The History of Super Sentai Series, AKA “Power Rangers”
Overview
Our goal at Kollect is to become the ultimate hub for NFT collectibles and play-to-earn games using licensed IPs and brands. To help achieve our goals, we are delighted to announce that the first branded IP integrated into Kollect will be the Super Sentai Series, also known as the Power Rangers series!
The Origin: Super Sentai Series
The Super Sentai Series is the name of the long-running Japanese “Tokusatsu” genre of shows produced by Toei and Bandai. The series featured various live-action characters, colorful special effects and was created specifically for children’s entertainment.
In each Super Sentai series, the protagonists are a team of humans who transform into superheroes using devices they wear on their wrists or in their hands and gain superpowers. Protagonists, recognized by their unique colored uniform, wield signature weapons, sidearms, and combat abilities to fight a group of otherworldly supervillains who threaten to take over Earth. A typical episode involves the heroes foiling the enemies’ plans, defeating an army of enemy soldiers, and the Monster of the Week before being confronted by an augmented version of the monster.
The Ideation of Power Rangers
The idea of Power Rangers and the adaptation of Super Sentai towards the western market all began in the late 1970s as Toei Company and Marvel Comics decided to join a strategic partnership in which they would adapt concepts to their respective audiences. This ultimately led to the creation of the Japanese Spider-man series along with three other Super Sentai series that have found great success in Japan. Although this did not lead to any adaptation towards the american market, this was the start of the ideation phase of Power Rangers.
Fast forward to the 80s in which Haim Saban made a business trip to Japan, the Super Sentai series instantly captivated him. The concept of colorful superheroes in masked spandex fighting monsters was something he wanted to adapt and bring to the western market. Although faced with countless reactions from networks and production conglomerates, his long-time colleague and Fox Kids president, Margaret Loesche, took a chance on the idea.
Adapting the Super Sentai Series
The production of Power Rangers episodes seen in the Western world today involves the extensive localization and revision of original Super Sentai source material derived from Japan. Rather than opting towards dubbing the original Japanese content, the Power Rangers program decided to replace the Japanese actors with English-speaking actors of their own to incorporate more of the western culture and its relevance to its respective audience.
Saban decided to start his journey by first adapting the 16th Sentai series, Zyuranger, which eventually became the foundation of what most of the world now knows as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, along with most future seasons of the franchise, have taken Sentai footage as the foundation and replaced merely the footage of Japanese actors with English-speaking counterparts as this significantly decreases production value.
Distribution and Confusion
Despite initial backlash towards the violence incorporated in a children’s show, Power Rangers and the Super Sentai series have found great success as it has crossed borders and become an internationally recognized franchise. As of 2021, the Power Rangers franchise consists of 28 television seasons of 21 different themed series and three theatrical films.
Broadcast in the East Asian Market has been treated differently than the distribution in other international markets. Rather than being branded as ‘Power Rangers’ with English-speaking actors and cultural adaptations, some countries such as Korea know ‘Power Rangers’ as the Korean-Subbed or dubbed version of the Super Sentai Series counterparts.
Conclusion
The integration of Power Rangers series into Kollect’s ecosystem will be Kollect’s first foray into certifiable limited and branded items, empowering our community to buy, sell, trade, and battle NFTs from some of their favorite fictional universes!
Like how the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers launched the Super Sentai Series onto the global scene and created a new wave for the brand, Kollect will do the same for the NFT industry by bringing real utility through its unique Collection Book systems and P2E game models.
About Kollect
Kollect is the first yield-generating and IP-driven NFT collection book in the GameFi space. Users can purchase Kollect NFTs to complete yield generating collection books and battle with friends on-chain in original play-to-earn card games. $KOL is the utility token of the Kollect ecosystem, and holders can enjoy exclusive perks and drops. Kollect envisions becoming the premium hub for NFT collectibles and play-to-earn games.
