Recap: No.1 Sentai Gozyuger, Episode 16 – True Savior No.1!

Tono Hoeru works at a convenience store. Just then, a knife-wielding guy arrives to rob it. He takes a popsicle and tries to eat it, but it’s very cold. He tosses the popsicle in the air and Hoeru leaps over to catch it before it falls to the floor.

The robber wields his knife at Hoeru. But suddenly, a dapper gentleman in white steps in with some money, challenging the robber to take it from him. But the man will not let him have it.

He apologizes to the customers for the trouble and decides to treat everyone to whatever they want. He takes the popsicle from Hoeru and gives it to the robber, telling him to start fresh.

Hoeru feels something is off here.

The customers ask the man for his name. He introduces himself as Kumade Mashiro or Goodness Kumade, a world reformer who fears no god.

After Mashiro leaves, a strange creature flies up to Hoeru with a bill. He introduces himself as BearKuma, a demon debt collector. And he wants Hoeru to pay 11 million yen for Mashiro’s world reformation fee.

Hoeru chases after Mashiro and rips up the bill. Mashiro says it’s pretty presumptuous to assume he would help for free. But he’ll let this one be on the house. And in exchange, he returns all of Hoeru’s memories.

Hoeru now remembers everything that happened before the world ended. He hurries over to find the others. He arrives at where café should be. But he instead finds an apartment complex.

He first sees Ryugi and Mama Saori dressed in matching outfits and singing and dancing, seemingly a couple.

Sumino then comes out of her apartment to air dry radishes. Hoeru doesn’t understand considering Sumino was so high maintenance. But Sumino says on the contrary, she is environmentally conscious.

Rikuo, meanwhile, appears as a high school student cramming for the college entrance exam after having failed seven times already.

And walking by is Grandpa Takehara enjoying the flowers.

Hoeru does not understand anything that’s going on. He reaches into his pocket and finds his Ring. He puts it on and Tega Sword appears. He explains that only Hoeru can see him because only his Ring was kept safe. It seems someone protected the Wolf Ring.

Quick cut to Kuon as he and the Gang are confused and disappointed at the human world being basically the same as it was before.

Tega June orders them to bring Tega Naguru to her, fearing what will happen to their two worlds now. Kuon says that they will need the prince’s Ring to do that and they have no idea where it could be.

Hoeru and Tega Sword head to the park to continue talking. Tega Sword says that huge explosion was the birth of the prince of destruction. But all Sentai Rings are needed for the ceremony. That’s why the prince was born with an imperfect form. And the world is not over. Just rewritten a bit.

Only the prince can return everything to normal.

Just then, NoWans they had defeated before appear and begin rampaging. Tega Sword says another effect of the reworked world is that humans are no longer trapped inside the NoWans.

Bouquet pops in. Hoeru thinks she wants his Ring, but she is looking for the prince’s Ring. Which Mashiro has on his finger.

Mashiro jumps down and BearKuma drives Bouquet away. Mashiro greets Tega Sword and his “dull” expression as well as call Hoeru “second generation”. Tega Sword explains that Mashiro is the former contract holder of the Gozyu Wolf Ring and also the champion of the previous Ring competition.

Mashiro had collected all the Rings and fought with Tega Sword in the Great Universe War. His wish was to save the world. And it was granted. Now, the world is his as its true savior. And he does not like when people go around messing with it.

Mashiro locks his Ring in and henshins to Gozyu Polar. He leaps down to take on the two NoWans. He calls to Hoeru and says he’s heard that Hoeru is just a boring, average person with no dreams. But he need not fear as he will reform the world in his place.

Hoeru does not appreciate being spoken for. He runs and headbutts the NoWan, telling Mashiro he has no right to judge him.

Hoeru henshins and knocks the NoWans out. Mashiro tries to punch him, but Hoeru catches his fist. They challenge each other to a battle to see who is the real number one world reformer.

Hoeru and Mashiro each take on one of the NoWans. With help from BearKuma, Mashiro finishes one of them off.

Just then, Tega Naguru emerges from the ground and begins rampaging, hurting himself with buildings. Mashiro says he’s just a fussy baby and meets his fist with his own. Mashiro hops into Tega Naguru and finds him in an icy field, locked in a ice fist.

Tega Naguru says he does not understand what is happening. As a prince of destruction born out of nowhere, he does not know right from wrong.

Mashiro says he must understand the world first then. And he will teach him everything, from joy to sadness. Mashiro offers to be his god and welcomes him out.

They introduce themselves to each other. Mashiro decides to give him a better name: GoodeBurn.

GoodeBurn breaks out of his ice first and Mashiro is able to hop inside his cockpit as GoodeBurn transforms into a robo form.

Hoeru is impressed by Mashiro taming him. Bouquet says it’s time to bring Tega Naguru home. But GoodeBurn rebukes that name and declares he is staying with Mashiro.

Bouquet hurries back to report to Tega June while Fire Candle hops in King Candelor, vowing to drag the prince back home.

Back on the ground, the NoWan and Aryees appear in front of Hoeru when suddenly, the other Gozyus appear. All of them in possession of their Rings. “You’re all back to normal?!” Hoeru asks. But they don’t know what he means.

For now, they henshin and work together against the NoWan and Aryees, delivering a finisher to take care of the NoWan for good.

Meanwhile, Mashiro and GoodeBurn take on Fire Candle and King Candelor with some boxing. Mashiro gives GoodeBurn some advice, if you have a burning passion in your heart, you must keep yourself cool in your head.

Together, Mashiro and GoodeBurn finish off King Candelor with a Polar Goode Finish ice fist.

Mashiro is declared the winner and number one at reforming worlds.

The Gozyus face Mashiro who says he has no choice but to join the competition as well. Mashiro is able to swipe Hoeru’s Ninninger Ring, but he says collecting all the Rings will change nothing.

Mashiro stops BearKuma from saying something and says that he does have a wish, but he does not need Tega Sword for it. His wish is to surpass Tega Sword and become a god himself.

Episode Thoughts

How interesting! Definitely an interesting and unique way to introduce us to our new friend. At first, it felt like a different show, but not. The awesome new opening credits (with what I assume is Gozyu Polar’s theme song) gave you that almost fresh, new season feeling. Great song. And great scenes in the credits too.

That weird dynamic at first was a great way to kind of twist things around without being something huge or major. And the episode then eased back into the Gozyuger we have already grown to love by the end.

So very much a great debut for Mashiro. Looking forward to learning more about him and his past and meeting him and his personality as well. As Gozyu Polar, I love his fighting style. High flying and acrobatic in a way. And as Mashiro, I can’t wait to see how he will be interacting with the other Gozyus.

Similarly to the start of the season, I wasn’t sure how it would work between the five Gozyus. But their relationship quickly evolved into something fun and warm. So whether the same will happen between the Gozyus and Mashiro or it will instead be a big contrast and be more… *ahem*… icy, it will be interesting and exciting to watch either way.

Certainly a major “L” for Tega June for her first big moves. But that’s interesting as well as we now know she isn’t some kind of all-knowing god either. Just like we’ve learned about Tega Sword.

It would’ve been fun to see the alternate versions of the other Gozyus for a bit longer. Hoeru meeting them one by one instead of speeding through them for that quick scene. That apartment scene and the quick retelling of the opening scene of the season were shorter than I would’ve liked. But I get their purpose and the episode wasn’t really meant to be this fish out of water deal for Hoeru.

But an interesting tidbit though with the implication Kuon had protected Hoeru’s Ring during the world ending blackout.

Overall, a great episode. A great introduction. Exciting action. I’m ready for this next chapter of Gozyuger!