Interview with Akihiro Yuji Noguchi about his decades-long career as a Power Rangers stunt performer and later stunt choreographer
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(Image credit: Netflix/Akihiro Yuji Noguchi)
(Image credit: Netflix/Akihiro Yuji Noguchi)
Mr Noguchi’s career as a stunt performer and then stunt choreographer is closely connected to the evolution of Hasbro’s Power Rangers series. He has trained Power Rangers actors for over two decades and brought the fight scenes in the latest Power Rangers Dino Fury season –available on Netflix now– to life.
Being the action mastermind behind some of these creative sequences, Mr Noguchi choreographed fights for multiple episodes since 2000’s Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, ran training boot camps for different Power Rangers casts and trained the Japanese stunt teams for years.
T3: If Power Rangers were real, what exercises should they do to keep fit and ready for action?
Akihiro Yuji Noguchi:An interesting question! It would be necessary to have training that combines rescue teams and police special forces so that they can be dispatched at any time. Rescue squads are training to safely rescue victims of disasters and accidents, and police special forces are training to control bad guys who threaten the general public. Training is conducted assuming various situations. Power Rangers must be the strongest team globally, so they should be training beyond these expectations.
Additionally, isn’t the training to operate the Megazord freely unique to Power Rangers? How much exercise is needed, such as making full use of that giant robot and sometimes fighting giant monsters in martial arts? I don’t think it’s at the level of training to operate tanks and cranes at construction sites. All of this said, I feel that the percentage of training that uses the brain is higher than that of physical training.
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T3: Is there a stunt sequence you’re most proud of from any of the Power Ranger projects you were involved in?
AYN:My favourite stunt I’ve done is the Red Ranger’s first post-morphing battle in episode two of Power Rangers S.P.D. We incorporated various elements into one shot in a relatively large setup, including advanced wire stunts and many explosions. The wire stunts, with the explosions in the background, elevate an energetic battle scene suitable for the first battle of the Red Ranger.
Power Rangers S.P.D. was the first Power Rangers series I filmed in New Zealand, and I just wanted to make an incredible action scene. Each season has memorable stunts, but this is still the stunt I’m proudest of.
(Image credit: Netflix)
(Image credit: Netflix)
T3: Have you performed any Power Range stunts you’re proud of?
AYN:I have, a lot! I played the Black Ranger in Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. In that action sequence, I used a trampoline to show off a double backflip and double front flip and half twists. I don’t think anyone did this technique with a mask on at that time. It was a ninja character, so I think it was a perfect technique.
In Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, I set a mini trampoline on top of a truck, and it was blown up, and I landed doing a double front flip. This is my favourite high fall, and I’ve shown it in other works.
I did theGuyver Kick, which everyone from the action industry to action enthusiasts knows.
T3: Sounds intense! What did your workout routine look like when you were actively doing stunts?
AYN:My action is based on Gōjū-ryū, traditional Japanese karate. While practising my routine of hand and foot techniques, the main idea was how to make the karate technique look good on video. While shooting the video of myself, I repeatedly checked and fixed my front and side forms in front of the mirror.
I would individually check each of the foot techniques, such as front kick and roundhouse kick, and the hand techniques, such as thrusting, punching, blocking, and avoiding, to see how to make them look the most powerful and speedy. Martial arts fight scenes are a combination of basic techniques, and if each technique is done well, it would be a convincing fight scene when combined. Also, I think I spend more time analysing how to use my body than the technique itself, such as moving smoothly and quickly when connecting techniques.
There was also practice with all the performers. It’s a place for me to actually try out the skills that I improved in my personal practice.
(Image credit: Netflix)
(Image credit: Netflix)
AYN:I don’t think there was any particular work I wanted. I was doing my best with each job I was offered.
In Steve Wang’s movieThe Drive, I held on to a pipe halfway from a height of about eight meters, twisted my body during the fall and fell to the ground with no mat. Unfortunately, the shot was too dark to be used in the film.
However, I remember being happy to hear that my stunts led to a subsequent increase in the stunt budget.
T3: Let’s talk about the actors you work with now. Did they have to go through any training before the shoot? If so, what workouts did they do?
AYN:Some actors have experience in action and sports, but they weren’t able to do Power Rangers style action right away, so we trained them for three weeks leading up to filming. We taught the actors how to avoid dangers such as hits, kicks and passives, and how to show effective action that shines in the show.
T3: How do you get the actors/stunts ready for a shoot?
The Power Rangers stunt team always prepares for the next action sequence in their spare time so that the shooting will proceed smoothly. When I have a wire stunt, I take other shots to give the stunt team time to prepare for it, and my assistant director is very good. For wire stunts, he builds the order of shots like a puzzle based on my shot list. I have absolute trust in the crew of the second unit, and they also trust me. I think it’s the best crew in the world.
We have taught actors in many series so far. In that process, an efficient action training manual was born naturally. Rather than planning training for each new season, the focus is on developing the skills and abilities to respond to any choreography in a short amount of time.
(Image credit: Netflix)
(Image credit: Netflix)
T3: Finally, can you offer any fitness tips to aspiring stunt performers?
AYN:In action training, all movements begin with the relaxation of muscles. When you want to perform sharp techniques, increase the muscle strength usage rate from 0% to 100% instantly. Incorporate training routines that make good use of gravity and centrifugal force. This will make your movements sharper, and you won’t get tired because you won’t use unnecessary muscle strength.
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