Contributed by Jason T.
It is important to note that many of the cartoons you are referencing come from Japan. In Japan, there is a type of superhero sub-genre called the “sentai.” The best example of a sentai series is the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Other examples include the Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors), Go Lion (Voltron), Magic Knights Rayearth, and Sailor Moon. The basic formula for the sentai team is as follows:
- Near-identical costumes
- Primary differentiation is by color
- Their power is most effective when used in unison
The sentai emerges from the Japanese culture. In most Western cultures, emphasis is put on the individual. Hence, great epics are written about Odysseus (not the whole crew of his ship), Luke Skywalker (not the Rebellion as a whole), and the Green Lantern (not the entire Green Lantern Corps). By the same token, most American superteams consist of very individualized characters, such as with the Avengers, the X-Men, the Justice League, etc. In Japanese culture, emphasis is placed on the collective. There is even a well-quoted saying that “the nail that sticks up is hammered down.” Thus, sentai teams appear more homogeneous.
There are some rare cases of American-produced sentai. These are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Planeteers. The Powerpuff Girls is, in my most humble of opinions, a ripoff designed by Cartoon Network to cash in on the popularity of Sailor Moon. The short-lived Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad and Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills were blatant ripoffs trying to cash in on the Power Rangers craze.
As for elemental powers, I’m not sure how this got started. When you have a set number of members and this number corresponds to a set number of a cultural, scientific, historical, or other kind of phenomenon, you can associate the powers of your sentai team with the aspects of of this phenomenon. This technique can be used to put emphasis on the overall theme of the show.
Let’s look at Ronin Warriors. It can be viewed as a show about two sentai teams. The original versions of the Ronins were elemental, just as in America: earth, fire, air, water, and spirit (lightning). They each represented the four Confucian virtues: courtesy, wisdom, justice, virtue, and faith/trust. The Warlords are each powered by the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. They are linked to samurai virtues: loyalty, piety, obedience, and serene endurance. This links the show to the overall motif of feudal Japan and the ways of the samurai.
Let’s look at Sailor Moon next. Here, we can see three sentai teams. The five Inner Senshi (#1) represent elements: earth/metal, water, lightning/wood, fire, and spiritual purity. (There is no air elemental character, I am told, because the air was considereduncontrollable by man. It was the domain that only gods could control.) Sailor Pluto was introduced later as a stand-alone character, controlling space and time. Uranus and Neptune (#2) were introduced as a duet, and they represent the duality of the sky and sea (see Magic Knights Rayearth). Saturn was introduced solo, and she represents the cycle of death and rebirth. The Sailor Starlights (#3) were introduced as a trio. They represent the Hindu concepts of the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer. (Tuxedo Mask, by the way, represents the planet Earth.)
The Magic Knights represent the land, the sea, and the sky. Their powers reflect this. They are the chosen protectors of the realm of Cefiro, and so they embody the power of the land of Cefiro.
The lions of Voltron also represent the elements. take note of the background on the tunnels when they launch out of the castle. Shame that there’s no mention of Bioman, my favorite series ever.
Sure, The Powerpuff Girls plays with the themes and forms of sentai series, but then it mixes them up with 50s pop iconography to good effect. Power Rangers was trying to “cash in” but PPG was self-consciously and often ironically exploring the genre.
The Powerpuff Girls series also represent the new generation of Teenie Boppers.
The cartoon series where varoius teenagers became super heros MIGHTOR,MIGHTY SAMSON etc
reklamer…
From the archives: Sentai Symbolism « The Journal of Cartoon Overanalyzations…