All of Power Rangers is dear to our hearts, but one must admit, there are certain moments that beg to be remembered. Moments in which you find yourself captivated, shocked, or even a little afraid. Moments that made you laugh, or shed a tear. Moments that forever change the route of Power Rangers, altering your perception of those teenagers, their abilities, and their motivations. I have carefully viewed all the episodes of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and I have selected the ten moments that I felt were the most memorable. The moments that really got to the heart of what the series represents (in my opinion, of course). So, here they are.

Moment #10: The Tommy/Jason Competition
Episode: Gung Ho!
Zack: "Guys, this is supposed to be a team competition. Team!"

I think we all remember this sequence clearly. Tommy and Jason were on the mats, engaged in a heated duel. Sometimes they were fighting with staffs. Sometimes they were fighting bare-handed. Their intention was to hone their skills for the upcoming Team Ninja competition, as well as tune into the fighting style of the partner. They even tried synchrony drills. However, their collaborative efforts seemed to fizzle on every occasion. Each exercise became a competition, each warrior intent to one-up the other. Billy and Zack became incensed at the continual face-off, and tried their best to keep cohesion. Finally, Trini calmly informed the two that they needed to learn gung ho, or in other words, teamwork. This moment is special because it marks one of the very few times in which the Rangers weren't acting like saints. There was actually a bit of animosity, and for a change it wasn't caused by Rita or Zedd's magic. This competition was, in my opinion, just below the surface ever since their first confrontation ended with a tie in "Green With Evil Part 1." Neither young man was content with a tie. Both wanted to know... who is better? Who is the better fighter? Who is faster? Who is stronger? It's perfectly natural for Jason and Tommy to explore this question by means of a confrontation. Finally, that spark of competition was quenched when the Green and Red Rangers learned that it didn't matter who could do what. What mattered was what they could do together... and it can't be denied that when they work together, they accomplish far more than either could do alone.

Moment #9: Jason's Vision
Episode: Island of Illusion, Part II
Jason: "No! They're gone! They were depending on me and I let them down!"

"Island of Illusion" was a powerful episode in its entirety, with each Ranger facing what is supposedly their worst fear, and conquering it. Frankly, I was seriously disappointed in the fears selected for some of the Rangers, but when we finally peeked into the psyche of the strong, confident Red Ranger, we caught a glimpse of something memorable. The magic of the island is to bring the greatest fears of the Rangers to life, and in Jason's case, all five of his companions faded away into nothingness. His knees buckled, and his proud shoulders collapsed when he concluded that Rita had succeeded in destroying his team. Jason was always ready to lead the Power Rangers into anything, standing in the forefront of any battle. He was willing to face any danger for his team. However, his mask of confidence and strength hides the burden of leadership. Since he makes the decisions, whenever the Rangers fail, it's his fault. Five lives... those of his best friends... hang in the balance day to day. In this chilling snapshot of a tortured soul, we see Jason with all his barriers down, with all his insecurities exposed. Being the Red Ranger may be thrilling, but there is a great responsibility on his shoulders. After all, he was the one who got the others involved with Zordon in the first place. For an instant, the dark side of leadership is brought to the light.

Moment #8: Bulk's Lunch
Episode: A Bad Reflection on You
Bulk: "I wonder what Mom made me for detention today?"

Okay, most of the moments you'll see on this list are pivotal, in either the emotional development of the Rangers, or the direction of the series. However, this one was selected simply because of the charm in it. I tend to find the slapstick humor provided by Bulk and Skull to be very flat, especially in the punk-days of this dimwitted duo. But this one sequence was smart, in my opinion, and truly funny. In this episode, the Rangers are framed for sabotaging a drinking fountain. The five upstanding, perfect students are punished by detention. The detention room is foreign territory to the Rangers, and in this entire sequence Bulk and Skull point out their domination of the empty classroom. After a cute dispute with Jason over the ownership of his favorite seat, Bulk places a small lunchbox on the table, and proceeds to pull out enough food for an army. He even gets an enormous napkin, and cheerfully tucks it into his collar. The looks of sheer amazement that the Rangers wear as they witness how much food is contained in so small a box is truly priceless. This little nod to Mary Poppins, and her bottomless bag, is a refreshing shift from the often dry and predictable humor Bulk and Skull tend to offer. I mean please... how many desserts can wind up in their faces anyway?

Moment #7: Billy Unmasked
Episode: The Ninja Encounter, Part III
Aisha: "You guys are the Power Rangers? Unbelievable!"

Here's the basic scenario: the Blue Ranger struggles with a magical snake, which was sent by Lord Zedd to bite the young martial arts prodigies Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, and thereby turn them evil. The three teens escape the cave while the Blue Ranger tries to destroy the creature. Unfortunately, the hero can't seem to pry the venomous creature off his body, as the snake wraps around his neck and slowly chokes him. The Pink and White Rangers rush to the aid of their teammate, and destroy the snake, but the Blue Ranger has difficulty breathing. At a loss for other options, the Pink and White Rangers pull the helmet off Billy, making it easier for him to gasp for breath. In this momentous instant, the identities of the Power Rangers are compromised. The Blue Ranger rises from the smoky ground, to the astonishment of the three onlookers. This moment is memorable in that the Rangers broke one of Zordon's initial rules. The six original Power Rangers vowed never to use their power for personal gain, never to escalate a battle, and never to reveal their identities. Fortunately, they weren't punished for breaking this rule. Instead, they gained three useful allies, whose efforts managed to really pull the Rangers out of a bind, and even resulted in their being selected to become Power Rangers themselves. This moment was the first step in the shift from Trini, Jason, and Zack to Aisha, Rocky, and Adam. Civilians were put in danger to help out the Rangers. For once, the six teens had someone on their side to back them up.

Moment #6: The White Ranger vs. Lord Zedd
Episode: The Changing of the Zords, Part III
Lord Zedd: "I'm far more powerful than you can ever handle, White Ranger."

Now this was something. Tommy raced blindly into Lord Zedd's magical dimension through the "back door," which was Billy's portal-com. The stakes had been quite high: if the Rangers didn't obey Lord Zedd and pilot the new and awe-inspiring Shogun Zords, Kimberly would die. Of course, I wouldn't think the life of one woman is worth the entire planet, but the loyalty of the Power Rangers to one another is incalculable. They agree to the terms. But of course, they're not going to give up without a fight. So Tommy decides to take a chance that the portal-com could transport him to where Kimberly was being held. Once in this dimension, he finds Kimberly lying unconscious on some contraption that slowly drained her of her life energy. He prepares to free her, but before he could save the damsel in distress, he had to slay the dragon: Lord Zedd himself. While I think the battle could have been better (I would like to see Tommy try and fight Zedd without his powers), it truly is memorable in the sense that for once, the mighty Emperor of Evil had to take the reigns himself. For the first time, Zedd stepped into the ring, and went one-on-one with a Power Ranger. And frankly, his fighting skill surprised me. I figured he was one of those villains that just stood in one spot throwing lightning bolts (like the Emperor on Star Wars), but instead he proved he could go head to head with the best of 'em. The only way Tommy was able to defeat Zedd was to break his staff, the focus of his magical power. In my opinion... he got lucky.

Moment #5: Destruction of the Thunderzords
Episode: The Ninja Quest, Part I and II
Tommy: "It looks like we've lost more than just our zords. We've lost our powers. Completely."

This moment is, in my humble opinion, the Power Rangers first huge loss. The moment when things really seemed completely hopeless. In one amazing battle, against Rito Revolto no less, the Power Rangers and their mighty Thunderzords failed to win. After sustaining an intense barrage of attacks from Rita and Zedd's forces, the Power Rangers were ejected from the Megazord and Tigerzord, crashing roughly to the grass and automatically unmorphing. Then, after they collect their bearings, they watch in helpless astonishment as their trusted zords explode in a shower of sparks and fire. All the six teens could do was scream in denial as their powers were destroyed. Although i's true that the Rangers had lost their zords before, I found this moment to be far more dramatic than when Zedd crippled the Dinozords. Watching the invincible zords collapse, with arms and heads falling from incredible heights to shake the very earth with their collision, was astonishing from a PR fan's point of view. After this traumatic loss, the Rangers were stripped bare of all their powers. No, their zords weren't frozen, like in "The Mutiny." They were completely and utterly destroyed... beyond salvation. For once, the Rangers were truly outclassed. The weapons they had weren't good enough. Darkness was actually more powerful than the Light.

Moment #4: March of Evil
Episode: Rangers in Reverse
Lord Zedd: "Without those Power Rangers in the way, this world is ours for the taking!"

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen: the first time evil truly won! And wow, did MMPR go out with a bang! Well, I consider this episode to be the last true MMPR episode, as the typical cast is replaced for several weeks by children as the Alien Rangers saga picks up, immediately followed by PRZeo. But, just because this marks the end of an era, isn't the only reason why this particular moment is so memorable. This is also quite symbolic. As the MMPR are transformed into helpless children, Rita, Zedd, Goldar, Rito, and the whole gang do some "morphin" themselves, transforming into gargantuan monsters that parading through Angel Grove. This powerfully encapsulates what the world is to them without the Power Rangers: a playground. The park is merely a stepping stone, and trees are merely handfuls of life. Any forces the humans could put together would be comparable to fleas to the combined forces of these heavy-hitters. For a few moments, the forces of evil had won completely. And boy, do they know how to celebrate.

Moment #3: Revelation of the White Ranger
Episode: White Light, Part II
Tommy: "Hey everybody. Guess who's back."

Okay, I wasn't shocked when the identity of the White Ranger was revealed. True, Saban threw in some decoys like Richie and Curtis, but they totally gave it away when Tommy vanished from a woodsy retreat early in the episode. Still, while it wasn't jaw-dropping to me, it probably was to younger viewers, and it certainly was a poignant moment. Why? Because the White Ranger is probably the most influential Power Ranger there has been. Tommy was at his peak during these episodes, rising to the position as leader, and coming in from the outskirts. As the Green Ranger, Tommy was the back up. He didn't really fit into the group. As the White Ranger, he was more powerful and confident. He went from being the outsider to the center of the Power Rangers, and as the Rangers changed around him, he changed too. There are plenty of good arguments about Tommy's transition to the White Ranger, and that he suddenly was transformed from the brooding, self-conscious Green Ranger into Mr. Perfect, but I don't really agree. I like to think of Tommy as someone who conquered his feelings of inadequacy, who strove to reach his potential. After his leave of absence, Tommy was welcomed back to the Rangers, fully prepared to lead them into the next stage of Power Rangers. Finally, we stopped feeling sorry for Tommy, and appreciated him as the selfless, dedicated soul of the team he will always be remembered as.

Moment #2: Jason's Battle
Episode: Green With Evil, Part VI
Goldar: "Understand this, you pathetic little human- I can finish you off any time I choose!"

While Moment #2 is another face-off between good and evil, this one is just so incredibly powerful, it pulls way ahead of the Tommy/Zedd one. Just imagine: Jason is completely unprepared as the evil Tommy teleports him from the school to Rita's Dark Dimension. In this smoky chamber, where the stars in the heavens flash from a ring of windows, Jason is forced to confront Goldar... without his powers. There has always been some competition between the leader of the Rangers and Goldar (whether the leader was Jason or Tommy), but you must admit, Goldar was a lean, mean, fighting machine back when he served Rita. Once Zedd came along, Goldar began to do something I had never thought he'd do. Whine. Ech, just thinking about it upsets me! Back in the first season (especially the first half) Goldar was invincible. He even fought the Megazord! So, obviously his inhuman strength and speed outclassed any unmorphed Ranger, as he made quite clear to Jason. On several occasions, Jason tried to fight Goldar back. But he always ended up with his back on the floor. The look of terror in Jason's eyes, as he crawled along the misty ground, is quite powerful. Jason nearly died in that confrontation. Every trick he had up his sleeve failed. Goldar was just too much for him to handle. He lifted Jason off the ground with one hand, and with very little effort. Jason did the best that he could, but he couldn't win. If the Green Ranger didn't stall Goldar, and if Billy didn't manage to teleport Jason out of the Dark Dimension, there's no doubt in my mind that Jason would have breathed his last.

Moment #1: The Kiss
Episode: The Green Candle, Part II
Tommy: "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."
Kimberly: "Me too."

Okay, I personally don't think you have to be a Kim/Tommy fan, or even necessarily a big romantic, to appreciate this moment. Kim and Tommy had been flirting for months, since Tommy's introduction as a matter of fact. They traded tons of shy smiles and sidelong glances, hoping no one would notice. Actually, everybody could see how much they liked each other before they finally got the picture. Remember the knowing smile Jason always wore? In any event, we saw early on that they liked each other. Yes, with every dash to the door Tommy made, just so he could open the door for her, we smiled. Every time Kim bit her lip to hide a smile, we smiled too. At least, I did. And while it sometimes annoyed me at how long the series took before they finally brought Kim and Tommy together officially, I'm glad the writers did what they did. They waited for a perfect moment. A sunny afternoon, with flowers and a beautiful lake. Both Rangers hurting after a devastating loss. Tommy, alone and depressed. Kimberly, worried sick for her dear friend. That sweet kiss, completely unexpected by yours truly, ended a dark, powerful, and sad episode on a high note. It's such a poignant image, that the kiss was shown on several PR specials, including the fan club video, and Austin St. John's brief History of the Power Rangers (shown with the pilot episode in July). Yeah yeah, one kiss didn't rock the world, or bring villains to their knees. But it did touch the hearts of many Power Rangers fans (and fanatics), and it sparked the beginning of a wonderful relationship. A relationship that, in my opinion, helped deepen two characters that had started a bit shallow and unsteady, and made them arguably the two most loved Rangers to ever wear the armor. It brought Power Rangers to a whole new level of maturity.

That's the list! I think I should emphasize the fact that this list is based entirely on my own opinion. I didn't open a poll anywhere, nor did I take advice from others. As a consequence, I'm sure many of you may not agree with the moments that I've selected. My opinions may appear somewhat biased, but believe me when I say that these are truly memorable moments, even if you don't think they're the most memorable. You have to agree on that.