Himitsu Sentai Gorenger

Himitsu Sentai Gorenger (秘密戦隊ゴレンジャー) is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. Gorenger was the first in the long-running Super Sentai series of tokusatsu programs (although the series wouldn't be called by that specific name until the release of Battle Fever J). Himitsu Sentai Gorenger was created by Shotaro Ishinomori, and was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) from April 5, 1975 to March 26, 1977, with a total of 84 episodes, making this the longest Sentai series.

Plot
When world peace is threatened by the emergence of an international secret society of evil called the "Black Cross Army/Black Crusaders" (黒十字軍), the United Nations sets up an internation peace organization called "EAGLE" (EArth Guard LEague) (国際的平和組織イーグル) to combat the threat. This special army is distributed to various parts of the world (designated as "Blocks"). One of the largest "Blocks" is Japan.

The "Black Cross Army/Black Crusaders", fearful of this united threat against them, decides to launch a surprise attack against the Japan EAGLE Block and sends five of its most dangerous cyborg operatives to attack Japan's various EAGLE branches.

Across Japan the Black Cross Army decimates its targets, killing all those who oppose them. Yet from the ashes of these destroyed bases, five young recruits miraculously survive and vow vengeance. Given a special interlocking "key", the various survivors are summoned to snackshop "Gon", secret gateway to EAGLE Japan's main command center by Japan's EAGLE Commander Edogawa Gonpachi. There they are given special formfitting electronic battlesuits, which empower its wearer with various superhuman abilities. Edogawa tells them that they are the Secret Squadron "Gorenger", the world's best chance against the forces of the Black Cross Army. Armed with these battlesuits and other special weapons created by EAGLE scientists, they exact their revenge upon the Kuro Juujigun operatives who killed their comrades and dedicate themselves to crushing the remaining forces of the Black Cross Army and its sinister leader, Black Cross Führer.

EAGLE

 * Edogawa Gonpachi (played by Toshio Takahara)
 * EAGLE Agents
 * Tomoko Hayashi aka 008 (played by Megumi Shiragawa)
 * Haruko Nakamura aka 009 (played by Miki Honda)

Black Cross Army/Black Crusaders
Masked Monsters
 * Black Cross Führer/Generalissimo (played by Mitsuo Andō (1-55); Nobuo Yana)
 * Sun Mask (played by Hiroshi Masuoka)
 * Iron Man Mask General Temujin (played by Shōzō Iizuka)
 * Volcano Mask General Magman (played by Eisuke Yoda (42-45); Shōzō Iizuka (46-54))
 * Commander-in-Chief Golden Mask (played by Shōzō Iizuka)
 * Steel Sword Dragon (Gorenger: The Bomb Hurricane)
 * Zolders

Fortresses and large vehicles

 * Variblune (1-42) - An early flying fortress, propelled by helicopter blades under the craft. It blew up with Iron Man Mask Temujin aboard (but not the Gorengers, fortunately).
 * Varidreen (43-84) - A birdlike replacement for the Varibloon.
 * Varitank (43-84) - A six-wheeled tank with claw arms that rolls out of the 'beak' of the Varidreen.
 * Variccune (69-84) - A passenger-carrying balloon for the Gorengers.

As a Super Sentai
The name "Super Sentai" was introduced in the 1979 series Battle Fever J. Originally, Gorenger and its successor JAKQ were not included as Super Sentai series. In episode 0 of the 1989 series Turboranger, when it honored the past ten Super Sentai series, Battle Fever J was listed as the first Sentai. It was not until the 1995 series Ohranger that Gorenger and JAKQ were included as the original first two series.

It should be noted that even if Gorenger and JAKQ were not labelled as Super Sentai during the time that term was introduced in Sun Vulcan's run in 1981, AkaRanger and Spade Ace were part of an official Red Warrior picture.

Although Choujuu Sentai Liveman was officially treated as the tenth Super Sentai show at the time, there was a VHS released at the time of Choushinsei Flashman that had all of the Super Sentai openings, including Gorenger's and JAKQ's. Also, during Gosei Sentai Dairanger in 1993, the term "Cho Seiki Zen Sentai" (Super Century All Sentai) was coined as an umbrella term for both, Super Sentai and the Ishinomori shows. It was later dropped in Mirai Sentai Timeranger's run back in 2000 and declared Gorenger and JAKQ as part of the Super Sentai franchise.

Shin Himitsu Sentai Gorenger Gokko manga
Ishinomori released a retelling of the series as a manga which was published in the Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from May 4, 1975 to August 17, 1975. In this continuity, the Gorengers were all teenagers, with Tsuyoshi's father as the head of EAGLE's Kanto branch and a martial arts teacher who gave his son the Akarenger outfit before he was murdered by the Black Cross, leading his son to become Akarenger and recruit the other children to become the Gorengers and avenge his father's death.

In other countries
In the Philippines, Gorenger was released as Star Rangers between 1978 and 1979 on Saturday afternoon on RPN-9. In this version, aside from their color designations, the Gorengers also had numeric designations, in order of their introduction to the enemy prior to battle: Aka Ranger = Star 1, Ao Ranger = Star 2, KiRanger = Star 3, Momo Ranger = Star 4, and Mido Ranger = Star 5.

Songs

 * Opening: Susume! Gorenger
 * Ending 1: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger
 * Ending 2: Mi yo! Gorenger
 * Mech Theme (Variblune): Tobe! Variblune
 * Mech Theme (Varidreen): Varidreen no Uta (Varidreen theme)
 * Aoi Sora Kara Aorenger
 * Nazonazo no Midorenger
 * Susume Gorenger Machine
 * Hana no Momorenger
 * Akuma no Kurojuuji-gun
 * Gorenger Storm
 * Gorenger Ekaki Uta
 * Oidon Ookui Kirenger
 * Akai Chikara Akarenger
 * Gorenger ga Yatte Kuru
 * Tatakai Owatte

Main cast

 * Tsuyoshi Kaijou - Naoya Makoto
 * Akira Shinmei - Hiroshi Miyauchi
 * Daita Ooiwa - Baku Hatakeyama
 * Daigoro Kumano - Jirō Daruma
 * Peggy Matsuyama - Lisa Komaki
 * Kenji Asuka - Yukio Itō
 * Commander Kenpachi Edogawa - Toshio Takahara
 * Yoko Kato/Zero Zero Seven - Eri Kanuma
 * Tomoko Hayashi/Zero Zero Eight - Megumi Shiragawa
 * Haruko Nakamura/Zero Zero Nine - Miki Honda
 * Taro Kato - Hiroyuki Konuma
 * Black Cross Führer I - Mitsuo Andō (Episodes 1-55)
 * Black Cross Führer II - Nobuo Yana (Episodes 56-84)
 * Gon - Saiko Kogawa (voice)
 * Sunring Mask - Hiroshi Masuoka (voice)
 * General Iron Mask Temujin - Shōzō Iizuka (voice)
 * General Fire Mountain Mask Magman - Eisuke Yoda [voice (Episodes 42-45)] - Shōzō Iizuka [voice (Episodes 46-54)]
 * Great General Golden Mask - Shōzō Iizuka (voice)
 * Narrator - Nobuo Tanaka (Episodes 1-14) - Tōru Ōhira (Episodes 15-84)

Stunt Actors

 * AkaRanger - Kazuo Niibori (episodes 1-60), Kenji Ohba (episodes 61-84)
 * AoRanger - Hirō Karawazaki, Bunya Nakamura, Tetsuya Nakayashiki, Hiroyuki Yuasa (Episodes 1-60), Yoshinori Okamoto (episodes 61-84)
 * KiRanger - Naotaka Maeda, Kōsaburō Tanaka, Masato Amano, Kōji Ueda (Episodes 1-60), Yutaka Takebe (Episodes 61-84), Jiro Daruma (episode 67)
 * MomoRanger - Midori Naitō, Kōji Ueda, Ryōji Kurihara, Shōji Ozawa, Maki Kiyōda (Episodes 1-60), Minoru Yokohama (episodes 61-84)
 * MidoRanger - Bunya Nakamura, Yasuo Yukawa, Haruhiko Yashimoto (episodes 1-60), Jun Murakami (episodes 61-84)

Trivia

 * Gorenger is the very one who would inspire the lineup of fourteen future Sentai seasons of having the core team having Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Pink.
 * It also started the trend where a Female Sentai Ranger had her given name be in katakana format and her surname be in kanji, which would be a tradition followed to this very day with some exceptions.
 * A line of figures were planned, sadly, only Akarenger and Momorenger were made, Aka's depicted him fighting Gold Mask, whereas Momo's showed her victorious over a foe.