A wise man once said “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into future”. What that has to do with eagles, we may never know. Welcome to Ten Things: Ten Super Sentai Eagles!

Whooshman-Bicarbonate Films, in conjunction with An Amateur Comics Historian and Captain Marvelous, Presents:

TEN SUPER SENTAI EAGLES!

10) GAOYELLOW

A former Defense Force pilot, Gaku Washio was recruited during a mission and is considered MIA. (This explains his bleach-blonde hair.) Because of his eagle theming, he refuses to eat the meat of birds and goes into battle with his powerful Eagle Sword, allowing him to perform the Noble Slash attack. Gaku is one of many Sentai Yellow warriors whose American counterpart is a woman, Taylor Earhardt.

9) ZYUOH EAGLE

A young zoologist Yamato Kazakiri encountered a Zyuman as a child while running away from home. The human/eagle hybrid healed his injuries and gave him a “good luck charm” that turned out to be a transformation device. As an adult, he teamed up with other Zyumen as the Red Ranger of Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger to fight the evil Deathgalien. Unusually for an animal themed Sentai Ranger, Yamato has two additional power-up forms, a gorilla and a whale, making him a master of land, sea and air!

8) BIRDMAN

Here’s where the nitpickers in the audience will start comin’ after me: Dan is an extradimensional alien and ally of Choujin Sentai Jetman (a team which, while bird-themed, lacks an eagle) and is actually a Garuda. In Hindu mythology, the Garuda is the king of all birds and very eagle-like, and thus, I’m counting it. Fight me. Dan eventually gives his life to save the Jetmen and dies in Blue Swallow’s arms.

7) G1 – THE EAGLE

Predating and presaging the entire Super Sentai franchise, Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman came out in 1972 and Super Sentai’s grampa. (In fact, the aforementioned Jetman is a direct tribute to this series.) Though not in fact a Super Sentai character, Ken Washio. AKA G-1 The Eagle and his team are the Ur Example from which our polychromatic Rangers all derive. Driven by the loss of his father early in life, Ken is a skilled pilot and an excellent leader, though he sometimes clashes with his second-in-command. Gatchaman was so successful in homaging American superhero tropes and adventures that it was adapted four American audiences over and over again. Don’t feel bad if you only know him as “Mark.”

I’m not going to absolve you if you feel guilty about knowing him as “Ace Goodheart”, though. That’s your karma, Faithful Spoilerite.

6) MAGIYELLOW

Another Garuda-themed hero who is eagle enough for our purposes, Tsubasa Ozu’s teammates are his brothers and sisters, and his power element is lightning. The rebellious little brother, Tsubasa boxes in his spare time and has one of the most perfectly-designed visors in the history of Super Sentai. His actor, Hiroya Matsumoto, returns as the Gold Ranger of Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters a few years later.