villains play a game of soccer during the first ending theme. During the second ending theme, they play Red Light, Green Light.
- Grand Finale - Actually not the final episode. A two-episode epilogue follows.
- Great Big Book of Everything - The Canon of Light, which even Setoyama admits he doesn't fully understand.
- Haunted Headquarters - SHOT has its own ghost in Komachi.
- Hermetic Magic
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Lady Gold’s debut sees her using illusions and an Evil Knockoff of Ryukendo to turn the civilians against the Madan Warriors to gather despair.
- Heroic Sacrifice - In the final episode, the three Empathic Weapons sacrifice themselves to seal the Power Spot that was the cause of the town's problems in the first place.
- I Am Spartacus - done to delay Dr. Worm while Kenji finds a way to break a giant magical dome covering the city.
- Idiot Hero - Kenji
- Instant Runes
- In the Name of the Moon - "Raijin!"
- It's Personal with the Dragon: Ryujino develops an intense personal vendetta with Bloody upon learning that he was responsible for killing Koichi's parents.
- Lovely Angels - Ichiko and Ritsuko
- Meaningful Name: "Narukami" means Lightning God. Guess who becomes the Thunder Madan Warrior?
- Merchandise-Driven - With a new form, power, upgrade or vehicle introduced almost every single episode? Hell yes.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: Ryuguno to Magna Ryuguno, Ryukendo to God Ryukendo.
- Misplaced Retribution: Until learning the truth, Koichi blamed Chief Amachi for the magical explosion that killed his parents.
- Monster of the Week - some of the weirdest ones in any show.
- Mooks - the Tsukaima
- The Nicknamer - Kenji starts out by calling Fudou 'ossan' the entire season. He also cooks up the names Jamami, Jamako and Jamayo for Lady Gold's lady mooks later on.
- Nigh-Invulnerability - See Deader than Dead.
- Noble Demon - Jack Moon
- Non-Human Sidekick - The Madan Ryu, also Empathic Weapons.
- Odd Couple - Kenji and Fudou.
- Odd Friendship: Kenji and Komachi.
- One-Winged Angel: DaiMaOh's true form is a giant moth.
- Opening Shout-Out - Fudou's brief imagining of the show as "Madan Senki Ryuguno" in episode 13.
- Panthera Awesome - Brave Leon and its upgraded form, God Leon.
- People in Rubber Suits - Most of the villains.
- Place of Power - The Power Spot located beneath Akebono.
- Pokémon Speak: Meganouma and Gunneroid.
- Post-Final Boss: Non-video game example: After DaiMaOh's destruction and one last duel with Jack Moon, the Madan Warriors effortlessly fight off shadow copies of the previous demon beasts and seal Akebono's power spot to provide closure to the story.
- Power Glows - Ultimate Ryukendo is very shiny and sparkly.
- Protagonist Power-Up Privileges: This series takes this trope to ridiculous extents, as the titular Ryukendo receives three transformations based on fire, water and lightning respectively, a Mid-Season Upgrade, improved versions of the aforementioned elemental transformations to go along with the Mid-Season Upgrade and, near the end of the show, a Golden Super Mode. The other warriors, Ryugunoh and Ryujinoh get no such luck, with only Ryugunoh receiving a single Mid-Season Upgrade, while both of them temporarily get a Golden Super Mode after Ryukendo shares some of his powers with them.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad - Lady Gold gets one in her own personalised Mook trio.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Madan Knuckle.
- Recap Episode - Two. One done as a game show, the other as an adventure with the Timey-Wimey Ball.
- Reforged into a Minion - When Jack Moon is killed in what he saw as an honorable death at Ryukendo's hands, he is turned into the mindless Mechanimoon by Baron Bloody.
- Reluctant Monster - Komachi
- Satchel Switcheroo - episode 31, also featuring Kichi Setoyama, SHOT's Magical Engineer, in a Robe and Wizard Hat.
- Sealed Evil in a Can - the Jamanga, of course.
- Serial Escalation- Kenji's power increases as the series goes along. Just over halfway through the series he gains a Super Mode that is actually called "God Ryukendo"... and that's not even his most powerful form!
- Sixth Ranger - Koichi
- Stock Footage
- Super Mode - God Ryukendo, Ultimate Ryukendo and Magna Ryuguno. (Then in the finale, Ultimate Ryuguno and Ultimate Ryujino.)
- Super-Speed - Ryujino and Lady Gold's specialty.
- Talking Weapon - GekiRyuKen (sword), GoRyuGun (gun), and ZanRyuJin (staff/bow)
- Technology Porn
- Training from Hell - Fudou doing the strength training required to handle the recoil of his Finishing Move (one month's worth) in half a day.
- Transformation Sequence
- Transforming Mecha - Brave/God/Ultimate Leon, Fire/Burning/Ultimate Kong, Aqua/Blizzard/Ultimate Shark, Thunder/Lightning/Ultimate Eagle, Buster/Magna/Ultimate Wolf, Delta/Ultimate Shadow and Raijin Ryu, who can go from an animal form to a battle vehicle.
- Tokyo Tower - er...Akebono Tower
- Tsundere - Rin
- Villain-Beating Artifact: The Kanon of Light states that only the three Ultimate Keys are a match for DaiMaOh Grenghost.
- Wave-Motion Gun - Gouryugun's Dragon Cannon (and its upgrade, Magna Dragon Cannon.)
- Weaponized Landmark - Akebono Tower
- We Can Rebuild Him - Jack Moon, the Noble Demon of the Jamanga, is brought back by Bloody as Mechanimoon.
