Destiny as Written in the Names: A Turboranger Meta With a Focus on Riki/Kirika/Yamimaru
For the @tokushippingweek prompt 'Destined Bond', I'd like to talk about how names reflect the bonds connecting Turbo Red Honoo Riki with Wandering Bouma Yamimaru (a.k.a Nagareboshi Hikaru) and Wandering Bouma Kirika (a.k.a. Tsukikage Sayoko). I've also included some hyperlinks to my GIFSets of relevant scenes from Turboranger.
While it's practically a given for the redemption of the antagonistic Wandering Bouma to involve the show's red and main hero, a study of how their names are written connects them from the very start, in a sense binding Riki to Yamimaru and Kirika as much as Yamimaru and Kirika are bound to each other by the red string of fate.
Kirika is not only connected to her actual soulmate Yamimaru, but also to two of the Turboranger boys, Riki and Shunsuke. Kirika first meets Shunsuke when they were children, then Riki when they were in their first year of high school and finally Yamimaru on her eighteenth birthday.
A comparison of the Wandering Bouma's human names with the names of Riki and Shunsuke reveals that they're all similar in being associated with a source of light:
'Tsuki' from 'Tsukikage Sayoko' means 'moon'.
'Hikaru' from 'Nagareboshi Hikaru' literally means 'light'.
'Honoo' from 'Honoo Riki' means 'flame' or 'blaze'.
'Hi' from 'Hino Shunsuke' means 'sun'.
The unique bond between Tsukikage and Nagareboshi is made more prominent with the additional similarities between both their names. Both their names are linked to outer space with 'Nagareboshi', which means 'meteor', complimenting the moon from 'Tsukikage'. Their associations with outer space symbolise how they see themselves as outcasts in opposition to the Turborangers who protect the Earth.
Then there's also the contrast of light and dark in the Wandering Bouma's human names. For 'Tsukikage Sayoko', 'tsuki' (the moon) is contrasted against 'kage' (shadow) and 'sayo' (evening). In the case of Nagareboshi, the same contrast happens on a symbolic level, with 'Nagareboshi', that is the meteor, simultaneously symbolising wishes coming true and an omen of imminent misfortune. This contrast of light and dark matches their dual nature as being both human and non-human.
Among the human Turborangers, Honoo Riki is the one most associated with duality, as shown in his first focus episode where he struggles to balance his duties as a hero and as a student who's also his baseball team's ace pitcher. This is also the episode introducing Riki's signature pitch which has a significant name.
Riki's signature pitch is called 'Honoo no Makyuu', which literally means 'Honoo's Miracle Ball'. It's significant that the 'ma' of 'makyuu' is also the same kanji used in the names of the Bouma and the Wandering Bouma who the show's heroes fight against.
In the case of the antagonists, 'ma' indicates their demonic presence and evil influence in their universe. For Riki, 'ma' takes on its alternate meaning in describing how dreadful his signature pitch is to his opponents. 'Ma' then foreshadows Riki's understanding and sympathy for members of the Bouma Hundred Tribes as well as Riki's large role in the redemption of the Wandering Bouma. For it is Riki who connects Yamimaru and Kirika with their humanity, like the red blood that makes them different from the Bouma and which is also Riki's signature colour.
05.30.26 Saturday Sampler - 4700. So it occurred to me the other day, that in my mind, when I am out riding my bike through the neighborhood, I am a kid riding his bike with no cares, concerns, or worries. However, more than likely, to the onlookers, it is more along the lines of … oh how nice that old guy is still able to get out and ride his bike … bless his heart.
