Power Rangers: Jungle Fury is the title of the sixteenth season in the American children's television series Power Rangers. It premiered on February 18, 2008, with toy merchandising in the US beginning in November 2007, and uses footage from the thirty-first Japanese Super Sentai series, Juken Sentai Gekiranger.[2][3] Jungle Fury is broadcast on Toon Disney's Jetix programming block and ABC Kids[4] in the United States.
| Power Rangers Jungle Fury | |
|---|---|
| File:PRJF.jpg | |
| Genre | Action-Adventure |
| Starring | Jason Smith Aljin Abella Anna Hutchison David de Lautour Sarah Thomson Bede Skinner Holly Shanahan Kelson Henderson |
| Country of origin | United States New Zealand |
| No. of episodes | Ongoing (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bruce Kalish, Koichi Sakamoto[1] |
| Producer | Sally Campbell[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Toon Disney |
| Release | February 18, 2008 |
Synopsis
Many centuries ago, an evil spirit, Dai Shi, roamed freely across the Earth, waging a "Beast War" against the humans. Fortunately, through valiant fighting, the Order of the Claw, a group of kung fu martial artists, part of the Pai Zhuq, were able to conquer the evil spirit and have since been able to keep him locked away. The secret of their prisoner and their duty to keep him under control was passed along from generation to generation of Pai Zhuq members, three of which charged with keeping the the Dai Shi escaped from being released.
Now, in the present day, Dai Shi has escaped and three new warriors have been selected by the Pai Zhuq to find and destroy the evil Dai Shi. The three teen warriors must go to where Dai Shi's ancient palace is located, a land once uninhabited, now known as Ocean Bluff. In their new home, the teen warriors must assume normal lives working at a pizza parlor under the guidance of their boss and new kung fu master, R.J., who gives them the power to morph into the Power Rangers.[5]
Characters
The Power Rangers
- Casey: The Red Ranger; Casey is neophyte member of the Pai Zhuq, but is brave and instinctively protective of others. Initially, he is reluctant to accept his responsibilities due to his lack of experience, but he quickly learns to harness his inner power. He controls the Tiger Spirit. [6] He is portrayed by Jason Smith.[1]
- Theo: The Blue Ranger; Smart, strong, and a good fighter. Theo is fearless and commanding. He must learn the importance of working as a team. He controls the Jaguar Spirit. [6] He is portrayed by Aljin Abella.[1]
- Lily: The Yellow Ranger; Fun-loving and vivacious, Lily fearlessly accepts the responsibility given to her by Master Mao. She controls the Cheetah Spirit.[6] She is portrayed by Anna Hutchison.[1]
Allies
- R.J.: The Rangers' boss and new master as well as the owner of the Jungle Karma Pizza restaurant. He is the one that gives them their powers and provides them with jobs.[5] He also creates the Rangers' arsenal of weapons, gear, and vehicles. At some point in the show, he will become the Wolf Ranger.[1] He is portrayed by David de Lautour.[1]
- Fran: A book-loving, clumsy loyal customer of Jungle Karma Pizza who is hired to work there by R.J. Fran is unaware that her co-workers are the Power Rangers. She is portrayed by Sarah Thomson.
- Master Mao: The Rangers' previous master at the Pai Zhuq academy; his physical body was destroyed by Dai Shi while protecting the rangers, but he continues to help the Rangers in spirit form. He transforms into a feline spirit after his death. He is portrayed by Nathaniel Lees.[7]
- Master Phant: A previous Pai Zhuq master, who retired after losing confidence in himself. Because of Lily's determination, he regained his confidence and taught her how to use the Jungle Mace and to channel his Elephant Spirit. He is portrayed by Bruce Allpress.
Villains
- Dai Shi: An ancient evil that wanted to rid world of the human race and believed that animals should be the rightful rulers. He has returned from being sealed by the Order of the Claw generations ago. With his reassembled evil army at his command, he seeks to continue where he left off, starting the "Beast War" anew.[8]
- Jarrod: A student at Master Mao's temple and wielder of the Lion spirit; Jarrod was highly skilled and earned the chance to become one of the guardians of Dai Shi's prison. Unfortunately, Jarrod's arrogance forced Master Mao to dismiss Jarrod and select Casey instead. In response, Jarrod attacks Mao, and although Jarrod was no match for him, he accidentally freed the evil Dai Shi from his prison. Jarrod flees, but is taken over Dai Shi as he runs away, becoming the evil master's vessel. Jarrod blames Casey for his expulsion from the Order of the Claw. In battle, Jarrod assumes a lion-themed armored form. He is portrayed by Bede Skinner.[9]
- Camille: Dai Shi's female servant, who awaited his return. She is a master over the Chameleon spirit, able to assume a fighting form and infuse Rinshi Beasts with more power. She is portrayed by Holly Shanahan.
- Flit: A anthropomorphic fly that lives inside of Camille, he occasionally escapes to provide commentary during Zord battles. He doesn't appear to be evil. He is voiced by Kelson Henderson.
- Rinshi: Jiang Shi-like creatures that Dai Shi revives and uses as foot soldiers, using lances as their weapons. Certain Rinshi are promoted to a higher rank where they can assume the form of Rinshi Beasts.
Rinshi Beasts
Arsenal
- Solar Morphers: R.J. presents the Rangers with sunglasses that allow them to morph into their Ranger forms using the morphing call, "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!". The Solar Morphers are also used for communication between the Rangers and R.J.
Each Ranger possesses his or her own weapons:
- Junglechucks: Nunchucks wielded by the Red Ranger.
- Jungle Tonfa/Jungle Bo: Team side-arm weapons with two fighting modes. The standard Tonfa mode is used by the Blue Ranger, while the combined bō mode is wielded by the Yellow Ranger.
- Jungle Mace: A mace that Yellow Ranger wields after being taught by Master Phant.
- Claw Cannon: A powerful cannon which requires the cooperation of the three Rangers to charge and fire it.
- Strike Rider: The Red Ranger's armored motorcycle. In its normal mode, it can speed around enemies and blast them with lasers. In its attack mode, it tranforms into a more aerodynamic form and energizes to attack enemies.
Zords
The Zords in Power Rangers: Jungle Fury are the animal spirits which the Rangers possess within themselves, used in their signature attacks. They can be released, allowing the Rangers to enter and command them as traditional Zords. This is known as their Beast Spirit Mode.
Beast Spirits
- Tiger: Casey's Beast Spirit is the Red Tiger.
- Jaguar: Theo's Beast Spirit is the Blue Jaguar.
- Cheetah: Lily's Beast Spirit is the Yellow Cheetah.
- Elephant: Master Phant's Beast Spirit is the Green Elephant, which he gives to the Rangers.
Megazord Formations
- Jungle Pride Megazord: As the Rangers train and learn to achieve balance, they rise to the level of Jungle Pride Megazord in which their their three Beast Spirits combine. Its weapon is the Jungle Setsukon and its finishing moves are the Savage Spin and Super Kick.
- Jungle Pride with Elephant Power: The Jungle Pride Megazord with armor provided by the Elephant Spirit. It uses the Jungle Mace and the Spin Attack to strike at opponents repeatedly and destroy them.
Episodes
| # | Air date | Episode Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-02-18 | "Welcome to the Jungle" |
| 2 | 2008-02-18 | "Welcome to the Jungle II" |
| 3 | 2008-02-25 | "Sigh of the Tiger" |
| 4 | 2008-03-03 | "A Taste of Poison" |
| 5 | 2008-03-10 | "Can't Win Them All"[10][11] |
| 6 | 2008-03-17 | "Dance the Night Away"[10] |
| 7 | 2008-03-24 | "Pizza Slice of Life"[10] |
| 8 | 2008-03-31 | "Way of the Master"[10] |
Future cast members
The following actors have also been confirmed to have roles in Power Rangers: Jungle Fury.
- Nikolai Nikolaeff will be playing the role of Dominic Hargan, an old friend of R.J. and the Rhino Ranger.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "PRJF Press Release: Fact Sheet". Retrieved 2008-02-17.
- ^ "trivialTV: Power Rangers Jungle Fury". Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ "Ray's Galleries - Licensing 2007/IMG 0227". Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ "Power Rangers: Jungle Fury TV Listings | TVGuide.com". Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- ^ a b "PRJF Press Release: Show Description". Retrieved 2008-02-17.
- ^ a b c "JETIX - Power Rangers Jungle Fury Characters". Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Nathaniel Lees @ Karen Kay Management". Retrieved 2007-10-19.
- ^ "JETIX - Power Rangers Jungle Fury Videos". Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Bede Skinner @ NOVA Models". Retrieved 2007-10-23.
- ^ a b c d "Jetix PRJF Episode Guide". Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ^ "Jetix TV Listings". Retrieved 2008-02-12.