Everyone wanted to be the Red Ranger, but only a handful of characters in thePower Rangersuniverse had that honor. From Jason Lee Scott inMighty MorphinPower Rangersto Amelia Jones inPower RangersCosmic Fury,everyPower Rangersseasoncan be defined by its Red Ranger. It is no coincidence that the bestPower Rangersstories include great Red Rangers, just like the more underwhelming seasons often had disappointing leaders. AlthougheachPower Rangersteamrequires a different kind of leader, certain qualities can be found in all the greatest Red Rangers.
The Red Ranger always being the leader is a trope that comes fromSuper Sentai, although there are a few notable exceptions to this rule. For example, just beforeJason left the team inMighty Morphinseason 2and was replaced by Rocky, White Ranger Tommy became the leader. Likewise, the Pink Ranger was the leader for most ofTime Force. Regardless,being a Red Ranger is a big deal, no matter the circumstances.This is why picking the very best Red Rangers isn’t easy.
6Leo Corbett
Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
AfterPower Rangersin Spaceredefined what a Red Ranger could be,Lost Galaxywas in a good position to keep the show fresh with new archetypes and different dynamics between the characters. This includes having a Red Ranger who was not even supposed to be a Power Ranger. Whereas Mike was a highly trained officer who was cut to be a Ranger, his brother, Leo, was a reckless kid trying to make his way through life without having any greater purpose. However,when Mike “died” right after wielding the Quasar Saber, Leo had to become the Red Ranger.
Mike
Magna Defender
The fact that Leo was not the one to remove the Quasar Saber from the stone altar led to a fantastic character arc in which our Red Ranger had to constantly prove he was worthy of that power. Either fate or chance had made Leo the Red Ranger, which is why he was never quite comfortable with this position. Still, Leo proved to be the right person for the job in every episode ofPower RangersLost Galaxy. A great leader and a fearless fighter,Leo changed a lot during the series and became a better version of himself.
5T.J. Johnson
Power Rangers Turbo
Replacing one of the greatest Rangers in the history of the franchise comes with a lot of challenges, but T.J. was ready for them. While Tommy is my favorite Power Ranger, even I can admit that his Red Ranger days in Zeo andTurbowere not that great compared to his other eras.Tommy worked better as an extra Power Rangerrather than as a leader, which is one of the reasons whyPower Rangersdesperately needed something different duringTurbo. Saying goodbye to thoseMMPRguys was bittersweet, but I’m so glad it happened.
After being the Blue Ranger inPower Rangers in Space,T.J. used his Turbo Red Ranger powers in “Forever Red.”
T.J. and the rest of the newTurbocrew helped rescue a show that was long past its prime, and while the latter half of the season was not that great, it was an improvement from the first half. T.J. was the right leader for a season likeTurbo, with the character being fun and creative without ever coming off as silly. T.J. would usually come up with the winning strategy and was the heart and soul of this new Power Rangers team. Despite the short Red Ranger run, T.J. made a name for himself inTurbo.
4Andros
Power Rangers in Space
Up untilIn Space, it is fair to say that there was no such thing as a three-dimensionalPower Rangerscharacter. FromMMPRtoTurbo, thecharacters inPower Rangersbehaved as the episodes required them to, with the show making no effort to establish their personalities or backstories. In most cases, it was the actors and their performances who made those characters compelling, especially in the original series. However, this all changed withPower Rangersin Space’s Andros, a character that was complex and intriguing from his first appearance.
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Just the fact thatAndros was a Red Ranger without a teammade him stand out from previous Red Rangers, introducing a dynamic that we had never seen on the show. Andros had a mission, and he would not let anyone stand in his way. It took a while for this lone wolf Red Ranger to learn how to work with others again, but the combination of a brand-new character with a mysterious backstory and our fourTurboRangers from Earth worked incredibly well. Andros may not have been a great leader, but he was an amazing character.
3Jason Lee Scott
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
It can be difficult to talk about Jason’s legacy as a Red Ranger without letting nostalgia guide us. As the first and arguably most iconic Red Ranger, Jason is a lot of people’s favorite character in the entire franchise. However, even without taking nostalgia into account, Jason was a pretty good Red Ranger and never let his team down. From taking on Goldar on his own to almost sacrificing himself to save Tommy,there was nothing Jason was not ready to do if it meant helping the team.
Tommy
Green Ranger
In addition to being a great fighter, Jason was also smart, wise, and caring. He showed qualities inMMPRthat would define what makes a good Red Ranger for decades to come, to the point it was all but impossible to replace him. As much as I love Tommy’s White Ranger era,Jason was the best leader of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.Theoriginal Red Rangercould be cool without feeling like he was meant to be more important than the other characters, which could be a problem with Tommy.
2Wes Collins
Power Rangers Time Force
With so many Red Rangers to pick from, it might seem odd to include a character who was not even the original leader of their team. However,being a rookie while also being a Red Ranger is exactly what made Wes Collins so fascinating.Whereas everyone else in theTime Forceteam was a special agent with years of training and knowledge from the far future, Wes was just a rich guy who happened to have the right DNA to unlock the Red Ranger morpher.
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And yet, Wes showed all the strengths that a Red Ranger should have. From standing up to his father to being humble enough to learn from his new friends, Wes was more than just in for the ride – he truly wanted to be worthy of that morpher. His relationship withthe Quantum Rangeradded a lot to the character, with Wes having to come to terms with his privileges while showing Eric that there was a better way to do things.Wes had one of the best character arcs inPower Rangers, going from a spoiled kid to a true leader.
1Carter Grayson
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Carter Grayson might not be as popular as Jason or Andros, but the leader of theLightspeed RescueRangers is the quintessential Red Ranger. Selfless and smart, Carter knew how to be a commander and a friend at the same time. He was given the chance to lead a team of highly capable individuals from different fields, and he did not disappoint. Despite a shaky start,Carter didn’t take long to find what kind of leader he wanted to be.From then on, he became what should be a role model for other Red Rangers.
Carter’s background as a firefighter directly informed the kind of Power Ranger he became.
Carter was a great strategist who could make the most of whatever resources he had. He was also the first in line whenever the Rangers had to face something dangerous or unpredictable, including but not limited to testing new equipment. Carter’s background as a firefighter directly informed the kind of Power Ranger he became, someone who knew how to take orders but was also good at improvising in the face of fear. I might be biased towardLightspeed Rescuesince it’s one of my favoritePower Rangersseasons, but everyone can agree that Carter is a perfect Red Ranger.
