 This article is about a/an Ranger in Power Rangers Wild Force.
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Merrick Baliton is the Lunar Wolf Wild Force Ranger of the Wild Force Power Rangers.
Contents
History
3,000 years before Wild Force, the land of Animaria waged a war with an evil who rose from the Earth called Orgs. Six Ancient Warriors defended the land from these creatures. Five of them used the powers of the Crystal Sabers, while the sixth, Merrick, was assigned to protect Princess Shayla, who he also had feelings for. To keep some of Animaria's culture safe, it was lifted into the sky by the Ancient Warriors. On this floating island, a slumbering Shayla and five Power Animals were kept safe. The warriors defeated most of the Orgs, but they could not defeat Master Org, who destroyed Animus.
With little hope left, Merrick set out to find a legendary wolf mask which was said to give great powers. He found the mask at Nayzor's temple, along with three Animal Crystals. He put the mask on, and summoned the Wolf, Alligator, and Hammerhead Shark Wildzords to form the Predazord, which was able to destroy Master Org. But, the victory over the Orgs came with a price. Merrick was unable to remove the mask, which began to corrupt him, causing him to fall under its evil influence. As the evil Zen-Aku, Merrick was out of control, even attacking the Ancient Warriors. The warriors had no choice but to take Zen-Aku down, and imprison him in a tomb (though he begged them to destroy him instead).
In present day, the new Master Org wages a new war against the successors of the Ancient Warriors - the Wild Force Rangers. He decided to have Zen-Aku freed in hopes of using him against the Rangers. Zen-Aku awakened, and swore to get vengeance against the Rangers for their predecessors having him confined. As Zen-Aku, his memory was hazy, with only a vague recollection of being imprisoned by the Ancient Warriors, none of being human or having been cursed by a mask. He would only regain his human guise once a month on the night of a new moon, but would immediately return to his savage, amnesia-ridden form by daybreak.
Zen-Aku's overwhelming power and fierce Dark Wildzords defeated the Rangers in each and every battle. He even managed to steal the Elephant, Giraffe, Black Bear, and Polar Bear Zords from them. With each battle, the Rangers discovered more clues about Zen-Aku's secret, and Zen-Aku started recalling bits and pieces of his memory, particularly when he was around Princess Shayla. To prevent him from remembering the past, Nayzor implanted a bug into Zen-Aku's head which would further cloud his memory, and strengthen his resolve in destroying the Rangers. By this time, the Rangers had already figured out Zen-Aku's true identity, and sought a way to restore it.
The spirit of Animus appeared to Zen-Aku twice, to try and make him remember his past. Animus even created an eclipse to cut off Zen-Aku's power source, and allow the Rangers to reach through to Merrick for a brief period. Neither plan worked, and Zen-Aku returned, still seeking vengeance. Finally, Princess Shayla determined that the power of the curse lay within the Dark Wildzords. To break the spell over Merrick, the Predazord needed to be defeated in battle. To accomplish this, the Rangers were assisted by new Wildzords, the Rhino and the Armadillo. With these new Power Animals, they formed the Wild Force Megazord Striker mode, which was able to take down the Predazord, scattering its Animal Crystals. Amidst the chaos lay Merrick, restored back to normal, with a broken wolf mask nearby. The Rangers asked Merrick to join them, but Merrick refused. He was not ready to forgive himself for his actions as Zen-Aku, and did not feel worthy to join the team.
Merrick later risked his life by taking on Master Org and the Quadra Org to get back the Animal Crystals he had stolen as Zen-Aku. He was getting beaten badly, until his old Wildzords finally answered his calls and came back to him. They gave him the Lunar Caller, giving him the ability to morph into the Lunar Wolf Ranger. With the power of the Howling Wolf behind him, Merrick defeated Quadra Org, and then Nayzor, retrieving the four Animal Crystals in the process, and returning them to the Rangers. Merrick remained a recluse, helping the Rangers when necessary, but unwilling to get close to them, or to pursue the romantic feelings he has for Princess Shayla. Instead of living on the Animarium, which he stayed away from out of self-exile and guilt, Merrick worked at Willie's Road House, where he did chores in exchange for room and board. He knew when the Rangers needed him when the wind would blow and warn him of the danger.
As time went by, Merrick couldn't help but grow closer to the Rangers, and eventually accepted them as friends, once even managing to bring himself to visit Princess Shayla and the Animarium. After Master Org was defeated, he gave up his Ranger powers and left Turtle Cove to travel the world for his next adventure. Zen-Aku, who (somehow) survived, offered to join him, saying that they were both "lone wolves looking for redemption". Merrick accepted the offer and the two set off together.
Dino Thunder
The Lunar Wolf Ranger was featured in a chronicle of Power Ranger history compiled by Tommy Oliver shortly after he formed the Dino Rangers, which was found by the nascent Ranger team in the Dino Lab. 
TV STORY-Legacy of Power
Super Megaforce
Helping Orion in visions
Merrick appears in a vision to Orion.
Merrick appears in a vision of the Legendary Final Strike.
After an alien from Andresia named Orion came across a Silver Ranger Key and a Morpher, Orion got visions from multiples sixth Rangers, Orion has vision with Merrick and multiples sixth Rangers which results in the keys being fused together into one. TV STORY-Power of Six
Participating in the Legendary Battle
Wild Force Rangers in Super Megaforce.
Merrick returned with his fellow Wild Force Rangers as part of the army of Legendary Rangers that helped the Mega Rangers defeat the Armada once and for all, fighting in a huge battle against hundreds of X Borgs and dozens of Bruisers. TV STORY-Legendary Battle
Video game appearances
Power Rangers Key Scanner
Lunar Wolf Ranger in Power Rangers Key Scanner
Merrick as Lunar Wolf Ranger appears in the app videogame Power Rangers Key Scanner, amoung various other Rangers teams.
Power Rangers Dash
Lunar Wolf Ranger in Power Rangers Dash.
Merrick along with the other Wild Force Rangers among all the Ranger teams which appear in the Korean-developed mobile game Power Rangers Dash.
Power Rangers Legacy Wars
Merrick appears as The Lunar Wolf Ranger in Power Rangers Legacy Wars,he is a Legendary (Leader),Legendary (Assist) character,and represents Wild Force Rangers with Taylor, Danny and Alyssa.
Lunar Wolf Wild Force Ranger
Ranger Costume
Arsenal
Zords
- Predazord
- Wolf Wildzord
- Hammerhead Shark Wildzord
- Alligator Wildzord
Appearances: WF Episodes 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25-33, 35-40, SM Episodes 20 & LBEV
Morph and Roll Call
Ranger Key
The Lunar Wolf Wild Force Ranger Key.
The Lunar Wolf Wild Force Ranger Key is Merrick's personal Ranger Key. This key along with the other 14 Official Sixth Ranger Keys are seen lining the Command Center's interior walls. This key is mainly used by Orion (Super Megaforce Silver) who uses it to fight as the Lunar Wolf Ranger.
- Although never used to transform, it was seen in the toyline.
Behind the Scenes
Portrayal
- Merrick is portrayed by Phillip Andrew.
- As the Lunar Wolf Ranger, his suit actors in Super Sentai footage from Gaoranger were Naoki Ofuji (大藤 直樹 Ōfuji Naoki) and Koji Mimura (三村 幸司 Mimura Kōji) & his suit actors in US footage were Takahiro Honma (本間 崇寛 Honma Takahiro) and Hiroshi Maeda (前田 浩 Maeda Hiroshi).
Notes
Merrick in his promotional artwork
- The Wild Force Lunar Wolf Ranger was a part of the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade at Disney-MGM Studios.
- In some of Merrick's morphed scenes his sash has seven stripes instead of six.
- Merrick is the first Power Ranger to sport facial hair. Subsequent bearded Rangers include Tommy Oliver, Daggeron and Albert Smith.
- Merrick is an unlockable character in the console and PC versions of Power Rangers: Super Legends. His statistics are the highest of any character in the game.
- Merrick is a playable character in Power Rangers Legacy Wars
- Merrick is one of the oldest known Rangers, as he lived for at least 3000 years.
Appearances
Power Rangers Wild Force
- Episode 3: Click, Click, Zoom (flashback only)
- Episode 13: "Revenge of Zen-Aku" (flashback only)
- Episode 15: The Ancient Warrior
- Episode 16: The Lone Wolf
- Episode 17: Power Play
- Episode 19: The Tornado Spin
- Episode 20: Three's a Crowd
- Episode 22: Sing Song
- Episode 23: The Wings of Animaria
- Episode 25: Reinforcements from the Future, Pt. 2
- Episode 26: The Master's Last Stand
- Episode 27: Unfinished Business
- Episode 28: Homecoming
- Episode 29: The Flute
- Episode 30: Team Carnival
- Episode 31: Taming of the Zords
- Episode 32: Monitoring Earth
- Episode 33: The Soul of Humanity
- Episode 35: The Master's Herald, Pt. 1
- Episode 36: The Master's Herald, Pt. 2
- Episode 37: Fishing for a Friend
- Episode 38: Sealing the Nexus
- Episode 39: The End of the Power Rangers, Pt. 1
- Episode 40/Finale: The End of the Power Rangers, Pt. 2
- Power Rangers Dino Thunder
- Episode 4: Legacy of Power (archive footage only)
- Power Rangers Megaforce
- Episode 1: Mega Mission (dream only)
- Episode 4: Stranger Ranger (dream only)
- Power Rangers Super Megaforce (morphed only)
- Episode 9: Power of Six
- Episode 20/Finale: Legendary Battle
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Boom! Studios)
See Also
- Tsukimaro Ogami - Super Sentai counterpart in Gaoranger. See comparison page.
- Zen-Aku - His Wild Force Org alter-ego
- Duke Org Rouki - His Sentai Org counterpart
References
| Silver Rangers |
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| Identities Zhane • Ryan Mitchell • Merrick Baliton • Tyzonn • Gemma • Robo Knight • Orion • Zenowing • Steel Secondary Rangers Power Sets |
| View • Edit |
