Does the Super Sentai and Power Rangers franchises have a unified timeline? If not, is it possible?
The Power Rangers franchise is similar but not the same as the Super Sentai franchise; while they have many similar aspects, the former was actually derived from the latter; and the latter had also been around since the mid-1970s[1] while Power Rangers first started in 1993.[2]
However, I know they are related, though how much I know not. Does anyone know if they share the same, or at least a plot-connected, universe? Is it possible to connect them in terms of in-universe chronology?
I'm asking because I'd really love to sit down and watch every episode, and there's a lot of them, so if I were to do this, I wanna do it right and I wanna know the whole freaking story, all seven hundred gajillion episodes of it.
Best Answer
Short Answer:
No, not really. Just watch whatever series/season you find interesting.
Longer Answer:
Disclaimer: I'm more familiar with the Power Rangers franchise than I am with the Super Sentai franchise.
Each show in the Super Sentai (SS) series was produced as standalone. Although there are a few crossover episodes where characters from previous shows have appeared in more current ones. This makes it appear that the shows happen in the same universe, though incidents like this are far in between and for the most part each show keeps to its own continuity.
The same goes for the Power Rangers (PR) series. To a great degree, PR shows implement the majority of the corresponding SS show elements. They will both have the same costumes, monsters, action sequences, and even the majority of the story line. However, the PR show will implement its own US only elements, such as different actors out of the suit, different names, and censoring some elements of violence or sexuality. Some PR shows have gone as far as creating action sequences and their own extra (sixth ranger) suits.
In theory, all PR shows exist in the same continuity. Characters often appear in more than one show as main characters, not just as cameos. For instance, original sixth ranger Tommy Oliver has appeared as a major character in four PR shows, and cameoed in more. However, this continuity is not without problems and serious snarls. For instance, in Super Mega Force the rangers have the ability to mimic the powers of past rangers. Among those they are able to mimic the SPD rangers, even though SPD is chronologically set far into the future of the PR timeline.
With all these continuity snarls, and the fact that both SS and PR use the same base material in different ways means that there's no real way to integrate SS and PR into one continuity.
So you don't really need to watch anything in order. Just watch whatever series (SS or PR) that you find interesting and don't worry to much about an unified story, since none exist.
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More answers regarding does the Super Sentai and Power Rangers franchises have a unified timeline? If not, is it possible?
Answer 2
No. In fact, some of the best seasons of Power Rangers have little to no connection to the story of their Sentai counterparts. The Zordon era is a unified Six seasons (seven if you count Bulk and Skull appearing in Lost Galaxy). That strayed very far from the seasons they adapted. In fact, In Space and Lost Galaxy's Sentai counterparts adapted series that had no elements of Space Travel as part of their theme (In Space was due to not receiving scripts for Megaranger in time to learn it was based on electronic devices and video games. Lost Galaxy was just because In Space did so well, and the PR adaptation was better loved in native Japan than it's source, Gingaman).
Both shows do acknowledge each other, with an episode Dino Thunder featuring the Rangers watching a dubbed episode of their Super Sentai counterpart (in universe, it was a Japanese show that fictionalized the Power Rangers. The rather silly nature of the Sentai (which tend to be sillier than the US counter parts) was used to play up the Japanese not understanding intimate concepts about the team.). Gokiger (who could use the powers of past ranger teams) twice made gags off of the American Adaptations, with the team morphing into the Turborangers when told to morph into the Carrangers (The gag here is that the Sentai team Turborangers was never ported to the States, but Carranger was the source for Power Rangers Turbo. Carranger's itself being a parody of Sentai in general and Turborangers specifically also worked). Another scene involved the Sentai fanboy sixth ranger telling the team to hand him the key to morph the Gold Shinkenger ("the Gold one with the Kanji on his face"), and mistaking being mistakenly handed the key to Ohranger's King Ranger (Which was Zeo Ranger's Gold Ranger in the States. The Kanji refers to the design of the helmet, which featured a Kanji for "King" as part of the visor. An official Gold Ranger would not be seen in Sentai until Dekaranger, some time later.)
Following that, the actor who played Kyouger Blue would go on to congradulate the actor who played his Power Ranger's Dino Charge counterpart. An Indonesian Native, the U.S. actor grew up watching Dubbed Sentai and was quite the fanboy and was futher acknowledged by having a cameo appearance where he helped the concurrent Ninniger team (Power Rangers Ninja Steel in the states). Ninniger also featured a Sixth Ranger who seemed to be a playful jab at Power Rangers (being an American who was so dedicated to the teaching of the Ninniger's mentor that he decided to build his own Ranger systems and help out).
Additionally to this, several of the cast are cross pollinated between the Japanese behind the scenes and the U.S. behind the scenes. The writer who wrote the two Gokiger gags also writes for the U.S. version of Power Rangers. As of speaking, the current season has seen close U.S. influence on the Japanese development team (After a string of seasons that were poorly received on one side of the pacific than the other and a few that just would not translate well). Kyouranger has generally been well received by Americans as it is Sentai's first Space Opera themed season (a concept that Power Ranger fans have clearly embraced).
Answer 3
I think that the two timelines are disconnected, but I am not an expert; here are the links:
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