With the Power Rangers franchise entering a new phase, Bryn makes the argument for virtual experiences to be a major part of the show’s development going forward.
Virtual Experiences have enhanced many releases over the years, with Toei also diving into content creation platforms available for fans to enjoy. The reboot is the next exciting instalment for the Power Rangers universe, which will feature original content as it deviates from adaptations, and should attempt to include more virtual experiences in the future, including VR and video game content for fans to enjoy. As there are plenty of examples of why Power Rangers should enhance their content with epic releases, we have compiled the biggest reasons that showcase the potential to expand its content.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has entered the virtual world many times, with various video games enhancing the franchise. These include the mobile fighting game, Power Rangers: Legacy Wars and Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid, which features many iconic characters and locations throughout history. Power Rangers Cosmic Fury currently features as the latest season of the franchise, which is part of the 30th Anniversary celebration. Hasbro is currently working on a reboot for the franchise, which will mark the start of a new era helmed by Jonathan Entwistle and Jenny Klein.
Why Power Rangers Should Include Virtual Experiences
There are a range of different Virtual Experiences that exist today, which range from official releases to fan made attempts. Some of the best examples also include those outside of the Power Rangers franchise, with Super Sentai and even from the communities of other tokusatsu content. With the reboot of Power Rangers in the works, there are ways that the amazing work going into the future could be magnified. As fans are always looking for ways to explore and engage with the content they love, we have mustered the main factors why Power Rangers should incorporate virtual experiences for everyone to enjoy.
KingOhger Magnified on Fortnite
The biggest piece of hype for alternative content is showcased by Toei Zubun Lab as they recreate iconic locations featured in the 47th Super Sentai series, Ohsama Sentai Kingohger. This first included the Shuggodam Castle interior but evolved into full scale environments for Kingdoms, such as N’Kosopa and Gokkan. These are rare yet wonderful treasures to the community as it allows fans to fully explore these locations freely, instead of a glimpse as they appear in the TV series. The popularity of the releases has continued to grow as they include fantastic gaming experiences, with the first island using holiday themes such as Christmas.
Artists Recreate Amazing Scenes
From MMPRToys to The Return comic artist, Nico Leon, 3D models have been churning out at an incredible rate as both fans and content creators produce wonderous 3D Models. These are often for the fans or created from personal interest but many fans have shared their love for such releases on social media. The desire for show accuracy has driven artists to recreate scenes for their collection, including MMPRToys’ Mia recreating the Power Chamber for Lightning Collection figures. The most recent piece highlighting the 3D platform was actually created by Nico Leon (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return), who has recreated the original Zord cockpit seen in both Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Zyuranger.
VR & VRChat’s Hidden Gems
VR has boomed in recent years and the new Meta Quest 3 headset has marked the start of mixed reality releases to boot. Despite the lack of Power Rangers content, fans have still tried their best to bring both the franchise and tokusatsu to the platform. VRChat is one such location as fans use the platform to recreate suits and their effects, to experience morphing into in their favourite Rangers. Some of the best examples include one player shown in VRChat as ‘Nagisa Kaworu’ who shared full transformation sequences for various Riders on the platform, with near accurate effects. There are also fans that bring iconic locations to the platform, such as Ernie’s Juice Bar and the Command Center.
2017 Movie Releasing 360 Zord Video
One of the most undervalued releases from Lionsgate, the Power Rangers (2017) movie was a 3D video that gave fans a glorious and immersive teaser of the characters and the Zords. The perspective of the Zords was never truly realised by previous releases in the virtual world but this experience gives you a taste of their sheer scale and what it’s like to be in the cockpit. This short yet exciting piece of content showcases just how much a short video can deliver an unforgettable experience, which fans may even discover with a fresh perspective. Many still wish to recreate many locations and experiences but this creation by Qualcomm Snapdragon comes close to delivering what fans desire.
Amazing Concepts Only Used Once
Despite the amazing sets and locations created as originals for Power Rangers, most of these locations are never granted to fans outside of the series. Some video games like Power Rangers Legacy Wars do include nostalgic locations but don’t allow fans to explore them. However, recent series such as Power Rangers Beast Morphers and the three seasons of Power Rangers Dino Fury have featured insane original locations by Tracey Trix Collins. One of the greatest contributions made by the set designer includes the Spaceship HQ in Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, which fans loved despite the show’s short run. It’s an amazing set and designs like Tracey’s that deserve a better and immortal platform for fans to enjoy them fully.
Reboot Brings New Material Potential
With such a big and promising development underway from Hasbro, fans could, and should, expect a bigger and better take that will push Power Rangers into the future. The new movie and the following series will be expected to contain nonstop originals that will burst a new chapter within the Morphin Grid. However, all the designs and fresh concepts for the next instalment of Power Rangers could go even further by allowing direct interaction between these features and the fans. By allowing the fans to enjoy the new content directly, it will allow fans to connect more with the content, especially with VR bringing even more opportunities.
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is currently available on Netflix, featuring all 10 episodes. News of the upcoming Power Rangers Reboot has yet to be released, with announcements expected in 2024.
For your take on virtual experiences for Power Rangers, let us know your opinion on social media. For more Power Rangers, keep an eye on social media and keep following The Toku Source for more news and announcements.
