The life of a Power Ranger comes with its challenges. These heroes have to support their friends, live a double life, battle off weekly incursions from extradimensional invaders, and coordinate the punches and kicks of a giant robot as they do battle against equally giant monsters.
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To say that Power Rangers face complicated challenges would be underselling it, and to manage this chaos a great leader is needed. Throughout the team's history, that honor and burden have fallen to the Red Ranger. Some who fill this role are great friends, some are great warriors, and some are great tacticians. What all share, though, is their ability to hold the Rangers together and bring glory to the team.
Updated on March 16, 2022 by Patrick Armstrong:Every Ranger is unique, which is saying something for a franchise that has spanned so many years and series. While they differ in background, attitude, skill set, and motivation, there are often commonalities. When these shared traits surface in Rangers of a single color, fans take notice. As the leader of the Power Rangers, the Red Ranger is under particular scrutiny. The success of the entire team, and therefore the planet, often rides on their shoulders. Red Rangers have to be the best, because if they're not, disaster befalls everyone. Courage, determination, leadership, and warrior prowess are often what it takes to get the job done. For that, the team turns to Red Ranger.
14 Tyler Navarro (Dino Charge)
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Every Red Ranger has their personal issues, but knowing when to address those issues and when to let them go separates a good Red Ranger from a great one. Tyler Navarro from Power Rangers Dino Charge is obsessed with finding his father who disappeared during an archeological dig years ago. His obsession causes him to make a mistake that almost dooms the Power Rangers' plan to take down sludge, the series antagonist. Fortunately, Tyler's obsession, powerful as it is, isn't so great that he's totally blind to his duties, and he does sort out his priorities enough to help his friends. It's just unfortunate that he didn't figure things out sooner.
13 Cole Evans (Wild Force)
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He may not be an alien or a robot, but Cole Evans from Power Rangers Wild Force still has one of the wildest origin stories in Power Rangers history. That's no exaggeration, as Cole was literally raised in the wild by a jungle tribe.
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Thanks to this, Cole possesses a variety of unique and powerful abilities, including a deep connection to animals and even the ability to communicate with the Wild Zords. Unfortunately, Cole's upbringing also means that he has a difficult time acclimating to the stringent social structures of society, causing him to struggle with things that others take for granted. While his passion and commitment to the team are noteworthy, Cole still suffers from a lack of experience.
12 Leo Corbett (Lost Galaxy)
The image of Leo Corbett ripping off his own shirt with a sword in hand is one of the more iconic ones in Power Rangers, and that's saying something for a franchise with such memorable imagery. As Leo's shirt-ripping incident demonstrates, he's impulsive, but that's part of what makes him great. He isn't the most level-headed or strategic leader at first, but by the end of the season, he's learned from his fellow Rangers and grown as a character. Of course, Leo was never supposed to be Red Ranger in the first place, as it was his brother who drew the sword from the stone, only passing it on to his brother in death.
11 Wesley Collins (Time Force)
While it's customary for the Red Ranger to take up the mantle of leader, In Power Rangers Time Force, Wes instead acts as the second-in-command to the Pink Ranger.
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Despite him not holding the senior leadership position, Wes is an invaluable part of the team, helping Jen guide the team safely through numerous battles. Wes attempts to send the other Rangers to the future to spare them from dying in battle, but they return to help him when it becomes clear that leaving him alone means leaving him to die in defense of the city. He might not have the most interesting characterization of any Red Ranger, but Wes is one of the most willing to die for his friends.
10 Shane Clark (Ninja Storm)
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Being color-coordinated superheroes with a penchant for matching poses and beating up city-stomping monsters seems like it would be enough of a thrill to carry a series. However, Power Rangers Ninja Storm added extreme sports.
This questionable premise led to perhaps the finest episode of the season, in which Shane must lie to his brother to maintain the illusion that he is just a skatepark slacker, rather than the world-defending hero he actually is. The amount of genuine pathos Shane brings to this moment is amongst the finest in the series. Shane Clark is a Red Ranger with depth and heart.
9 Scott Truman (RPM)
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Scott Truman's personality ranges from jerky in Power Rangers RPM, to openly hostile to the entire team in Clash of the Red Rangers. Untrusting, stubborn, and otherwise difficult, Scott is the kind of character that seems misplaced as a Red Ranger. So why is he one of the best?
Though ranger colors may serve as an archetype for roles, getting exactly the same character season after season is dull. If every Red Ranger were Carter Grayson, the role would die of predictability. Scott Truman is interesting, hilarious in Clash of the Red Rangers, and serves as an antidote to role stagnation within the franchise. Without Scott and Rangers like him, the role of Red would be far too predictable. Superhero stories have villains turned heroes, and then they have whatever Scott is.
8 Mack Hartford (Operation Overdrive)
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Mack Hartford is at the center of arguably the most interesting arc in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Without spoiling all of the fun, one can say that Mack's true identity is...different than one would suspect, leading to all manner of complications for himself and his fellow Rangers.
Rather than be derailed by the revelation of who he is and where he comes from, Mack maintains his dedication to the team. Though the secret of Mack's identity is arguably the only interesting thing about him, it is so interesting that it helps carry an otherwise lackluster season. Mack doesn't just fight monsters, he helps keep Power Rangers itself alive. His whole arc feels like an excellent What If?
7 Conner McKnight (Dino Thunder)
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Conner McKnight was neither the best team leader of his season, given that Tommy was at the reins. Nor was he a good or likable person when he first appeared, being sexist towards Kira and generally kind of a jerk.
The upside to this bad beginning, and the reason that Conner should count amongst the greatest Reds, is that Conner changed. He realized the error of his ways, made amends where could, and even opened up a series of soccer camps for others since he couldn't fulfill his own dream of soccer stardom. Given that many Rangers change little, let alone to the extent that Conner did, McKnight's transformation is a notable and necessary arc. Conner might not be coming to any feature films, but his contribution to Dino Thunder was immense.
6 Carter Grayson (Lightspeed Rescue)
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A firefighter before he joined the Rangers, heroism and self-sacrifice are printed all over Carter Grayson. He is the kind of person the phrase "All-American" was coined to describe, and indeed it often surfaces in discussions of the character.
While he might not be the most innovative or boundary-pushing Ranger, Carter knows the kind of hero he is supposed to be and embodies it. Righteousness and morality form the spine of this character. Viewers get few surprises or weird bits of trivia from someone with his straightforward characterization, but that's fine. He wants to be a good person, a good leader, and a good Red Ranger, and on all three counts, he succeeds.
5 Lauren Shiba (Super Samurai)
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The true and rightful Red Ranger of Power Rangers Super Samurai, Lauren Shiba steps into the role after her brother Jayden steps aside. The other Rangers, used to Jayden's leadership, are at first reluctant to follow her. So what does Lauren do? She proves herself to be stronger and more capable than her brother ever was.
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Her feats include healing her brother's injuries, mastering the sealing ritual needed to stop the team's greatest villain at the time, and single-handedly trouncing a monster that had defeated the Claw Armor Megazord. Lauren may have had little screentime overall, but it was more than enough to win her spot.
4 Andros (In Space)
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Who escaped Divatox, Lord Zedd, and Rita Repulsa? Andros. Even more impressive, this feat was part of Andros's introduction to the show, instantly cementing his place as one of the most interesting Red Rangers in franchise history.
A fantastic combatant who led the Rangers to victory against deadly foes like the Psycho Rangers, Andros is also petty, short-sighted, and sometimes too distracted by the childhood trauma of his sister's kidnapping to fulfill his duties properly. Though these weaknesses compromise his ability to lead, they also make Andros a far deeper Red Ranger than many in the franchise, and one of the most interesting Rangers overall.
3 T.J. Johnson (Turbo)
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Tommy Oliver's name looms large in Power Rangers, and when he selects someone to take over as the new Red Ranger, they'd better be up to the task. T.J. Johnson was. His time in red may have been brief compared to others, before he moved on to become the Blue Space Ranger, but T.J. upheld every expectation that Tommy had.
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Since childhood, T.J. wanted to be a Power Ranger, even though he never thought it would happen. Thanks to the bravery and compassion he demonstrated in rescuing Tommy and an unmorphed Ranger from the Piranhatrons, T.J. easily proved that he deserved to wear the Red.
2 Tommy Oliver (Zeo)
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As the Red Ranger on not one but two different teams (Zeo and Turbo), Tommy Oliver has one of the most distinguished Ranger careers. Tommy may understand the demands of the position better than anyone. Thanks to his guidance, the Rangers in Zeo became one of the strongest teams in franchise history.
While some may feel that his character appears a little too often in series lore, it's hard to deny that whenever he appears, the story is better for it. Setting aside an evil alternate Tommy in the comics, Tommy Oliver's loyalty to his friends and their mission has never wavered, and it shows. Given all this, it's unsurprising Tommy made it into superhero games.
1 Jason Lee Scott (Mighty Morphin)
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The first Red Ranger of the modern era, Jason Lee Scott may also be the greatest Red Ranger of all time. As one of Zordon's chosen warriors against Rita Repulsa, Jason served exactly as a leader should. He provided sound counsel when it was needed, remained a stalwart friend through difficult times, and held more than his own in battles against the enemy.
Though his time as a Red Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers may have been brief, Jason used every moment of it to elevate the position of Red to the difficult and noble role that fans still associate it with to this day.
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