[Switchblade]

If I had to narrow it down to non-tribute stuff I can still think of at least two major elements.

The big one is that I love the characters. I thought the main cast were really dynamic and distinct with well-developed personalities. I especially liked that, on the whole, they mostly weren't very heroic. They were a crew of self-interested assholes and well-meaning screw-ups. Marvelous, in particular, was a fantastic example of a great chaotic good hero: he'll do the right thing if it suits his personal interests, and even if it doesn't he'll still try to convince you that it does. I'm a lot colder on Gai because I find the fanboy angle kind of annoying, but he still had his moments.

I also really loved the action scenes. The show did a great job of choreographing dynamic fight scenes where each character, again, felt like they had a distinct personality and style. I never got tired of seeing Luka go full God of War on mook waves while Doc bumbled and floundered his way through the same fight. Even ignoring the form changes, I thought Gokaiger had some of the best fight scenes in the franchise.