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u/Pantastic_Studios 3d ago
Really gotta give the villains credit for not attacking while the heroes morph or power up or whatever.
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u/Enchelion 3d ago
It's part of the deal. The heroes give the villains time to fully monologue, and in return they get to do their power-up sequence.
Last bastion of proper chivalry.
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u/TheMadBug 3d ago
Also the heroes agree not to start in a giant robot form to crush the villains. The villains always get first dibs at becoming super sized.
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u/djseifer 2d ago
In one of the Spider-verse comics, the Superior Spider-Man is tasked with recruiting Takuya Yamashiro, the Japanese Spider-man, who's in battle in his giant mecha against a giant monster.
Superior Spider-Man, who's in a hurry, convinces Yamashiro that instead of a drawn out battle ending in his finishing move, he should just open with it instead. Yamashiro uses his move and promptly kills the monster, remarking afterward that it felt dishonorable using such a tactic. Fun fact: Japanese Spider-Man is the origin of giant mechas in sentai shows!
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u/Enchelion 3d ago
Man... Someone should make Austin Powers but for Sentai series.
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u/Lanster27 2d ago
The villiains are obviously frozen in awe from the sheer impact of the transformation scene.
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u/Bladebrent 3d ago
This happens a couple times in Kamen Rider. Notably in Kamen Rider Build, the main villain is about to 'take the fight serious' and go to their strongest form, but Build stops him from doing so. Build WINS that fight, and what happens?
The main villain goes "ah, Gg's man. I'll let you have this one" then CASUALLY WALKS AWAY. Like he doesn't teleport, or do ANYTHING that would stop Build from chasing him. He literally just turns around and walks away. This guy was planning to destroy the earth btw. Like, what, would it be UNFAIR to kill him now cause its not the final episode or what?
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u/Fireplace67 2d ago
I will point out that in Build specifically, there are several times where soldiers will open fire on Build or Cross-Z as they start their transformation sequence, and the bullets are shown bouncing off the framework that forms around them. Similarly, the first time Kamen Rider Zeztz transforms, the Gun Nightmare tries to shoot him, only to find out that he literally turns into smoke during the transformation before reforming into Zeztz.
There are, in fact, plenty of tokusatsu shows that actively explain why villains don't attack during the power-up sequences.
As for letting the main villain go, that's less excusable, but honestly I can't remember it happening all that often in Build. Far more often is when he just steals their latest power-up after getting "beaten" ("getting the crap kicked out of me was all part of my 87 step plan, you see!") and uses it to immediately make himself too strong for them to fight.
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u/Bladebrent 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah, I feel that happens quite often in KR where they explain the transformation actually protects them (shout out to Riders whose henshin actually double as attacks, like Blade's turn-up shoving a guy away, or the like). Not to mention halfway through the series they usually just start running into the fight, then transform off-screen so they jump into the fight transformed. That scene in Build though really stood out to me cause it genuinely makes no sense to just let him run away but Build's writing wasnt exactly the cleanest anyway.
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u/swviper 2d ago
Saw this video a while ago...it's interesting the historical aspect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F8GouDV7UY
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u/PuffySpiderNipples 2d ago
There are some villains in Kamen Rider that actually attack you mid transformation and the guy has to move around while half posing until he finishes. Sounds dumb but considering how its 'necessary' to pose in order to transform, it gives a bit of hype for the fight.
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u/zarlus8 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's a YT video that humourously talks about the villain being physically unable to attack during transformations as the sequence releases so much energy their weapons would be of no use.
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u/kpanzer 2d ago
I saw one similar to that.. it might have been the same one but I remember being about magical girls transforming and light.
Since magical girls transformations involve lights and them levitated off the ground so a considerable amount of energy is being used.
Light has little to no mass so it would take over 100 gigawatts of power to lift 50kg (110lb) teenager using light.
An average nuclear power reactor produces about 1 gigawatt of power and there are only 94 in the US.
So... a magical girl transformation generates roughly the same amount of power as of every nuclear reactor in the US at the same time.
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u/IllPresentation7860 3d ago
funny enough there is actually a reason for this. its a tradition aging back to the days of the samurai. samurai in battles actually introduced each other in showy/detailed ways before battle...because it was part of their job so to speak. because they basically got rewarded depending on who they defeated or killed so unless they knew the person and titles they had before killing each other they didnt get paid for crap so this is just evolved from that.
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u/Jim3001 3d ago
Shogun: And who did you killed on the field of battle? Me: Um...he said "I am Tosh-" but then I decapitated him. Shogun: ....you dishonourable fool! Now we'll never know what he was worth! Me: But...I won!
😂
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u/TheArhive 2d ago
Won? Against who??
As far as I know, you killed a random grave robber.
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u/Traveller2471 2d ago
not just a random grave robber no, it was Toshizen of the Twin Lion Peaks - Lv.153 (Grave Robber)
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u/suture224 3d ago
There's a similar tradition in Kabuki theater called the mie, where the actor freezes in a dramatic pose at a key moment while wooden clappers crack, and the audience shouts the actor's name. Kabuki borrowed a lot from samurai-era stories, so it feels like the same showy self-introduction spirit carried onto the stage.
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u/SeverynUA 2d ago
And if I’m not mistaken when the Mongols invaded Japan, the samurais tried to introduce themselves like this too, only to be suddenly attacked mid-speech. Rude :/
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u/KnuxFive 3d ago
Came to say this; I love Toku (have a Decade tattoo), but this actually has a historical basis.
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u/Altamistral 2d ago
Not that different from medieval knights, which often had heralds presenting their titles and feats.
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u/ashrafhorlicks 2d ago
so then they are not very good at their job? i can be samurai in my sleep
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u/Ok-Wave8206 1d ago
Funny enough the “best” samurai was Miyamoto Musashi who was notorious for not doing any of that bullshit. He’d show up hours late or surprise attack before the duel began, anything for the advantage. He’d mock his opponents to enrage them, he’d feign injury, he’d blatantly break rules agreed upon by both parties prior. He once used a boat oar to beat an opponent taking advantage of its long reach and ridiculous look to throw them off guard. He used any and every advantage he could find whether it was considered honorable or not. Honor means nothing when you’re dead.
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u/Fr05t_B1t 3d ago
[end of episode] “Come back next week to see the first punch and just the first punch thrown!”
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u/gerkessin 3d ago
I better not see a single punch thrown until I get the entire backstory of every single one of those action figures
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u/Fr05t_B1t 3d ago
And then the backstory of their supporting characters
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u/SoulofMoon 3d ago
and the backstory of their whole family tree.
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u/eagleone1one 2d ago
And dont forget the sob story for the villian, then the filler arc for the ostrich ninja.
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u/Squirll 2d ago
Reminds me of an Onion video from when the MCU was going hot. Its a guy reviewing Civil War i think and complaining about how many extras and random people were in it and not knowing who they are and why they didnt have an origin story and their own movie to explain it ahead of time.
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u/NoPossibility 3d ago
Hold on now, these aren’t even their final forms yet!
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u/Fr05t_B1t 3d ago
That’s episode 100. Right before the villains monologue but after the 25 episode arc of their long lost friend coming to tell them “I believe in you!”
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u/RivetSquid 3d ago
This is a collab movie by the looks of it, like when you get a big Marvel franchise payoff flick and there's like, 2 seconds to see and be excited by all of the characters who didn't get their own movies.
Actual in show Kamen Rider transformations are much faster and every once in awhile you do get an enemy trying to make the kill before the transformation is finished.
Memorably there's also Kabuto where the outfit changing hurts the enemy (armor plates fly off for a light, faster form, and they weaponize that a lot)
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u/Lanster27 2d ago
There's a recap of the whole transformation scene and you're left with 2 minutes of new footage.
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u/JNAB0212 2d ago
People really do just base their entire idea of Japanese media on anime, don’t they?
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u/youmustbedocholiday 3d ago
Villains (while staring intensely at the protagonist): "So this is the technique I've heard so much about."
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u/StoneMa123 2d ago
Villains in Japanese follow with battle principles. That’s all I can explain about.
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u/Vadenveil 2d ago
Iirc this is actually the idea. The trope originates from the fact samurai would announce themselves and all their monikers and accolades before fighting... Mostly to judge if the other guy was worth slaying. It evolved in media into "look you don't hit them while they're transforming it's dishonourable, rude, and you never know if said transformation is gonna come with some form of explosion or repellant effect.
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u/YSBawaney 2d ago
At the same time, I feel like it's better to let them transform if you can't kill them in one hit. Could you imagine how distracting it would be if you're fighting and suddenly a flash of lightning and some animatronic voice shouting "Rawr ! Rawr! Everyone do the dinosaur! Dino Red ! T Raxe!"
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u/GrlDuntgitgud 2d ago
So does heroes allowing villains to transform. Except Eren that sumvitch aint playin fair
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u/shadowtheimpure 3d ago
Minor correction: this is specific to heroes in the tokusatsu (special effects) hero show genre. The elaborate henshin sequences are a hallmark of modern tokusatsu, but the shows themselves still rely on lots of practical effects in addition to the CGI.
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u/near_reverence 3d ago
Adding to your correction, this extra long henshin scene is for special occasion. This one is a collaboration between kamen rider and sentai, with each having their own henshin scene.
So, not exactly “average”.
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u/Chuk741776 3d ago
I had figured it was something like that. If you take Avengers Endgame and put the entire "gathering all of the heroes together" sequence together, it probably seems similar
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u/RivetSquid 3d ago
It's also a little bit of a brag. Often in these things you can use anyone as a suit actor, but may not be able to get in the actual plain clothes actor.
When they transform like this onscreen it's like saying, "look, that actor has since done some bigger stuff, but they still came back for a couple seconds of what amounts to a cameo."
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u/Zomburai 3d ago
TIL Sailor Moon is tokusatsu
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u/shadowtheimpure 3d ago
The live-action adaptation was, but not the anime. Tokusatsu is, by definition, live-action using practical and CGI special effects.
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u/Zomburai 3d ago
Yes, I'm quite aware. I'm ribbing your assertion that it's a trope specific to toku
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u/Swiftax3 3d ago
I nean a trope can be shared by multiple genres. Magical girl is absolutly heavily influenced by Tokusatsu characters. Like sci fi space battles being depicted often like age of discovery navel engagements; they're both genres about exploration, pirates, and discovery.
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u/VanillaRoadie 3d ago
I mean sort of, the mahou shoujo genre has A LOT of tokusatsu roots but usually tokusatsu is live-action
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u/Impossible_Whomp3775 2d ago
Fun fact canonically they are invincible when transforming in most cases stopping it is next to impossible
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u/ElementmanEXE 2d ago
Funny enough at one point this same white ranger got pushed away from his transformation gear before he could transform
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u/CriticalFig7373 2d ago
Kamen rider V3 gets shot in the leg mid pose and deadass has to limp away to get the bullet removed
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u/FulgrimThePhoenician 3d ago
And they said American cartoons in the 80's were about selling toys. They're straight up using the toys as props for this show.
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u/98VoteForPedro 3d ago
More practical
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u/DarkDevitt 3d ago
IIRC, they actually ended up using the toys in Star Trek, because the actors tried a bunch of different props and hated how all of them felt. Tried the toys, and liked them better.
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u/charonill 3d ago
Probably helps that the toys likely went through some kind of design process that accounted for ergonomics/hand feel vs some prop a busy prop master slapped together in an afternoon.
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u/Allansfirebird 3d ago
Yup, it was the Phase Pistols made by Art Asylum/Diamond Select Toys for Enterprise.
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u/TheUltraGuy101 2d ago
Funny thing is, the props here most of the time aren't really the toy versions (as it's bigger in size for adult handling).
These show-accurate versions will later be released as premium collector items.
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u/BlindingDart 2d ago
"Average"
*looks inside*
"It's a generational crossover special"
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u/kyleliner 2d ago
Yeah, imagine the hype when you see these intros that normally follow the theme of the season they're from (example from Power Rangers: ninja themed intros, amusement park themed intros, vehicle themed intros, etc.) be shown in the same episode, the excitement that your inner child must be feeling at that moment!
Literally that di Caprio pointing meme, but repeated over and over again
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u/Badalight 3d ago
Wait, what is this from? It's every kamen rider vs. every red ranger?
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u/shadowtheimpure 3d ago
It's from the Zenkaiger movie "Super Hero Senki" which was a collab with Kamen Rider Saber.
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u/GeorgiaOKeefinItReal 3d ago
Jfc...4 mil at the box office
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u/shadowtheimpure 3d ago
And it met Toei's commercial targets, which tells you that the box office returns were just a bonus on the merchandise, BluRay, and toy sales.
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u/Halfwise2 3d ago edited 2d ago
I love how they all use the cheap plastic marketable merchandise, so that your child at home can own the real thing!!!! <Some assembly required.>
(Edit: I think there was some misunderstanding... I'm not saying there is a problem with there being toys of the items in the show. I'm saying its weird that the items in the show look like toys.)
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u/JNAB0212 2d ago
If they didn’t the shows would get canceled, it’s how they make their money
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u/XF10 2d ago
Redditors discovering all of anime/toku is made to sell either DVDs or toys and it's how Pokemon,Gundam,Kamen Rider etc. are so massive
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u/TrashyLolita 3d ago
This happens in anime as well. It all goes back to ancient Japanese customs in samurai battle where each opponent gives detailed introductions (name, ranks, etc.). It's translated over to modern fantastical storytelling with henshin heroes like this.
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u/rukuto 3d ago
Ah you saw that video... I was going through the comments looking for this...
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u/KUNAIYOFACE 3d ago
Villains wait because its considerate and cool to watch.
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u/Greatking_rib 2d ago
Incidentally, the villain in this film is the type who might sneer at the heroes, saying something like, "At the end of the day, you’re nothing more than derivative works! You just keep recycling the same old motifs over and over—you’re a dead franchise!"
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u/KnuxFive 3d ago
Given that America did not have samurai, our villains aren’t as proper.
https://youtu.be/KXGvtKwBD4o?is=_lpeBEtkZUmZtlCD
EDIT: this may also just unintentionally be the American tradition of power-mad cops firing on (then) unarmed citizens.
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u/Pesky_Moth 2d ago
Is this show just a toy commercial
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u/BlindingDart 2d ago
Not quite. The female villains often dress in lingerie so it's also softcore porn.
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u/Hephaestus_God 3d ago
Is this like a cameo of all the transformations? Why there so many ranger people lol
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u/KnuxFive 3d ago
Basically, it was a movie crossover between the then-current KAMEN RIDER SABER and KIKAI SENTAI ZENKAIGER; since it was a movie, they had the budget to hire extra stunt actors to fill out all the previous Red Ranger and lead Kamen Rider suits.
Except Kamen Rider Shin. They’re not putting anyone in that suit anymore; they just roll out the mannequin.
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u/MrBones-Necromancer 2d ago
...why? What did shin do?
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u/KnuxFive 2d ago
Shin’s suit was only ever meant to be in a one-off movie in the 1990’s.
They’ve kept it around, but the thing is falling apart to the point that, if they have these “all Riders” scenes, he either is just composited in or applied to a mannequin and just not posing.
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u/MrBones-Necromancer 2d ago
Ah, nothing bad then. I thought this was gonna be a "Shin's actor died doing a stunt in Kamen Rider episode 34" or like "Oh, Shin's actor killed somebody" or something and they had to retire the suit. This is much better.
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u/KnuxFive 2d ago
Ah, no, he’s not GokaiSilver or GozyuUnicorn (joking on the last one)
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u/forte343 3d ago
It's a cross over special, so it's got the extra budget for a longer sequence, it's not usually this long
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u/abe5765 3d ago
First thing half of Japan is on fire from the amount of transformation explosions
Second the villains are probably savoring their last moments alive because every kamen rider and red super sentai is the actual definition of overkill
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u/camus88 2d ago
Modern Kamen Rider is blatantly advertise their toys and too crowded every time they change. No more subtlety
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u/Other_Hall5820 2d ago
Gao Gai Gar played it straight. When the robots combine, a green cyclone's emitted from the core robot and the combination happens inside. Then in one of the early episodes, an enemy did try to interrupt, but got pushed back by the green cyclone, so you think "oh, so that's what the cyclone's for".
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u/Absurdwonder 3d ago
Do people legitimately sit through all that ?
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u/Im-Not-ThatGuy 3d ago
Do all these shows share a gravel lot? I swear I've seen this exact scenario, the main rangers transforming in front of a bunch of previous rangers, happen in the same place as Power Rangers Megaforce.
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u/Fine_Sea5807 3d ago
Yeah, the location is called Mount Iwafune in Tochigi, Japan.
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u/KnuxFive 3d ago
They have a number of “easy to film” locations.
At least it’s not the “Toei backlot curved roadway” or “Toei rooftop”.
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u/TheUltraGuy101 2d ago
Yeah, and you can actually book a spot there to do your own "explosion in background" photoshoot.
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u/ItsNotJulius 2d ago
It's an abandoned quarry so it's safe to use explosions and stuff. They've been doing this since the Showa era.
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u/Geoclasm 3d ago
Not always - DB:GT; the fight against hats his face I forget, but he wouldn't just stand there and let Vegeta and Goku do their fusion shenanigans.
They were still able to pull it off, but he didn't just stand by while they did it. It required some effort on their part.
And the heroes in that series are even more guilty of this.
The fight against Freeza (Frieza? Whatever), they just stood there and let him transform multiple times.
TFS lampshaded the hell out of it lol.
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u/Training_Ad_4790 3d ago
Frieza standing there while goku charges a spirit bomb for like 4 episodes was hilarious.
"Why's he just standing there....o well maybe he's just dumb....but what if he's not?"
Jesus just death beam him and be done with it lol
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u/SoberSith_Sanguinity 3d ago
Yeahhh, but we are seeing it through the lens of a semi Omniscient being that knows Goku isn't going to lose this fight, how could he? He's the protagonist! Especially after watching DragonBall.
Frieza believes it is the absolute and nothing has proven it therwise. Recall how Frieza didn't bother to train whatsoever until it was clear Goku was some bullshit. The training never entered his mind because everyone else was so weak. Ordained to be Supreme, there is no other possibility. Just by being what it is. It's like saying "I better train to kill these flies. They're weak, but fast. I hate them. Why do they insist on annoying me?"
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u/PhantasyAngel 3d ago
Meanwhile goku waits for everybody to power up. Because he wants to fight them at there best.
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u/Training_Ad_4790 3d ago
Thats a saiyan thing. Vegeta did the same to Cell where he let Cell go to absorb 18 and become "perfect" just so he could prove Cell was trash.
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u/toomanydice 2d ago
This is referenced in DBS when 17 interrupts a transformation sequence only to be scolded by multiple characters for being rude.
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u/satsuppi 3d ago
.... Thats not my Kamen Rider Blade..
wheres my "TURN UP" /s
yes, i did see original Blade in the line up
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u/machu_pikacchu 3d ago
I know that Covid is partly to blame but I’m still bitter at how astoundingly mediocre Saber is, especially compared to Zenkaiger.
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u/PhoenixFox 2d ago
They seem to love confusingly similar names for entirely unrelated riders in different seasons.
Blade and Blades, Geiz and Geats (and also a group of people called Gates), ZO and Zi-O (which are pronounced totally differently, and ZX uses a different Z pronunciation to either of them and a different X pronunciation to X), Garren and Garun, Lance and Lancer...
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u/Apprehensive_Ad5543 2d ago
Probably go to a commercial break after that intro lol
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u/monkey_D_v1199 2d ago
It’s part of the charm! Besides just because they’re monsters doesn’t mean they can’t be polite
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u/Maleficent_Flow_8355 3d ago
Accurate WoW new raid experience. Bosses staring at the raid buffing up for 5 minutes, then wipe their ass in 30 seconds.
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u/No_Staff_6084 2d ago
Wow. I don't remember the Kamen Raider costumes be that cheap looking.
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u/DonutBusy5300 2d ago
Iirc, they use the original, like THE original early 1971 suits for this movie.Not the later refurbished one.
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u/ManSharkBear 2d ago
Villains: "What if we trapped them in an endless loop and harnessed their transformational powers to fuel our evil schemes?"
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u/LaughR01331 3d ago
Isn’t this an echo of when samurai would do the whole naming thing during fights so that way when you brought the severed head back you’d be able to brag about it?
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u/tex2934 2d ago
This is why I couldn’t get into DBZ. Like 3 episodes of Goku just fucking screaming and the villain staring at him like OMG
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u/JNAB0212 2d ago
This is just for the movie, the individual shows don’t do transformation and roll calls that go on this long
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u/FAshcraft 2d ago
its about respect and also new era rider henshin is a trap, so going in is also a bad idea.
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u/Pisceswriter123 2d ago
0:37 through 0:39, I thought some of them were finally attacking. Nope. More transformation.
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u/Halfwise2 2d ago
... You know, I just realized "Power Rangers" are just "Magical Girls" for the other side of the demographic.
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u/kr4ckenm3fortune 2d ago
Usually, in real world, it happen within 1 sec. This dragged out is for us idiot who can't keep up.
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u/Kodaik-69_G_E_T 2d ago
Long enough to call your mom your dad your uncle your aunt your grandpa and talk to your grandma.
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u/OkEstate4804 2d ago
The Heroes: In order to save time, we'll do our transformations simultaneously.
Villains: CANTHEARANYTHINGSOFREAKINLOUD!
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u/Borgmaster 3d ago
This really showed me just how much these shows are made to sell toys. Look at all that plastic.