2021 - KIKAI SENTAI ZENKAIGER

[Toku Prime]

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The trademark bot on twitter has come through again. Toei has filed an application for "Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger". Don't expect any more details until at least December though.

According to folks on twitter who can read Japanese, the "kikai" does not simply mean "machine" (as in Kikaider) but uses the symbols for "machine" and "world." Zenkai could mean something like "full power."

 

[Dr Kain]

Oh god, it's going to be Go-Onger all over again, isn't it?

No, I seriously hope not.

 

[PowerPhantom245]

Machine and now Kikai (which can also mean "machine" in Japanese).
Boy, Toei sure running out of idea for title indeed.
Still, it's an interesting title.

 

[Shogun_Master]

Well, there is speculation, due to anniversary, that zenkai might be "last time," or "previously on." A note was made that it could mean a lot of things. I don't know to what degree I can trust Google Translate on this, but breaking up the word into zen & kai, I got "All Time," in which case, I think kai is just a marker word that shows that the word zen is in reference to a period of time.

They feel pretty strongly about the kikai being machine, though, since it's written in kanji. So, that would be Machine Task Force: All of Time Ranger, or Previously Ranger.

 

[Shougo B'Stard]

Seems some Japanese fans are thinking any anniversary elements or homages will...focus on past mechas. SNOOZE!

 

[Black Fang]

Well, there is speculation, due to anniversary, that zenkai might be "last time," or "previously on."

If "last time" means "This is Sentai's last time", I'd be ok with that.

 

[raden238]

Kikai means cyborg, android or robot. Kirameiger already has Mashin in its name, so its probably not going to be all cyborg rangers or machine related. I think the Zenkai part might be a reference to "time or prior history" which makes sense given its the 45th anniversary Sentai. I'm not expecting another Timeranger-like show but more of a Kamen Rider Zi-O style. I just hope they bring back the Gokaigers again and they release the latest batch of ranger keys.

 

[Dr Kain]

Oh god, no, no, no. Leave those types of anniversaries alone for the 50th. A crossover movie, fine, but no more crossovers in the series.

 

[Shogun_Master]

What else just jumped out at me, with Kikai-- Kikai means machine on its own, but with kai technically meaning a reference to time, maybe it's intended to be a clever pun for Time Machine. So, Time Machine Task Force: Previously Ranger.

 

[Toku Prime]

Honestly, I don't see much sign that Toei particularly cares about Sentai's 45th anniversary. Kiramager's fifth episodes was broadcast exactly 45 years to the day from the first episode of Goranger, and there wasn't so much as a "celebrating 45 years" title card (unlike when Ninninger had a special intro to celebrate the 40th anniversary date).

There's already stuff coming out about Kamen Rider's 50th anniversary. There's a special logo, a new project for an old series, a lot of rumours circulating that at least some of the Zi-O crew have been signed up for something else, etc. There's not been any sign of anything similar happening for Sentai.

I've also seen some speculation that this is essentially a "do over" season seeing as the pandemic lockdown kneecapped toy sales for Kiramager. I don't think that's likely either - these shows start being planned over a year in advance so this would have been in motion before COVID was a thing in Japan.