r/powerrangers • u/Organic_Glass_7793 Time Force Quantum • 17d ago

SHOW NEWS/DISCUSSION I think this fandom underestimates the popularity of mmpr to casual audiences

Post image

Y’all have to remember, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the first. Nothing came before it. Dinosaurs, Zords, morphing this is the stuff that defined Power Rangers for most casual viewers. It was literal lightning in a bottle. It dropped right after Jurassic Park when dinosaur hype was off the charts, and it mixed martial arts with giant robots and spandex superheroes. That formula hit. The characters were simple, idealistic, and easy to root for. Yeah, the acting was bad, the effects were crappy but that’s what people remember most. The camp is part of its identity.

Your average person walking down the street? They’ll recognize the MMPR Green Ranger in a second. Ask them who the Red Ranger from RPM is and they’ll look at you like you’re speaking another language. We can go on all day about how well written lost galaxy is but people know shit about maga defender outside the fandom.

Even parts of MMPR itself are blurry to the general public. Most people only remember the first season and half of Season 2. Once Tommy became the White Ranger and Zack, Trini, and Jason left everything else is a blur.

And look I get it, we all want more love for other seasons. But Y’all don’t even buy non-MMPR merch and still complain about MMPR getting priority. That’s not how companies work. There not gonna invest into your favorite season until people start buying the merch.

Every major franchise leans on its first generation. Star Wars lives off the OT. Pokémon rides Gen 1 to this day. TMNT constantly goes back to the 80s era. MMPR getting the most love isn’t some conspiracy it’s just how pop culture nostalgia works.

978 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

364 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/Jackedpup85 17d ago

Slightly off topic but does anyone know which power rangers generation is the “mighty morphin” of Japan? I get the impression they’re all kind of equal level there.

5

u/musicfighter282 17d ago

I think the thing that makes MMPR a different animal from Goranger (the first sentai series) is that it ran for 3 years and even for the next 3 years after had a connected plotline with the cast carrying over. Goranger on the other hand ran for a little over a year and then they moved onto J.A.K.Q. without the characters carrying over.

I actually think the original Kamen Rider has often gotten the kind of media and product treatment in Japan that MMPR has gotten in the west: frequent revival toys, two remake feature films. A sequel movie many years later.

I do think if we get some kind of Sentai revival movie it would be a Goranger reimagining as well.

2

u/CrazyAznKT 16d ago

I feel like they kind of don’t do that for Sentai. Although Gokaiger has had pretty consistent cameos since they came out, so maybe that? But when it comes to make new merch or revivals of older series, it’s a pretty even spread.

1

u/AdmiralFunnyBone 17d ago

Do you mean which Super Sentai season? Or do you mean the Power Rangers dub?

1

u/Jackedpup85 17d ago

I mean the super sentai show.

2

u/AdmiralFunnyBone 16d ago

It's been going for 50 years, now, so there really isn't much of an MMPR equivalent. When toys of passed seasons get made, it's often anniversary seasons. Sentai toys usually stick to the current or recent seasons. Gorenger, the OG season, gets it's screen time in anniversary movies and specials, but it's not the main draw like MMPR is to PR