From design to toy · 1990s
Dairenoh: The Warrior Inside Five Beasts
Five mythical beasts become an armored warrior. Follow Dairenoh’s Chinese warrior theme from its first sketch to the finished design and the original DX combining toy.
- From the world of
- Gosei Sentai Dairanger
- Toy maker
- Bandai
Original AI cover illustration inspired by the character design; historical artwork and toy photographs appear inside the article.
AI cover illustration · Rewind: Northwest RetroDesign reference ↗01 / The design
The finished Dairenoh design combines an armored warrior silhouette with recognizable creature details: a lion-faced torso and a blue horse and yellow kirin at the legs.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 080 · PDF p. 88
02 / The toy
The toy photograph from the artbook’s Five-Star Combination DX Dairenoh inset. This shows Dairenoh on its own, rather than a combination with Won Tiger or Daimugen.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 080 · PDF p. 88
The warrior came first
Before looking for the five beasts, look at the shoulders and crest. Dairenoh’s first sketch already has the bearing of an armored commander: a broad upper body, a tall head ornament and a round chest feature.
The artbook calls this a Chinese Warring States warrior image and says that direction carried through to the finished design. The later creature colors sharpen the individual parts, but the overall figure is already there in the rough drawing. The caption identifies sketch 1 as Dairenoh even though it shares a page headed Ryuseioh. Early sketches, p. 150.
Look closer
Drawing 1 is identified as Dairenoh’s first sketch. The accompanying source caption says its Chinese Warring States warrior image was carried through to the finished design.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 150 · PDF p. 158
The finished design keeps the early sketch’s commanding shoulders and crest while distinguishing the five creatures.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 080 · PDF p. 88
Five beasts inside the armor
In Gosei Sentai Dairanger, Ryuseioh joins four companions in Five-Star Combination. A lion’s face becomes the center of the armor; a blue heavenly horse and yellow kirin give the lower legs their distinct faces and colors. The phoenix completes the group. Dairenoh first combines in episode 8. Artbook, pp. 080–081.
The drawings and labeled original DX photographs let you identify all five: Ryuseioh, Star Lion, Star Tenma, Star Kirin and Star Phoenix. Follow the lion’s gold mane into the torso, then find the long blue and yellow faces at the shins. Ryuseioh’s own exhibit follows the dragon’s separate transformation into a warrior.
Look closer
The five beast designs
Star Lion, Star Tenma, Star Kirin, and Star Phoenix, with their detail studies. The artbook identifies their motifs as mythical beasts associated with ancient China. These are finished designs, rather than early sketches or toy photographs.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 081 · PDF p. 89
Ryuseioh, the fifth beast, in dragon form. Its own exhibit also shows the individual warrior it becomes.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 079 · PDF p. 87
The five original DX beasts
DX Ryuseioh before it stands up as a warrior. The clear display support belongs to the photographer’s setup.
Four become a flying platform
The companions have another arrangement. In Tenku Kiden, they join into a broad platform that Ryuseioh rides. The book gives its motif as the flying cloud Kinto-un and places its debut in episode 6, before Dairenoh’s appearance. Artbook, p. 081.
The DX photograph makes the distinction clear. Here Ryuseioh stands above the companions; in Dairenoh, their forms surround it as armor and legs. The same creatures can carry the warrior or become the warrior’s larger body. Original DX photographs.
Look closer
Tenku Kiden, with and without Ryuseioh aboard. This excerpt retains neighboring bird-study details around the riding formation.
Super Sentai Art Collection · MediaWorks, 2002 · printed p. 081 · PDF p. 89
The sketch survives the combination
The opening toy is the artbook’s Five-Star Combination DX Dairenoh. Its straight stance brings the lion chest and differently colored legs into a compact version of the finished illustration. The book remembers the set’s large packaging and many decoration stickers. Artbook, p. 080.
Look back at the first sketch’s shoulders. The five creatures explain where the parts come from; the early armored-warrior idea explains why those parts feel like one character. Dairenoh keeps both readings visible.
Sources
- Super Sentai Art Collection: Sentai Robo Edition 1975–2002 — Dairenoh and its DX toy · MediaWorks · 2002 · page 080 · scan page 88
- Super Sentai Art Collection — Companion beasts and Tenku Kiden · MediaWorks · 2002 · page 081 · scan page 89
- Super Sentai Art Collection — Early Sketches: Dairenoh’s first sketch · MediaWorks · 2002 · page 150 · scan page 158
- Super Sentai Art Collection — Dairanger’s broadcast period and Ryuseioh · MediaWorks · 2002 · page 079 · scan page 87
- RoboToyDays — original Bandai DX toy photographs · RoboToyDays
Artwork and toy photographs are credited reproductions from published sources. This is a virtual exhibit.