this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025

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'Power Rangers' writer says casting Black and Asian actors as Black and Yellow Rangers was 'a mistake' (ew.com)

submitted 6 days ago by StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

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[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 167 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (5 children)

Yeah. I can believe that Trini was an accident. They wanted two girl rangers. Blue, Red, and Black are "boy colors" whereas Yellow is neutral.

And Zack's character was pretty normal for the era (black guy who incorporates "hip hop" into everything he does) but there is zero chance it was not intentional to cast the Black guy as Zack the Black ranger.

And yeah. Even as kids on the playground we all knew that was racist as shit. I'll always remember my homeroom teacher trying not to laugh her ass off while she was telling us we can't talk about how they should have cast a Native American as the Red Ranger.

[–] Todd_cross@lemmy.dbzer0.com 73 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What's funny is right before they changed costumes with ZEO, they gave Tommy a Native American ancestor and then he became the red ZEO ranger.

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 39 points 6 days ago

Tommy is white... White ranger. Tommy discovers he is like 1/32 Native American... suddenly becomes Red ranger.

Honestly, that is pretty par for the course. Go get that ethnic minority scholarship you slightly-less-than-totally-white guy.

[–] Makeitstop@lemmy.world 42 points 6 days ago (2 children)

The real question is what they should have done with the blue ranger. All I can think of is David Carradine.

[–] Zahille7@lemmy.world 20 points 6 days ago

I found Rich Evans' Lemmy account

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 7 points 6 days ago

Let's be honest here: if the Carradines knew power rangers was a thing they would have insisted on putting on some yellow face and taking Thuy's job.

[–] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Pink ranger must have been an accident, too.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 32 points 6 days ago

No? Pink is a "girl" color. And even in the original sentai source material, Pink was a girl (hence the skirt). Yellow was a dude which is why you can really tell what scenes were filmed with the US stunt team/actors and what were from the original (hint: Is the bulge in the crotch or the chest?).

[–] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The costumes came before the US casting, and it already had a skirt.

So either they turned extremely progressive for a children show on the 90s or they cast a Scottish

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

Not just the costumes, much of the footage used was just re-editted footage straight from Japan's Super Sentai series (specifically their 16th iteration). The only footage that was American made, for the most part, was stuff in the command center and where you can see the actors' faces. The monster fights, the zords, the stuff with Rita on the moon, etc. was all Super Sentai footage.

And the reason that the yellow ranger didn't have a skirt like the pink ranger did despite being played by a woman is becuase they weren't played by a woman in Japan. The yellow ranger was a guy in the original Super Sentai series and was only made a girl in the US.

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[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 95 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Let’s not forget that the native guy was the red ranger

[–] absentbird@lemm.ee 72 points 6 days ago (2 children)

And the white boy and girl were blue and pink respectively.

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 41 points 6 days ago (1 children)

"White power"... "ranger"

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[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago (3 children)

God it was so fucking obnoxious to play Power Rangers in kindergarten. “You’re a giiiiirrrrlll, so you have to be the pink ranger.”

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[–] weew@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

At least they had diversity...?

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 days ago

True, and honestly I didn’t notice as a kid

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Jason was Native? Pretty sure Tommy was Native in the canon (confirmed when they are seeking the Zeo Crystals), but I don't recall Jason ever being identified as Native. Although Tommy did then become the Red Zeo Ranger, so that's not great. Is that what you were referring to?

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 17 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Austin St John is native

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[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 23 points 5 days ago

Honestly couldn't care less about it, at least they were casted in the 90's.

What's he got to say about Billie's actor being bullied off the show for being gay?

https://ew.com/article/2010/08/26/original-power-ranger-harassed-gay/

[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 36 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I think it was probably an even bigger mistake to have the Black Ranger fight with break dancing Kung-Fu moves, but what do I know.

[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago (2 children)

But wasn't all that fighting taken from the original Japanese show?

[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 17 points 6 days ago

Most of the in-costume stuff is, and the Black Ranger doesn't break dance in that. But there's usually an out of costume fight with Putties before that.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

This is the case. They are mimicking the original Japanese choreography and movement style.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

Hip Hop Keto

[–] CrowAirbrush@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago

Leave it in the 90's, weirdos.

It happened and ended, lessons were learned no harm was done.

[–] hOrni@lemmy.world 15 points 5 days ago (1 children)

On the other side, the Yellow Ranger had a visible bulge so let's call that progressive.

[–] BrazenSigilos@ttrpg.network 9 points 5 days ago (3 children)

That was due in large part to the fully suited scenes being cut from the orginal show. The characters we know in the English version are really a separate cast.

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[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 36 points 6 days ago

the optics might not have been the best but walter and thuy were amazing as power rangers

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 24 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Nothing burger

[–] CallateCoyote@lemmy.world 50 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Honestly, I think it’s more commendable that the rangers were so diverse at the time than it’s outrageous that the Black and Asian characters wore those colors. They could have easily casted all white kids back then. The characters were treated with respect by the producers and were well liked by fans. This is only an issue to people 30 years later.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago (2 children)

In Captain Planet, it always bothered me that the South American dude got a ridiculous power like "heart" while everyone else got something useful.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Don't diss Ma-Ti he fought leopards barehanded before he had any powers and averted thermonuclear war without any help from the others. While we're on the subject I think Earth and Fire should swap owners.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

The powers should have been:

European: The power to take stuff from others without them noticing.

North America: The power to buy stuff and vacuously talk themselves into bad ideas, and project their voice over long distances.

Asia: small stature to squeeze into tight spaces, and has the power to reproduce and instantly make many copies of themselves.

Africa: Summon large animals and inflict malaria on enemies.

S America: Bring all the others together with a universal love of drugs, and drives around on a bulldozer.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I remember that we found it funny as kids. I have no idea how this is somehow problematic.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

It’s not, so what you laughed? You were exposed to a positive multiracial cast

Humour is a good way to create that exposure for people uncomfortable with it and get past producers that wouldn’t allow it otherwise

[–] Texas_Hangover@sh.itjust.works 14 points 5 days ago

The 90's were fucking awesome.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 31 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Should have cast a russian as the red ranger. I mean if you're ALREADY being racist....

You could cast a person with depression as the blue ranger. Oh....I see you have that covered. And a female sex symbol as the pink ranger. Oh, thats covered too.

[–] Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works 52 points 6 days ago (3 children)

If you're going to go full racist, red wouldn't be Russian. They'd be native American.

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[–] moody@lemmings.world 28 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Hmm...

[–] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 33 points 6 days ago (1 children)

tldr Saban didnt want unionized actors and went out of their way to cast functionally nobodies for the lowest price. Its why after this dispute, it was much less common for cast members to be retained for the next season. Outside of Jason David Frank and Johnny Yong Bosch, it was much more rare for any ex cast member to return in a series several series later.

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[–] Godnroc@lemmy.world 20 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I have a vague memory that the original show from Japan had a man in the yellow costume and when it was adapted for American audiences they wanted yellow to be a woman. This lead to a effectively trans character because of an occasionally noticeable bulge.

[–] Ideonek@lemm.ee 6 points 5 days ago

Power Rangers is a patchwork work edited with footage from a few different shows. Robots from one, costume fights from others. It was not really a reboot, they just took the footage of this yellow-costumed guy fighting and use it directly.

[–] Fingolfinz@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago

“asshole move made with full awareness” is probably a better term than “mistake”

[–] Xanvial@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Related key & peele skit https://youtu.be/mOyE_l80D4Y

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[–] Archangel1313@lemm.ee 4 points 5 days ago

How did I not notice this before now?

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'm just goin to leave this here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJgC9LEBTuQ

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