Power Rangers: Wild Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Power Rangers: Wild Force | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Action-Adventure |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Starring | Ricardo Medina, Jr. Alyson Kiperman Phillip Jeanmarie Jessica Rey Jack Guzman Phillip Andrew Ann Marie Crouch Ilia Volok Sin Wong |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | FOX (until August 2002), ABC (since September 2002) |
| Original run | 2002-02-09–2002-11-16 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| IMDb profile | |
Power Rangers: Wild Force (often abbreviated as PRWF and often simply called Wild Force) was the tenth anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise, based on the Super Sentai series Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger, which itself was the 25th anniversary of Super Sentai.
Power Rangers: Wild Force takes place in 2002, continuing the tradition of having the incarnation taking place the year it was released. The first part of the series was originally broadcast on the Fox Kids children's television block, but was later moved to the ABC Kids children's television block in mid-season following the buyout of the Power Rangers franchise by Disney.
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[edit] Plot summary
The series follows the adventure of Cole Evans, who had been staying with a tribe for many years, as he tries to find his destiny in the fictitious town of Turtle Cove. He encounters the Animarium, a place that many believed to be a fairy tale. He joins four others who had a common path to become the new leader of the Wild Force Power Rangers.
The Power Rangers use their powers to defeat the forces of the Orgs, led by one Master Org. As Cole was fond of other animals, he was shocked to discover that the Orgs were heartless monsters. As the series continues, he finds the truth about his real parents: his parents, Richard and Elizabeth Evans, were professors at Turtle Cove University, along with a family friend, Viktor Adler. When they were sent to the jungle for research, they discover the remains of Master Org, in which a jealous Adler consumes in order to exact revenge on Richard, who had proposed to Elizabeth before he could. However, Adler goes insane, and kills both Richard and Elizabeth. For a while, their newborn son, Cole, was also presumed dead.
The annual team-up episodes saw the Wild Force Rangers team up with the Time Force Rangers in order to stop three mutant Orgs (the Mut-Orgs) from polluting the Earth. It also featured the first time (and to date only time) when a former villain teamed up with the Rangers to face the enemy. These episodes are special as it contained numerous references to various longtime fans of Power Rangers. Fans generally consider this team-up one of the best, due to the fact that the episode was written by a member of the fandom who was later hired to write for Wild Force, and the fact that the team-up brought closure to several plotholes in Time Force.
In addition to the annual team-up episodes, Power Rangers: Wild Force also had a special episode commemorating it as the tenth incarnation, Forever Red, by having Cole team up with the nine Red Rangers before him, (in order of incarnations, Jason Lee Scott, Aurico, Tommy Oliver, Theodore J. Jarvis Johnson, Andros, Leo Corbett, Carter Grayson, Wesley Collins and Eric Myers), in order to defeat the Machine Empire one final time. This was known as Forever Red.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Rangers
| Actor | Character | Title | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricardo Medina, Jr. | Cole Evans | Red Lion Wild Force Ranger | Team leader |
| Alyson Kiperman | Taylor Earhardt | Yellow Eagle Wild Force Ranger | Second-in-command Former team leader |
| Phillip Jeanmarie | Max Cooper | Blue Shark Wild Force Ranger | |
| Jack Guzman | Danny Delgado | Black Bison Wild Force Ranger | |
| Jessica Rey | Alyssa Enrilé | White Tiger Wild Force Ranger | |
| Phillip Andrew | Merrick Baliton | Lunar Wolf Wild Force Ranger |
[edit] Allies
- Princess Shayla: guardian of the Animarium (portrayed by Ann Marie Crouch).
- Animus: the ancient ruler of Animaria, appears to aid the Rangers several times.
- Time Force Power Rangers
- Previous Red Rangers: Nine other Red Rangers from the past team up with Cole to battle the Machine Empire in Forever Red.
- Ransik & Nadira
- Kite: the human incarnation of Animus (portrayed by Ryan Goldstein).
[edit] Villains
- Master Org: Commander of the Org forces on Earth; he is the reincarnation of the ancient Master Org from 3,000 years ago. He was once Dr. Viktor Adler, but he consumed the remains of the original Master Org to become an Org himself. He disguised himself with similar clothing and a helmet with a fake horn. His true identity was discovered by Toxica when she saw him move his headdress, including his horn. He destroyed Retinax the first time to preserve identity and brainwashed Toxica and Jindrax when they discovered the truth. He was defeated and stripped of his Org powers by Cole and is thrown off a cliff by Mandilok and presumed dead. In truth, he became a true Org and he returned for revenge against the Duke Orgs and the Wild Force Power Rangers. In the finale, he consumed an ancient Org heart and gained a true Org form and every time he was destroyed by Rangers in Org form, his Org heart would revive him. He destroyed all Wild Zords, but he was destroyed once and for all when all of the Wild Zords were returned/resurrected and destroyed his body while Rangers destroy the Org heart with the Jungle Sword. He used a staff in human form and used the Nexus Blade in Org form (portrayed by Ilia Volokh).
- Jindrax: Jester/Clown-like Duke Org, self-proclaimed 'Master of Blades', uses knives and swords in battle. He had an unofficial rivalry with Taylor and was a good friend of Toxica. He seemed to have had a crush on Princess Shayla, but a deep love for Toxica. He resurrected Toxica from Spirit World using her reenergized severed horn. He retired from serving as an Org leader and now travels the world with Toxica so they can 'find themselves' (voiced by Richard Cansino for the first four episodes, then portrayed/voiced by Danny Wayne Stallcup, who was credited in this series as just Danny Wayne).
- Toxica: Sorceress Duke Org who is armed with a staff that releases beans that make Orgs grow. She suspected Master Org's true identity when she smelled the scent of 'human' around him and saw him 'move' his horn. She uses Nayzor's crown to temporarily transform into a General Org, Necronomica, and was brainwashed by Master Org, along with Jindrax, in mutated form when they found out his true identity. She once returned to normal by Cole, and they sought out Mandilok and serve under him until Mandilok used Toxica as a shield against the Rangers' Jungle Blaster. She was brought back to life again by Jindrax who pulled her out of the Spirit World by re-energizing her severed horn. She assisted the Rangers by rescuing the captured Princess Shayla from the Nexus. She retired from serving as an Org leader and now travels the world with Jindrax so they can 'find themselves' (portrayed by Sin Wong).
- Retinax: Eye-Themed General Org & bodyguard to Master Org. Resurrected in the episode before the finale to guard the Nexus with the two other generals. Wields an axe that can combine with the other generals' weapons to form the Nexus Blade (voiced by Michael Sorich).
- Nayzor: Nose-Themed General Org, who freed the Duke Org, Zen-Aku. Resurrected twice in series, first to battle Rangers in 'Super' form, then again in normal form to guard the Nexus with the two other generals. Uses a paper fan in normal form that can combine with the other generals' weapons to form the Nexus Blade and uses a clawed staff in Super form (voiced by Ken Merckx).
- Mandilok: A Hermaphroditic Mouth-Themed General Org, takes Master Org's place in the middle of the series. Upper mouth speaks with a female's voice while lower mouth speaks with a male's voice. Resurrected in the near-finale to guard the Nexus along with the two other Generals. Uses a large fork and knife as weapons that can combine with the two other generals' weapons to form the Nexus Blade (male voice by Ezra Weisz, female voice by Barbara Goodson).
- Zen-Aku: Wolf Duke Org sealed in a mask; possessed Merrick until the spell was broken. Comes back to life to battle Merrick and is destroyed by the combined strengths of the Wild Force Megazord [Striker Mode] and Predazord. Mysteriously comes back to life in the finale and now travels the world with Merrick, seeking redemption for his past deeds (voiced by Lex Lang).
- Artilla: Artilla is one of the Duke Orgs that were freed by Mandilok. Artilla is a tank-themed Duke Org. He and Helicos attacked Turtle Cove and were destroyed by the Isis Megazord (voiced by Michael Sorich).
- Helicos: Helicos is one of the Duke Orgs that were freed by Mandilok. Helicos is a helicopter-themed Duke Org that can fly. He and Artilla attacked Turtle Cove and were destroyed by the Isis Megazord (voiced by Dave Mallow).
- Juggelo: Juggelo is a Duke Org and Jindrax's brother. They attacked Taylor, Max and Kite at a carnival, even to when Jindrax ate the growth seeds to join him. Juggelo was destroyed by the Wild Force Megazord and Jindrax shrunk back to normal (voiced by Patrick Thomas).
- Onikage: Onikage is a Duke Org who appeared seemingly out of nowhere to aid Mandilok. However, he was actually working for Master Org, preparing things for his return. He succeeded in capturing Princess Shayla, getting rid of Toxica, and setting up Mandilok to be destroyed. Onikage then used his ninja powers to create evil clones of the Rangers, whom the Rangers could not damage without hurting themselves. Jindrax upset his plans by reflecting one of his blasts back at him, creating a clone that the Rangers destroyed. Onikage returned as a giant, and fought the Rangers in another dimension where the spirits of defeated Orgs reside. However, with the help of the Pegasus Megazord, he was defeated for good. (voice by Dan Woren)
- Mut-Orgs: In the year 3000, only three Orgs remained of the once great army that battled Animaria. Imprisoned in statues, they were stumbled upon by Ransik. When he learned that his cause, taking over the world, was the same as their own, he released them. They copied his DNA, combining the invulnerability of Mutants with their ancient Org powers. In exchange, they gave Ransik the power to pull weapons from his body. After Ransik's incarceration, the Mut-Orgs escaped into the past to seek out Master Org. After thoroughly trouncing the Wild Force Power Rangers several times, they find him. However, the Mut-Orgs are then met in battle by the combined Time Force/Wild Force team, as well as by Ransik. When they attempt to summon an energy blast, Ransik leaps in, taking the blast at point blank and causing it to wash back over the Mut-Orgs. As a result, their Mutant halves are destroyed, and their Org halves soon follow.
- Machine Empire Remnant: Years after Countdown to Destruction, in the episode Forever Red, the last generals of the Machine Empire gathered on the moon. Determined to obtain revenge for the destruction of their beloved monarch King Mondo, they set out to resurrect Serpentera. Led by Generals Venjix, Tezzla, Gerrok, Steelon, and Automon, the Empire unearthed the giant Zord and placed a neo-plutonium core inside to power it. However, just as they were about to board Serpentera, a team of 10 Red Rangers arrived on the moon. The Generals battled the Rangers, and Tezzla, Gerrok, Steelon, and Automon were destroyed. Venjix escaped to Serpentera, which he flew towards Earth. However, the Red Lion Ranger used his Wild Force Rider to reflect Serpentera's blast back into it. The Zord was destroyed, along with Venjix and the Machine Empire.
- Enemy Foot Soldiers
- Putrids
- Cogs
[edit] Arsenal
- Growl Phone: Phone-based Morpher of the five core Wild Force Rangers, activated with the cry of "Wild Access!". It also works as a communicator and features miniature robot and animal modes. The Growl Phones are gold with Ranger-colored trim on the phones' animal figureheads.
- Lunar Caller: Another phone-based Morpher granted to Merrick by his purified Wild Zords and stored on a wrist-mounted brace. It is blue with sliver trim and shaped like a wolf's head. Like the other Rangers with Growl Phones, Merrick also cries "Wild Access" to morph.
- Crystal Sabers: Standard Wild Force weapon used to summon the five core Wildzords, or an auxiliary Wildzord when an Animal Crystal is placed inside the hilt.
- Jungle Sword: A large sword made by combining the Rangers' primary weapons, capable of performing the Savage Slash attack to finish off Orgs.
- Red Lion Fang: Red Ranger's primary weapon.
- Golden Eagle Sword: Yellow Ranger's primary weapon.
- Blue Shark Fighting Fins: Blue Ranger's primary weapon.
- Black Bison Axe: Black Ranger's primary weapon.
- White Tiger Baton: White Ranger's primary weapon.
- Jungle Blaster: A cannon made by combining the Rangers' secondary weapons.
- Falconator: Red Ranger's secondary weapon.
- Armadillo Puck: Yellow Ranger's secondary weapon.
- Sword of Pardolis: Blue Ranger's secondary weapon.
- Rhino Shooter: Black Ranger's secondary weapon.
- Deer Clutcher: White Ranger's secondary weapon.
- Lunar Cue: Lunar Wolf Ranger's personal weapon, capable of switching between Saber Mode, Sniper Mode and Break Mode. With it, Merrick can perform the Full Moon Slash to devastate opponents. Merrick can also perform the Laser Pool technique to summon his Wildzords or finish off opponents by launching his Animal Crystals like billiard balls.
- Lion Blaster: When the Rangers were ensnared by Camera Org, the Red Lion Wildzord gave Cole the Lion Blaster, which he used to blast himself and his teammates to freedom. The Blaster materializes from Cole's Lion Fang and can switch between Cannon and Gattling Mode.
- Falcon Summoner: Weapon that can serve as a blaster or bow, and is also used to summon the Red Falcon Wildzord. Cole obtained it while he and Merrick battled a resurrected Nayzor once four of the Rangers, who had been knocked out by Nayzor, solved a complex puzzle while on a spiritual quest.
- Animarium Armor: Cole can use the Falcon Wildzord's power to activate his Battlized form, donning the Animarium Armor and becoming the Red Savage Warrior. Adorned with golden chest armour and gauntlets and large wings, Cole can fly, form a shield with his wings, as well as fire energy blasts.
- Savage Cycles: High-speed motorcycles for each of the six Rangers, given life by their respective Wildzords.
- Wild Force Rider: When Cole's Savage Cycle was damaged beyond repair by an enemy attack, he was given the Wild Force Rider. This new motorcycle is themed after the Falcon Wildzord and has flight capabilities.
[edit] Zords
The Zords in Power Rangers: Wild Force were called Wild Zords. They were living creatures that were summoned by the Wild Force Rangers with their crystal sabers.
- Wild Force Megazord (combination of Lion, Eagle, Shark, Bison, & Tiger)
- Red Lion Wild Zord; controlled by Cole as the Red Wild Force Ranger
- Yellow Eagle Wild Zord; controlled by Taylor as the Yellow Wild Force Ranger
- Blue Shark Wild Zord; controlled by Max as the Blue Wild Force Ranger
- Black Bison Wild Zord; controlled by Danny as the Black Wild Force Ranger
- White Tiger Wild Zord; controlled by Alyssa as the White Wild Force Ranger
- Elephant Wild Zord; 1st new Wild Zord discovered; controlled by Alyssa (forms [Megazord] Sword & Shield mode)
- Kongazord (combination of Gorilla, Black & Polar Bear, Bison & Eagle)
- Gorilla Wild Zord; 5th Wild Zord discovered; controlled by Cole
- Black & Polar Bear Wild Zords; 3rd and 4th Wild Zords discovered; controlled by Taylor (forms [Megazord] Double Knuckle mode)
- Soul Bird
- Predazord; controlled by Merrick, the Lunar Wolf Ranger (combination of Wolf, Hammerhead, & Alligator)
- Wolf Wild Zord
- Hammerhead Shark
- Alligator Wild Zord
- Isis Megazord (combination of Falcon, Armadillo, Giraffe, Rhino & Deer)
- Falcon Wild Zord; 9th Wild Zord discovered; controlled by Cole
- Giraffe Wild Zord; 2nd new Wild Zord discovered; controlled by Max (forms [Megazord] Spear mode)
- Rhino & Armadillo Wild Zords; 6th and 7th Wild Zords discovered; controlled by Danny (forms [Megazord] Striker mode)
- Deer Wild Zord; 8th Wild Zord discovered; controlled by Alyssa (forms [Megazord] Clutcher mode)
- Animus (combination Black Lion, Condor, Sawshark, Buffalo, and Jaguar)
- Pegasus Megazord (combination of Falcon, Lion, Elephant, Shark & Tiger)
[edit] Episodes
| # | Air Date | Episode Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-02-09 | "Lionheart" |
| 2 | 2002-02-09 | "Darkness Awakening" |
| 3 | 2002-02-16 | "Click, Click, Zoom" |
| 4 | 2002-02-23 | "Never Give Up!" |
| 5 | 2002-03-02 | "Ancient Awakening" |
| 6 | 2002-03-09 | "Wishes on the Water" |
| 7 | 2002-03-16 | "The Bear Necessities" |
| 8 | 2002-03-23 | "Soul Searching" |
| 9 | 2002-03-30 | "Soul Bird Salvation" |
| 10 | 2002-04-06 | "Curse of the Wolf" |
| 11 | 2002-04-13 | "Battle of the Zords" |
| 12 | 2002-04-20 | "Predazord, Awaken" |
| 13 | 2002-04-27 | "Revenge of Zen-Aku" |
| 14 | 2002-05-04 | "Identity Crisis" |
| 15 | 2002-05-11 | "The Ancient Warrior" |
| 16 | 2002-05-18 | "The Lone Wolf" |
| 17 | 2002-06-01 | "Power Play" |
| 18 | 2002-06-08 | "Secrets and Lies" |
| 19 | 2002-06-15 | "The Tornado Spin" |
| 20 | 2002-06-29 | "Three's a Crowd" |
| 21 | 2002-07-06 | "A Father's Footsteps" |
| 22 | 2002-07-13 | "Sing Song" |
| 23 | 2002-07-20 | "The Wings of Animaria" |
| 24 | 2002-07-27 | "Reinforcements From the Future, Part I" |
| 25 | 2002-08-03 | "Reinforcements From the Future, Part II" |
| 26 | 2002-08-10 | "The Master's Last Stand" |
| 27 | 2002-09-14 | "Unfinished Business" |
| 28 | 2002-09-15 | "Homecoming" |
| 29 | 2002-09-21 | "The Flute" |
| 30 | 2002-09-21 | "Team Carnival" |
| 31 | 2002-09-28 | "Taming of the Zords" |
| 32 | 2002-09-28 | "Monitoring Earth" |
| 33 | 2002-10-05 | "The Soul of Humanity" |
| 34 | 2002-10-05 | "Forever Red" |
| 35 | 2002-10-19 | "The Master's Herald, Part I" |
| 36 | 2002-10-19 | "The Master's Herald, Part II" |
| 37 | 2002-11-02 | "Fishing For a Friend" |
| 38 | 2002-11-02 | "Sealing the Nexus" |
| 39 | 2002-11-16 | "The End of the Power Rangers, Part I" |
| 40 | 2002-11-16 | "The End of the Power Rangers, Part II" |
[edit] Uniqueness of series
- Alyssa Enrilé (the White Tiger Ranger) was the first Power Ranger known to attend college and serve as a Ranger simultaneously.
- Power Rangers: Wild Force has the distinction of featuring the oldest known Power Ranger (Merrick the Lunar Wolf Ranger was at least 3,000 years old at the time of his release).
- Merrick also has the distinction of being the first Power Ranger to sport facial hair (a goatee)
- This season holds the record of the highest number of Zords featured: 27 (including the pieces of Animus, the adult Soul Bird and the last identified zords from the finale) (Baby Soul Bird is not counted, because it is not considered a Zord itself, according to Max).
- Although Master Org is an American-made villain, the costume used for him was recycled from Gorma, the main villain in Gosei Sentai Dairanger.
- General Orgs are all face-themed: Retinax - eye ; Nayzor - Nose (and ear) ; Mandilok - mouth (note the puns on each general's name).
- Sin Wong (Toxica) is the first Chinese actress to have a major role in a Power Rangers series.
- Ilia Volok (Viktor Adler/Master Org) is the first Russian actor to have a major role in a Power Rangers series.
Wild Force also uses a number of concepts from Gaoranger. The villains did not feature any name changes. It also uses the Gaoranger morphing sequence in down to the same exact detail, even copying the morphing call except changing it from 'Gao Access' to 'Wild Access'. It also features bleeding, kept from the original Sentai, shown when drops of blood fall from Zen-Aku, leading to the belief that he was really human, as Orgs do not have blood. Before, incidents of blood from the Super Sentai source material were always removed, and the American actors were merely "bruised" when their characters were supposed to be injured.
Like other series, Wild Force borrows from previous series precedents. It is the first series since Zeo to start the episodes with the opening credits. It was the second season after Time Force to utilize the "Red Rookie" plot device, in which the Red Ranger is a new person who joins the team after the team is formed.
Wild Force breaks several existing Power Rangers norms. For the first time, it did not feature a Pink Ranger, and is the first full Power Rangers season to have a White Ranger as part of a team of five Rangers. Although Alien Rangers featured the same situation, it is not considered to be a full season. It is the only series to air on both ABC Family and Fox Kids; the last episode on Fox Kids was "The Master's Last Stand". When the series began, Taylor (the Yellow Ranger) led the team, the first time that a Yellow Ranger led a Power Ranger team. It does not feature a team up with their successors Power Rangers: Ninja Storm since the team-up trend began.
This show also features many production changes. This was the last season to be produced by MMPR Productions and filmed in the United States. Wild Force is also the last time the Animaze voice actors would provide their talents in the series. Following the end of this show, Power Rangers moved to New Zealand, and most of the original crew and all of the voice actors were laid off as a result.
| Preceded by Power Rangers: Time Force |
Power Rangers 2002 |
Succeeded by Power Rangers: Ninja Storm |
| Power Rangers |
|---|
| Television series: |
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Alien Rangers - Zeo - Turbo - Space - Lost Galaxy - Lightspeed Rescue - Time Force |
| Wild Force - Ninja Storm - Dino Thunder - S.P.D. - Mystic Force - Operation Overdrive |
| Movies |
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie - Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie |
| Select episodes |
| Day of the Dumpster - Green with Evil - The Wedding - Ninja Quest - Hogday Afternoon Chase Into Space - Countdown to Destruction - Forever Red - Legacy of Power Back in Black - Lost and Found in Translation - Fighting Spirit - Mystic Fate |
| Characters |
| Rangers - Zords - Villains - Enemy grunts - Monsters - Other Characters |
| Related series from Saban |
| VR Troopers - Masked Rider - Big Bad Beetleborgs - The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog |
| Other related series |
| Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad - Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills |
| See also |
| Fox Kids - ABC Kids - ABC Family - Toon Disney - Jetix - Saban - Disney - Super Sentai |
