Power can come from many different places, in many different forms. To be called powerful could mean that one has great strength or willpower. For others, power comes from upbringing or what they went through - their story - whether that be a Robo Knight created for the sole purpose of defending the Earth, who is conflicted about what the real danger is, or a poor kid who just wants to prove that it doesn’t matter how much money a person has.
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When it comes to the Power Rangers, these are almost always the same story for introducing a new member to the team after the core group has been active for a while. Their circumstances often shape them into becoming more powerful than the traditional team members, but not all are created equal. Here, then, are the most powerful of the special rangers from throughout the "Power Rangers" franchise!
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the "Power Rangers" movie.
15 GOLD AND SILVER RANGERS (RPM)
Gem and Gemma are together here because they have barely ever been apart in their own world. The twin geniuses were abducted from an early age by the shady government organization known as Alphabet Soup for the purpose of exploiting their abilities and creating weapons. Despite being lied to from an early age about being allergic to the sun in order to keep them controlled inside the compound, the twins retained a child’s enthusiasm and clung to each other.
The pair became so linked to each other that they almost constantly finish each other’s sentences. After the release of the Venjix virus that destroyed Alphabet Soup and after saving Doctor K, the creator of said virus, the twins grabbed the Gold and Silver Series Bio-Suits. They became the RPM Gold and Silver Rangers, also known as “The Boom Twins” for their trigger-happy nature. In this case, the Rangers were able to work through the apocalypse going on around them ("Power Rangers RPM" is set in an alternate universe) and not be changed for the worse.
14 SILVER RANGER (IN SPACE)
Zhane, the Silver Space Ranger, is the best friend of Andros, the Red Space Ranger. After the pair got older and became Power Rangers, during one of their many battles, Zhane saw that Andros was about to be hit by an attack. Zhane leaped in the path of the attack and took the full force of it for his friend in order to protect him, but was badly injured in the process. Andros then put Zhane into a cryogenic tube to protect his friend in turn.
For two long years, Zhane stayed in the tube, then, after the Astro Megaship crash landed, Zhane came to and started fighting alongside his fellow Rangers again. Zhane was the strongest of this particular group of Rangers, being able to take down Ecliptor by himself, a feat that none of the other Rangers combined were capable of. Zhane’s biggest troubles came when he would suddenly de-morph in battle, luckily enough though, after speaking with Alpha-6, they were able to figure out that while he was in the cryogenic tube, his ranger powers had been leaking and just needed a recharge.
13 SHADOW RANGER (S.P.D.)
Anubis “Doggie” Cruger’s planet Sirius was completely decimated by Emperor Gruumm and his General Benagg and in the process, Doggie thought he had lost his wife. After losing the battle for Sirius, Doggie retained his sense of duty and left his barren home world to head to Earth and become the Commander of Space Patrol Delta. Later, General Benagg reappeared, this time on Earth, causing the Commander to face the memories of his ruined world.
With the help of the S.P.D. Rangers, Doggie was able to work through his issues and then gain the power to morph into the Shadow Ranger. Doggie’s greatest moment came after he had found his wife had not been killed on Sirius, and yet still made the choice to sacrifice himself when the Rangers discovered the weakness in the Magnificence. Did he walk away from it alive and with his wife? Yes. But the point is that he made the choice.
12 GREEN SAMURAI RANGER (NINJA STORM)
Cam Watanabe only ever wanted to be a ninja however, his father, Sensei Kanoi Watanabe would not let him train. This causes Cam to become the mentor to those who would become the Ninja Storm Rangers. After the other Rangers lost their powers temporarily, Sensei Kanoi revealed to Cam that he had made a promise to his late mother that he would not allow him to become a ninja due to the danger of such a life. Cam’s father tells him that he had always regretted the promise, but that there was a way around it.
Cam used the Scroll of Time and went back to when his father, mother and uncle (whom he didn’t know existed) were still just students. During this time-travel storyline, not only does Cam receive the power to become the Green Samurai Ranger, but also discovers the reason that he never knew he had an uncle was because, after banishment from the Ninja Academy, the became the series' antagonist, Lothor.
11 TITANIUM RANGER (LIGHTSPEED RESCUE)
Ryan Mitchell and his family were in a car accident when he and his sister were just children. While suspended over a cliff his father, Captain Michell was able to have a firm hand on Ryan’s sister Dana, but Ryan was clinging to life by holding on to his father’s shoe. The demon Diabolico appeared and offered to save the boy, but in return would get to raise him. Captain Mitchell had no choice but to relent so that he could save both of his children, but this resulted in a terrible upbringing for Ryan.
Diabolico would constantly tell Ryan how his father willingly gave him up to save his sister, playing it as if Captain Mitchell never cared for Ryan at all. After becoming the Lightspeed Titanium Ranger and renouncing Diabolico, the demon placed a cursed tattoo of a snake on Ryan that would get longer every time he morphed until it got to his neck and killed him. Ryan was luckily able to break the curse, allowing him to morph freely.
10 SPIRIT RANGERS (JUNGLE FURY)
The Shark, Bat and Elephant Rangers are not actually Power Rangers at all. They are the physical embodiments of the animal spirits they represent. Not only can they be called upon to aid the Rangers in fight in their own Ranger forms, but they can also be called on in Zord form. The Spirit Rangers are not linked to any one person, but rather they are originally created by the Phantom Beasts, and were meant to be used to fight the Jungle Fury Rangers by using magical objects known as the Crystal Eyes to control Masters Finn, Phant and Swoop.
Once freed from the control of the Crystal Eyes, the Masters were able to gain control over the Spirit Rangers which they inspired and help to put an end to the Phantom Beasts. After a time, the Red, Yellow and Blue Rangers all learn to wield their power, with Red gaining control of the Shark, Blue got the Bat, and Yellow received the Elephant.
9 ROBO KNIGHT (MEGA FORCE)
Robo Knight is another character who is not only a Ranger, but a Zord as well. Robo Knight was created for the sole purpose of protecting the Earth, and was made early on with very advanced technology by Gosei. His Zord Form is that of the lion because Gosei instilled in his programming unfaltering courage and commitment to his cause. This would have repercussions later on, though.
His commitment to saving the Earth coupled with lying dormant for so long after being created (which is what made his A.I. begin to break down), gives Robo Knight an internal struggle with things such as memory loss and not being able to make sense of certain situations. At one point, Metal Alice was able to make Robo Knight think, at least to a point, that humans were actually the biggest threat to the Earth. This made him leave the fight to evaluate, but in this instance, he was able to come to the correct conclusion and rejoined the Rangers.
8 MAGNA DEFENDER (LOST GALAXY)
The Magna Defender was once a proud warrior who fought for peace and justice. The sworn enemy of Scorpius, Magna Defender left behind his righteous ideals after the death of his son, Zika. When Scorpius attacked Magna Defender's planet, he used Zika as a shield to prevent the Defender from attacking his army, only to kill Zika a short time after when he tried to attack Scorpius. This brought Magna Defender to turn to a life filled with vengeance, believing nothing to be more important than destroying Scorpius and avenging his son’s death.
After losing a fight with his rival, Treacheron, Magna Defender was gravely wounded and sent falling into a pit on planet Mirinoi, where he remained for years until Mike Corbett, the intended Lost Galaxy Red Ranger fell into the same pit. Magna possessed Mike and continued on his conquest for vengeance, fighting anything in his path, Ranger or otherwise. In a final effort to destroy Scorpius, Magna tried something that could have also destroyed Terra Venture (the space colony and home of the Galaxy Rangers), but the spirit of Zika appeared to Magna and helped him make the right choice, sacrificing his own energy and releasing Mike.
7 GOLD RANGER (DINO CHARGE)
In the 13th century, Prince Colin of Zandar was being accompanied by his faithful knight, Sir Ivan. During their travels, Sir Ivan found the Gold Energem, and soon after the pair were attacked by a hooded figure who would reveal himself to be the monster known as Fury. During the fight, the Energem bonded with Sir Ivan, leaving Fury no choice but to absorb him, leaving Ivan trapped for centuries as Fury searched out the remaining Energems.
In the present, Fury got his hands on the Ptera Dino charger and figured out a way to tap into Ivan’s power to morph, yet only for short periods. On the bright side, any time Fury used his power, Ivan grew stronger until the point that he was able to break free and become the Dino Charge Gold Ranger. Although at first dismissive of the Rangers because he didn’t deem them worthy, he grew to trust them when others turned tail and ran in a fight, leaving the Rangers by his side. Sir Ivan’s story had a happy ending when the Rangers went back in time and were able to kill Fury, thus releasing Ivan from his original fate.
6 SOLARIS KNIGHT (MYSTIC FORCE)
Daggeron, although having a human appearance, is actually one of the Ancient Mystics whom the rest of the Mystic Force Rangers pull their power from. After being turned into a frog and subsequently being changed back by a kiss from Madison, the Blue Mystic Force Ranger, Daggeron took to training the Rangers in the ways of magic, being a very strict teacher from a desire to bring the best out of his students.
At one point, Daggeron accepted a challenge from his enemy Imperious to settle a grudge from years prior. This wound up being a trap that lost him the Solar Streak Megazord's power and resulted in the casting of a spell that created the Chimera monster and nearly Daggeron’s death. Through this, with the help of the unicorn Brightstar, Daggeron was able to help the Rangers defeat the Chimera and put an end to his battle with Imperious by destroying him.
5 SILVER RANGER IN GOLD MODE (SUPER MEGAFORCE)
Orion is another character much like Doggie Crueger and the Magna Defender mentioned earlier. In Orion’s case, it was the Armada that took over and destroyed his home world. Before the arrival of the Armada and the subsequent destruction of his home, Orion was a miner who came across a crystal case which housed a box and the Silver Ranger Key. This caused Orion to start having visions of the previous sixth Rangers, but he was still reluctant to use the power that had fallen into his lap.
Once on Earth, Orion was out for revenge against the Armada, but he didn’t let it blind him like in the case of Magna Defender. Eventually he learns that not only can he use his Silver Ranger form, but also all of the previous sixth Ranger keys to become anyone from Mighty Morphin’ Green to the Solaris Knight and everything in between, including the ability to merge together keys like in the case of RPM Gold/ Silver Keys as well as his Gold mode. The gold mode takes sixth Ranger keys and forms them into one, giving Orion more than enough power to take out just about anything that gets in his path.
4 ZORDON (POWER RANGERS 2017)
The "Power Rangers" movie rebooted Zordon's origins slightly. Red Ranger, original leader of the Power Rangers and protector of the Zeo Crystal, Zordon of Eltar was all of these things until it all came crashing down when the Green Ranger of his team, Rita Replusa, betrayed her fellow Rangers. Any planet containing life had a piece of the Zeo Crystal and if that crystal were to be taken, not only would the planet cease to sustain life, but also whosoever took control of the crystal would then have the power to create and destroy life as they saw fit.
This is what lead to Rita’s betrayal; greed to have control over life and death. After killing nearly all of her fellow Rangers, Zordon made the call to have Alpha-5 crash a meteor into the planet in a last-ditch effort to stop Rita from getting her hands on the crystal. Before the hit, Zordon buried the Power Coins and begged of them to wait until someone strong enough to put an end to Rita showed themselves so that they could put an end to her terror.
3 PHANTOM RANGER (TURBO)
The Phantom Ranger is a character who got a lot of development during his time in the series, only to get cut short on episode count, thus making his identity never truly known. Initially unable to be seen because he would spend his time invisible, he would be totally unseen except for by the Pink Turbo Ranger Cassie Chan. From the time he originally showed up in "Power Rangers Turbo," the Phantom Ranger would help when needed, up to and including giving the Rangers their new Rescuezords after Divatox and General Havoc destroyed the original Turbozords.
He continued to assist them until a time that he deemed his presence unnecessary and decided to move on to someplace that would need his help, although he would return in "Power Rangers In Space" to provide the team with vital information. Due to never having his identity revealed, there are different origins and theories that the fans have come up with including that he was the son of Zordon or even that he could have been Billy Cranston, the Mighty Morphin’ Blue Ranger trying to atone for a mistake of creating Ecliptor. However, none of these have been confirmed by the showrunners.
2 LUNAR WOLF RANGER (WILD FORCE)
Millenia ago after the destruction of Animus, an ancient Megazord, at the hands of the Master Org, Merrick Baliton went in search of a wolf mask said to have great power. Once found, he was able to summon the Predazord to destroy the Master Org, but at a terrible price. Merrick found he was unable to remove the mask and became possessed by the evil Zen-Aku. The Ancient Warriors Merrick normally fought alongside were forced to seal him away in a tomb.
In present times, the new Master Org sought a way to defeat the Wild Force Rangers and therefore released Zen-Aku from his imprisonment. Zen-Aku was able to defeat the Rangers in every battle and stole their Zords. During this time, only once every new moon does Merrick regain his full consciousness before reverting to Zen-Aku. The Rangers and Princess Shayala eventually break Merrick free from the curse of the mask, but he isn’t ready to join them until he atones for what he did under Zen-Aku’s power. After a fight against the Master Org and Quadra Org to retrieve the Animal Crystals he had stolen as Zen-Aku, he was given the Lunar Caller, granting him the ability to morph into the Lunar Wolf Ranger.
1 WHITE RANGER (MIGHTY MORPHIN')
Most Power Rangers chose to become a Ranger; Tommy Oliver was never given that option. Instead, Tommy was hypnotized and kidnapped by Rita Replusa, given the Sword of Darkness and turned into the evil Green Ranger. Tommy defeated the original team and was a powerful enemy. Only after destroying the Sword of Darkness were the Rangers able to break Rita’s control over Tommy. Tommy decided to stay on as the Green Ranger in the hopes that he could atone for the things he had done, but his power soon started to destabilize. Tommy was only able to help intermittently because his power would ebb at the most inopportune times. Zordon tried his best to stabilize Tommy’s power, but eventually the Green Ranger power was lost.
Soon after, Zordon teleported Tommy to the Command Center where he and Alpha-5 informed him of their plan to make a new Power Ranger, and that he would be powered by the White Light of Good, and therefore never able to be controlled by the powers of darkness. After revealing to the rest of the team as the White Ranger, Tommy was promoted to leader of the "Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers."
Which special Power Ranger do you think is strongest? Did your favorite make the list? Let us know in the comments!