Before Power Rangers: 50 Years of Super Sentai

For five decades, brightly colored teams of Japanese superheroes have transformed, battled monsters and piloted enormous robots across television screens. Now the world behind those adventures steps out from behind the camera. All Super Sentai Exhibition, running through September 27 at Hirakata Park, brings together around 500 production-used costumes, filming props, robot miniatures and other artifacts spanning 50 years of the legendary Japanese franchise.

The exhibition reaches all the way back to Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, which launched Super Sentai in 1975, and follows the franchise across the Showa, Heisei and Reiwa eras. Rather than simply retelling that television history through photographs and video, visitors come face-to-face with the objects that actually created it. Around 500 production-used costumes, props and miniature robots are assembled for the exhibition, including items that have never previously been shown to the public. Together, they turn five decades of television history into something fans can finally examine up close.

For international visitors, some of those costumes may look strangely familiar. Super Sentai eventually provided Japanese action footage, costumes and concepts that were adapted overseas into Power Rangers, introducing generations of viewers around the world to the color-coded superhero-team formula. But the Japanese franchise had already been developing its own characters, stories, monsters and increasingly elaborate giant robots for nearly two decades before Mighty Morphin Power Rangers arrived on American television.

That makes the exhibition as much a look behind the curtain of Japanese television production as a celebration of the heroes themselves. Before digital effects could create entire worlds on screen, elaborate costumes, practical effects and carefully constructed miniatures helped make impossible battles believable. Seeing those objects at human scale — particularly models that appeared enormous on television — reveals some of the craftsmanship and illusion behind the finished shows.

The experience also extends beyond the display cases. On selected dates, the Super Sentai Dream Greeting gives fans a private encounter with a visiting Sentai hero. Different characters appear throughout the Osaka run, with special tickets giving visitors their own two-minute greeting experience. The program proved so popular that its initial allocation sold out immediately, prompting organizers to expand the Osaka schedule to 23 days, including additional dates September 19–23.

Collectors get another stop before leaving. An official exhibition shop offers Super Sentai merchandise created for the anniversary exhibition, with limited quantities and purchase limits on some items. Popular merchandise may sell out during the run.

The exhibition takes place in the Event Hall at Hirakata Park, but visitors don’t need to buy amusement park admission simply to see it. Separate exhibition tickets provide access to the hall, while combination tickets are available for visitors who want to turn the superhero pilgrimage into a full day at the park.

Whether you grew up with Super Sentai in Japan, discovered its heroes through Power Rangers overseas, or simply want to see how decades of Japanese television spectacle were actually made, All Super Sentai Exhibition turns 50 years of Saturday-morning fantasy back into physical reality

50 Years of Heroes — Explore Super Sentai from 1975’s Himitsu Sentai Gorenger through the Showa, Heisei and Reiwa eras.

Behind Power Rangers — Discover the Japanese superhero phenomenon that provided the foundation for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

500 Production Artifacts — Get up close to actual costumes, filming props and miniature robots, including rarely seen items from the archives.

Meet a Sentai Hero — Special Dream Greeting tickets offer a private two-minute encounter with different heroes on selected dates.

Collector’s Stop — Shop limited Super Sentai merchandise created for the 50th-anniversary exhibition.

Photos: Sentai 50 Official Website, Art: Japan Scenes