Power Rangers Month - Ranking the Seasons Part Three: #9-6

At the halfway point of Power Rangers Month, we've entered the top ten, getting closer and closer to the number one spot.

9. POWER RANGERS LIGHTSPEED RESCUE (2000)

Adapted from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive

Saban Post-Zordon Era

Lightspeed Rescue was a very different season compared to its predecessors. The villains were demons instead of aliens. The Ranger powers and zords are man-made and government funded. The Rangers themselves are public figures and don't hide their secret identities. It was also the first season that truly stood on its own (not counting the Lost Galaxy team-up). I think it was because it went against the norm at this point that I stopped watching the show for the first time. But years later when I gave the show a second chance, I found it to be pretty good.

While all the Rangers get a good amount of focus episodes, there isn't too much in terms of character arcs or development, with the exception of Joel, the Green Ranger. Before being recruited by Lightspeed Rescue, Joel was an aerial stuntman, and a pretty self absorbed one at that. Out of all the Rangers in the first episode, he's the one most skeptical about a legion of demons until they're shown a demon attacking the city, prompting him to accept his position as a Power Ranger. His main arc involves his romantic pursuit of Angela Fairweather. Like Kat in SPD, she develops the Rangers' morphers, weapons, vehicles, and zords. Angela isn't easily impressed by Joel's cockiness. But Joel is persistent and in the process becomes a little more humble and takes more chances to jump in the line of fire to save people as a Ranger. It pays off by the end as he and Angela get together in the season finale.

Carter, the Red Ranger, is significant as well. I've probably been overusing this term during this countdown, but when it fits, it fits. That said, Carter is a badass Ranger. Before being recruited by Lightspeed, Carter was a fireman, becoming inspired as a young boy when he was saved by fireman in a fire. It later turns out that this fireman was Captain Mitchell, the head of Lightspeed and the mentor for the season. Carter is an ideal choice for a Ranger, being the first to accept the offer and willing to put himself in harm's way on many occasions. In one episode, "Curse of the Cobra", Carter fires both his V-Lancer and the Rescue Bird point-blank at a very powerful monster, causing a huge explosion in a shipping yard. He lives of course, but it shows how dedicated he is to defeating the demons. If there's anything else to note, in the episode "The Last Ranger", when four of the Rangers are struck with amnesia and have to go through a procedure to get their memories back, the machine malfunctions and leaves Carter in worse shape than before. But while watching the Rangers battle a monster on a monitor and seeing Dana, the Pink Ranger, in trouble, Carter begins recovering memories of her, leading him to regain his full memory. I want to say this was a hint of romance between the two, but it's just speculation on my part. Though the fact that they appeared together in the "Legendary Battle" from Megaforce might give some credence.

Lightspeed Rescue's Sentai source material didn't have any additional Rangers or an extra ally like Blue Senturion or Robo Knight. This led to the creation of the Titanium Ranger, the first Ranger created exclusively for Power Rangers as well as the first initially evil sixth Ranger since Tommy was the Green Ranger. The Titanium Ranger is Ryan, son of Captain Mitchell and sister of Dana. As a boy, Ryan was kidnapped by the demons and brainwashed into believing his family abandoned him. The demons use him against the Rangers but he eventually joins them after learning the truth and going through an identity crisis. But for his betrayal, he is stricken with a cursed tattoo of a cobra on his back, that would move further up to his neck every time he morphed before it would strike and kill him. Despite this and going against everyone's objections, Ryan continues to go into battle. I think this goes to show that Ryan is determined to make amends with his family and get revenge on the demons, willing to put his life on the line much like Carter.

Unfortunately though, the Titanium Ranger couldn't remain a permanent fixture of the shows or it would blow the budget filming new footage. To get around this, Ryan goes off on his own to find a way to seal the demons away again, making one more appearance as the Titanium Ranger in the season finale.

Initially the demons of the season are evil for the sake of being evil, but as the season goes on, they do become a bit more interesting. It really starts when Queen Bansheera imbues Diabolico's Star Power into her infant son Impus, transforming him into Olympius (think of it as super puberty), creating some tension within. Soon after that, a ceremony to bring Bansheera back to her physical form is interrupted by the Rangers, resulting in her only making it half-way through. This is pretty much the catalyst for Bansheera becoming more and more obsessed with destroying the Rangers no matter what. This comes to a head in the episode "Wrath of the Queen", when she absorbs Vypra into her being, giving her the final energy needed to regain her physical form. (On the note of Vypra, I didn't think she was a bad character, but suffered from having a bad actress.) Later on the episode, during a battle with the Rangers, Bansheera controls Diabolico to fire a weapon at the Rangers as they're battling Loki (no, not that Loki; here, it's pronounced Lok-EYE), who Diabolico is afraid of hitting. Bansheera make him fire and the blast does hit Loki. Diabolico holds Loki as he dies, both of them realizing that Bansheera cares for none of them at all. (This is actually the most memorable moment Loki has the whole season; he doesn't really do anything that important for most of the season.) What I like about this is that it shows a real sense of loyalty the demons had to their queen and to each other. When the season began, Diabolico led the demons while Bansheera was gone, but when Olympius arrives, it brings a rivalry between the two. Vypra and Loki also have more loyalty to Diabolico, especially after Olympius tries to kill them. Once Bansheera starts treating her followers as cannon-fodder, Diabolico renounces his allegiance and even tries to help the Rangers, being a key role in defeating Bansheera in the finale. Out of all of them Diabolico was my favorite villain this season, having a cool look and a good character arc.

There's one other demon, Jinxer, who created the monsters and helped them grow giant. While he wasn't really a fighter, he was pretty entertaining in what he did. The loyalty aspect applies to him as well, doing whatever he could to serve Bansheera and Olympius.

Like trying to decide what was better between Wild Force and Ninja Storm, I felt it was a toss-up between Lightspeed Rescue and SPD as well, given a lot of similarities. But where Lightspeed Rescue edges out SPD are the areas that I had problems with in that season. The monsters in Lightspeed actually grow as is tradition. And while Ryan as the Titanium Ranger wasn't around for the whole season, it was nice to actually have a face under the helmet compared to Sam as a ball of light or in Omega Ranger form. In addition, I thought Lightspeed had some pretty good action compared to SPD, since that was the season the Kalish-splosions started to come into play. The Lightspeed Rangers were pretty quick in their moves, both in hand-to-hand combat as well as in their use of their weapons, which makes sense when you're working for the government and have constant training to keep their skills up to snuff. And unless I'm mistaken, this is the only season that comes to mind where we see the Rangers' suits often taking considerable damage, showing some mechanical stuff under the spandex. The zords were pretty cool too, each set being based on rescue vehicles, trains, and spaceships; made for some good variety.

Overall, Lightspeed Rescue is entertaining with great action and villains that get better over time, giving what was at the time a unique kind of Ranger season, as is my next pick.

8. POWER RANGERS MYSTIC FORCE (2006)

Adapted from Mahou Sentai Magiranger

Disney Era

Mystic Force is a season that had a generally mixed reception. While I do see the problems in it, I saw a lot of great things with this season. And from a more biased view, Mystic Force was important season for me. Coming back from my hiatus from watching the show, this was the first season that I watched from the beginning. Along with that, it was during this season that I discovered Super Sentai, and it was really interesting looking at how the original source material was different from how they were used as Power Rangers. Sometimes the differences are great or more minor. For example, the main five Magiranger were all siblings. It was during this season that curiosity got the best of me, and I did look ahead to see what happened in the Sentai and speculate how it would be done in Power Rangers. Now I don't actually watch Super Sentai, but I take a peek at what's happening since these are potential future Power Rangers. The problem though is that looking ahead at the Sentai can get your hopes up. Boukenger seemed to be an awesome series, but then it was butchered in Operation Overdrive. Nowadays when I look at newer Super Sentai series, I just take a look at what the suits look like. I don't do it so much as I used to, considering how now a Sentai can be adapted years after it aired and they're now skipping over some. But I've talked enough about Super Sentai. Let's get to Mystic Force.

I like the theme song this season. A lot of people have a problem with it for being more hiphop than rock, but it's still way better than Overdrive's rap theme. At least the beat is catchy and does sound a bit mystical, making it as unique as the season as a whole.

The villains this season can be considered demons and while we've had these kinds of villains in other seasons, they usually went up against Rangers based on technology and animals. This season, the Rangers are solely magic based, and that's what I like about the conflict this season. It's basically fight fire with fire; it just makes sense. Tying in with the magic, the season draws a lot of inspiration from mythology, with zords and monsters being based on such creatures; in turn, it kind of got me interested in certain mythologies as well. It's probably why I got into Supernatural too, watching people fighting demons and other monsters usually considered myth.

I really like the Ranger suits this season. They're primarily the Ranger color with some black mixed in, and while we've had helmets with full face visors before (Lightspeed Rescue), they're a lot more fancy this time around, being based on the Rangers' mythological creature, like a phoenix or minotaur. In addition, each Ranger represents an element; fire for red, lightning for yellow, water for blue, wind for pink, and Earth for green. I always like it when elements are connected to the Rangers; it makes them more linked to life in my opinion, and it fits with the magic backdrop of the season. The capes are unique as well, kind of giving them more of a showman appearance which fits the magician theme. It gets even better when they acquire Mystic Legend mode, giving them a bit of armor and some helmet extensions like wings or horns.

Nick the Red Ranger can be a mixed bag. For a lot of the series, he seems pretty cool, but he does have some moments where he's brutally honest and kind of comes off as a dick. Like Samurai, this is a season that has a "Chosen One" prophecy linked to the Red Ranger. But also like Samurai, it takes a team effort to finally defeat the main villain. Now that I think about it, can we stop having "Chosen One" prophecies in Power Rangers? It places more importance on one Ranger and makes the others look expendable, which goes against the theme of teamwork the show wants to get across. And like I said, this "Chosen One" thing never pans out because it does take the whole team to win. Maybe this happens so hey can call such a prophecy bullcrap, but then why have it at all?

While this concept doesn't really come in until the last third of the season, a constant criticism this season gets is how the season focuses a lot on Nick, some jokingly calling it "Mys-Nick Force". Though I do believe that each Ranger gets some good moments throughout the season, in some ways, they're correct. In the episode, "The Light", we see Madison the Blue Ranger talking about how little she brings to the team compared to the others...and then it starts to become about Nick again. This seems to be a pattern with Madison though. She seems to start to get a focus episode but then something happens that diverts the attention, like when she gets turned to stone in "Rock Solid" or when Daggeron debuts as the Solaris Knight in "Long Ago." There's also a potential romance between Nick and Madison, but it only really comes up in the first and final episodes of the season.

Vida is Madison's sister and the Pink Ranger. She also hates pink, because irony! Aside from aspirations of becoming a DJ, she doesn't really do much than act as the tomboy to Madison's girly girl (kind of like Z and Syd in SPD). However, Vida does show to be protective of her friends, specifically Madison and Chip the Yellow Ranger. There is one episode, "The Return", where she seems to be out of character by befriending a monster who doesn't want to harm people but serves the villains out of loyalty. This has a lot to do with how it was done in Magiranger, but it would have made more sense for it to be Madison, and actually giving her a full focus episode.

Chip is the geek of the team and always had aspirations to be a superhero. So basically he was made to be a Power Ranger. I can relate a lot to him. He and Vida have a close friendship and watch each others back. Vida protected Chip from bullies in school and Chip tries to return the favor by helping her when she's turned into a vampire in the two parter "Stranger Within".

Xander the Green Ranger gets a lot of development over the season. He's usually seen as overconfident and a little smug, often trying to use charm to get things his way. Sometimes this causes some problems during Ranger duties, but realizing his mistakes and becoming a little more humble results in a new power for the Rangers, such as the Mystic Force Fighters, a powerful pair of boxing gloves (that may sound silly, but it makes for some good fights in the season). I like to think Xander's personality stems from trying to cover up some pain he had from being bullied in school when he was younger, teased for his Australian accent, admitting this to Nick in the two parter "Light Source". A recurring gag in the season is his attempted uses of "Plan Xander", where he tries to solve problems without fighting. It never works, but it is funny. If anything, Xander was probably the most entertaining of the main five and it was nice to see him come back in "Once a Ranger".

The season also has a number of supporting characters. I won't go through all of them, but I will say that I feel their presence helps build on the lore this season is trying to build. I will note Udonna though, a sorceress and the Rangers' mentor. While she is also a Ranger herself, her powers are stolen in the premiere, not getting them back until "Light Source". She does get kidnapped sometimes, but unlike Princess Shayla in Wild Force, she's not truly defenseless.

This season is probably my favorite use of the demon variety of Power Rangers villains. I don't really have much to say about them individually, but I really enjoy the concepts and how they're used. In my view, this is the closest a Power Rangers season has gotten to showcasing Hell and Satan, which in some ways make them the ultimate evil. The main villain this season is referred to as The Master, but one episode synopsis referred to him as Octomus, which I am going with since it actually gives him more of an identity. Octomus is dormant for most of the season, needing a high does of magic to regain his physical form, and when he does, it's pretty terrifying.

Like I said, there's a bit of Satan in there mixed with Cthulhu (and everybody loves Cthulhu). One could argue Xandred in Samurai could be kind of seen as Satan, but let's compare him and Ocotmus. Octomus remained hidden for most of the season, only seeing an eye through a viewing pool, not even hearing his voice until he gets a new body. He's also shown to be very powerful, killing Daggeron and Leanbow and at first making quick work of the rest of the team. While Xandred is also very powerful during the finale of Samurai, he was shown most of the season just sitting on his ass and complaining how he's trapped in the Netherrealm; he didn't even kill a Ranger. Who's the more impressive Satan allegory?

I think what I like most about this season is that it can be broken up into three acts based on the escalation of the threat coming from the villains and the additional powers the Rangers get.

ACT ONE- MORTICON (Episodes 1-12): The Rangers form and begin to battle the Rangers, leading to them fighting Morticon, who leads the demons with Octomus indisposed. (On the topic of Morticon, while powerful, he does feel like a glorified monster of the week.)

ACT TWO- IMPERIOUS (Episodes 13-23): A more impressive villain, Imperious, takes over Morticon's leadership and does show to have his own ambitions. This act also brings in Daggeron as the Solaris Knight (the sixth Ranger), acting as another mentor to the Rangers, who acquire the Mystic Legend mode. The act also ends with the true identities of Nick and the villain general Koragg revealed. (Said identities are part of a big twist that is built up during this act, but it can easily be figured out before the reveal; then it's just wondering when said twist will actually happen.)

ACT THREE- THE TEN TERRORS (Episodes 24-32): Octomus' most powerful warriors, the Ten Terrors, work to revive him, leading to a dramatic and nail-biting finale.

There's a lot I leave out here because I don't want to reveal spoilers. While Mystic Force does have some problems, the overall story is entertaining, and I really recommend this season to those who love mythology and magic, and to fans of Harry Potter and Supernatural.

7. POWER RANGERS LOST GALAXY (1999)

Adapted from Seijuu Sentai Gingaman

Saban Post-Zordon Era

When I was a kid and saw the first toys for Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, I thought "Sweet! Andros and the gang are coming back with new powers!". So you would be right to assume that when the season started and it showed a new cast, I was so confused. What really kept me around though is that the Rangers lived in last season's Astro Megaship (donated as a museum but still functional) and were getting assistance from Alpha 6. But still, I really liked this season as a kid and appreciated it even more watching it when I got older.

This season, the Power Rangers defend the space colony Terra Venture, traveling across the stars from Earth to live on a new planet. However, they attract the attention of alien warlord Scorpius, who seeks the Rangers' power for his own use.

I really like the suits this season. We have the helmets based on animals, which hadn't been done since Mighty Morphin', and the black zig-zags on the white of the chest and gloves makes me think of the diamonds of the Mighty Morphin' suits chest and gloves. I wouldn't realize until years later that the chest design is actually an animal mouth, the white being teeth and the black being the inside. Kind of silly, but still looks cool.

One of the most important arcs this season that features the most character development revolves around Leo, the Red Ranger, his brother Mike, and the Magna Defender.

In the season premiere, Mike is the one who pulls the Red Quasar Saber from the stone, but when he falls through a crevice, he gives it to Leo, who becomes the Red Ranger. Coincidentally, the Magna Defender had also fallen in that same crevice after a battle with Scorpius long ago, and saves Mike from the fall. The Magna Defender then absorbs Mike into him to strengthen himself so he can seek vengeance on Scorpius for killing his young son, Zika, and he's willing to do whatever it takes, even going through the Rangers. In the episode "Redemption Day", Magna Defender ignites a volcanic eruption in Terra Venture's mountain dome, willing to destroy the whole colony to get to Scorpius. After he's injured by one of Scorpius' monsters, Leo takes him away to recover while the other Rangers deal with the monster. The Magna Defender reveals the truth about him and Mike, telling Leo that his brother will be free if Leo strikes him down. Leo refuses, returning to help the Rangers in battle. While they defeat the monster, the volcano is still ready to erupt, and the Rangers are powerless to stop it. The spirit of Zika then comes to the Magna Defender, telling his father to abandon his quest for vengeance to help people like the good person he used to be. The Magna Defender then uses his remaining power to stabilize the volcano, preventing the eruption though. Before that though, he releases Mike, who reunites with Leo and the Rangers.

In the follow-up episode "Destined for Greatness", Mike's return makes Leo believe that he should relinquish his Red Ranger powers to Mike since he was the one originally chosen. Mike dispels Leo's thoughts, telling him that he has earned the powers and that it was his true destiny. However, when the Rangers are in trouble, Mike is visited by the Magna Defender and Zika, who give him his own morpher to use the powers of the Magna Defender.

This has sparked a debate of whether the Magna Defender counts as a Power Ranger, as well as what classifies a character as a Ranger. I would say yes and no. The original Magna Defender would count as a Ranger Ally like Blue Senturion or Robo Knight. But when Mike morphs into him, that does make him the sixth Ranger of the team. By my classification, if they are able to morph, they're a Ranger (this goes for the Solaris Knight of Mystic Force who, who had a similar debate over his Ranger status).

Another big moment this season comes during the two part team-up with the Space Rangers. When Cassie's Space Morpher is damaged, it causes an energy storm that could destroy Terra Venture. To save the colony and Cassie (who's connection to the damaged morpher is causing her pain), Kendrix, the Pink Galaxy Ranger, enters the storm, stopping it and repairing the morpher, saving the life of Cassie and everyone on Terra Venture, but at the cost of her own. This is the first instance of a Power Ranger being shown to die in the line of duty (so stick that in your "Power Rangers is just a kid show argument).

Behind the scenes, Kendrix's actress Valerie Vernon had been diagnosed with leukemia and had to leave the show for treatment. There were talks of Patricia Ja Lee, Cassie's actress, to stay on and become the new Pink Galaxy Ranger, but fell through over money. Instead, Kendrix's spirit passes on her powers to Andros' little sister Karone, which works to her a redemption story from last season. Thankfully, Valerie Vernon got a clean bill of health and was able to make one last appearance in the final episode, with Kendrix being brought back to life through what I call "Quasar Saber ex Machina". She even returns as the Pink Ranger a year later in the team-up with Lightspeed Rescue...even though it's Karone using the powers in Megaforce's "Legendary Battle". Are they both able to use the powers? Oh great, I just found another unexplained plot hole from that disgraceful season. Moving on before I go into another rage fit.

These are the two instances of the season where we see the most in character development for the Rangers, with drama and emotional moments. But I would say that overall, each Ranger has their own moments and go through growth subtly through the season. The interactions with each other are pretty good too, and this is the first instance where a lot of the Rangers didn't know each other before becoming a team like the original Mighty Morphin' team did and had to grow.

Initially, the villains this season aren't much to talk about.

Our first main villain this season is Scorpius, who really doesn't do much other than give orders. The best way to describe him is a mix of Jeff Goldlum from The Fly and Jabba the Hutt (I think I saw somewhere that Jabba was indeed an influence). He has a humanoid looking daughter named Trakeena who can transform into a full bug-like creature when she enters a cocoon. When Scorpius decides to face the Rangers himself (in a really different kind of battle), he is fatally injured, but has a pretty heartfelt deathbed talk with Trakeena. You'd almost forget he's an evil slimy bug monster. Trakeena then becomes the leader of the villains, her main goal of getting revenge on Leo. In terms of main female villains, I see her as kind of a mix of Rita Repulsa and Astronema. She's dressed kind of silly but still intimidating.

Furio is the first villain general of the season and boy is he unimpressive. He keeps failing and getting too many "one last" chances, and if it's any indication, he doesn't even get a whole episode dedicated to his defeat, dying in the first five minutes of one episode before moving on to the main plot. After that is Treacheron, and while a step up, still not that memorable.

Things really pick up though when Deviot arrives. Like Serrator in Samurai, Deviot has his own plans of usurping Scorpius and Trakeena and take over the galaxy himself. It was Deviot himself who set in motion the events of  Scorpius' death. More on him when I talk about the finale.

We also have Villamax, Trakeena's trainer and probably the best villain of this season one of the best in the franchise history. What makes Villamax different from other villains is his sense of loyalty and honor. Villamax is very loyal to Trakeena, which makes me think he's not a true villain at heart. To back that up, in the episode "An Evil Game", Leo is given the choice of surrendering himself to Trakeena, or the other Rangers will be killed, having been captured earlier. Leo gives himself in, and Villamax actually let's the other Rangers go, much to Deviot's shock. What makes this a good moment is that in most villainous ransom situation of the series, the villain never keeps their word. Villamax is the first and at the moment only time I can remember a villain actually staying true to their word by doing what they say they would if the Rangers did what they want.

For awhile, the Rangers deal with a pirate-themed side-villain named Captain Mutiny. His first appearance has him giving a large gift to Terra Venture, actually turning out to be a monster. I mean, who would have though he couldn't be trustworthy? ...HIS NAME WAS MUTINY. IT LITERALLY MEANS BETRAYAL! Other than that, he's a stereotypical pirate that really brought nothing to the show.

The three part season finale "Journey's End" is probably one of the best in franchise history. Trakeena finally gets wise to Deviot's treachery, the two battle and fall into Trakeena's cocoon. Trakeena emerges, Deviot merged into her, and warping her mind. She then launches a full-on assault on Terra Venture, which was preparing to finally make landing on a new planet, but ends up crashing on a nearby moon. Trakeena then straps bombs onto her Sting Wingers (the foot soldiers of the season), sending them out in a massive invasion. So yeah, a suicide bombers on what so many people consider just a kid show. The Rangers

fight off the Sting Wingers the best they can while also helping all the colony's citizens evacuate on lifeboats to the new world. Villamax is also on the battlefield, growing disgusted by Trakeena's actions. He saves a little girl's life from building wreckage falling from a Sting Winger attack and she gives him a flower as thanks, which moves him. With all the citizens evacuated, Trakeena plans to shoot down each of the ships one by one. When she orders Villamax to fire, he disobeys. They fight, and Trakeena bests him, stomping on the flower given to him before finishing him off. The Rangers intercept Trakeena's ship with the Astro Megaship, but end up taking significant damage to the point where they decide to set the ship to self-destruct, taking out Trakeena while they escape in the Jet Jammers. Both ships are destroyed, but Trakeena still lives. Weakened, she makes her way to her cocoon, emerging in a new green form. She continues to battle the Rangers in the wreckage of Terra Venture's city colony. It takes a point blank shot from Leo in his battilizer to finally defeat her.

If you dig too deep, you could find many plot holes this season. But if you just watch it for what it is, Lost Galaxy is a really good season, with entertaining characters while at the time also continuing the show's progression of giving mature storylines with finales that can create a real sense of dread. I wouldn't say it's a perfect season, but it's the first time the series started bringing in a new cast every year, and it proved successful.

6. POWER RANGERS JUNGLE FURY (2008)

Adapted from Juken Sentai Gekiranger

Disney Era

After being really disappointed with Operation Overdrive and my confidence in the franchise waning (though not as bad as after Megaforce), I was going into Jungle Fury with low expectations. But as soon as the theme song hit, starting with jungle drums followed by the guitar kicking in, I was really, REALLY excited! In fact, I would say Jungle Fury's theme is among my favorites of the whole franchise.

In some ways, Jungle Fury is a back to basics approach. For the most part, every season after the Zordon era has shown the Rangers not knowing martial arts until after they morph. With Jungle Fury, the Rangers have been training in kung-fu, which makes for some really great fight scenes this seasons. The season finale is one big fight, but it was still really entertaining (plus I view the two previous episodes before that make it one big three parter so there's still some emotional draw). The Kalishsplosions have been really dialed back as well (especially compared to Overdrive's overuse of them).

So maybe I'm biased liking Jungle Fury so much, but this is the first time in a few seasons where I felt I was watching a true Rangers season. It's not just a great season, in fact, it's criminally underrated.

The season begins with the two parter "Welcome to the Jungle" where we are introduced to the Pai Zhua (Order of the Claw), a secret kung-fu training academy that protects the world from the demon Dai Shi, sealed away after the Beast War 10,000 years ago. A demonstration between the top students leads to Theo, Lily, and Jarrod selected to be the new guardians, displaying their animal spirits of the Jaguar, Cheetah, and Lion. However, Jarrod's dickishness leads to an altercation with a newer student Casey, who displays the spirit of the Tiger. Master Mao expels Jarrod and Casey takes his place. An angry Jarrod fights Master Mao but accidentally unlocks Dai Shi, who kills Mao and possesses Jarrod. Casey, Theo, and Lily are sent to the city of Ocean Bluff to train under their new master RJ, who gives them their new Jungle Fury Ranger powers.

There's quite a few things from the premiere that gave me more good feelings about this season.

First off, RJ runs a pizza parlor called Jungle Karma Pizza, where the Rangers also work. It also has a backroom which acts as the Rangers' headquarters with a training area and a monitoring system to alert them about monsters in the city. Not only is a pizza shop a unique kind of headquarters, but those who know me know how much I love pizza, and I loved the idea of the Rangers working in a pizza shop.

RJ himself is really laid back, which makes him a different kind of mentor, and probably my personal favorite. He can be your best friend and offer wise advice. He's really a normal guy compared to Zordon, Cruger, or Udonna.

The morphers this season are unique as well, based off sunglasses, hence the name Solar Morphers. What's worth noting is that RJ didn't actually develop them, saying he "knew a guy who knew a guy...". I like to think they were developed by Cam from Ninja Storm. Hey when you have secret academies teaching ninjitsu and kung-fu, there's bound to be some interactions between them. There were some rumors as well about a possible team-up with Ninja Storm, but sadly, nothing came from it.

I really like the Ranger suits this season. Like Mystic Force, they're unique and dominantly the Ranger's color with black areas (this time being stripes or spots to go along with their spirit animal). A big difference this season is that the Rangers don't have any belts or side weapons like a gun or dagger they could use, only summoning personal weapons (nun-chucks, bo-staff, and batons) when they need to. It fits with the predominantly kung-fu theme the season was going for.

This is another season that starts off with just three Rangers, but this is actually longest time it keeps to just three Rangers, with RJ not joining as the Wolf Ranger until episode 16. This gave us a good chance to focus on the Rangers and their dynamic, which makes them my favorite initial team of three Rangers.

My point being, "Welcome to the Jungle" gave me some renewed hope for Power Rangers and it was shaping up to be a great season.

Casey, the Red Ranger, is the one with the least training, which means its his journey we follow through the season. He gets some training with Theo on his nun-chucks and RJ goes all Mr. Miagi in helping him perfect his fighting moves. When RJ joins the team, Casey starts to doubt himself as a leader, and through a pretty creative way, RJ proves to him that it takes a team effort to achieve what may be a possible goal. Casey's story arc comes to a head in the penultimate "Path of the Righteous", where he goes against everyone's advice to Dai Shi's palace to challenge him, hoping to free Jarrod for his possession, feeling responsible for putting him in this position in the first place. They have a pretty awesome battle that is actually my favorite one-on-one battle of the whole season and probably one of the best in franchise history.

Theo, the Blue Ranger, is the perfectionist of the team. He has a high opinion of himself, even though he had his own rookie period like Casey, and when he does suffer a failure or setback, he takes it hard, which does help humble him and not take some things so seriously. One thing I thought was funny was how Theo was the shortest of the team, but when he morphs, he actually grows taller than Casey. It's a small detail and really has to do with the Sentai footage, but I found it hilarious that he would just grow for reason. He doesn't even have the "being a kid" excuse Justin had.

Lily, the Yellow Ranger, is the heart of the team, being the most friendly, usually defusing a hostile situation between the Rangers and giving them a confidence boost when they're down. I didn't really see much in character development, but she's just so damn lovable. Something of note though is that Theo and Lily have a close friendship, but Theo is afraid of taking things to next level until the season finale when he asks her out and she says yes. This aspect really comes late in the season, but I liked how it was played out. Subtle, yet satisfying.

The Rangers later meet Dominic, a former Pai Zhua student who left to try and find himself. He comes to the Rangers wanting to help in the battle with Dai Shi, but they don't really accept him initially. Hell, I found Casey and Theo downright being a prick to him. But when Dominic, preparing to leave due to his treatment, displays his Rhino spirit, Casey sees his potential and asks him to stay (seriously, it's a pretty quick turn-around, and all this happens in the same episode). RJ builds Dominic a big ass morpher that also acts as a weapon to become the Rhino Ranger. He still has some development afterwards though, having to actually find his Rhino Zord instead of being able summon his spirit like the other Rangers.

Speaking of zords, something unique this season is that the Rangers' zords are actually their animal spirits, which can combine to form the Jungle Pride Megazord (which RJ's Wolf spirit can also combine with). The Rangers stand together in a cockpit, performing moves in unison, with the Megazord copying their moves. They also each get one auxiliary zord after they train with another Pai Zhua Master. Lily gets the Elephant Spirit from Master Phant, Theo gets the Bat Spirit from Master Swoop, and Casey gets the Shard Spirit from Master Finn (who is also RJ's father and they have issues to work out). Later on after training with three deceased masters in the Spirit World and acquiring Jungle Master Mode, they're able to access those masters' animal spirits (Gorilla for Casey, Antelope for Theo, and Penguin for Lily) to form the Jungle Master Megazord. That gives each Ranger three zords each, which I honestly think should be the max amount for one Ranger to have.

Dai Shi's foot soldiers and monsters have a rather interesting relationship. The foot soldiers are called Rinshi, which are kind of like zombies. However, once they have an animal totem bestowed upon their forehead, they gain an enhanced form and the ability to speak. Finally, they transform into their Beast form, becoming the traditional monster of the day. While this is the norm, there are some monsters this season that appear as is, not an upgraded Rinshi. One of the things I like about the Megazord fights this season is that when the monsters are defeated, they turn to stone before they blow up. It's a minor thing, but I think it gives a defining defeat than just blowing up.

Dai Shi himself is a bit of a confusing villain. We see in the beginning that he possesses Jarrod, but as the season goes on, it starts to be unclear whether how much of Jarrod is there. See, for Dai Shi to become stronger, he resurrects the Overlords, evil masters from the original Beast War 10,000 years ago, to train him. This involves not only physical, but mental training. Now I understand needing to train Jarrod's body for Dai Shi to become stronger, but one of the Overlords, Carnisoar, actually travels into Jarrod's mind to alter his memories to make him more evil, and it's Dai Shi actually traveling with Carnisoar and arguing with him, not Jarrod. Why would Dai Shi care about Jarrod's memories? Honestly, they don't really do a good job explaining how much of an amalgamation Dai Shi and Jarrod have in the same body. And when Jarrod is freed of Dai Shi's influence, he becomes an ally to the Rangers just like that, despite already acting like a dick of his own accord in the first episode.

Now that I think about it, it might have been better if Jarrod had more of an origin story like Lothor, being excommunicated from the Order of the Claw, unsealing the palace that contained the Rinshi and using their power to get revenge, resurrecting the Overlords and Phantom Beasts to become stronger, and taking on the name of Dai Shi. Plus, Dai Shi actually translates to "Great Lion", which fits because Jarrod has the Lion spirit. The Dai Shi on the show was actually a dragon. It would have made more sense if Scorch became the final villain of the series considering he also had a dragon spirit. I mean, look at Scorch and Dai Shi's final form.

Similar looking, right? Okay, I'll admit that this was the same way it was done in Gekiranger, but it would have made a lot more sense if Jungle Fury did it too.

Honestly though, the Dai Shi confusion aside, the villains were still pretty entertaining this season.

Overall, Jungle Fury is one of the better Disney seasons featuring more straight-up fight scenes Power Rangers is known for with interesting characters all around.

Come back next week as we wrap up Power Rangers Month with the top 5 seasons, the best of the best!

Movie Review: DEADPOOL - Everybody loves DP...Wait, that came out wrong

Despite getting his mouth sewed shut in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", a spin-off film for Deadpool was on the table, hopefully with a more accurate depiction of the character. And so fans waited...and waited...and waited...and, oh you get the idea. There were a number of factors that kept us from getting this movie from so long like Ryan Reynolds being cast in the failed Green Lantern movie and then head of 20th Century Fox Tom Rothman not wanting to take a chance on it (he's actually responsible for a lot of problems with Fox's Marvel based movies, like keeping Apocalypse and Sentinels out of the X-Men movies for so long). It seemed that Deadpool would be the film that everyone wanted but would never come. But then test footage was leaked online with acclaimed reception. And because of that, production on Deadpool was finally moving forward with a 2016 release date set. And thankfully with the continuity do-over button hit by "Days of Future Past", we get a new Deadpool from scratch and neeeever have to talk about Barakapool again. Whoever leaked that footage was either fired or got a promotion.
I don't usually talk about the marketing in my movie reviews, but Deadpool has had the best I've ever seen for a superhero movie. You know how many first reveals of a superhero suit shows them all serious? Well this was Deadpool's:

The trailers showed us a Deadpool straight out of the comics and there were even more promos of Ryan in character and costume talking about things like Australia Day and checking yourself for cancer.
But as for the movie itself, it was well worth the wait and even more glorious than we could have imagined.

You know how a lot of trailers only show you the good parts to get you into the theater? Deadpool doesn't have this problem, saving the funniest, crudest, and goriest parts for the movie. Seriously, do not bring the kids to this movie. And you know you're in for a treat when Deadpool actually has control of the opening credits, describing the cast and characters in his own way, including "A British Villain", "A CGI Character", and "A Gratuitous Cameo" (that one's Stan Lee, and this might be his new personal favorite cameo).
But yes, if there wasn't enough evidence, Ryan Reynolds was destined to play Deadpool. He brings the charm and comedy of the character to life, as well as his human side. Beneath the red suit and the scars, he's just a regular dude in love and in pain.
And less we forget about the fourth wall breaking. In addition to things like Green Lantern and Barakapool, my favorite ones were the references to the X-Men movies. When Colossus says he's going to take them to the Professor, Deadpool replies "MacAvoy or Stewart? These timelines are really confusing." Then he goes to the X-Mansion for help, "This is a big place. It's amazing that I only ever see two of you. It's like the studio couldn't afford any more X-Men."

I think it was a good idea to include Colossus in this movie. Not only does it make it more connected to the universe, but Colossus brings your standard superhero role model to go against the anti-heroics of Deadpool. Seriously, Colossus is so straight-up goody-goody that you could easily replace him with Captain America (hell, Colossus even chastises Deadpool for his foul language).
In addition, we have the introduction of Negasonic Teenage Warhead (seriously that is a hell of a name). While Colossus is the good and Deadpool is the bad, NTW's a bit of both (that's right I just made a Guardians reference). Described in the opening credits as "A Moody Teen", she's the newest mutant at the mansion with Colossus as her mentor. She's got a bad attitude, but is definitely more on the side of good like Colossus. Her powers make for some good special effects too during the climax.

While making a minor appearance, the climax also features Deadpool's sidekick from the comics, Bob. I wondered if Bob could appear since being an agent of HYDRA would make him Marvel's property. So I was glad that he made a short appearance and hope he survived to appear in the sequel. Apparently they were together before on a top secret mission in Jacksonville. So yeah, Marvel may have us wondering what happened with Widow and Hawkeye in Budapest, but damn it, what happened in Jacksonville with Wade and Bob?!

Wade's girlfriend/fiancee Vanessa brings us the emotional aspect of the film, as well as a montage of them having different kinds of sex on holidays as their relationship goes on (seriously, don't bring the kids). However, I do have one complaint. In the trailers, she says she's not one for being the damsel in distress...but in the movie, she's basically a damsel in distress. In the comics, Vanessa is actually a mutant shapeshifter called Copycat. I kind of thought this would come up in the movie, and if it was, I was wondering why it was cut. I guess that's something that can be explored in the sequel.

As for the other characters, Weasel, Blind Al, Angel Dust, and Francis (since Deadpool calls him by his real name instead of his codename Ajax, that's what I'm doing as well), they were also entertaining, but don't really have much to say about them extensively. 

Part of me feels like the movie was rushed, but that might be attributed to me not wanting it to end or be a little longer. Like I say, you can never have enough DP...by which I mean Deadpool (get your mind out of the gutters, people).

Overall, this is the movie Deadpool fans have waited years for, treating the character with the respect he deserves. And like in true cinematic universe fashion, there are hints at what's to come. I won't say how, but I can bet it's leading to X-Force's own movie, but I'm hoping for more interactions between Deadpool and the X-Men as well.
Since this is an X-Men movie, here's my new ranking of the movies with Deadpool's addition (which will be updated again in May with Apocalypse):
1. X-Men: Days of Future Past
2. Deadpool
3. X-Men: First Class
4. X2: X-Men United
5. The Wolverine
6. X-Men
7. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

RATING: 8.5/10

Power Rangers Month - Ranking the Seasons Part Two: #13-10

Welcome to week two of my Power Rangers countdown. We scraped the bottom of the barrel last week and started into seasons that weren't bad but not that good either, which we continue now with our next season.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.