Go Rangers

These guys are as tough as they come in bizarro future/present/past Japan (see back story here). There were a bunch of these types of shows in Japan during the 70s and (I guess) 80s, but the Go Rangers (five in number, as the name suggests) were one of the most popular. With the exception of the shot direcly below, these are more scans I picked out of storage, mostly thick trading cards. I love their mode of transportation, particularly the side cars. Dressing up like this would be my only incentive to attend Sturges (where my friends and I would start kicking asses!).The leader of the pack was Red Ranger. He had jet packs on his belt and was good with a whip. This would make an excellent Halloween costume.I'm not sure if he used his jet belt to get to this altitude, but they all know how to jump and kick.As a kid reenacting these characters in the neighborhood, I was usually the #2 guy - aka Blue Ranger, subordinate to my older brother who assumed the role of Red Ranger - not to be confused with America's Red Ryder (in which case, I would have been Little Beaver). We had masks for each character and, in the spirit of sharing, would swap them occasionally, before embarking on some mission somewhere on the base. But I was generally the blue guy. As you can tell in this photo, Blue Ranger was amazingly quick.Here's another look at that villain. I believe if I were up against this, I'd use the summer heat against him.Green Ranger had a boomergang, though he's not using one here. I can't help but notice that his adversary's eyes are bulging vulnerably away from his head. Surely that must be a weakness to exploit.Yellow Ranger (Kiresoja?) was the strongest of the bunch, according to the reference linked in the title of this post. The second picture below seems to bear this out, showing that he is able to lift a 120 lb. man over his head. He is also fond of curry.

And then there's Pink Ranger. Prrrrr. I'm not sure who Nancy is, or why her name is etched on this card, but as you can tell, Pink Ranger is not incapable of kicking in a bronze head. I remember that Danielle from across the street wore the pink mask. And boy she could wear it. Yow!The Go Rangers stand for nothing if they don't stand for justice, revenge and teamwork. The latter is shown here, where they have apprehended a character who seems to have plenty of ready-made handles on his head. Don't ask me what Yellow Ranger is up to.