Power Rangers 2017 movie Megazord

Measuring actual "power" in the Power Rangers' universe would require some new complex mathematics capable of comparing space-time disruptions to dinosaur attacks, sweet ninja and samurai moves to the magic of origami. Rating the arsenals of the Megazords across every season of the show is an extremely inexact science, to say the least. Also — especially considering that some of the weaponry available on the toy versions of the Megazords was never utilized on the show, leaving us without video evidence to analyze — the overall effectiveness of many of the weapons depends entirely upon the battle strategies and creativity of their operators.

With that in mind, originality and coolness factor should count for at least as much as kill count when considering the best weapons to stock in your own personal Megazord armory, because the potential for many weapons exists mainly in the mind of the brandisher. At least until modern science develops the Power Rangers unified field theory the world so desperately needs.

The new Power Rangers film features a revamped Megazord with a redesigned weapon configuration, but only imagination or a lot of DIY modding will give you a hybrid packing all of The Megazord's 15 Best Weapons.

15. Power Staff (Dino Megazord)

Dino Megazord Power Staff in Power Rangers

Most often operated remotely by playing the Dragon Dagger like a flute — either from the sidelines of the battle or from the cockpit of the Dino Megazord -- the Dragonzord essentially added drone warfare to the Megazord's weapons capabilities. And considering how useful the Dragonzord's tail proved in knocking enemies off balance in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, the Dragonzord would itself be worthy of inclusion on this list as an auxiliary weapon for the original Megazord.

When combined with the Triceratops, Mastodon, and Sabertooth Tiger Dinozords in Dragonzord Battlemode, that tail became even more powerful as the energized drill tip of the Power Staff, providing an explosive finishing move that sent many an enemy off to giant monster Valhalla. In the Mega Dragonzord combination, the Dragonzord provides extra armor and big-gun energy cannons, making it a veritable Swiss-Army Zord.

Unfortunately, much like actual drones, the Dragonzord has also proven highly susceptible to hacking. Anyone in possession of the Dragon Dagger can control it, even enemies of the Power Rangers, putting the good guys in perpetual danger of being hoisted by their own Zord petard.

14. Judgment Scanner (Delta Squad Megazord)

Delta Squad Megazord Judgment Scanner in Power Rangers SPD

It's not exactly a weapon, per se, but the giant-sized Judgment Scanner embedded in the Delta Squad Megazord's left arm undoubtedly allowed the B-Squad Rangers of Space Patrol Delta to take down Troobian monsters and mercenaries of the near future with impunity, resting assured that they'd been given a guilty verdict following an extremely speedy trial by error-proof gadgetry. Sure, one might well argue that the baddies being judged by the Megazord were most often caught mid-rampage in the act of destroying a city in giant robots of their own. But the Judgment Scanner relies on electrical impulses instead of circumstantial evidence, allowing the Rangers to circumvent any pesky concerns about reading off monster Miranda Rights or habeas corpus and just get to blasting.

As English Judge William Blackstone once wrote, "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer" — a sentiment the 18th Century jurist would no doubt apply just as readily to alien suspects in the year 2025 as to defendants in his courtroom.

13. Power Gloves (Ninja Megazord)

Ninja Megazord in Power Rangers

Favoring speed and agility over heavy weaponry, the Ninja Megazord from the third and final season of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series dealt most of its damage through martial arts maneuvers. The super energy punches from the Power Gloves packed the kind of wallop that might be expected from a Megazord with a wolf for a left arm and an ape for a right, and the force was increased dramatically when the Ninja Megazord combined with the Falcon Zord to create — what else? — the NinjaFalconMegazord.

The effectiveness of the charged-up Power Glove attack is especially fortuitous considering the Ninja Megazord's inability to open and close its hands in order to grip any other sort of weapon, making the mech a de facto adherent to Ed Parker's Kenpo Creed: "I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong; then here are my weapons, Karate, my empty hands."

12. Headlights Blaster (Turbo Megazord)

Turbo Megazord Headlights Blaster in Power Rangers Turbo

By some accounts, the Turbo Megazord from the much-maligned and literally self-parodying Power Rangers Turbo is one of the most powerful Megazords of the Zordon era, perhaps the most powerful — even if it is made up of auto parts instead of dinosaurs or time-traveling spaceships or what-have-you. And, while the Saber-slashing Spinout finishing maneuver definitely proves to be a highly effective maneuver more often than not, hitting the high beams with the chest-mounted Headlights Blaster provides a useful distraction that got the Turbo Megazord out of some tight spots.

Take the "Stitch Witchery" episode for example, when the Megazord becomes ensnared in the electrocuting fabric swaths cast out by the evil fashion designer, Delisha Ennivel. To quote the Turkish playwright Mehmet Murat Ildan“The most precious light is the one that visits you in your darkest hour!” To quote Turbo Red Ranger T.J. Johnson, "Let's end this fashion show!"

11. Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball (Dino Charge Megazord)

Pachy Wrecking Ball in Power Rangers Dino Charge

The top-heavy Pachy Zord from Power Rangers Dino Charge has been ridiculed for its "bulbous and awkward" design, based loosely on the skeletal structure of its spirit animal, the thick-skulled Cretaceous Period herbivore Pachycephalosaurus (which was never one of the more popular dinosaurs to pronounce). And on its own, the Pachy Zord is inarguably lamer than the carnivorous T-Rex Zord and Raptor Zord, or even other herbivore-based Zords like the Stega Zord and Tricera Zord.

As a part of the Ankylo-Pachy Formation of the Dino Charge Megazord, however, the Pachy Zord's ungainly form and vegetarian ways belie its true appetite for destruction. Packing even more of a punch than a Miley Cyrus torch ballad, the monster-demolishing Pachy Zord Wrecking Ball Final Strike finisher is as devastating as it sounds, harnessing the awesome power of centrifugal force with prehistoric ferocity. Even evil skyscraper-high monsters must bow before Newton's First Law of Motion.

10. Clutcher (Wild Force Megazord)

Megazord Clutcher in Power Rangers Wild Force

Just ask Charles Darwin; variation and adaptation are what give species their strength and allow them to evolve over time. The large number of Megazord configurations available to the Power Rangers Wild Force team (thanks to their increasing stock of sentient animal spirit zords) allows them a wide variety of tantalizing weapons, from a Giraffe Zord Spear to Double Knuckle Bear Blaster power gauntlets to a foot-launched Armadillo Zord projectile weapon, and several combinations thereof — and that's not even mentioning the interchangeable Shark Zord arms.

But when the evil reincarnate Master Org created the nearly invincible Tombstone Org from the combined spirits of the deceased, only the reluctant and overlooked Deer Wildzord was able to provide the necessary component for defeating the monster and releasing the spirits trapped inside. Acting as a sort of soul catcher, the Deer Wildzord's antlers are highly specialized weaponry, to say the least, but there's no replacing them in a clutch situation.

9. Time Jet Blaster (Time Force Megazord)

Time Jet Blaster in Power Rangers Time Force

"Time makes fools of us all," said the mathematician and science-fiction writer Eric Temple Bell, and never does this axiom hold truer than when time is being wielded as a weapon by a giant Megazord made out of Jet Flyers on loan from the year 3000. Like many Megazords, the one featured on Power Rangers Time Force can be assembled in a few configurations, but Mode Blue gets extra coolness points for arming the Megazord with a jet fighter gun the Rangers can use to target time-traveling superhuman escape convict Ransik's mutant army and freeze them in their tracks.

Punctuated by the chilling catchphrase, "Your time's up!", blasts from the Time Jet gun run out the clock on the Time Force's adversaries in the most literal sense possible, harnessing the undeniable power of the fourth dimension to restore order to the other three and give humanity hope for the future.

8. Battle Helmets (Zeo Megazord)

Talk about multitasking — the Zeo Megazord wears a lot of hats, and not in a figurative sense. Capable of swapping out battle helmets depending on the situation, the Zeo Megazord enables its Ranger crew to launch telekinetic attacks at enemies using the Zeo III Battle Helmet's Pyramid Mode, fire projectiles using the Zeo I and Zeo II's respective Cannon and Rocket Modes, charge at opponents like a bull using Zeo Battle Helmet IV's Gravity Mode, or summon the Saber for a good old fashioned finishing move using the default Zeo Battle Helmet V's Warrior Mode.

Keeping the monsters guessing is absolutely necessary for survival when facing timeline-altering villains, aliens, and robot royalty from the Machine Empire. The Zeo II Battle Helmet even has the added bonus of functioning as a pair of retro rockets when the Megazord needs to change directions in the vacuum of outer space. Accessory is the mother of invention.

7. Whirlwind Laser Lance (Triceramax Megazord)

Combining the mechanized essences of enough dinosaurs to make even Jurassic Park's John Hammond second guess himself, the Triceramax Megazord adds the powers of the Ankylozord, the Parasaurzord, the Cephalozord, and the Dimetrozord to the already formidable Mezodon Megazord (which itself is an amalgamation of the Mezodon Rover Styracosaurus Zord and the Triassic Mega Rover). Still with us?

The Triceramax Megazord turns the Mezodon Megazord's dual-wielded battle axes into a single head-spinning, double-edged lance that can create a whirlwind capable of dizzying the Dino Thunder team's monstrous opponents into a game-ending daze. To achieve a similar effect, try explaining the nature of the Triceramax Megazord to someone who has no idea what you're talking about, and tell them there's going to be a test. The paleontological classifications of many actual dinosaurs are probably not that much more complicated to relate, even with all the Latin words. Nunc est zord. (Now that's a zord!")

6. Synchronized Energy Cannon Barrage (Lightspeed Solarzord)

Lightspeed Solarzord in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue

The battle against Diabolico in the Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue episode "The Cobra Strikes" initially looks pretty dire. The demon quickly puts the Supertrain Megazord out of commission, and then straight-up laughs off of the Lightspeed Megazord's Fire Circle finishing attack like it tickles. But as legendary war strategist Sun Tzu wrote,“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity,”  and fortunately, Titanium Ranger Ryan Mitchell has a secret weapon up his sleeve.

After momentarily setting the controls for the heart of the sun to charge up his Max Solarzord shuttlecraft, he drops back down into the fray to initiate the Lightspeed Solarzord sequence for the first time, splitting his zord into several pieces of armor and weaponry to add to the Megazord. When Diabolico hits again, the Lightspeed Solarzord absorbs the energy of the attack and blasts it back at him in a multi-cannon barrage, defeating the demon — for now. Renewable energy sources make for easier reloading.

5. Dragon Mode (Titan Megazord)

Titan Megazord in Dragon Mode in Power Rangers Mystic Force

Morphing into a medieval hell beast counts as a weapon, right? The Titan Megazord from Power Rangers Mystic Force has to be completely reconfigured to form the Mystic Dragon, which combines four of the five available Titan forms: the Yellow Ranger's Mystic Garuda (wings and neck), the Blue Ranger's Mystic Mermaid (tail), the Pink Ranger's Mystic Sprite (head) and the Green Ranger's Mystic Minotaur. This leaves the Red Ranger's Mystic Phoenix as the odd man out, but it's cool, because he's the Dragon pilot.

The complicated assembly pays off immediately with the power of flight -- plus three-forked Fire Breath and a Mega Fireball finisher. And, as he did to the Hydra Worm in the episode "Code Busters," Nick Russell's Mystic Phoenix can even backflip off the Mystic Dragon to bicycle kick the Mega Fireball at an enemy, just in case the team feels like the whole transforming-into-a-robot-dragon move wasn't flashy enough.

4. Power Spheres (Storm Megazord)

Storm Megazord in Power Rangers Ninja Storm

"A Megazord is nothing without accessories," says Power Rangers Ninja Storm's Blue Wind Ranger Tori Hanson before loading a Power Disc into the Storm Megazord to call up a Power Sphere, and she's totally right. The Storm Megazord, in addition to its Blizard Flurry and Dolphin Laser Blast attacks, is capable of projecting a Power Sphere from its chest. From the Power Spheres hatch a number of effective weapons, as determined by the Power Disc a Ranger inserts into the Storm Zord's console. Depending on the Disc, the Storm Zord could soon be wielding a Serpent Sword, a Ram Hammer, a Squid Drill, a Turtle Mace, and more — or even weapons combining these and other animal-themed armaments into other, somehow more insane devices.

If the Storm Megazord hadn't be destroyed in the final battle with the evil ninja Master Lothor, it would probably be super into Pokémon GO right now.

3. Ultra MegaStrike (Ultra Gosei Great Megazord)

Ultra Gosei Great Megazord in Power Rangers MegaForce

Sometimes, you just have to call in the big guns. All of them. Featuring an ensemble cast rivaling that of a Robert Altman film, the Ultra Gosei Great Megazord from Power Rangers Megaforce is the result of combining the Ultra Change Zord with the already hella formidable Gosei Great Megazord and all the zords that make up its three alternate variations. We're talking the Mechazords plus the Sea Brothers, Sky Brothers, and Land Brothers zords — 20 zords in all.

And for added insanity, the Ultra Gosei Great Megazord's finishing move, the Ultra Mega Strike, launches all these zords at its unfortunate enemy in an attack not all that dissimilar from the volley of severed heads the orcs catapulted over the walls during the siege at Minas Tirith in The Return of the King, only with way more sharks and dinosaurs and stuff. Ultra Gosei Great Megazord does not play around.

2. Power Sword (Most Megazords)

Almost every Megazord worth its massive weight packs a Power Sword of some sort, and it's often the go-to weapon for knocking down a giant monster so hard that it explodes on impact. The actual powers of said Power Sword or Saber vary according to the season-specific needs of the Rangers operating the Megazord wielding it (bending space-time, banishing demons, et al), but an epic finishing move is all but guaranteed once the sword is summoned.

While the Power Sword wielded by the Original Megazord seems like a relatively basic model in comparison to the many variations that would follow -- the Astro Megazord's Saber, for example, could transform into a Laser Whip, and the Samurai Shark Gigazord's sword was, well a shark -- but for many fans, it packs a nostalgia power nonpareil. That energy wave generating finishing move formed the basis for many great attacks to follow...even the Samurai Shark slash.

1. Teamwork! (All)

No matter how heavily armed the Megazord, its greatest strength is always the collective effort of the Rangers operating it. Combining the disparate skill sets of the teams of Rangers operating them, Megazords are a classic case of the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts. Defeating giant mutants, aliens, demons, and monsters often requires a crew as diverse as that on any Star Trek bridge. Rangers must think and act as one — often in the form of shouted catchphrases and synchronized hand gesticulations — but also find a way to work with sentient machinery or animal spirits or whatever other weirdnesses manifested themselves weekly on a series that seems to take inspiration from everything from Gojira to GWAR.

While most of the insane weaponry listed above probably won't make it into the arsenal of the Megazord in the new movie, teamwork will most likely win out. When asked what the message of the movie would be, the new Pink Ranger Naomi Scott replied"Diversity only makes us stronger, so embrace it."

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What weapons would you stock in your Megazord arsenal? Let us know in the comments.