The Secret Behind The White Ranger In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Makes Tommy’s Second Color Even Cooler

The White Ranger from the original Power Rangers series was different from the rest of the group in one major way that made Tommy’s second form somehow even cooler. After struggling with keeping his powers over and over, Tommy lost his Green Ranger powers definitively midway through the second season of Mighty MorphinPower Rangers. The reason for this is that there were only so many Green Ranger scenes from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger that Power Rangers could use for the American version.

Following the success of the Green Ranger, the show needed a new sixth Ranger – and so did the Power Rangers themselves to deal with Lord Zedd. In “The White Light,” Zordon and Alpha cut all communications and embark on a secret mission to create a new, more powerful replacement for the Green Ranger. Played as a big reveal, the White Ranger turned out to be Tommy. As cool as he looked in the new costume, the White Ranger from Mighty Morphin was technically not meant to be there.

The White Ranger Costume Was Not From The Same Show As The Rest Of The Power Rangers

The White Ranger Was Based On A Character From Dairanger, Not Zyuranger

Whereas Power Rangers season 1 was entirely based on Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, season 2 had no choice but to incorporate footage from a different series. With Power Rangers having almost all possible footage from Zyuranger and even including brand-new Japanese scenes filmed exclusively for the American show, it was time for the series to bring in a different Super Sentai season into the mix. However, with Mighty MorphinPower Rangers at the height of its popularity, it would make no sense for the show to ditch the Zyuranger costumes just yet.

Kou of the Howling New Star, the KibaRanger on which the White Ranger is based, is a 9-year-old boy who gets powers and joins the team in Dairanger.

This is why only portions of GoseiSentaiDairanger, the next Sentai season after Zyuranger, were used in Mighty MorphinPower Rangers. In addition to a few zords and monsters, Power Rangers also borrowed the KibaRanger’s costume and action scenes from Dairanger to create the White Ranger. In other words, Tommy’s White Ranger costume was from a different show entirely compared to the rest of his team. The fact that the White Ranger fit perfectly with the rest of the Mighty Morphin Rangers is quite fascinating considering that they were not from the same show.

Tommy’s White Ranger Run Deserves As Much Love As His Green Ranger Days

The White Ranger Was Just As Cool As The Green Ranger

The Green Ranger from MMPR is perhaps the most iconic Power Ranger in the franchise. From being the first evil Ranger in the series to having his own theme song, Tommy’s first Ranger form was born classic. Even though Tommy wore many Power Rangers costumes after the green one, his Green Ranger days remained the most recognizable. That said, Mighty Morphin’s White Ranger deserves as much love as the Green Ranger and was part of some of the franchise’s greatest moments.

For example, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie had Tommy as the White Ranger front and center in all the posters and trailers. Tommy’s White Ranger run is also when he became the leader of the Power Rangers for the first time, a role he would continue to play up until Turbo. In terms of power, the White Ranger was said to be stronger than the Green Ranger. With an incredibly cool design that feels like it was destined to be part of Mighty Morphin, the White Ranger is a very special chapter in Tommy’s story.