Gokaiger Episode 12 Review

Note: Images from Super Sentai Images

Warning: Spoilers Ahead



The episode starts with Luka, Ahim, and Don about to call Joe to see where he is. Marvelous stops them and tells them he'll definitely comeback. Next Joe has a flashback to when he was part of the Zangyach, who order him to kill a bunch of children that were taken prisoners. Joe couldn't do it and faught off the Zangyach soldiers to free the children. A transmitter is put around Joe's neck and he's rescued by Cid. Joe and Cid flee try to flee from the Zangyach, however, Cid is captured.



After the flashback Joe waits for Barizorg and confronts him. Joe tries to bring back Barizorg's memories as Cid, even using the distinctive move that Cid once taught him, but fails. Meanwhile back at the Gokai Galleon, Kaoru asks Marvelous what makes him so sure Joe will return. Marvelous tells them about how he first met Joe and a flashback is shown. Joe is fighting the Gormin, trying to escape on a planet already under the Zangyach's control. Marvelous then helps Joe and frees him from the transmitter. Marvelous was impressed by Joe's sword fighting skills and recruits Joe to join him to find the greatest treasure in the universe. Meanwhile Deretsueigar and an army of Gormin threaten to destroy the planet if the Gokaigers don't fight them. Marvelous tells everyone it's time to go. Kaoru tells them that the fate of the planet shouldn't matter to them, which Marvelous tells her it's not but it is their fight. Kaoru offers to help them because of Marvelous' injuries, but he refuses and told her that he's sure that his comrade Joe will come back to help them. Meanwhile, Joe grabs his Gokai changer and has a flashback first of Marvelous giving it to him in the beginning, then of the other Gokaigers joining them one by one with Luka being first, followed by Don, and then Ahim. Meanwhile the others are outnumbered by the Gormin, and each of them transform into three different past rangers. However, the Gormin and Deretsueigar are still too strong for them and cause them to de-transform.



Meanwhile, Joe is running to help his friends when he runs into Kaoru. Kaoru tells him that she concedes defeat in the dual with the condition that the Gokaigers must defeat the Zangyach. She gives Joe a Shinken disk and Joe thanks her. The others, unmorphed struggle to fight the superior numbers of the Gormin and Deretsueigar, but they're saved by Joe. They defeat the Gormin and then transform into Shinkengers. Marvelous strikes Deretsueigar with Rekka Daizantou, using one hand, while Joe puts the Shinken disk given to him by Kaoru to good use.


They defeat Deretsueigar who is revived and grown large by Insam. The Gokaigers counter him with GaoGokaiOh, but struggle initially. However, they unlock the Shinkenger powers and the mecha transforms into ShinkenGokaiOh. They defeat Deretsueigar with a slash from a giant version of Rekka Daizantou. The episode ends with Joe having a bonding moment with the other Gokaigers.

This two-parter began with a fantastic episode and ends with a fantastic episode. More about Joe's backstory is revealed and I love it. It sets for some interesting drama to look forward to with him and Barizorg/Cid. Some fans have complained that the fights were too short, particularly the one where they transformed into Shinkengers, but I didn't think so. I thought all the fight scenes were awesome. They really had to show some grit to end this. The unmorphed fight was awesome as well as the fight before that where Marvelous, Don, Luka, and Ahim transformed into several different past rangers. Marvelous had an awesome moment when he used Rekka Daizantou one handed. Speaking of Rekka Daizantou, it's giant version was overkill, but still really cool to see. It was also nice to see the nods given to Shinkenger like ShinkenGokaiOh's pose on the cliff like ShinkenOh's pose, and the Gormin growing large like the Nanashi use to do. This two-parter is the best so far from Gokaiger and leaves me expecting even more. I'm tempted to give it 10/10, but for now I give it 9.5/10 to see where the plot with Joe and Barizorg goes.