No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger will be the final entry in the 51-year-old Super Sentai franchise, according to multiple media reports.
The Kyodo news agency and Sankei Shimbun report the series was not making enough revenue from events, merchandise and films to meet its high production costs. Anime News Network reports there has not yet been any statement from Toei Company, Ltd., or from TV Asahi, which airs and co-produces the show.
Sponichi reports the news caught Japanese social media users off-guard.
"The end is shocking, but what has been done uninterrupted so far will definitely be engraved in the history of tokusatsu," one wrote.
Super Sentai first aired in 1975, with Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, though Gorenger and its follow-up, JAKQ Dengekitai, were not officially considered part of the brand until the mid-1990s. Both shows were developed by legendary mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori, who also created Kamen Rider.
If the report holds true, the final Sentai series, at least for now, will be an anniversary series. Gozyuger features a number of returning characters from the course of the franchise's run.
Rangerboard's admin, cautioning fans, notes on X that the news is likely prelude to a rebrand.
