Power Rangers Officially Returns With New Live-Action Series & You Can Watch It For Free

It’s been an incredibly difficult week for the Power Rangers fandom. After years of anticipation, Disney shockingly announced that its long-awaited Disney+ reboot of Power Rangers has been canceled. The project had been positioned as the franchise’s next major live-action chapter, and now that it’s gone, the future of Power Rangers looks more uncertain than ever.

The cancellation of the Disney+ Power Rangers reboot is especially difficult to swallow because it has now been three years since the last Power Rangers TV show, Cosmic Fury, ended. After decades in which a new season arrived more or less annually, that gap is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Fortunately, a plucky YouTube channel has stepped up with the blessing of Playmates, who currently are the officially licensed creators of new Power Rangers toys, offering fans something new when the franchise desperately needs a live-action presence.

On August 15, Ninja Kidz TV released episode 1 of its fan-made web series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return, the first segment of an 80-minute story that will be released bit by bit over the coming weeks. Officially endorsed by Playmates as a promotional tie-in for wave 2 of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Re-Ignition toy line, the Ninja Kidz Power Rangers YouTube series may not be the fully fledged Disney+ reboot fans wanted, but it's the only thing keeping the Rangers alive in live-action.

Ninja Kidz’ Power Rangers YouTube Series Is Here, And It’s Pretty Good

Despite some controversial use of AI that meant the project almost never saw the light of day, the Ninja Kidz Power Rangers show is finally here, arriving the same week that Disney announced the cancelation of the Power Rangers Disney+ reboot. The series comes from the Ninja Kidz, a family-friendly martial arts-focused YouTube channel who have dabbled with Power Rangers content for years. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return has obviously been produced on a much smaller scale than an official Power Rangers TV show, but that limitation doesn’t stop it from being surprisingly entertaining.

For a fan project made by a group of YouTubers on a shoestring budget, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return is not bad at all. It feels like a genuine love letter to the elements that made Mighty Morphin Power Rangers so enduring. In less than 10 minutes, the first episode captures the vibrant, action-filled tone of the original series, with the opening battle against Putties in Angel Grove making it immediately clear that Ninja Kidz understand just why so many fans still love Power Rangers.

The martial arts sequences are particularly impressive in the Ninja Kidz Power Rangers show, while the new actors playing the MMPR team capture the spirit of their respective characters effectively. The way the villains are handled is impressive too. Goldar and Lord Zedd are presented as genuinely menacing threats rather than simply being nostalgic cameos. The music and sound editing are remarkably polished for a YouTube production, giving Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return considerably more energy than many would expect from a fan project.

There are even small nods to the wider Power Rangers universe, including the appearance of a younger Zayto from Dino Fury. Considering that episode 1 is the first part of an 80-minute story, this could mean that the Ninja Kidz are going to be tapping into more of the franchise’s lore than simply reinventing Mighty Morphin. It may not be the full return many fans have been hoping for, but it is a worthwhile substitute during one of the franchise’s most difficult periods in decades. More importantly, it comes from creators who clearly understand why Power Rangers still matters to its fans.

The Ninja Kidz Power Rangers Show Makes The Failure Of The Disney+ Reboot Even Worse

Putting the questionable AI usage aside, the Ninja Kidz Power Rangers show surpasses expectations. It has plenty of heart and is putting its own spin on the narrative rather than simply recreating the monster-of-the-week battles of MMPR. By the end of episode 1, Lord Zedd receives the Nobel Peace Prize and has seemingly taken control of world governments, forcing the Rangers underground. That is considerably more elaborate than anyone might reasonably expect from a fan-produced YouTube series designed primarily to promote a toy line.

For Power Rangers fans looking for a lighthearted celebration of the franchise, it is absolutely worth watching. The timing of the release, however, makes the project bittersweet. Disney’s cancellation of its own reboot came after years of development, with the series reportedly facing significant production costs. That leaves an obvious question hanging over the franchise: if Ninja Kidz can produce a worthwhile live-action Power Rangers experience, why could Disney not get its reboot off the ground?

Ninja Kidz has demonstrated that a modestly budgeted production can recreate the colorful action, martial arts and larger-than-life personalities that define Power Rangers. That should give other studios pause for thought. The enthusiasm surrounding this project demonstrates that there is still considerable affection for Power Rangers and a clear appetite for seeing the Rangers back in live action.

Disney’s reboot may be dead, but Power Rangers is not. For now, Ninja Kidz has provided the franchise with an unexpected new pulse at exactly the moment it needed one. Hopefully, the response to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Return encourages the companies holding the franchise to stop treating a new live-action series as an impossible proposition and start treating it as an opportunity.