For the uninitiated, Power Rangers can be one hell of a confusing series to crack. In fact, even the initiated have trouble understanding it, what with the franchise spanning over two decades, 23 seasons, 19 different series, and two theatrically released films. In the end, what it all amounts to is a television show about a group of youths gaining superpowers, putting on different colored costumes, and coming together to fight various villains. Chances are you know that much if you’ve been alive at any point in the last 20 years.
But this is 2016, and therefore no established franchise is safe from a gritty Hollywood reboot. We’re about to see a whole lot more of the Power Rangers over the next few years. In 2017 Power Rangers will be brought to the big screen with a big budget and a whole new aesthetic. Gone are the spandex suits and reconstituted footage from old Japanese television, here to stay is a grounded and dark look at what happens when a group of teenagers gets superpowers.
And what superpowers are they going to get, might you ask? Surely we all remember from our childhood that the Power Rangers have butt-kicking fighting abilities, cool weapons, and the power to call upon robots called Zords and even bigger robots called Megazords. But what else can they do? As it turns out, they can do a whole lot more than you ever knew. Here’s 15 Superpowers You Didn’t Know the Power Rangers Had.
15. Force-Field Projection
The ability to create and project force-fields for offensive and defensive powers has been an essential power to two Power Rangers throughout the franchise, and it’s no less exciting every time it happens. Perhaps we’re just used to punching and kicking, but seeing a Power Ranger shoot out a force-field in a battle is exhilarating, and this is one superpower that we’d absolutely love to have.
This power has so far been held only by two rangers. One of them was Schuyler “Sky” Tate – a Blue, as well as Red, Ranger - in the 2005 series Power Rangers SPD. Tate was the son of a former Red Ranger and he acquired his powers from his father after an experiment gone wrong. The other force-field manipulating Power Ranger is Tyzonn, a Mercury Ranger from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in 2007. As a Mercurian, Tyzonn has the natural ability to create force-fields out of mercury.
14. Telekinesis
Three Power Rangers have been gifted with the power of telekinesis, and in each of their adventures it’s always exciting to find out which new uses they can find for their superpower. The ability to move objects with one’s own mind, it’s obvious to see what an asset the power of telekinesis would be if you are a teenager tasked with fighting evil and saving the world. Keeping in mind that a Power Ranger can lose their power if using their abilities for personal gain, it’s all the more impressive that these three Rangers were able to refrain from using their telekinesis to bring the TV remote close enough to them without having to move.
Held by Andros and Zhane of Power Rangers in Space in 1999, the two human Rangers eventually got involved in a love triangle with fellow Ranger Ashley, who also wanted to learn telekinesis. Although Zhane tried to teach her how to focus her thoughts in order to achieve the superpower, Andros got jealous and Ashley never learned how to manipulate objects with her mind. What a shame.
13. Sonic Screaming Ability
As far as superpowers go, Sonic Screaming Ability isn’t high on the list of well-known powers. Not exactly a mainstay of comic books or superpowered children’s TV shows, a sonic scream – at least in the Power Rangers Universe – is a scream so powerful that it can destroy and flatten anything in the scream’s path. So yeah, it’s pretty powerful and it makes us wonder why only one Power Ranger and pretty much no one else of note has this sonic screaming ability.
Held by Kira Ford, the Yellow Ranger, in 2004’s Power Rangers Dino Thunder, her sonic scream allowed her to get in the way of enemies as well as incapacitate them by damaging their hearing. Perhaps fittingly, Kira Ford was portrayed as a musical legend, renowned for her record success and her eventual becoming of a global singing phenomenon as of 2025. We can only imagine that Kira never released an album that was just an hour and a half of her sonic scream.
12. Animal Communication
From Ant-Man to Aquaman, many of the best heroes have the ability to communicate with animals in ways that regular humans could never imagine. This allows them to use various animals as their allies, and should the time come when they need the animal kingdom to help protect the world the animal kingdom always comes through. Well, count the Power Rangers and the animals within the franchise no different, as no list of Power Rangers superpowers would be complete without including Animal Communication.
11. Psychic Powers
As common as psychic powers are in the world of superheroes, only one Power Ranger has ever been noted as having this particular power. Whether you call it clairvoyance or the gift of the third eye, there’s no denying that when you’re fighting crime every day it would be damn well useful to be able to predict the future and know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
Such was the case with Trip from 2001’s Power Rangers Time Force, a green-haired native of the planed Xybria. Aside from being the first ever Green Ranger that wasn’t a human, Trip had the unique distinction of – like Marvel’s Vision – having a gem embedded in his forehead that helped give him his powers. He was able to read minds and see the future, although it’s worth noting that this wasn’t a power he had full control over and thus he couldn’t chose what and when to see or not to see.
10. Invisibility
In the Power Rangers universe there’s few things better than an unexpected power coming in handy during a boss battle. It’s why we loved watching the series as kids and it’s why we’d (at least secretly) pretend to be our favorite Power Ranger on the schoolyard. And perhaps no Power Rangers Superpower tickled our imagination as much as that of invisibility; especially when used as awesomely as these Power Rangers used it.
The most notable user of invisibility was famed Ranger Tommy Oliver from Power Rangers Dino Thunder in 2004. Not only was Tommy gifted with many powers over many series, but he at times was the Green Ranger and the Red Ranger, not to mention the Black and White Ranger as well. Talk about having it all. But while Tommy’s invisibility was courtesy of the Black Dino Gem, other Ranger Rose Ortiz from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in 2007 got her powers genetically. Oh, also, Tommy was the first evil Power Ranger in the franchise’s history, so that leaves a little black mark on his resume for having super cool invisibility powers.
9. Super Strength
Let’s make it clear right off the bat that all Power Rangers are strong. When selecting teenagers to fight bad guys in order to save the world on a weekly basis, the powers at be have to make sure that these aren’t your ordinary nerdy watch-YouTube-seven-hours-a-day teens. Add to that the countless hours of training to becoming a Power Ranger and you’re left with some seriously tough kids protecting the world. But strength is one thing, and super strength is another…
Katie Walker from Power Rangers Time Force in 2001 was best known as the Yellow Ranger, and her super strength was no laughing matter. Able to lift large chunks of rock and metal, Katie’s strength was a product of genetic engineering and greatly outweighed that of any other Ranger at the time. The only other Ranger to specifically possess super strength was Mack Hartford from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in 2007, a red Ranger that was altered from an android to a human and gained nearly unlimited strength in the process.
8. Element Manipulation
The ability to manipulate the elements is a superpower that’s been around since the beginning of storytelling itself. When designing a superhero it’s always easier to look around you for inspiration rather than create new powers out of nothing. So perhaps it’s fitting that entire Power Rangers teams have been built around the powers of Earth, Water, Air, Sun, Snow, Lightning, and Thunder manipulation. Not to mention how cool these teams have been because of their unique composition of special superpowered members.
The first series to play with element manipulation was Power Rangers Ninja Storm in 2003. While there were five Rangers who could control the elements in that series, one of the standouts was the Red Ranger – Shane Clark – whose ability to manipulate the air resulted in cool battle tactics where he would create wind storms to stave off enemies or augment the air in such a way as to walk on it. The second elemental manipulation Power Rangers team was featured in Power Rangers Mystic Force in 2005, where eight Rangers combined to control all of the classic elements.
7. Skin Hardening
If you thought Luke Cage and The Hulk were the only heroes that had super-tough skin that couldn’t be broken, think again. Useful in battle as well as in life, being able to harden your skin at any given moment and make yourself near-indestructible is a helpful talent to have. And though only one Power Ranger has had this power over the course of the franchise, but the way it manifested itself in his storyline was exceptionally cool.
Ethan James from Power Rangers Dino Thunder in 2004 was the Blue Ranger, and thus in possession of the Blue Dino Gem. This gave him the ability to make his skin impenetrable, covered in scales, and blue, similar to that of a triceratops. With rock hard skin Ethan was able to fight evil without worrying so much about the physical consequences, which made him one hell of a cool Power Ranger to root for.
6. Superhuman Speed
Speed is a classic trait of superheroes around the world; after all, you’re not going to win a battle slowly walking around and trying to escape from the bad guy. Like strength, while all Power Rangers are naturally speedy, not all of them have superhuman speed. In fact, despite Power Rangers suits augmenting speed naturally, there are only two Rangers in history that could outrun everyone else every single time without making it a competition.
The first Ranger with super speed was Conner McKnight from Power Rangers Dino Thunder in 2004. Conner was a Red Ranger who gained his powers through a Red Dino Gem fusing with his DNA, thus giving him the ability to move as fast as the speed of sound. Next up was Ronny Robinson from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in 2007. A Yellow Ranger, Ronny is capable of moving faster than the world’s fastest athlete, not to mention the cool and Quicksilver-esque fact that the world actually slows down to match her when she is moving quickly.
5. Self-Replication
It’s safe to say that given the ability to self-replicate many would chose to use the power for selfish gains. There’s just so much potential that having multiple versions of yourself would allow for. It’s quite amazing to consider that the only Ranger in the history of the Power Rangers franchise with the power of self-replication actually used her abilities for good.
Actually notable for having a lifelong dream of protecting innocent people from danger, Elizabeth Delgado from Power Rangers SPD in 2005 was the Yellow Ranger lucky enough to be gifted with genetic powers. Always picked on at school for her abilities, Elizabeth – known as Z – took these powers of self-replication and joined the Power Rangers squad. With her ability to create multiple versions of herself, each of them tangible and real, she was able to contribute greatly to fighting evil and protecting innocents; just as she always wanted.
4. Molecular Alteration
Out of all the super powers that the Power Rangers have possessed over the years, perhaps none are more out there than molecular alteration. Not exactly the type of power that has legions of kids wishing they could wake up with molecular alteration abilities of their own, it’s also a tricky power to televise and explain to a young audience. All of this makes it even more impressive that the one Ranger in history to have this ability was actually pretty bad-ass.
Sydney Drew from 2005’s Power Rangers SPD appeared in 38 episodes as the Pink Ranger. Loyal to a fault and one of the best fighters on her team, Sydney gained the power of molecular alteration from the Fist of Iron that she always carried on her belt. With her ability to copy the molecular structure from of anything she touches, Sydney was able to attain the strength and physical traits of a variety of different items, always giving her an unexpected leg up in battle that could change due to her circumstances.
3. Enhanced Memory
Enhanced memory is the type of power that doesn’t get a lot of love in our many superhero stories. Maybe it’s because it’s not a superpower as cinematic as webslinging or creating portals to new dimensions, but it’s still more useful than most powers that get widely shown. For example, would you rather be super stretchy, or able to remember vast amounts of information and essentially be like a human encyclopaedia, able to be utilized for information in nearly every important moment and high-octane battle? Well, that’s exactly what this particular Ranger was able to accomplish with their superpower.
Rose Ortiz from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive – she of invisibility fame – is the only Ranger known to possess this power. She was once meant to be the last ever Pink Ranger, before Disney gave up ownership of the franchise and plans changed. Ortiz’s memory powers weren’t the main ability she showcased during battle, but it was clear from her brief time using these powers that she had an ability no other Ranger could have dreamed of.
2. Super Hearing and Vision
Another unglamorous power that would be wildly useful in battle, what’s so great about this Power Ranger superpower is that it’s not going to win Sexiest Power anytime soon, but it is going to get you out of a jam when a giant evil robot is approaching. Used in various cases where our hero Power Rangers had to spot something none of the others could or listen quietly in order to get them out of danger, super hearing and vision is the type of superpower that can save a Power Ranger squad 100 times over before anyone even acknowledges it.
Will Aston from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive was a noted spy, which made his enhanced powers of observation even more critical. Able to see the tiniest detail from miles away and gifted with hearing abilities that were unmatched, Will used his powers to help gather information and do the jobs that the other Rangers in his squad weren’t able to.
1. Super Agility
It’s obvious at first glance that many Power Rangers have better agility than your everyday human. When looked at as a superpower rather than just a byproduct of good fighting, though, it’s amazing to see just what some Rangers can really do.
Dax Lo, the Blue Ranger from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, was initially a skilled movie stuntman that was overworked and underappreciated. Tired of not being credited for his roles, Dax eventually found his dreams come true when he became a Power Ranger and was able to use his powers for something more meaningful. Genetically altered to be highly agile, Dax Lo was able to jump insane distances and traverse great speeds during battle, all of which led to a formidable career as a Power Ranger, thus allowing him to leave his stunt man career behind. When coupled with his unique backstory and profession, this Ranger’s agility makes perfect sense and fits his character brilliantly.
–
Which of these Power Rangers superpowers were you most surprised to learn about? Are there any particular Power Rangers that you’ve always wished you could be? Let us know in the comments!
