"Fighting for Traffic Safety! Caaa-rranger!!!"
First Aired: March 1, 1996
Directed by: Yoshiaki Kobayashi
Screenplay by: Yoshio Urasawa
When the Reckless Driving Tribe Bowzock arrives on Earth to blow it up as they've done to many worlds; the Hazardian Dappu, the sole survivor of the latest planet they destroyed: Planet Hazard, must gather a team of heroes that can wield the legendary "Carmagic" (Kurumagic) to defeat the Bowzock, though the people he chooses prove more trouble than he expected.
Tropes
- Disney Death: Played for Laughs. When the people Dappu chose as Carrangers just won't do their part as heroes, he decides that he won't just stand around and tries to fight off the Bowzock on his own, he duels Zelmoda, who kills him to the latter's own surprise and Dappu uses the last of his life to motivate the humans to finally fight, which they do, but the second they transform Dappu gets up and reveals he faked his death to motivate them.
- Downer Beginning: The episode opens with Planet Hazard's destruction and Dappu being forced to flee after losing his mother and the rest of his family and people to the Bowzock.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: Before dying from her injuries, Dappu's mother gave him the pendant with which to find the Carmagic constellations and summon forth the Carrangers to oppose Bowzock.
- The Infiltration: To learn what the Bowzock are going to go next, Dappu puts on a cloak and infiltrates their base, the Baribarian. He is able to blend in well despite his simple disguise up until he correctly pronounces Earth (Chikyuu) as the Bowzock call it "Earsh/Earf" (Chiikyu). He gets away once he reveals his identity and origin.
- Maker of Monsters: When the Carrangers start getting troublesome, Gynamo uses his powers to transform a normal firefighter truck into a monstrous looking "Reckless Engine" that goes on a rampage.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Subverted, invoked and parodied simultaneously. Dappu fights Zelmoda when it seems that the Pegasus Garage workers just won't fight the Bowzock and gets killed by the warrior using his last moments to motivate the Carrangers to fight to avenge him... Then he gets up after they transform and reveals he deliberately went with the whole routine and faked his death so he could motivate them to fight by using himself as an emotional motivator. The Carrangers aren't thrilled about Dappu toying with them like that.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After taking enough of a battering from the Carrangers; Gynamo, Zelmoda and Grotch flee back to Baribarian.
- Mood Whiplash: The cheery opening is immediately followed up by the Bowzock's destruction of Hazard.
- Villain Respect: Zelmoda and Grotch actually show admiration towards Red Racer when he stabs Gynamo's shoulder.
