‘Ranger Reject’ Sentai Manga Suits Up For An Anime Adaptation
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Fans are suiting up and rejoicing over the recent announcement that The Quintessential Quintuplets mangaka Negi Haruba’s innovative take on the Sentai genre, Ranger Reject (Sentai Daishikkaku), is finally getting a well deserved anime adaptation.
Negi Haruba’s Color spread to Dragon Keepers in Ranger Reject Chapter 1 “R1000” (2021), Kodansha via digital issue
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Ranger Reject follows the story of the Dragon Keepers, a sentai team who thirteen years prior to the series’ start eliminated the self-explanatory Villainous Army and brought relative peace back to the world.
However, as a number of the evil group’s minions, aptly named Footsoldiers (think Power Rangers‘ Putty Patrollers, but more human and less animated clay), remained following their leaders’ defeat, they are given the option to continue their invasion in the form of Weekly Sunday Battles.
Footsoldier D takes center stage on the cover page to Ranger Reject Ch. 1 “R1000” (2021), Kodansha via digital issue
Pitting the Footsoldiers against the Dragon Keepers, these fights are essentially performative, as they always end with the heroes triumphant and the invaders defeated.
Sick of the farce, one rebellious Footsoldier decides to infiltrate the Dragon Keepers, hoping to use their powers to fight not just for his freedom, but also world conquest.
Red Dragon Keeper draws his Divine Tool on the cover to Ranger Reject Ch. 10 “The Power of One’s Feelings” (2021), Kodansha via digital issue
Before we continue, it’s best we address the elephant attempting to invade the room: Kodansha’s choice to localize the series’ title not as Ranger Reject, but rather Go, Go, Loser Ranger!
Despite their complete rewrite of the title, fans – in a move similar to Footsoldier D’s rejection of the Dragon Keepers’ tyranny – have chosen to stick with the series’ original title. As such, Bounding Into Comics will likewise follow suit when covering this series.
Footsoldier D as featured on Neigh Haruba’s cover art to Ranger Reject Volume 3 (2022) Distrio Manga via digital issue
On December 5th, Footsoldier D was called up to the big leagues when the official Ranger Reject website unveiled that the series would be receiving an anime adaptation directed by Tiger & Bunny‘s Keiichi Sato (himself no strange to tokusatsu, as he previously provided character designs for Toei’s sentai parody series, Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger.
Alongside the announcement, the Ranger Reject production team shared both the series’ first key visual, featuring Footsoldier D transforming into his Duster form:
Ranger Reject Anime Announcement via Official Website
As well as the series’ first trailer, in which audiences are introduced to the key players in the first portion of Ranger Reject‘s story.
The trailer kicks off near the very start of the series and finds Footsoldier D, in his human disguise, staring up at the chained-but-still-floating home of the Villainous Army’s leftover grunts.
Following a brief introduction to the Footsoldiers, the trailer moves to aspiring ranger Hibiki Sakurama, who is seen learning both the truth of the Weekly Sunday Battles:
Hibiki Sakurama and Footsoldier D exchange words in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
Following him is Shun Tokita, a member of the offense-focused Red Battalion, who makes his debut by blowing away the head of an enemy Invader:
Shun Tokita in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
Next up is the cowardly Aran Hekiru, who despite his cowardly and stuttering nature finds himself a Junior member of the Dragon Keepers’ Blue Battalion, whose members are chosen for their skills in leadership:
Aran Hekiru in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
A survivor of the Dragon Keepers’ victory, Footsoldier XX is a former Villainous Army fighter who has since abandoned her post in favor of secreting herself away in the aforementioned Hibiki’s dorm room closet:
Footsoldier XX in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
One of the few cast members to not have a color thanks to his operating as an independent agent, Kai Shion aspires to be a Dragon Keeper in order to kill the Villainous Army Executive who brutally murdered his brother:
Kai Shion in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
One of the strongest members of the stealth-centric Green Battlion, Kanon Hisui opens the series deep undercover on an intel gathering mission:
Kanon Hisui in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
Finally, the trailer turns to the rangers themselves, beginning with the mysterious smiling Yellow Dragon Keeper:
Yellow Dragon Keeper in in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
Pink Dragon Keeper, Hibiki Sakurama’s older sister and extreme bro-con Serasera Sakaruma:
Pink Dragon Keeper in in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
The fan-favorite information broker Chidori – otherwise known as Green Dragon Keeper.
Green Dragon Keeper in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
Followed by his foul-mouthed, right-hand ‘yes’ man Blue Dragon Keeper:
Blue Dragon Keeper in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
And finally Sousei Akabane, the Red Dragon Keeper himself.
The leader of the famous team, the villain subjugation specialist is seen wielding his Divine Tool – imbued with divine power, only weapons that can kill the Villainous Army’s Footsoldiers:
Red Dragon Keeper using his Sacred tool in the first trailer to Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
With a twinkle in his eye and Invader blood smeared across his helmet, Red Dragon Keeper closes out the trailer by proclaiming, “Human and Invader! Come now! Shall we not face the future together hand in hand?”
Footsoldier D transforming into Red Dragon Keeper in Ranger Reject (2023), Shochiku Channel via Youtube
In response to Ranger Reject receiving an anime adaptation, creator Negi Haruba released both a statement thanking fans for their support and a new, commemorative illustration of Suzukiri and Footsoldier D via the series’ official website.
“Thank you for choosing Sentai Daishikkaku (Ranger Reject) as the original work,” wrote The Quintessential Quintuplets mangaka. “Manga production is sometimes a grueling and lonely process, like throwing a ball into the middle of nowhere.”
“In the midst of all this, I felt rewarded by the anime adaptation,” he continued “As if I had been given the opportunity to throw the ball back. I look forward to seeing the uncool and cool Footsoldier D in action.”
Kodansha’s Ranger Reject’s Suzukiri and Footsoldier D Illustrated by Negi Haruba via Twitter
Negi Haruba then left a message to the Ranger Reject fans “To the readers who have read this far. I was able to keep throwing the ball because you all were there across the way. I will continue to throw the ball as hard as I can so that it does not lose to the animation, and I would be happy if you could continue to pick it up.”
In further celebration of the news, Chapter 77 of Ranger Reject, which released just a few days after the announcement broke, featured a special color spread depicting Green Keeper and his battalion chowing down on a fast food feast.
Green Battalion celebrating the anime announcement in Ranger Reject Chapter 77 “Labyrinth” (2022), Kodansha. Art by Negi Haruba via digital issue