is a Japanese tokusatsu series that serves as the 33rd installment in the Super Sentai franchise and the 21st entry in the Heisei era. The series incorporates heavy elements of Japan in terms of culture, mythology and Nihon Bukkyō.

Main characters Shinkengers

The eponymous Shinkengers existed for 18 generations to protect the world from the Gedoushu, demonic beings from the Sanzu River. Based out of the that originated from , the Shinkengers use a kanji-based power called , which is passed down from one generation to the next (currently on the 18th Generation). Once becoming a Shinkenger, they must renounce their past lives in order to keep their friends and family safe in case a member of the Gedoushu targets them. The Shiba House's manor is protected by a barrier of the Modikara, keeping the Shinkengers safe. They use a to detect the presence of a Gedoushu and its whereabouts.

The primary Shinkengers utilize the in to gain access to Modikara powers, either for transformation purposes or to summon other items with the proper kanji. When not in use, it assumes as a basic communication tool. Their sidearm is the , a katana modeled after a praxinoscope that allows them to harness the power of Secret Disks and their personal elemental attacks. Using a personal Secret Disk allows a Shinkenger to perform a attack depending on the element that the disk represents. Five Spiral Sword elemental attacks can be used in the and attacks while four can be used in the and attacks. With Shinken Gold, they can perform the attack.

After acquiring the from the Tengen Temple and having Genta complete the device, any one of the primary Shinkengers can utilize it to assume a white-coated form that allows them to keep up with the Gedoushu forces' increasing strength and use advanced elemental attacks. Upon transformation, the user combines the Inromaru and their Shinkenmaru to form the , which allows them to perform upgraded versions of their Spiral Sword techniques. They also wield the , which can combine with their Super Shinkenmaru to form the and perform the finisher. In other media not within the series' canon, Shinken Gold is able to become Super Shinken Gold without the Inromaru.

Takeru Shiba is the main protagonist of the series, a young man referred by his vassals and servants as . He was raised since childhood by Hikoma Kusakabe to act the role of the 18th head of the Shiba House after his father gave him the Shishi Origami. His upbringing made him create a facade to look very arrogant and proud to others, claiming none can match his strength and greatness, while keeping his cool in any situation. Though he was reluctant to have the vassals fight by his side, as he wanted no one else to bear the burden, he allowed their involvement after giving them the choice to turn back or become Shinkengers out of want rather than need, as long as they are willing to finish their mission to the last detail. By the time Genta arrives, Takeru's facade is revealed as he now questions himself of how it makes him strong along with learning he shares similar attributes with Juzo before defeating him. While at times it may not appear so, Takeru does cares greatly for his vassals and when Genta arrives, he becomes more open with them. However, in a fight against Juzo, it is revealed that Takeru started to value his life more which, in Juzo's opinion, makes him weaker and makes Takeru doubt himself. In reality, Takeru has been acting as a kagemusha for the true 18th head of the Shiba House, Kaoru, who was not yet born at the time of her father's death, having been chosen for his proficiency with Modikara and his swordsmanship. When Kaoru is injured while attempting to use the Sealing Character on Doukoku, she formally adopts Takeru, making him the 19th head of the Shiba House. After defeating Doukoku in the final battle, Takeru says goodbye to Kaoru and his vassals and stays in the Shiba House with Hikoma, resuming his days now as a true samurai.

As , Takeru wields the , which allows him to perform the attack via its zanbatō-like . It can also assume its cannon-like to hold the team's personal Secret Disks and perform the finisher as well as the finisher by adding Shinken Gold's Ika Disk to the ammunition. Using a Secret Disk with the kanji for created by Tanba, it can be split into a pair of swords. During the Shinkengers' team up with Kamen Rider Decade, Shinken Red uses the broadsword in place of his Rekka Daizantou that he loaned to the aforementioned Rider in finishing off Chinomanako Diend.

In Tensou Sentai Goseiger vs. Shinkenger: Epic on Ginmaku, Takeru transforms into the black-coated after being brainwashed by Brajira's Dark Gosei Power to force him into cooperating with drowning Gosei World in the Sanzu River. Despite his appearance, Shinken Red retains access to his original weapons.

Takeru Shiba is portrayed by . As a child, Takeru is portrayed by .

Ryunosuke Ikenami is a young man who gave up becoming a kabuki actor to answer the call of serving the Shiba House. Due to his parents' upbringing, he is extremely enthusiastic and takes his role as Takeru's vassal seriously. Ryunosuke is also the engineer behind many of the Samurai Combinations, having figured out how to combine the Origami into Tenku ShinkenOh and later into SamuraiHaOh. He is initially unreceptive towards Genta, who he once called a "wannabe" samurai. As such, Ryunosuke is typically the one to lead the other vassals in Takeru's absence. When Kaoru reveals herself, Ryunosuke becomes confused about whom to follow, because he had pledged his life to the head of the Shiba family. After he receives some advice that clears his mind, he pledges his life to Takeru Shiba. After the final battle, Ryunosuke gives Takeru a kabuki-styled farewell dance and goes back to work as a kabuki actor.

As , Ryunosuke wields the , which allows him to perform the attack.

Ryunosuke Ikenami is portrayed by . As a child, Ryunosuke is portrayed by .

Mako Shiraishi is a strong-willed girl who fights for her ideals. She loves children and worked at a kindergarten prior to becoming a Shinkenger. When she was a little girl, her childhood was pushed aside when her parents moved to Hawaii without a word and left her in the care of her grandmother, who schooled her in the ways of bushidō. Chiaki and Kotoha both regard her as an older sister figure; Chiaki even addresses her as such. Though she is a horrible cook (none of the boys can stomach her cooking), Mako tries her best in order to achieve her dream of becoming a good wife and mother. Eventually, Mako is reunited with her parents and learns that her mother had become paralyzed from the waist down as a result of her tenure as the previous . After the reunion and reconciliation with her mother, Mako gains a newfound conviction to defeat the Gedoushu. Because of her gentle nature, she can read other people well, especially Takeru, and readily gives her opinion regarding the situation in question. After the final battle, Mako goes to Hawaii to live with her parents.

As Shinken Pink, Mako wields the , which allows her to perform the attack. In Tensou Sentai Goseiger vs. Shinkenger: Epic on Ginmaku, she performs the with Gosei Pink.

Mako Shiraishi is portrayed by . As a child, Mako is portrayed by .

Chiaki Tani is a lazy, irresponsible, selfish, and arrogant rebel. Initially, Chiaki had no interest in becoming Takeru's vassal and often clashed with him. The only reason he even worked with Takeru was because he thought it would be fun and he wanted to protect people. He is a great strategist despite his delinquency, and comes to respect Takeru as a rival when he realizes the limits of his own abilities, pledging to pass Takeru in skill someday. Chiaki was without his mother from an early age and was raised solely by his father, who planted in him the seed of his interest in martial arts. Despite not being formally trained, he is an excellent strategist and adept with surprise attacks, thanks to his imagination and free-spiritedness. When Genta arrives, Chiaki is the first to accept him into the team. Chiaki is very protective of Kotoha and seems to be uncomfortable when Genta's friend shows an interest in her. Even though he often butts heads with Ryunosuke, Chiaki respects him immensely for his skill; in fact, they work together so well that they become able to execute tasks in sync with one another. During time off from his duties, or when he is troubled, he often plays Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion. He prefers American surf wear and skate wear brands like Vans and especially Gotcha, whose vintage shirts he wears in most episodes. After the final battle, Chiaki plans to take his college entrance exams.

As , Chiaki wields the , which allows him to perform the and attacks.

Chiaki Tani is portrayed by .

Kotoha Hanaori is a clumsy and gentle 16-year-old girl who worked in a bamboo shop and speaks with a . Very much a crybaby as a child, she is close to her older sister, Mitsuba, who had been training to be . When Mitsuba became ill and unable to serve as Takeru's vassal, Kotoha stepped up to take her place. Kotoha is deeply respectful of Takeru and wants to help him in any way she can. She has rather low self-esteem; she genuinely believes that she is stupid (she claims that the only things that she is proficient at are her swordsmanship and her flute playing) and, despite her teammates' affection for her, often feels that she is a bother to them. She idolizes Mako and strives to become more like her. Kotoha often suggests that if Mitsuba never fell ill, the Shinkengers as a whole would probably be much stronger. However, her spirits are raised after she receives a letter from Mitsuba, in which Mitsuba says that Kotoha is the true Shinken Yellow. After the final battle, Kotoha returns home to Mitsuba.

As Shinken Yellow, Kotoha wields the , which allows her to perform the attack.

Kotoha Hanaori is portrayed by . As a child, Kotoha is portrayed by .

Genta Umemori is the son of a sushi chef who mysteriously disappeared prior to the beginning of the series, and a childhood friend of Takeru's. As a child, he often meddled in Takeru's training, which annoyed Hikoma greatly. Genta promised to help Takeru become a samurai, and in return, Takeru entrusted him with the Ika Disk. Years later, he is shown to have inherited the sushi cart and to have developed his own , using the cellphone to type the kanji needed. The other Shinkengers are initially suspicious of Genta until he makes his formal introduction as , after he saves his teammates from a powerful Ayakshi. Though Takeru is reluctant at first, he eventually allows Genta to fulfill his promise and join the team. Genta considers himself Takeru's best friend, despite their personalities being complete opposites; Genta is as hyperactive and expressive as much as Takeru is reserved and stoic. When Kaoru reveals herself, Genta initially disapproves of her because of his relationship with Takeru, but later accepts her when he sees that she is very kind. After the final battle, Genta leaves to open a restaurant with DaiGoyou in Paris in hopes of fulfilling his lifelong dream of receiving a three-star rating by the Michelin Guide.

Unlike the primary Shinkengers, Genta utilizes the Sushi Disk in conjunction with the Sushi Changer to access the latter's nigirizushi-like and transform into Shinken Gold. Using the Sushi Changer in its , Genta can harness the Electronic Modikara to compensate for his lack of calligraphy training. In battle, Shinken Gold uses sushi-themed accouterments, like exploding chopsticks that he uses as a projectile weapon. His sidearm is the a tantō modeled after a that allows him to take out an entire platoon of Nanashi through Iaido.

Genta Umemori is portrayed by . As a child, Genta is portrayed by .

Secret Disks