[Byg42]

Muteki Shogun






(Apologize for the image quality on some of these, especially Black Gammer)
Muteki Shogun is awesome, period. He just looks so intimidating, like you can believe this thing is suppose to be some sort of god. His living castle like design really adds to his presence and was a really good design choice given what he's made of. Having 5 humanoid mechas combine to form another humanoid mecha was something that could've easily turned into a disaster. Having the castle design be a common trait amongst the mechas helps seal their design together when they combine. On that subject, the Kyodai Jusho(Giant Beast Generals) were a really cool shakeup from a lot of the previous series mechas. Not only were they all humanoid, but the Kakurangers physically transformed into them. These are two concepts that I don't think get reused until like Magiranger. Back to Muteki Shogun, about the only thing I can nitpick is the crane head which does look a little silly but it still kinda works with the castle motif. Even the blue face, a design I didn't like in two previous mechas, even that works here, giving him a sort of otherwordly nature. If nothing else, he has a flaming sword for a finisher. That is just awesome.

Jusho Fighters





The Jusho Fighters are essentially lighter versions of the Kyodai Jusho which is neat if a little redundant. I mean the whole concept of humanoid mechas is something that is already unique to Kakuranger at this point so having a second set of humanoid mechas that look similar to the previous set is a little weird. I think it would be more interesting if the Jusho Fighters were literally the Kyodai Jusho just without their armor instead of being a separate entity all together. That being said seeing both sets of mechas on screen together is kinda cool.

Kakure Daishogun






Kinda interesting how Kakure Daishogun was secondary mecha for Kakuranger but then became the primary mecha for Mighty Morphin season 3. Anyways Kakure Daishogun is definitely slimmer than Muteki Shogun, more ninja-esque you could say. It's a design that fits considering he's made of 5 animals instead of humanoid mechas. He also lacks hands, well one hand anyway since he has a fist and a wolf head. Combine with his slimmer design, Kakure Daishogun looks more built for close combat with an emphasis on speed and agility. A nice contrast with the heavier looking Muteki Shogun.

Tsubasamaru/Super Muteki Shogun/Super Kakure Daishogun



I'm putting Tsubasamaru and his combinations with Muteki Shogun and Kakure Daishogun in their own section because really, the combinations with Tsubasamaru are add ons at best. Tsubasamaru is quite the cool looking bird, I mean he's got cannons as part of his wings. His combinations with Muteki Shogun and Kakure Daishogun suitably fit the theme both mechas have respectively. Kakure Daishogun emphasizes speed and agility so having Tsubasamaru act as wings makes sense. Muteki Shogun however is bigger and looks more like a tank which is why his combination with Tsubasamaru makes use of his cannon wing tips. Both combinations are pretty cool though I think Kakure Daishogun's combination looks better as Tsubasamaru flows better with the general aesthetic.

Ninjaman/Samuraiman


Ninjaman is here mostly because of the Samuraiman form which he exclusively uses in the mecha fights to my knowledge anyway. The Samuraiman form is a pretty nice contrast to how Ninjaman normally looks. While Ninjaman certainly is bulkier than the other Kakurangers, he still follows that general ninja aesthetic. Samuraiman however throws that aesthetic out the window, adding red and silver into his colour scheme and shifting some of his bulk around, most notably in the legs. It really does change up the silhouette and fits the new samurai motif it has, I quite like it.

Next week, Ohranger.