1990, and Tatsumi Mondo Hakase disappears, leaving his wife to raise their five children on her own. 1992, and Mrs. Tatsumi goes to search for her husband. She makes her children PROMISE to watch out for each other, and her daughter gives her a charm, a ringing protective bell. And the airplane she boards crashes, or explodes. Her body is never found. 1999 to 2000.... Nagare was 23 years old and worked for the Chemical Fire Fighter Brigade. He was born April 5, 1976. He was the technician, the smart one. Why, in 1998 he designed the Big Douser. Not to mention he was the best looking male on the team. I have to tell you, I've noticed this. There's always one REALLY good-looking guy on the team. Gai was on Jetman, Dairanger had Daigo, Kakuranger had whoever Jiraiya... skip to Gingaman who had Hayate. Time Ranger seems to have THREE good-looking guys. An excess of riches! Ooops, I've gone off track. Nagare and Matoi are only about a year apart, which creates for some really interesting family dynamics. Matoi both treats him as a younger brother to be disciplined, AND as someone equal to be just as responsible for, say, Daimon and Matsuri, as Matoi feels he has to be. Nagare has suffered from this over the years, getting yelled at when he wasn't fast enough to prevent Daimon from getting himself hurt in one foolishness or another. With his particular areas of expertise, none of his siblings can compete with him. However, that leaves his father. I would be hard-pressed to say which of them was the more intelligent, but in an episode wherein the Saima turned back the clock for all the boys AND the father, Nagare behaved like a young boy. However, the father behaved like a walking computer, drawing equations everywhere, and even figuring out how to fight the monster that had taken him and a number of other children hostage. But I have to say Nagare was probably just as good as his father. He just had a more normal life.