While fans are greatly anticipating the upcoming Power Rangers film reboot, there is and always will be a fondness for the original series that started it all.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The franchise has spawned countless series and takes on the Rangers, as since they debuted in 1993 they’ve been depicted as ninjas (Ninja Storm/Ninja Steel), samurai (Samurai, Super Samurai), space rangers (Power Rangers In Space/ Power Rangers Lost Galaxy), jungle fighters (Power Rangers: Jungle Fury), and Rangers of the mystic arts (Power Rangers Mystic Force) just to name a few.
Despite all those reinterpretations, the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (and their dinosaur theme) will always remain one of the most popular, so with that in mind, it’s time to take a look back and rank the original 5 Power Rangers.
5 – Yellow Ranger – Trini Kwan
The Yellow Ranger, who also went by Trini Kwan (played by Thuy Trang), was the most compassionate member of the Power Rangers squad, but she had some lethal martial arts skills at her command as well.
Trini’s combat skills focused on quick strikes and adept footwork, but when that failed she could always call on her Sabretooth Tiger Battle Zord, who had one of the slickest Zord designs. She also helped explain Billy’s (the Blue Ranger) technobabble to the rest of the team, an immense job in itself.
4 – Blue Ranger – Billy Cranston
There will always be times when combat skills can’t get you out of a predicament, and in those times it helps immensely to have other skills in your back pocket.
Luckily for the Power Rangers, they always had Bill Cranston, the Blue Ranger (played by David Yost). Aside from having the longest tenure on the show of the original 5 Rangers, Billy was incredibly intelligent, and on regular occasions managed to save the group from certain doom with his technological prowess.
Fans saw the transition from shy introvert to confident badass, and honestly, it didn’t hurt that his Triceratops Battle Zord was insanely awesome as well.
3 – Pink Ranger – Kimberly Hart
Many a childhood crush originated thanks to the Pink Ranger, otherwise known as Kimberly Hart (played by Amy Jo Johnson), but she was much more that.
The Pink Ranger used her gymnastic abilities on a regular basis during battle, and could always fall back on her talent with a bow and arrow, bailing out the Rangers constantly in the process. Her Pterodactyl Battle Zord was the only Zord who could take to the air and combined with her bow allowed her immense range when battling Rita Repulsa’s monster army.
Even when she was ill she still managed to keep Rita’s monsters at bay, and did so without the help of her fellow rangers.
2- Black Ranger – Zack Taylor
Battle Zords are nice and all, but when it came time to throw down against the Putties there was one Ranger who had the slickest moves, and that was Zack Taylor, otherwise known as the Black Ranger.
Adopting a self-made Capoeira-like fighting style called Hip Hop Kido, the Black Ranger was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. That said, he was also never one to take himself too seriously and was at the center of numerous great comedic bits throughout his stint on the show. Add to it that his Mastadon Battle Zord was always one of the strongest Zords in the group, and you have yourself an incredibly lethal Ranger.
1 – Red Ranger – Jason Lee Scott
This might be viewed as an easy pick, and perhaps it is, but that doesn’t make it any less of the right choice.
Jason Lee Scott was rather typical of the 90’s, but over time he grew beyond his prototypical origins and became a steadfast and efficient leader. He learned how to adapt on the fly, and proved quite cunning in his leadership abilities when the need called for it, like when he slyly kept the Green Ranger’s power coin after Goldar kidnapped the Rangers parents. He also rarely let ego get in the way, as was shown when Zordon chose the White Ranger (a returning Tommy) to lead the team instead of him.
In short, he’s the standard unto which other Rangers are held, and that makes him an easy pick for No. 1.
