Tokusatsu Cool "Gai" Popularity Contest
 

~Presented by ZAIA~

Well, not really. But Thouser's continued prominence in Zero-One and *enthusiastic* reception from fans did give me the idea for what is quite possibly the most pointless poll ever! We all know ZAIA's CEO is as cool as they come, but what about the other great cool guys of tokusatsu? Who truly reigns supreme in the hearts of fans everywhere as the ultimate Gai? Thus, this thread was born.

The rules are simple:

1. Like the title says, this is a popularity contest. It is not a "who would win in a fight" poll. You should be voting simply for whichever character you like the most. However, liking a character because of their ability to beat other characters in a fight is perfectly acceptable.

2. The only criteria a character needs to meet to be eligible is having "gai" somewhere in their name when written in kana. Absolutely nothing else. It doesn't even need to only be one person! (This is also the rule that should set the tone for the thread.)

So with those few guidelines in mind, I've put together a list of contenders that includes some real heavy hitters, as well as some oddballs, from all over the toku world, including an option for anyone not on the list. Feel free to chime in with who you picked instead if you go with that one. And just chime in, in general, actually! The world deserves to know why your pick is the Coolest of Gais!

My choice, to that end, can't be anything other than Crew GUYS. Being the entire main cast of one of the best toku shows ever kinda gives them that extra edge.

That's a lot of guys in one place.

My vote is on Gai. He was really cool and I'd like to see more of him.

Ikari Gai. Gokai Silver, and the better Golden Soldier.

The only Gai that matters.
https://i.imgur.com/kIXFSgP.png

Yeah it's probably Jetman Gai. He's cool, even though he's a dickhead. Unlike Thouser, who is a dickhead and also sucks.

Honorable mention goes to Gamu just for the way he yells "GAIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" when he transforms.

Aw man... Gigan.

This angers me beyond reason. Why have you done this

https://i.imgur.com/eqsWOZE.png

So hard to decide for this Gai is an unlikable asshole, this Gai is a likable asshole, this Gai is a dork, this Gai is basically a god, this Gai is part Gal.

https://youtu.be/Hy3SjwtkE0E

Sorry, but the only way to properly answer this is to wander in playing the character’s theme song like a Heisei era Zubat.

Also, no Aguri Kusugami? No Kamen Rider Cool Guy?

Yeah that's Kurenai Gai / Orb. He's the best Gai. I would vote Gaim because that's just too good of an idea, but he's not a real Gai to me.

Since I don’t have anything else to add, may I choose the official theme song of this thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvEG6NFpYD8

Well, this is already going better than I could have possibly hoped. :lol

That is totally this thread's theme song, by the way.

Look, "Gaimu" is (one of) his name(s), and it's literally written with the same kanji for armor (鎧) that Gokai Silver's is! He's a perfectly legitimate choice!

Honestly, if the limit on poll options was bigger, he might have made the cut (beyond falling under "Some Other Guy"). I don't know how fresh that meme is anymore, but I would absolutely be okay with Yuusuke Godai being deemed the Coolest Gai in tokusatsu.

I picked Gaim, he saved Kamen Rider for me, and for that I'll always be grapefruit. Er, grateful I mean.

My very first toku gai: Goukai Silver. :)

Unfortunately for me, I'll always see Kuuga not as Cool Guy, but as a poorly translated English VHS label showed me, "Cougar" :lol

Only one of these has scythes for hands. It's a no brainer.

Yeah, but does it put Kenny G, Bleeding Gums Murphy, Lisa Simpson to shame with his wicked saxophone skills and beat up evildoers wearing a black and white condor suit with so much swagger though. :lolol

So, it's been a week, and there was some tough competition, but is everyone cool with Gokai Silver being crowned the official Coolest Gai in tokusatsu?

The poll's still open to anyone who begs to differ, but personally, "nerdy Earth kid who hangs with space pirates and rises up to become a hero who plays a major role in liberating his home planet from alien invaders" doesn't seem like a bad choice to me. Like, in retrospect, it should've been 1000% obvious he was going to win this thing.

It was a big contest between him and Kouta for me, but at the end of the day, I had to go for the one that actually has 'Gai' for his name. It's a shame to decide it so easily since even though I'm not too fond of Gaim, I've grown a lot of appreciation for Kouta--

Stop that

Hate to tell you, but Jetman's got you held to a tie.

...Thus completing my secret plan to get this thread heated back up again. I assure you, all of these developments are 1-

...Uh, I expected it to happen, is the point. Anyways, I'm actually rooting for Orb at this point, but if nothing else, this thread was worth it to confirm how much Jetman and Gokaiger both still hold their popularity with fans.

Absolutely not.

...And sure enough, Jetman Gai has swooped in to steal the crown from Gokaiger Gai in a stunning upset. Like a total jerk. Very in-character!

I would've voted for Jetman but went for Gokai just because I know him more, sorry.