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The Power Rangers. Everyone is familiar with the colorful spandex heroes from the 90’s that’s STILL going on today. Crazy to think Power Rangers is one of the longest running shows in history. That’s the power of teamwork! And SUPER COOL TOYS THAT WILL ALWAYS SELL THROUGHOUT TIME. 

But Power Rangers is more than just action figures, megazords, and screaming dinosaur names. The idea that anyone could be a ranger was mindblowing as a child. You didn’t have to be an alien, get bitten by a radioactive spider, or witness your parents get brutally murdered in a dark alleyway. You just had to be a teenager with friends who happen to wear specific colors everyday. In this blog, I’m going to cover why Power Rangers is so fuckin dope and my favorite  iterations that have inspired millions. 

A team of individuals who specialize in different skills to create a dynamic squad that makes lives better. This setup is commonly used due to its efficiency: corporate teams, military squads, ants, a balanced diet, etc. Power Rangers is the perfect example of this. Billy is the smart one, Kimberly is the high-spirited one, Zach is the funny one who can dance well, Jason is the leader, and Trini is a badass. This combination of different personalities and skills is what immediately hooked me as a child. I knew I could relate to any one of these rangers as my smooth brain was still forming. I wanted to be Jason, but felt like I was more like Billy due to my geekiness, BUT I looked the closest to Trini (I’m a filipino dude, and had a bowl cut back then). Yes, there was a full team of Asian Power Rangers if we watched the original Japanese Super Sentai instead, BUT what makes the US version so special is the fact that there was diversity. Overall, it didn’t matter because when they morphed you could be any one of them behind the helmet. But there was one ranger that we all wanted to be…

Tommy Oliver aka the Mighty Morphin Dragonzord Ranger aka Daddy was why we got hooked in the first place. The fact that there was a cooler looking ranger who could defeat all the other rangers is a formula Marvel has copied since the first Ironman. Not only did he have a GOLD vest, but he literally had a FRIGGIN MECHA GODZILLA he could summon by whistling in his dagger flute. The Power Rangers were already cool but the Green Ranger solidified the show as a timeless icon. The actor that played him, Jason David Frank (RIP), went on to play the White Tiger Ranger, Red Neo Ranger, Red Turbo Ranger, Black Brachio Ranger, and Drakkon within the Power Rangers universe. He is him. He is thee Power Ranger. The show has brought back several rangers in the past, making it like a love island family. But if campy shows aren’t for you, there are still several top notch Power Rangers influences that pop up every now and then.

The absolute best rendition of Power Rangers for both OG watchers and newcomers would have to be Adi Shankar’s Bootleg Universe: “Power/Rangers.” It’s only a 15 minute video you can watch on Youtube, but all of it is golden. The story, the action, the grit, everything about this video is what fans who grew up with the series could have asked for as adults. The only thing bad about it is that it’s only 15 minutes. Adi Shankar actually made a show on Netflix called “Captain Laserhawk” and features a team of colorful superheroes, parodying both Ubisoft’s Rainbow 6 Seige and Power Rangers. Absolutely love how the Red Ranger is an asshole and voiced by Shankar himself. Proud of him for making himself a ranger cause we all know we’d do the same. Speaking of assholes, Go Go Loser Ranger is an anime that came out in 2024 and takes the perspective of one of the enemy foot soldiers trying to fight the Power Rangers. A bit like Amazon’s The Boys, but with some nice twists that all ranger fans will enjoy. Only downside is that we haven’t seen any megazords (yet). 

Boom Studios has continued to expand the Power Rangers Universe by creating a full suite of comics that will get any fan interested in the franchise again. Remember the episode when the InSpace Rangers meet the Ninja Turtles? Great, now imagine the Ninja Turtles, Casey, and April as POWER RANGERS. And of course they’re fighting the GREEN RANGER SHREDDER like c’mon this is the ultimate mashup and I can’t be convinced otherwise. Boom Studios continues to create dream-fulfilling comics like these to this day, and I thank them for it everyday.

So how does Power Rangers inspire the work I do as Salient? To be honest it has ruined my wallet. If I make an action figure wearing a red jacket, I now have to make a blue, black, pink, and yellow jacket. Same goes with customizing a single hot wheels car. It’s gotta have a few friends am i right? Besides enabling my excuses to buy and make toys, Power Rangers has taught me one very important lesson: to never give up. There are countless projects, ideas, hopes, and dreams that start fading as we get older, but the idea that there is always hope is what keeps those dreams alive. 

And that robot dinosaurs combining into a giant gundam is endgame like SHEEEEESH.