This “What if Crossover Meeting” Meme originally belongs to MagicalKeyPizzaDan and is dedicated to all of my friends, fellow artists, fans, and brethren who are admirers of Jason David Frank as an actor, a martial artist, and as a martial arts instructor as well as The Splendid Seven consisting of Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran. Sit back, relax, and revel in the idea of Jason David Frank portraying a mentor figure to seven energetic and powerful young Yokai warriors, especially in the 1990s.
Imagine being transported back to 1996, during the period when Power Rangers Zeo aired as well as when Jason David Frank released his second karate instructional video The White Ranger Kata. A new show has been produced that does not see 23-year-old Sensei Frank as one of the Power Rangers but as a mentor in the vein of Master Splinter except he is younger, more vibrant, and not as stoic but still firm, fair, and kind. Rather, the ones who end up taking centre stage are seven young Yokai martial artists in the forms of 15-year-old Sesshoumaru, 14-year-olds Shuran and Inuyasha, 13-year-olds Hakkaku and Ginta, 11-year-old Ayame, and 9-year-old Shunran who would end up charming the small screens with their prodigious moves, their vibrant personalities, and their lovingly tight bond with Sensei Frank playing their mentor. The result is essentially a combination of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mixed with Three Ninjas in the sense that Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran are volatile, powerful, strong-willed young warriors with a mentor who sets them on the right path to living their best lives possible while being the firmly loving family that they are. Sprinkling in the edutainment elements of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Captain Planet, and Mister T would demonstrate that this show revolving around Sensei Frank, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran is not just all about kicking villain butt with various martial arts skills but also tell great stories, inspire viewers to be aware of the world around them, and instil good morals to young viewers without becoming too preachy nor too sanctimonious, thus making for absolutely great television in the mid to late 1990s.
I could imagine Jason David Frank playing a wise, down-to-earth mentor figure who does not go all preachy with his morals and principles, but does his best to give sage advice and encouragement to his young wards, while also balancing his sensei duties with his education as a college student. He would also push Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran to reach their potential as martial artists and as people as well as fully implement the Eight Codes of the Arts in their lives, specifically brotherhood, discipline, attitude, respect, self-respect, confidence, cooperation, and dedication. Sure, he would drill them in terms of getting each and every move they throw as accurately and powerfully as possible, but he would also not hesitate to have fun with them. Just because Sensei Frank’s character is a mentor does not mean that he cannot aid his wards in kicking bad guy butt because he would also be just as active in battle as they are. Furthermore, he would also have a strong social circle consisting of Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch portraying his best friends and college roommates. All of this would make Sensei Frank’s character have more dimension than just being relegated to being the mentor.
As for the main young seven Yokai martial artists, they would definitely compliment Sensei Frank’s down-to-earth, approachable personality with their skills and their vivacity, and not trying to upstage each other. 15-year-old Sesshoumaru is the strong, honour-bound, stern co-leader who is a black belt in Karate specifically Kyokushin, Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu, while his 14-year-old brother Inuyasha is the rowdy, fiercely loyal, bold leader who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Kyokushin Karate and Shotokan Karate as well as growing his skills in Pankration, Bokator, and Kapu Kuialua. 14-year-old Shuran is the tough, rough yet lovable big guy who is a young champion in Professional Wrestling, Sumo Wrestling, Mongolian Wrestling, and Vale Tudo. 13-year-old Hakkaku is an energetic and enthusiastic ball of energy who is a young expert in Muay Thai, Pradal Serey, and Kajukenbo who has been competing with opponents twice and thrice his size. 13-year-old Ginta is the charming and sweet nice guy who is a young maverick in Lethwei, Sanda, and Pencak Silat. 11-year-old Ayame is the outspoken, determined, resilient tomboy who is a maven in Kickboxing, Nippon Kenpo, Koppojutsu, and Boxing. 9-year-old Shunran is the mischievous, cheeky, clever girly genius who is quick on her feet in Capoeira, Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, and Wushu. Life for Sensei Frank portraying their mentor would never be boring by any stretch of the imagination, especially when they call themselves Sensei Jason and The Black Belt Crew, and the seven-member Black Belt Crew would show their unbridled respect and unconditional love to Sensei Jason as if though he were their big brother/young father figure.
Where the show’s format would be concerned, it might also draw inspiration from the 1986 Karate Kommandos cartoon, the 1983 Mister T cartoon, the 1972 Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids cartoon, and the 1970 Harlem Globetrotters cartoon in the sense that Jason David Frank would play a fictionalised and animated version of himself alongside Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran when they were young plus Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch portraying his friends even having them in their real-life live-action forms as well as the seven young Yokai martial artists still in their anime forms interacting with Frank on occasion. This would mean that Sensei Frank would portray the Danza on his show with live-action segments consisting of Frank himself introducing and concluding today’s episode just like what Bill Cosby, Mr T, and Chuck Norris did in their shows. There would also be a huge mixture of Sensei Jason and his seven young Yokai wards being involved in solving mysteries, stopping crime, and kicking bad guy butt while also dealing with relevant social issues such as peer pressure, divorce, the dangers of gang violence, the perils of gun violence in schools and in the work place, racism, parental abandonment, kidnapping, child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, vandalism, school bullying, depression, and dealing with children coming from troubled backgrounds. At the centre of all this would be Sensei Jason consistently incorporating how important it is to use martial arts to defend and protect others, improve one’s self, keep the peace within the community, and never to incite any form of violence. Therefore, Sensei Jason and The Black Belt Crew would be a show that can be entertaining, informative, fun, and intriguing balancing action, comedy, human drama, edutainment, and thrills without being condescending to its viewers, pushing the envelope too much, and being patronising with its morals and messages. This show would definitely last for a great three years on Cartoon Network before Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran become the Mighty Morphin Inurangers, which is another story for another time. However, for now, I am confident that this is something Ted Turner would have loved to have on Cartoon Network in the 1990s.
Sensei Jason David Frank starring alongside Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran on a show together alongside Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch as recurring characters and allies to the group would have made for great television and a long-lasting career highlight in Sensei Frank’s and his wards careers as martial artists and as individuals. The Splendid Seven would be really grateful to have Sensei Frank as their mentor, while Sensei Frank would be really happy to consider his seven young Yokai wards to be like family, specifically akin to his younger siblings.
I hope you all enjoyed this, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and may the power protect you, everybody.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Karate Club The White Ranger Kata belongs to Saban, Toei, and Jason David Frank.
Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
