The best upgrade that Trini Kwan of the Power Rangers Got happened in the comics. Power Rangers are known to have their power upgrades on TV, especially Red Rangers with their Battilizers. However, especially for non-Red Rangers, the best Ranger upgrades happen in the comics.
The best upgrade for the original Yellow Ranger comes in the form of black dragon armorDebuting in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #16 by Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya. The comics have gifted Trini Kwan with a few major upgrades – including becoming a Red Ranger – but the Black Dragon armor is arguably the coolest one she’s ever had.
Considering where the Black Dragon Armor came from and the skill that Trini showcased in turning the armor into something useful, the upgrade Solidifies Trini as one of the best Mighty Morphin Rangers of all time.
The Black Dragon Armor was created by Lord Drakkon
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #4 by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Daniel Bayliss, Matt Herms and Ed Dukeshire
The Black Dragon first debuted in the Boom! Studios comics not as just armor, but as a full-blown character (or so readers thought) and an opponent for the Power Rangers. The first few issues of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Remind readers that, Unlike the rest of the Rangers, Tommy Oliver’s abilities are powered by the chaos magic of Rita Repulsa. The source proved vital the more than Tommy butted heads with Jason, as his heightened emotions strengthened a dragon dagger duplicate – which once belonged to the iconic villain Scorpina – to create a portal for the Black Dragon to enter the universe.
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Originally from the world of the Coinless, the Black Dragon proved a thorn in the Rangers’ side until Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #9, where the Green Ranger and the ultimate Blue Ranger are able to destroy the Black Dragon after being discovered The Black Dragon is not a monster, but a fully operational piece of metal. However, destroying it from the inside only sends them to its place of creation, where they meet its creator – Lord Drakkon, the franchise’s best villain – who was communicated to the Rangers from his world by the Black Dragon.
Trini Quan repurposed the Black Dragon Armor for the Rangers
Something for her team
Drakkon is an alternate future timeline version of Tommy Oliver, and so, through their shared connection of the Chaos Crystal’s powers, he is able to send his Black Dragon to this dimension. Present day Tommy and Billy are transported to the world of Drakkon, giving Trini enough time to find out exactly what the Black Dragon is. When the Blue and Green Rangers first disappear, Trini is the first to realize that the Black Dragon was made from pieces of the Green Ranger’s Dragonzord.
On further inspection in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #11, Trini learns that the pieces of the Black Dragon are actually identical to those of the Dragonzord – not copies. Trini comes to the conclusion that the black dragon comes from another world, and that’s probably where Billy and Tommy landed after they disappeared. Behind Billy, Trini is the team’s best tech expertAnd so, she works effortlessly to cross-examine where this monstrous zord came from to find them. And that’s not all she does with the Black Dragon.
Trini proved herself as one of the smartest, most competent and most efficient Power Rangers.
Trini repurposes the Black Dragon in armor by syncing it to her To use in case of an emergency. One such emergency comes when the Rangers are ambushed by Rita Repulsa, who dampens the Rangers’ teleportation capabilities but can do nothing to stop the parts of the Black Dragon from merging with Trini’s suit. Additionally, she uses the Black Dragon’s energy to power the Triceratops Power Coin that Billy left behind, sending her and the Rangers to Dragon’s dimension to save their friends.
The legacy of Trini’s Black Dragon Armor continues
The Black Dragon Armor appears again
This isn’t the last time readers will see the Black Dragon armor in action, as it makes a return in time for the Power Rangers Franchise’s 25th anniversary. At the tail end of the “Shattered Grid” arc, where Rangers of all iterations come together for a last stand against Drakkon and his army, the older, future version of Trini from the world of the Coinless enters the fray . Because she no longer has her power coin (hence the coinless moniker), Major Cannon Trini gives her future self the Black Dragon Armor to protect herself in battle MMPR #30 By Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo.
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If there’s any big takeaway from all of this, it’s that Trini proved herself to be one of the smartest, most competent, and most effective Power Rangers—not just of the Mighty Morphin team, but in franchise history. Future comics help drive this point home, especially in showcasing how Trini is deserving of a Red Ranger promotion as leader. But MMPR #16 is one of the first moments of BOOM! Which highlights Trini’s abilities. Finally, turning the harmful Black Dragon armor into something useful for the Power Rangers was practically foreshadowing Trini’s bigger spotlight to come.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #16 is available now from BOOM! studios.