Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger/Recap/E01 Pain Is Power

After being berated for his Dekaranger cosplaying, and his fanboy detour derailed by his love for anime character Aoi, Nobuo Akagi finishes his delivery to Sayaka's place of work and meets a woman who offers him a chance to make a difference as an Akibaranger. Thinking he is being recruiting for a television show, Akagi meets his teammates, student Mitsuki Aoyagi and then cosplayer Yumeria Moegi, before arriving at the Super Sentai-themed Café Himitsukichi. After formally introducing herself as Hiroyo Hakase, she gives them their MMZ-01 phones to become Akibarangers. However, once learning that their are not an official Super Sentai team, they resolve to save the world and become legit. However, the Akibarangers are annoyed when Hakase reveals that she has no enemies for them but is sure one will surface. Later that night, after finding a hurt café worker, Akagi alerts the others while thinking it to be an Infershia attack. However, as the two vampire girls merge into a entirely different monster, a woman reveals herself to be the mastermind as the Akibarangers' transformation transports everyone to the mountains. After the Akibrangers' introduction posing, the villain introduces herself as Malseena before sicking her Shatieeks on them. After a long fight with the monster Shibuya Seitakaawadachisouhigenagaaburamushi, the Akibarangers get their second wind once Malseena leaves the scene and finishes the executive with the Moe Magnum. Though Akiba Red expects that their monster will return as a giant, the Akibarangers learn from Hakase that they have no giant robot and are forced to wait for the monster's revival before realizing it will never happen. Returning to the Café Himitsukichi, Hakase reveals that the entire fight and the enemies were nothing more but a successful delusion.

Tropes
"Nobuo: ...And it's only 108,000 yen! So cheap... So expensively cheap."
 * Abandoned Warehouse: Invoked and lampshaded.
 * Crack is Cheaper: Nobuo intensely stares at a mint-in-box Great Five toy, but Aoi-tan also tempts him.


 * Everyone Meets Everyone
 * Fake-Out Opening: The episode kicks off with a Deka Red walking towards us, theme song and sirens blaring... but it's just Nobuo being a fanboy.
 * Hey, It's That Place!: Lampshaded
 * Monster of the Week: Chief Clerk Shibuya Seitakaawadachisōhigenagaaburamushi
 * Taking The Finishing Move: The Mooks do this for the Chief Clerk when the Akibarangers use their finisher early.