Recap: Uchu Sentai Kyuranger, Episode 40 – Opening! Deathball of Hell

Kyuranger 40

The others compliment Spada on a delicious meal even though he had little ingredients to work with. He says that makes him work even harder to prepare the most delicious food. “You don’t like to lose, do you?” Champ asks. Spada says that’s what it takes to be a first class chef.

They are approaching the Planet SBC of the Cassiopeia System when the Karo Gloven contacts them to challenge them to a game of Deathball. The Kyurangers realize they will have to win the game to get the Kyutama.

Lucky has no idea what baseball is. After a quick description from Tsurugi, Commander Ronpo makes himself coach and hands Lucky the Ya Kyutama which dresses everyone in baseball uniforms.

Raptor notices Spada doesn’t seem to excited about baseball.

Kyuranger 40

The Kyulette choose Kotaro for left field, Balance for shortstop, Stinger for third base, Lucky for pitcher, Champ at first base, Garu is catcher, Naga at second, Raptor in center field and Hammie in right field.

Gloven and his team of Indavers are at bat first. Lucky pitches and Gloven easily hits what should be a home run, but Raptor morphs and flies up in the air to catch it.

Lucky is able to strike out two Indavers and the Kyurangers step up to the plate.

Kotaro is up first and has a base hit. Balance bunts the ball and gets out, but Kataro makes it to second base. Stinger steps up to the plate, but Madakko appears as the relief pitcher. She is ready to show them how Deathball is really played.

Stinger says he’s ready, but Madakko shoots at him. Stinger flips out of the way and morphs. He attacks Madakko while the other Kyurangers take on the Indavers.

Kyuranger 40

After Lucky’s big first inning, Gloven decides to try and break him arm. Spada morphs and hurries over to stop the attack.

The umpire benches Stinger for fighting.

Lucky is at bat and he manages to hit Madakko’s fastball out of the park. He and Kotaro make it home and it is now 2-0.

But Lucky’s arm is hurting bad from Gloven’s attack. Tsurugi says he will relieve Lucky while Commander Ronpo tells Spada he will fill in for Stinger.

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Raptor notices Spada is not too thrilled to get the call and she realizes Spada just isn’t a fan or at all good at baseball. He steps up to the plate, completely freezes and quickly strikes out. The Kyurangers are shocked.

Tsurugi says it’s okay. He steps on the mound and is able to strike out three Indavers. The Kyurangers are back at bat and the bases are loaded, but Spada strikes out. Tsurugi steps up and hits a grand slam.

Next inning, Gloven is at bat and hits a fly. Raptor and Hammie are ready to catch it, but Gloven hurls his bat at their faces and it ricochets at Kotaro. Gloven declares the real Deathball is starting.

The Indavers knock the Kyurangers over, Madakko shoots bullets at them and the field umps. The score is now 8-3, in favor of the Kyurangers.

Tsurugi is at bat, but Gloven pitches a demon ball which blows his shirt off. Champ is next and Gloven pitches another one. Another one for Garu and it’s three strikes.

Madakko steps up to the plate and hits a homer, but she manages to clone the ball into 8, getting her 8 points.

The score is now 11-8, Jark Matter advantage.

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Bottom of the 9th, two outs. Spada is at bat with bases loaded. First pitch and it’s a strike. Spada tries his best and asks Gloven why isn’t he getting a demon ball. Gloven says there’s no point since he sucks and is useless.

Spada refuses to accept that he’s useless. He swings and it’s Strike 2.

Commander Ronpo calls a time out and says they should suspend the game for tomorrow since it’s getting too dark. Gloven says that’s not a problem since it won’t change the result anyway, especially with the game in the hands of the “useless” guy.

Kyuranger 40

Back on the Orion II, the Kyurangers try to find a solution. Commander Ronpo offers to fill in for Spada, but Spada refuses to give up.

Champ says not to confuse cooking with baseball. But Spada says it’s not different. And he hates to lose, that’s why he will not run away. He leaves and Lucky follows.

Next morning, the Kyurangers are in the dugout. Spada never returned last night and so now it might be time for Commander Ronpo to step up.

But Spada and Lucky show up. Spada asks his comrades to leave this to him as he walks across the field toward home plate. He tells Gloven not to underestimate him and asks Gloven to pitch him a demon ball.

Raptor watched Spada and Lucky’s training all night and she is confident Spada has this.

Spada steps up to the plate. Gloven prepares a super demon ball. He pitches.

Kyuranger 40

Spada drops his bat and says while he can’t swing a bat, he has a horn on his head. He morphs, spears the ball and sends it flying for a home run.

Gloven can’t believe his demon ball was beaten. Madakko shoots at the Kyurangers.

Spada says he wasn’t good at cooking or fighting at first, but he’s here now because of his blood and sweat. That’s what gives them strength.

Just then, the Cassiopeia Kyutama appears. Spada uses it and they get a special Championship Pennant ball. They toss the ball at each other while fighting Indavers.

It ends with Lucky who morphs to Orion and delivers an End Ball at Gloven.

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Gloven embiggens and the Kyurangers hop into KyutamaJin. With Orion Battler, the Kyurangers deliver a Super Galaxy Meteor Booster finisher to finish Gloven for good.

The Kyurangers officially win the game 12-11.

Back on the Orion II, Spada cooks another delicious meal for everyone. He narrates the lesson for this episode is you should never give up and keep trying until you succeed. Hard work pays off.

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Now that the Kyurangers have the four Kyutamas, they can charge through to Jark Matter HQ.

Episode Thoughts

So, I think this might have been the strangest episode of Kyuranger this season. I don’t really know how to feel about it. It was just an episode of them playing baseball basically. And I was a little disappointed that as a Spada-focus, it wasn’t very focused on Spada. It really shortchanged the possible character episode that we could have gotten even if still using the overall basic concept of this episode.

Spada has definitely been one of the characters who hasn’t gotten the best or most complete development over the season. We know who he is, but he certainly hasn’t gotten as much focus as others have. The lesson of this episode was basically to try and try again until you succeed. And that practice makes perfect. And hard work pays off. He says at the climax of the episode that he wasn’t naturally an excellent chef or good at fighting, but he learned both.

So the lesson and how it worked in this episode would have been his all-night cram session training with Lucky to make him at least get a home run. But then him defeating the Gloven had nothing to do with baseball and more to do with his pointy head and clever thinking. So that was very strange.

Spada’s narration also made it seem like it was a special episode for him and his character, but it really wasn’t. And that’s very sad for me.

Elsewhere, Lucky’s arm was no longer broken when helping Spada. And that tossing of the ball scene would’ve worked much better had the game been American football and it was a bunch of laterals for a touchdown. Lol

I did appreciate the pure brutal nature of Gloven trying to break Lucky’s arm and then tossing his bat right at Raptor and Hammie’s faces and Kotaro’s chest. That was crazy violent. And coupled with Madakko’s automatic weapon.

But this episode was really just a disservice to Spada. And there wasn’t really much plot to it either. Again, it was just the Kyurangers and Madakko playing baseball.

There’s certainly a great, fun baseball episode hidden somewhere in the basic premise. But as produced, I don’t think it showed up. This episode might be the only clear miss of Kyuranger for the season for me.

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