25 Times "Power Rangers" Was Way, Way Too Real

Bring on the feels!

The great empire that is Power Rangers is fast-approaching a whopping 30 years of age, and since Netflix had so graciously given us over a quarter century's worth of childhood back, I've made it my mission to watch EVERY single episode, and re-experience it all from a new adult(ish) perspective. Bring on the feels!

Disclosure: Unfortunately, time was NOT my friend and during this extensive endeavor and I fell short after digging deep into only fourteen eras of the iconic series before Netflix removed all but the latest two.

Now Let's Get Morphin!

Warning, decades-old spoilers ahead!

1. When Tomberly gave you major relationship goals

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From the moment Kimberly Hart laid eyes on Tommy Oliver in Season 1 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers she thought he was totes cute — and as the episodes went by, the sparks were more than obvious. Finally, when they had their very first kiss, fireworks exploded, kids cheered, and the OTP of a generation was birthed!

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How could you not ship the S.S. Tomberly? 🚢

2. When you had to get used to the new team

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"The Power Transfer Parts 1 & 2" from Season 2 of MMPR were a difficult goodbye for a lot of us to process, and you made a stank face whenever the 'new kids' would show up on screen afterward.

Although it took a while, we all grew to love Adam, Rocky, and Aisha because they formed just as strong a bond as the others did. Their awesome chemistry together even took them all the way to make a smashing brilliant movie.

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Sorry guys. We still love you too though. 💗

3. When Zordon almost died in the MMPR movie

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Maybe it was the way Kimberly said he's always been like a father to them since he came into their lives that triggered those FEELS. But when we saw him laying there, so vulnerable and close to death, we realized that Ivan Ooze really was as evil as they come.

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Hold up...I got something in my eye. 😢

4. When Kimberly broke our hearts in Season 3

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It was one thing to say goodbye to Zack, Trini, and Jason, but Kimberly? She was such a fan favorite, we thought she would never leave us. In the end, we did forgive her because she was just following her dreams, as we all should. But although Kat was a good ranger, and did hold her own in Power Rangers Zeo, we all still wanted Kim back more than anything.

*Bonus: Remember when Kimbery broke up with Tommy, THROUGH A MOTHEREFFING WRITTEN LETTER?

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ME ^

5. When childhood dreams came true in The Turbo movie

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The fact that a LIL' BOY could too become a fighter in Power Rangers Turbo left us so shook. Heck if Justin did it, then hope for the rest of us felt quite real. Altogether, with those awesome scenes, cameos from bicep-god Jason and heartbreaker Kimberly, only one thing could make the era debut film even better.

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It's miss DI to the V, to the AT, to the O, to the hold it...X!

I can still chant out her iconic "Throw him in the fire! Throw him in the fire!" line randomly and only the special ones will get it. 🔥

6. When the Psycho Rangers actually gave you life

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Raise your hand if you've personally felt admiration towards the Psycho Rangers from Power Rangers In Space. ✋

There was a time when you wanted to look up "badass" in the dictionary and swore these guys would be mentioned because they really didn't G.A.F. about ~rules~ or even ~who's boss~! Do you want to die? Then by all means, get in their way!

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Also, if you didn't go "YAASSS EVIL!" when they came back in Lost Galaxy, then I feel sorry for you.

7. When Zordon was destroyed in In Space

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November 21, 1998, was the date when our purest form of good was gone forever, and the Power Rangers lost their most important leader. With his destruction however, Zordon rid most of the universe of all evil, even transforming Rita, Lord Zedd, and Divatox into your run-of-the-mill normal humans, so everyone was safe again. It just had to be done, we gotta keep telling ourselves that.

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Shh. If you listen closely, you can still hear the resounding echoes of the "nooo" cry we made that day. 💔

8. When The Magna Defender storyline turned DEEP

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We kinda lost it when Mike Corbett died on us only two episodes into Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, and when the Magna Defender showed up we knew/hoped it was him. But after learning he was just a sad and angry soul out to avenge his only son, the feels we didn't know we ordered came knocking on the door. Poor Zika, he was the only true victim.

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How dare they kill an innocent robot child! 🌼

Thankfully though, Mike came back after M.D. sacrificed himself to save the Rangers.

9. When Kendrix dies

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Lost Galaxy sure had a thing for killing off characters you love — it's like Game of Thrones, but for kids. To have the Pink Ranger sacrifice herself and pass away as a transparent life form promising to be with you always was a lot for young little hearts (and me) to handle. Kendrix Morgan's death taught us that anything can happen in this show, and that even Power Rangers aren't always invincible.

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:(

10. The complete MINDFUCK that was The Lost Galaxy Finale

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- Trakeena merges with Deviot to become Super Trakeena.

- Trakeena fucks shit up everywhere.

- PLOT TWIST, Villamax becomes good and dies fighting her.

- Trakeena gets into the cocoon and becomes Demon Insect Tra-KWEEN-a, makes Terra Venture fly again like its NBD.

- STUNTS! STUNTS! STUNTS! STUNTS! STUNTS! STUNTS! Trakeena dies.

- Humans finally reach the new world. PLOT TWIST, its Mirnoi.

- Rangers give up their powers. MEGA PLOT TWIST, Kendrix is revived!

11. The roller coasters that were the final Lightspeed Rescue episodes

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The level of extra from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, wow. Queen Bansheera being so evil she sacrificed Vypra to get a new body, and she made Diabolico destroy Loki to get his power? Yikes. The worst part was they were all friends and you actually felt for them, but they're MONSTERS so it's weird.

Add onto this how she made the Megazords destroy their own aqua-base, Ryan taking FOREVER to show the fuck up, and then Diabolico's spirit ending up saving the day?

12. The Jen, Alex, and Wes Love triangle that was all too familiar

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Power Rangers Time Force really said:

Girl will like boy, girl gets engaged to boy, then boy will allegedly DIE.

Girl meets this guy, guy is a charm. Girl likes guy, but girl misses boy too.

Boy is not dead, so boy comes back. Girl is confused now. Girl must decide who she stays with. Crazy SHIP-STORM emerges.

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Still such a better love story than Twilight tho. 💁

13. When this team up was so good, it needed a two-parter

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"Reinforcements from the Future: Parts 1 and 2" from Power Rangers Wild Force were so GREAT because they had a basket-full of rich moments for us to choose from:

- Jen comes back as a warrior goddess ready to kick monster butt.

- Wes and Jen have a much-needed cuddle moment by the fire.

-Ransik's sacrifice turns him into a benevolent human.

- A picnic that was literally goals TBH...oh and this pair ⬇️

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i SHIIIIIIP omg.

14. When HISTORY happened in Wild Force

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October 5, 2002: What. A. Ride! 😍

People literally switched favorite colors because of this episode, and those who already had red as their go-to ranger (like yours truly) got the privilege of rubbing it in everyone's faces what an awesome color red will forever be.

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#BestDayEver #ErrybodyJelousOfRED

15. When you realized these guys were the best part of their season

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Let's be honest, anyone who can break the fourth wall is a legendary master, and Lothor from Power Rangers Ninja Storm did it plenty. Pair him up with a couple of quirky nieces and the everyday goofy generals, and you got yourself villains more entertaining than the good guys!

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Still my all-time favorite villain quote. 👏

16. When THE MAN blessed our screens with his presence

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If Jason David Frank (JDF for short) hadn't already amassed a tremendous following surpassing that of any other Power Ranger actor after the "Forever Red" episode, then his time in Power Rangers Dino Thunder definitely earned him his master status. Dr. Oliver (yes, DOCTOR) flipped roles as mentor to the new team of dino-rangers, all while still keeping his share of monster butt-whooping.

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Leave it to Tommy freakin' Oliver to fly-kick a goddamn T-Rex. 🦖 #CanYouSayBadass

*Bonus: Then he became the Dino Thunder Black Ranger and made all the fanboys squeal.

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Iconic.

17. When the nostalgia was too strong

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The episode "Fighting Spirit" from the Dino Thunder season brought most of us (or maybe just me) to tears. Sure it may have been just a dream sequence, but seeing Tommy alongside three of his previous morphs was something none of us want to forget. It took us back to the OG seasons, and made us think just how far the show has gone over the years. If you've been a loyal viewer since '93, how proud must you feel right now?

And how REAL was that moment when Kira took out this picture?

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I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH. 😭

18. The final arc of the Dino Thunder season

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Hear me out here: amidst things getting really dark with Smitty/Zeltrax, Trent going against his papa Mercer/Mesagog, and the filler episodes that weren't actually that bad, these last episodes set the bar and prepped us for what a well-written kid's TV show can truly look like.

The definite cherry on top of everything had to be the crossover episodes when LOTHO- I mean, the Ninja Storm rangers came back but were, like, evil and stuff. Though they turned out good in the end, joined forces with the Dino Rangers to defeat their monsters, and Marah and Cassidy having a quick inception moment...

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...the coolest part was this SICK fighting scene between bosses. OOF 💥

19. The outstanding writing and Easter eggs S.P.D. brought to the table

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(Before we begin allow me to clarify: No, that is not Wes from Time Force in the picture of Sky and his father, its a reused costume they took after production declined new suits for the show. MOVING ON.)

FROM THE GET-GO, this season gave us such impressive character development and thriving storylines — it's no wonder Power Rangers S.P.D. is a lot of peoples' favorite era. I mean the very LORE of it made every episode so pleasantly entertaining. With top-notch scenes by the bounty and the superb game-changing stunts, add onto that those precious treats of seeing old helmets? Perfect.

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*chef's kiss*

*Bonus: Remember also when we finally got a FEMALE RED RANGER?

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So what if she was evil and had recycled headgear? IT STILL COUNTS.

20. When you believed in MAGIC.

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One word: CAPES!

Do NOT come for me on this one. The concept for Power Rangers Mystic Force was such genius it felt like it was straight out of a fantasy novel worthy of rivaling Narnia (almost). I mean, fairy tale creatures and lost sons, hypnotized knights and dark wishes, multiple villains and clans, legends and spells...I could go on forever.

If only the potential it had was matched with the level of extra quality writing it needed, it truly would have been OVER for all these other seasons...imma say it, it was magical!

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✨

Going Forward: Given that my overall knowledge of eras 15 through 28 are incomplete (even with searching for available streams on the web), opinions for the following seasons may be controversial as a result. I humbly invite anyone to share their knowledge in the comments! Thank you!

21. When the yeti from Operation Overdrive was its saving grace

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With Power Rangers Operation Overdrive I'll be honest, getting through this season was tough. I mean the red guy's name was Mack, the villain plot was rivaling brothers (groundbreaking), and the acting had a certain...je ne sais quoi. Sadly as the episodes progressed I was losing the appeal and found myself being thoroughly more entertained by Norg than by everyone else. Sue me.

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All hail Norgie. ❄️

22. When Seasons 16 and 17 didn't even merit mention

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We've reached an era in this mighty franchise where my nostalgia glasses were on so tight I couldn't enjoy either Jungle Fury or RPM with the same vigor and excitement I thought I would. Now don't get me wrong, I still love Power Rangers to death, and will even make my own kids sit though all seasons like I did. But it gruelingly got to a point for me in this project where it became evidently clear the show's intended demographic was in fact, children of the late 2000s and not me, a gentleman in his late 20s. So do with that what you will.

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The Teamups were cool though, they always are. But we already knew that. 👍

23. When Super Megaforce gave us something SPECIAL

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November 22, 2014: OH. MY. GOD! 😱

Not only was the concept itself for Power Rangers Super Megaforce undeniably brilliant, but you simply can't beat having access to every single ranger that existed, period. And that finale? What kid hasn't imagined all of them fighting together in a humongous war? Sure it took over 20 years to happen but boy was it bloody worth it! So many suits, endless stunts, THE CAMEOS from actors of Power Rangers past. A historic moment 110%.

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When I tell you I SCREAMED.

24. When the Lionsgate adaptation happened

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For better or worse, happen it did. And at the risk of being hated I'll say I genuinely enjoyed the cast. Banks as Rita, Cranston as Zordon, Hader as Alpha, Becky, and Naomi! In hindsight, I'm one of those that are glad the movie was made. Jason David Frank made his 137th appearance in the franchise (this time next to Amy Jo Johnson) and we got the biggest cliffhanger in Power Rangers history.

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Imma need you to get me this sequel NOW, Lionsgate. #WhereIsTommy

25. Finally, when things got a little predictable

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"Okay showrunners, so hear me out. What if we do not one, but TWO Seasons of Samurai Rangers and save on casting fees, to then use on suit upgrades, eh?"

Go on. . .

"It'll be the new format, two years EVERY time. Just insert 'Super' on the new name, kids love that word. Genius, right?"

. . .

"We can do creatures, and some neat pirate suit-switchy stuff for the 20 year anniversary, but THEN let's do dinosaurs!"

Wait, again?

"YES. After that, get this: we'll do Ninjas!"

But we just —

"Kids won't even know the difference! We can follow it up with beasts!"

Didn't we already —

"and THEN DINOSAURS AGAIN!"

THE END.

So regardless of what lies ahead for the future of Power Rangers, I'm super thankful for the joy they gave and will continue to give me and all the kiddos of every generation!

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Those were my two cents (or 25 rather). Stay mighty out there, people!

Thanks for reading! What were some of your realest moments, did I miss any good ones? Thoughts on the newer seasons? Sound off below!