[ad_1]
The Power Rangers franchise has played a special role in many childhoods across multiple generations. When it first arrived, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a brand-new concept in the U.S. television market, and for years, those responsible had a tough time convincing their bosses that it was a good investment. No one believed that the show based on the Japanese franchise Super Sentai would skyrocket into success, but with millions of dollars in revenue coming in from merchandise alone, they decided to keep the ball rolling. Over the years, with changes in ownership and adapting new storylines, not all series did well.
The best Power Rangers series seem to find the sweet spot in appealing to kids with zany villains and big fight sequences, while still appealing to adults with serial stories and dramatic storyline shifts. These shows often made different changes, including adding dinos, going into space, and changing the lineup multiple times. The Power Rangers were teens who gained the powers to save the world, while also coming to terms with who they were as young adults. This helped each series mean something to different parts of society at different times throughout its history.
21 Power Rangers: Megaforce (2013 – 2014)
For the twentieth anniversary of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers: Megaforce pulled out all the stops. It adapts a Sentai series that allows the new team of Power Rangers to draw on the powers of every Power Rangers series, which should make them the most powerful ever. Even with all of that power, the team is still outmatched by villains, which creates the occasion for the biggest team-up in history, bringing back members of tons of previous teams for appearances in a massive battle. That final battle was great, but the lead-up to it falls flat.
20 Power Rangers Samurai (2011 – 2012)
Every Power Rangers series see Ranger chosen for the job by a mentor, or fate. Power Rangers Samurai sees the characters at the center of the story inherit their abilities. While it’s still fate for them to fight bad guys, their samurai skills and weapons are family heirlooms. The two seasons made a poor decision when the Red Ranger lost his position. That’s a big sticking point, and while his sister Lauren comes out of hiding to lead the team, it pushes Jayden’s growth aside. The good point was the first female Red Ranger, but the story let her down.
19 Power Rangers Ninja Steel (2017 – 2018)
In a bit of a meta move, the Power Rangers become the focus of a broadcast throughout space in Power Rangers Ninja Steel. That’s because the evil alien being intent on getting their power (in this case, ninja stars), runs an intergalactic game show that involves monster battles. The game show provided a fresh angle for Power Rangers, but, for some reason, the series just didn’t land the same way as the best Power Rangers series did. There’s even an attempt to serialize the story more with a family at the center of the team instead of relying solely on the monster-of-the-week format.
18 Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (2007)
Indiana Jones meets Power Rangers sounds like a good idea on paper. Unfortunately, in execution, it didn’t work out quite compared to the best Power Rangers series. This version of the team is put together by a man out to make sure ancient relics are kept out of the hands of bad guys. Each member has a unique skill set they bring, but their big personalities also cause a lot of friction. There are also nonsensical things, like one of them discovering they are an android instead of a human and a tragic alien love story playing out in the background. There was a lot going on, even by the standard of every Power Rangers series.
17 Power Rangers Dino Charge (2015 – 2016)
Dinosaurs are always a popular theme when it comes to the best Power Rangers seasons, likely because that’s how the franchise got its start in the U.S. This season not only called back to that with dinosaurs as guardians of the powerful Energems, but it also made a Power Rangers villain responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs on Earth in the first place. This incarnation didn’t fit in with the established continuity of the show, and it also featured a fascinating villain. Sledge wasn’t working for an evil empire. Instead, he was a bounty hunter who became obsessed with the Energems himself, which led to him targeting Earth.
16 Power Rangers Wild Force (2002 – 2003)
While the best Power Rangers seasons strive to be different from the others, this team had a unique twist in that the Rangers were actually chosen by the animals that acted as their zords. They also, for the first time in the franchise, could call on the power of multiple zords. The season went heavy on mythology as the group of Rangers trained and saved the world from the Animarium, a floating island hidden from outsiders. It also went heavy on drama as the villain of the series was responsible for the deaths of the Red Ranger’s parents. The season had a great mix of character development, mythology, and drama all around.
15 Power Rangers Jungle Fury (2008)
Power Rangers Jungle Fury was inspired by the animal spirits used to model fighting styles in different forms of martial arts. Each character had their own distinct fighting style inspired by their own “animal spirit” as a result. That wasn’t the only change-up to the series though. One change for the better, and one that definitely made the show more fun, was that the mentor was someone who fought alongside the team, and he was a laid-back manager of a pizza place. It made the show have a completely different feel, which might be part of what made it so enjoyable.
14 Power Rangers Beast Morphers (2019 – 2020)
Power Rangers Beast Morphers is the first series produced by the entertainment company owned by Hasbro, Inc. In the near future, Carol Harbor used the Morphin Grid to develop a substance, Morph-X, that provides clean energy to the city. To protect the city, they combined Morph-X with animal DNA to create Beast Morphers Power Rangers. The season uses the idea of virtual reality as well as classic Power Rangers elements to create a unique story. It also featured one of the most anticipated crossovers in Power Rangers, a link back to the darkest season: Power Rangers R.P.M. and its Venjix virus.
13 Power Rangers Dino Fury (2021 – 2022)
In Power Rangers Dino Fury, powers inspired by dinosaurs are used to fight an alien threat to Earth. The series had a lot of exciting firsts before it even began airing and was the first time the Green Ranger has been female in a live-action storyline. It’s also the first time the show streamed exclusively on Netflix, as the contract with Nickelodeon ended, giving an even larger audience access to the episodes right away. Dino Fury even marked the first time a social media star was cast in a lead role for Power Rangers. All of this added up to a landmark series for the franchise.
12 Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003)
Power Rangers Ninja Storm was the first full-length season produced when Disney acquired the franchise. Production moved to New Zealand, making for great scenery for the series. The story followed a group of students at a Ninja Academy who ended up becoming Power Rangers because they were the only students left after everyone else was kidnapped. At the time, Power Rangers seasons weren’t shying away from dark topics or life lessons, while still making the story fun for kids. Ninja Storm was lighter with its humor, incorporating even more misunderstandings between characters. It created a bit of a shift for the series.
11 Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue premiered in 1997 and took a different spin from the best Power Rangers series. In this show, they made their roles as Rangers public knowledge. A government organization called Lightspeed Rescue taps into the Morphin Grid to develop Power Ranger morphers and powers. They recruit four civilians with different areas of expertise and the Captain’s daughter to protect Mariner Bay from demons. The show had a very different feel since this was the first season that saw being a Power Ranger as a job instead of a potential calling. The team wasn’t chosen by an alien being or fate, but instead by the government.
10 Power Rangers Mystic Force (2006)
The 2006 show, Power Rangers Mystic Force has a divide between those who praised the series and others who didn’t care for its theme. The series still continued to be an adaptation of the original Japanese version, but it took a different direction and focused on a magical element. Evil breaks free from its prison in a magical realm. A sorceress looks for five warriors of legend to become the Mystic Force Rangers. The series did a good job at balancing the comedic elements with the dramatic, but some aspects of the show, like lost memories and recovered villains, felt too much like a soap opera.
9 Power Rangers Time Force (2001)
In the year 3000, Time Force is a police agency that monitors and arrests mutants for their crimes. An evil mutant named Ransik escapes and travels back in time to take over the world. In the process, he kills the Red Time Force Ranger. The Time Force team breaks protocol and goes after Ransik to the year 2001, where they meet a doppelganger of the Red Ranger. While Ransik is the main villain, the show made a case for redeeming even the cruelest of bad guys. Ransik and his daughter both found their way back to the side of good, and the season featured one of the most underrated Power Rangers villains in Frax.
8 Power Rangers Turbo (1997 – 1998)
Turbo debuted at a time when the original series fans were aging out of the franchise – as were the cast members. As a result, a much younger actor was brought in to be the new Blue Ranger. The young Blue Ranger replaced the entire team shortly into the series. This was to bring in a younger audience, but it was hard to accept as the previous characters were fan favorites. Many of them returned for the story arcs, but they were no longer Power Rangers outside the occasional team-up in later seasons. The movie, with a big adventure to gain new power, is widely considered better than the series itself.
7 Power Rangers R.P.M. (2009)
Power Rangers R.P.M. isn’t set in an idyllic town. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The world has been taken over by the Venjix virus that adapted to create its own monsters. The Power Rangers, also created by the Venjix virus, are the last hope to stop it. It’s a unique season in that allies of the Rangers die, the team isn’t fully formed at the start, and the possibility always exists that people with cybernetic implants can be infected by Venjix and set against the Rangers. It’s one of the best Power Rangers series, with the highest stakes, the most adrenaline, and the most compelling storylines.
6 Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999)
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy took the Rangers to outer space. Four teenagers from Angel Grove travel on Terra Venture to seek a new world. They soon meet the remaining two that will complete the Ranger group as they’re destined to wield the Quasar Sabers. Though Power Rangers R.P.M. has a reputation for being the darkest series, Lost Galaxy might as well have been a test run for it. It featured the first Ranger death, a reformed villain becoming a team member, and began the first true departure from the Zordon Era of the franchise.
5 Power Rangers S.P.D. (2005)
Power Rangers S.P.D. has the Rangers as an elite defense group, part of the city’s police force, S.P.D. Only a select few have the capabilities to make it as Power Rangers. The show takes place a few years in the future. The alien races and humans co-exist on Earth until the Troobian Empire seeks destruction against the planet. It feels like an entirely new world for the Power Rangers franchise, which is part of what makes it so fun. Some of the recruits for the team are criminals instead of squeaky clean kids, and one of the most intriguing storylines is a group of Rangers choosing to work for the bad guys.
4 Power Rangers In Space (1998)
In the aftermath of Power Rangers Turbo, Zordon is captured by the evil Dark Specter. The Red Space Ranger, Andros is on a mission to rescue him. He can’t do it alone as the remaining Turbo Rangers travel to space to rescue Zordon but have no powers. The show has the Rangers balance their life in space with their life on Earth, which adds a whole new layer of conflict to the group. It also acts as the culmination of all the previous seasons as Andros is forced to destroy Zordon himself for the greater good. The love for this season is strong, and it’s maintained its top ranking among the best Power Rangers series for years.
3 Power Rangers Dino Thunder (2004)
What happens when a soccer player, a computer expert, an artist, and a teacher are forced to band together to save the Earth? Power Rangers Dino Thunder. The famed original White Ranger/Green Ranger Tommy Oliver makes his return as a high school teacher. Fans got to see him back in action as the Black Dino Ranger helping the other Power Rangers fight the villain Mesogog. It added some depth to his character, seeing just how much he learned from his days as a Ranger. The series also marked the first time a Power Ranger was partially responsible for the creation of the season’s villain, which was a great turn for the show.
2 Power Rangers Zeo (1996)
Power Rangers Zeo was a continuation of Mighty Morphin and continued to use some of the same main actors. After the destruction of their command center, the Rangers find the Zeo crystals intact, leading them to a hidden underground power chamber. Here they reunite with Zordon and Alpha to become the Zeo Power Rangers. The Zeo season is much more mature than the previous three seasons of Mighty Morphin as the characters deal with the consequences of new team members joining and old ones returning. The reality of not being a Power Ranger sets in as the characters age, making for some great storylines as one of the best Power Rangers series.
[ad_2]
Source link
