Mythology Gag / Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

• It's the first time in 40 years that the rangers use the Japanese way of labelling colors instead of English.^note Though they typically place the actual Milestone Celebration at the end of it (i.e. the next season.) Note that Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger was just four years ago.
• The team themselves are the descendants of the legendary ninja that sealed away the Yokai, much like the Kakurangers were.
  • They're fighting Youkai like the Kakurangers, and are referred to as a 'third generation' team (they're the third ninja Sentai, as well as two generations following their grandfather, the legendary Last Ninja.) We also get a reference to Kakuranger's theme song.
  • Shurikenjin has the blue part for the left arm, yellow for the upper body, and the lower body as one whole part, just like Kakure Daishogun. Red even forms the right arm on occasion.
  • So far, every Monster of the Week corresponds to a Kakuranger monster. However, that could just be because there are only so many Youkai to go around.
    • This was later averted with the introduction of "Western Yokai". Namely Dracula, the Wolf Man (Kamen Rider's Wolf Man anyone?), and Frankenstein (1931)'s Monster.
  • An extra-strong monster based on a Nue? Where have we seen that before?
  • Gekiatsu Daioh has one arm turn into a fish-shaped motorcycle, rather like the Kakuranger bikes.
• Their suits really resemble the ones used in Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. The color scheme and the huge visors are the key points. And swords with something spinning on them.
  • The OP sequence borrows heavily from the Shinkenger OP, particularly the bit where they zoom in on each Ranger one at a time during a big battle, while the ED reuses the "clear skies over Japan" line from the Shinkenger ED.
  • The Gamagama Juu take the function of that alarm bell in the Shiba mansion. Amusingly, it's the Kibaoni who use the traditional bamboo one.
  • The Kibaoni gather fear in liquid form in hopes of reviving their Big Bad, rather like the Gedoushu filling the Sanzu River to enable them to invade Earth (also allowing their leader Dokukou to escape the seal.)
    • Also, how is the task completed? The female enemy general loses a loved one, causing her own pain to create a surge of this liquid emotion greater than all the monsters' attacks on humans put together, instantly allowing the Big Bad to walk the earth again (mind you, the losing a loved one aspect is more Power Rangers Samurai than Shinkenger.) Said villain also meets her end by being absorbed by her leader.
  • If you look carefully at Masakage's head, it's really a Noh mask on a tentacled creature, bringing to mind Hone no Shitari.
  • The origins or Lion Ha-Oh mirror that of Ushi Origami - both are up in the mountains and a kid familiar with the technology is watching over it.
  • Turns out ninjas in general are something of an open secret just like the Shinkengers were, with the kuroko being recognised by civilians and everything.
  • And of course the Sixth Ranger being a Gold with blue sleeves and a star on his face.
• The visors also bring Shurikenger to mind.
• KiNinger's helmet and visor bears a remarkable resemblance to Providus' head.
• This is the first Sentai to have a female pink and white Ranger on the main team since Dengeki Sentai Changeman.
• Their mechs don't really have a unifying theme, which might symbolize the different themes of Sentai throughout the years:
  • Shinobimaru is a humanoid red mecha like Ryusei-Oh, Red Saruder, or Go-Buster Ace.
  • Dragomaru is a blue dragon piloted by The Lancer like Ryuu Origami. Shurikenjin Drago is an alternate Megazord form without Red in charge, just like MajiDragon.
  • Dumpmaru is a dump truck like Gogo Dump or V-Dump.
  • Wanmaru may be a reference to random Animal Mecha we found in many seasons.
  • Byunmaru may be a reference to the previous Sentai, Ressha Sentai ToQger.
  • Paonmaru being an elephant and the first Mecha Expansion Pack may be a call back to both Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger and Juken Sentai Gekiranger.
  • UFOmaru may be a reference to the Voyager Machines. As a diminutive addon with a blasting attack, he's also similar to Soul Bird.
  • Bison King is composed by a humanoid mecha and a bison themed one. Seems like Go Taurus.
  • Surfermaru isn't the first surfing mecha in Sentai. In Juken Sentai Gekiranger, we had Geki Penguin. Coincidentally, Shurikenjin Surfer isn't the first combined mecha form on a surfboard - that would be AbarenOh Slidon (the addon mecha's even purple!)
  • Lion Haoh is basically every carrier zord ever, particularly Mogyu Daioh (with the twist that he's not the last mecha of the show!)
  • Forming Haoh Shurikenjin involves BisonKing forming two cannons from its limbs, just like RedPuncher on King Pyramider. Additionally, both Lion Haoh and King Pyramider basically stand up to transform and can use both of the team mecha in the combination.
• Takaharu and Yakumo's relation is really like Ban and Hoji's and Kai and Tsubasa's.
• The Ninningers running through a forest in the OP can be likened to that of the Gingamen.
  • Bison King is identical to BullTaurus, both have a mecha inside them (Heavy Knight Bull Black and RodeoMaru) and both have taurus species as mecha (Bison Buggy and GoTaurus).
• The Monster of the Week is really a mishmash of a Yokai and a household item. Like Evolians' Trinoids, only if you cut out the plant motif.
• For some cases, the transformation from object to Youkai are similar to the Metaloid's.
• Yakumo's magic relies a lot on magical circles very similar to the ones from Mahou Sentai Magiranger. Basically foreshadowing the appearance of MagiYellow well ahead of time.
  • #5 has Kasumi, the pink one, shapeshifting into a post box, which Houka was guilty of twice!
  • In the episode with Ninja Red and Hurricane Red, Yakumo gets chided by Yosuke for using magic to float in the air. We later see the Yokai and Takaharu travel back to 2005. That's not just the time of the most recent Sentai where all the members were family members, but they were a team of magicians just like Yakumo (Mahou Sentai Magiranger for those less than familiar with Super Sentai).
  • StarNinger's Transformation Sequence has the hologram of his shuriken passing through him instead, rather like those magic circles from Magiranger.
  • The components of Gekiatsu Dai-Oh are essentially the Ninningers themselves, rather like the Magirangers.
  • Tsubasa's introductory subtitles in Shinobi 38 use the exact font as the Magiranger opening title's.
  • Shinobi 39 has two Hyakkarage wearing blue and yellow bands who turn out to be Yakumo and Kinji in magic disguise, also something Houka's guilty of (but with pink instead).
• In the Vs Drive special, a familiar blue-lit ball appears in Dr. D's old lab, albeit turned off.
• Starninger being a Gold (shade of Yellow) cowboy might remind you back then on Kagaku Sentai Dynaman, where Kousaku/Dyna Yellow is often seen sporting a cowboy hat (but not being a cowboy) especially in the opening... and his name in the parody dub was Cowboy.
  • Starninger is also one gigantic love letter to both Jiraiya/Ninja Black and Shurikenger, being a ninja who is introduced speaking snippets of English at random, wearing mostly black when not transformed, and again being extremely cowboy-themed (as Jiraiya was introduced in Kakuranger). He's even Japanese-American like Jiraiya was, and has a secondary musical theme like Shurikenger had.
  • Starninger could be a reference to the relationship between Super Sentai and Power Rangers: He is a westernized version of the other rangers and both find the other's methods unusual, which mirrors the fact that Power Rangers series are perceived as more serious and violent by Japanese fans while Sentai is seen as more oddball and aloof by Americans. Starninger notably comes off as ignorant to the way the rest of the team works, but is slowly starting to enjoy them, similar to how the American Sentai fandom is more of a recent development.
  • Starninger might also be a send up to the Sixth Ranger concept and Ranger Allies as a whole. The poncho harkens back to DragonRanger's shield while his mecha, as noted above, are possibly references to Black Knight while the color Gold is one of the more frequent Sixth Ranger colors. The Dragon Ranger reference could also work with the Power Rangers send up above, given that the character's American counterpart is immensely popular and contributed to Power Ranger's early sucess.
• The first male Yellow in a decade, as well as the first male Blue and Yellow duo in 14 years.
• A Red Ranger who ends the roll call by stating that things are going wild. (Though he does use "abareru ze' instead of 'areru ze', so maybe a different dinosaur Sentai?)
  • Also from Kyoryuger, the Ninja Ichibantou's transformation call (NIN! NIN! NIN! NIN NINI NIN!) calls to mind Utsusemimaru's "Dororon Shinobi Change" from Brave 27.
• Space Ninja. Hmm... where did we last heard that ?
• In #11, Kasumi presents her newly-invented 'Karakuri Shinobi Translator', a device which allows communication with animals and machines including the Otomo Nin, which is a realization of the dream of her predecessor from Kagaku Sentai Dynaman, who, also a scientist, aspired to create a device that would allow people to talk to animals.
• Yukio Yamagata being cast as Shishio, the spirit of the Lion Ha-Oh is based primarily on his long association with animal-based teams and mecha, including singing the theme to Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger. But it also calls to mind the last time a classic anime theme singer was associated with a lion mecha.
• The Mujina episode has Kasumi briefly losing her intelligence, making her very similar to some past Pinks - and Takaharu gaining her intelligence brings to mind past Reds like in Gogo Sentai Boukenger and Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.
• The Ninja Ichibanto normally goes "The Waza!", while its upgraded form, the Gekiatsuto, goes "The GekiWaza!" instead.
• According to Shinobi 37, the true purpose of The End Shuriken rehashes the Universe's Greatest Treasure from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.
  • And in the last episode, just like the Gokaigers did with the Greatest Treasure, the Ninningers choose to destroy the End Shuriken, rather than using it to wish for a peaceful world. Of course, in this case they used its power to wish for a world without the End Shuriken, resulting in the destruction it had caused being reverted, so they got both outcomes.
• Mangetsu Kibaoni being the son of the Big Bad with a nasty streak making him a force to be reckoned with himself mirrors Young Prince Junior/Gashadokuro from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger.
• In 44, Masakage Tsugomori is revealed to actually be a tiny yokai piloting a human sized body, just like Sargain.
• Grandpa Isagaki has the End Shuriken in him and it granted him a extra long life. But then the villains kill him and take the item. This is very similar to another ninja season - Her Majesty Kagura's plot with the Grieving Bow Medal in Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger.
• In 45, the team cannon that the Ninningers form is very similar to the Penta Force Cannon from Battle Fever J.
• In the “Returns” movie, the new Green hero introduces them-self as “Idol of Idol” and does the pose for a past Toei hero the face actor played.

---