Certain Power Rangers franchise has a large fanbase, many of whom have been following the series since the 1990s, the show has always been primarily aimed at children. However, as the franchise progressed, Power Rangers began to experiment with genres and even made its characters and storylines more complex.

For example, in Power Rangers in Space, Red Ranger Andros was searching for his sister, who had been kidnapped when they were kids. In Lost Galaxy, we got the first-ever onscreen death of a Power Ranger. A year later, Lightspeed Rescue featured some of the scariest villains in the franchise. The end of the Zordon Era and the early 2000s had quite a few episodes that were darker than anything the show had done up until that point.

6 “Rangers Gone Psycho”

Power Rangers in Space Episode 31

The Psycho Rangers are so terrifying that they feel like they are from a different show entirely. Arguably the best villains of the Zordon Era, these five demons who disguise themselves as humanoid Rangers not only gave an entire generation of kids nightmares but also drastically raised the stakes for Power Rangers in Space. While In Space had been a really good season from the start, “Rangers Gone Psycho” elevated the show.

The Power Rangers comics have introduced a sixth Psycho Ranger, Pyscho Green, who was responsible for killing the original Mighty Morphin team assembled by Zordon in the 1960s.

For the first time since the arrival of Tommy Oliver as the Green Ranger in the original show, the Power Rangers were facing an unstoppable force that couldn’t be simply dealt with in 20 minutes like most of the other villains. The Psycho Rangers were playing with the In Space Rangers during their first battle, traumatizing not only the viewers but also the Rangers themselves.

5 “Countdown To Destruction”

Power Rangers in Space Episodes 42-43

There is a sense of hopelessness in “Countdown to Destruction” that you will rarely find in Power Rangers. Although there have been a lot of “end-of-the-world” situations in Power Rangers over the years, none of them ever quite matched the events of “Countdown to Destruction.” The Power Rangers in Space finale saw the Alliance of Evil, now led by Astronema, ready to take over the universe.

The Rangers were now rebels, and the fight was not limited to Angel Grove or the villain’s headquarters. The entire galaxy was at war, with characters such as the Zeo Gold Ranger having to the fight against an army that included the likes of Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, and Divatox. The fact that the Red Ranger had to kill Zordon at the end made it all even more terrifying, even though the heroes saved the day at the end.

4 “The Power Of Pink”

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy Episode 31

The Psycho Rangers were already terrifying in Power Rangers in Space, but Power Rangers Lost Galaxy somehow made them even scarier. Not only did the Psycho Rangers return and fight two Ranger teams at the same time in a crossover, but the Psycho Pink survived and showed up in the following episode. This was the setup for what is arguably Power Rangers’ darkest moment to this day – the death of the Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger.

Kendrix was replaced by Karone as the Pink Ranger but came back to life at the end of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.

While there was a behind-the-scenes reason for Kendrix to be written out of the series – her actress, Valerie Vernon, had been diagnosed with leukemia and wouldn’t be able to continue on the show during her treatment – the Pink Ranger’s death was a very shocking moment. We had watched hundreds and hundreds of episodes where everything was fine at the end, but in “The Power of Pink,” Kendrix had to sacrifice herself to stop the Psycho Pink. It was the first time a Power Ranger died on the show.

3 “Journey’s End”

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy Episodes 43-45

Whereas In Space’s final episode was scary because it seemed like everything was doomed, Lost Galaxy’s finale was traumatizing simply because of how dark it was. Trakeena had proven to be a vicious villain who would never accept defeat, and she was ready to do whatever it took to make sure the Rangers wouldn’t get a happy ending. This includes destroying two of the most iconic Power Rangers locations – the Astro Megaship and the Terra Venture colony.

I was genuinely worried for Leo’s life when the Red Ranger decided to fight Trakeena on his own at the end of the episode.

Trakeena’s plan at the end of Lost Galaxy was by far the darkest thing a Power Rangers villain has ever done. She attached bombs to her Stingwingers and had them explode while the foot soldiers were attacking Terra Venture. With so much going on, I was genuinely worried for Leo’s life when the Red Ranger decided to fight Trakeena on his own at the end of the episode.

2 “Wrath Of The Queen”

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue Episode 37

Lightspeed Rescue spent 36 episodes warning us about Queen Bansheera’s return, and I still wasn’t ready for how scary she was going to be. Granted, Queen Bansheera had already appeared on the show, but it was never in her full form. Queen Bansheera was a reminder that the Super Sentai franchise knows how to design villains that will amaze and terrify you at the same time. This was the beginning of Lightspeed Rescue’s final arc, which would continue to feature some very ugly monsters.

Queen Bansheera’s final form is one of the scariest character designs you will find in Power Rangers. Interestingly, Lightspeed Rescue was somewhat of a grounded season in which the Rangers were often acting as first responders and had most of their powers come from tech and science. However, when it came to the villains, the show embraced a more fantastic approach with demons, curses, and spirits, all of which could be terrifying for younger audiences. Lightspeed Rescue was always intense, but those final episodes were much darker than usual.

1 “Force From The Future, Part 1”

Power Rangers Time Force Episode 1

No kid was ready to watch a Red Ranger being killed in the first episode of a Power Rangers show, but Time Force still did it. Alex’s death in the opening minutes of “Force From The Future” set the tone for the show, which has since been regarded as one of the greatest Power Rangers seasons of all time. While this wasn’t the first time a Power Ranger died in battle, Alex’s death was as dark as Kendrix’s, if not darker.

Whereas Kendrix died sacrificing herself and immediately appeared as a spirit associated with her Pink Ranger energy, Alex was murdered by Time Force’s big bad, Ransik. Power Rangers had already become more mature by then, but killing the Red Ranger in battle was a bold way to start the new season of a kids’ show.