Hello and welcome to a special blog of Project Nitsuj. When I was kid, before I got into anime before I knew anime existed there were three shows that played a huge part of my childhood. Batman the animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers. Out of these three shows Power Rangers had the biggest impact on me as a child mostly because it was one of the first shows I remember watching and I loved every minute of it. The characters, the villains, the zords, everything about Power Rangers was something I loved. So when I heard they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show memories of nostalgia came back to me. But then I started to think who were my favorite rangers, the rangers I liked the most, and the ones who still leave an impact on me today? Well in honor of the 20th anniversary I decided to create a top 11 list of my favorite rangers. Why top 11? Because just like someone else on this site I too like to go one step beyond. It’s morphin’ time, this is the top 11 Power Rangers.
#11. Justin the Blue Ranger from Turbo
I know a lot of people didn’t like this character and yeah I admit he was a little annoying but I still liked him. Even though Justin was the youngest person in the show to become a Power Ranger he adapted and understood the responsibilities of a Ranger just like the others. I think the reason why he had so much hate was because I think at the time kids and fans of the show kinda envied him. I’ll be the first to admit as a kid I always dreamt of being a Power Ranger, getting my own zord, practicing martial arts, saving the world and battling alongside my childhood heroes. I’m pretty sure everyone had that dream at some point in their life and when they saw Justin live out their dream it just made them mad and jealous. He was meant to represent that group of kids and fans who had dreams of being a ranger, someone who you could put yourself into and live out the dream. Yeah, I admit he made mistakes but think back to when you were a kid and how stoke you would be if you got the chance to be a ranger, I guarantee you would have probably made the same mistakes he did. While he may not have been the most likable ranger in the series I’ll always think of him as that childhood version of me who got the live the dream of being ranger.
#10. Jen the Pink Ranger from Time Force
I have to admit a lot of the female rangers didn’t leave that much of an impact on me when I watched the show except for two. One of them was Jen from Time Force. For the most part the Pink Ranger up until this point only served as the love interest for the Red ranger and acted as the typical popular beautiful girl to draw the boys in. While Jen did serve as a love interest for Wes in the season she did more than that. She was the leader, she led the team into battle something that a lot of the female rangers let alone a pink ranger never did. On top of that she didn’t act like your typical pretty girl, she was strong, fierce, independent, and knew what had to be done. She always did what was right for team, she had respect from all the rangers, and lived up the responsibilities of what a leader has and is supposed to do and be like. For me Jen is my favorite Pink ranger and the female ranger I hope future female rangers try to be like.
#9. Trini the Yellow Ranger from Power Rangers Season 1
This is the other female ranger that I really liked in the series. Trini had a perfect balance. She was a tomboy who wasn’t afraid to fight for what she believed in or stand up to people when she saw what they were doing was wrong. Besides that she was also very kindhearted helping animals find home and protecting the environment. She also was very calm and compose, she maintained a cool atmosphere in the face of danger; she was smart too, the only person on the original team to understand Billy’s techno babble. She just had a perfect balance of strength and wisdom she knew when it was time to fight and knew what to say and how to say it to encourage others. For me, this is another ranger I hope more female rangers in the future take after.
#8. Cam the Samurai Ranger from Ninja Storm
Out of all the characters in Ninja Storm Cam was my favorite character. In a way his personality kinda of reminded me of myself; he was smart, sarcastic, and satisfied with helping the team but wanted to do something more than just be the guy watching from the sidelines watching the others fight. We saw that he had all the making of being of ranger but his father refused to let him be one because he didn’t want Cam to bear the pain of a ranger and while he was annoyed by this Cam respected his father’s choice; that’s very respectful and honorable of him most people would have just rebelled. So when he finally dawns that Samurai outfit it’s so rewarding and awesome to see that the guy who works behind the scenes gets his chance to shine and be of more help to the people he cares about. In a way Cam reminds of Kotori from Idolm@ster, both of them are happy staying behind the scenes and supporting the group but deep down you know they wanna be out there with them.
#7. Anubis Cruger the Shadow Ranger from SPD
Cruger is like the Auron of Power Rangers SPD, he’s the most badass character in the show. He starts off as the commander of the team but after a few episodes joins the group on the frontlines of battle. His backstory is quite deep and sad, he lost not only his squad but his home planet as well to the forces of evil. Years later, he’s settled on a new planet, taken on the command of a new team and is determined not to have that same fate happen again. In a way his story is like that of a knight or samurai who has lost his kingdom and is determined to hunt down the one responsible for it and make them pay. I like how even though he has this painful past he acts like a leader; fair, strong, smart, and trusting in his cadets to do the right thing and work together; all the qualities that make a good leader. I also like how at first he’s not willing to join the group because he still battling his past, he can’t get over it and is still haunted by it and can’t fight because of it but after a good talk from his close friend and cadets he’s able to move on and fight once again. The character is strong, his backstory is strong, he’s hard on the team but at the same time fair, and above all he’s a strong fighter who fills in the 6th spot on the team and almost steals the show from them.
#6. Zack the Black Ranger from Power Rangers Season 1
This guy was just fun to have on the show. He was upbeat, fun-loving, and a little bit charming. I always did like his style of fighting more than the others because it was so unique and stood out from others. His character was that he moved to the beat of his own drum, rather than do things the way normal people would have done it he wanted to do things his own way while being of help to the team. On top of that he was funny, his wisecracks were for the most part amusing, it reminds of Dick Grayson from Batman he was a wisecracker but at the end he had a good sense of justice and was always there to have the back of the team.
#5. Chip the Yellow Ranger from Mystic Force
This is what I think would of happen if Justin was done correctly. Chip was totally on board with becoming of ranger and was always eager to learn the art of magic. For Chip being a ranger meant finally achieving his dream of becoming a superhero, he’s not in it for the fame or glory that comes with being a hero or ranger for that matter but because he wants to help others. To him being a ranger isn’t about fighting and saving the world from evil, it’s about being a symbol of hope for the people. While he was considered odd by a lot of people he didn’t care, he didn’t change or try to be someone he wasn’t. He’s a man who wants to be hero for the people and there’s nothing wrong with that. He has the body of an adult, the mind of a geeky child, and the heart of hero, Chip was the one ranger that really made this season enjoyable.
#4. Trent the White Ranger from Dino Thunder
I like to refer to Trent as the Dark Ranger of the group because of his actions. When he becomes the white ranger he can’t control the powers and winds up attacking the team a majority of the time. He even teams up with the villains for a short period of time. Even when the team finds out that he’s the white ranger and can’t control his powers and they offer to help him he flat out rejects them because that doesn’t fit his version of what a hero is. To him a hero is like Batman, someone who bears the burden alone, he handles his own problems without relying or asking anyone else for help because to him a hero should be able to bear with them and solve them himself. While his ideas are stubborn and foolish to a certain degree it’s actually quite admirable that he thinks that highly of what a hero should be like and that he’s willing to put himself through all that pain and regret just to meet that expectation of a hero and when it’s all done he’s ready to join the others in their fight. It was a tough to decide who to put higher between him and Chip but I choose Trent over Chip because of how strongly he believes in his ideas of a hero. Chip also believed strongly in his ideas of a hero but in terms of who carried them out more and followed them accordingly I think Trent did it better. Trent believed that a hero should be like Batman, dark, alone and willing to carry the burden of a hero whether it’s good or bad because of this I’ll always think of him as the Dark Ranger.
#3. Jason the Red Ranger from Power Rangers Season 1
You can’t talk about your favorite Power Ranger without having this guy pop up in the conversation. Jason was the first Red Ranger and therefore the first leader of the entire series. He was strong, brave, good, and one of the few who was totally on board with being a ranger when Zordon beamed them into the Command Center for the first time. Because of him being the Red Ranger he was the ranger all the boys wanted to be like, we wanted to be that tough guy who would lead everyone into battle and overcome the odds stacked against him. Another thing that was great about him is that he never let the stress of being a ranger interfere with his daily life. He still practiced and taught martial arts, participated in school activities and did well as far as we know in school. If anything the Ranger thing just seemed like another afterschool club to him. I guess that what drew us boys to like Jason, nothing really phased him, if a problem were to occur he would overcome it no matter what and that’s what all boys want do, overcome any and all obstacles and looking cool while doing them. Jason, the guy who makes anything and everything look easy.
#2. Adam the Black Ranger from Season 2 and Green Ranger from Zeo
You bet your ass I put Johnny Yong Bosch on this list and it’s not because he’s an anime voice actor but because he was a really stand-up guy in the show. His character felt so real like Bosch wasn’t just playing a character named Adam he was being himself. Adam’s past history of being bullied as a child is actually based off of Bosch’s history of being bullied as a child. His actions, faces, and remarks he made throughout the show looked, felt, and sounded real than the others. He also didn’t seem to mind poking fun at himself or taking risk. For example in the original Power Rangers movie, Bosch did all of his ninja suit stunts himself because his double got injured and it was his idea to make Adam upset about his ninja powers coming from a frog. It’s kinda cool to see someone not afraid to make fun of his character and have some fun with it.Other than that his character just had this likableness to him like this was the kinda of guy you would love to be friends with in real life. Bosch, you may be known in the anime community as Vash from Trigun but to me you’ll always be the second black ranger and one of the best one’s out there.
And the number 1 Power Ranger is . . . do I even need to say this person’s name? You haven’t seen his name yet so it should be obvious. Alright on the count of 3 shout his name and 1. . .2 . . . 3 . . .
#1. Tommy Oliver the Green Ranger from Season 1, White Ranger from Season 2, Red Ranger from Zeo, and Black Ranger from Dino Thunder
Sorry to be so cliché but it’s true, Tommy is hands down the best Power Ranger ever. This was the character that made boys drop Jason like a bad habit and considering how popular Jason was at the time that’s impressive. Similar to Jason in every way Tommy was the ranger who would overcome all challenges put before him. But the difference between the two was that Tommy would often struggle in his challenges unlike Jason and his challenges were a bit tougher and dangerous than what Jason did. Jason was just made the leader by Zordon, he never really did anything to earn the title of leader, and it was handed to him. While Tommy on the other hand worked and earned the title of leader. I remember this one time he had to fight Goldar without his powers yet he still managed to hold his own against him and win. He even took on Lord Zedd by himself to rescue Kimberly, sure the fight ended in stalemate but to actually take on the big villain by yourself and hold your own against him that was pretty cool back then. In Tommy’s challenges he showed the doubts and worries everyone would face in those circumstances and how to overcome them while Jason just did the challenge and be done with it, you never really learned anything through Jason’s challenges with Tommy on the other hand you learned something new and grew to respect his character.
Another cool thing about him is that we see him grow the most out of all the rangers. He started off as a kid not really knowing of what he was capable of but as time went on, he grew older, and as seasons went by we saw his character mature and confidence in his abilities as a ranger and leader get better and finally leading to his highest point in Dino Thunder when he becomes the mentor for those rangers. And it’s not just me who thinks Tommy is the greatest, the fan club of the series think so as well and even the show calls Tommy the greatest ranger. Hell, in SPD they actually have the cadets read a book detailing all of Tommy’s exploits as a Power Ranger because to them he was the best.
Finally the reason why I like him so much is that he inspired me. Back in middle school my English teacher gave us a fun little assignment asking us to name our hero and I honestly couldn’t come up with anything. I couldn’t put down God or my parents because I went to a Christian school so those would be too cliché. I thought about putting down Batman but I was afraid I get in trouble for writing about such a dark character with an even darker backstory. As I was left wondering who to write about I turned on the TV and they were showing reruns of Power Rangers. Out of nostalgia I watched the episoded and it happened to be the one where he was fighting Goldar in the dessert without his powers. When it seemed like he was about to surrender he got back up and started fighting back and I’ll never forget what he said: “You know there was a moment back there when I almost gave up. But then I realized, it’s not just the costume and powers that give me strength. It’s who and what I am inside that really empowers me.” That line still sticks with me today and after hearing that line and watching that episode I decided to put Tommy Oliver down as my hero because I was inspired to be like him. I wanted to be that guy who never gave up no matter how high the odds were stacked against him, the guy who was just starting to tap into his true powers, and that guy who stayed true to himself. He showed courage in the face of danger and was always ready to help out his friends no matter what. For me, that was the kind of person I long to be. A person like Tommy and even to this day I still look to Tommy as a person I would like to be. I think Jason David Frank inspired a lot of guys to be like Tommy and whether he knows it or not I wanna say thanks to him for being one of my heroes in life and for giving me inspiration.
Well that’s my list I hope you enjoyed and I just wanna say a special thank you to everyone who’s ever worked on Power Rangers, whether they were the actual characters, directors, editors, cameraman, etc. I just wanna say thanks for giving me a rich and enjoyable childhood memory that I’ll never forget for as long as l live. Happy 20th anniversary and here’s to another 20 more years of Power Rangers. Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj, and let the power protect you.
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