Ep. 4: Forbidden Delusion! The Lame Blue Corruption!

Forbidden Delusion! The Lame Blue Corruption! (禁じられた妄想は青い背徳の痛み) is the fourth episode of Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger.

Plot
When Mitsuki tells the other Akibarangers that she won't be partaking of Grand Delusions, the team is shocked. However, she says it's only for three days, as she has martial arts training camp. She makes her teammates promise not to get into trouble (simply put - "no delusions") while she is away. As she leaves her teammates struggle to avoid daydreaming or any wild imaginings as the littlest push can cause a delusion of trouble. As they're having trouble separately, Nobuo and Yumeria decide to stick together for the time being, checking out the store Otamix for maybe some kind of other costume (and personality) for Yumeria. The sentai costumes in the place however cause Nobuo to daydream about the girls in his life wearing costumes of various Sentai heroines and villainesses, prompting the arrival of Monzen-Nakachō Hashibirokō, a chief clerk whose goal is to purify Akihabara of worldly desires. The Akibarangers transform, wishing Mitsuki were there. Monzen-Nakachō grants their wish, making Akiba Blue appear. However, Akiba Blue fights the Akibarangers. A second Akiba Blue appears and battles the first one, who it turns out is ©Na in disguise. With the arrival of Akiba Blue the Akibarangers defeat the chief clerk.

Later Nobuo and Yumeria are shocked to learn that Mitsuki had only spent the last two days in training camp and she had spent the first day in an event for Nijiyome Academy Z-Cune Aoi.

Cast

 * Nobuo Akagi: Masato Wada (和田 正人)
 * Mitsuki Aoyagi: Kyoko Hinami (日南 響子)
 * Yumeria Moegi: Karin Ogino (荻野 可鈴)
 * Hiroyo Hakase: Maaya Uchida (内田 真礼)
 * Kozkoz Mita: Kozue Aikawa (愛川 こずえ)
 * ©Na: Honoka (穂花)
 * Sayaka Honiden: Miiko Morita (森田 美位子)
 * Monzennakachōhashibirokō (Voice): Takaya Kuroda (黒田 崇矢)

Suit actors

 * Akiba Red: Sanshiro Wada (和田 三四郎)
 * Akiba Blue: Haruka Oshima (大島 遥)
 * Akiba Yellow: Fusayo Fujita (藤田 房代)
 * Chief Clerk: Tomohiko Akiyama (秋山 智彦)

Tropes and References

 * When Hiroyo tells the Akibarangers they need to be in Akihabara to transform, Nobuo notes that they are 'local heroes', a reference to the Sentai-esque local heroes.
 * As Mitsuki prepares the team for her three-day absence, Nobuo notes that a three-man Sentai with only two members hasn't occured since Sun Vulcan, when Ryuusuke Oowashi went to NASA and Takayuki Hiba hadn't shown up yet to replace him as VulEagle.
 * This reference is actually wrong, as Takayuki appeared before Ryuusuke's departure, and the latter was in fact there to pass the torch to the former.
 * Upon seeing a group of people, which include men dressed as women, entering an old and suspicious looking building (which turns out to be a "Cross-Dressing Cafe"), Nobuo is reminded of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger Episode. 26: Cool Passion, where to investigate an illegal fighting ring, the Dekarangers went undercover to visit their underground arena, during which, Tetsu dresses up as a woman.
 * During a moment where Hakase is bored while Kozukozu is cleaning the helmets, she plants herself right between Red Falcon and Red Turbo; Liveman is considered the last Sentai of the Showa era and Turboranger the first of Heisei, thus the demarcated boundary she unintentionally creates.
 * Nobuo spots that the Maskman Deluxe Chogokin Great Five worth 180,000 yen is gone. Its place in the shop window has been taken by a figure from "Gavian".
 * When Nobuo goes to get a kebab, he is reminded of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger episode 34, The Bride's Sandy Hell!!, where the Sandspraying Hag transformed food into sand in an attempt to entice one of the Youkai Army Corps bosses, Daimaou, into marriage.
 * One of the customers at the kebab stand is a cosplayer dressed as Ahim de Famille (Gokai Pink) from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.
 * At Otamix, Nobuo finds a costume of Mele from Juken Sentai Gekiranger, that he gets Yumeria to wear. He thinks of the other girls in his life doing cosplaying. He picks the outfit of Dark Shadow's Shizuka of the Wind from GoGo Sentai Boukenger, and as her costume is blue, imagines it being worn by Mitsuki, standing alongside Gekkou of Illusions. However, due to Mitsuki's strictness, he decides that the Invasion Garden Evolian's Destruction Messenger Jannu from Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger would be more appropriate, he then imagines Yumeria as Lije and Hiroyo as Lijewel. Due to Hakase's connection to the Akibarangers, Nobuo decides she would be better as Space Police Earth Branch's Swan Shiratori from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. Nobuo wants someone graceful, and pictures Sayaka as Priestess Tetomu from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger. Then, due to her name, Nobuo puts her in the costume of the Earth Defense Force's Sayaka Nagisa (Change Mermaid) from Dengeki Sentai Changeman. When he asks for something more mature, he accidently makes her into Space Pirates Balban's Steerwoman Shelinda from Seijuu Sentai Gingaman. He notes that that would fit ©Na better, also picturing his nemesis as Barbaric Machine Clan Gaiark's Water Pollution Minister Kegalesia from Engine Sentai Go-onger and Space Ninja Group Jakanja's Fourth Spear, Wendinu from Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger.
 * Also, Yumeria's cosplays before doing Mele might be a minor reference to the episodes where the heroine(s) (normally Pink), assumes various disguises. One of her non-Sentai cosplays is a nun, one of Mei/PteraRanger's disguises in Zyuranger episode 38 was a nun, Megaranger villainess Shibolena also disguised herself as a nun once as did Goggle V villainess Mazurka.
 * After transforming, Akiba Yellow retains her Mele persona. Thus her personality and attitude towards Nobuo becomes similar to Mele's attitude towards Rio.
 * During the fight, Akiba Red notes that in official Sentai, this is the time where the missing member would show up to save their team. He mentions Choudenshi Bioman episode 10, Goodbye Yellow, remembering that sometimes in official Sentai, characters only show up after having transformed already. He suggests that they could Akiba Blue to appear despite Mitsuki's absence, the monster grants them his wish.
 * Technically the reason Yellow Four had appeared in costume in this episode is due to her actress, Yuki Yajima, already leaving the show, thus making this the character's final episode. Mayumi Tanaka is her voice actress in this matter.
 * When this Akiba Blue attacks her teammates, Nobuo mistakenly confuses this for a "brainwashing episode".
 * Akiba Red models his method of getting to the apparently brainwashed Akiba Blue on Boukenger Task 14: The Revived Past, when Masumi was trying to reach the brainwashed Natsuki.
 * When the real Akiba Blue appears, Akiba Red realises this isn't a "brainwashing episode", this is a "imposter Ranger episode".
 * After the imposter Akiba Blue reveals herself to be  ©na and leaves, Akiba Red complains that he figured it'd be like "The one with the bear on her panties is the real Blue!" What he calls is the kind of solution from an episode written by Arakawa.
 * In the roll call, Akiba Red says that he wouldn't mind letting Ley Nefel walk all over him.
 * When the roll call is complete, the team notices that their logo has appeared behind them this time, with Nobuo noting "One of these this time? It's not always explosions, y'know."
 * The Akibarangers explain to the monster that the missing team member showing up in the nick of time has triggered their flag for victory.
 * In the background of the costume shop, Makoto Kino's pink and green outfit appears from the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon live stage show:  Super Kirari Live.

Songs

 * Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger (opening)
 * Aura ni Kagayake! Great Five
 * Choushinsei Flashman
 * Heroic Lily
 * GoGo Sentai Boukenger
 * Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger
 * Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger
 * Gaoranger Hoero!!
 * Dengeki Sentai Changeman
 * Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
 * Choudenshi Bioman
 * Ashita wa Akiba no Kaze ga Fuku (ending)

DVD/Blu-ray releases
Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Volume 2 features episodes 4-6: ''Ep. 4: Forbidden Delusion! The Lame Blue Corruption!, Ep. 5: Laaaaaame! ☆ Yellow Mama, and Ep. 6: Soar, Master! A Lame Trap at the Delusional Studio!''.