Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Aired from: Feb 26, 2012 to ??

<Previous Sentai: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Concurrent airing: Hikounin Sentai AkibaRanger

>Next Sentai: ??

Special Missions Sentai Go-Busters 特命戦隊ゴーバスターズ

The 36th Super Sentai series that started February 26th, 2012. Catchphrases are "Busters, ready? Go!" and "It's Time For Buster!"

Plot

Takes place in N.C. 2012, where NC probably stands for New Century. The Japanese term for NC is Shin-seireki 新西暦 which approximately means New/Neo AD. On Christmas 1999, a virus made the main computer of the Transport Research Center to become sentient. Calling itself Messiah, it plotted to take over the world, but was foiled when the whole center was teleported into subspace. Three children were the only survivors of the event, modified with a vaccine to combat the computer virus. Their modifications allow them to withstand teleportation, gives them special powers, but also gives them weak points. They grow up to be the Go-Busters in the Energy Management Center's Special Missions Department.

The series focuses on a resource called Enetron, something that the good guys have in abundance and that the bad guys, the Vaglass, are constantly going after. Both sides use giant mecha called Megazords. Enetron is managed by the Energy Management Center (Energy Kanri Kyoku エネルギー管理局) also known as E.M.C.

Characters

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

The agents in the field for the Special Missions Department of the E.M.C. Since the show's theme is ostensibly spies, they wear Men in Black style glasses when in the field, their logo is based on sunglasses, and the final move of their transformation is to attach the visors from their wrist device to their helmet. This needs to be done any time they take off their helmets.

Sakurada Hiromu 桜田ヒロム / Red Buster
Actor: Suzuki Katsuhiro 鈴木勝大 / Suit Actor: Oshikawa Yoshifumi 押川善文
A socially awkward 20 year old who was raised by his only surviving family, his older sister, Sakurada Rika. Both his parents, both researchers, were lost in the 1999 Christmas incident. Overly straightforward and somewhat stunted emotionally, he often clashes with his team members and his Buddyroid partner Chida Nick.
Powers: Super speed/teleportation.
Weak point: Freezes when he sees chickens.

Iwasaki Ryuuji 岩崎リュウジ / Blue Buster
Actor: Baba Ryouma 馬場良馬 / Suit Actor: Takeuchi Yasuhiro 竹内康博
The big brother of the group. 28 years old.
Powers: Super strong arms.
Weak point: Overheats, when he does he goes out of control.

Usami Youko 宇佐見ヨーコ / Yellow Buster
When her name appears in English in-series, it's written as Yoko
Actor: Komiya Arisa 小宮有紗 / Suit Actor: Hachisuka Yuuichi 蜂須賀祐一
16 years old, apparently still in high school.
Powers: Strong legs.
Weak point: Must keep her calorie levels up, otherwise she crashes. In show she is shown to be constantly snacking.

Buddyroid バディロイド

Chida Nick チダ・ニック
Voice actor: Fujiwara Keiji 藤原啓治
While most the Buddyroids' last names are based on a food they eat, Nick's is slightly modified. Cheetah's eat meat/niku, but they spell it as nikku like the name Nick. His first name is an amalgam of Cheetah and Sakurada.

Gorisaki Banana ゴリサキ・バナナ
Voice actor: Genda Tesshou 玄田哲章
Neurotic. Unlike Nick and Usada, Gorisaki didn't grow up with Ryuuji, who is older than the other two Busters. His name is a combination of Gorilla and Iwasaki.

Usada Lettuce ウサダ・レタス
Voice actor: Suzuki Tatsuhisa 鈴木達央
Snarky and smart-mouthed, Usada often refers to himself in the third person. Like Nick, he is often seen scolding his partner, Youko. Usada's last name breaks the pattern since Usagi/bunny and Usami would normally make Usami. I guess they just added a generic -da to make it so their names didn't overlap.

Support staff

Kuroki Takeshi 黒木タケシ
Actor: Sakaki Hideo 榊英雄
The commander. Cold, calculating, he prioritizes the mission above all else. When he yells his voice becomes all guttural and he talks out of his throat.

Morishita Tooru 森下トオル
Actor: Takahashi Naoto 高橋直人
An operator that gives support for the Go-Busters.

The Vaglass

Enter - Enter is introduced as the main villain in the series. His appearance is that of a young human dressed in a silver body suit while wearing a techno motive shades and lugs around a big canister pack on his back. He speaks with what appears to be a mash up of Japanese and French, normally expressing his delight or displeasure in French. His personality is portrayed as a confident, jovial and cold scheming antagonist. His name is derived from the computer key 'Enter' which is funny as his role mostly involves creating monsters of the week by inserting chips into normal objects and entering the required data to produce such monsters. Though a reoccurring main villain, he is seen mostly attending to the will of Messiah and had been tasked to steal Energron. Even though mostly seen creating grunts and Metaroids, Enter is revealed to be capable of defending himself by lashing at his opponents with what appears to be an array of computer cables and wires that are used like whips and are capable of striking individually like snakes.

Messiah

Buglars バクラー - The expendable grunts. Enter creates them by swiping his card on his machine.

Metaroids メタロイド - The monster of the weak. Created by Enter placing a chip on an object then swiping a card. The Metaroid created gains the property of the object Enter used, plus it becomes a teleportation marker for the Megazord.

Giant Robo Megazord 巨大ロボメガゾード - Currently comes in three types: Alpha (Speed type), Beta (Power type), Gamma (Reinforced battle type) which usually are seen having the same appearance traits of the Metaroid that was created beforehand as well as the Metaroid's attributes.

Chronology

Episode	Title	Air date
Mission 1	Tokumei Sentai, Assemble! 特命戦隊、集結せよ!	Feb. 26, 2012
Mission 2	Promise From 13 Years Ago 13年前の約束	March 4, 2012
Mission 3	GT-02 Animal, Deploy! GT-02アニマル、出撃!	March 11, 2012
Mission 4	Specials Missions and Determination 特命と決意	March 18, 2012
Mission 5	Overheated and Out of Control! キケンな熱暴走!	March 25, 2012
Mission 6	Gattai! GoBuster-Oh 合体!ゴーバスターオー	April 1, 2012
Mission 7	Ace Can't Be Fixed? エース整備不良?	April 8, 2012
Mission 8	Protect the Machine's Design! マシン設計図を守れ!	April 15, 2012
Mission 9	Usada Recovery Operation! ウサダ奪還作戦!	April 22, 2012
Mission 10	Reason for Fighting 戦う理由	April 29, 2012
Mission 11	The Weak Point is being Targeted ねらわれたウイークポイント	May 6, 2012
Mission 12		May 13, 2012

Music

Opening Theme

"Busters Ready Go!" (バスターズレディーゴー!, Basutāzu Redī Gō!?) Artist: Hideyuki Takahashi (Project.R)

Ending Themes

"Kizuna ~ Go-Busters!" (キズナ～ゴーバスターズ!, Kizuna ~ Gōbasutāzu!?, "Bonds ~ Go-Busters~") Artist: Nazo no Shin Unit Starmen (謎の新ユニットSTA☆MEN, Nazo no Shin Yunitto Sutāmen?, The Mysterious New Unit Starmen)

""One Wish, One Day" Artists: Katsuhiro Suzuki & Keiji Fujiwara

References to Power Rangers

Go-Busters contains several references to Power Rangers, which is the American remake of Super Sentai . Usually these references refer to 'firsts' in Sentai history of plot devices already in place in Power Rangers.

The mecha are called MegaZords. This is for both the heroes and villains. The difference is that individual mecha are also called MegaZords, unlike in Power Rangers where the name refers to a "giant robo", usually a combiner. 'Zord' is used as a suffix for Metaroids' MegaZords, such as ShovelRoid's ShovelZord.
The term "Zord", which originated in Power Rangers, was also used. The last time this happened in Super Sentai was for the G-Zord in Mirai Sentai Timeranger.
The Morphin Brace shouts "It's Morphin' Time!" when activated, which was used throughout Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Zeo, the first two Power Rangers adaptations of Super Sentai shows.
Also the Morphin Brace has a sunglasses theme similar to Power Rangers: Jungle Fury, except the Go-Busters don't actually put them on like the Jungle Fury rangers but the sunglasses form the Visor when the Go-busters shout "Let's Morphin"
The main villain, Messiah, is very similar to Power Rangers: R.P.M.'s Venjix as they were both computer viruses, not to mention very impatient and angry. Messiah is also a floating head from a different dimension, just like Zordon.