It seems the final Super Senati show isn't going out without a little bit of controversy.
In the latest episode, actress Maya Imamori who portrays Sumino Ichikawa aka the Gozyu Unicorn/ Black Ranger was completely edited out of the show. That is to say, the character still appears in a "morphed" state but the footage was edited to remove any "unmorphed" appearances of Ichikawa.
Furthermore, the character has dialogue that can be heard off-camera but the show has redubbed Imamori's audio with a new actress, Ayaka Maekawa.
Going forward, it appears that Kohaku Shida will take over the role from Imamori beginning with episode 40.
As a result, episodes 37, 38, and 39 will continue using the same approach, having the Black Ranger appear only in morphed form, with any unmorphed dialogue delivered through off-camera audio when the character isn’t in battle.
Shida previously starred in the 2022 Super Sentai series Avatarō Sentai Donbrothers as the Yellow Ranger.
Additionally, fans are now rallying around Imamori as more details are beginning to surface which questions the accuracy of the initial report. It's now being reported that Imamori was only present while underage drinking was taking place, but that the actress herself did not actually consume any alcohol.
As previously reported, this is purported to be the final season of Super Sentai in Japan. Per Kyodo News, the show is said to be ending due to "inadequate revenues from related events, tie-in goods and movie adaptations when compared with production costs."
The currently airing No.1 Sentai Gozyuger will reportedly be the 50th and final installment of the franchise. Despite these reports emerging from Japan, Toei and TV Asahi have not officially confirmed the news yet.
Of course, Super Sentai is but one of several Japanese superhero shows in the tokusatsu genre, which includes Kamen Rider and Ultraman, so the genre will live on in Japan, even without new Super Sentai shows being created.