Due to its nature as a Sequel Series, all spoilers for Akumaizer 3 are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Choujin Bibyun (超神ビビューン Chōjin Bibyūn, lit. "Super-God Bibyun") is a Toku television series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Company. It serves as the Sequel Series to Akumaizer 3 and is notable for using rejected Kamen Rider designs for each of its heroes.
After our three swashbuckling demon heroes performed a Heroic Sacrifice in the Final Battle with the Akuma Clan, their souls drifted in three capsules that eventually found the bodies of three humans. When Youkai suddenly appear in place of the Akuma Clan to terrorize humanity, a student-athlete named Kei Tsukimura has a chance encounter with Daizaburo Daima, head of the Daima Choujin Research Center, as he's being attacked by Youkai and discovers he is the inheritor of the spirit of Xavitan. After Daima performs a ritual to awaken the power of Xavitan within Kei, Kei becomes Choujin Bibyun and joins with Ichiro Suga and Go Watabe - who inherited the powers of Evil and Gabra respectively - to form the Choujins to defend humanity from the Youkai.
It is currently one of the shows available on Toei's Tokusatsu World YouTube channel. The first episode can be viewed here
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Tropes:
- Action Girl: Lisa Akechi, a Badass Normal descended from a clan of ninjas, who serves as Daima's assistant and aids the Choujins in their fight against the Youkai.
- Cool Airship: Benishark, a living airship given to the Choujins by the Akumaizer 3.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: For how Lighter and Softer the series is most of the time, Youkai Suiko gets an absolutely brutal thrashing from the Choujins in the second episode. First Bibyun chops his head off, then Bashaan freezes his (still alive) body and ties it to a cross, then he gets sent away to the Himalayas to freeze to death. Though considering he was a Youkai who preyed upon children, it's hard to say it was undeserved.
- Demonic Possession: The three Choujin are each possessed by one of the spirits of the original Akumaizer 3.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Santa and his friends sing the show's theme song while riding their bikes in #19.
- Goldfish Poop Gang: Shindo and Birin, who show up to try to inconvenience the Choujins every time they're fighting Youkai but are otherwise harmless.
- Heroic Bystander: Kei starts off as this, coming across Daima and Lisa by chance and helping them escape from the Youkai attacking them.
- Land, Sea, Sky: The Choujins each have powers based on one of these elements, with Zusheen being Land, Bashaan being Sea, and Bibyun being Sky.
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to its predecessor, Choujin Bibyun is a lot lighter in tone, with less threatening villains, more comedy, and more focus on children.
- Mook Maker: Every Youkai has the power to summon Yoki at will.
- Passing the Torch: The spirits of the Akumaizer 3 show up at the end of the first episode to give the Choujins their blessing to use their powers to fight for humanity.
- Power Trio: Like their predecessors, the Choujins are a group of three who fight to defend humanity from monsters.
- Refusal of the Call: Kei declines Daima's offer at first, not believing in Youkai and preferring to train for the Olympics. After being attacked by the Youkai Backbeard however, Kei readily takes up Daima on his request and allows him to awaken his powers as Bibyun.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Several youkai start off sealed before being set free by hapless humans.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: Shindo gets killed by the Great Demon King in #32, followed by Birin sacrificing himself two episodes later to save the Choujins.
- Would Hurt a Child: Many of the Youkai target children.
- Youkai: The Monster of the Week. They vary from ones lifted from traditional folklore, like Suiko, to ones that appear to be made up for the show. Even Youkai invented in other media appear, such as Backbeard from GeGeGe no Kitarō. Let's go through the list.
- Amanojaku: Amanojaki in #20, though his skeletal appearance brings to mind gashadokuro as well.
- Bakeneko and Nekomata: A Nekomata serves as the Youkai of the Week in #24
- Baku: Bakuba, the villain in #25.
- Kappa: Suiko, a higher-ranked Kappa, serves as the villain in #2. Later, Kasakappa, a kappa-Karakasa hybrid, appears in #14.
- Karakasa: Kasakappa, a youkai who can switch between Kappa and Karakasa forms.
- Nurikabe: Kabenuri in #11, who is a sludge Youkai that can blend into walls.
- Tengu: Karasu Tengu, a crow youkai who appears in #15
- Tsukumogami: Several Youkai are inanimate objects brought to life, including Isuma (a chair), Fudema (a giant brush)
