16. Devon (Rorrie D. Travis)
Power Rangers Beast Morphers
Devon’s relationship with his father stands out the most. We learn early on that Devon hasn’t had the greatest track record in pleasing his dad and that desire to prove himself informs many of his best moments. Trying to get a job to please his dad but having to leave because he’s a Ranger, thus disappointing him, is great stuff. Sadly we don’t get enough of these moments across the two seasons of Beast Morphers and without them Devon isn’t given enough to really stand out.
Devon is a solid Red Ranger but Beast Morphers really ended up being the Nate and Steel show, and Devon got a little lost in the shuffle.
15. Tyler (Brennan Mejia)
Power Rangers Dino Charge/Dino Super Charge
Tyler just wants to find his Dad, which basically makes him Ryan Steele from VR Troopers for the new generation. This means I love him with all my heart. He even wore a vest a few times!
Tyler is what I would call a very squee-able character. He’s super cute and while he may lack some of the depth of the other Rangers on this list, he makes up for it with his pure enthusiasm for life. It’s just a shame his character arc took such a nosedive after her found his dad. Come on, dude! Be a little mad about your dad not showing up for 10 years when he totally could have.
14. Lauren (Kimberly Crossman)
Power Rangers Super Samurai
The true leader of the Samurai Rangers, Lauren was hinted at very early on in Samurai and finally appeared during the final arc of Super Samurai. Our first female Red Ranger on the side of good! Lauren even had a way to defeat Xandred when the Rangers had just been waiting around to figure something out.
Sadly, Power Rangers is still a show with a lot of inherent sexism so Lauren never got to reach her full potential as a character. But the fact that she was only around for a few episodes and made such a great impression only further proves we need a woman Red Ranger full time.
13. Tommy (Jason David Frank)
Power Rangers Zeo/Power Rangers Turbo
Sit down, angry fanboys. I know a lot of you are probably wondering why the much-revered Tommy Oliver isn’t at the top of this list. Let me break it down. Turbo Tommy doesn’t matter. He suddenly loves cars! What?!
Tommy in Zeo was good, just not amazing. His best moment is in the episode where he’s forced to sing. JDF clearly can’t sing worth a damn, which makes it all much funnier. Again, he’s not bad. At this point in the list I actually pretty much like everyone, and he’s leaps and bounds a much better character than what he was in MMPR.
12. Zordon (Bryan Cranston)
Power Rangers (2017)
Hey, he was a Red Ranger for a few minutes. It totally counts!
So he may have caused his whole team to die but in doing so he fulfilled every fanon theory viewers have had about the original Zordon. He was a dick and really only cared about himself. Zordon’s arc throughout the whole movie is becoming more like the TV version of Zordon. A wise and caring leader.
You also can’t deny you want a Zordon/Rita prequel movie. The way Rita spoke about Zordon left some tantalizing hints for any future movie to cover. It’s probably not going to happen now but I can dream!
11. Leo (Danny Slavin)
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
When Leo isn’t angsting over his brother (seriously, why do Red Rangers have to angst so much) I love him. He’s a simple guy who just wanted to go off into space and see the new world. He tries getting a job in the command center but realizes he’s not cut out for that kind of life. So he just kinda hangs around Terra Venture and tries to learn to talk with his giant animal Zord.
But at the end of the day he’s the one who makes the last stand against Trakeena in one of the greatest action scenes in Power Rangers history.
10. Carter (Sean CW Johnson)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Carter is an all American boy who probably eats nothing but hot dogs and apple pie. This guy is a hero through and through. For god’s sake, he was a fire fighter before he even became a Ranger!
When he teamed up with all the other Rangers in “Forever Red?” While they were out doing overly complicated martial arts moves, he was blasting enemies left and right with his blaster. Carter knows how to get things done, even if he has to be smacked around by Captain Mitchell a bit before he learns the lesson of the day.
9. Scott (Eka Darville)
Power Rangers RPM
Again, besides the angst over losing his brother (Lost Galaxy much?) Scott is great. By that, I mean he’s a dick.
He seems to care more about his car than the entire city. He just wants to impress his dad who clearly loved his brother more than him. He throws babies around in the middle of fights. He gets super angry when he doesn’t get a medal but his teammate, Gem, does.
Now I know this sounds like I hate the guy, but I love Scott for one reason alone. When he shows up in “Clash of the Red Rangers,” Scott has transformed from RPM Scott to Needlessly Antagonistic Scott. He’s openly antagonistic to the whole team and thinks fixing a car made out of symbol power is more important than stopping the already grown monster. That’s just… that’s a beautiful thing. (Okay, he’s also great in RPM but that “Clash of the Red Rangers” appearance is just pure gold.)
8. Jason (Austin St. John)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
The reason Jason is so high on the list has to do with his involvement in many of the episodes surrounding Tommy’s arc as the Green Ranger. We see him battling alone against Goldar without his powers and see his frustration (at least it isn’t about a brother) over not being able to save Tommy’s powers.
Jason seems like the kind of guy you’d want to know or be around. He’s generally good-natured and willing to help out. He also has one of the greatest quips in all of Power Rangers, “Your polluting days are over, horse-face! I’m sending you back to the barn!” Perfection.
7. Shane (Pua Magasiva)
Power Rangers Ninja Storm
You know, despite the Ninja Storm cast all being adrenaline sports junkies, they were all pretty damn likable. Shane started off as this wacky guy who didn’t even believe the Power Rangers existed and ended up getting some some real tender moments.
When faced with his greatest fear, we find out it’s disappointing his brother (again with the brother angst), which perfectly fit with a teenager who, to the outside world, is seen as a slacker. He wants to tell his brother everything about how he saves the world, but he can’t, so he has to maintain the charade that all he’s doing with his life is hanging out at skate parks. It’s a really touching episode, much more than one would expect in a goofy season like Ninja Storm.
6. Zayto (Russell Curry)
Power Rangers Dino Fury
Zayto is Andros done right. He’s got the tragic backstory but he’s also really goofy, not understanding Earth but always doing his best with a big smile on his face. Russell Curry brings a lot of charm to the role and gives Zayto many layers that enhance what’s already on the page. He’s also got incredible comedic timing.
Zayto truly is cool, cool, cool-io. We can’t wait to see how he develops (and what else we’ll learn about his past) when Dino Fury returns for season 2!
5. Jason (Dacre Montgomery)
Power Rangers (2017)
Jason in this movie has all the depth you wish Rangers normally had. He’s made mistakes and tries to make up for them as best he can. He forms a powerful bond with Billy and the other Rangers. He has the standard Power Rangers Daddy Issues plotline and it actually has depth and nuance! John Gatins, writer of the Power Rangers movie, I salute you.
While we don’t have much time to spend with Jason, he makes a HUGE impression. When he’s leading the others into what seems to be their final moments he doesn’t hesitate. He just tells them to keep going. It’s a shame a sequel to the film isn’t happening because we desperately need more adventures with this Jason at the helm. He’s got the real muscles and the power.
4. Conner (James Napier)
Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Conner just wanted to be an all-star soccer player before he fell in a giant sinkhole and became the Red Ranger. While not really a leader (Tommy was running the show this season, let’s be fair) Conner at least learned to be a better person. You see, at the start of the season Conner was a dick (more so than most Red Rangers). He was openly sexist to Kira and looked down at Ethan for being a nerd.
Over the season, however, he slowly changed. We saw him learn how to treat others with respect (and it was better than Sky’s arc in that regard, especially when it comes to his sexism.) He started noticing kindness would get him farther with people than brushing them aside. He evolved from being a dick to generally caring about others. He even had to give up his dream of being a soccer star (being a Ranger was too much of a time commitment) but later was able to open up soccer camps all around the world. Good on you, Conner.
3. Wes (Jason Faunt)
Power Rangers Time Force
Wes was a spoiled brat. His father was rich and he got to do whatever he wanted…until the other Time Force Rangers appeared and needed him to unlock their morphers.
After that, Wes slowly grew into a true team player (because Jen was the leader, don’t lie to yourself) and was even willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his new friends. He gave up his powers to take over his dying father’s company and sent his friends back to the future in order to keep them safe.
He also imparted one of PR’s best lessons: “We all make our own destiny.” That’s something everyone can stand to learn.
2. Eric (Daniel Southworth)
Power Rangers Time Force
Eric is the polar opposite of Wes. Growing up dirt poor, he had to pull his life out of the gutter any way he could. Even then, he still couldn’t match Wes. That all changed when he stole the powers of the Quantum Ranger and used them to maneuver his way to head of the Silver Guardians.
Eric played for keeps. He didn’t mess around like the other Rangers. When he wanted something? He took it. He even traveled back in time to get the Q-Rex so he could fight on an even playing field with the Rangers.
While eventually Eric did start helping the Time Force team more, he never really joined the team properly, and I liked that about him. He never gave up on his principles.
1. TJ (Selwyn Ward)
Power Rangers Turbo
TJ was a Red Ranger for little over half a season, so why is he topping this list? Because TJ is a selfless hero who, when faced with great adversity, doesn’t hesitate and does what’s needed even when he doesn’t have the resources.
First off, in the final battle against Divatox, both the Megazords are destroyed. So TJ puts his own life on the line to deliver a head on attack. Where others would have given up, TJ keeps going, and then some. He fought to the bitter end when Piranhatrons destroyed the Power Chamber, refusing to escape without Alpha.
He was also the one who helped save Tommy from plummeting to his eternal death! Everyone loves Tommy so much but without TJ, Tommy would be dead!
Now it’s your turn Den of Geek readers, how would YOU rank all the Red Rangers? Do you agree with my choices? Viciously disagree? LET ME KNOW!
Side Note: Yes, I know there are technically more Red Rangers. Maybe the the Wolf Warrior. A Morphin Master? If you’re getting technical, we’ve got some New Powers Rangers in there. We could go on and on. But we all know the only true Red Ranger is Mark Dacascos. That’s right, Bioman pilot for life!
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