Fighter D reveals what he is to someone new, Shion teams up with other cadets for the exam and “God” arrives to rescue XX. Read more in our Loser Ranger episode 7 review.
Table of Contents
The Loser Ranger episode 7 review
The Ranger exam arc continues with the cadets (besides Shion, Usukubo, Soujirou, and “Sakurama”) not exactly feeling too great after the first day is over. Shion talks with Fighter D to reveal that the former’s brother, another Ranger cadet, was killed by a boss monster, Lord Peltrola (the one calling himself “God”) four years ago. This is why he wants to become a Ranger: to get revenge on Peltrola.
D thought the boss monsters died 13 years ago when the Dragon Keepers wiped them out before enslaving the Dusters, so this new information shocks him. D also comes to the realization that since there’s only one key, cadets paired with one another will be fighting each other to pass the exam.
Meanwhile, D’s fellow Duster XX transmits a “distress signal” (i.e., using pipes to tap monster Morse code) and is soon discovered by the maintenance worker from episode 5. Like the real Sakurama, he’s not interested in harming monsters and is friendly towards XX. However, Lord Peltrola arrives and murders the maintenance worker right in front of XX. Peltrola’s here to rescue the Duster, but she’s worried by his appearance and that Fighter D needs to drop his disguise and escape, pronto.
Unbeknownst to D, the murdered maintenance worker is stored inside the closet where XX hid, with the Duster none the wiser as to what occurred in his bedroom. Soon, the second exam day rolls around and D realizes that Shion’s betrayed him and buddied up with other cadets to form their own squad after the junior first-rank Blue Keeper tells him the cadets are more desperate than he thinks.
Along with fellow cadets Yamato, Usukubo, and Ranmaru (the latter of whom D reveals his identity to), the four make their squad and jump Suzukiri, who holds the yellow key. After attacking her for a few moments and “Sakurama” saying that anyone can be a hero, even a bad person, Suzukiri hands them the key and leaves, saying it’ll be interesting to let Yamato become one. However, Yukino, another cadet from Shion’s team, takes the key while Yamato is distracted by Urabe and Fighter D tries to get it back, only to be stopped by Urabe.
The episode ends with XX and Peltrola exploring the White Dragon Hideout and wondering how many “inhumane exams” have been conducted. Peltrola declares that he must grant everyone “salvation,” something that XX isn’t exactly comfortable with, while the junior first-rank Blue Keeper eavesdrops on the two monsters.
Seeking vengeance on “God”
The two highlights of this episode involve both Shion and Peltrola. Shion’s explanation regarding his backstory helps us get a better understanding of his character, especially his ruthlessness and why he decides to join with four other cadets during day two of the final exam. He’s willing to do anything it takes to achieve his end goal and that willingness to do whatever it takes to become a Ranger sets him apart from the rest of the cast. He also displays some smarts by teaming up with other cadets to get each colored key, which is another plus.
As for Lord Peltrola, he makes his entrance by literally blowing a hole through the sides of the aforementioned maintenance worker. The last time we saw this much blood was when the Red Dragon Keeper killed the junior first-rank Red Keeper back in episode 4. His unsettling voice, unique appearance, and the fact that he doesn’t want to wage war (for some reason) aid him in standing out amongst the cast. He doesn’t get much screen time, but his entrance here is both bloody and the best part of this week’s episode.
As for XX, she seems to get a bit of development here. She’s surprised by the maintenance worker not wanting to fight her and appears a little upset at his death, though it could also be because Peltrola’s sudden appearance made her afraid of what would happen next. She doesn’t do much this week, but I am curious as to why Peltrola alarms her. Also, how did Peltrola hear her “distress signal?” She knocked on a pipe a few times, with the noise generated traveling upwards before D tossed her back into his closet. This doesn’t make much sense.
D and the dweebs
Her fellow alien Fighter D doesn’t do that much this week, either. He reveals his identity to Ranmaru for God (the actual God, not Peltrola) knows what reason and attacks Suzukiri with his four-man squad before the exam ends. Speaking of the identity-revealing scene, I don’t understand why D would do this. Ranmaru and him don’t have any sort of serious bond with one another nor has it been revealed if Ranmaru’s ever shared the real Sakurama’s thoughts on human/monster coexistence.
I honestly wonder if D has enough dust particles to form a brain inside his head because, with a move like this, I hope he manages to create more brain cells because he really needs them. The guy’s shown himself to be intelligent in previous episodes, yet he’s making a similar mistake to the one he made in episode 2. I’d be surprised if Ranmaru kept D’s secret and didn’t decide to blackmail the alien in the future.
I get that D is using the fact that both he and Ranmaru are losers to get Ranmaru to work with him since the Duster understands what it’s like to constantly be defeated. However, what’s to say that Ranmaru isn’t pulling a facade of his own and won’t rat D out to the Dragon Keepers or take advantage of D’s secret to get the Duster to do things for the human?
The battle D’s squad has with Suzukiri is also short and rather anticlimactic. Ranmaru uses his Dragon Gadget to slash at the her shield while the rest of the team shoots at her, with the Yellow Ranger taking no damage at all. She then bypasses Usukubo’s pathetic attempt at grabbing her before grabbing Yamato by the face, slamming him against the wall, and saying Yukino trash-talked him because of how much of a coward he is.
Then she stops because D says that anyone can be a hero before handing Yamato the key. She knows that D is disguised as Sakurama and that she’s probably trying to help him achieve his goal (and that she may love the alien, for some reason, which hasn’t been hinted at in the past). However, she could’ve made things more interesting instead of just giving Yamato her key.
The dumbest part is how Urabe and Yukino take the yellow key. The former just puts his hand on Yamato’s shoulder and while he’s looking at Urabe, Yukino just pries the key out of his grasp. That’s it. Yamato doesn’t put up a fight, attack her, or anything like that and neither do Usukubo or Ranmaru. Only D decides to attack her and ends up being blocked by Urabe.
Besides the “fight” D’s squad has with Suzukiri, Shion and his gang are seen having a brief scuffle with Tokita, with two members distracting the crazy Red long enough for Shion to snag his key. It’s not much, but it’s an alright way of showing that Shion’s team is working well with one another.
If the episode wanted to show us just how pathetic D’s teammates are, it did a stellar job because I honestly think Shion’s squad deserves to win and become Rangers instead of the donkeys D aligned himself with. The main character’s idiotic decision regarding his identity and the lack of agency that Usukubo, Ranmaru, and especially Yamato have in trying to take back their key doesn’t do them any favors in endearing themselves.
I hope next week’s Loser Ranger episode is a major improvement and that since Peltrola’s around, he may spice things up for the cadets during the last day of their final exam. I also desperately want D and his teammates to use their brains and put some effort into their exam. Their performance here was poor, to put it mildly and I hope they show some improvement in Loser Ranger episode 8.
Final score: 4/10
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! can now be streamed through Disney Plus and Hulu.
