Kamen Ranger’s Ramblings: Ranger Powers?

What Powers Do Rangers Have Anyway?

We’re all familiar with the Power Rangers, or at least if we’re on this site we should be. Teams of technicolor heroes who fight aliens demons and monsters to protect those who can’t. Sounds a lot like another show… International licensing aside though one question has bothered me since I first started watching the show: What powers do the Rangers actually have?

In the west, our comic book superheroes have very clearly defined powers, Wolverine has super senses, super strength, regeneration and bone claws. The Flash can run at ludicrous speeds and Arm Fall Off Boy’s limbs come off. The Power Rangers on the other hand tend to be a bit more vague on that front. It’s clear that they are “powerful” but they rarely go into more detail than that. They seem to have increased strength and agility but, depending on the team, they go back and forth as to whether this is something they’re imbued with or something to do with the suits or morphers exclusively.

There are of course civilian powers in some seasons, like SPD and Dino Thunder, which give the Rangers an additional power for use in costume or more usually outside of costume, such as the ability to release super screams or multiply yourself repeatedly. These aren’t the norm though. In some shows, the powers the Power Rangers have really just seem like increased durability and the ability to bleed sparks when shot. Since we never see them performing feats above that of a skilled martial artist, it further confuses the issue of what exactly their powers are.

I’ve not yet managed to read the Justice League/Power Rangers crossover comics but maybe that will help clear some things up; so long as one side doesn’t end up jobbing, just to make the other side look cooler (as has been known to happen in crossovers like this).

Perhaps it doesn’t matter what their specific power-set is. After all, most Kamen Riders have official stats for their abilities and they don’t really seem right. I’m not sure Kamen Rider Drive has the kicking power of 10.4 tonnes, then again I’ve never seen a kick induced explosion under lab conditions so I’m not sure where the benchmark is.

One thing’s for certain though. As a team the rangers are much more powerful than they are alone and are able to overcome any obstacle together. Perhaps teamwork is their true power? Or is that too corny even for Power Rangers?

What do you think about the Rangers’ powers? Do you think they should be more specific? Do you like civilian powers? Let us know your opinion in the comments.