Almost Always Red

Twenty-Four seasons, Twenty series, and an uncountable number of Rangers (well, I didn't want to count), but above all others The Red Rangers stand tall. Leaders, heroes, faces of their respective series. Between all incarnations of The Power Rangers, The Red Rangers represent the ideals of the series and the passion of the franchise itself. So, here is The Panel Biter's Top 5 Red Power Rangers!

5. Leo Corbett

Portrayed by Danny Slavin in "Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy", Leo Corbett is The Red Ranger of Terra Venture, a space colony inhabited by travelers from Earth. Leo had a lot to prove for Power Rangers fans, "Lost Galaxy" followed the first era of Power Rangers and Leo represented a new direction for the series. When we meet him he's the younger brother to Mike Corbett-a soldier sent off to space-and he becomes a distraction for his older brother. What's different about Leo is that he was never supposed to be a Ranger at all. See, Mike and four individuals were destined to be Power Rangers, but before they could morph Mike fell to his assumed death. Mike left his Quasar Saber to Leo and he swore to avenge Mike as The Red Ranger. Of course, Mike would later return as a character called The Magna Defender and ask Leo to continue being The Red Ranger. Claiming it was truly Leo's destiny. This backstory of being the hand-me-down hero really made Leo feel different and the knowledge that his brother was supposed to be The Red Ranger eats at Leo at every waking moment. But rather than whine and mope around, Leo can often be found training himself. If Mike was a soldier than Leo figures being really strong could help him fill Mike's shoes. Hence his picture above. Really, Danny Slavin was the He-Man of Power Rangers and I definitely give him and his Charley Brown costume respect.

4. Jack Landors

Played by Brandon Jay McLaren in "Power Rangers: SPD", Jack Landors is not the typical Power Ranger. In the future of "SPD", The Power Rangers are a police force with multiple Squads. While A-Squad are out protecting the galaxy, B-Squad protects the city. The team's Blue Ranger-Sky Tate-is the son of a Red Ranger so he expected to lead B-Squad, but due to a unfortunate adventure and desperateness, a homeless street thief named Jack took the Red Morpher and became The Red Ranger and leader of B-Squad. As mentioned, Jack was a street urchin. He and Z (the Yellow Ranger) stole from the rich and gave to the poor, living off the rules of the concrete jungle. Essentially, Jack was a criminal who became the leader of a police unit. Over time Jack began to take the job more seriously and his relationship with Sky went from being a rivalry to a common respect. While many Power Rangers just kind of moved on with their lives to unknown pastures, Jack got an ending. At the end of the series he gives the Red Ranger position to Sky Tate and goes back to helping the poor and homeless people of the city. Essentially taking the skills and knowledge he picked up as a Power Ranger to help the underprivileged. Jack's story of rising from the very bottom is pretty inspiring, to know an average punk like him can aspire to become something greater than himself and to be part of something more important than he could imagine. At first he took it all for granted, but like I said time and trial led him to truly absorb what being The Red Ranger means. And with that character arc completed, he went back to his roots.

3. Cole Evans

Ricardo Medina Jr. played Cole Evans in "Power Rangers: Wild Force" and later played an antagonist named Decker in "Power Rangers: Samurai". Cole was another Ranger unlike any other, imagine if Goku and Conan had a baby and Tarzan raised it. Maybe that's a bad description. When Cole was a baby his parents were murdered by their scientist friend and Cole was tossed into a jungle. It was there he was raised by a native tribe to be-basically-Tarzan of The Power Rangers Universe. Told of his past, given his Red Lion Orb, and pointed in the right direction, Cole found his way to civilization and was invited to join the pre-established Power Rangers. A hesitant leader to the team, Cole was taught by his new friends how the world worked and found a way to keep the teachings of his tribesmen and adapt to society. As The Red Ranger, Cole fought with ferocity and a wild temper. However, Cole did not want to fight at first as he was raised with the ability to see the good in all things. To see the light in the hearts of all creatures. The first monster he fought he tried to befriend, and when he fought and killed the man who murdered his parents-in a real heart breaking episode-he forgave the man by placing a flower on his grave. Cole is a pure-hearted hero who is out-of-touch with the rest of the world, he cares deeply for his friends and-as seen in "Forever Red"-will go anywhere he is needed to protect the Earth.

2. Andros

Coming from my favorite series of Power Rangers, Andros appears as The Red Ranger in "Power Rangers In Space" played by Christopher Khayman Lee. Man, look at Goldar in that picture. He's like, "aw damn! This new Red Ranger sick as Hell". Andros was the first stranger to lead a team of Rangers, he was the first alien to join them (disregarding The Alien Rangers), and he was the first Ranger with a troubled past too. Andros comes from a planet called KO-35 where his people were overthrown by the forces of Dark Specter and his sister Karone was kidnapped when they were children. Fast-forward to when their young adults and Karone was raised/brainwashed into becoming Astronema, the highest minion of Dark Specter and a feared warrior by even Divatox and Rita Repulsa. Along with his missing sister being a weight on his back, Andros is also troubled by his best friend Zhane (The Silver Ranger) being injured so badly he had to be put in cryogenic stasis. Some things that actually aid Andros is his alien ability of telekinesis, his romantic relationship with Ashley The Yellow Ranger, and his slow-paced introduction to Earth culture. Like Cole, he has the added benefit of being a fish-out-of-water. Like Leo, he has psychological issues tied to a sibling, and like Jack he never expected to become a leader. Before meeting the other Rangers, Andros was a solo act. That alone made him drastically different from previous Rangers. There were even episodes where Andros voluntarily went off on his own to pursue a goal. Andros just hits all angles of coolness and as the last Red Ranger of that era in the show's history he sure as Hell left an impact for future Rangers to follow.

1. Tommy Oliver

Duh. Jason David Frank began playing Tommy Oliver in "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers". Of course back then he was the evil Green Ranger who fought our heroes and threw the series for a loop. But he would later redeem himself by becoming The White Ranger in Season Two and leading a new roster of Power Rangers. Then one series later, he was The Red Ranger of "Power Rangers Zeo" and "Power Rangers Turbo". Later he'd be the mentor and Black Ranger of "Power Rangers: Dino Thunder" and make a big appearance in "Power Rangers: Megaforce". Tommy is the face of Power Rangers, and while he isn't the original Red Ranger-sorry Jason Fans-he represents an idea I am never tired of seeing. The idea that even a bad person can become good. Tommy was the deadliest threat The Rangers ever faced, he could defeat all five of them on his own. Then came redemption and later reward. Imagine, being given the mantle of The Red Ranger after a previous rivalry with the last Red Ranger. Being told you'd lead the very team you were brainwashed into fighting. His experiences as a villain and a hero shaped Tommy into the mentor he later became and helped future Rangers overcome obstacles of their their own. After all, later Rangers like "Lightspeed Rescue"'s Titanium Ranger and "Dino Thunder"s White Ranger would have similar arcs to Tommy's. Tommy is also a Pink Magnet-like with Kimberly and Katherine-which boosts his coolness. More than anything though Tommy just presents a factor we don't often see in Power Rangers, actual character development. Tommy was the first to experience it and even in his older years he shows their are things he has yet to learn. Whether he is Red, Green, White, or Black, Tommy Oliver is the name you remember for a reason. Not as the man who defeated The Power Rangers, but the man who made Power Rangers more than just action figures fighting each other.

Thanks for reading.