13. POWER RANGERS NINJA STORM (2003)
Adapted from Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger
Disney Era
Like Samurai, Ninja Storm was the first season under a new production team. Moving filming to New Zealand, this is the first season to be 100% made by Disney since acquiring the franchise. It goes about as well as you'd think for what we could call a first flight, i.e. a bumpy ride.
Also like Samurai, Ninja Storm brings a lot of lightheartedness, but things tend to get downright goofy. A perfect example is in the first episode when the Rangers' Sensei is turned into a guinea pig. You might want to take a minute to process that sentence because you read right. There's very little explanation as well. He gets turned back into a human by the series finale, also with little explanation. I mean, what the hell were they thinking with this? It isn't even like the actor playing him could only make two appearances. They same guy plays the main villain of the series Lothor in live action, which fits because he and the Sensei are brothers. Turbo did something similar with Dimetria and Divatox being played the same actress for a time (which led to the fan theory that the two characters were twin sisters, and while not confirmed, it does have some merit). I'll talk more about the series' goofiness as we go on.
The series is a first for a franchise in that the core team is made up of three rangers instead of the usual five (not to mention we have our first female Blue Ranger and male Yellow Ranger), the Wind Rangers. I'd like to think that three member ranger teams are stronger compared to five. It's either that or the monsters are weaker. I'd like to go with the former. However, this dynamic doesn't last long as we are quickly introduced to the two Thunder Rangers, first being tricked by Lothor into fighting the Wind Rangers before they eventually join forces for the rest of the season. One could argue that the Thunder Rangers are part of the core team since they're brought in so soon and round things out to five members, but I say that whatever Rangers command the first Megazord of the season are the main team, which means it's the Wind Rangers.
For the first time in years, we have Rangers are young adults (I wouldn't call them teenagers since we don't see them in high school) as compared to appearing to be full-fledged adults in previous seasons before. It's actually a breathe of fresh air. Aside from the Thunder Rangers' storyline, there's only two other Rangers worth talking about in my opinion.
We'll first talk about Shane, the Red Wind Ranger. While the storyline of the main three rangers is built around these kids not believed to amount to much only to rise up when needed and even become full-fledged teachers at the academy by the end of the series, individually they don't really have character arcs. But Shane does have a few episodes where we get some look into his personal life. In the two-parter "Shane's Karma", we find out that as a child, Shane helped free an alien being hunted by a bounty hunter. Years later, the alien, named Skyla, returns because her race passes on their power to someone worthy before they die, and she chose Shane. The power Shane acquires results in the Battlizer for this season. It's a pretty unique way of introducing a Battlizer as sometimes it usually involves the Red Ranger performing a physical task to earn it or it's a new weapon developed for them. With Shane it was more of a destiny thing. We delve deeper into Shane in a later episode, "Eye of the Storm." We meet Shane's brother Porter, a successful businessman, who is there on behalf of their parents to try to get Shane to get serious about life and get a job, unaware of his Ranger duties. But when Porter discovers Shane is the Red Ranger, he develops a new respect for his brother. This makes Shane uneasy because it makes him feel that being a Ranger is the only good thing about him. Through a monster attack though, Shane realizes he's proud of his life and he and his brother become closer.
The other is Cam, the Green Samurai Ranger and the son of the Sensei, who believe receives the most development in the season. Cam is actually there from beginning of the series acting as the Rangers' tech support, creating both the morphers and the zords. But beneath the glasses, Cam is actually trained in martial arts and has aspirations to be a Ranger himself. However, it was his mother's dying wish that Cam not lead such a dangerous life, which puts Cam at odds with his father. Some of that angst gets transferred to the Rangers as well out of jealousy, viewing them as less deserving to be Rangers. The one he seems to usually get along best with though is Tori, the Blue Ranger. However, in the three parter "The Samurai's Journey", when the Rangers' powers are drained and they're about to be destroyed, Cam must travel back in time to retrieve the Samurai Amulet that belonged to his mother. This is where he meets younger versions of his father, mother, and his uncle, the man who would one day become Lothor. Using the amulet, Cam becomes the sixth Ranger, finally fulfilling his dream, which does make him a little less irritable toward the other Rangers.
The Megazords this season are that impressive in my opinion. For one thing, they have array of weapons which the Rangers access through Power Discs. We get basic melee weapons like a sword or an axe, but also some ridiculous things like a multi-barrel gun shaped like a god and a bee on a yo-yo. Besides that, the Megazords themselves seem primarily one color. The Storm Megazord is mostly light blue and the Thunder Megazord is a darker blue. Cam's Samurai Star Megazord is primarily green, but that makes sense since it's his own person zord. When it comes to individual zords combining into a Megazord, it's better when each Ranger's color is able to shine through. However, I do like it when the Megazords combine into even bigger Megazords. First there's the Thunderstorm Megazord, made up of the Storm and Thunder Megazords, and then that combines with the Samurai Star Megazord to form the Hurricane Megazord, my favorite Megazord of the season, especially because it's the only time we see Rangers together in one cockpit. I hate it when Megazords don't have all the Rangers together in one cockpit.
The villains of this season pretty much embody the goofiness of the show I've talked about, leaving a lot to be desired. Out of the initial group of villains, the only one that seems to be serious is the general, Zurgaine. Later on however, more generals are added: Motodrone, Shimazu, and my favorite, Vexacus. With so many generals, this leads to in-fighting, which results in Vexacus destroying Zurgaine and even melting poor Motodrone. There is another general at the beginning of the season, Choobo, but he's usually there for comedic purposes. The only time he actually does anything is in the four parter "Return of Thunder", when he brainwashes the Thunder Rangers into fighting the Wind Rangers again and stranding them on an island but eventually winds up being the first victim of the newly formed Thunderstorm Megazord. Instead of being destroyed though, he's shrank. Why? I'm guessing for more comedy for the season.
Lothor is kind of a tough nut to crack. He's obviously very powerful and has a good backstory with revenge as his motivation, but he doesn't seem to take it as seriously as past main villains though, almost treating his conquest of Earth as a hobby. It's like he just decided one day "You know, I think I'll go takeover Earth. I've put it off for, like, decades." I guess you could say he likes to have fun with what he's doing and he does get serious when he has to. I'm just glad he's not as annoying as Divatox. No, for that we have Lothor's nieces, Marah and Kapri. (On that note, what's the family tree like here? Is Lothor married? Are Marah and Kapri Lothor's wife's sibling's kids? You know, it's actually not worth thinking too much about. Nevermind.) For the most part, Marah and Kapri are really there just for comedy, like Squat and Baboo from Mighty Morphin'. As the season reaches its season finale, the two reveal they've been faking their stupidity to set up their own plans. I'm quite skeptical on that though since when we see them again the following season for the Dino Thunder team-up, they act like their usual bumbling selves.
With Samurai, I felt it was in a perpetual state of mediocrity, with some episodes being less so than others. But while Ninja Storm has its problems, as the season went on, I did see that it was trying to improve itself. It had some pretty good storylines like the Thunder Rangers' journey to becoming part of the team, Cam's build-up to becoming a Ranger himself, Lothor's origin story, and the villain generals' competition with one another. While the acting can be over the top, that and the character interactions still feel more natural compared to the woodenness from Samurai. There's also decent fight scenes that make it recommendable to those who liked the Ninja Powers from Mighty Morphin'.
Ninja Storm can be seen as a dry run for Disney as the following season was a big improvement, but we'll get to that later. Next up, we take a look at the preceding season that acted as a bridge between eras.
The other is Cam, the Green Samurai Ranger and the son of the Sensei, who believe receives the most development in the season. Cam is actually there from beginning of the series acting as the Rangers' tech support, creating both the morphers and the zords. But beneath the glasses, Cam is actually trained in martial arts and has aspirations to be a Ranger himself. However, it was his mother's dying wish that Cam not lead such a dangerous life, which puts Cam at odds with his father. Some of that angst gets transferred to the Rangers as well out of jealousy, viewing them as less deserving to be Rangers. The one he seems to usually get along best with though is Tori, the Blue Ranger. However, in the three parter "The Samurai's Journey", when the Rangers' powers are drained and they're about to be destroyed, Cam must travel back in time to retrieve the Samurai Amulet that belonged to his mother. This is where he meets younger versions of his father, mother, and his uncle, the man who would one day become Lothor. Using the amulet, Cam becomes the sixth Ranger, finally fulfilling his dream, which does make him a little less irritable toward the other Rangers.
The Megazords this season are that impressive in my opinion. For one thing, they have array of weapons which the Rangers access through Power Discs. We get basic melee weapons like a sword or an axe, but also some ridiculous things like a multi-barrel gun shaped like a god and a bee on a yo-yo. Besides that, the Megazords themselves seem primarily one color. The Storm Megazord is mostly light blue and the Thunder Megazord is a darker blue. Cam's Samurai Star Megazord is primarily green, but that makes sense since it's his own person zord. When it comes to individual zords combining into a Megazord, it's better when each Ranger's color is able to shine through. However, I do like it when the Megazords combine into even bigger Megazords. First there's the Thunderstorm Megazord, made up of the Storm and Thunder Megazords, and then that combines with the Samurai Star Megazord to form the Hurricane Megazord, my favorite Megazord of the season, especially because it's the only time we see Rangers together in one cockpit. I hate it when Megazords don't have all the Rangers together in one cockpit.
The villains of this season pretty much embody the goofiness of the show I've talked about, leaving a lot to be desired. Out of the initial group of villains, the only one that seems to be serious is the general, Zurgaine. Later on however, more generals are added: Motodrone, Shimazu, and my favorite, Vexacus. With so many generals, this leads to in-fighting, which results in Vexacus destroying Zurgaine and even melting poor Motodrone. There is another general at the beginning of the season, Choobo, but he's usually there for comedic purposes. The only time he actually does anything is in the four parter "Return of Thunder", when he brainwashes the Thunder Rangers into fighting the Wind Rangers again and stranding them on an island but eventually winds up being the first victim of the newly formed Thunderstorm Megazord. Instead of being destroyed though, he's shrank. Why? I'm guessing for more comedy for the season.
Lothor is kind of a tough nut to crack. He's obviously very powerful and has a good backstory with revenge as his motivation, but he doesn't seem to take it as seriously as past main villains though, almost treating his conquest of Earth as a hobby. It's like he just decided one day "You know, I think I'll go takeover Earth. I've put it off for, like, decades." I guess you could say he likes to have fun with what he's doing and he does get serious when he has to. I'm just glad he's not as annoying as Divatox. No, for that we have Lothor's nieces, Marah and Kapri. (On that note, what's the family tree like here? Is Lothor married? Are Marah and Kapri Lothor's wife's sibling's kids? You know, it's actually not worth thinking too much about. Nevermind.) For the most part, Marah and Kapri are really there just for comedy, like Squat and Baboo from Mighty Morphin'. As the season reaches its season finale, the two reveal they've been faking their stupidity to set up their own plans. I'm quite skeptical on that though since when we see them again the following season for the Dino Thunder team-up, they act like their usual bumbling selves.
With Samurai, I felt it was in a perpetual state of mediocrity, with some episodes being less so than others. But while Ninja Storm has its problems, as the season went on, I did see that it was trying to improve itself. It had some pretty good storylines like the Thunder Rangers' journey to becoming part of the team, Cam's build-up to becoming a Ranger himself, Lothor's origin story, and the villain generals' competition with one another. While the acting can be over the top, that and the character interactions still feel more natural compared to the woodenness from Samurai. There's also decent fight scenes that make it recommendable to those who liked the Ninja Powers from Mighty Morphin'.
Ninja Storm can be seen as a dry run for Disney as the following season was a big improvement, but we'll get to that later. Next up, we take a look at the preceding season that acted as a bridge between eras.
12. POWER RANGERS WILD FORCE (2002)
Adapted from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger
Saban Post-Zordon Era/Disney Era
(Note: There's debate about which era this season falls under due to the transition of the franchise from Saban to Disney. Personally, I place it under Saban since the production values remain the same from the previous seasons.)
(Note: There's debate about which era this season falls under due to the transition of the franchise from Saban to Disney. Personally, I place it under Saban since the production values remain the same from the previous seasons.)
There was a period of time where I had to play catch-up with Power Rangers seasons, but even before that, I did hear things about the seasons I missed. When it came to Wild Force, there was a lot of negativity. After first watching this season, I didn't think it was as horrible as some people make it out to be, but I can see why they would have their problems with it.
Before I start talking about characters, it's probably best to give the backdrop of the season. 3,000 years ago, there was a utopia called Animaria, where the Wildzords lived in peace with humans. But then the Orgs attacked and war began. Animaria was lost aside from a patch of land (called the Animarium) that lifted into the sky that acted as a reserve for the Wildzords, floating and hiding behind the clouds. Much like Atlantis, the existence of Animaria is debated in modern times and usually considered a fairy tale.
It's a little hard to describe the Rangers this season, but I think people usually base their opinions based on their initial introductions.
Cole the Red Ranger was raised by natives in a jungle and when he leaves to find out where he came from based on clues left from when he was found, this leads to a "fish out of water" story for a little while. Compared to the others though, this does make him the most connected to wildlife and nature, which is a big part of the season.
Taylor the Yellow Ranger..., well my first thought was that she was kind of a bitch. When the Rangers go to recruit Cole, she punches him in the stomach and tells him he's been drafted. This pretty much stems from jealousy because she was leading the team before Cole comes in, and Cole's free spirit contradicts with her "by the book" strategy. And I mean that literally; she actually makes up a Ranger Rule Book. As the season goes on, these two rangers become a little more bearable.
Max the Blue Ranger and Danny the Black Ranger are best friends and are the most optimistic of the team, constantly quoting their mantra "Never give up!". While the attitude is appreciated, it can really wear on people's nerves. As for Alyssa the White Ranger, the only real significant episode I remember focusing on her is "A Father's Footsteps", which as you can probably tell, dealt with her relationship with her father. Other than that, she's really there to make sure everyone gets along.
Later on, they are joined by my favorite Ranger of the season, Merrick, the Lunar Wolf Ranger. Initially though, Merrick arrives as the villain Zen-Aku, possessed by a wolf mask that he put on for power but then drove him to evil. In true evil Ranger fashion, he's a considerable opponent for the Ranger until they're able to free him from his curse. Even though he does become a Ranger, Merrick prefers to keep to himself, only working in tandem with the Rangers to defeat the Orgs. If there is one negative thing to say though, it's that his personal weapon is based on a pool cue and his finishing move does look like he's shooting pool balls at a monster. Take a minute to process the silliness of that.
Their personal shortcomings aside, the Ranger powers themselves, based on animals, actually bring some unique battles this season. In addition to all having claws on their gloves, each has a unique fighting style based on their Wildzord. For example, Taylor has wings that allow her to fly like an eagle. They also adopt Max and Danny's mantra of "Never give up!", persevering in many hard battles, especially this moment from the final episode:
I don't care if you hate this season, you can't deny how epic that was.
Their personal shortcomings aside, the Ranger powers themselves, based on animals, actually bring some unique battles this season. In addition to all having claws on their gloves, each has a unique fighting style based on their Wildzord. For example, Taylor has wings that allow her to fly like an eagle. They also adopt Max and Danny's mantra of "Never give up!", persevering in many hard battles, especially this moment from the final episode:
I don't care if you hate this season, you can't deny how epic that was.
The Rangers also have a, well, "mentor" this season in the form of Princess Shayla. She doesn't really do anything other than occasionally give the Rangers backstory about the original battle with the Orgs, as well as constantly get kidnapped and saved by the Rangers. However, in one instance, she actually shows some legitimate fighting skills against one of the Orgs, Toxica. While it shows she's not completely defenseless, it just comes out of nowhere since it never happened before that.
What's noteworthy about this season is that it introduces the concept of auxiliary zords. In addition to the primary zords that form the Megazord, they slowly acquire additional zords that can combine with the Megazord to form new combinations. There's a fine line when it comes to auxiliary zords. You can either have just enough or too many. I say the maximum amount of auxiliary zords should be five, as that allows almost each Ranger to have a secondary zord (not counting an additional more powerful set of zords like the Rescue Zords from Turbo). My problems with Operation Overdrive aside, they're able to make the auxiliary zord concept work, as do better seasons that we'll get to later, Dino Thunder and Jungle Fury.
Wild Force however just kept crapping out zords to the point where it was hard to keep track of who controlled what zord. The use of the zords themselves isn't so bad, except for when they acquire the Rhino and Armadillo Wildzords.
Yep. They use the Armadillo zord as a soccer ball with a CGI crowd in the background. And that is how they use the zord to defeat an Org, by kicking the zord at it, and the CGI crowd goes wild from that. You know I wouldn't have minded the way these zords were used if it weren't for that CGI crowd. I know there's not really a crowd there so why have it at all?!
On a related note, Samurai and Megaforce (specifically from the Goseiger footage) have too many zords as well and even to go so far as to combine EVERY zord of the season into their version of an Ultrazord, and they just look like a big mess, some zords looking like they're just hanging off the main body.
Yep. They use the Armadillo zord as a soccer ball with a CGI crowd in the background. And that is how they use the zord to defeat an Org, by kicking the zord at it, and the CGI crowd goes wild from that. You know I wouldn't have minded the way these zords were used if it weren't for that CGI crowd. I know there's not really a crowd there so why have it at all?!
On a related note, Samurai and Megaforce (specifically from the Goseiger footage) have too many zords as well and even to go so far as to combine EVERY zord of the season into their version of an Ultrazord, and they just look like a big mess, some zords looking like they're just hanging off the main body.
The point is, auxiliary zords can be good or bad depending on the amount.
The villains this season are called Orgs. In some sense, they're demonic spirits, and as I've said before, demons are my favorite type of Ranger villains. They're existences is tied to pollution and the abundance of it has led to more frequent attacks. This kind of gives the season an anti-pollution moral, which isn't bad, but there is one story arc where it really hammers in the point.
There's a hierarchy to Orgs as well. Normal Orgs possess objects and become the typical Monster of the Day for the episode. Above them are the Duke Orgs who retain their regular appearance and only have one horn compared to the normal ones. The Duke Orgs we constantly follow this season are Jindrax and Toxica. For the most part, they seek out other Orgs to attack the Rangers and make them grow when they're initially destroyed, as well as bring some comedic effect (which like the villains in Ninja Storm happens a lot). Near the season's conclusion though, the two do start to get some development, especially with the appearance of another Duke Org, Onikage. Onikage's really the coolest of the Duke Orgs and has a ninja motif to his appearance. I don't want to spoil the details, but it leads to some in-fighting between said Orgs.
Above all the Orgs though is the season's main villain, the Master Org, who probably has the darkest origin of a Power Ranger villain. In actuality though, Master Org is Dr. Viktor Adler, who worked with Cole's parents on researching the existence of Animaria. Adler had fallen in love with Cole's mother but she was "stolen" by Cole's father. As shown in flashbacks though, Adler planned to straight up propose to her and I don't even think they even dated. It's like how in the live action Grinch movie how Mayor May Who proposed to Martha May and they weren't even an actual couple. Point is, Adler was kind of crazy. When the three go on an expedition, they discover the seeds of the original Master Org from the original battle 3,000 years ago. Finally consumed by his rage, Adler eats the seeds, taking on the Master Org's powers and kills Cole's parents, leaving their son an orphan. The episode where this is all revealed, "The Master's Last Stand", is one of the best of the season and includes a good fight between him and Cole.
Honestly, it was a real toss-up between Wild Force and Ninja Storm on which was better. There are two areas where Wild Force edges out Ninja Storm. The first is the darkness of the stories, which I've already talked about with Merrick/Zen-Aku and Master Org. But the second area are the team-up specials, two in total. The first is the two parter "Reinforcements from the Future", where the Wild Force team up the preceding year's team, Time Force, against Mutant-Org hybrids called Mutorgs. The battles and character interactions are great and it even continues some of the story left over from Time Force, something a lot of team-up specials do. Later on is the 10th Anniversary special, "Forever Red", where all the Red Rangers of the franchise to this point team up to stop the remnants of the Machine Empire from Zeo led by General Venjix (remember that name for later on in the countdown) from raising Serpentera, Lord Zedd's personal and very powerful zord. While the special does have some plot holes that can be easily explained and a lackluster ending, the fact that we get to see Jason, Tommy, and all the other Red Rangers to this point working together is a pure nostalgia trip.
So while Wild Force isn't exactly a good season, it's not as horrible as some would make it out to be, actually having a lot to make up for it. If anything, the two clips I shared probably personify the best and worst the season has to offer.
Power Rangers Zeo was a pretty big deal when it first started. We had brand new suits (with a kick ass new morphing sequence and roll call), new theme song, and new villains. After three years of Mighty Morphin', it was a big change up and really felt like a new beginning. My favorite part of this season was the Gold Ranger story line with the mystery of his true identity, which concluded with the return of Jason to the team and the debut of the Super Zeo Zords.
11. POWER RANGERS ZEO (1996)
Adapted from Choriki Sentai Ohranger
Saban Zordon Era
Power Rangers Zeo was a pretty big deal when it first started. We had brand new suits (with a kick ass new morphing sequence and roll call), new theme song, and new villains. After three years of Mighty Morphin', it was a big change up and really felt like a new beginning. My favorite part of this season was the Gold Ranger story line with the mystery of his true identity, which concluded with the return of Jason to the team and the debut of the Super Zeo Zords.
I freaking loved these zords. Not only was it like the Rangers were piloting giant versions of themselves, but the combined Megazord featured all their symbols and had good representation of all their colors (compared to the first Zeo Megazord that had an abundance of blue).
So Zeo is actually a really good season. Why do I place it around the middle of the list though? Because it lacks finality.
Let's look at the transition from Mighty Morphin' to Zeo. Rita and Rito's father Master Vile arrives and attempts to use the Zeo Crystal to take over Earth. The Rangers split the Zeo Crystal into five fragments and spread them across time. But when the Ninja Power Coins are destroyed, the Rangers must go on separate personal journeys to retrieve one of the fragments so new powers can be forged. The crystal is reassembled, but before they can use it, Goldar and Rito detonate a bomb they planted in the Command Center, destroying it. Rita and Zedd celebrate, but it's cut short when the even more powerful Machine Empire arrives to take advantage of a world without Rangers. But out of the ashes of the Command Center comes the Power Chamber, a brand new headquarters. The Zeo Crystal is used to create new powers for the Rangers, even giving new colors to Tommy, Adam, and Rocky. With that, the Zeo Rangers are born and ready to fight the Machine Empire.
Now as for the transition from Zeo to Turbo, it pretty much goes like "Hey, there's a new villain coming you never heard of. Here are some car powers just because." I mean, was Divatox really more powerful than the Zeo Crystal? DIVATOX?
This is why they should gone with what I pitched in my Turbo analysis from the last part of the countdown. Rita and Zedd return as villains coming back stronger after mostly laying low for a year and the Rangers get new zords to fight them without changing costumes. I know the budget would have been used to film new footage so that the Zeo Rangers can fight the Carranger monsters, but again, they were already filming new footage of the villain lair and foot soldier fights to begin with!
I think the real thing that hurts though is that while the main conflict is the Zeo Rangers against the Machine Empire, it's really Zedd and Rita's gang that get the last laugh by blowing up Mondo and his family with an exploding present, leading them to have to be repaired and not seen again until the following year. That's another reason they should have continued Zeo for another year, so we could see Rita and Zedd become the main threat again. It would be treading old ground, but it would make more sense than Divatox showing up!
On a more biased note, I wasn't totally impressed with the Machine Empire. Sure they had good plans to try and defeat the Rangers and brought a family dynamic for the evil side, but it's kind of boring when your main villains, their foot soldiers, and monsters are all robots. At least with the Mighty Morphin' villains, there was some variety in how each of them looked, and their were monsters made of clay or from a spell used on an animal, object, or person. And aside from Mondo having some battles with the Rangers and Clank and Orbus making the monsters grow, the rest of the main villain cast didn't really do much, not counting the villains added later on, who I didn't much care for either (especially Louie Kaboom). Well I guess one of the additional villains worth mentioning is Prince Gasket, who in the two parter "King for a Day", he brainwashes Tommy into thinking that he's the king of the good Machine Empire and that the Rangers are evil, even making him fight Jason, but the Rangers are able to break the spell with the power of love (cheesy way to put it, but it's actually done well than how I make it sound).
But yeah, Zeo is still a good season and if it had a proper conclusion, I probably would have placed it higher on the list.
10. POWER RANGERS SPD (2005)
Adapted from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger
Disney Era
SPD is a unique season because instead of taking place in the year it airs, it takes place in the future, 2025 to be specific. By this time, Earth has become a melting pot with aliens from many different places living in peace, as well as become part of the interplanetary peace keeping organization, Space Patrol Delta. In some ways, the Power Rangers this season are suped up cops. But that doesn't mean there aren't bigger threats to deal with, as Emperor Grumm of the Troobian Empire has his sights set on Earth.
The season premiere introduces us to three cadets Sky, Bridge, and Syd. They're dispatched to apprehend Jack and Z (short for Elizabeth), a pair of Robin Hood like bandits who steal food and clothes for those less fortunate. The five are then attacked by the foot soldiers of the season, Crybots, and are able to fight them back. This doesn't stop Jack and Z from being arrested though. But SPD Commander Cruger, impressed with the two, gives them a chance to do something better with their lives and join SPD. And thus we have our five core Rangers of the season.
Jack becomes the Red Ranger but he's the most reluctant and the last one to morph and join the others in battle. As Red Ranger, he's designated leader and the other Rangers' field commander. However, in the third episode "Confronted", he doesn't really take the role seriously at first, taking advantage of being able to boss the others around. When it's time for an actual mission though, the other Rangers state they don't trust Jack to lead them in battle, and he's ordered to stay behind. Watching the Rangers losing their battle from headquarters, Jack realizes the error of his ways and begs to be sent back in, knowing what he means to be a leader. Jack has some good moments involving the other Rangers as the series goes on, but we'll get to that. Jack's personal story comes full circle as the season draws to a conclusion, meeting a charity worker Ally, reminding him of old days of helping the needy. I won't spoil his decision, but it puts him at a crossroads of staying with SPD or working with Ally, helping people on a smaller but still satisfying scale.
When we first meet Sky, he is a bit stuck up, considering he's a legacy at SPD, his late father being a Red Ranger, which Sky aspires to be. You can imagine that he's very disappointed when he's assigned to be Blue Ranger as Jack becomes Red. This builds some animosity between the two and even a bit of a rivalry, Sky believing he would make a better leader. As the season goes on, Jack and Sky become more friendly toward each other, coming to a head in the episode "Impact", when the two must prevent an meteor from impacting Earth (no doubt listening to Aerosmith. Ha.). It gets to the point where Jack forcibly sends Sky away, willing to sacrifice his own life to blow up the meteor. Sky sees the explosion and assumes Jack is gone, lamenting that despite their differences, he respected him. But of course Jack survives, flying away from the meteor before the explosion. This is a big moment for Jack as well, showing how far his own character has come as a Ranger. Sky's character arc is one of humbleness and that being the Blue Ranger doesn't make him any less of a hero.
Syd the Pink Ranger is shown be a bit vain, but her compassion shows through many times this season, though sometimes it has to come through certain circumstances. A good example I can think of is the episode "Dogged", where after being annoyed by the team's robot dog R.I.C., she feels really bad when R.I.C. saves her from a monster attack, destroyed in the process. She then spearheads a project to rebuild R.I.C. better and stronger than even, in the process giving him the Canine Cannon upgrade, which the team uses to finish off monsters. In another episode, "Stakeout", Syd is bummed because she's assigned to work a...well, stakeout, with Jack on her birthday. Jack doesn't really see the big deal, when we find out Jack doesn't know when his birthday is, having grown up on the streets. Syd feels bad for Jack, so they decide that her birthday will be his birthday too.
Bridge the Green Ranger is probably my favorite of the core five Rangers. He's quirky and weird, which I can relate to. While his weirdness is sometimes written off by the others as "Bridge being Bridge", that weirdness actually leads to a Ranger victory on quite a few occasions, the best examples I can think of are the episodes "A-Bridged", the two parter "Wired", and "Robotpalooza". He even does this thing where he stands on his hand so that the blood rushes to his head that helps him think, leading to him figuring out something important. Think of it like Jimmy Neutron's brain blast. Bridge is also good with science, helping with Syd's project to rebuild R.I.C.
I don't really have much to say about Z the Yellow Ranger. When she's offered the chance to join SPD, she jumps right at it, already wanting to do something more than steal for the needy, and from what I remember, she has some entertaining interactions with all the other Rangers, showing she's really friendly has an eagerness to help people. Other than that, it kind of feels like Z is the tomboy to Syd's girly girl.
Something to note about these Rangers is that they're designated B-Squad and become Earth's primary defenders when the A-Squad Rangers go missing on a mission in space. So like Ninja Storm, this is a season where our Rangers aren't considered the best and have to rise to the occasion, and without spoiling it, by the season finale, they reach their most impressive accomplishment.
The Rangers' commander Anubis "Doggie" Cruger, a dog-like alien, doesn't get much focus until the two parter "Shadow". We learn that his home planet was taken over by Grumm, leaving Cruger as the last of his race, even losing his wife. When one of Grumm's generals, Benaag, resurfaces on Earth, Cruger suits up as the Shadow Ranger, making him the first non-humanoid Ranger (don't ask where his snout goes in the helmet; it's like asking why Justin was able to grow to adult size as the Blue Turbo Ranger). It's a rather impressive debut, showing him as a master swordsman and being able to defeat 100 Crybots before defeating Benaag himself. In short, Cruger's a badass and proves it in future battles against Grumm and another old enemy, Ichtior.
While Cruger is technically the sixth Ranger of the season, all the criteria for a sixth Ranger falls to Sam, the Omega Ranger. Debuting in the two-parter "Messenger", Sam travels from 2040 to prevent the Troobian takeover of Earth by defeating two brothers who destroy SPD, Devastation and Shorty (you can probably tell which one their parents liked more). Sam is pretty impressive, being able to catch all laser bullets from a barrage and killing Shorty with his own Megazord. However, Sam is initially pretty smug, claiming that his superior future technology is all that's needed to stop Devastation. But once he gets his ass handed to him, the Rangers arrive to help and they destroy Shorty, saving the future. Sam remains with B-Squad while trying to find out how to return to the future.
This all sounds cool, but there's one big flaw about the Omega Ranger. Outside of his Ranger form, he can only be shown as a ball of light, a side effect of the time traveling. So yeah, aside from a quick cameo with a physical actor in the season finale, he had no human actor whatsoever. If I remember correctly, the producers said this was a decision that was immediately regretted. And rightfully so. Kind of made it hard to really relate to him.
I don't usually talk about the supporting characters, but there's two worth mentioning this season.
The first is Kat Manx, head scientist of SPD, who designs the Rangers' equipment. She's also a cat-like alien, so her name's pretty on the nose. She kind of acts like a mother to the Rangers and has a close relationship with Cruger. It doesn't really seem romantic but I wouldn't have been surprised if they did get together. Probably wouldn't work out though. Cats and dogs, and all that. Kat is also capable of defending herself, prominently shown in the episode "Katastrophe" where she uses a disposable morpher to become the Kat Ranger to apprehend a former colleague of her's.
The second is Boom. That's not a nickname. His name is actually Boom. And he's human too. Boom had aspirations to be a Ranger but flunked out of the academy before still being invited to be Kat's assistant, usually helping her to test the equipment. Boom kind of serves as the comic relief of the season, usually getting hurt during lab tests, both Kat's and his own. However, he's still well-versed in technology, as he took part in helping Bridge and Syd rebuild R.I.C. Boom's finest moment comes though in the season finale, when the SPD headquarters comes under siege while the Rangers are preoccupied. When most of the SPD staff feels that the situation feels hopeless, Boom gives a very motivational speech that he won't stop fighting because the Rangers wouldn't. This is a moment I like seeing in Power Rangers, where civilians inspired by the Rangers are willing to fight in a hopeless situation rather than just give up. Boom may not have had the physicality of a Ranger, but he certainly had the heart.
In terms of main villains, Emperor Grumm isn't one of the best, but he is certainly one of the creepiest. He does have a skull face after all. In some occasions throughout the season, Grumm is sitting in his throne and apparently talking to himself. As we later found out though, he's actually talking telepathically to his own master, Omni, also known as the Magnificence, a big brain with an eye on a tentacle. Just as creepy, right? Throughout the season, Grumm is stealing material to build a giant body for Omni, and I'm talking freaking huge! Like the SWAT Megazord (my favorite Megazord of the season by the way) is able to fly around his head, making him the biggest monster a Megazord has ever fought.
Along with the whole Omega Ranger thing, if I have fault on another area this season, it's that a good chunk of the time, the monsters of the season pilot their own robots to fight the Rangers' Megazords, sometimes using the same one. I know it makes it different for a season, but it really limits what you can do with a Megazord battle. For that matter, how easy is it so get a robot in the future? Are they like how guns are today? Is it a black market thing?
The best episode I think of this season is the two parter "Reflection". Kat is developing a new weapon, which Sky is excited about, only to find that it's designed specifically for Jack. This reignites some angst Sky has about not being the Red Ranger, opening up to Jack about his father. The Rangers then try to figure out how multiple monsters they've already capture are appearing out in the open despite still in custody. Sky visits a prisoner named Mirloc, who can travel through any reflective surface (kind of like Mirror Master), to get information on what could be going on. Mirloc only gives Sky the information if he promises to come back and give him something in return. Sky agrees and Mirloc tells him of a criminal shapeshifter called Slate. The Rangers go after Slate, but he gets a power-up that allows him to split up and transform into multiple monsters. This is the moment Kat sends Jack the new weapon, a Battlizer.
The Battlizer this season is alright. It serves the purpose of giving the Red Ranger an armored form, but it has the weird aesthetic choice of crotch piece some fans have named the "Battle Thong". The problem is though that the Battlizer comes before the even cooler SWAT mode for the main five. The thing about Battlizers though is that they're supposed to be the Red Ranger's ultimate form. After the SWAT mode is introduced and shown to be more powerful, the Battlizer only shows up one more time during the season. Other than just being there to sell the toy, it did seem like a waste.
After Slate is captured, Sky returns to fulfill his bargain with Mirloc. Mirloc want Sky to tell him his saddest memory. Sky tells Mirloc about his father and how much he meant to him. Mirloc mocks Sky, causing him to cry, and part one ends with Mirloc escaping through Sky's tear.
The second part begins with Sky finding out that Mirloc was the one who killed his father and he offers his resignation because of his unwilling part in Mirloc's escape. Jack rejects it though, telling Sky that his father wouldn't want that though. The Rangers then go off to find Mirloc, but end up getting captured one by one, leaving only Sam to face him. While this is a Sky focused story, I have to say it's nice seeing Sam get one more good moment. A lot of times, after the sixth Ranger has an impressive debut, they seem to get dragged down working with the rest of the team, and don't seem as important once the Rangers get more power-ups. Having Sam fight Mirloc and freeing the Rangers was a good move.
With the Rangers free, Jack gives Sky his morpher to become the Red Ranger and use the Battlizer, allowing him to have the pleasure of bringing in Mirloc.
What makes "Reflection" a good story is that we get good character moments with Jack and Sky, a pretty dark villain, and Sam getting one more chance to show how cool he is.
Years ago on a Power Rangers message board, I posted the question of what would happen when Power Rangers reaches 2025. One comment I remember was along the lines of "Like the show will last that long." Considering that as the series continues and seems like it never a die, a Power Rangers season in 2025 could be likely. So what will they do? I guess they'll either have it set on another planet or reality, or they could stay on Earth and have a separate Ranger team fighting their own enemy while the SPD fight Grumm. I'm willing to bet though that the may retcon SPD into its own reality since we're nowhere close to living amongst aliens. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but time will tell.
While I didn't state it outright at the start of this analysis, SPD is really good season, with good character arcs. In a way, this is the last, shall we say, "traditional" season, where we have both a Battlizer and a team-up with the previous season. I'll get more into this topic later on. Aside from a few things, I got nothing but praise for this season with its character arcs and dark villains.
Wow, I just realized that my analysis for this season was pretty long. Well considering we're now in the top ten, it makes sense to talk so much about them. Come back next week, as we continue to delve into more seasons just as good as SPD.
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