They say that the man (or woman) makes the uniform, and the same notion applies toPower Rangers. A Power Ranger’s outfit is just as important as a soldier’s uniform. In-universe, a Power Rangers' costume serves as a symbol of hope to citizens in need of protection. In real life, though, fans just lovea good Power Rangers costume.
In just over 30 years, thePower Rangersfranchise has boasted several notable costumes, but not all of them have been from the show. Some of the coolest and most gorgeous Power Rangers suits are exclusive to the comic books. The canonicity of the comics to that of the original television series ranges depending on the title, but whether they fit within theMighty Morphincontinuity or not, the comics have come a long way toreinvent classic elements for modern times. Among those reinventions are the costumes provided by the comics.
10Omega Rangers are Arguably the Power Rangers' Best Modern Suits
The Omegas Offer an Alternative Explanation for a Mighty Morphin Trio’s Absence in Season Two
The TV show needed an in-universe explanation as to why Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Emanuel Jones were all leavingMighty Morphin Power Rangersat the same time during the second season. It was written for their characters to leave the team in favor of a Peace Conference in Switzerland. The comics opt to recontextualize this controversy by framing it as more of a cover-up whenthe Morphin Grid’s god-tier Blue Emissary chooses the trio (and an alien named Kiya Kyatyl, later replaced by the feline Yale of Saard) to become a new intergalactic team of Power Rangers.
In real life, St. John, Trang, and Jones left the show simultaneously due to contract disputes, as all three were unhappy with their salaries and the lack of union representation during production. As a result, their characters were written out of the show and were replaced by new Rangers: Rocky, Aisha, and Adam.
Fighting in outer space, they would become the Omega Rangers, and honestly, a good case can be made for theOmegas beingPower Ranger’sbest-looking team. Their design remains even more sleek and stylish than most live-action iterations of Rangers.
9Lord Zedd Couldn’t Beat ‘Em, So He Joined the Power Rangers
One of the Show’s Most Devious Villains Gets His Own Suit
Since being introduced during the show’s second season, Lord Zedd has struggled to vanquish the Power Rangers at every turn. However, when he needs them most, Lord Zedd has no choice but to rely on the Power Rangers for their help and one of their Morphers. It’s a Morpher that he originally had re-fashioned as a weapon against the Rangers, but upon being betrayed by Rita Repulsa in her Mistress Vile form, he uses it to join the Rangers instead. This instantly transforms the devious icon intothe most powerful Power Ranger.
His exposed flesh is covered in red armor, while his helmet and visor get a revamp, as does his signature scepter.He has always been a dangerous foe, but with a connection to the Morphin Grid, Zedd becomes deadlier than ever before.
8Lord Drakkon Makes for the Perfect Anti-Ranger
His Powers are an Amalgamation of Tommy Oliver’s First Two Suits
Both the Green Ranger and White Ranger suits are often praised for being among the best-lookingPower Rangerscostumes. The comics find a way to bring the beloved suits of armor together, but much like when Tommy first emerged as the evil Green Ranger,it happens in a way that spells doom for the rest of the Rangers. Hailing from an alternate universe, Tommy never sees the error of his ways when Rita’s mind-control wears off. Instead,Tommy adopts the name Lord Drakkonand overtakes the world for himself.
This alternate reality is referred to as the World of the Coinless. More info on that universe can be found by clickinghere.
Zordon attempts to counterattack Drakkon and his army by rebranding Jason into the White Ranger. The process is interrupted by an invading Drakkon, who seizes the White Tiger power for himself. With the White Tiger power and Dragonzord power at his disposal, Lord Drakkon looks as unstoppable as he actually is.
The Original Red Ranger’s Sister is Driven Insane By Trauma and Her Morpher
Matthew Erman, Trey Moore, and Guiseppe Cafaro’sPower Rangers: Sins of the Futuregraphic novel is a canonical sequel to the 2001Power Rangers Time Forceseason.The story comes with the revelation of a seventh Ranger, Cyra Drake, the Black Time Force Ranger. Cyra is the sister of the original Time Force Red Ranger, Alex Drake. Distraught over his death, Cyra would use an experimental Black Chrono-Morpher, attempting to change history. Every time, she’d fail, and every time, thanks to the Time Force squad’s own meddling with time, Alex would resurrect with a personality different from before.
Cyra remembers everything, fracturing her mind after traveling through multiple fractured timelines. The experience hardens her, convincing her Pink Ranger Jen Scotts is a common denominator that needs to die. The black and silver color scheme is simple enough to make forone of the more hypnotic Power Rangers suits.
Kimberly Shared Her Power with the Black and Yellow Rangers
Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson, Tini Howard, and Daniele di Nicuolo’sMighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pinkis another attempt to contribute to the show’s official continuity. This time, the story focuses on Kimberly Ann Hart’s life after leaving the team in Season 3. She briefly regains the power of the Pink Ranger using the Sword of Light, and using its power can share her connection to the Morphin Grid with those around her.Akin to the Shazam Family, she shares her abilities to help Zack and Trini regain their powers, as well as gift power to new friends Sergei and Britt.
Using the Sword of Light like this newly tweaks the classic Mighty Morphin costumes, most notably with a new pink outlining around the white chest emblem. Not only is this a fun way to update the classic suits, but it canonizes how, technically,Kimberly never lost her powers.
5Jason’s Red Ranger Returns as a Vigilante
Power Rangers: The Return Turns the Iconic MMPR Leader into a Full-Blown Superhero
With the actor who played Kimberly, Amy Jo Johnson, serving as one of the writers behind Power Rangers: The Return, the miniseries offers an alternate take on a world where the Rangers retired their Morphers early after defeating evil. Jason, though, remained dedicated to protecting others. Ergo, he regains his Morpher to fight evil around the world, ranging from local crime to terrorist attacks. In being committed to the cause, he re-fashions his suit with an additional shoulder pad and strap to hold his Power Sword, as well as a brown cloak.
Power Rangers have always been superheroes in their own right, but this costume and quest he embarks on remodels Jason into something more out of a vigilante story, something akin to Daredevil or Batman.
In addition togiving inspiration to lore-accurate cosplay, Jason’s alternate suit turns this Power Ranger into an actual superhero. Power Rangers have always been superheroes in their own right, but this costume and quest he embarks on remodels Jason into something more out of a vigilante story, something akin to Daredevil or Batman.
4The Death Ranger Puts a Shocking Twist on Power Rangers Suits
The Decayed Helmet Tells a Story
Spa’ark was the former Gold Ranger of the original Omega Rangers who pre-dates Zack, Trini, and Jason’s team. An obsession over death and the power to control it drove Spa’ark to betray their team, becoming the Death Ranger in the process.Maintaining their gold uniform, the Death Ranger suit, like Spa’ark themselves, become corrupted. One the most noticeable aspects of the suit is the decaying mouth on The Death Ranger’s helmet. The mouth of a Power Rangers helmet is typically the most prominent and consistent part of the costume, as it shows up in nearly every iteration of the team.
Spa’ark and their entire alien species are genderless, and thus use they/them pronouns. This makes The Death Ranger the first non-binary Power Ranger. Clickhereto read more about the milestone.
The alteration makes it clear to readers that this is a far more twisted version of a Power Ranger than ever seen before in the franchise. The modification is perfectly reflective of how the Death Ranger’s tragedies have warped them internally as much as externally.
3Usagi Yojimbo Team-Up Gifts the Power Rangers Their Samurai Uniforms
One Crossover Rebrands the Power Rangers’ Ninja Status
Old-school 90s fans might remember the classic ninja costumes that were first introduced to the team inMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, then re-introduced in the TV show’s official continuity.Kids everywhere thought those costumes were just the coolest, and with nostalgia in mind, the Rangers recently received an even bigger upgrade by going from ninjas to samurai. Ina mind-blowing crossover, the Power Rangers find themselves transported to the Edo period, where they find themselves helping Miyamoto Usagi protect a temple commandered by a deer woman named Mizuki from an antagonist named Tamotsu Ogasawara.
The battle quickly dwindles into chaos, and Mizuki prays over the mystical waters to the masters above her, asking for the Rangers to have the power and strength they need to save the day. It turns out her prayers are answered by the Morphin Grid, as the Rangers magically morph into new samurai armor.
2Trini’s Yellow Ranger Repurposes the Evil Dragon Armor
The Popularity of this Armor Supersedes the Comics
The original Black Dragonwas merely a Zord avatar created by Lord Drakkon that he controlled and spoke through from the safety of his alternate dimension. The Black Dragon wrecked havoc over Angle Grove until Billy and Tommy found a way to destroy it from within. In the aftermath, Trini proved once again how her tech savviness was as adept as Billy’s, modifying it to become a suit of armor.This doubles as an alternate costume for the Yellow Ranger while also being a mecha armor boasting the power of a Megazord.
The suit was beloved enough by fans to warrant its inclusion in thePower Rangers: Battle for the Gridvideo game. Trini, in her Black Dragon armor, is a playable character within the game. The fact that the suit found its crossover appeal into the gaming medium shows how much audiences have gravitated toward its aesthetic.
1Billy’s New Outfit Gets Him Ready for the Apocalypse
Power Rangers Immortalizes the Blue Ranger as Protector of the Morphin Grid
TheMighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour#1 one-shot would mark the end of BOOM! Studios' eight-year run ofPower Rangerscomics, but the series goes out with a bang in more ways than one. In what is ultimately the finale to the franchise, Dark Specter is defeated, but in his defeat, the Morphin Grid is corrupted. A flash-forward in time reveals thatBilly has dedicated his adult life to repairing the Morphin Grid from the inside, decimating its remaining creatures in the wasteland that once was a beacon of energy.
It’s a bittersweet, yetbadass final fate for the Blue Ranger. It’s made even more badass by his post-apocalyptic outfit, equipping him with a newfound hooded cloak and fingerless gloves. That combo, combined with his longer hair, a facial scar, and beard wouldn’t fit out of place in an apocalypse setting. It’s utterly cool and a great final costume for thePower Rangersseries.
Power Rangers
Power Rangersis a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV seriesMighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the JapaneseSuper Sentaiseries,Power Rangersbecame a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage fromSuper Sentaiwith new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children’s franchises in the world.
