First and Foremost I see it fit to talk about the characters. This Sentai has more members than most but doesn't exactly hold the record. Despite a 7 member count, most of the characters played off each other very well and I was never really distracted by just how many there were. This is helped by the fact that time was taken to get to know the first 5 well before Gold and Silver were introduced, and there was still ample time to understand their characters as well.
Characters
Go-On Red (Sosuke Esumi) - Many would describe him as having an immature yet sunny disposition. I am inclined to disagree. Though Sosuke is indeed energetic, positive and a tad stubborn, I would not describe him as immature. Sosuke shows multiple times that he understands the mission and the weight of everything happening around him. He develops very well as he keeps on maturing while trying to hold on to his energy and positive, albeit thick-headed, attitude. Sosuke never loses his charm and the show is better for it.
Go-On Blue (Renn Kousaka) - Renn is very much the parental figure of the group. He is always there to prepare good food and offer helpful advice. It is joked about that he is the Go-Ongers "mother" and rightfully so. Renn's writing and development is arguably the weakest as his primary character ark is coming to terms with his own nice yet doting and slightly naive character. There is enough character and enough development for me not to hate him but everything about him seemed very "by the numbers". Not a bad character but didn't necessarily stick out to me.
G0-On Yellow (Saki Rouyama) -While Sosuke can be described as having a sunny disposition, Saki is clearly more of the fun loving one. Saki tries to always be happy and make those around her happy. It was very easy to make Saki and Sosuke have the exact same character, and that thin line is walked along often in this show. Fortunately the show is smart enough to make their joy come from different places. While Sosuke wants to keep his life in gear so he can keep going and keep growing, Saki has a very specific dream she is constantly working towards. That is coupled with family issues we learn about later that create this sense that Saki may sometimes be forcing that smile. Much like Renn character development is very basic, and just enough is done to show that Saki has grown. Unlike Renn, however, Saki sticks out and is much more enjoyable to witness which, in turn, makes her development more fun to watch even if it is only a little. Saki is a very delightful character that offers just more than enough for the show.
Go-On Green (Hant Jou) - Hant Jou is a tough nut to crack. Kind-hearted, childish and easygoing are words often used to describe him, but I would say he is also a bit timid by nature. Hant has a deep curiousity and selfless nature, which is what roped in into Gunpei's shenanigans when he became Go-On Black. Hant getting chosen as Go-On Green is no less than a happy accident. Though becoming a Go-Onger cost him his job, Hant is often found working part time, both for money and personal reasons. Despite his childishness, Hant's development is based not around taking things seriously, but rather taking the right things seriously. As I said, Hant can be pretty timid and reserved when he doesn't know what to do or feels unmotivated. It's all about finding that nice balance between taking your responsibilities with complete seriousness while relaxing and enjoying the other facets of your life. In a way, I'm sure a lot of people can relate to Hant.
Go-On Black (Gunpei Ishihara) -Without a doubt, Gunpei was the most eager to take up the mantle of Go-Onger. As the evil organization "Gaiark" appeared he was but a cop. After his superiors told Gunpei that Gaiark was out of their jurisdiction he left the force and went on to find the Go-Ongers. After a very rocky start, Gunpei became a part of the team. Upon leaving the force and becoming a Go-Onger, Gunpei had a strong sense of justice and believed that the police had lost this sense of justice, as well as the fact he saw his team as kids who needed his guidance. With this his story was very much about not being as hard-headed and learning to be more compassionate and empathetic to others. Eventually, Gunpei saw the other Go-Ongers as more than just kids, they were his team.
Go-On Gold (Hiroto Sutou) - The first of the Sutou siblings that make up Go-On wings. At first Hiroto comes across as a stuck-up jerk. Actually by the end of everything he is still kind of a stuck-up jerk, but as we learn more about him we discover that he does everything he does for good reason. When Hiroto first encounters the Go-Ongers he wants them to stop and leave everything to the wings. It is discovered later that the reasons were two-fold. First Hiroto wanted to be sure as many people (Go-Ongers included) were safe from unnecessary danger and second, he thought he was the only one good enough and cabaple of fighting (with the exception of his sister). Over time in the series, Hiroto discovers that he is not all that and the other Go-Ongers are just as capable as he is. I mean, he's still a jerk but at least by the end he plays well with others.
Go-On Silver (Mio Sutou) - Mio is an odd one. Mio has rich girl sensibilities through and through as well as an even larger superiority complex than her brother at times. She is quicker to work with the Go-Ongers...but mostly because she finds their lack of skill adorable and think they need to be protected by "big sister Mio". Like her brother, she comes to see what the Go-Ongers are capable of over time, beginning to trust their skills and work with them legitimately. The reason she sticks around isn't what you'd expect though. She has a massive crush on Sosuke, built off the notion that it's adorable how rambunctious and determined he is despite being bad at fighting. She is just as stuck up, if not more, than her brother. Also like her brother, Mio comes around and is able to fight with all the Go-Ongers honestly and proudly.
BOMPER (Born-to Outerdimension and Mechanic x Pitcrew-type Engine-support Robot) - The Go-Ongers helpful Robot companion. advises the Go-Ongers and is an experienced mechanic for the zords.
Engine Speedor - condor/race car
Engine Bus-on - lion/busEngine BearRV - bear/RV
Engine Birca - orca/motorcycle
Engine Gunpherd -German Shepherd/police car
Engine Carrigator - alligator/semi-trailer
Engine Toripter - chicken/helicopter
Engine Jetras - tiger/fighter jet
Engine Jum-bowhale - whale/jumbo jet
Engine Kishamoth - mammoth/steam engine
Engine T-line - tyrannosaurus rex/bullet train
Engine K-line - triceratops/bullet train
Armored Wheel GoRoader GT - Tire that turns into a Mecha
The villains in Go-Onger each stand out in their own way, For better or for worse. The main villain faction in the show is a group referred to as Gaiark. This group operates like a huge corporation and their big goal is to spread pollution as far as possible. While that seems pretty generic, it is discovered later that they actually need pollution to survive. While this isn't a huge game changer, nor is it touched upon as much as I would like, it still adds a bit of necessary depth to the villains of the show.
Yogostein (land pollution minister) - Yogostein is loud, tough and very strong. He is far from stupid though. Yogostein can be thick-headed as his pride can get the better of him sometimes, but his schemes are almost always well thought out. Heck, most of the schemes in the early episodes would likely work if the Go-Ongers didn't get a new zord or power at just the right time, but I digress. I would say that Yogostein is the most interesting villain in this whole show. The desire to defeat the Go-Ongers and make a place suitable for only the Gaiark slowly devolves into a sick obsession. Towards the end of the series. This shows itself in his willingness to hurt himself and other allies to achieve his goals. Before this obsession took over a picture was painted of a being full of loyalty to his organization and care for those under him. Yogostein was almost always proud of his creations and most of all, his vice minister. The transition is pretty drastic but comes out so naturally and is all the more devastating because of it. 
Kitaneidas (air pollution minister) - Compared to the other two ministers, Kitaneidas is more of a tinkerer and a thinker. Most of his schemes were pretty indirect in some regard but were just as effective as the other ministers' plans. Of the mainstay villains in the show Kitaneidas very easily stood out the least. Despite being a very formidable fighter he was often delegated to a sort of support villain role in the series. Unfortunately there is not much else to say about him other than he was good at tinkering and was a good support villain.
Kegalesia (water pollution minister) - Kegalesia is very much the diva of the villains. I hate to say it but a huge chunk of her character, down to her design, was probably meant solely as fan service. She is by no means a bad villain but she only stands out a bit more than the air minister when it comes to evil. I think if this character was given the direction to just go all out and have fun she could have been just as fun and over the top as Bandora from Zyuranger. Whenever she snaps and goes full evil, the transition is pretty funny. Imagine if the super crazy ex-gf you always hear about was also a machine set to spread air pollution and destroy stuff. Her schemes were always drawn from some random obsession or thing she really wanted, though she was always quick to help her cohorts evil schemes. Kegalesia was a good villainess but underutilized I feel. 
Hiramechimedes (land pollution vice-minister) - Easily my second favorite villain of the show and it is not just because he has an awesome name. The Vice minister of land pollution joined the fray against the Go-Ongers later in the series and served as the primary rival of the Go-On wings (Gold and Silver). Hiramechimedes is the smartest of the villains and a brilliant tactician. His skills in organizing the troops and making plans keep the Go-Ongers on their toes the entire time he is around. Much like his boss, Yogostein, Hiramechimedes suffers from some hardcore pride, thought not in the way you think. Hiramechimedes is proud to be in Gaiark and proud to be serving under his hero Yogostein. The two earth ministers hold each other in reverence for their skill. I'm honestly shocked they didn't pull a "I'm a better earth minister than you" with the vice-minister....Though given what we got....that also would have been a much better alternative for the last bit of the show. I digress. The Vice-minister appeared out of the blue and left with a bang with one final confrontation against the Go-Ongers. A great villain and a very pivotal character considering what happened to Yogostein not long after. 
Chirakasonne ( Danger Cabinet-Director) - Chirakasonne is the right hand man to the Crime Minister and leader of Gaiark, Yogoshimacritein. There is not much to say about this character and that honestly is the entire problem. He was supposed to be this second in command, this huge baddy, but he feels more like your typical monster of the week. What is his power? Chirakasonne can absorb and throw back blasts of energy using the energies of his own body. That is what he does. That is who he is. Thinking back, I don't think he lasted more than two episodes. It is worth mentioning him though as Chirakasonne and the next two villains are integral to probably the greatest flaw of the show. Before that I should probably discuss the other two. 
Kireizky (Cleaning Minister) - Why does an evil organization that creates and survives off pollution...need somebody to clean? I think I know what the intent was. Imagine what the mafia refers to as a cleaner. Basically it would make him an assassin who is good at getting things done quick and making it seem like nothing happened. The problem was how surreal his character was. Kireizky was a neat freak and all of his weapons resembled cleaning supplies. Everything from a feather duster sword to a dust pan shield. I don't hate this character as much as the other two that show up out of nowhere at the end, but I can't really like him. On writing and designing the character I believe that the original concept got lost in his gimmick. Unfortunately that gimmick goes against everything he should be as a member of Gaiark. Kireizky isn't bad as a villain, he is certainly formidable against the Go-Ongers, he is just too out of place to me. 
Yogoshimacritein (Crime Minister) - I do not get why the Danger Cabinet-Director and the Cleaning Minister are the way they are. They confuse and frustrate me. Yogoshimacritein and how he was handled just makes me mad. The first thing you notice about the Crime Minister is how much he looks like Yogostein. Well that is because they are father and son. This is made clearer when you notice that some of the mannerisms of Yogoshimacritein are just like Yogostein except with a tad more menace and calm to him. They way they fight is also very similar but it is apparent that the Crime minister is a lot stronger. On his own, YogoShimacritein is absolutely final boss material, but was written into the story so poorly that much like the last two, I don't have much to say about him other than, he's pretty evil and intimidating. Story discussion
As I said before when the show is good, it displays some of the best parts of Tokusatsu. The first dozen of so episodes before the wings join are about the characters. the main plot details involve black and green officially joining the Go-Ongers and getting new zords and zord combinations. The conflicts are typical monster of the week fare but some of the plans of the villains are pretty bold. I honestly believe some of these plans would work if the Go-Ongers didn't jus happen to get a new weapon or zord configuration at just the right now.
In many ways the first part of this show feels like a parody done right. The hero characters are interesting and fun and the villains serve as the voice for the audience in a way. They keep getting continually confused and frustrated by the new toys. It really is bizarre but the villains in the beginning find this odd balance of threatening mastermind and funny straight man in a comedy routine. The show is very good at using comedy to ease the viewer into situations. by the time big story events start happening, the audience is completely comfortable with the heroes and the villains. This makes them that much more invested, and is one of the shows greatest strengths.
The next 20-30 episodes is when the story and drama really kick in. The introduction of the Go-On wings and Hiramechimedes puts a spin in everything. The audience gets to see new sides to our villains and due to the increased danger the Go-Ongers must learn to work together better and start to reel back and take things more serious. The show, by no means, loses it's comedic edge. There are still the occasional funny moments, but this huge section of the show was meant to transition into the plot and take things a bit more serious. Thinking back it did seem like the show was drastically different before the Vice-minister of earth arrived than after. It is always hard to transition from comedy to more drama and action but this show did okay.
The heroes are all about character still, and to some degree more so than a developing story. The villains, however get the big dramatic story turns. Yogostein, especially, with his slow descent into madness as his plans keep failing and his colleagues keep dying. This does create a weird dynamic on both sides of the fence. The heroes aren't terrible but aside from some individual episodes don't really get a chance to stand out. The best dramatic moment for the heroes is when it seems Sosuke is about to die. That scene shows great acting and really helps to reinforce to the Go-Ongers how serious and how much of a problem the villains have become. Other than that, most of the time the heroes are just kind of okay and nothing really stands out. The villains kind of start of suffer here, though. Since Yogostein is getting so much development he takes center stage for the villains and unfortunately overshadows the others, especially after Hiramechimedes dies. At this point in the series I didn't hate any of it but thought the series was a tad better in the beginning when they were just having fun.Then came the climax and the last few episodes. Everything kind of fell apart here. The appearance of Kireizky, Chirakasonne, and Yogoshimacritein were unexpected in just about every sense of the word. Suddenly these supreme higher ups of Gaiark showed up to correct the mistakes their subordinates made. On paper this is fine and not an unfamiliar plot to Tokusatsu. There are three things that ruin the impact of these three, however: First, The three ministers of Earth, water and air pollution do not even know of their existence and to some degree confused that they even have bosses. This raises so many questions and ruins the illusion that Gaiark is this super organized entity of evil. Secondly, The build up and development for the other villains just suddenly stops leaving the audience wanting for some kind of closure or conclusion to their story. Third, all three of the new big villains hardly get any semblance of development. They all just kind of show up and take more than one episode to beat.
In a bizzare twist though, we do get to see some great acting all around from the heroes in the last few episodes. While nothing ground-breaking, Once the situation got more dire in the story and the stakes were raised that high, all of the Rangers switched to a more serious mode. Oddly enough, all of the Go-Ongers act so much better during dramatic moments. It's not like they are terrible at the more light-hearted or comedic moments. I honestly can't imagine anybody else playing Sosuke. It was good, though, that the acting on the hero side just got better. For them the final episodes were all about resolution and they showed that resolution in every waking moment. I only wish I got a different ending on the villains side. Final Thoughts
Now I had the design for the final boss spoiled to me before I finished the show. When I saw it, and saw what was going on with Yogostein, I thought some dark things were about to happen. I thought the earth pollution minister would scrap his friends and greatest allies, the other two ministers, to empower himself as the Ultimate Minister of Pollution. Unfortunately that is not what happened and I got immensely disappointed with what we actually got. Even when I clear my bias as much as I can and rewatch the ending it really makes no sense from a story telling perspective.
This is the major flaw of this series and one that unfortunately lingers in Tokusatsu. Villains, particularly final boss villains don't appear till the end with no real buildup to them. Often times there is buildup to another possible outcome, but that just makes the final battle chosen, all the less exciting. The audience isn't built up to fear this villain, we are built up to expect a battle that suits the character. Another example is Kamen Rider Faiz. Takumi's fight with Kiba held more weight than the actual final battle of the show. The final fight is only a symptom of how the story is written though.
I can't say exactly who would be to blame for this but in many tokusatsu series, a good chunk of the series is written and portrayed very naturally. The way characters interact and what you begin to think will come of them meet or surpass expectation very well. As the series ends there is of course a pressure to wrap everything up and many times that requires the addition of a central foe for everyone to fight. This usually means that a Tokusatsu series will have an opening and middle that are strong or at least good with a last bit that is not terrible, but not what it could have been.
Ranting aside that is the best way for me to describe Go-Onger as a whole. this series was fun and the characters were great, but it could have been a lot more if the last episodes took a slightly different route. I do recommend that this series be watched. When this show is good, it is funny and great, just don't expect a masterpiece.
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