Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Clockwise from top-right: Ban, Sen, Umeko, Jasmine, Hoji, Tetsu

"S.P.D.: Special Police Dekaranger.
Five detectives who fight with cool, yet burning, hearts.
Their mission: To combat space criminals who have invaded Earth.
They will protect the peace and safety of all humanity!"

Tokusō Sentai Dekaranger (Special Investigations Squadron Dekaranger[1]) is the twenty-eighth program in the Super Sentai franchise, airing from 2004 to 2005.

Twenty Minutes Into the Future, the Earth has become part of the greater universal picture and ushered in a new era where aliens walk alongside humans in everyday life. Of course, with powerful aliens come powerful criminals, and the elite intergalactic organisation tasked with protecting the peace is the S.P.D.: Special Police Dekaranger.

The story focuses on the Earth Branch of the S.P.D, and the five members of its Dekaranger division. Led by legendary S.P.D. commander Doggie Kruger, the Dekaranger are tasked with solving crimes committed by the various alien criminals on Earth. Although the Dekaranger have the authority to execute the most dangerous of criminals, they must attain a "Guilty" verdict from the highest court in the galaxy before they can do so.

The series is composed of a number of individual case files, loosely-connected by the presence of the shadowy Agent Abrella, a black market Arms Dealer who supplies many of the villains with their equipment.

Special Police Dekaranger

Adapted as Power Rangers SPD.

Has a character sheet.

Tropes used in Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger include:

Recurring Super Sentai tropes

  • By the Power of Greyskull: "Emergency, Dekaranger! (when helmet is about to go on) Face On!"
    • Occasionally this is preceded by "Change Standby!"
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: At least for the main five.
  • Cool Bike: Deka Blue's Machine Husky and Deka Break's Machine Boxer. Dekabike is notably a mecha-sized version.
  • Cool Car: The Machine Doberman driven by Deka Red and Yellow, and the Machine Bull driven by Green and Pink.
  • Crossover: Dekaranger vs. Abaranger
  • Custom Uniform
  • Eyecatch: The first half of the eyecatch features the "dog" part of the "n" character howling before pulling back to show the logo and the five rangers in attack position. After the commercial the eyecatch features the ranger(s) of the episode shooting the screen. Later after the debut of Deka Master and Deka Break, the eyecatch also sported either Deka Master slashing or Deka Break punching the screen.
  • Evolving Credits: Maybe the ultimate example: since Sentai shows have a habit of having the villain in the credits and Dekaranger has no main villain, a shot of the monster of the week is inserted in the credits for each episode. As a result, no two episodes share the same title sequence.
  • Five-Man Band
  • Humongous Mecha
    • A Mech by Any Other Name: The Deka Machines (components of the Dekaranger Robo) and the Pat Wings (components of the Deka Wing Robo).
    • Combining Mecha
      • Pat Strike + Pat Gyro + Pat Trailer + Pat Armor + Pat Signal = Dekaranger Robo
      • Pat Wing 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = Deka Wing Robo
    • Transforming Mecha
      • Dekabike -> Dekabike Robo
      • Dekabase->Dekabase Crawler->Dekabase Robo
    • Mecha Expansion Pack
      • Dekaranger Robo + Dekabike Robo = Riding Dekaranger Robo or Super Dekaranger Robo
      • Dekaranger Robo + Blast Buggy = Dekaranger Robo Full Blast Custom
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every single episode's title is entirely in Gratuitous English.
  • Infant Immortality: AVERTED. In the first episode! The one responsible gets his at the hands of Deka Red.
  • In the Name of the Moon - Every member gets to say an entire sentence along with their name and number. Quite possibly the longest in Super Sentai history when Dekaranger came out, but later shows have followed Dekaranger's lead (with Magiranger's arguably being the longest so far).

Red: "One, to hate inhuman crimes!"
Blue: "Two, to pursue mysterious cases!"
Green: "Three, to investigate using futuristic technology!"
Yellow: "Four, the hideous evil of space..."
Pink: "Five, ...to exterminate them with all possible speed!"
Break: "To attack wicked evil! To smash the darkness of fear! The Daybreak Detective, Deka Break!"
alternately, Break: "Six, it's good to be invincible!"
All: "S.P.D.! [all announce their names one by one]! Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger!"
Master: "Cutting down hundreds of evildoers! Hell's Police Guard Dog, Deka Master!"

Tropes specific to Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

  • Badass - Doggie Kruger
  • Badass Biker - Hoji is the only guy with a bike... until Tetsu arrives, then they share the position.
    • The Dekaranger Robo is also one (again, after Tetsu arrives, since Tetsu's mecha is a bike).
  • Barehanded Blade Block - In one episode, their robot does this to a giant mook.
  • Base on Wheels - Dekabaserobo.
  • Beware the Nice Ones - The eccentric Sen-chan is usually very nice but cross him and you'll be in a world of pain.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Averted at the last moment.
  • Black Market - This is what the Big Bad of the series deals in.
  • Bottomless Magazines: Ban's guns. Well, they'd have to be, what with his Juu Kun Dou fighting style and his Trigger Happy nature.
  • By the Power of Greyskull: "Change standby... Emergency! Dekaranger!" "Emergency! Deka-Break!" "Emergency! Deka-Swan!"
  • Call Back - In Magiranger vs. Dekaranger, the Dekarangers stop a giant Alienizer via Formation U2 from taking off with a building with the Ozu siblings and Umeko inside. A similar technique was used in the first episode to stop an Alienizer from terrorizing a bus.
  • Canon Immigrant - The Battlizer, which originated in Power Rangers SPD.
  • Car Fu: In Dekaranger vs. Abaranger, the Abarangers steal an SPD squad car to chase after the real villain, who is disguised as a crow. Ranru decides to launch the car off of a ramp to follow the crow into the air. They actually manage to fly through the air for a goodly time, too. The impossibility of this move is given a deadpan lampshade by the Dekarangers:

Deka Break: Is that possible?
Deka Blue: Impossible.
(after the car falls)
Deka Green: Naturally, it must come down.

  • Catch Phrase - Tetsu's "Nonsense!".
  • Christmas Episode: oddly enough, this one is spent fighting a Rival Turned Evil of Doggie.
  • Color Failure: Sen does one when a retired officer completely forgot who he is.
  • Completely Different Title: The Korean dub refers to the show as Power Rangers SPD. Not to be confused with the American adaptation.
  • Cool Shades: To go with his Cool Sword, Doggie also often sports a pair of Cool Shades.
  • Cool Sword: Kruger's D-Sword Vega, which looks old and brittle until he opens the mouth of the dog on its hilt, revealing its true strength.
  • Cop Show WITH Sentai!
  • Dancing Theme: "Midnight Dekaranger".
  • Deadly Euphemism: "Deletion": Refers to a specific form of Deader Than Dead, in which an Alienizer is not only executed, but their remains are sterilised so that cloning is impossible.
  • Disney Death: Doggie Kruger during the 3-episode finale. He gets better.
  • Drunken Boxing: In episode 17, the MOTW used this technique, then Umeko perfected it against the MOTW.
  • Dynamic Entry: Hoji becomes exceptionally depressed over a mistake he made in combat in an early episode, and Ban, unable to talk him out of it, simply waits for his depression to become a complete distraction before letting loose with "SNAP OUT OF IT" scream and a dropkick. Not a perfect use of the trope since Ban was already there, but it was unexpected either way.
  • Face Heel Turn: One episode features a former SPD officer who became a hitman.
  • Fainting: If Jasmine uses to much of her power, she faints as a result.
  • Fair Cop: This series are generous to both genders.
  • Fight Clubbing: Hoji investigates one of these.
  • Foe-Tossing Charge: Happened during one battle when the rangers activated their S.W.A.T. power-up. The ran down the field with their blasters on full auto, cutting down mooks like chaff.
  • Gratuitous English: The titles are all in katakana[4]
  • Gun Kata: Ban's Juu Kun Do, "The Way of the Gun".
  • Heir to the Dojo: Doggie apparently is one.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Apparently Tetsu's superior DekaBright has had experience leading the Grongi.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: Tetsu Inada (guy behind the voice of Lu Bu and Huang Gai in Dynasty Warriors) as Doggie Kruger. Averting The Danza when there's another --
  • Human Aliens: Justified: most aliens living on Earth have human forms they can use to better interact with humans, even though there's apparently no real attempt at a Masquerade. Some of them naturally look like humans with some modifications, like the females of the Zamaza race, who look perfectly human apart from having small horns above the ears.
  • Humanoid Aliens: With only a few exceptions, all the aliens the Dekarangers interact with are humanoid in shape.
  • Hot-Blooded - Actually all of them but Ban does it in spades.
  • Implausible Fencing Powers: Boss' sword skills.
  • Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Averted on a technicality. The Dekarangers don't judge the Alienizers themselves, but a special mode on their Licenses sends all known evidence and current bioreadings to "the highest court in the galaxy", which somehow returns a verdict in seconds that the Rangers then carry out.
  • Leg Cannon: The Dekaranger-Robo's left leg is formed by Deka Blue's machine, whose main weapon is the Gyro Vulcan, a Gatling gun.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Justified because they are officers and therefore wear uniforms. Strangely averted occasionally by Doggie who wears various clothing in his flashbacks (though mostly show his bare body).
  • Lovely Angels: Jasmine and Umeko's Twin Cam Angels.
  • Massive Multiplayer Crossover: Subverted in the non-massive crossover movie, Dekaranger vs. Abaranger, when Hurricane Red shows up in the middle of a heated battle- but it turns out to be the villain in disguise.
  • Mythology Gag: The Igaroids and Batsuroids use weapons that are recolored Mirai Sentai Timeranger weapons.
    • Also, the various Humongous Mecha are references to Rescue Sentai Go Go Five mecha: Dekarangerrobo = Victory Robo; Dekabaserobo = Grand Liner; Dekabikerobo = Linerboy; Super Dekarangerrobo = Max Victory Robo; Dekawingrobo = Victory Mars
    • The SWAT mode firearms are recolored versions of Tokkyuu Shirei Solbrain's main weapon.
  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: How about Doggie Kruger's nickname, Jigoku no Ban-Ken? [9]
  • The Napoleon: How many times has Umeko declared herself leader again?
  • The Nicknamer: Jasmine tends to do this with all the MotWs, including the blatant repaints.
  • Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: Doggy Kruger, who is a humanoid dog police chief swordfighter.
  • Official Couple: Implied with Sen and Umeko. Also with Ban and Mari
  • Once an Episode: 'I'm not your partner!'
    • The last episode has an inversion of roles with Hoji calling Ban partner and Ban (jokingly) putting him down.
      • In the crossover with Mahou Sentai Magiranger Ban calls Kai (Magi Red) his partner. Needless to say, Hoji gets jealous.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: The Dekarangers, most of the time.
  • Petting Zoo People: Boss.
    • Also Numa O, the birdman in charge of the entire Space Police, an Expy of the birdmen who ran the Space Sheriff organization in the early Metal Heroes shows.
  • Power-Up Letdown: Out of universe, some fans were upset when the long-teased Fire Mode turned out to be the Power Rangers SPD Battlizer (referred to by some as the "Jack Strap").
  • Putting on My Thinking Cap: Sen's handstand thinking pose.
    • Ban tries to do this once. It didn't work. The narrator lampshades this by asking the audience if it will work.
  • Rape Is Funny When It Is Hermaphrodite On Male: The Alienizer in #45 clearly wants to mate with Tetsu, not only kiss. It is even remarked that his species tries harder if resisted. When the Dekarangers still thought a female team member was targeted, they were concerned, but with a male team member they are amused and don't help him.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ban and Hoji. Also, Umeko and Jasmine, to a lesser extent.
  • Running Gag - Umeko declaring that she's the leader.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Connections - The criminal who used the trope was a son of a very rich father. He thought it permitted him to murder people as part of a game. Sen didn't really care though and gave the guy his just reward.
  • Sempai-Kohai: Tetsu considers the Earth Division rangers (especially Ban) as his sempai.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: In the Magiranger VS Dekaranger special. When Miyuki Ozu, the mother of the five main rangers in Mahou Sentai Magiranger, asks them to guard the Flower of Heaven for her, she says that they're the happiest couple she knows. Both Doggie and Swan deny that statement, but most fans know otherwise.
    • It's obvious they like each other, in episode 36, it looked like Swan was about to kiss Doggie, but she just gave him the award she got. Also, in Episode 45, when the possibility of Swan having a secret admirer (who could be a criminal) was raised, Doggie looked a little upset and quickly said no when Swan offered to be bait to catch said admirer. Later we see Tetsu disguised as Swan trying to lure out the admirer, and Doggie seems really angry by the sound of his voice (jealous much?). Turns out, the admirer liked Tetsu and his race pretty much falls in love with Anything That Moves. Doggie sighs in relief that no one was after Swan.
  • Ship Tease: Doggie X Swan, and a few others.
  • Shirtless Scene: This show seems to like Doggie without his upper uniform.
  • Shout-Out: Dekaranger is best described as head writer Naruhisa Arakawa's year-long love letter to pop culture. Here's a small handful of the Shout Outs:
    • The entire concept of the series, the "Tokusou" in the name, the narrator who repeats the same description every single episode (and was once self-parodied in the show), and the birdman in charge of the organization are all references to Metal Heroes, especially the Space Sheriff shows.
    • One episode had the team investigating a Fight Clubbing ring run by an alien named "Durden of Planet Tyler".
    • Another episode had a Monster of the Week named "Pherlee of Planet Christo".
    • At the end of every episode, after vanquishing each Monster of the Week, one character delivers a line that's only one word off from a Catch Phrase in an old Jidai Geki show that was used the same way.
    • Shout-Out Theme Naming: All of the main characters' surnames are puns on the given names of mystery novel authors:
      • Banban Akaza comes from Agatha Christie.
      • Houji Tomasu comes from Thomas Harris.
      • Sen'ichi Enari comes from Ellery Queen.
      • Marika Reimon comes from Raymond Chandler.
      • Koume Kodou comes from Kodou Nomura.
      • Tekkan Aira comes from Ira Levin.
    • Robotic Team Pet Murphy is named after RoboCop's Alex Murphy.
      • Dekaranger Robo also has the original Murphy's spin-and-holster move. Although said holster's location in the lower leg seems to be a Patlabor reference.
    • The girls' weapons include small bombs resembling a washer or a pierced coin—called "Zeni Bombs" in reference to the original Japanese supercop, Zenigata Heiji, and his throwing coins.
    • One episode was a full-episode homage to John Woo.
    • An early villain who wanted to kill Doggie was called Ben G.
    • That one song Umeko sang in the first episode? It was taught to children by Remi Hoshikawa/Five Yellow.
    • The episode mentioned in Fight Clubbing is basically when Hoji homages Rocky Balboa.
    • When the team is first introduced to their SWAT Super Mode, Jasmine quips, "Here with a SWAT. Solving problems with a SWAT," a refrence to Kaiketsu Zubat's catchphrase.
  • Space Police
  • Starfish Aliens: Do not appear much, since most of the aliens in the show are humanoid, but examples are Lovelians, who look like tree/lobster thingies with long arms and one leg, and Pyrians, which are sentient flames.
  • Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Aside from Jasmine, Mari Gold and Lisa Teagle.
  • Theme Naming
    • The main Dekarangers are all named after kinds of tea: Bancha (common green tea), Hojicha (charcoal-roasted tea), Sencha (high-quality, un-ground green tea), jasmine tea, Umecha (tea with dried plum).
    • The aliens from Algol in The Movie. Since Algol sounds like "alcohol", the writer decided to name them all after different kinds of liquor: Whinsky, Giin, Brandyl, and Volka (whisky, gin, brandy, and vodka). In the third movie, their remaining brother, Barbon (bourbon), appears.
    • Shiratori Swan: Her surname "Shiratori" literally means "white bird". Those kanji are usually read "haku-chō", which also literally means "white bird" but the name of a specific bird. Three guesses which one; first two don't count. Pin-Pon! It's her given name: Swan. (This must be a double or triple Punny Name, as well.)
    • The four Deka Vehicles are named after different dog breeds: Machine Bull(dog), Machine Doberman, Machine Husky and Machine Boxer.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Umeko and Jasmine.
  • Trigger Happy: Ban, of course, since his fighting style is Jun Kuu Dou.
  • Use Your Head: Jasmine's Deka-Machine has a reinforced cockpit, used for (as she puts it) "'DON' to itte miyou! DON!" [10] Usually, it doesn't do much, and she gets knocked for a loop.
    • Umeko also does this using the Dekaranger-Robo in Episode 12. It was extra funny because she actually leaned forward in her command chair and got right up in the camera's face to deliver it. Though her face was hidden by her visor, you could tell she was pissed.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Normally Agent Abrella is a calculating opportunistic arms-merchant, setting up wars so his business will flourish. In the series, he mostly stayed behind the scenes and sold Mooks and Humongous Mecha to the Villain of the Week. But when the Dekarangers foiled his plans just too many times,he starts direct attack on the Dekabase, killing the hundreds of employee's working there., thus turning from a cold-hearted merchant into a bloodthirsty murderer.
  • Wholesome Crossdresser: Tetsu becomes this whenever he has to go undercover for a mission. It ends up getting him into trouble with a lovestruck alien criminal both times. He even does it in the Magiranger Crossover movie, alongside Hikaru/Magishine.
    • Although not when he's undercover in Boukenger vs. Super Sentai.

GOT YOU! With this, trope page COMPLETE!

  1. ↑ Deka is the Japanese word for "detective"
  2. ↑ These are also their Weapons Of Choices.
  3. ↑ These are also their Transformation Trinkets.
  4. ↑ Katakana is the Japanese syllabic alphabet solely for foreign pronunciations.
  5. ↑ "Perfect!"
  6. ↑ "Super cool."
  7. ↑ "Unbelievable!"
  8. ↑ "Oh my god!"
  9. ↑ Hell's Guard-Dog
  10. ↑ Literally, "Let's give it a 'DON' and see how it goes!"
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