Happy anniversary, Rangers! Saban’s seemingly eternal Power Rangers franchise turns 25 this year, and its survival is quite the testament. Despite numerous controversies, including actors concerns over pay and parents' outrage against the level of violence in the show and rights changing hands on multiple occasions, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers persists today, spanning 25 seasons, nearly 900 episodes, three movies and countless video game tie-ins. It helps that the series has taken on the format of the series it is based on, Super Sentai, opting to refresh designs and powers annually since 1996’s Power Rangers Zeo and refreshing the entire series with a new cast and storyline annually since 1999’s Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.
For many of these fans, it all started with the originals. Debuting in 1993, the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had no idea they were walking into what would be a worldwide phenomenon. Lasting the longest of the adaptations, with 145 episodes spanning three seasons, the series is still what many fans think of when they remember Power Rangers. For the 25th anniversary, we’re taking a look at what everyone is up to now. Here’s what the original cast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers looks like today!
15 JASON DAVID FRANK
There has yet to be another Power Rangers sensation on par with that of the Green Ranger. Introduced during the classic “Green With Evil” miniseries event, Jason David Frank’s Tommy Oliver was a huge deal on a level so big that Saban worked around the limitations of the Zyuranger footage to bring the Green Ranger back.
Jason David Frank made a few appearances in film and television when he decided to leave Power Rangers, but ultimately retired from acting to focus on martial arts and MMA. These days he tends to stick to the convention circuit, traveling the world to meet Power Rangers fans. He even reprised his role as Tommy for an episode of Bat in the Sun’s Super Power Beat Down and the 20th anniversary Power Rangers Super Megaforce special “Legendary Battle.”
14 AUSTIN ST JOHN
The original Red Ranger, Jason Lee Scott was a stoic martial artist. Recent years have attempted to give the character depth in the form of anger management problems, present in both the 2017 Power Rangers film and BOOM! Studio’s Power Rangers on-going comics, but the Jason who led the team on MMPR was honestly a pretty straight-laced, cookie cutter hero archetype.
After leaving Power Rangers over a pay dispute, St. John retired from acting. He fell out of the public eye for a long while but eventually resurfaced when it was learned he’d been working as a paramedic for a decade. Since resurfacing, he’s remained a regular on the convention circuit, appearing with fans and reminiscing about his days as the original leader of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
13 WALTER EMANUEL JONES
Zack, the original Black Ranger, was a fan-favorite with his blend of martial arts and dancing (a style affectionately dubbed hip hop kido). Actor Walter Emanuel Jones portrayed Zack for 81 episodes before leaving the series over a pay dispute alongside Austin St John and Thuy Trang. While Jones never returned to the show in a live-action capacity, he did do voice work for several monsters in later series.
He never really found the success of Power Rangers again, though he came close with his 1996 sci-fi comedy series Space Cases. He continues to act today, in both live-action with appearances on The Shield and doing voice acting for projects like Red Dead Redemption and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. Despite not returning to Power Rangers for the 20th anniversary, he’s remained a regular on the convention circuit.
12 AMY JO JOHNSON
Amy Jo Johnson is a unique case among former Power Rangers actors. Though she’s later mentioned concerns over job safety and pay, she ultimately chose to leave the series on good terms and to further her career. And it was good timing, as she’s arguably the most successful of the cast members, locking down a prominent role on popular CW drama Felicity.
Since then, Johnson has remained a working actor, with popular recurring roles on The Division, Flashpoint and Covert Affairs. She’s also had a successful music career, releasing three studio albums and having songs appear on both Felicity and Flashpoint. In 2016, she produced, directed and starred in Canadian drama The Space Between. Johnson still turns up on the convention circuit for Power Rangers from time to time and made a cameo appearance in 2016’s Power Rangers alongside former co-star Jason David Frank.
11 DAVID YOST
Billy Cranston was one of the ‘90s' more notable nerd superheroes, though his nerdiness was pretty well downplayed by the time he left the series during the Power Rangers Zeo era. Behind the scenes, actor David Yost was coping with harassment from cast and crew over his sexuality, something he admits he was having trouble coping with at that time in his life.
Since Power Rangers, Yost has become something of a gay icon for a generation that grew up with him, none more so than when he publicly began discussing his on-set tribulations. He’s largely been retired from acting but did spend some time as a producer in the early 2000’s. Though Yost notably turned down an appearance on Power Rangers’ 20th-anniversary special after receiving a typo-filled form letter invitation, he has been appearing regularly at Power Rangers conventions.
10 THUY TRANG
Thuy Trang’s role as Trini was memorable for fans, though the character was subject to scrutiny over appearing as a male in Japanese footage (Trini’s Zyuranger counterpart, Boy, was a male) and claims of racial insensitivity over herself and Walter Jones being cast as the Yellow and Black Rangers respectively. Despite this, the character remained popular, and to this day is an iconic part of the franchise.
Trang left the series after 88 episodes over pay disputes, alongside co-stars Jones and Austin St. John. An accomplished martial artist, Trang took to Hollywood where she notable co-starred in 1996’s The Crow: City of Angels, where she choreographed her own fight and did her own stunts. Despite a promising start, Trang’s career was tragically cut short when she died in a car accident in 2001.
9 JOHNNY YONG BOSCH
Following the departure of Walter Emanuel Jones, three new characters were introduced to the Power Rangers franchise. As the second Black Ranger, Johnny Yong Bosch’s Adam was the polar opposite of Zack Taylor. Soft-spoken but determined, Adam was a mainstay of the franchise until his departure in Power Rangers Turbo but has returned periodically throughout the franchise.
Despite sporadic live-action acting roles since his departure, Bosch is perhaps one of the most recognizable and prolific voice actors of his generation. Chances are if you’ve watched an anime, he’s turned up on it, voicing well-known favorites such as Trigun’s Vash the Stampede and Kaneda in a 2001 update of Akira. He’s also made numerous video game appearances, including voice and motion capture for Devil May Cry 4’s Nero and voicing newcomer Kung Jin in 2015’s Mortal Kombat X.
8 KARAN ASHLEY
Replacing the exiting Trini, Karan Ashley joined the cast of Power Rangers as the second Yellow Ranger, Aisha Campbell. Though Aisha was a memorable addition to the cast, she wouldn’t stick around for long, ultimately leaving the series after just over 70 episodes, ultimately being replaced by a new character, Tanya, portrayed by Nakia Burrise.
Ashley kept acting for a while following Power Rangers, making appearances on shows like Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Keenan & Kel and Boston Common. She also co-starred with her Power Rangers replacement Nakia Burrise in the 2016 web series Class Dismissed, a comedy about grade-school students that appears to have since ceased production. Ashley is a regular at Power Rangers conventions and reprised her role as Tanya for the Twitch tabletop RPG series Power Rangers Hyperforce.
7 STEVE CARDENAS
Steve Cardenas joined the cast in 1994’s “The Ninja Encounter” as Rocky DeSantos, eventually taking on the role of the Red Ranger. Though he was a replacement for the exiting Austin St. John, Cardenas’ character was pushed to the background as the returning Tommy’s White Ranger took over leadership duties of the team.
Cardenas would remain with the franchise through the Zeo era but ultimately left over a contract dispute. Unlike many of his co-stars, Cardenas retired from acting and returned to his career as a martial artist. Since leaving Power Rangers, he’s opened two martial arts studios and been a regular at martial arts tournaments. Cardenas has also been a regular at Power Rangers conventions, though he turned down an appearance for the 20th anniversary, stating it wasn’t worth taking time away from his business for what would ultimately be a background role.
6 CATHERINE SUTHERLAND
Australian actress Catherine Sutherland joined the cast of Power Rangers in 1996, replacing Amy Jo Johnson’s Kimberly as the new Pink Ranger (and ultimately as Tommy’s new love interest). Sutherland was written out along with most of her fellow Rangers, as producers decided to refresh the cast when Jason David Frank expressed interest in leaving the franchise. Sutherland has given conflicting reports as to whether she also wanted to leave the series at the time, while co-stars Nakia Burrise and Johnny Yong Bosch had made no mention of wanting to leave.
Since leaving Power Rangers, Sutherland did have a few notable roles, including guest appearances on long-running Australian soap opera Neighbors and a small role in 2000’s psychological thriller The Cell. Aside from sporadic appearances, she’s largely retired from acting, though she does regularly appear at Power Rangers conventions.
5 PAUL SCHRIER
The Power Rangers didn’t just contend with monsters while they were in costume, they also had to deal with bullies at school. Leading the pack was Farkas “Bulk” Bulkmeier, portrayed by Paul Schrier. Schrier was a staple of the cast longer than most, appearing regularly until 1999’s Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, where he appeared infrequently and returning as a series regular for 2011’s Power Rangers Samurai and its follow-up, Super Samurai.
Outside of Power Rangers, Schrier has dabbled in voice acting. Not only did he provide voice work for the occasional Power Rangers monster, but also for shows like Daigunder and 2017’s Mighty Magiswords. Schrier has also spent some time behind the camera directing Power Rangers episodes and worked on Image Comics' The Red Star. Today Schrier is a series regular for the Twitch RPG series Power Rangers Hyperforce, where he plays as the Hyperforce Yellow Ranger.
4 JASON NARVY
Appearing alongside Bulk was his best friend Skull, played by Jason Narvy. Narvy had a similarly impressive run on the show, being written out in the premiere episode of Lost Galaxy. Upon leaving the show, Narvy went back to college, studying at Franklin and Marshall College and Mary Baldwin College.
This education might give him the most impressive post-Power Rangers resume of everybody. Narvy obtained a Theater Studies doctorate from the University of California and is a certified actor and combatant from the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat. He also appeared on stage in productions such as Henry V and Hamlet. And if you’re looking to say you learned something from a Power Rangers bully, you can head out to Concordia University in Chicago, where Narvy is an associate professor in its theater department.
3 DAVID FIELDING
Zordon’s role as mentor to the Power Rangers became iconic in pop culture, almost comparable to a modern-day Wizard Of Oz. Actor David Fielding portrayed Zordon, and though he only did voice work throughout the first season of the series, his face was used for the character until his death in the Power Rangers In Space finale, effectively closing out a generation of Power Rangers stories.
Since then, Fielding has kept busy. He’s made appearances in a number of video games, such as 1998’s point and click thriller Sanitarium, and in 2015 made a cameo appearance in the fan-film Zordon of Eltar, which showed one possible story about how Zordon came to possess the Power Coins. Fielding makes the occasional appearance on the convention circuit, and is attached to The Order, an upcoming film starring former Power Rangers cast members.
2 MACHIKO SOGA & BARBARA GOODSON
Rather than recast the series’ villain, the Japanese villain Bandora was repurposed as Rita Repulsa for Power Rangers. Machiko Soga portrayed the character for the first 84 episodes of the series, with a later storyline showing Repulsa change her appearance, allowing the show to use new footage with actress Carla Perez. Soga would reprise the role as Rita, dubbed Mystic Mother, for a Power Rangers Mystic Force cameo, but sadly passed away in 2006.
To bring Rita to life for the American audiences, veteran voice actress Barbara Goodson took on the role, giving the character an iconic shriek and memorable voice. Goodson had done numerous voice roles prior to Power Rangers, including Doris in Vampire Hunter D and Crystal in Robotech. She’s still an active voice actor today, appearing in series such as One Punch Man and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
1 ED NEIL & ROBERT AXELROD
The second season of Power Rangers saw a new villain introduced in the form of Lord Zedd. Replacing an exiting Rita Repulsa, the American-created Zedd was a truly terrifying figure. Actor Ed Neil portrayed Zedd for his many appearances but has kept a low profile. So far as we can tell, Ed Neil was the actor who portrayed the human Zedd in "Countdown to Destruction," but Neil himself appears to have largely retired from acting.
Similar to Rita, Zedd got a menacing voice courtesy of Robert Axelrod. Axelrod was no stranger to Power Rangers, as he also provided the voice for Finster. Outside of Power Rangers, Axelrod remains an active voice actor, with roles on 2000’s Transformers: Robots in Disguise and the original run of Digimon. He also had a small role as Terry Bruge-Hiplo on the Adult Swim series Check it Out! with Dr. Steve Brule.