Power Rangers is one of the longest running and most popular tokusatsu superhero shows. Throughout every series, one thing has remained consistent: the Red Ranger. Yet, the franchise quickly proves that not every Ranger is created equal, especially the Red Ranger.
10 Lauren Shiba Is Hated Even More Than Her Unpopular Brother
Power Rangers: Samurai
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Lauren Shiba is the true head of the Shiba clan and the one who was supposed to lead the Samurai Rangers the whole time. Despite her relative importance to the series, she only appears in the second season of Samurai. She takes over for Jayden in an attempt to seal away Master Xandred once and for all. The team is rightfully upset by this decision, but all is for not because Xandred becomes immune to the sealing symbol.
Power Rangers: 10 Best Yellow Rangers, Ranked
The Yellow Rangers are usually the glue which holds each Power Rangers team together, but some are clearly more talented than others.
Creating a character for the sole purpose of sealing away the big bad, only for him to suddenly become immune to sealing after the character is introduced, feels like lazy writing. Laruen would probably be an even more disliked character if she had more screentime. She fails at her only goal, but is a competent fighter otherwise and likely could've led the Samurai Rangers well if she joined from the beginning.
9 Rocky DeSantos Is one of the Few Red Rangers Who Doesn't Lead the Team
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Rocky DeSantos is the second Mighty Morphin Red Ranger. He is also one of the few Red Rangers who doesn't lead the team. That honor goes to Tommy Oliver's White Ranger. DeSantos might gain more diverse powers than his predecessor, but spends most of his time as a Ranger living in Jason Lee Scott's Shadow.
Power Rangers: 10 Best Black Rangers, Ranked
The Black Rangers typically serve as the Red Rangers' second-in-command and are often one of the most popular rangers of any given series.
DeSantos performs much better as the Blue Zeo Ranger, and eventually finds his footing in this role. That said, before he made the switch, he was somewhat hated by fans. Even from a purely objective standpoint, DeSantos is half the fighter that Scott was. When comparing Rocky and Jason, it becomes obvious why Zordon chose to elect Tommy as the leader instead.
8 T.J. Johnson Plays Second Fiddle to the Much More Powerful Andros
Power Rangers: In Space
T.J. Johnson has a lot of heart, but fails to reach the same heights as his predecessors or successors. He is the second Red Turbo Ranger and takes over after Tommy Oliver holds the original position. He returns in Power Rangers Wild Force as part of the Veteran Red Rangers, but many fans aren't even sure why he was selected for the mission.
Johnson is a gifted fighter, but doesn't have access to the arsenal or abilities of other Red Rangers. He is the last Red Ranger before the iconic tradition of Battlizers, which makes him weaker by comparison. He's wanted to be a Power Ranger all his life, but he does a relatively poor job of it in comparison. Thankfully, Andros would take the lead in Johnson's second season, Power Rangers In Space.
7 Brody Romero Is One of the Least Memorable Rangers in Power Rangers' History
Power Rangers: Ninja Steel
When push comes to shove, the Ninja Steel Red Ranger is simply unmemorable. Brody Romero is easily one of the worst modern Rangers and suffers from the poor dialogue which seems to plague recent series. His only saving grace is his many forms and interesting backstory.
Brody is actually stolen from earth by the villain Galvanax in the Power Rangers Operation Overdrive iteration. He eventually steals the Ninja Nexus Prism, which begins the events of Ninja Steel. That said, these are the most interesting aspects of Romero's character and everything else remains relatively forgetful. He might come from a martial arts background, but he is apparently one of the least skilled modern Red Rangers.
6 Mackenzie "Mack" Hartfort Suffers an Understandable But Detrimental Breakdown
Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive
Mackenzie "Mack" Hartfort always seems a little jaded. That's probably because he spends the vast majority of his life as an android. Before being turned human by the Sentinel Knight, Hartford was just another of his father's many android creations. Yet, Mack initially had no idea and would suffer an understandable breakdown upon the realization.
Sadly, one of Mack's coolest abilities is taken away from him when he becomes human. He is initially able to merge with the Sentinel Knight to become the Red Sentinel Ranger. This is one of the coolest Battlizers in the franchise's history, but he only has very limited access to it before eventually giving up the power. Yet, even with the added strength, he is far from the best Red Ranger.
5 Jaden Shiba's Dialogue is Laughably Bad
Power Rangers: Samurai
Jaden Shiba suffers from poor dialogue arguably more than any other Saban-era Power Ranger, but he was never meant to be the Red Ranger in the first place. He spends the majority of the first two seasons living a lie, only for his sister to come in out of nowhere and briefly replace him. He later returns to help the Rangers defeat Master Xandred, but his departure leaves a bad taste in many fans' mouths.
As the "Head" of the Shiba clan, Jaden has been training his entire life for combat. He is incredibly gifted in sword combat. However, he can often find himself at a disadvantage in ranged combat or against more capable enemies. Once Jaden can't rely on his combat skills, he quickly runs out of ideas.
4 Aurico Suffers From a Lack of Screen Time and Memorable Sequences
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
Aurico is the Alien Red Ranger and briefly helps the rest of the Alien Rangers take over in the Mighty Morphin Ranger's stead. Sadly, his brief screen time never gives him any character development. His severe limitations also make him considerably less capable than previous and future Red Rangers.
As an Aquitan, Aurico is extremely reliant on water. He might have the ability to manipulate it at will, but he is also dependent on it. Without water, he grows considerably weaker and will eventually die. All the human Rangers might need water as well, but certainly not to the same degree as Aurico.
3 Troy Burrows' Intense Powers Don't Make Up for His Lack of Personality
Power Rangers: Megaforce
Troy Burrows has some of the greatest powers out of any Power Rangers iteration in existence. This is mostly because Burrows has access to every Red Ranger transformation in existence. That said, he doesn't use the powers near as effectively and ultimately lacks any form of personality. He also technically comes from a martial arts background, but is easily defeated in battle.
Power Rangers: 10 Best Green Rangers, Ranked
Green may have joined the Power Rangers as an extra member to the group, but quickly became one of the teams' core colors.
Burrows is easily one of the least popular Rangers of all time. He might have the ability to become any other Ranger, but that's mostly because fans would rather him become any Ranger beside himself. Overall, he does a great job leading the Legendary Battle, but that is really his best and only comparable feat. Any Ranger could've been the one to lead the charge, it just happened to be Troy Burrows.
2 Alex Drake Almost Killed the Time Force Rangers After Returning to the Role
Power Rangers: Time Force
Alex Drake is the original Time Force Red Ranger, but he isn't the one that people remember in the role. He apparently "dies" after fighting the series, big bad, only to return later in the series. However, once he retains the role, he almost ends up killing the Time Force Rangers. He ends up letting Wes take the lead, but not before leaving a bad taste in the fans' mouths.
10 Best Red Power Rangers, Ranked
The Red Rangers are usually the strongest and most capable members of every Power Rangers team, but that isn't always the case.
Many Rangers have taken the lead role, some of whom don't deserve it, but none of them have almost killed their team. His powers are virtually the same as Wes', but he uses them much worse. Ultimately, Drake is just a worse version of Wes Collins in literally every single way. Thankfully, he doesn't actually kill the Time Force Rangers.
1 Charlie Actively Betrays the B-Squad Rangers and the Rest of the S.P.D.
Power Rangers: S.P.D.
When it comes to being a Red Ranger, few Rangers do worse than Charlie of the S.P.D. A Squad. She ends up betraying the entire organization and even attempts to kill the B-Squad Rangers. She and the rest of A Squad continue serving Lord Gruumm, even after their betrayal has been exposed.
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Charlie has access to all the powers of B-Squad and then some. However, Charlie and the rest of her Rangers are ultimately defeated by the B-Squad team. Not only does she forsake everything that it means to be a ranger, but she is defeated by someone who is technically an inferior member of the organization.
