Ep. 1: Lameness is Power

Pain is Power is the first episode of Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger. The first episode introduces the characters and concept of Akibaranger, but also (as stated) does not fully establish the story, leaving room for the next episodes to explain the concept of the Akibarangers.

Plot
Nobuo Akagi, a deliveryman spends an ordinary day at the job getting yelled at by his boss, seeing the apple of his eye and 'helping' avert a street robbery (inadvertently). However, his day changes when a woman in a lab coat, Hiroyo Hakase approaches him with the offer to become the newest Sentai Red. He accepts and is introduced to Aoyagi Mizuki, future Blue and Moegi Yumeria, future Yellow. They are taken to the Sentai Cafe where, despite Mizuki's earlier refusal, they become the Akibarangers. As they transform, they "teleport" to a warehouse to try out their new strength and weapons. However, Hiroyo states that their not the 37th Super Sentai, as to be that they'll need to be officially recognized, complete with a chronicle of their adventures on Sunday Morning TV as well as merchandise. Nobuo decides that their goals are to save the Earth, as well as gain recognition as the newest Sentai. Back at the cafe, they wonder who it is they're fighting against, and Hiroyo says she doesn't know, and that they'll have to be on the lookout.

That night, Nobuo finds a cafe maid fainting on the street. Before she passes out, she begs Nobuo for help for the cafe. The Akibarangers arrive on scene and Nobuo and Moegi see two maids dressed as Nai and Mea. Nobuo assumes that they are in fact- one. The barmaid reveals herself to be Marushina, while Nai and Mea combine (like Vancuria) into Shibuya Seitaka Awadachi Sou Hidenaga Abura Mushi. The Akibarangers transform and teleport themselves and the two villains to a quarry (daylight now, for some reason). After introductions are made, Marushina throws some grunts their way, which they dispose of using their finisher. Shibuya Seitaka Awadachi Sou Hidenaga Abura Mushi, however, makes quick work of them. Marushina, however, suddenly feels cold and decides to leave Shibuya Seitaka Awadachi Sou Hidenaga Abura Mushi to dispose of the Akibarangers- a cue Nobuo has been waiting for. Suddenly the villain is doomed as even without powerups, the Akibarangers gain the upper hand (as that's just the way it works). They destroy Shibuya Seitaka Awadachi Sou Hidenaga Abura Mushi, but Nobuo says to hold the celebration- that the monster will grow giant and they'll have to fight it with their giant robo. To which Hiroyo calls them and says they don't have one. Though they wait til sunset, the monster does not return. Hiroyo congratulates them upon their return. Nobuo notes how his body must've been toned by all the delivery work, helping him gain better advantage during the battle. Hiroyo notes he doesn't need muscles, because the fight was all a delusion.

Cast

 * Nobuo Akagi: Masato Wada (和田 正人)
 * Mizuki Aoyagi: Kyoko Hinami (日南 響子)
 * Yumeria Moegi: Karin Ogino (荻野 可鈴)
 * Hiroyo Hakase: Maaya Uchida (内田 真礼)
 * Kozkoz Mita: Kozue Aikawa (愛川 こずえ)
 * Maruseena: Honoka (穂花)
 * Sayaka Honiden: Miiko Morita (森田 美位子)

Tropes and References

 * At the start of the episode, Nobuo is daydreaming that he is Banban Akaza (DekaRed), with red duct tape around his legs and the SPD logo taped to the back of his jacket, covering the logo of where he actually works, in an attempt to resemble Ban's uniform. The tape is promptly ripped off by his boss when she finds him.
 * Nobuo says that the die-cast DX Maskman Great Five mecha toy revolutionized DX toys with genuine ABS plastic parts and accurate decals.
 * Nobuo compares himself to Ranru Itsuki (AbareYellow) of Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger when he is recruited by Hiroyo Hakase, who received her Dino Brace after stopping a mugging, just as Nobuo attempted to do, but his daydreaming of stopping the mugger interrupted him, resulting in the victim saving herself by throwing Nobuo's bike at the mugger.
 * Nobuo deduces that Mizuki is the Blue ranger because the color is in her name, Aoyagi, just as Red is in his name, Akagi. He says that for Yellow, they have to look for someone with the "Ki" character in their name, claiming that they need their colors in their name. However, this isn't often the case in Super Sentai series, as only a handful, such as the Denzimen and Goggle V had their colors in their name.
 * When Mizuki says that Nobuo is an old man after he reveals he's 29, Nobuo thinks of Ippei Akagi (DenziRed) of Denziman and Ryu Tendoh (Red Hawk) of Jetmen, saying "What would the great Sentai Reds do at a time like this?"
 * Nobuo says it's impossible to have both a blue AND a yellow female ranger in the same team.
 * Yumeria says that she wants to be a strong and cute yellow like Chisato Jougasaki (MegaYellow), Nobuo is pleased that she knows of her.
 * There is a great amount of Super Sentai merchandise in the Sentai Cafe.
 * The first appearance of Kozkoz, who will dress up as many Super Sentai characters throughout the show, sees her dressed up as Natsuki Mamiya (Bouken Yellow), while another waitress is dressed as Sakura Nishihori (BoukenPink).
 * Nobuo says to Hiroyo that they should call her "Manager" when they are at the Sentai Cafe, "like, 'When you're here, call me Commander Edogawa!" Commander Edogawa was the original Sentai mentor in Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. Just as Hiroyo is the manager of the Sentai Cafe, Edogawa Gonpachi disguised himself as the cook at Snack Shop "Gon" (ゴン) when operating in public, which was the secret entrance to the Gorenger headquarters. The shop later became the Fruit Parlor "Gon".
 * When the Akibarangers first transform, they end up in a warehouse, which Mizuki questions. Nobuo explains to her that it is one of Sentai's most common settings.
 * After discovering the cafe maid in distress, the team find a "Replica Real Estate" van. Nobuo deduces that the cafe is connected to the Lords of the Underworld, explaining that in Magiranger the Heavenly Saints and the Lords of the Underworld had pocket dimensions for personal use, which were called Replica Realms.
 * When they arrive at the cafe, the team meet two maids Nai and Mea, Nobuo deduces that they are actually one monster from the way the talk. Indeed, they soon combine into this week's monster, Shibuya Seitaka Awadachi Sou Hidenaga Abura Mushi. In Magiranger, the original Nai and Mea were the split form of Phantom Spy Vancuria, who split herself in two to keep herself from getting bored, and if she wished, they could combine back into her.
 * In the roll call, Nobuo states that Banban is his favourite Dekaranger, and mimics his pose.
 * The Akibarangers acknowledge the explosions that occur at the end of the roll call.
 * When Mizuki protests to being called by her color, Nobuo says that after they transform, their color is their name. He describes this as "one of Super Sentai's basic tropes", although, he notes that after Fiveman they stopped for a while.
 * When the Akibarangers take down the Shachiku grunts with the Moe Magnum, Shibuya calls them cowards for using their finisher already.
 * After the grunts are defeated, Nobuo tells Mizuki not to let her guard down, noting "we might have dealt with the mooks, but [the monster of the week] won't be that easy!"
 * Nobuo notes that whenever one of the enemy commanders in Super Sentai says something like, "You can take it from here!", just as Marushina said to Shibuya, it always, without fail, triggers the flag for the monster of the week's defeat.
 * Shortly after, when the Akibarangers gain the upper hand over Shibuya, Mizuki notes that they haven't got any stronger, but now they are winning. Nobuo says that the very concept of consistent power levels doesn't exist in Super Sentai.
 * The Akibarangers wait til sunset for Shibuya Seitaka Awadachi Sou Hidenaga Abura Mushi to grow into a giant after he is destroyed just like how they "always" do. It never happens.
 * While waiting, Nobuo notes that "these bad guys are subverting all the tropes!"

Trivia

 * Hiroyo Hakase explains that for the Akibarangers to be an "official" sentai, they'd have to have an adaptation of their adventures on television, and merchandise. At the same time, however, she explains that the powers and enemies of the Akibarangers are delusions. Thus, the first episode never makes it clear whether the Akibarangers are "real world sentai" while all the others are fictional, or whether in order to join the ranks of official Super Sentai, they have to be recognized (like how Banban Akaza is featured in the next episode). The narration in the opening credits does however state that the series premise is not established in the first episode.
 * When the Akibarangers appear before Marushina, she calls them "knockoffs" of Super Sentai. This is similar to the introduction of the Go-Busters in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Uchuu Keiji Gavan: The Movie, where Basco ta Jolokia assumed the Go-Busters were "Super Sentai wannabes". The obvious difference is that the Go-Busters are an official Super Sentai team.