why is Red always the leader?

[Edmond Dantes]

Hey, I'm just wondering. Is it because Akaranger was red and it became tradition?

What really gets me about this is how they seem so stuck on this that they'll bend over to make red the leader when he shouldn't be. Not a sentai example, but Voltron, Keith wears a red uniform but he drives the black lion. And I believe even in some actual sentai red gets to be the leader even if he's just a kid or is a newbie or something. It seems like a tradition thing, but where did the tradition start, and/or is there a deeper significance to it?

Thats all I wanna know.

 

[xiiliea]

Red isn't always the leader. For example:

Kakuranger: White
Timeranger: Pink
Dekaranger: Pink (unofficial)
Magiranger: Green (not really the leader but he is the eldest sibling)
Gekiranger: Yellow

In many series there isn't really a leader too, just that Red always stands in the middle (eg. Goseiger, Go-Busters).

 

[Toku Prime]

Most likely it's due to color theory. To pluck a random example from the internet:

If you want to draw attention, use red. It is often where the eye looks first. Red is the color of energy. It's associated with movement and excitement. People surrounded by red find their heart beating a little faster and often report feeling a bit out of breath. It's the absolute wrong color for a baby's room but perfect to get people excited. Wearing red clothes will make you appear a bit heavier and certainly more noticeable

So quite simply, when there are a number of people on screen most people will be drawn to the red one first. There's this automatic suggestion that he'll be more interesting than the others. It also makes the red one the best choice to have in your advertising and to put on the toy packaging. Many TV shows take advantage of this - notice that the main form of many Heisei Riders are red or have some red highlights. It follows that the person who is the best choice to always be pushed up and center should be the main character. Even if red isn't the leader of his Sentai he is still always the character whose point of view the story is being told from (which is why there's always an element of Sentai being "red ranger and his amazing friends").

 

[Tom Strong]

Red isn't always the leader. For example:

Kakuranger: White
Timeranger: Pink
Dekaranger: Pink (unofficial)
Magiranger: Green (not really the leader but he is the eldest sibling)
Gekiranger: Yellow

In many series there isn't really a leader too, just that Red always stands in the middle (eg. Goseiger, Go-Busters).

Megaranger: Black

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

I thought it was all about Japanese pride. Besides white, the only other color on the Japanese flag is red.

 

[Sentaifan'07 Xman]

I thought it was all about Japanese pride. Besides white, the only other color on the Japanese flag is red.

I always thought that "Red" in Japan was the color of passion, dedication and bravery. But, I guess pride also does work as a symbol of leadership qualifications.

 

[Solari]

The Red ranger is not always the leader in the team, but Red is always the main character(the main hero) therefore they get the spotlight most often.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

The Red ranger is not always the leader in the team, but Red is always the main character(the main hero) therefore they get the spotlight most often.

Well said. Every once on a blue moon (usually when the episode is focusing on one of the other rangers), they might change the order of the roll call line up. However, if they had more roll calls where Red is NOT in the center ever, we might see less people asking these kinds of questions. It kind of diminishes the point of making someone else the leader if Red is always in the center. I won't hold every show responsible for giving Red more screen time. It happens, but other shows can be better about giving everyone else equal focus.