 | This article is about a/an series entry (the 16th) in the Power Rangers franchise. |
Power Rangers Jungle Fury is the sixteenth season of Power Rangers. It was based on the thirty-first Super Sentai series, Juken Sentai Gekiranger.
The 2007-08 Writers Guild strike happened during production, upending some plans and forcing Bruce Kalish, Jackie Marchand, and John Tellegen to rush a few episodes to get them done. Jungle Fury was then written by strikebreaking/non-union writers until the strike finished [1], forcing the original writers to work out how to pick up where the interim had left off. [2]
Synopsis
For over ten thousand years, the spirit of a pure evil known as Dai Shi has been locked away and safely guarded by a secret kung fu clan known as the Pai Zhuq, or the "Order of the Claw." Three of their top students, Jarrod, Lily Chilman, and Theo Martin, are chosen by Master Mao to be the guardians of the Dai Shi. However, due to Jarrod's unruly behavior with newbie Casey Rhodes, he is expelled from the Order and Casey took his place instead. Jarrod's retaliation results in Dai Shi's escape and Master Mao's death. The trio are sent to find a new master and he gives them the special gift to become Power Rangers. They alone are the Earth's only hope to stop the army of evil animal spirits from overtaking the human world. Dai Shi is doing everything and anything that he can along with his loyal minion Camille and an army of undead, the Rinshi, so he can take over the world and have animals rule. He starts out with the Five Fingers of Poison but they fail. Dai Shi controls an army of fear and the three Power Rangers are trying to stop him.
When a Rinshi Warrior possessing an animal spirit is too much for the Rangers, each are trained by a retired master in a new animal spirit. Lily is trained by Master Phant in the ways of the Elephant, Theo is trained by the visually impaired Master Swoop in the techniques of the Bat, and Casey is taught by RJ's father Master Finn in the tradition of the Shark. Dai Shi and Camille revive the deadly Overlords Carnisoar and Jellica to train them in the ways of fear, deceit and terror, stripping Jarrod of his humanity. When Dai Shi fought the Rangers with his training, he defeated them and took RJ prisoner. To save RJ, the Rangers were taken to the Spirit World by Master Mao to be trained by three fallen Masters: Master Rilla, Master Guin, and Master Lope. In doing so, the three Rangers are able to upgrade to Master mode with incredible jets and hand-held claw weapons.
RJ's Wolf Spirit, which he obtained by following his own path and straying from his father's Shark style, is tampered with by Dai Shi and transforms RJ into a werewolf. RJ does not rely on his friends and tries to take care of the situation by himself. Ultimately, he learns to lean on his friends and transforms into the Wolf Ranger. RJ's werewolf problem is able to fix thanks to his new friendship with Flit the fly who once was human. The last Overlord, Grizzaka, is revived, but he takes over Dai Shi's place as he hates humans and resents Dai Shi possessing a human. Dai Shi wanted to possess Grizzaka's powerful Zocato Power. RJ's old friend from Pai Zhuq, Dominic, a wanderer who hadn't yet found his path, decides being the Rhino Ranger is his path.
Years ago, Master Mao once gave Dominic the Control Dagger, which everyone is now after to control the Rhino Steel Zord from the Rhino Nexus. Camille and Dai Shi reach the Nexus, a betrayal towards the Overlords. Dominic is able to take control of the Rhino Steel Megazord and destroy Carnisoar once and for all. The time is running out to revive three Phantom Beast Generals from the Crystal Eyes. Grizzaka is also destroyed by the Rangers. The Generals are revived by Jellica but they destroy her and ally with Dai Shi, wanting him to be their King. Dai Shi's first court of order is to kidnap the three living masters and put them under control to manifest three Spirit Rangers to go against the five Power Rangers.
Master Finn is locked in a Crystal Eye and saved by his son and together they are able to gain control over the Spirit Rangers and call them forth when needed. Soon Dai Shi is loosing control over Jarrod and the remaining Phantom Beast Generals blames Camille and sends warriors against her. Jarrod saves her and Casey witnessed this and goest to Dai Shi's temple to save Jarrod. Together, Jarrod and Camille help in a battle with the Rangers.
Ashamed of his bad deeds, Jarrod refuses to help again when Scorch and Dai Shi begin a new Beast War. Dai Shi opens up a portal to the Spirit World and resurrects all his fallen warriors, including the fallen masters. Jarrod finally decides to join them as well and helps weaken Dai Shi and the three protectors finally destroy Dai Shi forever. Once the war is finished, Camille and Jarrod train as beginners in the Pai Zhuq academy. Dominic is given a fond farewell, along with Fran, to back-pack through Europe.
Characters
Rangers
- Main article:Jungle Fury Rangers
The Jungle Fury Rangers
| Color | Role | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Jungle Fury Red Ranger | Casey Rhodes | Jason Smith |
| Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger | Lily Chilman | Anna Hutchison |
| Jungle Fury Blue Ranger | Theo Martin | Aljin Abella |
| Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger | Robert James | David de Lautour |
| Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger | Dominic Hargan | Nikolai Nikolaeff |
Spirit Rangers
- Main article:Spirit Rangers
The Spirit Rangers
| Color | Role | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Jungle Fury Elephant Ranger | Elephant Spirit Ranger | Bruce Allpress |
| Jungle Fury Bat Ranger | Bat Spirit Ranger | Oliver Driver |
| Jungle Fury Shark Ranger | Shark Spirit Ranger | Paul Gittins |
Warriors
Jarrod and Camille transformed
| Color | Role | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Black Lion Warrior | Jarrod/Dai Shi | Bede Skinner |
| Green Chameleon Warrior | Camille | Holly Shanahan |
Allies
- Fran (Portrayed by Sarah Thomson) - A bumbling loyal customer of Jungle Karma Pizza who is hired to work there by RJ and at the end of the series starts to travel through Europe with Dominic.
- Flit (Portrayed by Kelson Henderson) - A former enemy of Camille.
Pai Zhuq Masters
- Master Mao (Portrayed by Nathaniel Lees) is a previous mentor to the Rangers and Jarrod, He is master of the caracal spirit
- Master Phant (Portrayed by Bruce Allpress) - He taught Lily the techniques of the elephant, used to create the Elephant Spirit Ranger and tested Lily for her Master Stripes. He is master of the Elephant Spirit.
- Master Swoop (Portrayed by Oliver Driver) - He taught Theo and prior to him RJ, the techniques of the bat, used to created the Bat Spirit Ranger and tested Theo for his Master Stripes. He is master of the Bat Spirit.
- Master Finn (Portrayed by Paul Gittens) - RJ's father. He taught Casey the techniques of the shark, used to the Shark Spirit Ranger and tested Casey for his Master Stripes. He is master of the Shark Spirit.
- Master Guin (Portrayed by Michelle Langstone) - Tested Lily and gave her a Master mode, she is master of the Penguin Spirit.
- Master Rilla (Portrayed by Stig Eldred) - Tested Casey and gave him a Master mode, he is master of the Gorilla Spirit.
- Master Lope (Portrayed by Andrew Laing) - Tested Theo and gave him a Master mode, he is master of the Antelope Spirit.
Other
- Whiger - After stealing Casey's animal spirit he tried to finish him off, but he almost fell off a cliff and Casey would not let him fall. With this, he helped Casey find the other rangers and returned to Casey his animal spirit, with Whiger's animal spirit manifesting as the White Tiger.
Civilians
- Josh - A kid who Casey taught that the easy way isn't always the right way.
- Gabby - Master Phant's niece who Lily teaches to dance.
- Luen Martin - Theo's identical twin brother.
- Jimmy - A kung-fu student of Casey that also has the Tiger Spirit.
- Dr. Silva Jennings - A scientist who found five of the Crystal Eyes. Also a holder of the Dolphin Spirit.
- Maryl Snyder - A geneticist who develops the X5 cloning formula.
Villains
Dai Shi Clan
- Jarrod / Dai Shi - Dai Shi is an ancient evil warrior from 10,000 years ago. He believed that animals should rule the planet and that humans should be erased. He was defeated by warriors and trapped inside a chest. After a brief battle with Master Mao, fallen student Jarrod accidentally opens the chest and brings Dai Shi to the real world. Dai Shi defeats Master Mao and takes Jarrod's body.
- Camille - Camille is Dai Shi's loyal warrior. During Dai Shi's absence, Camille remained quietly inside a wall. She rejoins Dai Shi's side to help him destroy the Power Rangers. Camille has a chameleon battle armor.
- Rinshi - Foot soldiers of Dai Shi's army. Few Rinshi are chosen to become Rinshi Beasts.
- Rinshi Beasts
Five Fingers of Poison
Overlords
- Carnisoar - The Sky Overlord - Dai Shi seeks him to be his master.
- Jellica - The Water Overlord - Camille seeks her to replace Carnisoar.
- Grizzaka- The Earth Overlord - revived but refuses to take orders from Dai Shi.
Phantom Beasts
Arsenal
- Solar Morphers: RJ presents the Rangers with sunglasses that allow them to morph into their Ranger forms. The Solar Morphers are also used for communication between the Rangers and RJ
- Tiger Battle Claws: It can store a number of things, including weapons, in a pocket dimension. The weapon is attached to the wrist and knuckles of the wearer.
- Jungle Bo
- Jungle Tonfa
- Junglechucks
- Strike Rider- Red Ranger's cycle
- Claw Cannon Blaster
- Jungle Mace- Master Phant's weapon, entrusted to the Yellow Ranger
- Jungle Fan- Master Swoop's weapon, entrusted to the Blue Ranger
- Shark Sabers- Master Finn's weapon, entrusted to the Red Ranger
- Jungle Master Mode
- Wolf Morpher
- Rhino Morpher
- Control Dagger
Zords
Animal Spirit System
- Legend:◆ piloted zord, ❖ aux zord, ➲ carrierzord
Jungle Pride System
- Jungle Pride Charge with Lion and Chameleon ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆➲
- Jungle Pride Charge ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆➲
- Lion Animal Spirit ◆
- Chameleon Animal Spirit ◆
Jungle Master System
Alternate Combinations
Alternate Megazords
- Wolf Pride Megazord ◆◆◆ (◆❖❖)
- Jungle Master Stampede ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆➲
Jungle Pride Megazord
- Jungle Pride with Shark Power ◆◆◆◆
- Jungle Pride with Bat Power ◆◆◆◆
- Jungle Pride with Elephant Power ◆◆◆◆
Jungle Master Megazord
- Jungle Master with Shark Power ◆◆◆◆
- Jungle Master with Bat Power ◆◆◆◆
- Jungle Master with Elephant Power ◆◆◆◆
Episodes
- Welcome to the Jungle (1)
- Welcome to the Jungle (2)
- Sigh of the Tiger
- A Taste of Poison
- Can't Win Them All
- Dance the Night Away
- Pizza Slice of Life
- Way of the Master
- Good Karma, Bad Karma
- Blind Leading the Blind
- Pushed to the Edge
- One Master Too Many
- Ghost of a Chance (1)
- Ghost of a Chance (2)
- Bad to the Bone
- Friends Don't Fade Away
- No 'I' in Leader
- True Friends, True Spirits
- Path of the Rhino
- Dash for the Dagger
- Race to the Nexus
- Arise the Crystal Eyes
- Fear and the Phantoms
- Blue Ranger, Twin Danger
- One Last Second Chance
- Don't Blow That Dough
- Tigers Fall, Lions Rise
- The Spirit of Kindness
- Maryl and the Monkeys
- To Earn Your Stripes
- Path of the Righteous
- Now the Final Fury
Notes
- This season has some similarities to Wild Force:
- There are Tiger Zords.
- There are Elephant Zords that can form a melee weapon for both their respective Megazords(if a shield counts as a melee weapon).
- There are also Shark Zords.
- There are Black Lion Zords.
- Red Ranger gets a gorilla as his secondary Zord.
- 6th Rangers have a wolf theme( Merrick and RJ) and three-piece megazords.
- They both have morphers modeled after a wolf's head.
- Both Wolf Zords are their primary zord and have a tail that can be used as a boomerang.
- Blue ranger wields a pair of identical weapons.(Blue Shark Fighting Fins for Max/Jungle Tofa and Jungle fans for Theo)
- There are Rhino Zords.
- This season is one of the rare instances where the Rangers still have their powers by the end of the story, including all of their zords, as nothing was done to take them away.
- All five Rangers that make up the full team are based on mammals. Every zord, except for the penguin spirit, is also based on a mammal.
- During the production of Jungle Fury, the actors who played RJ, Casey, and Lily also appeared in the first season of the show "Legend of the Seeker". David De Lautour played recurring character Michael Cypher while Jason Smith and Anna Hutchison made a guest appearance in the episode "Identity".
- The Spirit Rangers came about during a meeting about toys. Marchand pitched the idea of making the three masters into Rangers, rather than do more motorcycle toys. [3]
- This is the first series to feature rangers using their Zords to battle grunts/foot soldiers. The animal spirits are basically each Ranger's personal spirit and are only used for giant monster battles when combined.
- This is the first Power Rangers series to have a Purple Ranger as a protagonist.
- This is the first series where the foot soldiers retain their Japanese name from the Sentai counterpart.
- This is the first season since Turbo where the Red Ranger doesn't have a battlizer mode.
- This is the first season where the core team doesn't have belts. Dominic is the only Ranger on this team with a belt as part of his suit's martial arts theme.
- This season is the second in the franchise in which original American Rangers are created and brought to the screen. The 3 Spirit Rangers are those Rangers this season. The first time this happened was in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue with the Titanium Ranger.
- There are 8 mentors in this season, the most mentors in every season of the Power Rangers.
- This is the final series that aired on Jetix and Toon Disney, due to Toon Disney and Jetix changing to Disney XD.
- This was the only series to feature Rangers who have no interaction with both their direct predecessors and their direct successors in any form. The first and only appearance of a Jungle Fury Ranger alongside another team was when the Power Rangers Super Megaforce episode Spirit of the Tiger featured Casey.
- Power Rangers Jungle Fury continues the pattern established by its executive producer, Bruce Kalish by having four-word titles for the episodes. SPD had one-word episode titles, Mystic Force (excluding The Snow Prince) had two-word episode titles, and Operation Overdrive had three-word episode titles.
- This season aired concurrently with the Super Sentai series Engine Sentai Go-Onger, which would be adapted the following year as Power Rangers RPM.
- There is a small similarity between this season and Dino Thunder. Both series feature three Rangers at the start (Red, Blue and Yellow) and feature both mentors becoming a Ranger themselves. Both series are later joined by a white-colored Ranger.
- The first season ever to use a morpher that isn't held in or on the hands of the Rangers when they activate it to morph rather they push a mechanism on the glasses to activate their morph.
- This is the third time a Ranger's main weapon also acts as their morpher with the Rhino Ranger. Previously the Gold Ranger in Zeo and the Omega and Nova Rangers in SPD had this distinction though the Rhino Ranger is the first to actually have his morpher on his person pre-morph, albeit in a disguised form, as the Gold Ranger's staff was only used after the morph was activated (and never shown in his hand during the actual sequence) and the Omega and Nova Rangers never actually morphed from their human forms on-screen.
- The Antelope Zord is based on the gemsbok of Africa, which is not a jungle dweller. It inhabits grasslands and deserts. The largest rainforest antelope, also from Africa, is the bongo.
- This is the first season where everyone credited in the intro is either from Australia or New Zealand.
- This is the second post-anniversary season that starts with 3 Rangers the first being Ninja Storm.
- This is the first and only season which has a White Ranger and a Purple Ranger on the same team.
- This is the first season to feature core three Rangers since Power Rangers Dino Thunder.
- This is the second post-anniversary season to not have a crossover with its predecessor.
- Each of the Rangers has a short name, which is the 1st syllable of their name: Casey is "Case;" Lily is "Lil:" Theo is "T;" and Dominic is "Dom." RJ is known by his initials as his name is never mentioned throughout the series.
See Also
- Juken Sentai Gekiranger - Super Sentai counterpart . See comparison page.
- Jungle Fury (Toyline)
External links
References
- ↑ Toku Rants interview with Jackie Marchand: 29:54 to 31:57
- ↑ [http://danstokurants.rangercentral.com/?p=3182 Toku Rants interview with Jon Tellegen
- ↑ Toku Rants interview with Jackie Marchand: 31:55 to 33:18
