Film

Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad

Name: Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Released: 2018
Cast: Takumi Kizu, Yosuke Kishi, Kazuya Nakai, Yuki Ono, Akio Otsuka

A Kyuranger team splits when one member is hunted across the galaxy for a crime she may not have committed. This 2018 film bridges two tokusatsu franchises—sentai and space sheriff—with team conflict, high-stakes action, and the question of whether loyalty to a friend means defying your government. It's for people who already love the Kyuranger series and want to see what happens next.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you already love the bright, bickering chemistry of a Super Sentai team and want a tidy, hour-long reunion where the costumes, mecha and a crossover with old Space Sheriffs get the full celebration.

Skip it if you are coming in cold, since it assumes you know the Kyurangers and the Sheriffs, so newcomers may feel like late arrivals at a party.

What it asks of you: Just one hour, but it moves briskly and cuts between a crowded cast of heroes, so keep your attention sharp rather than drifting off.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: Episode of Stinger2017

Nine rangers across the galaxy fighting cosmic evil with zodiac-themed powers. It's colorful, absurd, heartfelt, and genuinely inventive—the show that made this film possible, and you should meet these characters when they're introduced.

But Tokusatsu can feel slow if you're not used to the genre. The tone swings between goofy and sincere without warning, which takes adjustment.

Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: Episode of Stinger poster

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie2012

A crisp, fun space-cop action film with practical effects and real stunts. It introduced the space sheriff universe that this Kyuranger film draws from, and it moves fast enough that newcomers won't feel lost.

But It's lightweight and doesn't aim for depth. If you want character arcs or moral complexity, you'll be disappointed.

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie poster

Kamen Rider Revice: The Movie2021

Modern tokusatsu at its best: sibling rivalry, demon possession, body horror played for genuine stakes. The practical effects are stunning, and the story about family conflict rivals anything in Western superhero TV.

But You need 50 episodes. And the final arc divides fans—some think it's brilliant, others feel it collapses under its own ambition.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing1995

Both center on a team fractured by the question of whether loyalty to a friend supersedes loyalty to authority. Both pit personal conviction against institutional power.

Five pilots in a war with impossible morality: is it heroic to rebel against your government if your government is unjust? The show asks this question with the same urgency this Kyuranger film does, but in a grimdark anime context that makes the stakes feel real.

But It's a 1995 anime with pacing that reflects that era—slow, talky, visually repetitive by modern standards. And the English dub is famously rough, though the Japanese version holds up better.

Mashin Sentai Kiramager: Episode ZERO2020

A sentai series about a team bound by accident rather than choice, learning to work together anyway. Gorgeous practical effects, genuine emotional stakes, and one of the best ensemble casts in modern tokusatsu.

But It's 48 episodes, and the pacing can drag in the middle stretch. Commitment required.

Mashin Sentai Kiramager: Episode ZERO poster

Shuriken Sentai Ninninger: AkaNinger vs. StarNinger Hundred Nin Battle!2015

A sentai series about family legacy and found family, with a protagonist learning to lead a reluctant ninja team. Good humor, high-energy action, and surprisingly tender character work underneath the surface spectacle.

But It's a sentai show from five years before Kyuranger—if you're watching for continuity or callbacks, you'll miss most of them.

Shuriken Sentai Ninninger: AkaNinger vs. StarNinger Hundred Nin Battle! poster

Magnolia1999

Both examine what happens when individual conviction collides with institutional loyalty, and how teams break apart when members can no longer agree on what justice looks like.

A sprawling ensemble film about people trapped in systems larger than themselves, forced to choose between loyalty and truth. It sounds unrelated until you realize this Kyuranger film is also about a team splintering under pressure—and Magnolia shows how beautiful and painful that fracture can be.

But It's three-and-a-half hours, terminally serious in tone, and explicitly about suffering and regret. There are no explosions, no costumes, no bright colors. It's the opposite of tokusatsu in every surface way.