History Main / Ranger

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' gives us the 12th Vegan Rangers, a mercenary command that's somewhere between three and four regiments strong and has survived over 300 years of warfare and have their own planet to boot--no other mercenary unit can make that sort of claim in its entirety. Averted with the Waco Rangers, who, while a regiment-sized RagtagBunchOfMisfits with great raiding skills, got so wound up in a bloody vendetta that it blinded them to danger, especially when dealing with the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Clans]]. This got 90% of them killed in a single mission before finally being wiped out to a man when the Jihad started.

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', during extended cut of ''The Two Towers'', Saruman has a rather visible OhCrap moment when Gríma Wormtongue mention that one of the men at Edoras, (Aragorn), appeared to be a ''Dúnedain Ranger''.
** Of course, Saruman has a bigger one when Grí­ma mentions he's wearing a ring of entwined serpents and realises not just what but ''who'' he is.
** In addition to the Dúnedain, there's also the Ithilien Rangers, who are seen in the Two Towers to be elite and badass guerilla fighters, conducting raids against Haradrim convoys moving through the region to link up with Mordor's forces.

* Along with being a highly decorated Delta Force operative. Major Gates from Film/ThreeKings also has a Rangers tab. Meaning he attended and passed Ranger school.

* Rangers from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Both the Arnorian and Gondorian ones.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' features on the cover a New California Republic Veteran Ranger in their GasMaskLongcoat getup; in the game, they're the best of the NCR's soldiers.

** ''Playable'' characters get... "hunter". Meh.

* The Malaysian Army's Royal Ranger Regiment.

!!Examples

[[folder:Comics]]
* The Rangers in the ''MarvelUniverse''.
* Steve Rogers (AKA ComicBook/CaptainAmerica) served in a Ranger unit during UsefulNotes/WW2.

[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

* In the ''Literature/LoneWolf'' series, the Sommlending Border Rangers, elite soldiers of Sommerlund. Unfortunately for them, in Book 4 ('' The Chasm of Doom'') they are assigned to the command of DoomMagnet Lone Wolf, making them a RedshirtArmy.

* ''Bush rangers'' are shown in ''Discworld/TheLastContinent'' as being outlaws. Rincewind, however, [[IThoughtItMeant makes the mistake]] most of us would probably make if we heard the word "ranger."
** ''Discworld/TheLastContinent'' is a mishmash of Australian culture, pop culture and nostalgia for things long since abandoned. The term "bush ranger" refers to criminals operating beyond the settled and adaquately policed areas of the time, analogous to American Wild West outlaws.

* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' books, the Sphynxian Forest Rangers are the local wilderness experts, tasked with patrolling and protecting the Crown's lands, fighting wildfires, helping people who get stranded in the wilderness, and protecting the interests of the Sphynxian Treecats, the native intelligent lifeforms on Sphynx.

[[folder: Mythology]]

* The ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' class Ranger.
** Particularly in 1st Edition AD&D, where they almost define BadassNormal. Rangers start their career with 2 [[HitPoints Hit Dice]] rather than the 1 everyone else gets, a whompin' 90% base tracking chance (by comparison, a 1st level thief with ''maximum'' Dexterity would have 20-40% in all but one skill), a 50% chance to surprise ''anyone,'' and a huge (by 1st Edition standards) damage bonus to pretty much any humanoid monster. At high levels they can learn magic [[TheRedMage drawn from the spells of two different classes]] (druid & magic-user) and start to attract [[TheBeastMaster loyal followers]], potentially up to ''[[GentleGiant storm giants]] and [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons copper dragons]]''. Yeah.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has Rangers, a troop choice for the [[OurElvesAreBetter Craftworld Eldar]]. They're Eldar who have decided to leave the ultra-regimented [[GenerationShips Craftworlds]] to seek excitement and adventure out in the galaxy. Between their highly accurate long rifles, their ability to traverse difficult terrain easily, and skills at infiltration and survival, the Rangers make for excellent scouts, assassins and guerilla fighters, and they will often return to their home craftworlds to aid them and fight for them. There is also an elite version of the Ranger, the Pathfinder, Rangers who have been Rangers for so long that they will never willingly return to their craftworlds and have centuries of experience; just small groups of them have been known to harass and stall entire [[RedshirtArmy Imperial Guard]] columns, [[BadassArmy exacting devastating tolls on their numbers, supplies and morale while receiving very few casualties themselves]].

* The Rangers in ''VideoGame/{{Metro 2033}}'' is a faction composed entirely of this trope. Only the most badass gets to become a Ranger.

* Steve Rogers (AKA ComicBook/CaptainAmerica) served in a Ranger unit during WW2.
* Badass superspy ComicBook/NickFury was an Army Ranger during WorldWarII.

* United States Army Rangers, who are advanced light infantry troops in the United States Army. [[note]]Their [[NiceHat berets]] are a bit of military tradition inherited from the British Commandos, who helped train the first Army Rangers. The Rangers in turn passed the Beret on to the Air Force Security Police airmen who attended Ranger School during TheVietnamWar when they needed to [[TookALevelInBadass expand their skills from being military policemen to defending their bases against major ground attacks.]][[/note]]

* In "''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''", during extended cut of "''The Two Towers''", Saruman has a rather visible OhCrap moment when Gríma Wormtongue mention that one of the men at Edoras, (Aragorn), appeared to be a ''Dúnedain Ranger''.

* Along with being a highly decorated Delta Force operative. Major Gates from ''Film/ThreeKings also has a Rangers tab. Meaning he attended and passed Ranger school.

* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Obviously]], the Rangers of the ''Literature/RangersApprentice'' series.

* Royal Ulster Rangers, then the Royal Irish Rangers, now part of the Royal Irish super-regiment of the British Army [[note]]"Super-Regiment" means the amalgamation together of several former independent county regiments. Each battalion preserves the traditions of one parent regiment and - in theory - provdes a nucleus for rapid expansion of the old county regiments in case of need.[[/note]] Recruited in the Six Counties of Northern Ireland but accepts recruits from the Republic.

*** Specifically: Goranger (1), Turboranger (13), Zyuranger (16), Dairanger (17), Kakuranger (18), Ohranger (19), Carranger (20), Megaranger (21), Timeranger (24), Gaoranger (25), Hurric'''''anger''''' (26), Abaranger (27), Dekaranger (28), Magiranger (29), Bouke'''''nger''''' (30), Gekiranger (31), Go-O'''''nger''''' (32), Shinke'''''nger''''' (33), Gosei'''''ger''''' (34), Gokai'''''ger''''' (35), Kyoryu'''''ger''''' (37), Tokkyu'''''ger''''' (38), and Akibaranger (Unofficial).

* In DaleBrown's books, Hal Briggs and Trevor Griffin are Air Force officers who have gone for the Ranger course. Sergeant Major Ray Jefferson was also a Ranger.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* BadAss superspy ComicBook/NickFury was an Army Ranger during WorldWarII.

[[folder:Anime&Manga]]

* ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'' features quite a group of {{Badass}}es.

* In FinalFantasyTacticsA2, we got the Moogle Rangers, which consist of… well, Moogles. And [[FiveManBand five of them]]. However, they have hundreds of counts of breaking the peace [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking (and one of trespassing)]] and need to be taken down by your clan. [[spoiler: At the end of the battle, for no reason whatsoever, they leave by rising into the sky.]]

* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'' has Youji Itami, a lazy otaku in the JSDF who somehow managed not to wash out of Ranger training and finished second-to-last in his cohort solely by virtue of the guy above him getting injured. That said, he does have his badass moments.

* ''Film/PacificRim: Jaeger pilots are called Rangers.

* ''MutantChronicles'' has several varieties. The Capitol Airborne Rangers are frontline assault infantry, who fly into zones the Air Force has just bombed, take strategic positions, and hold them until the Army arrives. Bauhaus has the Venusian Rangers, who are selected from the best Bauhaus has to offer, sent through a [[TheSpartanWay two-year program known as "The Forge"]], and are then thrust into any situation where failure simply is not an option.

'Cause that's where [[ChuckNorris the Ranger's]] gonna be."''

* The "Ranger Girls", female federal agents in Don Pendleton's ''MackBolan'' novels.

->'' 'Cause the eyes of a Ranger are upon you\\

'Cause that's where [[ChuckNorris the Ranger's]] gonna be''

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer [[CommandAndConquerGenerals Generals]]'' where Rangers are the basic infantry unit for the US. Possible DoubleSubversion in that there isn't a single unit on the US side that ''isn't'' elite and the US as a whole is defined by superior skill and technology.