Power Ranger

A Power Ranger is a human or humanoid warrior who morphs from a natural, unpowered form (often using a device called a Morpher) into a superhuman form clad in a full-body costume (irreverently called spandex on more than one occasion but actually an unknown composition), as well as a helmet with an opaque visor, which in many cases serves to protect his or her identity. A morphed Ranger generally possesses superhuman strength, durability, and hand-to-hand combat ability; unmorphed Rangers may possess other innate abilities (such as telepathy, superspeed, invisibility, etc.) which are usually not directly related to his or her Ranger powers. Rangers appear to retain their original physiology beneath their suits when in morphed form, as Rangers' helmets have been seen removed or broken on numerous occasions, revealing his or her natural form underneath; helmets aside, the suits are donned and removed nearly instantaneously with a glow of light or some other effect. Rangers are known to "demorph" involuntarily due to some magical effects or powerful physical attacks, with potentially life-threatening injury to the Ranger's natural body. In rare cases, a Ranger has remained morphed for an extended duration, such as several weeks (the Black Dino Thunder Ranger), or in one case, several years (the Silver Space Ranger), but physiological needs such as sleep and eating in this form also need to be addressed. It should be noted that most Ranger costumes also have life-support functions, such as rebreathers and gas masks, built into their helmets.

Rangers regularly operate in teams of five, with the occasional presence of a special sixth Ranger (or more); sometimes a core team of three will later be joined by two or three additional Rangers. Each Ranger's suit and energy spectrum will match a specific color, with red, yellow, and blue being joined by some combination of pink, green, black, white, or silver. Rangers may be named after their respective colors, such as Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, etc., but numbers or other names may also be used (such as Zeo Rangers I through V, Titanium Ranger, Quantum Ranger, etc.). There is usually no more than one Ranger of a given color on a team, but exceptions of this rule are generally given alternate names (such as Navy for an alternate blue, and Crimson or Quantum for an alternate red). In addition to the main color, the Ranger's costume will also bear white sections, as well as other possible colors such as silver, black, or gold. The team's costumes are nearly identical aside from color and perhaps a number designation; any additional Rangers (such as the standard sixth Ranger) will regularly have additional costume modifications, often including a gold vest.

Rangers generally function as a battle squadron to combat superhuman threats to humankind and other life forms. (Evil Ranger teams also exist, but are generally seen as a perversion or counterpart of the original "good" Rangers.) Rangers traditionally follow codes of honor which include self-sacrifice for the protection of others and the use of minimal force in combat. When necessary, Rangers are often capable of calling upon giant fighting machines known as "Zords" (although some villains have also constructed Zords of their own). Zords within a particular Ranger team may combine in various ways, such as forming a robot warrior known as a "Megazord," while Zords across different Ranger teams are not generally compatible. While the Rangers normally rely on mechanical aides, their enemies tend to use organically-based ones. This, interestingly, contrasts with Star Wars, where the opposite is true.

Power Rangers, a specific category of Rangers, are generally human Rangers (and frequently Earth-based); evil and alien Ranger teams have never been referred to as "Power Rangers." Furthermore, there seems to be only one prominent Power Ranger team at a time, during which other human Ranger teams retire that title. (In other words, the team on which the show is currently centered will be known as "Power Rangers," while all others will simply be "Rangers.") However some evidence has shown that for a short period of time two teams have been active such as the entire Time Force team and the four members of Wild Force or Ninja Storm, along with A-Squad and B-Squad rangers in Power Rangers: SPD.