The best upgrade that Trini Kwan of thePower Rangersreceived happened in the comics. Power Rangers are known to have their power upgrades on television, especially Red Rangers with their Battilizers. However, for non-Red Rangers especially, the best Ranger upgrades happen in the comics.
The best upgrade for the original Yellow Ranger arrives in the form of Black Dragon armor, debuting inMighty Morphin Power Rangers#16 by Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya. The comics have gifted Trini Kwan with a few major upgrades -including becoming a Red Ranger- but the Black Dragon armor may arguably be the coolest one she ever had.
Considering where the Black Dragon armor came from and the skills that Trini showcased in turning the armor into something useful, the upgradesolidifies Trini as one of the best Mighty Morphin Rangers of all time.
The Black Dragon Armor Was Created by Lord Drakkon
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers#4 by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Daniel Bayliss, Matt Herms, and Ed Dukeshire
The Black Dragon first debuted in the BOOM! Studios comics not as mere armor, but as a full-blown character (or so readers thought) and an adversary for the Power Rangers. The first few issues ofMighty Morphin Power Rangersreminded readers that,unlike the rest of the Rangers, Tommy Oliver’s abilities were powered by the chaos magic of Rita Repulsa. This source proved vital the more that Tommy butted heads with Jason, as his heightened emotions strengthened a Dragon Dagger duplicate - that once belongedto iconic villain Scorpina- to create a portal for the Black Dragon to enter this universe.
The Original Yellow Ranger Is Finally Getting The Love She Deserves 30 Years After Trini’s Final Power Rangers Appearance
Thuy Trang’s legacy as Trini Kwan lives on in Power Rangers, with the original Yellow Ranger getting the spotlight in new Mighty Morphin stories.
The Black Dragon originally came from the World of the Coinless, proving a thorn in the Rangers' side up untilMighty Morphin Power Rangers#9, where the Green Ranger andthe ultimate Blue Rangerwere able to destroy the Black Dragon after discoveringthe Black Dragon was not a monster, but a fully operational piece of metal.However, destroying it from the inside only sends them to its place of creation, where they meet its creator -Lord Drakkon, the franchise’s best villain- who had been communicating to the Rangers from his world through the Black Dragon.
Trini Kwan Repurposed the Black Dragon Armor for the Rangers
Anything for Her Team
Drakkon is an alternate future timeline version of Tommy Oliver, and thus, through their shared connection of the Chaos Crystal’s powers, he was able to send his Black Dragon to this dimension. Present-day Tommy and Billy are transported to Drakkon’s world, giving Trini ample time to figure out exactly what the Black Dragon is. When the Blue and Green Rangers first disappear,Trini is the first to realize that the Black Dragon was made from pieces of the Green Ranger’s Dragonzord.
Upon further inspection inMighty Morphin Power Rangers#11, Trini learns that the pieces of the Black Dragon are actually identical to those of the Dragonzord - not copies. Trini comes to the conclusion that the Black Dragon comes from another world, and that’s likely where Billy and Tommy landed after disappearing.Behind Billy, Trini is the team’s best tech expert, and thus, she works effortlessly to cross-examine where this monstrous Zord came from to find them. And that’s not all she does with the Black Dragon.
Trini proved herself as one of the smartest, most competent, and most efficient Power Rangers.
Trini repurposes the Black Dragon into armor by syncing it to herto use in case of an emergency. Such an emergency comes when the Rangers are ambushed by Rita Repulsa, who dampens the Rangers' teleportation capabilities but can do nothing to stop the parts of the Black Dragon from merging with Trini’s suit. Furthermore, she uses the Black Dragon’s energy to power the Triceratops Power Coin that Billy left behind, sending her and the Rangers to Drakkon’s dimension to rescue their friends.
The Legacy of Trini’s Black Dragon Armor Continues
The Black Dragon Armor Appears Again
This isn’t the last time that readers see the Black Dragon armor in action, as it makes a return in time for thePower Rangersfranchise’s 25th anniversary. At the tail-end of the “Shattered Grid” arc, where Rangers from across all iterations team up for one last stand against Drakkon and his army, the older, future version of Trini from the World of the Coinless enters the fray. Because she no longer has her Power Coin (hence the Coinless moniker),main-canon Trini gives her future self the Black Dragon armor to defend herself in the battle inMMPR#30by Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo.
Exclusive: Power Ranger Actors Return To Write New Stories For Their Characters in Anthology Comic
Screen Rant is thrilled to announce Boom! Studios' latest Power Rangers anthology comic, featuring stories written by actors from the franchise.
If there’s any big takeaway from all of this, it’s that Trini proved herself as one of the smartest, most competent, and most efficient Power Rangers - not only from the Mighty Morphin team, but in franchise history. Future comics help drive this point home, especially in showcasing how Trini was deserving ofa Red Ranger promotion as leader. ButMMPR#16 is one of the first moments from BOOM! that highlights Trini’s abilities. Ultimately, turning the harmful Black Dragon armor into something helpful to thePower Rangerswas practically foreshadowing of Trini’s bigger spotlight to come.
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.
