The Power Rangers have been around for 29 years, giving generations of superhero fans nearly three decades of giant robot fighting, evil moon witch cackling, and the inherent joy of color-coded superhero transformation sequence. They would be in a different place without the series that helped make them icons.
Zyuranger was first aired in Japan in 1992 and is still influential in some ways, even though it is not as popular as Super Sentai Jetman. The 16th entry in a superhero universe that is still running to this very day was a time when Zyuranger may never have happened if it wasn't forJetman's radical remake of the Super Sentai formula. Zyuranger deviated from the norm in more fanciful directions.
Zyuranger's heroes were ancient humans from a long-lost pre-history, unlike many Sentai series up to that point. When Bandora was awoken from her asteroid prison by astronauts in the 90s, the five young warriors were risen in turn, using the power of their guardian beasts to transform into the Zyurangers and protect the world.
Although still set in then-contemporary Japan, Zyuranger hewed further away from Super Sentai's sci-fi roots, incorporating fantasy elements into its backstory around the ancient humans, their magical weapons and tools that allowed them to transform into heroes, and Bandora. It was the first to theme its mecha and hero designs after pre-historic animals, a theme that would return multiple times in years since, in part due to the massive success of Power Rangers beyond Japan's borders. It was the first Sentai to introduce the regular concept of the bonus ranger, a more-often-than-not sixth addition to the team. The concept of an additional Ranger joining a show after the initial team's debut has remained popular in Sentai, despite the fact that Burai perished eight episodes before Zyuranger's end.
Zyuranger's real defining legacy continues beyond the borders of its home nation. After several attempts, Sentai was finally brought to the west as the heavily adapted series Power Rangers, Zyuranger's status as the source of the visual iconography of the very first Power Ranger was established. Power Rangers may have thrown out a lot of the story, save for a few physical performances like Bandora and Lamie, which were dubbed over by Barbara Goodson and Wen.
The design of the giant mecha DaiZyujin and Dragon Caesar became the first Megazord and Dragonzord. Power Rangers has never been able to escape Zyuranger, its designs for the Mighty Morphin team becoming the defining image of what the series is, even three decades later, the standard that every new Power Rangers team and adaptation is judged by. Zyuranger is not as beloved as other Sentai series, but its legacy as the creator of the Power Rangers has made it a part of the history of superheros.
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