Summary

  • The first few Power Rangers seasons are very nostalgic, but not everything about the show has aged well.
  • Some Power Rangers scenes are hard to get through on a rewatch.
  • Difficult Power Rangers scenes to get through include poorly aged moments but also scenes tied to real-life events, such as behind-the-scenes issues and losses of cast .

The 1990s’ Power Rangers chronology goes well beyond the events of Mighty Morphin and the Zordon era. However, it cannot be denied how the franchise will always be defined by its original TV show – from the five “teenagers with attitude” and the Green Ranger to villains like Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd.

What the show’s future after Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s ending will be remains to be seen, but the franchise has already built an impressive legacy since 1993. Still, there are a lot of issues with the first few seasons of Power Rangers, either from a story perspective or a behind-the-scenes standpoint. Additionally, some Power Rangers scenes have become very bittersweet following the ing of cast .

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10 Best Power Rangers Of All Time, Ranked

From Mighty Morphin legends like Tommy and Jason to new names, it can be difficult to pick the best Power Rangers among so many great characters.

10 Trini’s Background Story

Mighty Morphin Failed Trini’s Character

Split Image Of Trini, The First Yellow Ranger, From Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers never settled where Trini and her family were from, instead combining aspects from different cultures into her character without properly caring about establishing her heritage. For example, Trini’s uncle was Japanese, some details about the character had to do with Korea, and her signature martial arts style came from China. Thuy Trang, who played Trini in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, was Vietnamese-American. The Power Rangers comics would establish Trini’s mother and father as being Korean and Taiwanese, respectively, yet the TV series never properly incorporated this. As one of the first Asian superheroes in an American production, Trini deserved better.

9 Zack & Kimberly’s Goodbye Song To Tommy

“Down The Road” Hits Different Now

Zack and Kimberly in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2's The Song of Guitarro as Kimberly sings a song

Power Rangers season 2, episode 11 saw Tommy Oliver accepting he would soon lose his Green Ranger powers and would have to exit the team. “Song of Guitardo,” which is about a guitar turning into a monster, ends with Kimberly and Zack performing a song they wrote for Tommy as a goodbye to their friend. While this moment was meant to be a temporary farewell to Tommy ahead of his eventual return as the White Ranger, it has since become a very sad scene following the deaths of Thuy Trang and Jason David Frank. The song was even used during Power Rangers: Once & Always’ tribute to the two actors.

The lyrics of “Down The Road” talk about how it is impossible to predict what life has in store for people, and how scary the thought of changes is. The song also talks about how someone is never alone when they have friends, and how memories never die. Not only do the lyrics become extremely emotional when considering the deaths of two of the show’s lead actors, but the episode itself hits a lot differently now. Much of it is about saying goodbye to Tommy, and both Trini and Tommy are shown back to back when Kimberly is performing the song.

8 Some Of The Jokes Made At The Expense Of Bulk

Power Rangers Made Fun Of Bulk Too Many Times

Bulk and Skull become junior police in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season three

Bulk and Skull were Power Rangers’ first comic relief duo, and there have been dozens of attempts to replicate their dynamic since the end of the Zordon era. Interestingly, while Bulk and Skull were the bullies, the Power Rangers were usually the ones making fun of the duo and not the other way around. Still, although some of the comedy around Bulk and Skull was harmless and appropriate for a kids' show, many bits were entirely about Bulk’s physique. The Power Rangers never made fun of Bulk’s weight, but the show itself did, from physical gags to the name of the character.

7 The Final Time In Which The Original Power Rangers Were Together

The Original Power Rangers Never Reunited After “Opposites Attract”

Power Rangers season 2, episode 20, “Opposites Attract” marks the final time the original Power Rangers, including sixth Ranger Tommy, were together on-screen. It must be noted that Trini, Zack, and Jason would continue to appear for a couple of episodes after “Opposites Attract,” but always through reused footage and body doubles. This is when Thuy Trang, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Austin St. John left Power Rangers due to a salary dispute. In hindsight, knowing that the original team would never be together again makes “Opposite Attract” one of the most difficult Power Rangers episodes to get through on a rewatch.

Thuy Trang tragically ed away on September 3, 2001. Austin St. John would eventually return to Power Rangers during Zeo, the first of many appearances he would still make on the franchise’s shows and movies. Lastly, Walter Emanuel Jones would only return to the franchise 29 years later in Power Rangers: Once & Always. None of the Power Rangers crossover or anniversary episodes, including the Mighty Morphin reunion for the show’s 30th anniversary, ever had the chance to reunite the original characters. Fortunately, Once & Always acknowledged and honored all of the characters. Still, “Opposites Attract” remains bittersweet.

6 Everything About Lost Galaxy’s "Stolen Beauty”

One Of The Worst Power Rangers Episodes

Trakeena's human form in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy

Power Rangers’ 1990s legacy goes beyond Mighty Morphin, for better and worse. One of the worst episodes on the show comes from 1999’s Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, which is widely considered one of the best entries in the franchise but missed the mark with “Stolen Beauty.” Trakeena, an incredible villain looking for power and recognition from her father, is suddenly placed into a story where she is bothered by the fact there are human women as pretty as her on Terra Venture. Most of the episode is about a monster searching for these pretty women to steal their beauty – an awful and problematic storyline that never fit into Lost Galaxy.

5 The Exits Of Jason, Zack, & Trini From The Show

Power Rangers Didn’t Handle “The Power Transfer” Well

“The Power Transfer” is one of the most important episodes in Power Rangers history, yet it is also one of the most poorly made. Rather than offering Jason, Zack, and Trini a proper farewell now that their respective actors were exiting the show, Power Rangers simply used old footage and stand-in actors. The contracts of Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Thuy Trang had expired already, but the show should have handled their exits much better. Just the fact that an agreement for a new contract never came to be and the characters had to be written off is disappointing, but not having a proper goodbye made everything worse.

4 Most Of Power Rangers' Zordon Footage

Zordon’s Scenes Reportedly Came From A Day-Worth Of Work

David J. Fielding as the mighty and powerful Zordon as seen on the Command Base in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

According to David Yost (via X/former Twitter), who played Billy in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Zordon actor David J. Fielding worked a day on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the same footage was used throughout the whole show, with the character being voiced by Robert L. Manahan. At a time when studios face scanning actors for future use has been such an important topic of discussion, including amidst the writers' and actors’ strikes, it is interesting to look back at Power Rangers and realize how Zordon’s character was crafted. The only exception comes from the 1995 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie, during which Nicholas Bell played the character.

3 Trakeena’s Final Plan In Lost Galaxy

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy’s Finale Gets Very Dark

Stingwingers about to explode in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy

Power Rangers never took itself too seriously, and most episodes are full of silly moments. However, the show got incredibly dark at the end of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, during which Trakeena transformed her army of minions into bombers that would die destroying Terra Venture. This storyline was based on the Super Sentai footage available, but it was too big of a shift in tone for a show aimed at children regardless, not to mention the similarities to real-life cases of terrorism from before and after the episode aired.

2 Most Of Power Rangers' Action Scenes Not From Super Sentai

The American-Filmed Action Sequences Were Often Disappointing

The Yellow, Black, Red, and White Rangers fighting in Mighty Morphin season 3

Although the quality of the Zyuranger footage used in Mighty Morphin was not very good, the costumes and the fight choreography were great. This is something the American-made Power Rangers sequences from the 1990s never quite matched. From the Dragon Shield looking like cheap plastic to the main suits looking like costumes someone could rent at a store, Mighty Morphin struggled whenever there wasn’t Zyuranger or “Zyuranger 2” footage available. Revisiting Power Rangers as an adult means those differences are easy to notice.

1 Billy’s Exit From Power Rangers During Zeo

Billy Would Only Return To Power Rangers Decades Later

Billy’s exit from the team during Zeo would naturally be a bittersweet moment, but knowing the reason why David Yost exited the show makes it all disappointing and infuriating. During an interview for the No Pink Spandex YouTube channel in 2010, Yost revealed he left the show after dealing with harassment on set for being gay. The original Blue Ranger actor recalled how he would be called homophobic slurs, to the point he felt he was no longer worthy of being there. The show failed David Yost, and while nothing can change that, the fact Billy recently returned to the franchise for the first time in decades in a season that also featured Power Rangers’ first gay couple could not have been better news.

Sources: David Yost (via X/former Twitter), No Pink Spandex.

Most Power Rangers seasons are streaming on Power Rangers' official YouTube channel. Power Rangers: Once & Always and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury are both streaming exclusively on Netflix.