Admit it, just like every other kid in the world, you’ve wanted to be a Power Ranger at some point. Who wouldn’t want to be? The Power Rangers series has featured some ridiculously amazing Zords, weapons, and most importantly, costumes. Each different season of the show had the Rangers in a set of color-coded power armor that matched the overall theme of the season. Some were the epitome of awesome, while others left fans groaning that they had to watch this colorful train wreck for an entire season.
They may all look suspiciously like spandex and plastic, but there have been some truly creative costume designs throughout the years, and we here at Screen Rant want to settle the score once and for all. Which is the best of the best?
Costumes from the movies are off limits because, let’s face it, comparing suits created on a movie budget to reused Super Sentai costumes isn’t even “apples to oranges.” We’ve also tried to represent as many seasons as we could, but there were some that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to add (looking at you, Lost Galaxy). Here are the 16 Greatest Power Rangers Costumes Ever!
16. Gold Ninja Steel Ranger (Power Rangers Ninja Steel)
We’re going to start our list with somewhat of a cheat… We know absolutely nothing about the Gold Ninja Steel Ranger because Power Rangers Ninja Steel won’t be out for another year. However, we know the basic premise for the show, and that it’s going to be using footage from Shuriken Sentai Ninninger as a basis for its Rangers and Megazords. In this peticular Sentai show, there was the StarNinger, a Japanese man raised in the United States, who always wears a cowboy hat and constantly says “yee-haw!” in English. When he morphs, he keeps a bunch of his cowboy traits.
For this reason alone he makes the list. We haven’t seen it on screen yet, but how Saban is going to translate a cowboy-ninja hybrid on screen will be something to behold. Just feast your eyes and bask in the costume’s glory! We believe this is the first time a Power Rangers costume will feature a ten-gallon hat motif as part of the helmet. On top of this, his shield is perfect; it has the pattern of something ninja-esque while at the same time looking like a poncho straight out of The Man With No Name trilogy. We cannot wait to see the American version of this costume in action.
15. Black Megaforce Ranger (Power Rangers Megaforce)
Power Rangers Megaforce was the twentieth season in the renowned franchise, and featured lots of callbacks to the show’s past. The basic premise was that a legendary guardian of earth, who appeared as a large, unmoving face and was assisted by a funny robot, called upon a group of teenagers to battle the forces of evil. Sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it? In this season, Jake Holling is called upon to be the Black Megaforce Ranger.
Although the Megaforce costumes are far from the best, there’s something about the Black Ranger’s costume that’s endearing to us. Because he pilots the Snake Zord, his helmet has a snake motif and boy, is it cool looking! The way the visor is framed by the snake’s mouth, the way the design continues off on the side, creating the image of the serpent, and the illusion of eyes atop make the helmet stand out from the crowd. Also, you can absolutely never go wrong with a black and gold color scheme when it comes to Power Rangers.
14. Pink Lightspeed Rescue Ranger (Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue)
The eighth season of Power Rangers, entitled Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, did things a little differently. Gone were the days of “teenagers with attitude"; now, all of the Power Rangers were grown adults who were part of a government first-response agency. Unlike previous seasons, their power and Zords were all man-made rather than ancient magic. The Pink Ranger, Dana Mitchell, was a paramedic and also the daughter of Captain Mitchell (the mentor of the season).
Honestly, we can’t really put our finger on what makes the Pink Lightspeed Rescue Ranger’s suit so good. Maybe it’s the subtle skirt? The medical-shield-like visor on her helmet? The contrast of pink and white? We’re not sure. But there’s something just so oddly satisfying about the design paired with the colors and patterns. Or maybe, just maybe, we just love the character of Dana Mitchell and how well her character fits into the theme of the show so well that we project that onto her costume.
13. Red Space Ranger (Power Rangers in Space)
Andros was a human from the planet KO-35 who met the former Turbo Rangers as they were fleeing into space. As the acting Red Ranger, he gave the Turbo Rangers the remaining four Astro Morphers and led the new team of Space Rangers. Andros was also the brother of Astronoma, one of the main villains of Power Rangers in Space and the future Pink Galaxy Ranger. Equipped with the power of telekinesis, Andros is a fan-favorite Ranger who is up there with Jason as one of the greatest Red Rangers of all time.
In addition to just being a cool character, the Red Space Ranger had an awesome costume. The Power Rangers in Space costumes in general are well-designed, but the Red Ranger takes the cake! Andros was the first Red Ranger to have the luxury of not having a “mouth piece,” or a mouth plate with lips on it; this went a long way in making his design more sleek and futuristic. In fact, everything about the In Space helmets made them look like a sort of NASA-approved astronaut suit. Sure, all of the Rangers had a similar look, but the classic contrast of red and white mixed in with the yellow collar and dashboard-looking chest pattern made Andros’ suit a shining example of costume design done right.
12. White Dino Ranger (Power Rangers Dino Thunder)
Appearing in Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Trent Mercer was the adopted son of Anton Mercer, a wealthy paleontologist/scientist who worked with the legendary Dr. Tommy Oliver on the subject of Dinosaur DNA. Anton Mercer was later revealed to be the human form of the evil Mesogog. While exploring his father’s lab, Trent stumbled across the white Dino Gem, transforming him into the White Dino Ranger. At first the White Dino Ranger was an agent of neutral evil, doing whatever he wanted for whatever reason he wanted. Like most of the evil Rangers before him, Trent eventually turned to the side of good.
The White Dino Ranger costume is amazing mostly because it’s so different from Rangers past. For the most part, the helmets in Power Rangers have all had geometrically-shaped black visors. The few Rangers who had a “shield” had one that was in sharp contrast to their color scheme. The White Dino Ranger flies in the face of all that. His visor was a cool, red, and sharp, and his shield was just a continuation of his overall suit design. Speaking of his design, look at that pattern! The almost claw-like pattern paired with the simple contrast of white and black makes the White Dino Ranger a most memorable entry into the Power Rangers lore.
11. Red Time Force Ranger (Power Rangers Time Force)
Power Rangers Time Force took a unique spin on the show’s lore. It was the first team to ever be led by the Pink Ranger and featured a story about a time-traveling law enforcement agency from the year 3000 that comes back to the present day to hunt down a criminal. It was much darker in tone than the previous seasons; the Red Ranger is actually killed off in the first episode, and it didn’t shy away from issues like racism or class. Wesley Collins was reluctantly recruited into the Time Force when it was discovered that he was the only one who could harness the power of the deceased Red Ranger. After a full season of mistrust from the rest of the Rangers, he is finally accepted into the group.
The Time Force costumes are near the top of the list as far as looks go, and the Red Time Force Ranger epitomizes the design. The slightly-protruding, inverted visor gives the helmets a more menacing look, and the silver streak going down the design of the visor is just plain awesome. And then there’s the clean, symmetric look the Red Ranger’s costume in particular gives off. It’s like a gothic set designer’s dream come true! Honestly, we wanted to put the Pink Time Force Ranger in this spot. But they ruined the costume of the greatest Pink Ranger in Power Rangers history (yes, you heard us right) by trying too hard to “girlify” it. Seriously... hearts?!
10. Navy Thunder Ranger (Power Rangers Ninja Storm)
Blake Bradley was just a young boy when he lost his family to the evil ninja known as Lothor. He and his brother, Hunter, were raised at the Thunder Ninja academy and eventually had the power of the Thunder Rangers bestowed upon them by their sensei. In their adult lives, Lothor was able to trick Blake and Hunter into thinking Master Watanabe (the Power Rangers’ sensei) was responsible for the death of their parents. The two Thunder Rangers squared off against the three main Rangers before realizing that the whole thing was a setup. They joined the side of good shortly after.
Just look at the Navy Thunder Ranger. He has such a cool design, with a mix of a beetle and ninja motif! The crest on his helmet is something that most Ranger costumes don’t have, and his darker shade of blue is a unique color in the series. Not to mention all the little details; the way his cuffs don’t wrap all the way around, the dividing line down the mouthpiece, the knee-pads, and the way the visor is framed by intricate gold designs all add to the awesomeness that is the Navy Thunder Ranger.
9. Green Samurai Ranger (Power Rangers Ninja Storm)
The Green Samurai Ranger from Power Rangers Ninja Storm came along later in the series and acted as the “Sixth Ranger” that so many seasons of the show have featured. Interestingly enough, the Green Samurai Ranger was supposed to be played by Jason David Frank, aka Tommy Oliver, back when the season was going to have a “Legendary Ranger Academy” story line. Instead, we got the character of Cam Watanabe, the son of the Ninja Rangers’ sensei. Throughout most of the series Cam acted as the “tech geek” to the Rangers, creating new weapons and Zords for the team to use. Through the magic of time travel (don’t ask), Cam gained a mystical amulet that turned him into the Green Samurai Ranger.
There are so many things about this costume that make it amazing. The helmet is one of the most interesting in the entire franchise; when Cam is in his normal Ranger mode, it appears with a star-shaped visor surrounded by gold. When the hero goes into “Super Samurai Mode,” it flips around, revealing that the detail on its rear is really a second visor with an even more badass design.
Then there’s the jacket-like mantle the Green Ranger wears. The texture makes it look like it’s made of bamboo and it lines up with his chest emblem to create the illusion of a throwing star. We don’t know what it is about green and gold, but it certainly goes a long way in making a cool Power Rangers costume!
8. Pink Mystic Force Ranger (Power Rangers Mystic Force)
In Power Rangers Mystic Force, Vida Rocca, who ironically hates the color pink, dons the moniker of the Pink Ranger. As part of the team, she harnesses the power of wind to help take down any monster Morticon throws at them. She’s a really powerful warrior; there was one point that, while temporarily evil, she took on the entire Mystic Force team with ease!
Now, know that as far as importance to the story or memorability goes, Vida Rocca doesn’t hold a candle to, say, Billy Cranston or Jen Scotts, but this list is based on costume design alone. And the Pink Mystic Force Ranger has a really well-designed costume! Let’s start by giving props to whoever decided to give this season's costumes capes; it’s something that hasn’t been done before and it adds a cool superhero look to the Rangers’ armor.
The Pink Mystic Ranger also has one of the best helmets in the series. The butterfly visor trimmed with gold and the small crest on her head are cool, but when she goes into her “legendary” mode it gets even better, sprouting bat-like ears and an even more isometrical design. On top of this, there’s just something about the white pants and cape underside that makes the costume pop even more. She may not be at the top of the list of Power Rangers legends, but Vida Rocca’s costume is one of the best of the best.
7. Black Dino Ranger (Power Rangers Dino Thunder)
Here it is, the first entry on our list that features everyone’s favorite Power Rangers character, Tommy Oliver! In Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Tommy has grown up. Now, he’s a scientist specializing in Dinosaur DNA who acts as a mentor to the new Rangers. Anyone who knows Tommy knows that the character can’t stay on the sideline for very long. He eventually took up the mantle of the Black Dino Ranger, who harnessed the power of the Brachiosaur.
The Black Dino Ranger’s design is just pure awesomeness. Much like the White Dino Ranger, his helmet featured the elements of the Dinosaur he was based on. It had a fin just like the Brachiosaur and even the general head shape of the beast. The patterns on the costume could even flare up like reptile scales when the Black Ranger went into his super-powered mode! Not to mention, the Dino Thunder logo is probably the most sleekly-designed ones in the Power Rangers universe and is featured prominently on the suit. There’s something to be said about the shoulder pad/shield object, as well; it’s so simplistic and sleek that it just brings the whole costume together.
6. Titanium Ranger (Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue)
This just be our own nostalgia kicking in, but Ryan Mitchell, aka the Titanium Ranger, is one of the best Power Rangers characters of all time. Raised by the villainous Diabolico after his father made a literal deal with the devil, Ryan grew up hating his father. He then stole the Titanium morpher, tried to kill the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers, and eventually was recruited to the side of good. But Diabolico wasn’t through with him; as punishment for his betrayal, Ryan was grafted with a magic tattoo of a cobra. Every time he morphed, the cobra would move up until it reached his neck, where it would kill him. It was an amazing story arc in one of the better Power Rangers seasons.
Outside of his memorable story, the Titanium Ranger’s costume was pure eye candy to look at. The craziest thing is that his costume isn’t very intricate or complicated; it’s a perfect example of how a minimalist design can sometimes be the best. Oddly enough, the Titanium Ranger wasn’t even around that often. He was the first Ranger created solely for the American show, which meant that it was much more expensive for him to appear on screen in costume with the rest of the team. These budget restrictions also show on the suit itself; even the gold designs don’t seem as shiny or durable as the ones from previous seasons. Either way, the Titanium Ranger is still one of the best characters in the show and is gifted with an incredible costume.
5. Black Overdrive Ranger (Power Rangers Operation Overdrive)
For the show’s fifteenth anniversary, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive featured a team of Rangers in the vein of Lara Croft or Indiana Jones; each arc would follow them as they traveled to exotic locations and tracked down artifacts. What a better motif for this type of story than cars?! Will Aston, a young spy who was recruited to the team due to his knowledge of technology, took the role of the Black Overdrive Ranger. In an interesting turn of events, Will gained the powers of super-hearing and telescopic vision.
Remember how we went on and on about the complex detailing in the rest of the suits on this list? Forget that! The design of the Black Overdrive Ranger is such a simple, clean look that it’s pure badass. The black and white color scheme, mixed with the helmet lights, silver plating on the shoulders, and grill-like mouth piece are all elements that make this one of the coolest (if not the coolest) Black Ranger costumes in the entire series.
4. All of the Season 1 Costumes (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
This one is definitely cheating, but we didn’t want to take away five whole entries just to have each of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers costumes. That said, they all deserve to be on this list, and with good reason! The costumes of Jason, Zach, Kimberly, Trini, and Billy in the first three seasons of the show are still the gold standard for Ranger costumes. Even when they got a makeover for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, they were still able to keep the same design aesthetics while upgrading from the normal spandex.
What can we say about these costumes that hasn’t been said already? The diamonds across the chest and boots and the awkward-looking-yet-awesome morphers on the belt are iconic to anyone who grew up during the ‘90s. Not to mention the helmets. Try as they might, no Power Rangers series since the original has been able to replicate how great the MMPR helmets are. Sure, there might be a few individual Ranger here or there who have more well-designed helmet, but the original designs were consistently well-done across the board. Heck, even the new movie can’t seem to replicate it!
3. Green Ranger (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
“Hold up!” you may say, “didn’t you just do all of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers costumes in the last entry?” Well, yes we did. But by original we meant the original five. Plus, how could we not give the original Green Ranger his own entry on this list? He’s played by the greatest Power Rangers actor in the show and is without a doubt the coolest individual character in the show’s history. Tommy Oliver started off as Rita Repulsa’s evil Ranger before the others broke the spell and asked him to join the team. He used his Dragon Dagger to command the mighty Dragon Zord, which was so powerful that it could take on the entire Megazord all on its own.
Then there’s his costume. It was the epitome of awesome in a show that already blew our young minds. He had a freaking dragon on his helmet! Then, of course, there were the gold cuffs and the shield. Tommy was the first Power Ranger to ever have a shield on his costume, and while it may have looked pretty ridiculous in the show due to some budget-constrained repairs, the versions in the original Japanese footage and subsequent incarnations are the best designed shield in the show. But for some reason it only worked with the Green Ranger. Even when team leader Jason took the shield from Tommy, it just didn’t look right. Nothing beats the original Green Ranger as far as color scheme goes.
2. Gold Ranger (Power Rangers Zeo)
We’ve already talked about how Power Rangers Zeo had some of the worst Zords in the show, but what about costumes? Well, to be honest they are pretty middle of the pack. They were much worse than the original suits, but far from the worst. But then there was the Gold Ranger. The character started off as an enigma; none of the Zeo Ranger knew who he was, only that he kept appearing to save the day when all hope seemed lost. It was revealed that he was Trey from the planet Triforia, whose personalities manifested itself in three different bodies. When he began to lose his powers, Tommy brought in Jason to take up the mantle.
The Gold Ranger is just about everything you’d want in a Power Rangers design. Like we said earlier, you can never go wrong with gold and black. But even so, the Gold Ranger’s suit looks a lot more… practical than most. Unlike the Green Ranger’s, this shield looked like it could plausibly take a hit from a blaster bolt and still be okay. On the topic of the shield, it’s made with an Egyptian design. It could plausibly be worn as a chest piece by an ancient Egyptian warrior into battle. The intricate detailing on the shield and knee plates just add to the already-incredible look of the Gold Zeo Ranger.
1. White Ranger (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
As much as we’d hate for this to turn into the Tommy Oliver list… there’s a reason he’s always been such a memorable character. Throughout the show, Tommy has gotten the best costumes (well, maybe minus Power Rangers Turbo). But none of them even come close to his most remarkable suit, that of the White Ranger.
In the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Lord Zedd came onto the scene and planned to use the Green Ranger’s power crystal to turn five unsuspecting teenagers into his own evil Power Rangers. Tommy valiantly sacrificed his powers to save the teens, destroying his power crystal before Zedd could complete the transition. Luckily everyone’s favorite Ranger wasn’t out for long-- Zordon and Alpha 5 created a new Ranger who would be made from the White Light of Good and thus incorruptible.
Where do we even start with this costume? There’s nothing that can compare! It took the greatest aspects of the original MMPR suits and the Green Ranger costume to make something that is almost synonymous with the entire brand. The helmet is by far the greatest in the series and one of the most iconic superhero masks ever made. Just look at it! The angular design of the mouth plate and the arch of the design cutting into the visor make it look menacing. Then there’s the detail on the helmet itself: it is made to look like a tiger, but it’s so subtle that you don’t catch it at first glance. If you’re looking for perfection in a superhero costume, look no further than Tommy Oliver’s White Ranger.
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We can argue until the cows come home about which Power Rangers costume is the best, but chances are it will always get narrowed down to someone in our top ten. Even so, what do you think? Do you agree with our list? Leave us a comment and let us know!