Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Alwaysdelivered the moment fans of the original show had been waiting to see since 1994, but it could have been much better. Set almost 30 years after the events of the original series,Once & Alwaysbrought backMMPRlegends Billy Cranston and Zack Taylor in addition to second-generation Rangers such as Rocky and Kat for a Netflix special that celebrated the original show’s legacy. Walter Emanuel Jones and David Yost were the only two of the original main cast to return, but the special was filled with nostalgia nonetheless.
While most of theoriginalPower Rangersactorswere not inOnce & Always, their characters technically appeared.The special opened with Billy and his team fighting Robot Rita, which culminated in the death of Trini, the Yellow Ranger. Trini’s death inOnce & Alwaysset up the Netflix special’s homage to Thuy Trang, particularly through the introduction of her daughter. While the Yellow Ranger’s legacy was the focus of the reunion,Once & Alwayswas full of little moments that celebrated thehistory ofPower Rangersin different ways. This includes Zack finally meeting his Black Ranger replacement.
Zack And Adam Finally Interacted In Power Rangers 29 Years After The Black Ranger Was Replaced
Johnny Yong Bosch Was Walter Emanuel Jones’ Replacement In Season 2
Zack and Adam technically met each other inMighty Morphin Power Rangersseason 2 when the Stone Canyon trio arrived in Angel Grove and proved themselves worthy to join the Power Rangers. However, in reality, Walter Emanuel Jones, Austin St. John, and Thuy Trang were no longer on the show by the time Johnny Yong Bosch, Steve Cardenas, and Karan Ashley were cast. This is whyPower Rangersused body doubles and old footage in the episodes where the original Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers were about to leavethe team.
Tommy
In other words, Jones’ Zack never interacted with Bosch’s Adam – or with any of the second-generation Mighty Morphin Rangers. This would only change 29 years withPower Rangers: Once & Always, at the end of whichZack shared a brief but emotional moment with Adam and Aisha.Zack also fought side by side with Rocky and Kat during the special, which is something that manyPower Rangersfans never thought would happen. Whereas Jason returned in bothZeoand theTurbofilm, Zack had been away from the franchise sinceMMPRseason 2.
Zack And Adam Hugging Was Great, But They Should Have Fought Together In Once & Always
Adam And Aisha Did Not Do Much In Power Rangers: Once & Always
Zack and Adam’s brief moment at the end ofOnce & Alwayswas great and helped make up for how badlyPower Rangershandled the passing of the torch in 1994. That said,I would have loved to see Zack and Adam, the two Mighty Morphin Black Rangers, fighting side by side.Naturally, only one of them would have been able to use the Black Ranger powers, but that doesn’t mean Adam couldn’t have joined the action too. Even ifOnce & Alwaysdidn’t want to include other powers like the Zeoones, Adam could have gotten some civilian fights.
Power Rangers: Once & Alwayswas Karan Ashley’s first appearance in the franchise since the end ofMighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Bringing backAdam and Aisha as S.P.A. agentswhile Rocky and Kat completed the main Ranger team made sense, yet Johnny Yong Bosch and Karan Ashley barely appeared in the special and only showed up in person at the very end. While it is unclear why exactly those two characters did not have bigger roles inOnce & Always, thePower Rangersreunion could have been even better with more interactions between the OG Rangers and the ones from the second generation.Aisha could’ve also had more moments with Minh, as the former was the second Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger.
At Least The Original Black Ranger Finally Fought Alongside Rocky & Kat In Once & Always
Not having Adam and Zack interact more was disappointing, but at leastPower Rangers: Once & Alwaysgave us some moments that always seemed impossible. Having aPower Rangersteamconsisting of Billy, Zack, Rocky, Kat, and Trini’s daughter was a pleasant surprise that made thePower Rangersuniverse feel richer and more connected.Characters like Adam, Rocky, and Kat went on to establish their own legacies in the franchiseand appeared in multiple shows and movies, which is why seeing them working with one of the original Rangers was so special.
Why The Original Red Ranger Returned To Power Rangers 2 Years After Leaving The Show
Jason left the Power Rangers midway through season 2, but the original Red Ranger would show up again two years later in Power Rangers Zeo.
Billy and Tommy both remained on the team until the end of the original show and were also inZeo, meaning they worked with all of the new Rangers. Likewise, Jason interacted with Rocky and the other replacements inZeoas well in theTurbofilm. Thuy Trang sadly passed away on July 19, 2025, and Walter Emanuel Jones never returned to the franchise until 2023.Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Alwayswas bittersweet in many ways, but it delivered a lot of special and nostalgic moments.
