I had a realisation recently that completely caught me off guard. While watching episode 1 of The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World (Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru), I reached a moment that felt oddly familiar—the sequence where the massive machines came racing in to combine and dock. That visual, the energy, the music—everything clicked.
Suddenly, it hit me: Power Rangers was actually my first mecha experience.
Childhood Memories
I can’t recall exactly how old I was when I first started watching Power Rangers, but I know I was very young. It aired on TV and completely captivated my bother and I. At the time, we didn’t even know there were different seasons; it was just Power Rangers, and it was awesome.
The parts that stood out most to me were the visual effects and the female rangers. I admired them so much. They were strong, confident, and always at the centre of the action. Those elements really stayed with me, even as other details faded over time.
Realising It Was Mecha
Until now, I never thought of Power Rangers as part of the mecha genre. It was only while watching Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru—a tongue-in-cheek anime that plays heavily on sentai tropes—that the realisation struck. Watching the mecha-style docking scene stirred up something deeply nostalgic.
The moment felt like a pleasant flashback. It hasn’t changed how I view Power Rangers, but it gave me a new appreciation for what the show was doing, even back then.
Familiar Patterns, Lasting Comfort
I’ll admit, I don’t remember the names of specific Zords or villains. It’s been more than twenty years since I last watched the show. But I do remember the formula. A monster would appear, the team would fight it, it would grow to kaiju-size, and the Rangers would summon their Zords. They’d combine into a Megazord and unleash a final, explosive move.
That formula never got old. It was comforting in its predictability, and I now recognise how perfectly it was designed for a younger audience. You always knew what was coming, but you still got excited every time.
The Mecha Gap
I can’t say for sure whether Power Rangers directly influenced the way I approached mecha anime later on, but I suspect it played a role. For a long time, I struggled to take the genre seriously. Looking back, it’s possible that the bright, campy energy of Power Rangers coloured my expectations.
Everything we experience leaves an impression, even if it takes us years to notice.
Revisiting the Series?
Now that this realisation has hit, I’m genuinely considering revisiting Power Rangers. Not just for nostalgia, but to re-experience it with fresh eyes—maybe even with a mecha lens in mind this time.
Does anyone know where I can stream it?
Would I Recommend It as a Mecha Gateway?
This one’s tricky. Power Rangers isn’t an anime, and that distinction matters. But given its origins in Japan’s Super Sentai series and its shared DNA with the mecha genre, I think it could serve as a fun entry point, especially for younger viewers or fans of transformation-focused stories.
That said, for someone specifically looking to dive into mecha anime, titles like GaoGaiGar, SSSS.Gridman, or even Voltron (which shares that same East-West hybrid identity) might be a better fit.
Power Rangers may not be a typical mecha series, but for many of us, it was our first taste of giant robots, team-based battles, and dramatic finishers. Realising that now, through the lens of a modern anime parody, feels like a strange but satisfying full-circle moment.
What was your very first Mecha experience?
[I am watching The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World on Crunchyroll]
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