Toku Heroes Who Could Have Been

This post is about actors who auditioned for certain shows or characters or had characters written for them that fell through: you recognize them as one hero, but they could have been another, and it's just a funky thing to think about. I did a thread like this on HJU a while back, but wanted to do a post since there's a couple of others I've found out since then. This obviously isn't all of the heroes who could have been out there, but these are the ones I know about, the ones I'm most interested in talking about and/or have at least confirmed. (Like, I remember reading that Kakuranger's Teruaki Ogawa auditioned for the role of Kamen Rider Black, but when I did a quick little recheck before compiling this list, I couldn't find anything about it, so I nixed including him.)

Jun'ichi Haruta as Hiryu Tsurugi/Change Dragon

This is a big one for me. When Toei was having trouble casting the part, they were just going to hire reliable JACtor Haruta as Tsurugi. I'm a huge fan of Haruta's, and while Tsurugi would have most likely had a ton of awesome out-of-suit action scenes, I just can't picture anyone but Haruki Hamada playing him. Haruta SHOULD have played a Red, but I don't know if Tsurugi would have been the best match. Haruta would have been the oldest of the five cast members (he would have turned 30 early into Changeman's run; Hamada was 23) and maybe seem a little too mentory, whereas Hamada was younger and you could believe him in Tsurugi's more hotheaded, stubborn, intense and impassioned moments. (I think a lot of Tsurugi as we know him was shaped to fit Hamada.)

Because of Hamada's casting, Haruta ended up joining the Juspion cast in the role of Mad Gallan, who was originally supposed to be played by Shun Sugata. (And thank goodness for that, too, because Sugata probably wouldn't have gone on to play Tatewaki in Janperson and he's awesome in that.)

Shirou Izumi as Hiryu Tsurugi/Change Dragon

Izumi auditioned for Dragon, but was thankfully cast as Yuuma/Change Pegasus instead. I don't think he's quite Red material, but he's a perfect fit for Yuuma and just nails the part.

Kihachirou Uemura as one of the Changeman

He didn't specify which role he auditioned for, just that he auditioned. (I think he'd obviously have been Hayate/Griffin if he was cast.)

Yutaka Hirose as Jin/Red Flash

Someone at Toei used their head and realized he'd make a better villain, and a legend was born.

Hiroshi Kawai/Kazuoki Takahashi as Kenta/Black Mask

The role was intended for Kawai/Takahashi to play. (He instead joined the cast of Metalder.)

Kenta Satou as Burai/Dragon Ranger

It was interesting to find this one out, and it's the main reason I wanted to do this post. Now, as a Changeman freak, I love that Shirou Izumi, by playing Burai, has such a big, important role in Super Sentai's history. He's a good actor and one of the reasons I was even drawn to the Burai character. But I always felt he held back, you know? Or maybe he just wasn't comfortable going full villain turned tragic elder hero. His casting always puzzled me and I've long wondered just how they chose him or who else could have been up for the role...

Well, supposedly in the pamphlet for the Gokaiger-Goseiger Super Sentai 199 movie, it was revealed that designer Tamotsu Shinohara, when designing Burai's costume, based the design off of the person he was led to believe was playing the role -- Turboranger's Kenta Satou. This shocked the bejesus out of me, because...Kenta's an awesome guy, he's one of my favorite Reds, but I really can't picture him playing Burai, especially the early pissed off version of the character. (He's also the same age as Geki's actor, Yuuta Mochizuki, when Burai NEEDED to be a bit older. Heck, Satou's a few months YOUNGER than Mochizuki.) So, finding this out has made me appreciate Izumi even more, even if I can think of a couple of other ex-Sentai heroes who, in my opinion, would have been even better.

Keisuke Tsuchiya as Ryou/Ryuu Ranger

I talked about his a couple of times before. I guess the thinking in casting him was "Hey, do you guys dare me to cast a blander guy than the dude who played Goggle Red?" Thankfully, someone at Toei ignored that guy and replaced his pick of Tsuchiya with Wada. And it wasn't even just auditioning -- they even went as far as sending the guys to wardrobe and started shooting promos! So, this casting was THIS close to happening! Scary.

Keiichi Wada as Kazu/Kirin Ranger

What a waste that would have been... Wada's the Last Action Hero of toku. Can you imagine him being wasted as Kazu, stuck with obnoxious turtle storylines?

Hideki Fujiwara as Yuuji/Oh Blue

The role was offered to him, but I guess he turned it down. Which is probably good, since Yuuji's supposed to be cool and Fujiwara's a big goofball, and always looks like a tween.

Joe Odagiri as one of the Tatsumi boys in GoGoFive

It could have happened, if he wasn't so stuck up. Hard to picture him as anyone other than Nagare/Go Blue, though.

Masayuki Deai as Ryouga/AbaRed or Ban/Deka Red

Deai auditioned for both. I didn't really like him in Boukenger, but I feel like he's the kind of guy who needed a better show. I don't think he would have worked as Ryouga (Kouichiro Nishi was kind of perfect for that show and role) and I think he would make a better Houji than Ban.

Tsuyoshi Hayashi as Nakadai/Abare Killer

I've mentioned before how I don't really like what Koutarou Tanaka did in the role of Nakadai, but Hayashi would have probably been worse. He's just too damn young and too stiff of an actor.

Mitsutoshi Shundo as Nakadai/Abare Killer

Now THIS guy would have been awesome. He made for a good villain in Ultraman Nexus and I think he would have given off some classic Sentai villain vibes in Abaranger. (He reminds me of Shinji Yamashita/Shunsaku Kudou from Fiveman.) Shundo's the appropriate age that the character SHOULD have been and is actually menacing. He'd make a villain you could be afraid of. I guess he'd have been a little TOO intense for how soft Abaranger ended up treating Nakadai. They really pussed out, man. (Could you imagine Shundo singing Dead End Game? Get out of here with that crap.) Shundo also had auditioned for the role of Himeya/Ultraman Nexus before being cast as the villain of that show.

Naoya Gomoto as Ban/Deka Red

Ended up guest-starring in an early episode of Dekaranger instead. So, who's this guy and why am I bothering to mention him? Because just about anybody else would have been a better Ban than Ryuji Sainei.

Mayu Gamou as either Jasmine/Deka Yellow or Umeko/Deka Pink

Going on to guest star as Succubus and then later joining the cast of Kamen Rider Hibiki, Gamou had auditioned for one of the heroines. (She would have made a good Jasmine, IMO. I like Gamou, she deserved more than what she got from either Hibiki or Deka.) She also auditioned for the role of Rejewel in Abaranger.

Shoko Nakagawa as Umeko/Deka Pink

Sentai super-fan Nakagawa is said to have auditioned several times for Sentai Pinks, but came closest in Dekaranger. (She eventually guest-starred in one of Dekaranger's later episodes.)

Yutaka Kobayashi as Captain Jean-Luc Marvelous/Gokai Red

Kamen Rider Gaim co-star Kobayashi was a finalist for the part before deciding to drop out. Which is kind of good, because Marvelous needed to have that likable, rascally quality which I thought Ryouta Ozawa pulled off. (If Kaito/Kamen Rider Baron is any indication, Kobayashi ain't exactly likable.)

Jiro Chiba as Takeshi Hongou/Kamen Rider

This one's interesting to think about, because Kamen Rider fans have long wondered if -- as awful as it sounds -- Fujioka's accident HELPED the show. Because what if the show stayed as dark as it was and it ended up getting canceled? Takeshi Sasaki's Hayato/Rider 2 was popular and brought levity to the series -- you can't dismiss his involvement in the show's continued success. Would the show have been doomed if Chiba had been cast?

Shun Sugata as Kazuya/Kamen Rider Super 1

Before he ended up playing ZX, he had auditioned for Super 1. He's said he was bummed that he lost the part, but...c'mon, he wasn't a good match for that dopey Rider. He deserved something more than ZX, though, IMO.

Hiroyuki Watanabe as Kazuya/Super 1

When he was cast as Ga-ou in the Den-O movie, Watanabe -- known to most toku fans as Kouga's dad in GARO -- mentioned he had auditioned for Super 1 way back. It's surprising he never ended up playing a Rider -- I guess the franchise being dead for a majority of the '80s is to blame -- but like Sugata, I don't think he would have worked as Super 1.

Yutaka Hirose as Koutarou/Kamen Rider Black

Hirose would have made a great Rider. He would have been a great Black if the series had stayed the same tone as its premiere episodes, but...can you imagine Hirose riding down the road, befriending every crying kid he saw? Hirose hopping into video games to save kids? Hirose pulling over to the side of the road to sing "Ore no Seishun"?

Kazuhiko Nishimura as Koutarou/Kamen Rider Black

He could have worked, but that means he wouldn't have been Jou/Yellow Lion, and I feel like he's a great fit for that part. And Tetsuo Kurata's such a giant, it's pretty hard to imagine anyone else as Koutarou, really.

Toshihide Wakamatsu as Kouji/Kamen Rider J

He was considered for the part, and thankfully someone must have had the thought "Hey, let's not waste an actor like this in this turd of a movie." Wakamatsu would have made an awesome Rider, though.

Masaya Matsukaze as Godai/Kamen Rider Kuuga

I previously have said that I don't think what Odagiri did in the role was all that special, that a combination of writing and production talent was what made Godai and Kuuga what it was. I said ANY actor could have played Godai and it would have been the same. Well, Matsukaze kind of proves me wrong, because he's just...not that strong of an actor. There's a reason he moved on to voice-acting, me thinks.

Noboru Kaneko as Godai/Kamen Rider

To this day, Kaneko desperately wants to play a Rider, and he auditioned for Kuuga. He's more Godai-like than Matsukaze, but...maybe a little TOO soft? (It's funny to think that, despite how really young Kaneko always looks, he's actually OLDER than Odagiri...!)

Shou Tomita as Takumi/Faiz

As much as I love his work as Yukito/Abare Blue, I remember being so frustrated in 2003 at how bad of a pick Kento Handa was as Takumi, and how someone like Tomita would have been better. So, imagine my surprise to find out he actually DID audition for Faiz at the same time he auditioned for Abaranger.

Some genius at Toei wanted Handa because they thought he looked like a young Takuya Kimura. (I do remember reading that. How sad is that? No wonder the quality of casting has gone so downhill for toku. "Kento, forget that you look 12 years old and are anorexic and a wooden actor -- you remind me of one of our over-the-hill celebrities, so here's a show that you will be completely incapable of shouldering!") My opinion of Handa has changed somewhat, though. When I rewatched Faiz last year, I was surprised that he wasn't AS wooden as I remembered him being, but...still, there's a ton of other actors who would have worked better. You certainly don't look at Handa and think "street brawler."

Masayuki Izumi as Takumi/Faiz

He was great as Kiba/Horse Orphenoch, and since everybody in that show got to be Faiz -- Kiba included -- no big deal. I don't think he could have pulled off Takumi's bad, stand-off attitude, though.

Jun Yoshida as Dai/Shaider

He went on to play antagonistic Poe in the series, but auditioned for the main role. I don't know how that would have worked out -- I think Hiroshi Tsuburaya is a strong actor who did about as good as anyone could have done with such an underwritten role -- but I do think Yoshida could have pulled off being a hero in some other show.

Remember the Rik Mayall

I'm pretty bummed out about the passing of comedic actor Rik Mayall. (I just had a big marathon of his sitcoms a couple of months ago, too, and was just wondering if Ade Edmondson would finally come around to doing a new series of Bottom set in a retirement home as Rik had been hoping for.)

My introduction to Mayall's comedy madness was with Drop Dead Fred. (I'm sure British comedy fans roll their eyes that that movie is the introduction to Mayall for a lot of American fans, when Mayall played such an important part in England's comedy scene long before that box office disappointment.) Hey, the movie might not have been any great shakes, but Mayall's hilarious in it, and really makes it worthwhile. Through that, I got into The New Statesman (Mayall's character -- slimy politician Alan B'Stard -- is what inspired my handle. If you remember my "WTF Moments in Tokusatsu" videos on YouTube, his was the face that kicked off each video.) Then I went on to The Young Ones, Filthy Rich and Catflap, Bottom...

He was just such a hilarious and dedicated performer who you could tell always gave his all -- to be honest, I'd get sort of uncomfortable watching him in Bottom, because he would just go at it so hard that he'd sweat so heavily. I always thought he'd pass out! You'd always be guaranteed a laugh by him, whatever the project or episode. (To really prove the point, check out An American Werewolf in London. He's in the movie for about three seconds -- he's practically an extra -- but has the damned funniest spit-take in the history of comedy. "Remember the Alamo!")

To bring this around to pertaining to superheroes, as a big Batman fan, Mayall was always my number one choice to play the Joker. (I'll be a nerd and admit it: I once wrote some Batman fan-fics, and Mayall was always who I pictured when writing the Joker. Hell, it's his voice I imagine when reading Joker in the actual comics.)

I know some people roll their eyes at someone reacting over a celebrity death, but this is one that legitimately depresses me.

HenSHIN

This sonuvabitch finally arrived! I don't have many Figuarts, but one thing that drives me nuts about them is the way they come with about 500 extra hands and stuff. Not Shin, though -- he's a minimalist. He has just four extra hands, so it wasn't like playing a twisted version of Perfection getting pieces back in the packaging. Still, though, they could have thrown in Level 2's decapitated head or Rider Baby or something. Anyway, this toy is friggin' awesome and probably the best Shin toy I've seen.

There's not much Shin merchandise out there if you're one of the seven fans of this movie. I guess one of the good things to come out of that piss-poor excuse of a show Decade was that it forced Toei to pay attention to Shin again. So, I'm very grateful that I was able to grab the poster, which...I don't know if it's rare or not, but I can't imagine many posters of it floating around out there when the movie was a bomb that Toei buried for years. But I freakin' love this poster:

Joe Odagiri: Henshin Poseur

Kuuga didn't have enough hipster hats and cool smokes! Look how cool and indie I am!!!1

Tokusatsu Network just posted this bit about Joe Odagiri recently smack-talking toku again on a TV show.

Ha! This is further proof of what I've known since, like, 2004. (I remember someone telling me that they saw a television interview with him where he was complaining about making Kuuga.) The whole Odagiri thing was never a mere rumor -- his stance on toku and Kuuga has been well-documented. (The most quoted thing being his interview in the April 2005 issue of Pict-Up magazine.)

It's in that magazine where you get the full details -- the way he sabotaged an audition for GoGoFive that his agency forced him to go on, how biased against toku and how reluctant he was to audition for Kuuga, his wonderful quotes about how "henshin hero shows make him sick" and how when he heard he had to audition he wanted to either "retire or die."

The only people who ever thought this whole thing was a rumor or exaggerated were people who wanted to put on the blinders and not believe that goofy old Godai was a big old jerk. So, it's nice to have a newer quote from him so that people can finally have their eyes opened.

The sad thing is, I feel like nearly anyone could have played Godai. It was the strength of the writing and the production that made that character, and not really anything that Odagiri did. So, not only does his popularity stump me, but his lack of gratitude. As if his annoying tryhard indie hipsterdom wasn't bad enough...

Another sad thing? Odagiri's hipster-doofus roles are going to dry up, and he'll come crawling back to tokusatsu, probably playing a captain in an Ultraman show nobody wants to watch. And the fans will welcome him back instead of spitting in his moley face as they should.

Choice Odagiri quote, from a CNN interview a few years back: ""Unfortunately, I have no interest in Hollywood. You see, I am the independent type. And I would rather be happy if New York calls me." Don't laugh too hard, now.

Giving dorky PR titles to Showa Sentai shows

So, the latest thing to rattle fans of Sentai and Power Rangers is the way that they're leaving in Showa/non-PR Gokai Change footage in Power Rangers Super Megaforce. (Super Megadumb name for a show.) I can't say I'm surprised, really. The folks at Saban have never really given a crap about the content of the source footage. (I remember when people thought Gingaman was "too weird" for Power Rangers to use, but I knew they'd use it, because Saban don't care. People also would argue with me that Shinkenger was "too Japanese" to ever be usable for Power Rangers, but I knew they'd use it. Saban's shameless -- look at how they thought it was perfectly OK to try to edit three dated, different Metal Hero shows into one terrible thing called VR Troopers. So, I figured they'd lazily use some non-PR suits and brush it off with some lame explanation like "these are Power Ranger powers from super mega other dimensions!")

I watched the episode which had the Super Megaforce Rangers change into Ryuu Ranger, Yellow Mask and Pink Flash. While it kind of sucks to hear Pink Flash get reduced to one of Power Rangers' lame-o mid-fight bad jokes (Prism Boots "will give you the boot, HIYAAAAAAAA!"), I was kind of disappointed that the writers couldn't bother to give the old teams names. They were just "Legend powers, hiyaaaaaaaaaaa!" Like, I've always wondered what god-awful names the PR folks would come up with for Showa teams. I imagine it would be something like this...

Goranger: "Power Rangers Mighty Spies, HIYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
JAKQ: "Power Rangers Poker Strike, HIYAAAAAAAA!"
Battle Fever J: "Power Rangers Salute, HIYAAAAA!"
Denjiman: "Power Rangers Digi Dash, HIYAAAAAAAA!"
Sunvulcan: "Power Rangers Safari Musketeers, HIYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Goggle V: "Power Rangers Gymnast Force, HIYAAAAAAAAA!"
Dynaman: "Power Rangers Science Bang, HIYAAAAAAAAA!"
Bioman: "Power Rangers Bio Blitz, HIYAAAAAAAAA!"
Changeman: "Power Rangers Spaceship Rollers, HIYAAAAAA!"
Flashman: "Power Rangers Crystal Force, HIYAAAAAAA!"
Maskman: "Power Rangers Lazer Lightning, HIYAAAAAAA!"
Liveman: "Power Rangers Animal Lifeguard, HIYAAAAAAAAA!"
Turboranger: "Power Rangers Gear Grind, HIYAAAAA!"
Fiveman: "Power Rangers Space Camp, HIYAAAAAAAA!"
Jetman: "Power Rangers Techno Bird, HIYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Dairanger: "Power Rangers Hiyaaa, HIYAAAAAAAA!"

And I expect Go-busters would have been something like "Power Rangers Special Spy Force," which would become "Power Rangers Super Special Spy Force" when they got the upgrades for season two. Wait a minute, that's not right. It would be "Power Rangers Super Special Spy Force, HIYAAAAAAAAA!"

Yareyare

Any fan of the '80s shows can tell you -- the merchandise from those shows can be pretty expensive nowadays. When I was after some of the henshin braces, the prices tended to be for a few hundred dollars. Mint-in-box mecha would be near seven hundred dollars. But this...this, man...I think it's a new, disgusting*, ridiculous record.

The elusive Masking Brace, which shows up on auctions about once a year, has been going for some crazy prices, but...12,201 yen! That's $1,200.00 USD! That's more than a lot of the mecha will go for! That's...that's...that's a goddamn home entertainment system! That's a trip somewhere! I know it's rare, I know it's old, but...that's a lot of money for a plastic watch. (Thank goodness the Masking Brace isn't one of the henshin braces I'm interested in -- I remember it seeming pretty unimpressive as a kid, especially after you've had something like the Change Brace. In '87, I wanted one of those Black belts that worked with the TV, dammit.)

I think Bandai Japan's morons for not jumping on this, doing a kind of Sentai equivalent to the Legacy Morphers and doing new version of the old henshin braces. If there are nuts out there willing to drop over a grand on one, then Premium Bandai's crazy pricing shouldn't make them blink an eye. But, no, knowing the way Bandai works, IF they did it, they'd start with the overrated Sunvulcan, nobody would want to buy it, and then the line would die. GET OVER YOUR LOVE FOR SUNVULCAN, TOEI!

*I'd like to clarify that I don't mean disgusting that someone wanted it bad enough to pay that price, but that it's disgusting they have to pay that much to get it.

Soldier Dragon

I don't think I've ever officially declared it, but Changeman is my favorite Sentai series. The characters, the stories, the cast, the scale of it -- there's a lot I love about the show. Hiryuu Tsurugi/Change Dragon is my favorite Red hero, and I give a lot of credit to the actor, Haruki Hamada, who I really admire.

While Changeman was his first television starring role, Hamada was a dramatically trained stage actor whose teacher encouraged him to pursue auditioning for the show because he thought it would be a good experience for him. At the time, Hamada was one of the youngest actors cast as Red -- 23 at the start of filming in late '84 -- and I think this is something that helps shape the way Tsurugi differs from a majority of his predecessors. One of Changeman's big themes is the way the big space war changes the five young soldiers, how it forces them to grow up, and while Tsurugi is a dependable leader to the team, he's not the one with all of the answers, the stoic guy who has it all worked out -- he goes by gut, he can become too emotionally involved in a case, he puts himself out there if he thinks he sees an injustice. From the very first episode, he's the one who speaks up when he thinks Ibuki has gone too far; his leadership is apparent when he's the one who inspires the other four to stand up to Gozma just as they feel like they're finished. (Episode 47 shows he was even this way as a kid, when saving Aira from rock-throwing bullies.) But he's not perfect, the next couple of episodes highlight the way Tsurugi takes a solo approach, having to learn that he'll have to lean on the others and the Earth Defense soldiers when the burden becomes too much.

With Hamada's training, he provides subtleties that make Tsurugi feel like more than just a standard larger than life superhero, but a human. He grounds it all; Tsurugi is compassionate, but can be very intense, and I think he has more going on than most of his predecessors and is a refreshing change. His theater background makes it so he can sell the hell out of those grand superhero speeches, but an adeptness at handling the emotional material, treating the material seriously and never hitting a false note. I like all five Changeman performers and think they're talented and have a good chemistry, but I credit Hamada with a lot of getting the hero cast to unite and bring their A game and reach that point where they have such a good rapport. (I've always given a lot of credit to the dramatic actors in Changeman for getting everyone to up their game; in addition to Hamada, there's the veterans like Ibuki's actor, Jun Fujimaki, and Giuluke's actor, Shouhei Yamamoto, who both treated the material seriously and, in Yamamoto's case, really lifted his role into being a really memorable character. There's a lot to be said for good actors -- great directors can't get much out of bad actors, but there's plenty of examples of good actors doing more than what's on page or even being great in a bad show or movie. In Changeman's case, it's nice that the show had a good, observant staff -- it always seemed to me like they paid attention to what a performer like Hamada or Yamamoto, especially, would do, and would mine their performance for further material. Yamamoto has a track record for playing really nasty villain characters, and he begins Changeman being far more subdued, for example, but the Super Guiluke arc is when the writers let Yamamoto cut loose with just how sinister he can be; there's a vast difference between the old and new Guiluke.)

Tsurugi is responsible for setting into motion some of the series' most pivotal moments; his care for Nana and faith in Shiima led to two of the most important allies in the Great Gozma War. He had a willingness to assist villains, if they seemed to need his help: he took a lot of pain from Super Guiluke that was intended for Gator, to spare Gator so he could be at his wife's side while she was in labor, which in turn led to another ally joining their cause; he was even willing to help out his rival, Buuba, when he saw that Super Guiluke was trying to force him into being a Space Beast Warrior, and trying to get Buuba to rejoin the worried Jiiru. There's times in toku where...you kind of can't buy the way a hero is depicted as being so goody-goody that they're willing to help out a villain on a whim, but the way it's written in Changeman is consistent with the storyline, but again, I think a lot of credit is due to the way Hamada plays it. I chuckled at Sunvulcan when the three of them salute Amazon Killer after killing her, but you can believe that Tsurugi felt sorry enough for and respected Buuba as a warrior enough to bring flowers to his grave.

One of my favorite episodes, which isn't that crucial of an episode, it's a bit of a throwaway after the conclusion of a five-part arc, is the episode where Tsurugi fakes his death in order to launch a sneak attack on the monster of the episode. It shows the lengths Tsurugi will go in order to defeat a monster. Really bum out his friends by faking his death? Sorry, guys, that's part of the job. Don't question Tsurugi!

One of my all-time favorite Sentai episodes, though, is episode 54. In their final battles, the Changeman are really just against the clock and become pretty desperate -- not only does Ahames cripple their efforts by destroying their base and equipment, but there's also the threat of the Gozma Star colliding into the Earth, and Super Guiluke at that point is just crazy powerful with his demonic powers and wreaking all kinds of havoc in the Gozmard mothership. So, Tsurugi makes the call to sneak aboard the Gozmard, on his own, and take Guiluke out. It's not some typically big, over-the-top, glorious samurai-esque final battle they'll have: they're desperate, and it's going to be more like an assassination. It's a bit of an interesting gray area for a Sentai show to present its hero, IMO. Dragon sneaks up on Guiluke, and if it wasn't for Guiluke noticing Dragon's reflection at the last minute, he wouldn't have known what hit him, he would have been a goner. The way Hamada plays the scene when Tsurugi decides to leave for the Gozmard, he knew it was most likely a one way trip. And, if not for Nana, Tsurugi might NOT have made it out alive. Guiluke is still critically injured, though, but goes on to fight after turning HIMSELF into a monster! When things get rough for Gozma, Super Guiluke runs around turning all of the regulars into monsters, and while it seems like a lot of it is out of spite for how they turned on him, it's really that the endgame has been set in motion. You might even think Guiluke is cowardly, but he walks the walk -- when the chips are down, he turns himself into a monster, as well. The old Guiluke had once been treasonous to Star King Bazuu, but Super Guiluke had a confidence and dedication -- he became as dedicated to serving his army as the Changeman serve theirs. And it's the wound that Dragon gave Guiluke that is his undoing.

You just don't fuck with Tsurugi. His bad side's a dangerous place to be.

So, Tsurugi being my favorite and all, for my birthday a few weeks back, a friend made me this:

With the baseball outfit! The baseball outfit! And, shut up, the baseball episodes are awesome! And before anyone says there isn't an actor likeness, well...that's the problem if you don't want to sculpt. Also, there seems to be a real lack of Asian-faced dolls out there. (This doll IS Asian, but it doesn't come across in the photographs.) Besides, other than Medicom, I can't really think of when the official Japanese toys care to capture an actor's likeness. Most of the time, they'll just be vague anime-ish faces. I mean, here's what the official unmasked Dragon toy they did come out with looks like...