Aside from some divisive use of generative AI, Power Rangers x Ninja Kidz is being embraced by the wider fandom, and not simply because it restores the tone and high-energy fun associated with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The Ninja Kidz Power Rangers series is much more than the Mighty Morphin-style monster-of-the-week minisodes it was expected to be. Instead, the series has an 80-minute plot that pushes Power Rangers lore in a wild new direction, including familiar faces from elsewhere in the franchise.
A major surprise in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return!, the first episode of the Ninja Kidz series, was the appearance of Zayto, a staple of Power Rangers Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury. Bringing a character from the franchise’s final chapters to meet the heroes of its first was a bold move, but Ninja Kidz has reinvented Zayto so extensively that it works. Rather than feeling like a simple nostalgia-grabbing cameo, his new role is one of several ways the Ninja Kidz show is building its own version of Power Rangers history.
The Ninja Kidz Power Rangers Show Is Putting A Fresh Spin On Zayto
Played by Russell Curry, Zayto is one of the most interesting characters introduced during the final shows of the Power Rangers franchise's original 30-plus-year run. As the Red Ranger of Dino Fury, Zayto was a Rafkonian warrior who became the leader of the team before eventually becoming the Zenith Ranger and a Morphin Master during Cosmic Fury.
His journey and status as an alien working alongside the human Rangers made him one of the franchise's most unusual heroes, giving Ninja Kidz plenty of established material to work with when they decided to drop him into the Mighty Morphin era. However, rather than simply placing Zayto alongside the recast Mighty Morphin Power Rangers heroes to capitalize on nostalgia for the franchise's wider canon, Power Rangers x Ninja Kidz completely reinvents him.
In the Ninja Kidz Power Rangers show, Zayto is now a child encountered by Jason, Kimberly, and Trini after they go into hiding on Rafkon following Lord Zedd's successful conquest of Earth. So far, Zayto has mainly been used for comic relief, with his eagerness to fight the forces attacking his village and his outspoken crush on Kimberly becoming the cornerstones of his appearance. However, this may not be the case for long.
The third and, at the time of writing, latest Ninja Kidz x Power Rangers episode, THE GREEN POWER RANGERS RETURNS, teleported Zayto back to Earth alongside the reunited Rangers with no possibility to return. It seems that the younger Zayto is being positioned to have greater purpose than mere comic relief, and it’s exciting to speculate over just what Ninja Kidz has in store for the young version of the future Cosmic Fury Zenith Ranger.
Zayto Isn’t The Only Power Rangers Character Ninja Kidz Have Reinvented
Zayto being a core character in Power Rangers x Ninja Kidz is exciting simply because it connects two distant ends of the Power Rangers timeline. However, the way Ninja Kidz has reinvented him is equally noteworthy, especially since he’s not the only character the YouTube channel has reworked for the surprisingly deep narrative of its officially licensed Power Rangers series. By the end of the first episode, it’s clear that Ninja Kidz is establishing its own continuity rather than simply recreating Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
For example, both Rita Repulsa and Bulk have been heavily changed. Rita is now a scheming political mastermind with a brand-new costume, while Bulk travels to Rafkon alongside Jason, Kim, and Trini. Not only that, but he’s actually quite capable in a fight and not at all cowardly. Still, the most shocking reinvention besides Zayto is one of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' most iconic characters, Tommy Oliver.
Played by the late Jason David Frank in the original show, the latest episode of Power Rangers x Ninja Kidz finally introduced its own version of Tommy Oliver. While he doesn’t seem to be the Green Ranger yet, Tommy is already a hero. While the Rangers have been in hiding following Lord Zedd’s victory, Tommy has been taking on the Emperor of Evil’s forces while operating under the mysterious pseudonym The Dragon.
Tommy has been effective enough that Zedd-controlled media is reporting on The Dragon's actions and trying to hunt him down. When the Rangers see these reports, Jason realizes that The Dragon is Tommy, suggesting they have already encountered each other. It remains unclear whether Tommy was previously the evil Green Ranger and, if so, why he is separated from the other Rangers despite clearly fighting for good now. Whatever happens next, the treatment of both Tommy and Zayto makes it easy to understand why Power Rangers x Ninja Kidz is attracting attention from Power Rangers fans.
TV Show(s)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers In Space, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Power Rangers Time Force, Power Rangers Wild Force, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Mystic Force, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, Power Rangers Jungle Fury, Power Rangers RPM, Power Rangers Samurai, Power Rangers Megaforce, Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Ninja Steel, Power Rangers Beast Morphers, Power Rangers Dino Fury, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury
Video Game(s)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, Saban's Power Rangers Megaforce, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind
First TV Show
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Created by
Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, Shotaro Ishinomori
English (US) ·