One of the best things about Super Sentai and the tokusatsu genre is that it’s never afraid to push the envelope. In fact, some of the genre’s most memorable installments have the silliest-sounding elevator pitches. One of the best examples of this is Ninja Sentai Kakuranger’s Christmas episode. While it sounds silly on paper, it is a wonderfully fun television episode and a great way to kick off the festive season.
Hitting screens in 1994, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger was the 18th Super Sentai season. Hundreds of years before the mainline story started, it was set in a world where legendary ninjas and the villainous Yokai had a massive war. This war ended when a group of ninjas sealed the Yokai away behind a magical door. However, years later, the last surviving Yokai tricks two of these ninjas’ descendants, Sasuke and Saizou, into opening the door and letting the Yokai run free again. Now Sasuke, Saizou and three other descendants of legendary ninjas must become the Kakurangers and defeat the Yokai once and for all.
The Plot of “The Hasty Santa”
The Christmas episode “The Hasty Santa” sees the Kakurangers investigate a failed break-in. However, when they catch up with the perpetrator, they find it is a small boy dressed like Santa Claus. This little boy says he is Little Santa and that Santa is his father. He insists he is there to deliver presents, but the Kakurangers realize it is only the 23rd of December, meaning he is too early. However, when a little boy opens one of Little Santa’s presents, a centipede jumps out and bites the boy, causing him to pass out.
During the confusion, Little Santa flees to the Santa Delivery Truck — a minivan with reindeer horns on it. However, the Kakurangers follow him and arrive just in time to see a centipede monster clad in American Football gear grab the young boy. The Kakurangers save the boy, but the Yokai escapes with the truck. The boy then tells the Kakurangers the truth: he comes from Santa Land, a massive castle where all Santas live. So the Kakurangers head there to defeat the monster and stop the delivery of the evil presents.
Why Super Sentai’s Christmas Episode Is the Perfect Holiday Treat
“The Hasty Santa” is a wonderfully unique take on Christmas iconography. The idea of Santa Land is utterly charming while the episode pulls the visuals off perfectly, with hundreds of people in Santa Claus costumes wandering about a castle doing various day-to-day activities. This includes a fun moment where a group of Santas watch a Santa Claus-themed Super Sentai parody. The episode’s highlight is an extended scene where the Kakurangers are chased around Santa Land and doing their best to hide from the Santa guards who want to capture them, leading to loads of fun slapstick action.
Featuring a group of fun and memorable characters who are a joy to watch play off each other, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger is one of the best Super Sentai shows of the 90s. It also has well-choreographed fight scenes that constantly use the Kakuranger’s ninja powers in fun and unique ways, meaning that every episode — no matter the topic — is fun and exciting to watch.
“The Hasty Santa” is a fun way to kick off the holiday season. Its unique take on Santa is a load of fun, and it approaches the concept so wholeheartedly and without irony that viewers can’t help but fall in love with it. Plus, the fun nature of Super Sentai makes it the television equivalent of a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa. Thankfully, this delightful slice-of-Christmas Sentai action is available via Tubi TV, making it super easy to enjoy.
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger is now streaming on Tubi TV.