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Power Rangers

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Power Rangers
Template:Altline dark purple | TV series
Template:Altline light purple | Mighty Morphin
Template:Altline white | Alien Rangers
Template:Altline light purple | Zeo
Template:Altline white | Turbo
Template:Altline light purple | In Space
Template:Altline white | Lost Galaxy
Template:Altline light purple | Lightspeed Rescue
Template:Altline white | Time Force
Template:Altline light purple | Wild Force
Template:Altline white | Ninja Storm
Template:Altline light purple | Dino Thunder
Template:Altline white | Space Patrol Delta
Template:Altline light purple | Mystic Force
Template:Altline white | Drive Force
Template:Altline dark purple | Films
Template:Altline light purple | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Template:Altline white | Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
Template:Altline dark purple | Edited From
Template:Altline light purple | Super Sentai

Power Rangers is an ongoing superhero franchise currently owned by Disney. Given a new title and theme annually, the franchise is headlined by similarly self-replicating television series, and is directly tied to the vast merchandising empire owned largely by Japanese toy company Bandai.

The show is adapted from the Sentai series of yearly serials, but is not an English dub of the original. Rather, it is a 'new' production with English-speaking actors spliced in with the original Japanese footage to varying ratios. Due to the very Japanese nature of many of Sentai's stories and design, the American shows are always at least slightly changed to fit a Western audience. Much of the toy line (specifically the zords) are similarly adapted from pre-existing Japanese counterparts.

The franchise was known as Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers during the first three seasons of the television show, after which the title began changing every year, starting with Mighty Morphin' Alien Rangers. The official umbrella name is now Power Rangers, though the uninitiated will still refer to it with Mighty Morphin.

The Power Rangers series was distributed by Saban Entertainment from 1993 until the end of 2001 and was broadcast on the Fox network. The franchise was purchased by Disney as a part of a Saban buyout between 2001 and 2002, and the show continued to air on Fox until its Fox Kids package was dismantled in the United States. Since Fall 2002, all Power Rangers shows have aired on various Disney-owned networks.

What is a Power Ranger?

A Power Ranger is a person who morphs from a natural, unpowered form into form-fitting spandex, as well as a plastic helmet with an opaque visor, which in many cases serves to protect his or her identity. A morphed Ranger generally possesses superhuman strength, durability, and hand-to-hand combat ability; unmorphed Rangers may possess other innate abilities (such as telepathy, superspeed, invisibility, etc.) which are usually not directly related to his or her Ranger powers. Rangers appear to retain their original physiology beneath their suits when in morphed form, as Rangers' helmets have been seen removed or broken on numerous occasions, revealing his or her natural form underneath. Helmets aside, the suits are donned and removed nearly instantaneously with a glow of light or some other effect. Rangers are known to "demorph" involuntarily due to powerful physical attacks.

Rangers regularly operate in teams of five or six, with a special sixth Ranger frequently rounding out the bunch; sometimes a core team of three will later be joined by additional Rangers. Each Ranger's suit and energy spectrum will match a specific color, with red, yellow, and blue being joined by some combination of pink, green, black, or white. Rangers may be named after their respective colors, such as Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, etc., but numbers or other names may also be used. There is usually no more than one Ranger of a given color on a team, but exceptions of this rule are generally given alternate names. The team's costumes are nearly identical aside from color and perhaps a number designation; any additional Rangers will regularly have additional costume modifications.

Plot Sequence

A normal Power Rangers episode can be broken down into an everyplot.

The plot sequence is generally as follows:

  1. Rangers are seen in everyday life with a dispute to resolve.
  2. Rangers are attacked by an evil foe's minions/footsoldiers.
  3. Rangers fight minions/footsoldiers.
  4. Rangers morph.
  5. Rangers defeat minions/footsoldiers.
  6. Evil enemy revives minion and makes minion grow to gigantic proportions, followed by Rangers summoning giant machines known as Zords and/or their combined form, the Megazord.
  7. Optional: Rangers find that their current powers are insufficient to defeat monster and discover a new power, such as a Battlizer armor for the Red Ranger, a sixth Ranger, or a new Megazord.
  8. Rangers fight and defeat said giant minion.
  9. Rangers are shown back in everyday life, having learned a life lesson which solves the earlier dispute.

Elements of a Power Rangers season

Each team of Power Rangers, with few exceptions, obey a general set of conventions, outlined at the beginning of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and implied, though not stated explicitly, throughout many of the other incarnations. These include the Power Rangers being forbidden to use their Ranger powers for personal gain or for escalating a fight, explaining why the Rangers don't just step on the small monsters with their Megazord. The Power Rangers are also forbidden to disclose their identities to the general public, barring extenuating circumstances (although this rule was disregarded in Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue and Power Rangers: S.P.D.). The penalty for disobeying these rules, at least in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, would be the loss of their power.

The arsenal available to the Power Rangers is also somewhat standardized: each Ranger is generally armed with a weapon such as a laser gun or a sword. Each Ranger also has a secondary set of weapons that can often combine to form a larger weapon (usually a cannon). As the series progresses, one or more of the Rangers are also usually given a motorcycle for long-distance travel, as well as individual Zords. In many series, a Ranger is also given additional Zords or weapons. In some cases, one Ranger may receive something that other Rangers may not have; an example of this is the Battlizer given to the Red Ranger of each series since Power Rangers: In Space. Although much of the arsenal can also be found in Super Sentai, there are usually at least some that are not, generally added for the express purpose of marketing toys designed and sold by Bandai.

Power Rangers series regularly have villains of their own make which do not appear in the Sentai footage, though for budget and footage reasons there are always carry-overs from the Japanese source material. Less commonly, some series use only the Sentai designs and footage, eliminating the need for physical actors and new costumes for the American show.

In seasons following Power Rangers: In Space, it is common for each team to be separate, storywise, from those of previous incarnations. A tradition in later seasons is for two teams of Power Rangers to team up and take on a villain. In Power Rangers: Wild Force, the tenth incarnation of Power Rangers, this is taken to the next level, as ten Red Rangers teamed up in the episode "Forever Red." The only season not to feature this is Power Rangers: Ninja Storm, due to a shift back to non-SAG talent when production was moved to New Zealand.

Variations Between Series

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Criticisms

Original Executive Producer Haim Saban was criticized heavily for his use of non-SAG actors, and the one-sided contracts that the actors were bound to for appearing on the show. The "Mighty Morphin" cast was bound to five-year contracts with no benefits and insultingly low pay (reportedly $500 U.S. per week), which were non-negotiable. When the series hit big time, Fox signed the show to a two-picture deal, and actors Austin St. John, Walter Emmanuel Jones and Thuy Trang left the series when none of their demands were met. They were immediately replaced, to no negative effect on the show's ratings.

Many critics of the early Power Rangers series claimed that the Power Rangers use unnecessary force to destroy their monsters, and often get into fights when better alternatives were available. In some cases, networks pulled Power Rangers from its lineup, citing such concerns. Later incarnations of Power Rangers often attempt to explain the actions of the Power Rangers, but many still believe that Power Rangers remains a series too violent for young children. Norway pulled the series as they believed that the series caused two boys to beat up a girl in 1993 (it was eventually found that the murder was unconnected to the series). For a time Power Rangers was pulled from Malaysian television screens as the word "morphin" (in the phrase "It's Morphin Time!") sounded similar to the drug morphine, which is banned in Malaysia.

The first season of Power Rangers also drew criticism from some groups claiming that the Ranger colors were racist, specifically referring to Zack, the Black Ranger (played by Black actor Walter Emmanuel Jones) and Trini, the Yellow Ranger (played by Asian American actress Thuy Trang). This criticism was rendered moot when the two actors left the show halfway through Season Two and were replaced with an Asian American male as the Black Ranger, and an African American woman as the Yellow Ranger. This was mentioned on VH1's I Love the 90s. Amy Jo Johnson and Walter Emmanuel Jones appeared in the "1993" episode. Since then, no Asian-American actor or actress has played the Yellow Ranger, and no African-American has played the Black Ranger.

The few-and-far-between links between the later series of Power Rangers are often resented by older fans of the show. The first five years of the series featured ongoing storylines that carried through the different seasons, and retained most of its castmembers for several years. Veteran Rangers and villains also occasionally appeared after their stories had run through, most notably in Power Rangers: In Space, in which the central plot involved an attack on the entire universe. Space's finale, "Countdown to Destruction," acted as Power Rangers' version of Crisis on Infinite Earths, killing off or redeeming all of the older villains and largely cleaning up the existing continuity. Subsequent series are able to start with new Rangers and villains annually without having to incorporate unresolved plot points from the previous season. Team-ups between a current cast and the one before it occur almost annually now, but are generally superfluous to the larger storylines and are sometimes even considered out of continuity. There was, however, one passing reference to continuity after the original continuity ended. During an episode of Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Mesagog orders an attack on Reefside and says, "Those idiots will think that Lothor has returned." Lothor was the primary villain from the previous incarnation, Power Rangers Ninja Storm.

In the UK, the first incarnation sparked fears that kids would hurt themselves by recreating the moves in the series. As a result, GMTV (who is still the analogue host in the UK) had to issue a warning at the end of an episode stating, "The Power Rangers are specially trained martial arts experts, so don't you copy them!" GMTV no longer issues this warning. However, Jetix in its British incarnation still issues a generic warning for the entire series that was used since the beginning of Power Rangers: In Space.

When Power Rangers was first released, it was classified as children's programming. However, since its release, the show has continued to evolve into a program that is enjoyed by more mature audiences, partly due to its aging original fans. This has led to some fans requesting that the tone and format of the show be changed in order to better suit its more mature audience. However, whereas Power Rangers still appeals to older viewers, the show's producers feel that a more mature show might alienate their largest demographic—children. It would also cause them to lose revenue in toy and merchandising sales, which finance the shows.

Many also credit Power Rangers for an increased interest in the martial arts by suburban America. This fad-like popularization of martial arts in mainstream youth culture is often looked at as one of the reasons the McDojo has become somewhat of a prevalent phenomenon.

Animation fans also despise Power Rangers for being on Toon Disney, as it is not actually an animated series.

The Tokusatsu fandom expressively loathe Power Rangers because not only does the series mock the original Japanese source, but many feel that it tarnished the reputation of the genre as a whole; not only insulting Super Sentai, but having things like Godzilla, Ultraman and Kamen Rider being associated with it despite being obviously different. Some fans overreact being calling the series "racist," this resulted in a term used by PR Fans, "Sentai Snob" (which now evolved to "Toku Snob"). It was countered with the term PR Snob (or Anti-Sentite). This form of debating is found within the anime community when it came to the subject of "subtitles" and "dubbing."

Another less common criticism is the lack of balance in the team's power. Over time, the Red Ranger becomes stronger than all the other Rangers together, by the ways of the Battlizer or the excesive arsenal he collects. Red is also mostly "the chosen one" (e.g. Andros in Countdown to Destruction), "the day's savior" (e.g. Cole in The Master's Last Stand) or the one who defeats the main villain.

Seasons

Season Year Based on
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 1993 – 1995 Kyoryuu Sentai ZyuRanger

(1st season)

Gosei Sentai Dairanger

(2nd season)

Ninja Sentai Kaku Ranger

(3rd season)

Alien Rangers
(Mini-story arc within the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) 		1996 Ninja Sentai Kaku Ranger
Power Rangers: Zeo 1996 Chouriki Sentai Ohranger
Power Rangers: Turbo 1997 Gekisou Sentai CarRanger
Power Rangers: In Space 1998 Denji Sentai Mega Ranger
Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy 1999 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue 2000 Kyukyu Sentai GoGo-V
Power Rangers: Time Force 2001 Mirai Sentai Time Ranger
Power Rangers: Wild Force 2002 Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger
Power Rangers: Ninja Storm 2003 Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder 2004 Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger
Power Rangers: S.P.D. (Space Patrol Delta) 2005 Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger
Power Rangers: Mystic Force 2006 Mahou Sentai Magiranger
Power Rangers: Drive Force (working title) 2007 Gougou Sentai Boukenger

Motion Pictures

The Power Rangers series have also brought forth two movies.

Movie Year
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie 1995
Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie 1997

Both movies have no relation to each other, the second one is not a sequel for the first one. The first one relased in 1995 takes place in an alternate universe than in the series. The second film released in 1997 is more like a beginning for the upcoming season at the time (Power Rangers Turbo).

Contrary to wild Internet speculation, there have never been plans for a third Power Rangers movie.

Power Rangers on DVD

Currently, there are only 18 DVD releases of Power Rangers in the USA (as listed below). Internationally, however there have been additional DVD releases (such as Time Force and Wild Force in Germany) and as free DVDs attached to Jetix Magazine UK.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment is scheduled to release five new volumes of the upcoming season, Power Rangers: Mystic Force in 2006.

There has been much criticism over the releases of these DVDs; only five volumes per season are distributed, which does not amount to the full length run, and so viewers have to rely on reruns to see any other episodes not currently available. The ongoing concern over Power Rangers as a whole not yet being released on DVD Box sets has led to continued debate and frequent petitions. As of February 2006, however, Buena Vista Home Entertainment maintains there are no plans for any Power Rangers boxsets in the near future. [1]

The lack of official season sets has led to the spawning of bootlegged copies of entire season runs distributed through online auction sites such as eBay.

The current Power Rangers DVD titles are:

Power Rangers on iTunes

Power Rangers episodes have recently become available on the iTunes Music Store site. Thussofar, 30 Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers episodes are available, as are four episodes of Power Rangers Mystic Force.

Trivia

  • The 2002 episode "Forever Red" gathered many different cast members from the show to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the franchise.
  • Red, Blue, and Yellow are the only colors that have been a part of every Power Rangers team.
  • The Japanese Sentai series regularly switch between male and female Yellow Rangers, but as yellow is considered feminine in Western cultures, women were traditionally cast in the part for the Power Rangers adaptations regardless. Stock footage of the Japanese series became confusing to even casual viewers, but was considered acceptable because the Yellow Ranger would be relatively inconspicuous among five or more Rangers; this convention was broken with the Ninja Storm series, though die-hard fans will point out that the Alien Rangers mini-series had a yellow male Ranger as well.
  • This is one of the first children's television shows to include bleeped swear words, during the credits when outtakes were shown.
  • Kendrix from Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy was the first Power Ranger to die. Valerie Vernon, who played the character, collapsed on set and was diagnosed with leukemia, forcing her to leave the show. Kendrix appeared periodically to assist her replacement Karone, and was returned to life in the season finale of Lost Galaxy. However, an explanation was never given as to her sudden return.
  • Power Rangers follows a few unofficial anime conventions, namely that a villain cannot shoot while Rangers are morphing or while a Megazord is forming. Vice versa, Rangers cannot shoot at a growing monster. There are occasional exceptions, however.
  • In Japan, Power Rangers has been dubbed into Japanese for television and video. Power Rangers Zeo, however was never released. The voice actors for the dub are often pulled from past Sentai casts. This led to Machiko Soga doing the voice for Rita Repulsa, the American counterpart to Bandora (Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger), the same character she played.

Characters

Rangers | Villains | Enemy Grunts | Monsters |

See List of Power Rangers characters for more extensive listings.

See also

Websites

Message Boards



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