Power Rangers is an enduring franchise that's been around since 1993, beginning with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. The Red Ranger is always (with a few exceptions) the leader of the Power Rangers - for better or for worse. There has been over 25 seasons worth of Red Rangers, and they have not always left a legacy to be proud of.

Some Red Rangers have proven their strength and courage through their willingness to sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. Others have turned evil, skipped out on Ranger duties to play pachinko, or gone on cross-country trips with their parents. So, who are the greatest Red Rangers - and who aren't? Find out here.

Updated on January 19th, 2023 by Amanda Bruce: It’s true that not all Red Rangers are created equal. Though they’re often thought of as the leaders of their team, there have been plenty of seasons in which the Pink, Yellow, Blue, or Green Rangers have acted in more of a leadership capacity than the Red Ranger in question. Despite that, the Red Rangers often get more weapons, stronger armor, and cooler zords. They also often have more knowledge of the threats of the season, like Andros in Power Rangers In Space, or more recently, Zayto in Power Rangers Dino Fury. The Red Rangers are unique among their teams, and that’s what makes them so fascinating to fans.

Aurico (Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers)

Aurico is the Alien Rangers of Aquitar's Red Ranger

While the Red Ranger was usually seen as the team leader, when the Alien Rangers of Aquitar debuted to help the Mighty Morphin team, that wasn’t true of Aurico. Instead, another member of the team was in charge, and Aurico was largely an afterthought. He didn’t get as much development as his teammates, and he certainly wasn’t as strong as them.

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While the Aquitian Rangers helped to demonstrate that the Power Rangers could have a hugely expansive universe in the early days of the show, they also had a huge weakness compared to other teams. They needed water like most of the other characters needed oxygen. A single fight would leave Aurico and his brethren dehydrated and in need of a water park. Even knowing this weakness, the group still allowed themselves to be led into areas where their access to water was cut off on a regular basis, and as an experienced Ranger, Aurico should have known better.

Rocky DeSantos (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)

Split Image of Rocky, The Second Red Ranger, From Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Rocky DeSantos replaced the original Red Ranger, Jason, in season two of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (1993-1996). This was a major step down, to say the least. Unlike Jason, Rocky wasn't the leader. Tommy led the team and Rocky's other teammates, all more experienced than him, often took on more important roles. He was the focus of one of the worst moments in Power Rangers history, a terrible episode focusing on Rocky, "Rocky Wants to Have Fun." That had episode showed him neglecting his Red Ranger duties to play pachinko.

During Power Rangers Zeo (1996-1997), Tommy becomes the Red Zeo Ranger and Rocky is rightfully downgraded to being the Blue Zeo Ranger. Jason also returns as the Gold Ranger and becomes the second-in-command. This leaves Rocky feeling useless, and he tries to take on the villainous King Mondo by himself, biting off more than he can chew.

The final stain on Rocky's character is his role in Turbo: A Power Rangers (1997) movie. He was injured during a practice match when he THREW HIMSELF into a spinning kick and fell out of the ring, hurting his back. The Rangers had a major battle to fight, so Rocky sent a 12-year-old to help the Rangers, since he couldn't, and he has done a lot more than Rocky ever did. His stand-in, Justin Stewart, becomes the Blue Turbo Ranger and permanently took his place on the team.

Nick Russell (Power Rangers Mystic Force)

Nick in the woods in Power Rangers Mystic Force

Unlike Rocky, Nick was one of the major focuses in Power Rangers Mystic Force. The story actually overdid it, and focused on Nick a little too much. He is capable of becoming the most powerful wizard ever, yet he gives up on himself time and time again. Nick didn't even get his powers until after all the other Rangers because he did not believe in magic or in himself. He was ready to stop fighting, and his team had to convince him to keep going. It should have been the other way around. He also has difficulty trusting other people, including his teammates, and rushes into battle, acting first and thinking later.

But Nick's biggest reason for being here? During the finale, he turns evil. Of course, he goes back to the side of good, but at the end of the series, he's the only Ranger who doesn't stick around. He decides instead of being a Red Ranger and saving lives he's going to go on a cross-country motorcycle trip with his parents. But he promises to return. Someday. Despite being powerful and the season mostly focusing on him, Nick's lack of confidence in himself and his preference to act before he thinks make him one of the best Red Power Rangers.

Jayden Shiba (Power Rangers Samurai)

Jayden is upset in Power Rangers Samurai

The Red Ranger in Power Rangers Samurai (2011-2012) and Power Rangers Super Samurai: Rise of the Bullzooka (2013), Jayden Shiba is a serious samurai raised and trained by Master Ji since childhood. He is overly concerned for his fellow Rangers, leading to several mistakes including going off to fight alone and initially not letting Antonio (the Gold Ranger) join the team, all in a misguided attempt to keep them safe. Overall, he's a rather stereotypical stoic leader.

Jayden is also keeping a secret from the other Rangers, which further impacts his rating as one of the best Red Power Rangers: he is not the true Red Ranger. It was originally supposed to be his sister, Lauren, but she was forced to go into hiding. After this reveal, Jayden leaves the shrine and his friends behind, convinced he has no purpose. He does return but leaves his samurai days behind and learns to have fun. Not truly a Red Ranger, Jayden did care about his fellow Rangers. Just not enough to stick around.

Troy Burrows (Power Rangers Megaforce/Super Megaforce)

Troy powering up in Power Rangers Megaforce

Troy Burrows is the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Megaforce (2013) and the follow-up series Power Rangers Super Megaforce (2014). He used martial arts as a way to become responsible and focused. Troy is compassionate and loyal, and always roots for the underdog. These are all important traits for the leader of the Power Rangers.

So why is Troy is one of the absolute best Red Power Rangers because he's extremely boring and has little to no development over the course of the series (just like the rest of the Rangers in this season). His character is very generic and lacks much of a backstory. He often broods for the sake of brooding and shows little emotion. This just makes him so boring. Plus, his acting doesn't help matters, delivering a lot of his lines with about as much enthusiasm as someone going for a root canal. At least he sticks to being a Ranger and doesn't turn evil. But being generically brooding doesn't make him a better Ranger.

Psycho Red (Power Rangers In Space/Lost Galaxy)

Psycho Rangers from Power Rangers in Space

The Psycho Rangers were created by Astronema to perform double duty for her. Their power was the result of siphoning from Dark Specter, allowing her to slowly drain the power of the entity that outranked her among the villains. The Rangers themselves were designed to be able to take on the In Space team in one-on-one combat, and were nearly impossible for the individual Rangers to beat. That means that the Psycho Red Ranger had all the same hand-to-hand skills as Andros.

The Red Psycho Ranger also proclaimed himself the strongest of his team more than once. That, however, wasn’t entirely true. After all, the only member of the team to survive their major encounters with the Power Rangers in both In Space and Lost Galaxy was actually the Pink Ranger. The Red Ranger also didn’t exactly exhibit any great leadership skills while he was busy telling everyone he was the best, indicating his ego might have eclipsed his actual skill.

Casey Rhodes (Power Rangers Jungle Fury)

Casey is the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Jungle Fury

Casey Rhodes is the leader in Power Rangers Jungle Fury (2008), despite being a new member of the Phi Zhua Academy. He becomes the Red Ranger instead of Jarrod, who had been training much longer, because he was verbally abusing another young student and Casey stood up to him. This led to their Master, Mao, making Casey the Red Ranger. Despite his noble actions, experience is also a pretty good asset to have when becoming a Red Ranger. After getting his tiger powers, he was referred to as a "cub" because of his inexperience. One of Casey's faults is his overconfidence, evidenced by taking on Dai Shi alone.

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When all the Rangers undergo a test with Master Finn to get their Master Stripes, Casey is the only one who fails because he follows what the other students are doing. Not a good sign that this leader, when unsure what to do, just follows what everyone else does. Apparently, a student is someone who "follows his master and doesn't ask." Even this route that Casey manages to master is questionable, since asking questions and understanding why he's doing what the Master is doing should be rather important too. He goes on to teach this to the students he ends up teaching at Phi Zhua Academy, further spreading a rather problematic ideology. Casey does go from an inexperienced leader to a Red Ranger who doesn't get his team killed and ends up teaching others... but he is a very flawed teacher.

Zordon (2017 Power Rangers Movie)

Bryan Cranston as Zordon in the Power Rangers 2017 Opening Scene

When Lionsgate rebooted Power Rangers for a 2017 movie, they took inspiration from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, but with a few interesting changes. One of those changes was that Zordon wasn’t just a mentor for the new team of Power Rangers, but that he used to be the Red Ranger in the past himself.

It could be argued that Zordon wasn’t a great team leader since his entire team fell to the machinations of Rita Repulsa. He and Rita were, in fact, the only original Rangers to survive, and they both ended up stuck for millions of years. When Zordon has the chance to defeat her once and for all with a new team, he remains cryptic in his mentoring of them, and is harsh with their lessons instead giving them a proper explanation about what’s happening to them. He also schemes to use the Morphing Grid to bring himself back to life and take the Red Ranger abilities from Jason, despite Jason trying his best in the situation he’s been thrown into. It doesn’t inspire much confidence in Zordon for the audience.

Alex Drake (Power Rangers Time Force)

Alex appears confused in Power Rangers Time Force

Alex is the original team leader of the Time Force before Jen and her teammates go back in time following his apparent death. The audience hears a lot about how great Alex is as a Ranger, but much of that is through Jen’s eyes, and she’s a little biased because he helped get her through training, and they started a relationship.

In truth, Alex was a very rigid leader, not wanting to deviate from official rules and regulations so as not to potentially disrupt the time stream. While that’s understandable, he didn’t take into account the experience or opinions of his team when they’d been in situations that he was new to. He also had no time for his ancestor, a new addition to the team that everyone else actually trusted, his own jealousy getting in the way of his ability to work with others.

Over time, Alex certainly mellowed a bit as he’s still the Time Force leader when Jen and Wes meet again in the special “Forever Red,” but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s not great at adapting to new situations, which a Red Ranger really has to be.

Charlie (Power Rangers SPD)

Charlie is the Red Ranger of the Power Rangers SPD A Squad

In the SPD season, the Rangers are glorified police officers. That’s not to say they don’t have special skills or aren’t great fighters, but they’re definitely a different kind of Ranger. The A-Squad, however, is the elite of SPD, the best cadets that have gone through the training program. They also happen to be a little evil, and Charlie is their ring-leader.

The audience really had to give the A-Squad credit for faking their deaths on a mission and then returning to Earth to reap the rewards their position offered them. Charlie was the leader of the team, and clearly ran a pretty tight ship since the entire team bands together to turn on SPD and the planet as a whole. Charlie might have ultimately been selfish and disloyal, but she was pretty brilliant since she led her team to victory after victory and even slaughtered SPD members stationed around the planet. She and her A-Squad, however, cannot beat the B-Squad that replaces them.

Jack Landors (Power Rangers SPD)

Jack smirking in Power Rangers SPD

Jack is similar to Casey in that he is an inexperienced leader. Unlike Casey, he is a Robin Hood-esque thief who has the ability to walk through walls. He starts out not wanting to be part of Power Rangers SPD since he wants to help people in smaller ways rather than fighting as a Ranger. However, he does become the Red Ranger in order to save his friend Z's life and the rest of the Rangers. At one point he even risks his life to stop a meteor.

Ultimately, by the end of the series, Jack decides he is not to be the Red Ranger anymore. He instead goes back to helping others in need and Sky, the Blue Ranger, is promoted to Red Ranger status. While Jack does prove himself as a Ranger, the Blue Ranger was more fitting for the role of leader. He had been training for it most of his life and Jack was simply a new rookie who didn't even want to be on the team who was handed the role. Jack really wasn't qualified for the job and despite his heroic actions, he just stops being a Ranger once the big bad is taken care of. He doesn't even say a proper goodbye to his fellow teammates. He may have a kind heart, but Jack really didn't want to be the Red Ranger. He was a great person morally, but he just wasn't cut out to be a Red Ranger.

Tyler Navarro (Power Rangers Dino Charge)

Tyler Navarro is the Red Ranger Power Rangers Dino Charge

Tyler is adventurous and puts a lot of energy into his leadership role in Power Rangers Dino Charge (2015). He is also trying to find out what happened to his father, who disappeared ten years earlier while he was on an archeological dig. Unfortunately, his father's disappearance leads to Tyler's biggest flaws as a leader. His obsession with finding the person responsible for his father's disappearance causes Tyler to act rashly and put his team in danger.

At one point he goes after Fury, the monster drawn in his father's notebook (the only thing he left behind), on his own. His actions ruin a plan the Rangers were working on to take down the big bad of the season, Sludge. He does not let his obsession totally consume him, though. After he finds out Fury is controlling a mysterious host, Tyler switches from focusing on revenge to focusing on saving the host. Tyler also gets the energy that turns him into a Power Ranger stolen by Sledge. He does recover it, but losing it in the first place hurts him more than it helps him in becoming a great Red Ranger. Tyler's obsession with revenge pulls him back, but he is a powerful Ranger that can be a serious leader. He also has the most "forms" of any other Ranger, 11 in total.

Lauren Shiba (Power Rangers Super Samurai)

Lauren Shiba from Power Rangers Super Samurai

Lauren Shiba gets the honor of being the very first female Red Ranger who doesn't go to the dark side. However, her character had a very rocky start with her fellow Rangers. She is the sister of Jayden Shiba, taking his place as the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Super Samurai. Of course, the other Rangers were reluctant to move on from having Jayden as their leader. Kevin, the Blue Ranger, even wants to leave with Jayden.

But Lauren is a very capable leader and fighter, and right away she is shown to be just as good if not better than Jayden, skills-wise. She had to be sent into hiding in order to master the Sending Seal to seal away the big bad of the season. As soon as she gets back, Lauren takes care of Jayden and the injuries he sustained while fighting in her stead. She manages to take out a monster with one Zord that previously took out the powerful Claw Armor Megazord. The biggest problem is that, while Lauren finishes strong as the Red Ranger, she only shows up on the 16th episode of the show, giving her only a handful of episodes to prove herself.

Cole Evans (Power Rangers Wild Force)

Cole Evans from Power Rangers Wild Force

Cole Evans was raised by a tribe in the jungle from the time he was a baby, because his parents were killed. It prepared him well for leading his team in Power Rangers Wild Force (2002-2003). He could give Tarzan a run for his money with his agility, keen senses and connection with animals. He is even able to communicate with the Wild Zords. Also, unlike previous Rangers, Cole wasn't a teenager. He's approximately 20 years old and, in his case, with age comes experience.

Despite having some difficulties adjusting to civilization, Cole tries his best at everything he does. However, he is still a rookie with no formal training when he joins the Rangers. And just like Jack, there was arguably another member of the team who was much more suited to be the Red Ranger: Taylor Earhardt, the Yellow Ranger. She was the leader of the team before Cole, so she already had experience leading the team. Unlike Cole, she's had military training. This does mean she has a very strict personality, but Cole shouldn't completely disregard the rule book she sets out for the team. A true leader would at least try to consider his second-in-command's suggestions. Cole has a lot of unique powers and the heart of a hero, but he would have been better as the emotional center of the team rather than their leader.

Shane Clarke (Power Rangers Ninja Storm)

Shane Clarke in Power Rangers Ninja Storm

Shane Clarke leads the Rangers in Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003-2004). He's a very serious person who has difficulty working on a team. His family are the ones who instilled this seriousness into him. To compensate, Shane uses skateboarding as an outlet. He watches his friends' backs and tries to make sure they don't trust others too quickly. He has to learn to trust the Crimson and Navy Thunder Rangers, Hunter and Blake, but eventually does consider them true teammates and friends.

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In addition to his capabilities as a Ranger, Shane has a lot of superpowers and skills he learned from the Wind Ninja Academy. He has superhuman speed, can leap high into the air, evade detection and use his inner energies in order to resist mental attacks and manipulation. His power as a Ranger allow him to control the element of air. He's able to project gusts of wind and walk on air. He earns his Battlizer armor because he saved the alien woman Skyla when he was younger from a bounty hunter. Shane eventually becomes an instructor at the Wind Ninja Academy.

Scott Truman (Power Rangers RPM)

Scott standing in front of his car in Power Rangers RPM

Scott Truman, the Red Ranger of Power Rangers RPM (2009), has a lot of baggage on his shoulders. He really wants to live up to his father's expectations, having always been overshadowed by his younger brother Marcus. Scott is the one who survives the Battle of Corinth, while his brother dies in battle.

The reason Scott isn't regarded as a better Red Ranger comes down to his personality: he can be very stubborn and cocky, and doesn't trust easily. If anyone disobeys his orders, they better watch out - especially if they're Dylan! He also cares about his cars A LOT - maybe more than his fellow Rangers. But Scott does prove himself to be a good person and leader. At one point, he recklessly goes out into the desert, but he manages to correct his folly when he saves several prisoners. His father offers him a medal for his actions, but he refuses to take it because he wasn't on a mission at the time. Scott may like his cars a little too much, but he does have his heroic moments.

Wesley "Wes" Collins (Power Rangers Time Force)

Wes in Power Rangers Time Force

Wesley Collins, better known as "Wes", is the second-in-command of the Rangers in Power Rangers Time Force. Despite his Red Ranger status, Wes is more of a field commander while Jen, the Pink Time Force Ranger, leads the squad. He gets his morpher from the former Red Time Force Ranger Alex, who was Jen's fiancé.

At first Wes is going to take over his father's company, but he joins the Rangers instead. He tries to save his fellow Rangers by sending them back to the future when he finds out they'll die if they stay, but his teammates are dedicated and return when they find out Wes will die trying to save the city. After winning the fight, the other Rangers leave for the future. Wes keeps his Red Ranger powers and becomes the commander of the Silver Guardians, who protect the city. He also makes the smart decision to only accept the job if he can have Eric, the very capable Quantum Ranger, as his partner.

Mackenzie "Mack" Hartford (Power Rangers Operation Overdrive)

Mack holding his morpher in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive

Mack Hartford is the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (2007). Mack has to convince his father, who is creating the elite Power Rangers team, to let him become the Red Ranger. Instead of convincing him, Mack steals his father's morpher and becomes the Red Ranger. It's not a great start.

Mack's drive is adventure and excitement, but the most interesting thing about Mack is that he is actually an android created by his dad because he couldn't have a son. Being an android both positively and negatively influences his ranking as one of the best Red Power Rangers. When Mack finds out he is an android, he questions his existence and becomes very reckless. But he does ultimately overcome this identity crisis, a pretty great feat considering his whole life was under question.

Mack's most heroic moment occurs during the season finale. He uses all of his power during his fight with Flurious in order to destroy him. This causes severe internal damage, too severe to repair. He sacrificed his life and that does earn him some consideration as a great Ranger. But besides being a robot, Mack just isn't very interesting, and he is revived and becomes human at the end of the season.

Conner McKnight (Power Rangers Dino Thunder)

Conner is the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Dino Thunder

We're first introduced to Conner when he skips class to play soccer. His first line in Power Rangers Dino Thunder (2004) is to his friend, who is worrying about getting caught by Principal Randall. "Don't worry about Randall," says Conner. "She's a woman. And women are just grown up girls. Need I say more?" Please, don't.

So why is he considered one of the best Red Power Rangers? Conner does one of those things fans love about Red Rangers: he evolves as a character over the course of the season. He goes from being a jerk to someone who has earned the right to wear red. It's a real risk to start with a jerky character because it makes it more difficult to root for them; but if the writers can pull it off, that former jerk can become much more compelling than someone with a stoic, perfect personality right from the get-go.

Conner's life used to revolve around soccer and nothing else. Toward the beginning of his career as a Ranger, he wanted to give up in order to play soccer. But he eventually bonds with the other Rangers and dedicates himself - for the most part - to his Ranger duties. And he still manages to pursue his passion, setting up soccer camps all around the world. But he still isn't the brightest crayon in the box.

Devon Daniels (Power Rangers Beast Morphers)

Devon is annoyed in Power Rangers Beast Morphers

There are very few Power Rangers in the history of the franchise who actively don’t want to be a Power Ranger. Devon is one of them. That’s largely because he and his father don’t get along very well when his season starts, and his father is the one in charge in the town where the Power Rangers become responsible for protecting the clean energy provided by the Morphing Grid. Devon just wants to practice his karate, play video games, and have a good time.

Despite that, Devon rises to the occasion when there isn’t another candidate to become the Red Ranger around. He might have the ability to morph thrust on him by a scientist, but he doesn’t back down from the enemies, even when he doesn’t have the protection of the power behind him. He rallies with his teammates - who were never supposed to be Rangers either, and saves the city several times over.