Japan’s iconic superhero series **Super Sentai**, which inspired the popular *Power Rangers* franchise, is ending after 50 years on the air. According to local media reports, the decision to end *Super Sentai* comes as merchandise sales and event proceeds have failed to cover production costs. Broadcaster TV Asahi declined to comment on future programming when approached by MANTANWEB.
*Super Sentai* premiered in 1975 and follows five teenagers who transform into masked fighters to battle aliens. The team typically consists of three men and two women, led by a hero in a red suit—a formula familiar to *Power Rangers* fans. The remaining team members are color-coded, featuring green, black, blue, yellow, and pink fighters.
The show’s martial arts sequences and live-action action made *Super Sentai* an iconic series in Japan. It went on to inspire the U.S. *Power Rangers* series, which debuted in 1993 under the direction of Israeli-American entrepreneur Haim Saban. The *Power Rangers* franchise has since launched countless spinoffs and become a significant part of pop culture.
Reflecting on the inspiration for *Power Rangers*, Saban shared in a 2017 interview with the *Los Angeles Times*:
*“I’m laying in bed in my hotel room in Japan. At the time there was no Netflix, no cable, no nothing — just three channels playing game shows. All of a sudden, there were these five kids in spandex fighting monsters. Don’t ask me why, but I fell in love. It was so campy!”*
Motivated to reimagine the series for a U.S. audience, Saban initially found *Power Rangers* a tough concept to sell:
*“Every selling season, I would go out and offer it to the networks and would get kicked out of the room,”* he recalled. *“They told me how crazy I was.”*
It wasn’t until after Saban Entertainment’s first hit with the 1992 *X-Men* animated series that attitudes began to shift. Former Fox Kids President Margaret Loesch told Saban she was looking for something “quirky and different, with comedy and action” that would appeal to boys—paving the way for *Power Rangers*’ success.
As *Super Sentai* comes to an end, its legacy lives on through the franchise it inspired and the generations of fans who grew up watching these colorful, heroic teams battle evil.
https://popculture.com/tv-shows/news/iconic-tv-show-ending-after-50-years/
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