That's one of the things that continues to fascinate me so much about Tametomo in particular, is how I feel the show has sort of coded him with a lot of tropes and plot roles that would go to the Red normally, which really helps to sell the idea he's the one who ~could~ be the leader, but isn't, because that's just not the kind of chemistry the team has or needs.

I'll second that it's always cool in general for a not-Red character to get a rivalry going with an overarching villain, too. The payoff of Kyoryu Black's vendetta against Aigaron was one of my favorite moments in Kyoryuger, just as one super easy example.

A leader is often considered synonymous with a person who call the shots, it's the first thing people tend to attribute to that role. But I think being a good leader is more nuanced than that, like being a good example to others. Juru is the leader cause he sees the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates relative to his own and has the wisdom to know when to step back and defer to Tame's superior tactical decision making, letting him be the one who calls the shots. Juru says "we need to do this" and Tame says "okay, this is how we'll do it". It's an intriguing subversion of the typical team dynamic.

Ian's arc was great for sure and the reason why he's my favorite member of the team. There are very few things I would praise about Kyoryuger, but Ian was a consistently good character. Sanjo may have a reputation as a bumbling goofy writer but he can genuinely write some of the most heartbreaking tragic moments like pretty much anytime a sympathetic Roidmude is killed. The way Ian's hatred towards Aigaron tempers and ultimately accumulates with him wanting to avenge Aigaron who was killed by the Black Cloak General, I could really feel the emotions in that moment. I like it when rivalries develop beyond antagonism and layer new feelings on top like mutual respect. That's why I was so invested in Gai's rivalry with Grey since it showed that despite being the bad boy type, deep down he also had a sense of chivalry that he tried to hide, something that was even foreshadowed in an early filler episode. Some of the best rivalries don't involve Reds at all.