Recap: Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger, Final Episode – The Will of the Earth and Season Review

Recap: Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger, Final Episode – The Will of the Earth and Season Review

The Ryusoulgers hop into their Kishiryu to take on Eras, but Eras overwhelms them with her power despite them giving everything they’ve got.

The Ryusoulgers stand outside of their Kishiryu as Eras questions why they defy her when she is fulfilling the will of the Earth. The Ryusoulgers assert that Eras has no right to speak for the Earth when she is trying to kill it herself.

Eras insists that they are all a virus infecting the Earth with their endless wars.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Tyramigo leads all the Kishiryu as they direct all their power at Eras. Eras realizes this is the power that once sealed her away. Koh summons Ryusoul Calibur.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Tyramigo launches Koh in the air and says he is happy to have met him.

Koh vows not to let Tyramigo-tachi’s sacrifice be in vain.

The others hop to the ground as the Kishiryu power up Ryusoul Calibur. Koh stabs Eras in the heart with the sword.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Eras lets out an explosion that propels the others on the ground back, forcing them to dehenshin. The explosion forces Koh out of his henshin as well, but he continues to jam Ryusoul Calibur into Eras.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh notices Ryusoul Calibur is beginning to shatter, but it is still able to weaken Eras and bring her back down to size.

Ryusoul Calibur snaps in half and Eras sends Koh flying back towards the others. Eras yanks the sword out of her body.

Koh stands and leads them into a henshin, but they find their RyuSouls are powerless.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh turns to ask Melto what they should do. But suddenly, Eras stabs him through the back and takes his life energy.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh collapses to the ground. They all run toward him.

Melto takes Koh in his arms as he, Asuna and Canalo scream in agony.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Eras tells them to give up as she will proceed with laying waste to the Earth, killing everything and starting over.

The Ryusoulgers stand, saying Eras just does not get it.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Melto gently lays Koh on the ground and asks him to wait.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

The five remaining Ryusoulgers say they will never give up. Just then, their RyuSouls are powered up with the remaining power in the other half of Ryusoul Calibur. They know this is the last time they will be able to henshin.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

The Ryusoulgers henshin one last time and charge at Eras.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Meanwhile, a dead Koh finds himself inside Eras. Eras repeats that she had created them first, but they warred and laid waste to Earth. So she cannot allow that to happen again. The world no longer needs them.

Eras has Melto and Asuna by the throat, ready to kill them as well, but Towa speeds in to save them.

Eras says they are all fools. But they say they are able to learn because they are fools. They have learned that anything they cannot overcome alone can be overcome together with others. They have learned the beauty of friendships and bonds. And erasing history instead of learning from it is just running away. And they refuse to run away.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Eras insists she will not make any mistakes in her new world. She begins to charge at the Ryusoulgers, but Melto sees the stab wound sparking and directs the others to aim for that spot.

Inside, Koh adds that Eras has always been alone so she has never laughed or cried. And they are not immortal like her. Which is why they laugh, cry and live their best life as long as they can. If they make mistakes, they get up again. They live for the future in the hopes that they will be able to smile in the end.

And it is that smile that leads them forward.

Eras cannot believe she would be defeated by her own creations. But she believes that means she is no longer needed in this world.

Eras explodes.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

The Ryusoulgers dehenshin.

They spot the Ryusoul Melto left inside Eras.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh stands in the darkness, but suddenly a bright light appears. He looks up and sees the others flying toward him.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

They reach their hands out and he reaches out for them.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh awakens in Melto’s arms.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Asuna jumps on him and hugs him. As does Melto.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

They all laugh and smile, happy Koh is back.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Wiserue watches from behind the rocks and congratulates them with applause.

Kureon hugs Wiserue, happy he is alright. Wiserue asks Kureon how he is able to bring about Minosaurs. What planet is he from?

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Wiserue believes Kureon is the Eras of his planet and he wants to go there. Kureon has no idea what Wiserue is talking about.

Just then, Pricious appears, stumbling towards them. He says it is not over yet. But Wiserue and Kureon welcome Pricious. Wiserue says they can live happily ever after on Kureon’s planet.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

The Ryusoulgers lock their Ryusoul Ken in stone in front of a large monument to the Kishiryu. They promise to bring them back one day.

Now that their duty has been fulfilled, they discuss what they will be doing next.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh climbs up the Cliff of Trials.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Towa says goodbye to Bamba as he sets off somewhere. Master Black says Bamba can cry on his shoulder.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Melto, Oto and Papa Naohisa are out looking for fossils.

Koh is suddenly with the Elder who says he shouldn’t have tried to expand his fitness club franchise too fast.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Canalo is giving a lecture to kids about not forcing someone to love them back. Asuna shoves Canalo into a wall and asks him what in the world he is teaching her students. Canalo says knowing about love is important for their future.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Asuna tells Canalo not to hold her hands. Koh giggles at them.

Later, Asuna wonders why Canalo is still here when he said he was going to go look for a wife. Anyway, Koh congratulates Asuna for opening a school that teaches children about what the Masters taught them.

Asuna says that was one reason, but her main reason was so they would all have a place they could return to in the future.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Koh reaches the top of the Cliffs where the Max Claw sits and glows and someone appears. Koh smiles.

Back at Chez Naohisa, everyone’s together as they have just finished setting up a wall of their memories.

Just then, a beautiful, fancy young lady comes walking in with a suitcase.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

It’s actually Ui back from America!

They welcome her home and are excited to hear her stories from America.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Papa Naohisa sets up a banana peel gag before they go.

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Episode 48 Recap

Episode Thoughts and Season Review

So I don’t think I can really comment on the finale without talking about the entire season, so let’s just get right into the Season Review.

I think on its own, this finale was great. It was exciting, action-packed and very emotional. It drove home the idea of the bond the team formed over the season. And Koh having been the biggest cheerleader of the team, his death obviously was a major blow to the team’s morale when it appeared hope was lost against Eras.

Obviously, Koh wasn’t going to stay dead and there’s no reason to nitpick about how he came back to life. Actually, it was very ToQger déjà vu, for anyone who remembers one memorable and very similar scene. hehe

Tyramigo’s “I’m happy to have met you” scene to Koh was very poignant and was also a nice way to cap off his part in the season. Having Tyramigo be able to talk was a great decision and basically represented the other Kishiryu as also being part of the Ryusoulger team.

Having Ui back in a fun way was also awesome considering what was being reported about the actress’ health. (Still not sure if that has been confirmed. But either way, happy to see her back in the finale and hope she’s well.)

And I am assuming that, speaking of “endgame,” Canalo and Asuna end up together? It was definitely heavily implied here lol

But all that said, as I’ve mentioned the last couple of weeks, there really is a big disconnect between the endgame and the rest of the season. Separately, they’re great. Together, they don’t mesh. And I think that will be the season’s most glaring and maybe even one of the very few missteps.

I was always very positive about Ryusoulger as I wasn’t so much a fan of LuPat as the rest of the toku fandom was. So this season was a welcome arrival for me.

Not so much for other fans who were very quick to come at Ryusoulger for any number of reasons, fair or not. And I will point out again, it is very fascinating to see such widespread praise for Ryusoulger now that it’s getting adapted to Power Rangers when many of those same voices were viciously panning the season before that.

But whatever. That’s just how the Power Rangers fandom rolls.

Anyway, Ryusoulger had a very intriguing start. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

I commented back then how I thought it was a couple of episodes too early to have Ui’s story be told. She wouldn’t be the only character during the season expressing thoughts of ending their lives for many different reasons. But Ui, being one of the main/regular cast, deserved a legit story arc addressing what she was feeling leading up to her wanting to jump off a cliff.

It would have been a truly powerful story. And while the episode itself was actually handled relatively well, at the same time it felt too much like a MOTW scenario.

The idea of suicide and mental health would be subtly a theme during the season. The Ryusoulgers’ monsters of the week were birthed from the “minus” feelings of people and things. And those monsters were powered up as the birthers fell more and more into despair (and depression?) until they, conceivably, would die. Often times, those birthers were egged on towards their death by getting berated or insulted in order to fuel their negative feelings.

Kureon had a subplot (somehow dropped, now that I think about it) of feeling down and possibly depressed about being treated horribly and not appreciated despite all the work he does for the team.

The Ryusoulgers were a contrast to that as, not only were they positive people but they would also learn the importance of friends, family and bonds. That they reach out to each other when they need help and to reach out when they see someone needs help.

Excellent theme and story.

Fast forward to this endgame arc and it is about God-like Eras, creator of the world, wanting to wipe everything out (Noah’s Ark/Sodom and Gomorrah-style) and start over because of wars and fighting.

Um… okay. Eras’ anger at the beings she created also skewed more towards an environmental message instead of addressing how maybe humans (and other beings) are negative towards each other. And how evil that may be, especially when that negativity and minus feelings can drive someone to harm themselves.

Connecting that idea back to the Ryusoulgers, they felt like factions at times during the season. That’s a perfectly fine idea as they would later come together and learn the importance of working together and their friendship.

The Ryusoulgers may not have had a large amount of minus feelings (Melto excluded since they were usually pretty mean to him, thus likely resulting in that huge Minosaur he birthed last week), but their roles were more on helping people turn those negative feelings around. And that’s definitely a noble duty to have.

Even more to support how this endgame essentially ignored the rest of the season, the Druidons ended up being no part in this endgame either, Pricious became Eras’ vessel. But other than that, the surviving Druidons Kureon and Wiserue ended up being the season’s comic relief more than anything.

And we still don’t know what their purpose was on Earth other than to just take it over.

But even without that clear endgame, or even seeds of an endgame throughout the season, the characters were strong enough to carry the series. All the Ryusoulgers (and for a time Ui and Papa Naohisa as well) were all strong, distinct characters and very likeable. One of the most important things for a series to ensure.

If I had to point to the highest points of the season, I will always mention Episode 19: “Attack on Tyramigo”. It was this amazing, different-feeling episode. A serious, dramatic direction for what was an otherwise simple and at times silly filler episode. If we had a full season of episodes like this, Ryusoulger might have shot up to the top of my Sentai list. Just rewatch the episode (I might right after I finish writing this).

The other episode that had a similar vibe was Episode 28: “Micro Attack and Defense”. It was the episode where Asuna essentially almost died of a heart attack. A must-watch as well.

And perhaps Ui’s episode from the beginning of the season. I may go back to watch it and see how I feel now that the season is over.

Nada’s arc was also a highlight of the season with some very emotional moments at the perfect time as well. Episodes 32 and 33 are especially powerful and perhaps two of the strongest episodes of Sentai in a long time.

For the rest of the season, Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well.

The only other bumps in the road may have been the Cliff of Trials arc and the Ryusoul Calibur arc which really should’ve been just been one big arc together.

And of course this endgame that felt like it came out of nowhere at the last minute instead of having been part of the plan from the beginning.

Still, overall and in spite of the disconnect, Kishiryu Sentai Ryusouger has been a great, fun season. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4 thoughts on “Recap: Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger, Final Episode – The Will of the Earth and Season Review

  1. I don’t think Ryusoulger being the next Power Rangers adaptation has anything to do with it getting widespread praise. I believe it’s because of the quality of the end game that people began to appriciate the show as a whole.

    1. Well considering, like I’ve mentioned, I like the season in spite of how disconnected the endgame is to the rest of the season, I definitely don’t see how that could be the case. Especially after a whole year of it being unfavorably compared to both LuPat and Beast Morphers. And then all of a sudden the ZOMGILOVEEVERYTHINGRYUSOULGER! comments and tweets after the announcement a few weeks ago.

      But at the same time, I’m used to the English-speaking toku fandom’s flip-flopping.

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