This article is about a series entry (the 28th) in the Super Sentai series.
Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (特捜戦隊デカレンジャー,Tokusō Sentai Dekarenjā), loosely translated into English as Special Investigation Squadron Detective Ranger, is the 28th season of Super Sentai. (Deka is Japanese colloquial slang for "detective" and has no direct translation, but is sometimes written over the kanji for "Keiji" - a more formal term for detective; it is also a Greek prefix "deca", meaning "ten", and a total of ten Dekarangers appear in the series and movie combined). It joined Kamen Rider Blade as part of Super Hero Time.
The footage from the show was used to create the American series Power Rangers S.P.D., to which its name was also used that year for the South Korean dub of Dekaranger, also entitled Power Rangers S.P.D. (파워레인저 S.P.D.,Pawoleinjeo S.P.D.?). This began a consistent run of Korean dubbed Super Sentai series under the Power Rangers brand following the conclusion of their original Japanese broadcast, though not always necessarily named after their American counterparts.
Shout! Factory released Dekaranger on DVD in North America on February 14, 2023.
"S.P.D.. Special Police Dekaranger. Five detectives who fight cool with burning hearts. Their mission: To combat space criminals who invaded Earth. They will protect the peace and safety of all humanity!"
The universe has come together where aliens from many different planets coincide in peace. Banban Akaza was transferred to the Earth branch of S.P.D. (Special Police Dekaranger) in the city of Megalopolis by his commander. By that time, a major outbreak of crimes had broken out by a group of aliens known as the Alienizers. Agent Abrella, an Alienizer arms dealer, turns his destructive attention to Earth by helping the criminals there. It's up to the Dekarangers to stop them and bring them to justice.
All episodes in this series are directly called "Episode.", with every episode title in English; these titles are transliterated into Japanese katakana. All titles are separated into "two words"; those that appear longer are due to a certain phrase used in one of these words (such as "High Noon" of "High Noon Dogfight", where the "High Noon" is kept together, while the "Dogfight" is made into the separate, second word).
The song Umeko sings to the children trapped on a bus in the first episode was also sung by FiveYellow in Fiveman.
Dekaranger is the only Super Sentai series in which the gender ratio is equal; out of the total ten Dekarangers, five are male and five are female.
This series is notable in that there is no central villain or evil organization at work throughout this series, although Rainian Agent Abrella serves as a recurring antagonist.
Dekaranger is the only Super Sentai series to have all the episode titles in English.
Dekaranger is credited in the ending credits of Power Rangers S.P.D. as "Deka Rangers".
The opening sequence is slightly different with every episode, with one shot displaying the villain(s) for that particular episode.
Part of this season's title, Deka, means "ten", referencing the team consisting of ten Rangers.
"Deka" is also Japanese slang for "detective".
Dekaranger has several homages to Metal Heroes. The "Tokusou" in the name, the narrator who repeats the same description every single episode (and was once self-parodied within the show), and a birdman in charge of the organization are all references to Metal Heroes, especially to that of the Space Sheriff Trilogy.
The Dino Thunder special Dino Thunder the Lost Episode shows several shots of Dekaranger footage not used in the US, and at one point the faces of four of the Dekarangers are visible as they transform.
Dekaranger is the first and so far only Super Sentai series to win the media prize Seiun Award, which is given to the best science-fiction work of either the movies or television for the year.
The Dekarangers are currently the only Sentai in which every main Ranger is called by a nickname.
Dekaranger is the last Super Sentai season to share a head writer with its immediate predecessor. While the earliest seasons of the franchise would have a head writer shared between several seasons in a row, every season since this one has had a different head writer with no less than a year break between seasons that share a head writer.