Let’s take a thrilling ride back to 2005! We saw groundbreaking coasters like Kingda Ka, the world’s then-tallest roller coaster (sadly no longer with us) rise into the sky. SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa introduced the Bolliger & Mabillard dive coaster to North America. And overseas, two Intamin launched coasters — Rita at Alton Towers and Superman Escape at Warner Bros. Movie World — captured our attention. But, the 100+ new-for-2005 coasters weren’t the only thing to open that year, so did Coaster101!
We launched on June 15, 2005, and since then, we’ve grown into the site you know and love today. This summer, in honor of our anniversary, we’re celebrating our 2005 roller coaster classmates: the coasters that helped shape a generation of enthusiasts and marked the beginning of our online journey with you. From record-breakers to hidden gems, we invite you to join us as we revisit the roller coasters joining us in turning 20 in 2025.
We’re starting our series overseas, looking at the first – and only – full size roller coaster to open at one of my favorite theme parks, Raging Spirits at Tokyo DisneySea!
Raging Spirits opened at DisneySea on July 21, 2005, just under 4 years after the opening of Tokyo DisneySea in 2001 (and about a month after the opening of Coaster101). It was the first major new attraction added to the park after the 2001 opening. The roller coaster sits in the “Lost River Delta” area of the park, right next to the opening day flagship attraction of the land, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull.
Raging Spirits poster highlighting the fire and water altars (courtesy the Disney Wiki)
As you expect with a Disney coaster, the ride is elaborately themed, taking place in an excavation of a South American temple. An elaborate backstory — which if it’s explained at all is only in Japanese, so I didn’t know any of this when I rode it — explains that the explorers who discovered the temple turned the statues of the Fire and Water gods to face each other, and that caused the gods to become enraged and start a battle between them. This shows up in the theming with waterfalls, clouds of mists, and bursts of flame.
The ride is pretty mild, as a lot of Disney coasters are, with a top speed of only 37.3 mph. Although, it does feature a vertical loop, the only inversion at the Tokyo Disney Resort. But, like with lots of great Disney coasters, its the detailed theming that works to make it feel more exciting than it is.
The detailed rock work, scaffolding, fake railroad ties, and dense structure give lots of “near miss” elements to the ride, making it more exciting than its mild stats do.
Scaffolding and supports hide the track, making it hard to clearly see where the ride is, and the cosmetic fake “cross ties” make the track both look like a real mine train track and clutter the space. The stone structures and trees as well add lots of “near miss” elements. The flames and water give make it look more intimidating from afar, and under the right conditions the clouds of mist add extra thrill to the small loop.
The coaster is based on Disneyland Paris’ Indiana Jones coaster, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, but with a few differences. The first being the while the Paris model was built by Intamin and Giovanola, while the DisneySea version was a collaboration of Intamin and Sansei, the Japanese parent company of S&S Sansei. The DisneySea version is slower than the Paris model despite being the same length, taking about 15 seconds more. This makes a slightly more mild ride, but maybe also less rough. Also comfort-wise, it uses a different set of restraints than the Indy coaster (and is on its second set of restraints).
One of the coolest features of Raging Spirits is the dual chain lift hill, which allows the climb to be much quieter than typical chain lifts. That’s really important for a park like DisneySea, where the soundscape and immersion is so important to what makes it an amazing park. The ride is also unique in that it has an official maximum height, 1.95 meters (6’5″), not that tall, all related to the restraint design! Hat tip to u/spacemtfan on Reddit for sharing a bunch of the little differences between Raging Spirits and Indy in Paris!
Raging Spirits definitely isn’t the most intense or thrilling coaster we’re going to be looking at during this series of 20 year old coasters, but I’ve been a fan of it on both my trips to Tokyo Disney. It looks great from the outside, adds another layer of energy to the area of the park its in, and definitely gives a unique ride, even compared to its French sister coaster! When looking back at notable rides from 2005, it definitely deserves its spot. And from a historical point of view, it was the first step in the long line of great Tokyo DisneySea additions, and that makes it an important coaster.
Keep your eye out next week for another in our summer 20 in 2025 series, and start thinking about what your favorite 2005 coaster turning 20 this year is!
AloJapan.com