Actor Katsumi Hyodo Revealed for Ryusoulger’s Sixth Ranger

Katsumi Hyodo makes his tokusatsu debut as Ryusoul Gold in Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger. 

This new character, Kanaro, transforms into Ryusoul Gold, who is described as being different from the other Ryusoulgers with a high level of combat skill. Coming from the Ryusoul Tribe of the Sea, he wishes to marry and have a prosperous family. He will be played by Katsumi Hyodo, previously a drama actor.

On the subject of the audition, Hyodo felt surprised, as he misspoke during his audition line readings, but was accepted anyway. He recalls not being able to sleep that night due to how much adrenaline it gave him.

His favorite Super Sentai series was Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, which he remembers well – when he got the role, he looked back on various Sentai, but Shinkenger was the one he felt most nostalgic for. He specifically states that his grandmother has a photo of him with a hero at a stage show he saw as a child, and realizes there is a pride to being able to become a Ranger. As Ryusoul Gold will be the first Ranger to appear in the Reiwa era, he wants to be a hero that leaves an impression with the audience.

When it comes to the role of Kanaro, he expresses that it’s most important to have the kids look to Ryusoulger and think “Cool”, so he wants to play the character as being cool. He did not understand why Kanaro wanted to get married until he read the script – he thinks of Kanaro as a prince of the sea, so he wants to play his coolness carefully.

Hyodo felt worried about being able to immediately make five good friends when they began filming with him, but he was kindly welcomed by the other cast members – he recalls when they all took a bath in a public bath house while on location, and practicing the ending theme dance together.

Speaking on the look of the character, Hyodo felt it was love at first sight when he saw the visuals. In his mind, the character was a collaborative effort from the staff, so he felt a strong sense of responsibility not to lose such a cool costume.

Wrapping up, Hyodo states that Ryusoulger is a big challenge for him, and that he promises to be as cool as the heroes he excitedly watched as a kid. He wants to do his best to make kids say “Kanaro’s cool!”, inspired by the other cast members to work his hardest.

Source: Natalie, Daisuki Toku