Tsuyoshi Kaijo

"Akarenger!"

Tsuyoshi Kaijo (海城 剛, Kaijō Tsuyoshi) is Akarenger (アカレンジャー, Akarenjā), leader of the Gorengers, with the designation number "1". He is the younger brother of the Kantou EAGLE base captain.

Gorenger
Kaijo was undergoing special training in combat planning and strategy. He is a natural born leader and tactician. While still young and brash at times, he showed a maturity level well beyond his years. Kaijo was also the “Ace Striker” for the EAGLE Japan Soccer Team. He was a master of disguise and an expert sharpshooter. His brother died in the Kuro Jujigun’s attack on their base.

As Akarenger, Kaijo was team leader of the group and often helped coordinate the group attacks such as the “Gorenger Storm” or “Gorenger Hurricane.”

Akarenger carried a number of special weapons such as a blaster (Silver Shot) and a multi-purpose whip (Red Vute) whose end could transform into a number of different weapons such as a drill or claw (Red Hunter). It can also stiffen into a fighting pole. He rides the supercharged motorcycle “Red Machine” which can race at high speeds and was later replaced by the “Red Star” super cycle.

J.A.K.Q. vs Gorenger
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Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai
AkaRenger is among the Sentai warriors seen in clips when Daimon Tatsumi (GoYellow) lectured Kai Samezu (GaoBlue) about the past Sentai technical warriors and their fighting spirit.

Led by his Liveman successor Red Falcon, he appeared as one of 24 previous Red Rangers in Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai together with fellow Red Rangers from his successors Spade Ace to TimeRed.

Before AkaRenger's appearance, his teammate Akira Shinmei/AoRenger helped lead the mecha of the 25 Red Warriors, which included the Varidreen, against the giant Lost Highness Rakushaasa. AkaRenger and the other Red Warriors, along with the Gaorangers and the Dream Sentai, combined their power to create the Gaoranger Storm ball, which GaoRed used to destroy Rakushaasa once and for all.

Gaoranger vs. Gorenger
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Legend War
Years later, an aged Kaijo alongside Soukichi Banba (Big One of J.A.K.Q.) led not only his team, but every single Sentai ranger in existence, against the Empire of Zangyack when it attacked the Earth in the Great Legend War. After fighting against hundreds of Gormin and their Zgormin commanders, Kaijo noticed the fleet moving towards them. He then gathered all the Rangers together and gave them the order to sacrifice their powers to wipe out the first invasion's armada. The Akarenger powers are later used by Captain Marvelous via the Ranger Keys.

Black Cross King
When the Gokaigers faced their greatest crisis facing the Black Cross King alongside the Goseiger, Tsuyoshi tells them that his and the other Super Sentai's ability to fight was taken from them, but the feelings in the Ranger Keys are eternal. The other Super Sentai alumni then give words of encouragement as well. He then gives them the Greater Power of the Gorengers and tells them that the Super Sentai are counting on them. Gokaigers use the Greater Power of the Gorengers to combine with Variblune and defeat the monstrous villain once and for all.

Farewell Space Pirates
In the final Gokaiger episode, Tsuyoshi is the last alumni to see the Gokaigers off, telling them that they did well and to seize their treasure as their own this time as the Gokai Galleon sailed off back into space. As they leave, his Ranger Key glows once he looks at it, then as he turned away from the ship, his key glowed again, changing him back to Akarenger as he heads off once again. It is assumed his teammates have their powers once again.

Super Hero Taisen
In the Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen movie, Captain Marvelous impersonated Akarenger to lead the Super Sentai to take on Kamen Rider Ichigo who was in reality Tsukasa Kadoya in Ichigo's form. After the fight, the real Akarenger returned alongside the real Kamen Rider Ichigo. After the heroes lined up for battle, the Super Sentai and the Kamen Riders engaged the enemy before them.

Super Hero Taisen Z
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Super Hero Taisen Otsu
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Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001
Akarenger appears with his team in Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001, which features characters from various tokusatsu series.

Super Sentai Battle: Ranger Cross
Akarenger appears with his team in Super Sentai Battle: Ranger Cross.

Arsenal

 * Birdies
 * Red Whip
 * Silver Shot
 * Red Machine
 * Red Star
 * Variblune
 * Varidreen

Design
Akarenger wears a red cloth suit, with a yellow "V" design across his chest. He wears white boots and gloves. He has a pinup collar, which is much taller than that of his comrades, signifying him as the leader, and a red cape. He wears a black belt, holding his gun holster, with the team's "5" symbol as a large belt buckle. His helmet is red with a blue visor in the shape of his weapon, the Red Whip, with a winged, yellow "1" on the forehead.

Ranger Key
The Akarenger Ranger Key (アカレンジャーレンジャーキー) is Tsuyoshi Kaijo's personal Ranger Key and what became of his powers after he along with the rest of the 34 Super Sentai sacrificed their powers to end the Great Legend War.

This Ranger Key was discovered by Captain Marvelous when he was recruited by AkaRed. Marvelous would later become Gokai Red and found the Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger who would use the Ranger Keys to fight Zangyack. It was mainly used by Captain Marvelous (Gokai Red), who used it to fight as Akarenger. It was also used by Gai Ikari on one occasion.
 * When the Gokaigers became the Gorengers in their first ever Gokai Change on Earth.
 * When the Gokaigers became the Gorengers in their baseball match with resurrected Black Cross Army monster Baseball Mask.
 * Gai uses this key alongside all other Red keys after being merged with Captain Marvelous by Insarn.
 * As part of an all-red Gokai Change in the Gokaigers' fight with Makuu Prison Chief Ashrada.
 * As part of a bombardment of changes in the final battle with Emperor Ackdos Gill.
 * While fighting against Kamen Rider Decade who had transformed into Kamen Rider 1.

The Gorenger keys, along with all the Ranger Keys of the first 33 Super Sentai, were briefly taken by the Black Cross King and turned into Ranger puppets that were fought by the Gokaigers and the Goseigers. At the start of the battle, the Gorengers had a brief skirmish with the two teams alongside the keys of three recent teams, the Gekirangers, Go-Ongers, and Shinkengers. The Gorengers appeared again after all the other puppets were defeated, with a Gorenger Hurricane ball being kicked at Gokai Red and Super Gosei Red. The Gorengers stood behind the three recent teams who fired their cannons at the Gokaigers and Goseigers, who countered with their team finishers, taking down the three teams as Gokai Red and Super Gosei Red finished off the fake Gorengers.

After Zangyack were finally defeated, the Gokaigers gave the Ranger Keys back to their rightful owners. Tsuyoshi received his key and became Akarenger once more.

Red Spirit
As the first Red, Akarenger's Red Warrior Spirit was embodied by AkaRed.

Imitations
Akarenger was the subject of a question in Satarakura Jr.'s game show which the first three Gokaigers, Captain Marvelous, Joe Gibken, and Luka Millfy, were forced to take. They saw Akarenger and successfully identified him, only for Akarenger to take off his helmet to reveal Satarakura Jr., thus actually making the answer wrong as the quiz was fixed so it would be impossible to get the questions right.

Portrayal
Tsuyoshi Kaijo was portrayed by Naoya Makoto (誠 直也). He reprised his role in the 35th anniversary Super Sentai series, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, on three occasions. The first was the prologue of Ep. 1: The Space Pirates Appear, which featured AkaRenger (in-costume) leading the 34 Sentai in the Great Legend War, the second was the movie Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle, which expanded the Great Legend War, it would seem that Makoto redid AkaRenger's lines which were heard in the first episode, he also briefly appeared out of costume later on in the movie. The third time is at the very end of Final Ep.: Farewell Space Pirates, which shown Tsuyoshi receiving his Ranger Key.

In Kamen Rider × Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, however, which was released only a few months after his appearance in the Gokaiger finale, AkaRenger was voiced by Tomokazu Seki (関 智一), a voice actor who had various roles in Gokaiger and is known for voicing older characters in place of their original actors, such as Kamen Riders and Sentai heroes. Tomokazu Seki voiced Akarenger again the next year in Kamen Rider × Super Sentai × Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Z.

As AkaRenger, he had two suit actors. The first was Kazuo Niibori (新堀 和男) from episodes 1 to 60, who would go onto be the suit actor for every Sentai Red up to Red Hawk (excluding Spade Ace), and the second was Kenji Ohba (大葉 健二) from episodes 61-84, who would go onto play Shiro Akebono/Battle Kenya in Battle Fever J, Daigorou Oume/DenziBlue in Denshi Sentai Denziman, and Retsu Ichijouji/Space Sheriff Gavan in Uchuu Keiji Gavan. Kazuo Niibori once again served as AkaRenger's suit actor in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.

Shigeru Araki
The role of AkaRenger almost went to the late Shigeru Araki, who would play Shigeru Jo, the titular hero of Kamen Rider Stronger. Araki was originally given the offer of either playing Stronger or AkaRenger, Stronger and Gorenger having been in development as the major Toei Tokusatsu productions of 1975. Araki ultimately went with Stronger due to the established nature of the Kamen Rider franchise at the time.