Zords in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Encyclopedia
The Zord
s used in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
are themed after prehistoric, mythical, and modern animals. They are created by Ninjor, a wise warrior who also created the Power Coins and the Alien Rangers' Battleborgs. The mecha footage came from the Super Sentai
series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, Gosei Sentai Dairanger
and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
respectively.
The Dinozords are the very first Zords to be used in Power Rangers
history. They are all based on prehistoric creatures. In the original "Day of the Dumpster
" pilot, they are referred to as "Dinodroids." It is interesting to note that, although they are referred to collectively as Dinozords, only the Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops are actual dinosaurs. The Mastodon and Saber-Toothed Tiger are mammals that are post-Cretaceous, while Pterodactyls are pterosaurs, a separate group of archosaurs from dinosaurs. To summon the Zords, the Rangers normally call out, "We Need Dinozord Power, Now!" (Though in some episodes the Rangers simply called on their Zords individually). During "The Mutiny" multi-part episodes, the Rangers collectively call upon the Tyrannosaurus
Dinozord due to the freezing of the other Dinozords. The Dinozords are used to battle the forces of Rita Repulsa
throughout season one. After they are upgraded into the Thunderzords in season two, the Rangers no longer use the Dinozords for battle, but every time they summon the Thunderzords, the Dinozords usually appear first and then each change into their Thunderzord counterparts. When the Thunderzords are destroyed in season three, the Dinozords are destroyed along with them, due to their being the base components for the Thunderzords.
The Dinozords are as follows:
The Zords of Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
are called Biozords, but are also referred to as Dinozords at times, though their Megazord formation is called the Thundersaurus Megazord.
In forming the original Megazord, the Dinozords almost always join into a Tank Mode first, even if only temporarily before switching to Battle Mode. The Tyrannosaurus represents the tank's core, with the Saber-Toothed Tiger and Triceratops attaching to form the left and right treads, respectively. The Mastodon attaches to the Tyrannosaurus's back and created a set of forward-facing cannons, while the Pterodactyl clips onto the Tyrannosaurus's back. Once joined in tank mode, the Megazord can emit a set of electrical energy bursts from the eyes of the individual Zords, and unleash blasts from the Mastodon's cannons. This intermediate form was rarely utilized after Green Ranger and the Drazonzord joined the Rangers.
The Megazord in Battle Mode almost always follows the Tank Mode, however in "EP50 Return Of An Old Friend: Part 2" the Rangers skip the Tank Mode entirely to form the Battle Mode. In Battle Mode, the Tyrannosaurus forms the upper torso and head, the Mastodon forms the shoulders, arms and back, the Triceratops forms the left leg, the Saber-Toothed Tiger forms the right leg and the Pterodactyl forms the chest plate and cockpit window.
When the Megazord transforms from Tank Mode to Battle Mode, the Mastodon's head vanishes until summoned for use as a shield. The Battle Mode formation is bipedal and moves very much like a human or mecha, with a broad range of motion and use of its arms and legs. This is because Super Sentai mecha are portrayed by costumes. When piloting the Megazord, the Rangers sit inside the cockpit located in its head. (Although the cockpit view of the rangers displayed a horizonal window view, from far away the Megazord lacked this window, displaying eyes instead.) The chest plate shows scratches and scour marks from accumulated battle damage. In one instance after taking too much damage or being overloaded, the Rangers quickly disengaged the Megazord back into the component Dinozords.
The Megazord's main weapon is its fists usually for punches, however it can also grab an opponent and then use its legs to trip them. It can call upon the Power Sword, which, when summoned, falls from the skies and lands either in the ground or in the Megazord's hand. It is capable of finishing off most enemies with a powerful energized slash. The Power Sword can also provide the Megazord an extra boost of energy when it is low on power. Occasionally, the Megazord can continue to grasp the Power Sword while picking up an enemy, such as Dragonzord while Green Ranger was still evil; the Power Sword has also been dropped after the Megazord takes heavy damage. The Megazord also has armaments it uses somewhat less often; it can fire a powerful laser beam from the tip of its head, and possesses a shield formed from the Mastodon's detached head, which can deflect (or reflect) enemy attacks although this is rarely seen in the episodes.
In the original pilot episode, it was called the "Mega Dinodroid." In the 2010 re-release toyline of MMPR, this Megazord has been advertised under said nickname. Alternatively, in the 2009 Super Legends: Retrofire toyline, it was labelled as the "Mighty Morphin' Megazord."
's shipping district, the Dragonzord is inextricably linked to the Dragon Power Coin. When Rita uses that coin to infuse Tommy Oliver
with the powers of the Green Ranger, it gives him access to the Dragonzord. It is summoned via the Dragon Dagger, an enchanted flute which also controls the Zord's attacks. More often than not, the Green Ranger stays outside of the Dragonzord's cockpit and controls it remotely using the dagger. On the rare occasions when the Green Ranger does enter the cockpit, however, he is shown to have a greater control on the Dragonzord.
The Dragonzord is quite versatile in battle. Its primary attacks includes a set of missiles that launch from its fingertips, along with a massive prehensile tail complete with a high-speed drill on its end. The red lights on its chestplate light up when one of these attacks are imminent. Despite its power, however, the Dragonzord rarely initiates combat or defeats an opponent on its own, and it usually only fights new monsters and not recurring enemies. Rather, the Dragonzord enters the battle when the other Zords are in danger, whether to aid Megazord, or assist the individual Dinozords, and/or form one of the other Zord combinations. In terms of size comparisons, the Dragonzord is taller than the Tyrannosaurus and roughly the same height as the Megazord. Lastly, due to its aquatic origins, Dragonzord operates well underwater.
The Dragonzord is the only Zord not to receive an upgrade like the rest of the Dinozords due to the Green Ranger's weak powers, though the Green Ranger is able to summon it and became the Thunder Megazord's "backup" on a few occasions, aiding the Rangers against monsters such Primator and Turbanshell.
In Season Three, the Ninja and Shogun Ultrazords also featured the Dragonzord's chestplate at the front of Titanus.
Notably, the Dragonzord is quite similar to Godzilla
both in appearance, the fact that just like Godzilla, the Dragonzord also rises from the sea and on its initial appearance (and two subsequent ones) it goes on a Godzilla-style rampage. Indeed, the Guardian Beast Dragon Caesar from Zyuranger was specifically designed as a direct tribute to the famous Japanese monster, but this is obviously not referenced in either Zyuranger or MMPR. In addition to that, the finger-missiles used by the Dragonzord mimic those of Mechagodzilla
.
The Power Staff is primarily as a hand weapon, but the drill can be charged and used as a finishing attack where it drills a hole in its enemies (the part of the attack when its impaling the enemy, though shown in Zyuranger, is cut out in all corresponding MMPR episodes except "Life's a Masquerade"), and occasionally the staff may be used as a shield as in "EP32 A Star Is Born". For a secondary weapon it can throw the energy-charged crescent on its head, but both times it is used, the enemy monster catches it and throws it back.
The Dragonzord in Fighting Mode is taller and apparently stronger than the Dino Megazord, though it is slower. The Dragonzord Battle Mode apparently has rarely been knocked down or seriously damaged (the only times that it was overpowered was against Spit Flower and during the first battle against Cyclopsis). However this may not necessarily be because it is a superior combatant to the Megazord, rather the Rangers tend to form Megazord first until it runs into serious trouble and then switching to Dragonzord Battle Mode to finish the monster. The battles against Split Flower and Babe Ruthless were the only instances that the Rangers formed Dragonzord Battle Mode and not Megazord at all.
Jason usually assumes the central pilot position of the Dragonzord Battle Mode, leaving his Tyrannosaurus to remote control if it remains in the battle, while Kimberly's Pterodactyl takes no further part in the engagement, such as in "EP32 A Star Is Born". The Dragonzord in Battle Mode is also the only Zord formation of season one where someone other than Jason is depicted as the main pilot, as in one instance, Zack took over as the main pilot with Trini taking her original position to the left, Billy in his usual position on the right, as Jason and Kimberly were still piloting their Dinozords, and Tommy was outside. Interestingly, Tommy has never been a pilot in the Dragonzord Battle Mode.
The Mega Dragonzord is very powerful, physically stronger than even the Dragonzord in Battle Mode, but also significantly slower because its composition makes it top-heavy due to a higher center of gravity. As the Mega Dragonzord enters the battle late, usually to finish off a monster, it has never had to fight an enemy hand-to-hand.
Its primary attack consists of an energy sphere formed by the Dragonzord symbols on the arms and the Megazord's chestplate, which is generally powerful enough to finish most enemies. Another weapon this Zord combination has consists of it firing a high intensity laser from the chest plate directly at the enemy.
In the action figures by Bandai, the lighted core and tail can be held as weapons by the Mega Dragonzord, but this is never seen in the TV series.
Zord. Titanus guards the special weapons, but Zordon takes the opportunity to teach Jason and Tommy a lesson about teamwork, and he informs the Rangers that Titanus is a friend once they resolve their differences and obtain the weapons together.
Titanus carries a set of cannons on its sides and can fire powerful blasts from its mouth, one of the few times that it fired them as an individual Zord was during the first battle against Cyclopsis. However, Titanus' primary function is to serve as the final piece of the Ultrazord.
The Rangers do not utilize Titanus throughout the period in which they have the Thunderzords, but call upon it again to combine with the Ninjazords and Shogunzords to form new Ultrazord formations. This is because unlike Zyuranger and Dairanger, the source Super Sentai series for the first and second seasons of MMPR respectively, Kakuranger does not have a "carrier Zord", so Titanus was reused. In reflection of this, Bandai Entertainment sold "Return of Titanus", which was the same as the original toy version, sans the chain, and the addition of the Dragonzord's chestpiece (oddly enough, as the Dragonzord was not part of the Ninja or Shogun Ultrazord formations), sans electronics.
Another version of Titanus called "Silver Titanus" (It consisted of a repainted Titanus torso, with various rockets, tailfins, and a nose cone replacing the dinosaur parts) was sold as part of the Power Rangers in Space
toyline, for the same reason (Denji Sentai Megaranger
, the source series for In Space, didn't have a carrier Zord either), but it was never seen on the show. The Brachiozord from Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
is very similar and is considered to be Tommy's Zord
Usually, the Rangers form the Mega Dragonzord first, which then combines with Titanus to form the Ultrazord. However there was one case where the Megazord landed onto Titanus first, and then Dragonzord was added to the formation.
The Ultrazord attacks with a devastating array of projectile weapons, almost always destroying whatever enemy it faces. There are two notable exceptions, however. The first is against Lokar, who retreats after it realizes that it would not survive the Ultrazord's firepower. Later, against Cyclopsis, the Rangers believe they destroyed it with Ultrazord the first time they meet, but fail as Cyclopsis's head was intact. They later discovered that they need to change Zord formations frequently in order to confuse Cyclopsis and catch it off guard. At the end of their third battle, the Rangers form Ultrazord again, and this time obliterate Cyclopsis, and seemingly Lokar as well because the latter is never seen again following that battle.
After the monster Pirantishead succeeds in freezing four of the Dinozords and taking control of the Tyrannosaurus and the Dragonzord, Alpha 5
regains control of the Zords by making a refraction of energy that transforms the Dinozords into the Thunderzords, much more powerful than their predecessors. They are all based on creatures of mythology(with the exceptions of the White Tiger Zord and the Lion Zord). The sequences of the Dinozords changing into the Thunderzords was actually American-made CGI
footage, due to both types of mecha being from different Super Sentai series. The Thunderzords are used to battle the forces of Lord Zedd
with their massive power throughout season two. In season three, when the Rangers use the Thunderzords to battle Rito Revolto
, they fall into a trap when a band of monsters join in the battle and easily overpower them. Eventually the Morphing Grid overloads and the Thunderzords are destroyed, causing the head, arms, and torso to fall off the Thunder Megazord and Tigerzord in Warror Mode. The Thunderzords' individual cockpits were never shown, except for the Red Dragon Thunderzord in the episode "Rangers Back in Time, Part II," which was basically a reuse of the Thunder Megazord cockpit shot with the majority of the cockpit cropped out.
The Thunderzords are as follows:
The Zords used by the Crimson and Navy Thunder Rangers of Power Rangers Ninja Storm are also called Thunderzords and their Megazord formation is called the Thunder Megazord as well.
. The Lion forms the arms, chestplate, and helmet, the Unicorn forms the right leg, the Griffin forms the left leg, and the Firebird forms the waist. While piloting the Thunder Megazord, the Rangers stand inside the cockpit located within the green window on the Megazord's chest. It is also called the "Mega Thunderzord" at times.
The Thunder Megazord's main weapon is the Thunder Saber, which rests in a sheath on its hip when not in use. Like the original Megazord's Power Sword, it also delivers a powerful energy slash as a finishing move on monsters. The Thunder Megazord can also unleash a destructive smokescreen out from the green window on its chest. In Dairanger, it also has a speared polearm combined from the Firebird's tail with the Red Dragon's staff, but it was cut out from the MMPR episodes.
The Thunder Megazord is also the first Megazord to have an American-made cockpit, the only others in the entire franchise being its successors, the Ninja Megazord and Shogun Megazord, as well as the Titanium Ranger's Max Solarzord in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, as the Titanium Ranger is solely an American-made character and the Samurai Megazord in Power Rangers Samurai
.
. The Thundezord Assault Team is capable of defeating an enemy by having the Red Dragon strike at one with its staff. However, this formation is not used very often in the series.
The Tigerzord is ultimately destroyed alongside the Thunder Megazord by Rito and his band of monsters. Unlike the individual Thunderzords, the Tigerzord's cockpit was reused from Dairanger footage.
The Firebird can shoot out, energized by a fireball from the Mega Tigerzord's chest, as a finisher. It often fights alongside the Red Dragon in Warrior Mode.
Despite being more powerful than the Thunder Megazord, the Mega Tigerzord is used only four times in the series and only defeats three of the four monsters it fights.
-shaped Tor the Shuttlezord to help them on their journey to get the Sword of Light. Tor can withstand big blasts, and even Serpentera can't destroy it with its sheer weight. Similar to the Red Dragon and the Tigerzord, Tor has a Warrior Mode. The Red Dragon can ride inside Tor's central cavity while both are in Warrior Mode in order to use the powerful leg cannons. Unfortunately, both of Tor's modes contain very little functionality. Like the Dragonzord and Titanus, Tor is likely still dormant somewhere on Earth in the Power Rangers universe as its destruction was never shown on screen.
and Scorpina, though this was done by splicing together the stock footage of both Zyuranger and Dairanger).
After the Thunderzords and Tigerzord are destroyed by Rito and his band of monsters, the Rangers are given the even more powerful Ninjazords by Ninjor. They are all based on living animals. Unlike most of the Thunderzords, the Ninjazords are very useful outside of Megazord form, similar to the Dinozords. The Ninjazords are used to battle the forces of Zedd and Rita throughout the first half of season three, though after the Ranger acquire the Shougunzords, they use them more often due to their greater power. The Ninjazords are never destroyed; however when Zedd and Rita destroy the Rangers' Ninja Coins, they are ultimately rendered useless (since the Ninjazords draw their powers from the coins). The Ninjazords are also notably the first Zords to feature American-made cockpits for each individual Zord (the said footage of the Red Dragon Thunderzord's "cockpit" doesn't count since it was merely edited footage of the Thunder Megazord cockpit) which also happened in Samurai as well. These cockpits are reused for the Shogunzords, except for the Pink Ranger's, as she shares the White Shogunzord with the White Ranger.
The Ninjazords are as follows:
The Zords used by the Red, Blue and Yellow Wind Rangers of Power Rangers Ninja Storm are also called Ninjazords, though their Megazord formation is called the Storm Megazord.
, the Falconzord is Tommy's new Zord given to him by Ninjor at the same time the other Rangers receive the Ninjazords. The Falconzord can shoot powerful beams from its mouth, as well as lasers (rockets in the movie) from its eight wingtip cannons. Despite being occasionlly referred to as a Ninjazord, the Falconzord is more of a stand-alone Zord, like its predecessors the Dragonzord and Tigerzord, as well as Titanus and Tor.
In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, it is called the "Ninja Falcon Megazord".
Both the Ninjazords and Ninja Megazord are also featured in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
. However, all footage of the Zords was made from scratch via CG-imagery; the artists used the Kakuranger toys for reference. Despite this however, the Ninjazords featured in the movie barely resemble their actual television counterparts, both in Zord and Megazord form. Noticeable differences include changes in transformation mechanisms; the functional hand from the Ape arm, the Wolf's head for a left hand and the transformed Crane for a cockpit, instead of two eyes. The movie version of the Megazord also wields a sword, which resembles the Shogun Megazord's Fire Saber. Also in the movie, the Pink Ranger sits at the head of the cockpit, while in the show, the Red Ranger sits at the head.
The Ninja Megazord is also the first Megazord not to have a weapon finisher. In the TV series, the Megazord also is the first not to sport a weapon, other than its Power Gloves. The movie version of the Megazord sports a weapon but lacks the finishing move.
. The Shogunzords were based on the technology from the Falconzord. Zedd powers the Zords off the captured Ninjor. Billy is able to gain control of the Zords and power them off the Rangers' Ninja Coins. The Shogunzords are humanoid robots of different colors (much like the Alien Rangers' Battleborgs) and with different armor around the head, the heads resembling the animals the Ninjazords were based on. The Shogunzords are considerably more useful than the Ninjazords due to their human form.
In the show, there is no Pink Shogunzord, only Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and White. The American toy version of the Shogun Megazord, however, came with a Pink Shogunzord instead of a White one. In the source series, Kakuranger, Tsubasamaru (Falconzord) did not belong to any specific Ranger, it was just a mecha that could combine with either the Muteki Shogun (Shogun Megazord) or the Kakure Dai Shogun (Ninja Megazord), similar to the Titanus and Tor. It became the White Ranger's Zord in MMPR, and Ninja White's Crane became the Pink Ranger's Zord. Ninja White's White Kark became the White Ranger's White Shogunzord on the show, since it was white in color, leaving the Pink Ranger with no Shogunzord of her own (thus in the series, she shares the White Ranger's Zord). This is probably what caused the confusion at the toy factory.
Some American and British viewers saw the introduction of a second set of Zords partway through a season as an instance of jumping the shark
, though Power Rangers remained popular after this (and the inclusion of a second set of Zords partway through the season would become standard practice throughout most of the following Power Rangers series). The Shogunzords are also used by the title characters of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
(whose costumes are from Kakuranger). They are used to destroy all the enemies of MMAR (except for the Slotksy monster, who is destroyed by the Battleborgs). It is assumed the Shogunzords remain dormant in the Power Rangers universe.
It is notable that the Alien Rangers are never seen in the cockpits of either the individual Zords or the Megazord itself, despite showing them being absorbed into the gold shape on each Shogunzord's chest (actually using Kakuranger footage for this process). For the Power Rangers, the Zyuranger footage of the Rangers (minus the White Ranger, being from Dairanger) jumping into their Zords was reused, though only the footage depicting the Red, Black, and Blue Rangers is shown, even after the Pink Ranger is restored to the team. In the Zords' first appearance, the Yellow Ranger footage is also used, editing the Pink Ranger in the same clip out.
Zord
In the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
s used in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
are themed after prehistoric, mythical, and modern animals. They are created by Ninjor, a wise warrior who also created the Power Coins and the Alien Rangers' Battleborgs. The mecha footage came from the Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, Gosei Sentai Dairanger
Gosei Sentai Dairanger
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the seventeenth production in the long-running Super Sentai franchise of television tokusatsu dramas produced by Toei Company, following Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It was originally broadcast from February 19, 1993 to February 11, 1994...
and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
was TOEI Company Limited's eighteenth production of the Super Sentai television series. The name given to this series by Toei for international distribution is Ninja Rangers....
respectively.
Dinozords
Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
history. They are all based on prehistoric creatures. In the original "Day of the Dumpster
Day of the Dumpster
"Day of the Dumpster" is the first episode of the American television program Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and, as a result, the first episode of the Power Rangers franchise. It was initially broadcast on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Network, as part of the Fox Kids programming block, and was later...
" pilot, they are referred to as "Dinodroids." It is interesting to note that, although they are referred to collectively as Dinozords, only the Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops are actual dinosaurs. The Mastodon and Saber-Toothed Tiger are mammals that are post-Cretaceous, while Pterodactyls are pterosaurs, a separate group of archosaurs from dinosaurs. To summon the Zords, the Rangers normally call out, "We Need Dinozord Power, Now!" (Though in some episodes the Rangers simply called on their Zords individually). During "The Mutiny" multi-part episodes, the Rangers collectively call upon the Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
Dinozord due to the freezing of the other Dinozords. The Dinozords are used to battle the forces of Rita Repulsa
Rita Repulsa
Rita Repulsa is a fictional character from the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. She is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Witch Bandora...
throughout season one. After they are upgraded into the Thunderzords in season two, the Rangers no longer use the Dinozords for battle, but every time they summon the Thunderzords, the Dinozords usually appear first and then each change into their Thunderzord counterparts. When the Thunderzords are destroyed in season three, the Dinozords are destroyed along with them, due to their being the base components for the Thunderzords.
The Dinozords are as follows:
- TyrannosaurusTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
Dinozord: Piloted by the original Red Ranger Jason Lee ScottJason Lee ScottJason Lee Scott is a fictional character in the Power Rangers franchise, played by actor Austin St. John. Jason is best remembered as the original Red Ranger from the first entry of the franchise, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the leader of the original team of Power Rangers...
, it is hidden underground and rises up through a fissure. The only bipedal and melee capable Dinozord, it occasionally fights on its own and is capable of singlehandedly defeating an opponent. Independently, its capabilities include a prehensile tail that can swing at enemies (either to swipe an opponent's chest or trip them), or allow it to gain a height advantage so it can jump-kick a foe with its knees (against the Dragonzord in "Green with Evil", and against Spidertron with less success). It also has ranged weapons which are not frequently used; there is a cannon in its throat that can be fired into the ground and cause a huge tornado, and its eyes can fire powerful laser beams. - MastodonMastodonMastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
Dinozord: Piloted by the original Black Ranger Zack TaylorZack TaylorZachary "Zack" Taylor is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, appearing in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is the original Black Ranger of the first generation of Power Rangers...
, it is hidden beneath a glacier of ice. The Mastodon can shoot a cold blast from its trunk which was capable of freezing some enemies. In the toyline, it is erroneously referred to as the Mammoth Dinozord. - TriceratopsTriceratopsTriceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
Dinozord: Piloted by the Blue Ranger Billy CranstonBilly CranstonBilly Cranston is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He is the Blue Ranger in the series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, portrayed by actor David Yost. Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series, and is the third longest-serving Ranger overall...
, it rests in a desert, and rolls into battle on a set of treads rather than feet or legs. It features a twin laser cannon on its tail, and a set of horns that can launch and serve as grappling devices. - Saber-Toothed TigerSmilodonSmilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
Dinozord: Piloted by the original Yellow Ranger Trini KwanTrini KwanTrini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
, its hiding place is deep within a jungle, and it shows off its speed and dexterity by leaping over tall jungle trees each time it charges into battle. Its tail can rotate up and fire an energy beam, and it occasionally attacks enemies directly as a biological tiger would. - Pterodactyl Dinozord: Piloted by the original Pink Ranger Kimberly HartKimberly HartKimberly Ann Hart is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. She was played by actress Amy Jo Johnson during the first three seasons of the show, plus on the two feature films of the franchise. Kimberly is best remembered as the first Pink Ranger from the first entry of the franchise...
, it sleeps inside a presumably active volcano, and causes a minor eruption each time it departs. It is the only Dinozord capable of flight, and can fire strafing lightning beams from its shoulders.
The Zords of Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
Power Rangers Dino Thunder is an American children's television series, an incarnation of the Power Rangers franchise. As with all Power Rangers series, it was adapted from a series from the long running, Japanese Super Sentai franchise, in this case the twenty-seventh, Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger...
are called Biozords, but are also referred to as Dinozords at times, though their Megazord formation is called the Thundersaurus Megazord.
Megazord
The Megazord is the combination of the five Dinozords, forming a powerful humanoid robot which is strong and moderately fast, and this is the most common formation that that Rangers use when fighting supersized monsters.In forming the original Megazord, the Dinozords almost always join into a Tank Mode first, even if only temporarily before switching to Battle Mode. The Tyrannosaurus represents the tank's core, with the Saber-Toothed Tiger and Triceratops attaching to form the left and right treads, respectively. The Mastodon attaches to the Tyrannosaurus's back and created a set of forward-facing cannons, while the Pterodactyl clips onto the Tyrannosaurus's back. Once joined in tank mode, the Megazord can emit a set of electrical energy bursts from the eyes of the individual Zords, and unleash blasts from the Mastodon's cannons. This intermediate form was rarely utilized after Green Ranger and the Drazonzord joined the Rangers.
The Megazord in Battle Mode almost always follows the Tank Mode, however in "EP50 Return Of An Old Friend: Part 2" the Rangers skip the Tank Mode entirely to form the Battle Mode. In Battle Mode, the Tyrannosaurus forms the upper torso and head, the Mastodon forms the shoulders, arms and back, the Triceratops forms the left leg, the Saber-Toothed Tiger forms the right leg and the Pterodactyl forms the chest plate and cockpit window.
When the Megazord transforms from Tank Mode to Battle Mode, the Mastodon's head vanishes until summoned for use as a shield. The Battle Mode formation is bipedal and moves very much like a human or mecha, with a broad range of motion and use of its arms and legs. This is because Super Sentai mecha are portrayed by costumes. When piloting the Megazord, the Rangers sit inside the cockpit located in its head. (Although the cockpit view of the rangers displayed a horizonal window view, from far away the Megazord lacked this window, displaying eyes instead.) The chest plate shows scratches and scour marks from accumulated battle damage. In one instance after taking too much damage or being overloaded, the Rangers quickly disengaged the Megazord back into the component Dinozords.
The Megazord's main weapon is its fists usually for punches, however it can also grab an opponent and then use its legs to trip them. It can call upon the Power Sword, which, when summoned, falls from the skies and lands either in the ground or in the Megazord's hand. It is capable of finishing off most enemies with a powerful energized slash. The Power Sword can also provide the Megazord an extra boost of energy when it is low on power. Occasionally, the Megazord can continue to grasp the Power Sword while picking up an enemy, such as Dragonzord while Green Ranger was still evil; the Power Sword has also been dropped after the Megazord takes heavy damage. The Megazord also has armaments it uses somewhat less often; it can fire a powerful laser beam from the tip of its head, and possesses a shield formed from the Mastodon's detached head, which can deflect (or reflect) enemy attacks although this is rarely seen in the episodes.
In the original pilot episode, it was called the "Mega Dinodroid." In the 2010 re-release toyline of MMPR, this Megazord has been advertised under said nickname. Alternatively, in the 2009 Super Legends: Retrofire toyline, it was labelled as the "Mighty Morphin' Megazord."
Dragonzord
The animal which Green Ranger gets his powers from is known as "Dragonzord". Residing in the depths of a harbor just off Angel GroveAngel Grove
Angel Grove is the fictional town in the Power Rangers universe, the setting for much of the action of the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and its immediate sequels. Angel Grove is presumably a fictional suburb of Los Angeles, California, however no specific location was ever...
's shipping district, the Dragonzord is inextricably linked to the Dragon Power Coin. When Rita uses that coin to infuse Tommy Oliver
Tommy Oliver
Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character from the universe of the American children's television franchise Power Rangers. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as four of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo,...
with the powers of the Green Ranger, it gives him access to the Dragonzord. It is summoned via the Dragon Dagger, an enchanted flute which also controls the Zord's attacks. More often than not, the Green Ranger stays outside of the Dragonzord's cockpit and controls it remotely using the dagger. On the rare occasions when the Green Ranger does enter the cockpit, however, he is shown to have a greater control on the Dragonzord.
The Dragonzord is quite versatile in battle. Its primary attacks includes a set of missiles that launch from its fingertips, along with a massive prehensile tail complete with a high-speed drill on its end. The red lights on its chestplate light up when one of these attacks are imminent. Despite its power, however, the Dragonzord rarely initiates combat or defeats an opponent on its own, and it usually only fights new monsters and not recurring enemies. Rather, the Dragonzord enters the battle when the other Zords are in danger, whether to aid Megazord, or assist the individual Dinozords, and/or form one of the other Zord combinations. In terms of size comparisons, the Dragonzord is taller than the Tyrannosaurus and roughly the same height as the Megazord. Lastly, due to its aquatic origins, Dragonzord operates well underwater.
The Dragonzord is the only Zord not to receive an upgrade like the rest of the Dinozords due to the Green Ranger's weak powers, though the Green Ranger is able to summon it and became the Thunder Megazord's "backup" on a few occasions, aiding the Rangers against monsters such Primator and Turbanshell.
In Season Three, the Ninja and Shogun Ultrazords also featured the Dragonzord's chestplate at the front of Titanus.
Notably, the Dragonzord is quite similar to Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
both in appearance, the fact that just like Godzilla, the Dragonzord also rises from the sea and on its initial appearance (and two subsequent ones) it goes on a Godzilla-style rampage. Indeed, the Guardian Beast Dragon Caesar from Zyuranger was specifically designed as a direct tribute to the famous Japanese monster, but this is obviously not referenced in either Zyuranger or MMPR. In addition to that, the finger-missiles used by the Dragonzord mimic those of Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
.
Dragonzord in Battle Mode
The Dragonzord can combine with the Mastodon, Triceratops, and Saber-Toothed Tiger to form the Dragonzord in Battle Mode, which is also known as the "Dragonzord in Fighting Mode" at times. This formation is effectively an alternate Megazord, with the Dragonzord replacing the Tyrannosaurus as the torso and head and the Pterodactyl as the chest. Its detached tail straightens and combines with its lighted chestplate to form the Power Staff. The cockpit of this Zord formation looks almost exactly like the Megazord's, likely due to reuse of the same studio set instead of making a new one specifically for Dragonzord Battle Mode, although some fans state that the cockpit is in the head and not the chest of the Zord formation.The Power Staff is primarily as a hand weapon, but the drill can be charged and used as a finishing attack where it drills a hole in its enemies (the part of the attack when its impaling the enemy, though shown in Zyuranger, is cut out in all corresponding MMPR episodes except "Life's a Masquerade"), and occasionally the staff may be used as a shield as in "EP32 A Star Is Born". For a secondary weapon it can throw the energy-charged crescent on its head, but both times it is used, the enemy monster catches it and throws it back.
The Dragonzord in Fighting Mode is taller and apparently stronger than the Dino Megazord, though it is slower. The Dragonzord Battle Mode apparently has rarely been knocked down or seriously damaged (the only times that it was overpowered was against Spit Flower and during the first battle against Cyclopsis). However this may not necessarily be because it is a superior combatant to the Megazord, rather the Rangers tend to form Megazord first until it runs into serious trouble and then switching to Dragonzord Battle Mode to finish the monster. The battles against Split Flower and Babe Ruthless were the only instances that the Rangers formed Dragonzord Battle Mode and not Megazord at all.
Jason usually assumes the central pilot position of the Dragonzord Battle Mode, leaving his Tyrannosaurus to remote control if it remains in the battle, while Kimberly's Pterodactyl takes no further part in the engagement, such as in "EP32 A Star Is Born". The Dragonzord in Battle Mode is also the only Zord formation of season one where someone other than Jason is depicted as the main pilot, as in one instance, Zack took over as the main pilot with Trini taking her original position to the left, Billy in his usual position on the right, as Jason and Kimberly were still piloting their Dinozords, and Tommy was outside. Interestingly, Tommy has never been a pilot in the Dragonzord Battle Mode.
Mega Dragonzord
The Dragonzord also has the ability to combine with the Megazord to form the Mega Dragonzord. In this formation, the Megazord jumps up in the air and its shoulder pads lower, while the Dragonzord's lighted core and tail detaches and its chest opens up. Attached to the top of the Megazord, Dragonzord is somewhat being like a cloack or added armour with its finger missiles now the shoulder cannons. Though combining the six Zords, only the five core Rangers are shown within the cockpit. The only exception was the episode "Island of Illusion, Part II," where the Green Ranger was shown standing immediately behind the Red Ranger's chair.The Mega Dragonzord is very powerful, physically stronger than even the Dragonzord in Battle Mode, but also significantly slower because its composition makes it top-heavy due to a higher center of gravity. As the Mega Dragonzord enters the battle late, usually to finish off a monster, it has never had to fight an enemy hand-to-hand.
Its primary attack consists of an energy sphere formed by the Dragonzord symbols on the arms and the Megazord's chestplate, which is generally powerful enough to finish most enemies. Another weapon this Zord combination has consists of it firing a high intensity laser from the chest plate directly at the enemy.
In the action figures by Bandai, the lighted core and tail can be held as weapons by the Mega Dragonzord, but this is never seen in the TV series.
Titanus the Carrierzord
When Jason and Tommy go on a quest for special weapons to destroy Rita's new Super Putties, they meet Titanus the Carrierzord, a white-and-black brachiosaurusBrachiosaurus
Brachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. It was first described by Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in the Grand River Canyon of western Colorado, in the United States. Riggs named the dinosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax,...
Zord. Titanus guards the special weapons, but Zordon takes the opportunity to teach Jason and Tommy a lesson about teamwork, and he informs the Rangers that Titanus is a friend once they resolve their differences and obtain the weapons together.
Titanus carries a set of cannons on its sides and can fire powerful blasts from its mouth, one of the few times that it fired them as an individual Zord was during the first battle against Cyclopsis. However, Titanus' primary function is to serve as the final piece of the Ultrazord.
The Rangers do not utilize Titanus throughout the period in which they have the Thunderzords, but call upon it again to combine with the Ninjazords and Shogunzords to form new Ultrazord formations. This is because unlike Zyuranger and Dairanger, the source Super Sentai series for the first and second seasons of MMPR respectively, Kakuranger does not have a "carrier Zord", so Titanus was reused. In reflection of this, Bandai Entertainment sold "Return of Titanus", which was the same as the original toy version, sans the chain, and the addition of the Dragonzord's chestpiece (oddly enough, as the Dragonzord was not part of the Ninja or Shogun Ultrazord formations), sans electronics.
Another version of Titanus called "Silver Titanus" (It consisted of a repainted Titanus torso, with various rockets, tailfins, and a nose cone replacing the dinosaur parts) was sold as part of the Power Rangers in Space
Power Rangers in Space
Power Rangers in Space is a television show that aired in 1998 as the sixth season and fourth installment of the Power Rangers franchise...
toyline, for the same reason (Denji Sentai Megaranger
Denji Sentai Megaranger
is Toei's twenty-first production of the Super Sentai television series. The footage was also used in the American series, Power Rangers in Space. Megaranger premiered on February 14, 1997 and concluded on February 15, 1998.-Plot:...
, the source series for In Space, didn't have a carrier Zord either), but it was never seen on the show. The Brachiozord from Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
Power Rangers Dino Thunder is an American children's television series, an incarnation of the Power Rangers franchise. As with all Power Rangers series, it was adapted from a series from the long running, Japanese Super Sentai franchise, in this case the twenty-seventh, Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger...
is very similar and is considered to be Tommy's Zord
Ultrazord
In times of peril, all six Zords (usually first combined as the Mega Dragonzord), along with Titanus, can come together to form Ultrazord, the most powerful combination of season one. Titanus' breastplate now covers the chest of the Mega Dragonzord, while the Dragonzord's lighted core is placed in front of Titanus' neck. Though combining all Zords, only the five core Rangers are shown within the cockpit. The only exception was the episode "Island of Illusion, Part II," where the Green Ranger was shown standing immediately behind the Red Ranger's chair.Usually, the Rangers form the Mega Dragonzord first, which then combines with Titanus to form the Ultrazord. However there was one case where the Megazord landed onto Titanus first, and then Dragonzord was added to the formation.
The Ultrazord attacks with a devastating array of projectile weapons, almost always destroying whatever enemy it faces. There are two notable exceptions, however. The first is against Lokar, who retreats after it realizes that it would not survive the Ultrazord's firepower. Later, against Cyclopsis, the Rangers believe they destroyed it with Ultrazord the first time they meet, but fail as Cyclopsis's head was intact. They later discovered that they need to change Zord formations frequently in order to confuse Cyclopsis and catch it off guard. At the end of their third battle, the Rangers form Ultrazord again, and this time obliterate Cyclopsis, and seemingly Lokar as well because the latter is never seen again following that battle.
Thunderzords
Alpha 5
Alpha 5 is a fictional robot on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series. On Alpha's chest is a yellow stylized lightning bolt similar to the Power Rangers' lightning bolt symbol, but inverted. His head is in the shape of a golden flying saucer with a visor that flashes when he is speaking...
regains control of the Zords by making a refraction of energy that transforms the Dinozords into the Thunderzords, much more powerful than their predecessors. They are all based on creatures of mythology(with the exceptions of the White Tiger Zord and the Lion Zord). The sequences of the Dinozords changing into the Thunderzords was actually American-made CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
footage, due to both types of mecha being from different Super Sentai series. The Thunderzords are used to battle the forces of Lord Zedd
Lord Zedd
Lord Zedd is a fictional villain from the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers who was introduced at the beginning of the show's second season. Unlike Rita Repulsa, the show's original villain, Zedd was a character made specifically for Power Rangers without any prior counterpart in the Japanese...
with their massive power throughout season two. In season three, when the Rangers use the Thunderzords to battle Rito Revolto
Rito Revolto
Rito Revolto is a fictional character from the American television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the sequel program Power Rangers Zeo. The idiotic skeleton-like brother of Rita Repulsa, brother-in-law of Lord Zedd, and son of Master Vile, Rito is based on the Ninja Sentai...
, they fall into a trap when a band of monsters join in the battle and easily overpower them. Eventually the Morphing Grid overloads and the Thunderzords are destroyed, causing the head, arms, and torso to fall off the Thunder Megazord and Tigerzord in Warror Mode. The Thunderzords' individual cockpits were never shown, except for the Red Dragon Thunderzord in the episode "Rangers Back in Time, Part II," which was basically a reuse of the Thunder Megazord cockpit shot with the majority of the cockpit cropped out.
The Thunderzords are as follows:
- Red DragonChinese dragonChinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...
Thunderzord: Piloted by Jason and later Rocky DeSantosRocky DeSantosRocky DeSantos is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. In the second season of the television show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, he joined the team as the second Red Ranger...
, this Zord is shaped like a Chinese dragonChinese dragonChinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...
. The Red Dragon possesses a Warrior Mode, in which it can transform into a humanoid form that wields a staff as a weapon. Similar to the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, the Red Dragon is capable of fighting and defeating a monster on its own. Its wrists are capable of spinning at high speeds, allowing it to use its staff like helicopter blades. It is also able to ride the Tigerzord while it is in Tiger Mode. - Lion Thunderzord: Piloted by Zack and later Adam ParkAdam ParkAdam Park is a fictional major character from the universe of the American television series franchise Power Rangers, played by Johnny Yong Bosch. He is a main character in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, as well as three of its successive incarnations Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers,...
, The Lion is seemingly useless on its own, having no attack functions. However, in Dairanger, the Lion can create illusions. This is the only Thunderzord not to have any personal weaponry of its own at all; its only function is to provide armor for the Red Dragon's upper body during the Megazord formation. Also in Dairanger, the Lion's pilot wore a green costume instead of black, which is why its head is green. Bandai "fixed" this by making the toy Lion's head black. It is modeled after an Imperial guardian lion, the type that is found in most Chinese temples, museums, government offices, etc. - UnicornUnicornThe unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
Thunderzord: Piloted by Billy, it has a basic block shape side from its head, and is capable of launching boulders at monsters. It is similar in design to the Griffin. In Dairanger, this Zord is a Chinese version of PegasusPegasusPegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
. As a result, it lacks the horn that unicornUnicornThe unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s have. - GriffinGriffinThe griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
Thunderzord: Piloted by Trini and later Aisha CampbellAisha CampbellAisha Campbell is a fictional character from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV Show. She was portrayed by Karan Ashley.Spirited and full of energy, Aisha was always up to the challenge of being a Power Ranger...
, it has a basic block shape side from its head, and is capable of firing flaming rings or electric bolts at monsters. It is similar in design to the Unicorn. In Dairanger, this Zord is a QilinQilinThe Qilin is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen that brings rui . It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over...
, a creature that may have been based on a giraffeGiraffeThe giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
. The name change is because most Westerners would not be familiar with the Qilin creature. - FirebirdPhoenix (mythology)The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
Thunderzord: Piloted by Kimberly, it appears as a large firebirdFenghuangFenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be...
, and is capable of creating an energy tornado and sending it towards monsters.
The Zords used by the Crimson and Navy Thunder Rangers of Power Rangers Ninja Storm are also called Thunderzords and their Megazord formation is called the Thunder Megazord as well.
Thunder Megazord
The combination of the five Thunderzords; the Red Dragon in Warrior Mode forms the internal structure and wears the other Thunderzords like body armor, making it look like an armored samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. The Lion forms the arms, chestplate, and helmet, the Unicorn forms the right leg, the Griffin forms the left leg, and the Firebird forms the waist. While piloting the Thunder Megazord, the Rangers stand inside the cockpit located within the green window on the Megazord's chest. It is also called the "Mega Thunderzord" at times.
The Thunder Megazord's main weapon is the Thunder Saber, which rests in a sheath on its hip when not in use. Like the original Megazord's Power Sword, it also delivers a powerful energy slash as a finishing move on monsters. The Thunder Megazord can also unleash a destructive smokescreen out from the green window on its chest. In Dairanger, it also has a speared polearm combined from the Firebird's tail with the Red Dragon's staff, but it was cut out from the MMPR episodes.
The Thunder Megazord is also the first Megazord to have an American-made cockpit, the only others in the entire franchise being its successors, the Ninja Megazord and Shogun Megazord, as well as the Titanium Ranger's Max Solarzord in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, as the Titanium Ranger is solely an American-made character and the Samurai Megazord in Power Rangers Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai
Power Rangers Samurai is the nineteenth season of the American children's television series Power Rangers. With Saban Brands buying back the franchise, the show is produced by SCG Power Rangers and began airing on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on February 7, 2011...
.
Thunderzord Assault Team
The Lion, Firebird, Unicorn, and Griffin can also combine to form the Thunderzord Assault Team, with the Red Dragon in Warrior Mode riding the other four combined as an airborne chariotChariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
. The Thundezord Assault Team is capable of defeating an enemy by having the Red Dragon strike at one with its staff. However, this formation is not used very often in the series.
Tigerzord
When Tommy's Dragon Coin loses its powers for good, Zordon and Alpha create the Tiger Coin for him, which gives him the powers of the White Ranger. His Zord, the White Tiger (sometimes called the "White Tigerzord" or the "White Tiger Thunderzord"), is controlled by his talking saber, Saba. Like the Red Dragon, the Tigerzord can also change into a Warrior Mode, in which it wields a curved sword, formed from the Tiger Mode's tail, and can also fire flame orbs (oddly called the "White Tiger Thunder Bolt") from its chest. In its Warrior Mode, it often fights alongside the Thunder Megazord and usually allows its partner to finish off the enemy.The Tigerzord is ultimately destroyed alongside the Thunder Megazord by Rito and his band of monsters. Unlike the individual Thunderzords, the Tigerzord's cockpit was reused from Dairanger footage.
Mega Tigerzord
The Tigerzord in Warrior Mode can combine with the Firebird, Griffin, Lion and Unicorn to form the Mega Tigerzord, similar to the alternate Megazord combination its predecessor the Dragonzord was able to form; the Dragonzord in Battle Mode. The Tigerzord serves as its head, arms, torso, and upper legs, the Lion forms the shoulder pads and back, the Unicorn forms the right leg, the Griffin forms the left leg and the Firebird forms a claw on the right arm.The Firebird can shoot out, energized by a fireball from the Mega Tigerzord's chest, as a finisher. It often fights alongside the Red Dragon in Warrior Mode.
Despite being more powerful than the Thunder Megazord, the Mega Tigerzord is used only four times in the series and only defeats three of the four monsters it fights.
Tor the Shuttlezord
Zordon presents the Rangers with the turtleTurtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
-shaped Tor the Shuttlezord to help them on their journey to get the Sword of Light. Tor can withstand big blasts, and even Serpentera can't destroy it with its sheer weight. Similar to the Red Dragon and the Tigerzord, Tor has a Warrior Mode. The Red Dragon can ride inside Tor's central cavity while both are in Warrior Mode in order to use the powerful leg cannons. Unfortunately, both of Tor's modes contain very little functionality. Like the Dragonzord and Titanus, Tor is likely still dormant somewhere on Earth in the Power Rangers universe as its destruction was never shown on screen.
Thunder Ultrazord
Tor can combine with the Thunderzord Assault Team (on top of which is the Red Dragon in Warrior Mode) and the Tigerzord in Tiger Mode to form the Thunder Ultrazord. Instead of firing weapons to finish off monsters, it flies above the monster and literally lands right on top of it, squashing the monster flat (however, in the episode "Goldar's Vice Versa", it uses its cannons against GoldarGoldar
Goldar , is a fictional character from the Power Rangers universe, first appearing in the American series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Grifforzer. He is a powerful yet very overconfident warrior that served under the command of Rita Repulsa and...
and Scorpina, though this was done by splicing together the stock footage of both Zyuranger and Dairanger).
Ninjazords
The Ninjazords are as follows:
- ApeApeApes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
Ninjazord: Piloted by Rocky, it is similar to the Red Dragon Thunderzord in Warrior Mode. The Ape is human shaped and the fighter of the group, armed with twin ninja-to. - FrogFrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
Ninjazord: Piloted by Adam, it can breathe fire and release several smaller frogs, which can latch on to their target and produce an electric shock. - WolfGray WolfThe gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
Ninjazord: Piloted by Billy, it can use its tail like a sword and also shoot powerful eye blasts. - BearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
Ninjazord: Piloted by Aisha, it can use an earthquake stomp attack and also shoot powerful eye blasts. - CraneCrane (bird)Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
Ninjazord: Piloted by Kimberly and later Katherine HillardKatherine HillardKatherine 'Kat' Hillard is a fictional character in the Power Rangers franchise. She was played by Australian-American actress Catherine Sutherland in adult form, and by Julia Jordan in child form...
, it can fire lasers from its wings and is the smallest Zord ever in MMPR.
The Zords used by the Red, Blue and Yellow Wind Rangers of Power Rangers Ninja Storm are also called Ninjazords, though their Megazord formation is called the Storm Megazord.
Ninja Megazord
The combination of the five Ninjazords; the Frog forms the thigh and legs, the Bear forms the torso, the Ape forms the right arm, the Wolf forms the left arm and the Crane forms the head. Equipped with its Power Gloves, it can throw super energy punches. The Ninja Megazord possesses amazing speed and physical skill. Unfortunately, it is unable to hold anything due to the lack of hands.Falconzord
Modeled after a peregrine falconPeregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, the Falconzord is Tommy's new Zord given to him by Ninjor at the same time the other Rangers receive the Ninjazords. The Falconzord can shoot powerful beams from its mouth, as well as lasers (rockets in the movie) from its eight wingtip cannons. Despite being occasionlly referred to as a Ninjazord, the Falconzord is more of a stand-alone Zord, like its predecessors the Dragonzord and Tigerzord, as well as Titanus and Tor.
Ninja Mega Falconzord
The Falconzord can attach to the back of the Ninja Megazord, forming the Ninja Mega Falconzord' giving it the ability of flight. Its finisher move is the "Double-Punch Divebomb."In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, it is called the "Ninja Falcon Megazord".
Both the Ninjazords and Ninja Megazord are also featured in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger...
. However, all footage of the Zords was made from scratch via CG-imagery; the artists used the Kakuranger toys for reference. Despite this however, the Ninjazords featured in the movie barely resemble their actual television counterparts, both in Zord and Megazord form. Noticeable differences include changes in transformation mechanisms; the functional hand from the Ape arm, the Wolf's head for a left hand and the transformed Crane for a cockpit, instead of two eyes. The movie version of the Megazord also wields a sword, which resembles the Shogun Megazord's Fire Saber. Also in the movie, the Pink Ranger sits at the head of the cockpit, while in the show, the Red Ranger sits at the head.
The Ninja Megazord is also the first Megazord not to have a weapon finisher. In the TV series, the Megazord also is the first not to sport a weapon, other than its Power Gloves. The movie version of the Megazord sports a weapon but lacks the finishing move.
Ninja Ultrazord
When the Ninja Mega Falconzord rides atop of Titanus, which returned this season, they joined to form the Ninja Ultrazord. Despite the Dragonzord being gone, its stomach part is still used for the Ultrazord. Like the original Ultrazord, this one fires multiple missiles to finish off monsters. The footage of the Ninja Ultrazord was made with the American toys.Shogunzords
Mid-way through season three, Zedd kidnaps Ninjor and uses him and Kimberly as hostages, demanding that the Power Rangers pilot his new Shogunzords to destroy the Earth. Ninjor is eventually freed, and the Rangers are able to use the Shogunzords for their own purposes (i.e. for good instead of evil). Originally called the "Lost Zords" or the "Ancient Zords" they are discovered by Finster, Squatt and BabooBaboo
Baboo may refer to:*Baboo, a villain in the Power Rangers fictional universe*An alternate spelling of the Indian honorific Babu*Baboo, an airline based in Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland...
. The Shogunzords were based on the technology from the Falconzord. Zedd powers the Zords off the captured Ninjor. Billy is able to gain control of the Zords and power them off the Rangers' Ninja Coins. The Shogunzords are humanoid robots of different colors (much like the Alien Rangers' Battleborgs) and with different armor around the head, the heads resembling the animals the Ninjazords were based on. The Shogunzords are considerably more useful than the Ninjazords due to their human form.
In the show, there is no Pink Shogunzord, only Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and White. The American toy version of the Shogun Megazord, however, came with a Pink Shogunzord instead of a White one. In the source series, Kakuranger, Tsubasamaru (Falconzord) did not belong to any specific Ranger, it was just a mecha that could combine with either the Muteki Shogun (Shogun Megazord) or the Kakure Dai Shogun (Ninja Megazord), similar to the Titanus and Tor. It became the White Ranger's Zord in MMPR, and Ninja White's Crane became the Pink Ranger's Zord. Ninja White's White Kark became the White Ranger's White Shogunzord on the show, since it was white in color, leaving the Pink Ranger with no Shogunzord of her own (thus in the series, she shares the White Ranger's Zord). This is probably what caused the confusion at the toy factory.
Some American and British viewers saw the introduction of a second set of Zords partway through a season as an instance of jumping the shark
Jumping the shark
Jumping the shark is an idiom used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality that is beyond recovery....
, though Power Rangers remained popular after this (and the inclusion of a second set of Zords partway through the season would become standard practice throughout most of the following Power Rangers series). The Shogunzords are also used by the title characters of Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers is a Power Rangers miniseries set at the end of the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...
(whose costumes are from Kakuranger). They are used to destroy all the enemies of MMAR (except for the Slotksy monster, who is destroyed by the Battleborgs). It is assumed the Shogunzords remain dormant in the Power Rangers universe.
Shogun Megazord
The combination of the five Shogunzords; the Red Shogunzord forms the main body and head, the Blue and White form the arms and the Yellow and Black form the legs. While the Ninja Megazord is swift and agile, the Shogun Megazord is burly and powerful. Consequently, it lacks speed. It is heavily armored, yet still functional. Its main weapon, the Fire Saber, destroys opponents with a fire slash. According to Super Sentai continuity, the Fire Saber is capable of shrinking down to human size and used by the Kaku Rangers to destroy monsters, though the human sized version of the Fire Saber was never used in Power Rangers.It is notable that the Alien Rangers are never seen in the cockpits of either the individual Zords or the Megazord itself, despite showing them being absorbed into the gold shape on each Shogunzord's chest (actually using Kakuranger footage for this process). For the Power Rangers, the Zyuranger footage of the Rangers (minus the White Ranger, being from Dairanger) jumping into their Zords was reused, though only the footage depicting the Red, Black, and Blue Rangers is shown, even after the Pink Ranger is restored to the team. In the Zords' first appearance, the Yellow Ranger footage is also used, editing the Pink Ranger in the same clip out.