Who is the Purple Power Ranger?

The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers enjoy a refreshingly simple premise. A group of teenagers who look like 25-year-old Olympic athletes gain superpowers from an alien to fight evil. They're color-coded so that kids can pick their favorites. Each Ranger color has been passed down through the generations. Some have seen dozens of users. The Purple Ranger wasn't among the original group, but a few have appeared in Power Rangers' long history.

Adding additional colors seems like a no-brainer for new seasons of Power Rangers. Some kids' favorite colors won't be represented by the original red, yellow, black, blue, and pink. Many viewers were thrilled when the Green Ranger joined the team or when he changed into white. Kids decide a lot based on their favorite color, so appealing to the strong contingent of those who prefer purple became inevitable.

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By Rhenn Taguiam

How many Purple Power Rangers have there been?

There are four main Purple Power Rangers in the various mainline series. These central cast members would be considered part of the season's core team. Three additional Purple Power Rangers enter the franchise in alternate timelines that don't necessarily apply to the canon. Three more can technically count as "Evil Rangers." These villains are empowered by the same force that flows through the heroes. Antagonists frequently create Evil Rangers to battle the Power Rangers, adding a new vector for additional colors. There are ten total Purple Power Rangers. Counting only canon sources, there are seven Purple Power Rangers. Counting only official members of Power Ranger teams, there are only four. This pales in comparison to the Red and Blue Rangers, each sporting close to thirty official examples and dozens of alternates, antagonists, and non-canon examples. Purple Rangers are rare but usually compelling.

Where has the Purple Power Ranger appeared?

The countless Power Rangers spin-off series have thoroughly buried the 1993 original series. Ninjas, cops, wizards, dinosaurs, animals, samurai, time travelers, and many more kid-friendly ideas have become Power Rangers spin-offs. The few Purple Rangers didn't come out of the first several series of Power Rangers. The first central Purple Ranger joined the team in 2008. Unpacking each example, starting with the four canonical Purple Rangers in the official line-ups:

Robert "RJ" James from Power Rangers Jungle Fury (2008): This laid-back mentor figure is the first official Purple Ranger. He inducts three students into the Jungle Fury Rangers, teaching them martial arts and advanced techniques. RJ is referred to in the show as the Wolf Ranger, as heroes in this season are named after the animal they represent rather than their color. He would go on to appear in other series like Power Rangers: Dino Fury.
Albert Smith from Power Rangers Dino Charge (2015): The second Purple Ranger is the first and only one-off character in the series to wear the mantle. Albert was a Bigfoot hunter who was secretly terrified of monsters, causing him to give up his position almost immediately after receiving it. His portrayer, Arther Ranford, is the oldest actor ever to play a Power Ranger at 67.
Kendall Morgan from Power Rangers Dino Charge (2015): Kendall inherits Albert's position and the Purple Ranger mantle. Some toys call her the Plesiosaurus Power Ranger Purple. Kendall is a scientist and museum owner who sometimes builds robots.
Tarrick from Power Rangers Dino Fury (2022): Tarrick first appears as a villain called the Void Knight. He'd be considered an Evil Ranger but switches sides in the final few outings to become an official Purple Ranger. Tarrick fought to revive his comatose wife, only to see her wake as the evil Void Queen. Tarrick's estranged daughter cured them of brainwashing, letting them leave to start their new life.

The Purple Rangers receive a fair amount of characterization as central members of the series' teams. Villains and non-canon characters are less impressive. Koragg the Knight Wolf was the first Purple Ranger. He's an honorable warrior who seeks the thrill of a fight. Two heroic characters, Leanbow and Nick Russell, were enslaved by an evil eldritch god to don Koragg's armor and fight until they escaped. Cybervillain Roxy, an antagonist from Beast Morphers, is a clone of Yellow Ranger Roxy, who wears violet. The non-canon examples are mostly gags. Ellarien, the Purple Solar Ranger, appears in the Boom! Studios comic series. A 2016 comic sees school bully Bulk don a purple outfit alongside Skull in an orange ensemble for a brief battle with Rita Repulsa. Finally, Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became the Dimension X Purple Ranger in a brief cross-over series.

Every Purple Ranger is different, but the lesser-used color has enabled some unique talents to join the team. From the oldest Ranger in the franchise to a few villains who turned good to Donatello from the Ninja Turtles, the Purple Rangers could be anyone.