Combo Rangers

Combo Rangers
Author(s)	Fabio Yabu
Launch date	1998
End date	2005
Publisher(s)	Editora JBC Panini Comics
Genre(s)	parody, manga, super sentai

Combo Rangers is a series of Webcomics created in 1998 by Japanese-Brazilian author Fábio Yabu. It is clearly based on Super Sentai series (having started off as a parody, then developing more serious storylines, though without losing the comic vein), featuring five main rangers (Red, blue, green, pink and yellow) and an extra, white one. Also, they are led by O Poderoso Combo (The Mighty Combo, whom the Rangers call Tio Combo, or Uncle Combo in English), and fight against several forms of evil. They are self-nominated "the ones who fight in the name of love and justice". Combo Rangers have won the HQ Mix Award three times.

History

The story is set in a fictional city called Cidade City (literally "City City"). The city is located in a fictional universe called "Yabuverso" (literally "Yabuverse"). Initially, Poderoso Combo was the responsible for saving the city and the world from all kind of evil, but his powers were harming his health, so he was forced to retire. Therefore, he has recruited five kids (all of them were about nine years old) to battle against General Monte, who was coming from space. As time passes in the real world, so does the time in the story, meaning that all the characters grew up. In the last season, they were featured as teenagers. Also, beyond being superheroes, they have also to handle with school, home and family, while trying to keep their superheroes lives in secret. They are not the only superheroes, though: they are members of ASH, the Association of Super Heroes (Associação de Super-Heróis) which is home to several other superheroes.

The series was featured on the net until 2003, when it was cancelled. It was also printed as comics in 2000. In 2004, Yabu decided to stop writing the comic, to focus only on his book "Princesas do Mar" (Sea Princesses). The book has been a success and therefore Yabu has released two sequels.

In December 2012, Yabu ran a crowdfunding project on the website Catarse.me to release a new Combo Rangers story as a graphic novel. The funding was successful and the book was released in 2013 in Brazil.

Seasons

On the net

• Combo Rangers (25 chapters, plus a special)
• Combo Rangers Zero (25 chapters)
• Combo Rangers Revolution (14 chapters, unfinished)

Printed as comics

• Combo Rangers (12 issues, digest size, printed by Editora JBC)
• Combo Rangers (10 issues, comic book format, printed by Panini Comics)
• Combo Rangers- Somos Heróis (graphic novel, printed by Editora JBC)

Characters

Fox (Red Ranger)

Fox is the field leader of the group. Though he is not too intelligent, during battles he shows much capability, earnestness, authority and an unwavering sense of justice. When he becomes a teenager, he is called by Homem-Reflexo for heavy training sessions. Later, he is chosen by the Estrela Defensora to be its new owner. He could refuse it, but he chose to be with the star in spite of the risks. Fox's girlfriend is Tati, the former Pink Ranger.

Kiko (Green Ranger)

Kiko is a calm, laid-back Afro-Brazilian boy. He is the only Ranger not worried about dating, and likes reggae and rap. His words always come in the form of ghetto slangs, and he is always the most cheerful and optimistic, despite the bad situations he and the Rangers get involved with. Kiko has become Ultramano once (see details below). His design is the one which changes the most throughout the series: he initially shaved his hair (wearing a cap turned backwards), then in Combo Rangers Zero he dyed his hair blond (much like pagode musicians usually did at the time), and from Revolution onwards he started wearing glasses and using dreadlocks as a hairstyle.

Kenji (Blue Ranger)

Kenji, or simply Ken, is a shy and intelligent boy. He has a secret crush on Tati, despite her relationship with his best friend, Fox - therefore, he decides to keep his feelings for himself. He comes from a wealthy family (he is given R$1,000,000,00 as allowance, something equivalent to about $500,000,00), and his parents are often not home. However, his mother would always try to remember about her son, differently from his father. Because of this, Ken can hide his superhero life with ease, though having to deal with loneliness. Though he and Fox are inseparable partners, Ken tends to get mad at him and call him a dork whenever he says something stupid. Ken's eyes hide behind his fringe, and thus are usually never seen, but they are briefly shown in a chapter in the comics, in which his father discovers the secret life of his son.

Sara (New Pink Ranger)

Sara Luana Moon was originally a single ally of the Combo Rangers, but her importance to the series began to increase significantly: first she was chosen to be the next Garota Arco-Íris (only for a short time, though), and then she took up the mantle of Pink Ranger after Tati's departure. She has not only the standard Combo Ranger abilities (hand-to-hand combat, energy shots and flight), but also the ability to transform her body into any other material, and to use any kind of superpower. However, she can use these abilities for 15 minutes only. After this, she must wait 15 more minutes, until her power recharges.

Tatiana (Former Pink Ranger)

Tatiana (often called by her nickname Tati), is fox's cheerful girlfriend. She is very jealous of any other girl who tries to flirt him (especially Maya). She seems to be somewhat futile and obsessed with fashion, but is actually much concerned about her mission. However, after fighting O Chefão, she steps down from her Ranger position, letting Sara take over as the Pink Ranger.

Lisa (Yellow Ranger)

Lisa is as shy and intelligent as Ken, and is very hard-working and concerned about school, as she comes from a relatively poor family, and her father is unemployed. She dates Luke, the white Combo Ranger. Eventually in the series, she reveals she's not really into fighting, and that she does not enjoy the idea that her power will be with her for the rest of her life.

Luke (White Ranger)

Luke is able to heal any injury on one's body, and can use telepathy - powers that none of the other Rangers have. Little is known about his past; however, before he joined the team, an alternate future version of himself had a brief tenure as the White Ranger, apparently dying in the final battle of the first season. The present Luke, also, had been presumed dead once, when he was overrun by a car whose driver was drunk, before joining the Zero team. Though his state seemed irreversible, Lisa's feelings were able to bring Luke back to life. He was once the evil Black Combo Ranger, when he was captured and brainwashed in the Zero season - however, later, after the Rangers recovered their power thanks to Syros, they were given a sixth power vessel, which was eventually bestowed upon Luke (after much discussion over whether he or Maya should receive it).

Abilities

The Combo Rangers battles are based on hand-to-hand combat. They can also fire shots by the edge of their index fingers, using the "bang bang" gesture (like Yusuke Urameshi firing his Reigan in Yu Yu Hakusho). Later on the series, they earn the ability to fly. Basically, their power works by simply multiplying their human forces many times.

Yabuverso

Yabuverso is the fictional universe where all the stories take place. It means literally "Yabuverse" in English, since it is a word play with the name of the creator, Yabu, and universe. Many names of locations and characters are references to many other fictional characters from other series.

The Yabuverse is very similar to the universe where real humans live, and Earth's counterpart is identical (and also called Earth), except for the existence of superheroes and supervillains. Other notable difference is, for instance, the presence of only four fingers in the human hands, instead of five.

The Earth in the Yabuverse is frequently attacked by aliens, and that's basically what the superheroes are for. Some aliens, though, decided to settle on earth and are even working and raising a family, although that's considered illegal.

Notable planets and locations

Toobaine

Toobaine's name is a reference to a famous Brazilian soft drink called Tubaína. This is the land of Mago Syros and his disciples, the Go Go Riders. Toobaine was accustomed to live in peace, until Syros' daughter Cristal (Crystal) died. From that moment on, Syros self-isolated from the world, and the Go Go Riders had to defend the planet alone, until Syros was brought to social life again by the Combo Rangers.

Yabusei

Another word play using the cartoonist's name, Yabu, and the name of the fictional planet Namekkusei, land to the Namekians of the Dragon Ball Z series. The planet is home to the yabuseijins (which all have identical bodies and faces). Notable yabuseijins include Spectroseven, the warrior of Love, and Japonaro Kido

Kururusei

Land to the kururuseijins and to the villain Kururu. The Kururuseijins are a conqueror race, who had dominated many planets of the Yabuverso. They were defeated by Ken and Tati who were working together with the yabuseijins to defeat the kururuseijins. Kururu slightly remembers the digital monster Impmon, from the Tamers season.

Oreo

Oreo is an extinguished planet, were Deck was born and brought up. As Oreo was extremely advanced on technology, many Oreans managed to escape before the planet was destroyed.

Império Deskarga

It means Flush Empire (although flush is actually written "Descarga" in Portuguese). It is a planetary system formed by 14 planets, which are named DS-1 to DS-14. Each planet plays a different role to the system. DS-1 is the center of operations, DS-2 is responsible for all military operations, and so on. DS-2 is where Agamenon Monte Pereira, also known as General Monte was born.

Biriguisei

Again a word play involving Namekkusei, but this time with the name of Brazilian municipality Birigüi. Biriguisei is only 45 cm wide, but has billions of inhabitants. It was saved from destruction by scientist Hugo Hungria, who fused with the planet to become Homem Planeta.

Cidade City

Cidade means "city" in Portuguese. It is a town located on Earth where most of the events of the story take place. All the rangers live there, and so do most of their enemies. The city is very large, populous, and modern. That's the place where ASH, the Associação de Super-Heróis (Association of Super Heroes) is headquartered.

External links

• Yabu's official blog