Super Sentai Ends Five-Decade Weekly Run as Project R.E.D. Debuts

After more than five decades of uninterrupted weekly broadcasts, Super Sentai has officially paused its weekly television run. Toei and TV Asahi announced that the long-running superhero franchise is entering an indefinite hiatus, with the final episode airing on February 8, 2026. The series finale, titled “We Are, No.1 Sentai Gozyuger!”, closes a weekly run that began on April 5, 1975.

In total, Super Sentai tallies 2,457 episodes across 49 seasons. Although the brand reached its 50-year milestone, a production gap in 1978 kept the season count from hitting 50. Toei cited declining merchandise sales and rising production costs as the primary drivers behind the decision to halt weekly production.

A Super Sentai sendoff The end marks the conclusion of one of Japan’s most prolific television franchises. Shortly before the finale, Super Sentai was officially recognized by the Institute of Japanese Records for featuring the “Most Henshin Heroes in a Tokusatsu Production,” with over 300 heroes appearing across its history.

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Super Sentai’s Sunday morning time slot will not remain empty for long. Beginning February 15, 2026, Toei will launch a new interconnected franchise called Project R.E.D. (Records of Extraordinary Dimensions). The project’s first entry, Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity, revives the classic Metal Hero genre with a modern redesign, including a metallic red suit. Toei has described Project R.E.D. as an “MCU-style” shared universe spanning multiple series set across different worlds, with future crossovers planned.

While executives have said a full Super Sentai revival is “not out of the question,” there are currently no plans beyond occasional manga releases or one-off films.

The end of Super Sentai also closes a crucial chapter in Western pop culture. The franchise has long served as the direct source material for Power Rangers, which launched in 1993 using licensed Japanese footage. For decades, American producers stitched newly filmed scenes with action sequences, monster battles, and robot fights from Sentai seasons, enabling large-scale spectacle on a modest budget. The original series began with Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, and Power Rangers’ debut season, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, adapted footage from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. While costumes and mecha were shared, storylines often diverged, with Super Sentai frequently exploring darker themes.

With Super Sentai’s weekly run now complete, Power Rangers moves into a new era built entirely on original footage and designs, ending a production model that defined the franchise for more than 30 years.

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