The Definitive History of the Power Rangers

The Definitive History of the Power Ranger! Our Power rangers Recap is here! The full history of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers goes back further than 30 years, to the 1970s. We walk you through every iteration of the team, and how they evolved to elite franchise status over the years. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always
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Written by Jack Piccone / jackienobrakes
Hosted by Ryan Arey ( / ryanarey )
Edited by Harriet Lengel-Enright, Randolf Nombrado, and Brianna McLarty
#PowerRangers #Recap #OnceAndAlways
And today I’m going to explain just what exactly the Power Rangers are. Not just the Mighty Morphin, but the franchise as a whole, one that includes 20-plus teams of color-coded superheroes imported from Japan.
I’ll explain what the show was about and some major storylines that have occurred over two decades. I’ve also got some interesting trivia, like how a key part of the series can trace its origins directly to Marvel.
If you’re a little too young or a little too old, this may all be new information for you. But pretty much any 90s kid has heard of the Power Rangers. For a few years in the mid 90s they DOMINATED pop culture.
The original series helped launch the Fox Kids block of programming, spawned three theatrical movies, and ushered in a wave of copycat shows like Masked Rider and Big Bad Beetleborgs. By 2002, the franchise had made over six BILLION dollars. This was mostly revenue from Bandai-branded action figures and other Power Rangers toys.
For a while, this merch was the holy grail of toys, up there with Tickle-Me-Elmo and Cabbage Patch Dolls. The guy who wrote Jingle All the Way, a movie about two dads fighting over the last Turbo-Man toy on Christmas Eve, probably got the idea after trying to find a Red Ranger for his own kids.
Honestly, that’s probably why the show has lasted as long as it has. With its focus on creature designs, new suits, and special zords that combine together Voltron-style-Power Rangers was less an action drama than it was a giant toy commercial.
But that doesn’t make it any less interesting as a pop culture phenomenon. For one thing, the way it was produced was kind of ingenious. On a trip to Japan, producer Haim Saban became fascinated with a Japanese kids show called Super Sentai. He immediately saw the appeal of five superheroes in color-coded matching spandex suits fighting absurd-looking monsters.
Eventually, he obtained the rights to Super Sentai to make an American version of the show. To save money, he didn’t bother remaking the special effects scenes of the monsters destroying the city, or the masked heroes fighting the creatures on the ground. He and his team would use the original footage in the American show-only rewriting and remaking scenes where the young heroes had their masks off.
In between the monster brawls, Saban used American actors to film all new storylines of the heroes at their high school. Saban figured young audiences wouldn’t be interested in watching the original Japanese counterparts, either dubbed or with subtitles.
This wasn’t an original idea either. Way back in 1956, Hollywood did this by taking the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla, and adding in a bunch of scenes with American actor Raymond Burr. While all the scenes of Godzilla destroying Tokyo and stepping on tanks were kept, it barely cost the studio anything to film Burr asking Japanese scientists questions like “Hey what’s Godzilla up to?” [CLIP: Godzilla]
This process is called localization, or at least, it’s part of what the term can be used for. It worked for Godzilla, giving him a whole new audience in the West. And it worked for Super Sentai.
Super Sentai first aired in 1975. The title literally translates to “Super Squadron Series.” Part of the popular, special effects-focused tokusatsu genre, the show featured a team of five 20-somethings equipped with electronic battlesuits that gave them super strength and speed.
In 1978, Toei Company, the studio behind Super Sentai, put the show on hiatus for two years. This was because it had made a deal with Marvel to make an original live-action Spider-Man series. The show didn’t star Peter Parker but a new, original hero named Takuya Yamashiro. Yamashiro was a motorcycle racer who finds a spaceship from Planet Spider, and uses his alien powers to fight the gloriously-named Professor Monster.

[@ScreenCrush]

Which version of Power Rangers best expresses your own identity?

[@thetahir1992]

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

[@thecunninlynguist]

Time force

[@PCG06]

Mega Force and Samurai are my favorite (pls don't bully me)

[@connoravila]

It's between Dino thunder,wild force,and mystic force. Plus, maybe samurai as well

[@the-monocle]

Dino thunder 👑

[@DavidJordao]

Simu Liu (Shang-Chi, himself) watched the first 17 seasons of this show religiously… just as I did 😌

[@DatBoiChris420]

And that's important why?

[@DavidJordao]

@@DatBoiChris420 it’s not important… just a fun piece of trivia 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@lostmediadetective2590]

It has the same level of importance as how my dog was born on Easter (no,seriously)

[@seanwilson531]

any chance he'll be a ranger? (dude's got skills on par with Dan Southworth)

[@kelvinyap04]

Fun fact: During the early appearances of Tommy from MMPR to Turbo, he would be wearing short sleeved shirts or singlets. From Dino Thunder onwards, he would be wearing long sleeved shirts. This was because of Jason David Frank's tattoos on his arms later in life, and therefore they had to cover them up on screen.

[@seanwilson531]

there's always makeup to cover the tattoos

[@solvseus]

Fun fact, the actors for Bulk and Skull were classically trained. I saw them in a production of Hamlet once with the 2nd pink ranger. It was actually pretty good.

[@toneymitchell1032]

Yeah, that's so cool.

[@Ithenna]

That does not surprise me at all. They were always super corny characters, but they definitely had that theatrical style goofy flair whenever they interacted together and with the rangers. But they were always best together. Once they wrote Skull out of the picture, Bulk's scenes unfortunately got pretty boring (from what I've seen - I didn't consistently watch the shows over the years) without the presence of a second goofy character to bounce off of.

[@ThatFanBoyGuy]

Jason Narvy, who plays Skull, actually has his PhD in theatre studies. Wrote a very interesting dissertation on American Westerns.

[@franksandoval6046]

@@ThatFanBoyGuy I have a question who owns Power Rangers Hasbro or Netflix ?

[@maxwellg8447]

That dose of nostalgia was necessary to get thru this shift. 💙

[@cg1704]

Born in 1985. I was obsessed with the OG power rangers. And know literally nothing past that. I saw the trailer for the Netflix thing and yelled "that's not Kimberly!" 🙃

[@vitoremanueldelyrasantosna1607]

Can we get a part 2 with a deep dive on the stories of the other seasons? I've recently watched the ninja steel and the dino fury one with my kid and wanted to know a bit more about them

[@redsworkshop]

I highly recommend Este or Dosmrider, they are great channels that cover all things Power Rangers. The channel The Sixth Ranger also does great coverage for the behind the scenes of the franchise.

[@pokemastercube]

@@redsworkshop atop the forth wall has history of power rangers, they are long eps but there is a ep for every season

[@SadikiStGeorgeangemon44]

Peak

[@BaithNa]

I saw RPM and SPD recently they were really good, I highly recommend them.

[@MahdiRanger]

Unfortunately any mainstream outlet or nerd culture Channel will always only cover Might Morphin primarily. You have to go to specific ranger youtubers for In depth on anything past 1996. They love to ride the originals so much

[@DoubleA012]

I watched these as a kid, and knew they occasionally released new movies but legitimately had no idea it was still going 30 years later with a new season each year. Wild. Thanks for the fun video.

[@vancemcgill8314]

I was a 90s kid, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was one of my favorite shows. I had a HUGE crush on Amy Jo Johnson. I stopped watching around the time Turbo came out. And yes, I totally agree with you Ryan about Tommy's debut, and the crazy hype around it. I still remember it, and it was amazing. Great storytelling. I had no idea about the Super Sentai stuff at the time, so I thought it was all original. Also oblivious me did not notice any of the repeated scenes over each episode (except for the Morphing sequence, and the "make my monster grow!").

[@christianrivera2674]

I didn't realize how invested I was in this show as a kid. I forgot so much.

[@Thrillhou]

About to go watch Once and Always, and I'm at the edge of tears from the nostalgia, and JDF's passing. You're absolutely right -- I remember the cliffhanger when Billy saw Zordon and A5 building the white ranger, and the sheer electric anticipation on the schoolyard the next day, everyone talking about it. My god. Such an amazing Fandom, too. So much love.

[@BaithNa]

I love how everyone calls out their pre historic animal and Tommy yells out "Dragon Zord" lmao thats why he's the GOAT ranger

[@DracusDemonica]

I was just under a year old when MMPR came out but I can vividly remember how excited I was when the last episode of In Space released.

[@Collect2Disconnect]

I was born in 97 but MMPR was always my Rangers growing up. I lived on VHS tapes so I would only watch MMPR and no other rangers shows. Only one I remembered was the Turbo Ranger movie since I had that on tape too

[@13bitches]

Space was the best season in my opinion 🔥

[@marcusyates3044]

🎶 No one will EVER take them down! The power lies on their side...! 🎶

[@thecunninlynguist]

Man mighty raw had some good songs

[@smiley3047]

Um, actually it's pronounced *"SIEIEIEIEIEIIIIIIIIIDE"*

[@MrSpade5150]

THEYYYYY'VE GOT, a power and force that you've never seen before....

[@johnthemangood8700]

​@@smiley3047 GO GO POWER RANGERS!!! 🎸🎸🎸

[@matthewhostetter8974]

White Ranger Tiger Power! White Ranger Tiger Power!

[@jpwphoenix1701]

I'm so looking forward to the new Netflix anniversary special tomorrow! I was just a kid when MMPR started and I still love rewatching those old episodes. Tommy was definitely my favourite, right from the moment he began. I was so sad when JDF died in real life, but at least he made such a massive, repeated contribution to the Ranger Nation.

[@CaRinn55]

I really appreciate the bit about the history of sentai before zyuranger, especially that we have the giant robots because of the emissary from hell Supaidaman

[@ponyboy1824]

The fact that you made a power rangers video makes me so happy! 😊

[@SaturdayMorningToyCollector]

I can not imagine the research and time it took to put all of this together. This just blows my mind. What a great distillation of 30 years of Power Rangers history. Thanks so much for this.

[@Hunterbiden1]

It’s not even done well. He makes constant mistakes

[@douglash.8640]

Two slight mistakes I caught was that he said all 5 teens knew martial arts. Only Jason, Austin, and Trini knew some sort of martial arts. Kimberly, Zack, and Billy either knew some sort of dance or gymnastics. But having some sort of discipline helped them to learn martial arts quickly.

[@thelaseringtrespiker4006]

@@Hunterbiden1thank you hunter biden, i’m sure all of youtube surely appreciates your corrections

[@famousgoldentouch]

Me also: omg I did not realize how much I needed this video … warmed my heart and gave me a 20min break like back then … thank you so much

[@jamesstone404]

Never thought I’d be so happy to see you talk about power rangers! I watched since the first episode, sometimes skipping seasons here and there but always coming back to watch them through eventually. I’ve had the honor to meet all the original MMPR actors (save for Thuy Trang - Rest in Peace) and I don’t know if it will ever not be a part of my life

[@davidsoria9717]

I thought Ryan was just going to school us on the beginnings of the OG Power Rangers and while he does do that, he gives us so much more. The Japanese backdrop before it all started was epic. The details all brought me back to my childhood. Splicing all the information with footage over the show's continuous run was perfect. This video was very concise and informative, all while being entertaining at the same time. You guys at Screen Crush are, well, crushing it. 👍

[@Patchumz]

Wasserman is actually godlike. He put out a fully remastered soundtrack from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers many years ago now. Sounds so crisp.

[@ThePhilocypher]

I can't explain the goosebumps I get when seeing this old footage. I grew up with PW and saw every season up to Lost Galaxy. Those Team Up episodes get me all tired up. RIP JDF.

[@RyanSymons99]

I remember growing up on the Samurai Rangers and I loved it because I wasn’t a little kid watching to so I kind of got the much needed character growth we don’t really see much nowadays and so I found it very entertaining and enjoyable to watch. That’s when I went back kind of to watch some, not all, of the older seasons like Jungle Fury, Ninja Fury, and Dino Rangers.

[@ked49]

Same here. And because there was too much stuff I decided to watch this video

[@Deity_devil]

“Ninja fury”

[@sergiomarquez3975]

This is my childhood in the 90s. Getting off school and watching power rangers and then homework( priorities first) plus one of the BEST SNES games!

[@superflyguy4203]

As a kid in the 90's mmpr will always be the best, I watched until Billy left to to go to space and then all my favorite people were gone. Adding Tommy to the show was huge and when he became the white ranger is was the biggest thing ever lol excited to see the Netflix movie and see what the future holds for the franchise

[@polaroidd1306]

time force and wild force had my heart as a kid, best episodes were when they get together with the previous season power rangers

[@hasonrakib2136]

The one recap I didn't know I would watch

[@yo9301]

Dino Thunder, I love the breakfast club type vibe it goes with and I’m into sport, music and nerd stuff so the three main rangers have always stuck with me!

[@redsworkshop]

Best season in my eyes. They handle the history of the rangers perfectly, and it's still hilarious to this day. Love Dino Thunder. Was just watching it before I saw this got posted.

[@redsworkshop]

As someone who has seen every single episode of every season multiple times I was pleasantly surprised how well you covered this. Made me real happy to see that you cover it at all. If you ignore nostalgia MMPR is actually on the worse side of Power Rangers series. I definitely recommend people to give other seasons a chance, especially In Space, Lost Galaxy, Time Force, Dino Thunder, S.P.D., and RPM. Those are the series absolute peaks as far as writing, acting, and set design go. Also have to recommend the comics for those that want darker, more mature storylines. Very excited for Once and Always as a lifelong hardcore fan.

[@groundcontrolgainesville4841]

this is the wildest thing I've read on the internet this month

[@matthewworthy4739]

@@groundcontrolgainesville4841 It's not. I hear similar beliefs all the time, although I would consider MMPR to be mid, not on the worse side. In Space is GOAT season in my eyes, the others mentioned are around equal in quality, though.

[@HouseOfWanda]

What do you think of Power Rangers samurai? It was my introduction to the franchise. I didn’t even know there were other seasons when I first saw it

[@misaelnavarrete8031]

Funny to see my childhood being told in such a short time

[@jliller]

Having been a kid when MMPR came out, I didn't realize how short-lived the original version was.

[@rainapenn4051]

This was a wonderful surprise trip down memory lane 😂 Had no idea the show was still going on. Love these deep dives into nerd culture ❤

[@matthew_thefallen]

Man, it brings me back to the good old times watching Mighty Morphing Power Rangers as a kid. Those were the dayyyss!!

[@alexallen9640]

I will say it was quite complicated with reusing footage from Super Sentai, but I learned the history of the series. Nice video. 🙂👍

[@Nerd-Gaiden]

I could have watched a 3 hour version of this. Amazing stuff

[@sbm5379]

Even has a 6 year old I often wondered why in one shot the Green Ranger's shield genuinely looks awesome and like a protective shield while in others its looks like something my nan knitted me for my first holy communion.

[@xxPenjoxx]

Loved this dose of nostalgia. Thank you, screen crush🙏

[@ramboluib2752]

We used to have black and white TV during the 90's. MMPP was the sole reason I begged my parents to buy a new colored TV which they did. Will always be thankful to the OG series 🙏

[@mauralee9987]

I watched this with my niece and nephew while they were growing up and was sad to hear about the passing of the actress who played the original yellow ranger, Trini Kwan, as well as the passing of Jason David Frank. Thank you for this video!

[@misstressfoxtail05]

So much nostalgia! I used to run home every day after elementary school to watch powers rangers so that I could talk about it the next day with my friends. Watched from Mighty Morphin to In Space. After that it was all about Pokemon for me.

[@murkdirt284]

Nothing more 90s than seeing Tommy jump out the plane and sky surf from the morphing movie…a god amongst men 🙏🏻

[@archangel5627]

By the way, the live action Japanese Spiderman show is awesome! Great practical effects, stunts, choreographed fight scenes and an absolutely ridiculous plot that ties everything together!

[@sensaiko]

Well, that can be said about most tokusatsus

[@bluestarartist2010]

I couldn’t help but smile rewatching some of these scenes and remembering others. I remember being one of those kids just obsessed with getting all the toys and wanting to be a ranger lol and being so hurt when my mom gave away my MMPR decor (bedding, framed photos, etc) lol good times With my infatuation with witches and magic, Mystic Force was definitely a fave

[@SGuttbinder]

What a throwback! I started to remember toys I forgot I even had. Thanks Ryan!

[@TEudmunki86]

‘DOUG THE MANAGER!’ caught me waaaay off guard 😂😂😂

[@almondiefrancis9451]

Y'all don't understand, a lot of us went nuts back in the 90's when the green ranger appeared....then he became the white ranger. That suit was frickin SICK! The 8 year old me is getting excited 😄 This brings back so many memories.

[@aracuscesar]

then dont watch the special. its horrendous. Keep your memories safe

[@almondiefrancis9451]

@aracuscesar That bad huh. Thanks for the heads up.

[@aracuscesar]

@@almondiefrancis9451 i felt it like one random day david yost and zack were having drinks and int their drunkness they pitched the idea for the movie and went ahead with it with 1k dollar budget

[@almondiefrancis9451]

@aracuscesar 😂 1k budget? I needed that description lmao.

[@jethrosuhardja]

I Never Thought ScreenCrush would ever do a Power Rangers Video + SUPER SENTAI IS BEING MENTIONED IN ONE OF MY FAV KZbin CHANNELS... Boy That Was Not Expecting 💀😂💥

[@wavemantha4th]

All I gotta say is.........ITS LIT🔥🔥🔥🔥. Been a fan since 4 years old. R.I.P. Jason David Frank

[@mr.awesome111]

You guys cover Power Rangers!!! The universe is now complete.

[@EggwolI]

Jason David Frank will never be forgotten

[@huepeople]

This was so enjoyable. This 90's kid says thanks for the content!

[@wolfang3198]

@screencrush I don't know if you knew this but Bat in the Sun was working with Jason David Frank's on their Super Beat Downs and even made a Legend of the White Dragon movie with him as the White Dragon (a what if the green ranger and white ranger powers were combined ranger)

[@famousgoldentouch]

Me: a random guy in Europe, born in 88: I’ve got tears when I’ve heard the music and following all the memories and excitement….

[@brianmolerio]

Incredible stuff, exactly what I was looking for! Keep being awesome!!!

[@johnofthenorth6653]

You are right that basically every year we got a new season but a few were skipped. Ressha Sentai ToQger was skipped entirely and if memory serves it was because they didn't see American audiences responding well to the season's train theme. Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger was also skipped in favor of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel.

[@WillyPermana]

The producers were spooked by early episode ToQ-Oh steamy dong

[@tahirhussain7099]

This was awesome Ryan! Thank you

[@JvoDre]

Man bro you took me back to my childhood. Thanks for that.

[@psn3694]

What a time waiting to watch power rangers every evening

[@snailorgy]

I had always wondered what happened with this show after I stopped watching in the early 2000s. thanks for bringing back the childhood memories

[@pumpkinshorti5036]

Just watched the Netflix special and I was glued to the screen it was soo good I won't give anything away but if your a fan from the shows and movies you will definitely enjoy it ❤

[@foreverhose678]

Tommy was the best ranger hands down R.I.P you were truly the best

[@stonalisa3729]

I actually think it's Adam. Dude morphed to save the day when it could have killed him

[@MOGO8907]

Man...that those final episodes of Lost in Space were like the original Avengers: Endgame of the 90's, epic!

[@buckman234]

This was amazing, screencrush! I love the OG rangers!

[@JoelRoseTV]

This was an incredible watch and blast from the past

[@couchieplay3668]

Ron Wasserman makes up a a notable percentage of my exercise playlist. 'Zords' instrumental is always a bop!

[@unlikelyspore1406]

Tommy will always live on in our hearts!!!

[@AcidGlow]

That X-MEN intro music was so catchy 😆

[@bukujutsu8382]

i grew up on most of these, but i remember Power Rangers Samurai the most, i was 11 when it aired and I LOVED IT

[@miirico5398]

While it is true that Masked Rider came out later after Power Rangers in the US I still wouldn't really call it a copy-cat when technically in Japan the Kamen Rider series came out first before the Sentai Series. On another note what was fucked up is the fact that the actors barely made money on acting their part when the show made millions. Now that's just sad.

[@jascurio]

I would just like to say. More Power Ranger content please.

[@nitrous07me]

I remember running home after school to watch mighty morphing power rangers

[@aqil5615]

😮😮😮 awesome!! Never have i expected Screencrush to make a video about Power Rangers & Super Sentai

[@skullkingdom9972]

Loved every minute

[@ziejackson6236]

I'm watching this in preparation for once and always

[@HomeOnTheRanges]

Truly awesome video! I was crazy about power rangers as a kid and now with once and always coming out I find myself catching up on everything I missed when I grew up. Get choked up thinking about the og show and how we were born into a world that no longer exist

[@Milordz]

I love the little dog.... great timing on the "it's morphon time."

[@aznmyth]

I'm just about to watch now and forever. Thank you for bringing back the memories of the first 2 og seasons and bringing us up to speed on the various reincarnations since. Well done!

[@RyanHaney55]

A nice little stroll down memory lane.

[@reesebonez168]

I’ve watched this a few times now,.. thank you 🙏🏽

[@MasterTainment]

Nice work Ryan!!

[@agentsmith1595]

Mr Crush! This was highly appreciated!

[@mcswan13]

Where's the "love" button for this video?? Currently at work staring at my computer basking in this wave of nostalgia!

[@TEudmunki86]

7:07 The Big Lebowski reference. *chef’s kiss

[@Fireswiper]

Incidentally the departure of the original blue power ranger Billy was in an episode titled ‘Blue Harvest’ which is of course the original working title of Star Wars 1977.

[@Wicked505]

Glad for the recap thanks !

[@AEClimbingTV]

thank you for this.. just purchased my legacy megazord recently, feeling the hype all over again just as when I was a kid

[@ironalchemist2213]

Thanks for refreshing my memory and for making me feel old xD

[@OmerKadakal]

Of course the series are great, but even after all those years the most epic and legendary thing about power rangers is the intro music of the first season...

[@ieatzebraarah]

There was a brief time as a kid, where I thought Whitney sampled X-Men. To be fair I was born in the 90s & I saw the cartoon before learning the song

[@13bitches]

Power Rangers In Space was the best and most underrated season🔥🔥🔥

[@ryanm7609]

I really enjoyed this recap!

[@dominicbarlow916]

I'd love if he could put this all into like a nice timeline graphic of seasons the ranger groups and stuff, i watched them all but i was so young i can barely remember which way they all came

[@doro626]

Power Rangers was the definition of Kitsch, camp and everything in-between. I less watched it because I lived it and more watched it because I couldnt believe it existed. Also Tommy was awesome.

[@JasenMinus]

Simply, thank you.

[@dyangoh1646]

I cant really put a finger on why but.. I teared up watching this..

[@lamq05]

Mighty Morphin, Turbo, In Space, Lost Galaxy, Ninja Storm, Time Force, Lightspeed Rescue, Mystic Force some of my all time favorites 🤩 I watched the mighty morphin movie and turbo movie on vhs religiously!!

[@N7Crusader]

it's kinda weird that a correction popped up when Ryan said "Scepter" instead of "Specter", but not when he said "Zero" instead of "Zeo".

[@ItzyYou]

light speed rescue was the last one that i sat and watch the whole season now the newer ones i come back and take a look every few episodes

[@TheWoodcookie]

I really enjoyed this