In terms of the battle - Ninja Storm Rangers vs Ninja Rangers, Cyke wrote that...
"I think that, on the whole, the Ninja Storm Rangers win it overall.
"Unmorphed - The NS rangers have, I believe, a wider variety of powers. Even subtle powers that are merely used for escape. They practice superstrength and superspeed more than the MMPR Ninja Rangers. And on top of that, the NS cast's fight scenes are much more fluid, more expert, and much faster... whereas back then, the fights were really clunky. God, I wish Jason was a Ninja Ranger...
"Winner - Ninja Storm"
I agree on the most part with that battle analysis, and definitely with the reference to the earlier teams. Just imagine this fight scene - Jason (MMPRs1) vs Shane (PRNS).
That's the kind of fight scene that makes you lift your arms to the Heavens and give praise that you're a 'Power Ranger' fan, right there. Tell me it ain't so :).
"Morphed - This is the fight that interests me the most, really. Sparks flying everywhere, duels going on... the good stuff.
"MMPR, to my knowledge, though, didn't show the same Ninja powers when they were morphed, whereas the NS Rangers do and then some. Hunter and Blake both showed that they could take on multiple rangers. Aisha, Billy, and Kim (No Kat!)'s fighting skills aren't very much on par with the rest of their team, while the NS rangers are more or less equals on their side. To top it off, NS's in-grown ranger powers appear to be more versatile. The MMPR have that special armor (just glitter on the costumes), but defense only can get so far, and the armor has a time limit. And Rocky doesn’t have a Battlizer.
"Cam's Shurikenfire mode (forgot the American name, sorry) is an upgrade -- something Tommy doesn't have, and the power of surprise has certain advantages. Of course, Tommy has sheer power and a flying sabre. This is the closest of the fights.
"Rocky Vs. Shane - Shane
"Aisha Vs. Dustin - Dustin
"Billy Vs. Tori - Billy for sure has more experience as a Ranger. Tori, though, has more experience as a base fighter, by virture of being enrolled in a Ninja Academy. So maybe it evens out - unmorphed, Tori wins, but Billy morphed could change things...I think it's reasonable to believe that Billy would be more familiar with Ranger powers than Tori. Of course if you bring the fight to Reed Richards' lab or something, naturally Billy cleans house.
"Hunter Vs. Kim - it may be a repeat of Billy Vs. Tori above...or it could be Kim winning both morphed and unmorphed fights (she *was* a beast with her trusty bow, after all). This fight may very well be just as close as Tommy Vs. Cam.
"Adam Vs. Blake - Blake may be one of the top two students of his class, but I still firmly put Adam above him. Adam not only consistently showed off his skill, but he was always a dependable backup for Tommy, which is no mean feat. Blake may have all the skill (and that's a big 'MAY'), but Adam is not only no slouch of a fighter, he's also got the heart. I believe that by the end of his run on Turbo, he rivalled Billy in seniority. I firmly pick Adam over Blake in all three scenarios.
"Tommy Vs. Cam - Undecided
"Winner - Most likely a stalemate."
I replied by stating that I'd lean a little more strongly towards the MMPRs3 team.
When you looked at everything both teams are capable of, speed is about the only advantage the Ninja Storm Rangers have, and if the Ninja Rangers fight smart, they can work around this, for instance, using their slide teleports more often, or just throwing up dust clouds or smoke clouds to take down a speed advantage, things like that.
I reckon that Kimberly and Billy stand a very good chance of taking down Hunter and Tori. They're the most experienced Rangers on the field, after all, and I'd give pretty good odds that they could at least achieve a stalemate, and possibly manage a win.
OTOH, I agree with the rest of those match-ups. And I can definitely see Tommy and Cam fighting while all the other Rangers battle to the death around them.
Cyke replied, saying that...
"I just started thinking, Peter-- maybe you're right about Kim over Hunter. I was looking over some Hurricanger Vs. Gaoranger movie pics (for the uninitiated, Ninja Storm Vs. Wild Force), and a clone of Alyssa's japanese counterpart (spoiler free) basically bitchslapped the Crimson Ranger, sparks and all.
"If we shift that all into American (pity there's not going to be an American team up of the two groups)... well, let's just say that I think Kim is a better fighter than Alyssa."
On the subject of the inevitable zord battle...
"Zords - This is probably the closest fight. The MMPR have the power advantage, just by having either two massive Megazords (Ninja and Shogun Megazords) or six mechs (Ninja Megazord and the five Shogunzords). The NS team has three Megazords that can combine into one if they wanted. Titanus, as always, is a major factor, and I'm getting goosebumps imagining Titanus duking it out with the Mammoth Carrier Zord."
It's true. That mental image was enough to keep me grinning for the rest of the week.
"The NS Zords have, like in the previous two fights, the advantage of variety. The Power Spheres make an impressive arsenal, nevermind the power their Megazords have when they combine.
"But Titanus and the two Ultrazords can deal with a *lot* of damage, and they can dish out just as much, maybe enough to withstand a speedblitz from the NS Zords. It's possible for the MMPR to fire an Ultrazord blast with the Ninjazord, then switch to the Shogun Ultrazord to fire another, though that's overkill.
"The Megazord's Lightning Mode can deal some serious damage since the MMPR zords are slow, but I can imagine Falconzord tagging it or keeping it occupied just long enough for the minute to run out.
"Winner - after some thought, MMPR. There's not only the numbers advantage, but more and more, I'm starting to think that the ShogunZord was almost like the Hulk of all Megazords -- the biggest, baddest, toughest mofo of a Megazord to ever exist. I wouldn't be too surprised if the Shogun FalconZord had the power to hold off the the combined Samurai, Wind, and Thunder Megazords simultaneously."
I agreed with Cyke's post - even Lightning Mode might not help against the Shogun Megazord. Recall the monster Garbagemouth tried to slice and dice the Shogun Megazord using a speed tactic - he just slashed away at the Megazord for a while until the Megazord raised its arm, snapped the sword and destroyed the monster soon after. Those sixty seconds had better count - and I don't think they will.
The Falconzord can keep the Samurai Star occupied, and I'm thinking the Ninja Megazord can occupy the Thunder Storm Megazord long enough. Actually, the MMPR Rangers' best tactic is to go in without their Megazords, in just their individual zords.
Hmm. I'd definitely lean towards a MMPR victory here.
Curse my love of old school :).