The Power Rangers franchise has certainly withstood the test of time. The first season aired in 1993 and was extremely successful, spawning over 831 episodes, three feature movies, various comics, 17 video games, and countless toys and merchandise. However, some people might find Power Rangers a little too childish, if not mindless. Luckily, Power Rangers belongs to a large genre of shows and movies known as “tokusatsu,” so even if you don’t like Power Rangers, you will likely find at least one tokusatsu show you will enjoy. Unless, of course, you don’t like the concept of people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters and/or can’t stand reading subtitles, but that is unlikely. But, if you enjoy watching people in brightly colored costumes trying to save the world through high kicks and posing, here is a list of five shows for you.

5: Spider-Man

No, that is not the 1977 live action CBS version of Spider-Man; that is Toei’s 1978 tokusatsu take on Spider-Man. Back in the 70s, Marvel and Toei entered into an agreement that, had things gone according to plan, could have made Super Sentai and various other Toei properties officially part of the Marvel universe. Sadly, Stan Lee’s proposal to bring Super Sentai to the US never came to fruition, and the Spider-man show is one of the few programs Toei created with the Marvel license. Instead of focusing on Peter Parker and the powers he gets from a radioactive spider bite, the show revolves around Takuya Yamashiro and the powers he receives from a bracelet given to him by an ancient warrior from the planet Spider. Gone are classic villains like Mysterio and Doctor Octopus, replaced by Professor Monster and his Iron Cross Army. The show is what many people expect when they hear “people in spandex suits fighting guys in rubber monster suits,” except it stars a man with Spider-Man’s signature powers and his red and blue suit. And, he pilots a giant spaceship, the Marveller, that transforms into the giant robot Leopardon.

(All credit goes to Toy Bounty Hunters for making a video that introduced me to the existence of this show.)

4: Super Sentai

I might be cheating a bit here with this entry, but while Power Rangers is based on Super Sentai, they are at heart completely different entities. The two shows share the same action sequences and costumes; however, they tend to tell wildly different stories. For example, Power Rangers In Space uses the same costumes and fights as its source material, Denji Sentai Megaranger, but they share little else. In Space is an epic space opera where the Rangers search the galaxy to rescue their mentor Zordon from the Alliance of Evil, while Megaranger takes place on Earth and focuses on high school students chosen by a combat simulation video game to fend off alien invaders. Moreover, In Space makes use of costumes from previous Power Rangers seasons to create what was originally intended to be the finale of the entire Power Rangers franchise, but Megaranger, as with most seasons of Super Sentai, is completely standalone and does not reference past events from other Sentai seasons aside from a movie of questionable canonicity. Finally, Super Sentai has been around much longer than Power Rangers, so audiences have more Super Sentai seasons to chose from.

3: Ultraman

Not to be confused with the villainous alternate-universe Superman doppleganger of the same name, Ultraman is a franchise that stars different heroes, all of whom have titles that are variations on the word Ultraman, such as Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Neos. Unlike other heroes, all Ultramen and Ultrawomen fight giant monsters on their terms: by growing to a gigantic size and punching the monsters in their collective faces, or at least where a face should be. The monsters in Power Rangers/Super Sentai start small and then grow huge, whereas the monsters in the Ultraman franchise are almost always gigantic. Ultraman is known for its ludicrous and inventive monster designs, including but not limited to Pestar, Eleking, Alien Baltan, and Dinosaur Tank. Yes, seriously. And, did I mention that Ultraman was originally created by Eiji Tsubaraya, the guy who also created Godzilla? The show gets more awesome the more you learn about it.

2: Kamen Rider

Kamen Rider is, in many respects, Super Sentai’s big brother. Unlike Power Rangers, Kamen Riders tend to fight alone or alongside one or two partners. While some seasons star multiple Kamen Riders, these Riders are usually involved in a war or contest of some variety. Many Kamen Riders have multiple forms, usually because of a gimmick or two. Furthermore, some seasons of Kamen Rider can get rather dark, or at least dark for a show primarily aimed at Japanese kids. One season in particular, Kamen Rider Agito, starts with several people killed when their bodies are shoved into tree knots. The audience only sees the aftermath, but an arm dangling out of a tree knot is still rather gruesome when you think about it.

1: GARO

All of the shows on this list so far have been aimed at children, but GARO sets itself apart from the rest of the crowd by catering to an adult audience. The show is dark, gritty, and focuses on the titular knight Garo. As with Ultraman, Garo isn’t a name but a title, this time handed down from father to son. All who wear the golden wolf armor inherit the title and responsibilities of Garo, i.e., kill demonic creatures known as Horrors. Horrors tend to possess humans, but while most heroes save a human host by exorcising their demons, Garo has no such opportunity. Horrors subsist on a diet of souls, which leaves their hosts as empty husks animated solely by a Horror; nothing remains of the original human to save. This dark atmosphere combines with stylish, gravity-defying action sequences and a killer soundtrack (with opening songs by JAM Project) to create what might arguably be the best alternative to Power Rangers, period. Oh, and did I mention that the first Garo the show introduces, Saezima Kouga, looks like a more-angry version of Seto Kaiba? Good luck getting that thought out of your head.

Honorable Mention: Fujiyama Ichiban

I know I just said GARO is the best alternative to Power Rangers, but I would be remiss if I did not mention this indie passion project. Fujiyama Ichiban is caught halfway between Power Rangers and Kamen Rider, and it features some absolutely gorgeous samurai-inspired costumes and decent fight choreography. Furthermore, it is one of the few tokusatsus that do not require subtitles. This show did not make it into the list (mentioning it here as an honorable mention notwithstanding) because it has a nonsensical plot and abysmal acting that gives Tommy Wisseau’s The Room a run for its money. However, the people who make Fujiyama Ichiban are obviously passionate for the tokusatsu genre, and I highly recommend watching the episodes on the official Fujiyama Ichiban YouTube page regardless of the “so bad it’s good” acting.