Fanfic / Power Rangers GPX

"GPX, Start it up!"

"We're Power Rangers. We don't quit, we don't surrender, and most importantly, we don't lose!"

— The Badass Creed that sums up the Rangers perfectly.

Written by BigD1987, Power Rangers GPX is an original Power Rangers fic described as "Power Rangers on Power Metal and infused with realism, some slight parody and Lampshade Hanging, with some Gurren Lagann added to the mix. And Sailor Moon villains. And maybe, a little social commentary."

Taking place in an alternate universe to the main Power Rangers 'verse, the story goes like this: Fifty years prior to the beginning of the story, some scientists and engineers began working on a cloth that could withstand colder temperatures after the Korean War, but also to protect soldiers. Eventually, they discovered a universal bio-electric field, which led to unbelievable advances in technology. About 15 years before the story, SETI discovers a signal from another world. At first they are excited about it, until they discover that it is a distress signal from another world. The United Nations panics and looks for options to stop this invasion when MIT scientists involved in the suit project give their proposal to the U.N. The U.N. likes this plan and agrees to it.

Fifteen years later, the invasion has begun. Colonel Alan Greene of the United States army calls together five individuals who were trained as part of this project from their youth to Tokyo to become Power Rangers. The candidates, American Sean O' Callahan, Irishman Kevin O' Donnell, Venezuelan Maria Aparicio, and Japanese siblings Daisuke and Hitomi Miyazawa are at first skeptical until they are forced into becoming Rangers, thrust into a conflict with the Zordonian Empire.

GPX is an interesting story. At first sloppily presented, it starts building momentum as the story gets going, and according to the text, is heading towards one hell of a Grand Finale... and that's only the first part. The story is probably different from its source material in that it is more adult or young adult-oriented than regular Power Rangers. The story gleefully plays around with its tropes. It could be a Deconstruction one moment, play its tropes straight in another, parody them the next and then veer right into a Reconstruction the next, sometimes within the same chapter. Also, the villains are (admittedly) clones / rip-offs of Sailor Moon villains. Of course, the story also has fun with itself, including the aforementioned Lampshade Hanging and minor parodying of itself. The realism portion is simply adding more realistic elements into Power Rangers, like the Rangers trying to prevent any property damage, or the universal bio-electric field, implied to be the Morphing Grid. Also, this will probably be the only story where the Rangers actually change their suits mid-story.

Part One has been completed, and Part 2 has been posted. The story relocates to Orlando, Florida, and a new Green Ranger, Mandla Ndebele, is introduced. Another Ranger, the Silver Ranger, has also been introduced.

A sequel entitled "Power Rangers GPX Supercharged" has also been announced, set in Madison, Wisconsin. Another sequel, "Madison Days" has also been announced. Both are separate timelines, with "Madison Days" being a look at the Rangers getting the peaceful ending they deserved. Unfortunately, "Madison Days" never materialized.

Part 1 has been "re-posted", albeit in an edited and re-written form with a lot of potential for Retcon, which has already begun. Also, an Alternate Universe version has been published, set at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. A side-stories collection has also been posted, focusing on SIU, as well as a prequel detailing how the Rangers will get their powers. A "Reboot" has also been posted, showing what Part 1 might have looked like if the Rangers fought their "Supercharged" enemies from the beginning.

The character sheet is available here. Part 1 can be read here, Part 2 here, Supercharged can be read here and here, and SIU here. SIU's prequel can be read here. The reboot is available here.

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Recurring Power Rangers tropes

Recurring Power Rangers tropes include:

• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: True to Power Rangers tradition. More details under Supercharged.
• Big Bad: Emperor Rashon, an Expy of Prince Demand/Demando/Dimande/Diamond from Sailor Moon in the main story and Drake in SIU. Now it's Ragnar the Terrible, the Commander of Alfheim's army.
• By the Power of Grayskull!: "GPX, Start It Up!"
• Chest Insignia: A gold, motion font number over a wheel.
• City of Adventure: Tokyo in Part 1, which extends out to a more rural area, Orlando, Florida in Part 2.
  • SIU has not just the city of Carbondale, but parts of the Southern Illinois region, including the hometown of the author's dad.
  • Madison, Wisconsin will be the setting for the sequel, "Supercharged".
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Played straight and given a good Lampshade Hanging every now and then. Usually, the Rangers wear sports gear in their respective colors (Sean wears Blackhawks and Bulls, Maria wears Brazil soccer, Kevin wears Dublin GAA and Manchester United, Ritchie wears Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and later Boston Bruins [because the sight of Packers colors angers Sean]). Occasionally, they'll deviate from these, although the Wisconsin hockey unis probably don't count.
  • But also Played With. The first two episodes have Sean wearing a green track jacket, hinting that he might become the Green Ranger. This is later Subverted, of course, as he does turn out to be the Red Ranger.

• Home Base: If actual houses count, then yes.
  • Averted in SIU where they live in separate buildings.
• In the Name of the Moon / "Super Sentai" Stance: Lampshaded, parodied, and dropped. Sean hates having to do it, because he finds it silly. Eventually Reconstructed. It's lampshaded again in Part 2, and Sean still hates it.
  • Mocked more directly in SIU where Hitomi says this nearly word-for-word but is shot down by Maria.
    Hitomi: In the name of SWORD, we shall punish you!
    Ronald: Um, what?
    Maria:' Hitomi, Sailor Moon taunts never work in real life.
• Make My Monster Grow: Crystal balls, apparently.

• Monster of the Week: Not so much, since there have been 23 episodes and there have been only 9 MOTW so far.
  • Also a variation between the two continuities. In the main story, they're implied to be something akin to mercenaries (except for the robot enemies) while in the SIU universe, they're alchemically created using clay and objects such as teddy bears.

• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: A hockey player, a former Irish Defense Forces soldier, an heir and his sister, an exile, a college student and a former United States Marine, another college student, another hockey player and a defected enemy fight aliens, elves and alchemists.
• Recruit Teenagers with Attitude: Averted... Kinda, since Hitomi is 18 at the start. The reason for this being that the Rangers, being college-age and older, are more emotionally mature and stable than teenagers might be. All of the Rangers are explicitly in university (except for Rob) at the beginning of the story (although Sean did mention in an earlier chapter that he was not in college, although this is simply an unedited mistake on the part of the author and a case of Early-Installment Weirdness. It is, however, fixed in the Reboot).
• Transformation Is a Free Action: Generally justified. When forming the megazord, the zords fire some cables at the big monster to keep it in place for them to transform. Also, the Rangers just morph in a flash of light.
  • But sometimes subverted. The Zordonians have recognized the Rangers are at their most vulnerable when they're about to morph, so one MOTW attacks Sean and Hitomi before they morph.

• BFG: The Nitro Cannon and Kevin's personal weapon, the Touring Cannon. It's upgraded and shrunk and is now more like a rifle.

• Swiss-Army Weapon: The Octane Blaster, which transforms from a blaster to a sword, and Rob's Silver Sword, which does the same thing.

Tropes shared by both continuities

• All There in the Manual: The author's Fanfiction.net profile includes character notes, including where the Rangers are from. The author also posted a notes chapter, which details some of the possibilities that never came to fruition.
• Alternate Universe: Both stories are shown to be outside the original Power Rangers universe. Word of God says this was partially to separate the story from so many "Next Generation" fics that seemed to annoy him.
• Ancient Astronauts: Inverted. Elves, humans and Zordonians are all descended from a common ancestor. The Zordonians were forced off the planet by an alliance of humans and elves in the years before the rise of Sumeria. The event is not mentioned in Earth mythology, but is suggested to have been an inspiration for the Atlantis myth. It's played with even further, too. The elves only seemed to have encountered the ancient Norse, leading to their own myth.

• Clark Kenting: Played around with. Early on, it looked as though the Rangers weren't trying to hide their identities, although that might be kind of justified due to those early battles taking place in the middle of the street. However by Part 2, they covered up their faces with handkerchiefs and sunglasses. After that, they morphed before leaving the house they share.
  • In SIU, this is mostly averted with them simply covering their faces when in Carbondale or morphing way from public eyes.
• Cool Car: All over the place! The GP Cruiser is a Hummer H2, and the zords are big cars.
  • GT Racer (Red): GT race car
  • Touring Racer (Blue): Touring car
  • Mountain Hauler (Green): Pick-up truck
  • Haz Runner (Yellow): Hazmat vehicle
  • Am Chaser (Pink): Ambulance
• Culture Clash: Early on, especially when the cultural differences between Japan and the West are made perfectly clear, either Played for Laughs with Fish out of Water jokes or Played for Drama, especially the in-universe Values Dissonance hits hard.
• Dark Is Not Evil / Light Is Not Good: The Big Bad of each continuity wear white or some variation of it (Rashon and Drake wear white and have white hair, while Ragnar wears gray and has blonde hair). By contrast, the Rangers have either dark-colored hair or clothing and their attitudes are not typical of your usual goody-two-shoes Power Rangers (save for Hitomi and maybe Rob). There are of course variations, as Eruvanda wore white as a villain before it was revealed that she was being manipulated by Ragnar and was Good All Along.
• Darker and Edgier: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann-level awesomeness aside, this story goes places regular Power Rangers wouldn't dare touch, not even in Space or RPM will go (say, threatening to level an entire country just to smoke out two Rangers, for one). Hell, the acknowledgement the Rangers are trying to prevent planetary genocide is a good indication this is different. Supercharged and SIU also take it pretty far. SIU is probably the darkest out of either continuity, having the highest body count of any of them.
• Fiction 500: The Miyazawa family not only owns one of Japan's most successful department store chains, but they also own stock in other chains like Macy's. It's not too much of a stretch to assume they may be at least partially funding Project Ranger.
  • It's been confirmed they are funding Project Ranger.
• Genre Mashup: A literary version. Officially, it's a sci-fi action fic. But other than that, there are so many other influences that it spans a whole range of genres, even within one chapter!
• Good Is Not Nice: "Who the hell said we had to be nice?"
• Hot-Blooded: Sean and Kevin. We haven't seen that yet, though, but he has shown hot bloodedness. Apparently the author is waiting for the right moment for Sean to unleash his full hot-blooded potential. Eventually, he gets so Hot-Blooded, it's implied that it's able to push the suits to their maximum potential.
• Lampshade Hanging: Lots of it.
  • There's much more of it in the re-written edition.
• Legend Fades to Myth: The "prologue" (at the end of Supercharged Part 1). Justified in that at the time, humanity was not recording its history and thus forgot about the fight that drove the Zordonians off the planet.

• Mildly Military: The Rangers, with obvious exceptions (Kevin, Rob and Arquen) are not military, but are employed by a military organization, and yet act like, well, civilians. Justified, in that these are, well, civilians, and the UN did not give them military discipline training in order to keep up The Masquerade.

• Outside-Context Problem: The Zordonians not so much, but the elves and Ouroboros Society are this to the Rangers. The Ouroboros Society is the best example though, because their motives are still unclear. The elves were like this, coming out of nowhere to knock the Rangers out of their Happy Ending and having very vague motives as well.
• No Bisexuals: GLORIOUSLY averted. Maria is openly and proudly bisexual, one of Sean's moms is bi, and so are Hitomi and her girlfriend Gina.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: It's guaranteed that the Rangers will suffer one of these, usually coming before a big, triumphant counterattack.
• Reconstruction: Apparently, despite the realism added to it, GPX seems to be one.
  • Deconstruction: At the moment, what with the Darkest Hour, it's become one for now.
  • It then veered right back into Reconstruction in Episode 15.
  • However, the Reconstruction aspect goes beyond the Gurren Lagann levels of awesomeness and are more subtle:
    • Of course having insecure teenagers fight is dangerous, so they have 5 college-aged young adults who are relatively stable.
    • Of course Transformation Is Not A Free Action so the zords are equipped with cables to make sure that Transformation Is a Free Action
    • Of course having people who don't know how to fight is a bad idea, so they train them.
    • Of course creating Tyke Bombs is going to cause trouble, so they let them have a normal childhood.
    • Of course fighting an intergalactic war can be stressful, that's why they have therapists.
• Sarcastic Devotee: After a while, the other Rangers start making snide comments towards Sean. This only happens outside of battle, of course.
• Super-Soldier: When you think about it, that's what the Rangers are. Of course, it's implied in text that they're not genetically enhanced, and they think for themselves. But they are an example of The Spartan Way making Super Soldiers.
• Take That!: A couple of those, as well.
  • In episode 6, the Rangers badmouth Domino's Pizza (which they're eating!) and Code Geass.
  • Disney even gets on the receiving end of a zinger in the final chapter... when they're at Disney World.
  • Sean himself is a Take That! to Shinji Ikari. Word of God says he hated the show so much that he set out to create an anti-Shinji, which resulted in Sean. The story itself is another Take That! aimed at Evangelion, what with the training, mentally stable Rangers and general support the Rangers got.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Mocked. In Episode 15, Phaedos gets annoyed while the Rangers give their 'friendship' and 'unity' speeches. He even mocks them for it.
• Titled After the Song:
  • "A Hot Time in the Old Town", a famous Jazz standard, the retitled episode once known as "The Concert" in Part 1. This new title carries multiple meanings; On the surface, it refers to the Rangers going out on the town, but also refers to things getting heated between Sean and Daisuke, and references famous conflagrations important to two characters' homes' histories—The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and many firebombings of Japan.
  • "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley / The Ataris
  • "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles
  • "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin
  • "The Good Old Hockey Game", taken from the chorus of "The Hockey Song" by "Stompin'" Tom Connors.
  • "One Week More", a re-wording of "One Day More" from Les Misérables. Chapter 21 plays it more straight.
  • Supercharged episode 40 takes its title from the first 3 lyrics of the Irish national anthem.
  • "Have a Mighty Morphin' Christmas", named after the Burl Ives song from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

• Tyke Bomb: The Rangers are a different type of TykeBomb. According to them, they had to take not only martial arts classes, but strategy, shooting, and all that, but they were able to lead normal lives. Apparently so they don't end up going nuts. Also, they've only been trained since they were 10, 9 and 7, respectively. Also, they think for themselves instead of having undying loyalty.
• World of Snark: Most of the cast makes snarky comments at some point or another (except Hitomi).
• Would Hit a Girl: All of the guys have hit female characters, but given those women are Dark Action Girls who have hit them, it's a Justified Trope.

Tropes present in the main story

This fanfic contains examples of:

• Achilles in His Tent:
  • Zig-zagged with Daisuke. At first, he (and Hitomi) leaves the team because of some Creative Differences-ish grievances (he wanted to be the leader). And then instead him saving the team, they save him.
  • The Flash Rangers in episodes 31-33. They reconcile with the GPX Rangers when they realize they have a very common enemy.

• Back for the Finale: Toji-san, the Flash Rangers, Daisuke, Godai-san, Hikari and Pola-Killer.
• Badass Boast: "Who the hell do you think we are?!"
  • "We're Power Rangers! We don't quit, we don't surrender, and most importantly, WE DON'T LOSE!!!"
  Sean: You'll see it in another universe. No matter who they are, be they witch or galactic conqueror, the result was the same; THEY LOST! AND THAT'S YOUR FATE AS WELL! Your conquest ended as soon as you picked a fight with us, Rashon! You're gonna PAY for everything you've done! And now YOU'RE gonna lose, just like the rest of the guys who challenged people like us! MESSIN' WITH THE POWER RANGERS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU'VE EVER MADE!

• Badass Normal: Toji-san, the Miyazawa bodyguard, easily takes out some Swabots to rescue Shingo in Episode 15.

• Bears Are Bad News: Kind of subverted with a polar bear monster named Pola-Killer. Only thing is, he's a big softie like a big teddy bear. Hitomi even makes friends with him. Of course, we say "kind of" because he's turned vicious... and brings out Hitomi's Dark side, too.
• Berserk Button: Liaria gets pissed off when Maria and Hitomi scar her cheek in their first battle. She doesn't exactly forgive them for that.

• Big Damn Heroes: Arriving in the nick of time to save the city/innocents is the Power Rangers' job. In Episode 15 when the three western Rangers jump in to save Daisuke and Hitomi.
• Big "WHAT?!":
  • Whenever Maria gets flustered, she gives out a big, "¡¿QUE!?"
  • Sean when he finds out Project Ranger sent them an incomplete Silver Morpher.
• Bilingual Bonus: There are several instances of foreign languages being used, such as Gaelic, Japanese and Spanish. Sean and Maria even have a short conversation in Spanish in Episode 11.

• Call-Forward: Recent revisions and even the reboot have allowed for a couple references to later events. References to the elves and even Ritchie have been made.
• Camp: The author is obviously inspired by RPM and The Dark Knight Trilogy. Any Camp is either downplayed, mocked, criticized, deconstructed or done in a Gurren Lagann-style awesomeness.
• Captain Ersatz: The Zordonian Empire is quite clearly (and admittedly) a clone of the Black Moon Clan from Sailor Moon. The author even takes it a step further by making the Quirky Miniboss Squad clones of the Shitennou from the first Sailor Moon season/arc.
  • Although, they don't share their exact personalities and even have different color schemes, so they can be seen as Expys.
  • Sean's personal weapon, the GT Sword, ends up becoming a weapon's version, a flat-out copy of the Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, although justified in this case, since he asked the UN to make it like the sword.
• Cerebus Rollercoaster: Possibly, although it seems planned instead of coming out of nowhere.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Toji-san.
• Combat by Champion: Sean invokes this in his battle against Rashon, who is so impressed with Sean turning into a win-win situation, he accepts. Guess what? Sean wins.
• Cool Big Sis: Sean's sister Bridget.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The Rangers' first battle with Phaedos, in which he handily defeats them, one-by-one. He does so much damage to their suits that they're forced to change their suits. Also a literal one in chapter nine when Phaedos curb stomps Kevin.

• Darkest Hour: Episode 13-14. with chapter 13 being called "Darkest Hour".
• Deadpan Snarker: Most of the Rangers, save for Hitomi. Also much of the cast, even the villains count, too.
• Decon-Recon Switch: Happens almost at will. One moment is a Deconstruction, the next is a Reconstruction and back again.
• Despair Event Horizon: The Rangers are close to this in episode 23 before Mandla saves them.
• Destructive Saviour: They try to keep the property damage to a minimum, but Col. Greene admits there's always the possibility of property damage.
• Did They or Didn't They?: Maria walks into Sean's room offering to take his V-card. We're left with them kissing before cutting away. However, it's pretty heavily implied that they did.
• Don't Go in the Woods: Aokigahara in episode 12, drawing on its Real Life reputation.
• Duels Decide Everything: Invoked by Sean, challenging Rashon to a one-on-one battle where if Sean wins, Rashon has to leave. Sean wins. However, Rashon mentions that he would have left anyway out of sheer humiliation had Sean not challenged him.
• Dull Surprise: Sean's reaction to Rob being unveiled as the Silver Ranger. Although, in his defense, it's most likely because his brain was still trying to process the information out of shock.
• Dynamic Entry: Wouldn't be a Big Damn Heroes without it!
• Erotic Eating: Maria eats a chocolate cake... suggestively.
• Evil Laugh: Phaedos indulges himself in episode 12 when the Rangers split thanks to Daisuke's mutiny.
• Extreme Doormat: Hitomi when Daisuke convinces her to split with the Rangers along with him. Considering the nature of the story, this is lampshaded, as the other Rangers were surprised that she could just obey him like that. She eventually recovers and delivers an epic "Reason You Suck" Speech to her brother, calling him out for his arrogance and nationalism.
• A Fate Worse Than Death: Phaedos suffers the same fate as his Sailor Moon counterpart Jadeite, getting cased in a block of ice.
• Female Gaze: Maria watches Sean play hockey and she starts admiring him... until he catches her.

• Genre Savvy: Hitomi's love of Sailor Moon comes in handy in a later chapter, when Daisuke correctly assumes that Kalderon is in disguise, using the example of Nephrite, the character whom Kalderon is based on. It works, because instead of getting angry, Sean realizes he's on to something.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: The only way for Maria to get Hitomi out of her Beware the Nice Ones/Berserk Button mode is to take her helmet off and smack her.

• Ham-to-Ham Combat: Sean and Phaedos's fight in episode 15 is not just a battle between two soldiers, but the two biggest Hams in the story.
• Happily Married: Rob and Bridget, possibly. Godai-san and Hikari obviously.
• Hauled Before a Senate Subcommittee: Col. Greene gets this treatment in Part 2. Some Senators are sympathetic to him, but another, Tea Party-sympathetic Jim Evergreen, grills him.
• Headbutting Heroes: The Flash Rangers and the GPX Rangers. It gets so bad the Zordonians use their rivalry to split them apart.
• Heroic BSoD: Sean, Kevin and Maria suffer a big one episode 14, with Sean even being in a semi-catatonic state. Later in the episode, [[spoiler:Daisuke] suffers one after getting beat by Hercuron and after Hitomi chews him out for being selfish.
• Heroic Fatigue: The Rangers are starting to suffer from it, and Bridget's noticing. Until the end, that is...
• Heroic Second Wind: In Episode 15. Sean is down, but he blocks Phaedos's sword and goes Hot-Blooded, declaring he's going to kill Phaedos, somehow tapping into the suit's power which spreads to the rest of the Rangers and they're able to beat the Zordonians.

• He's Back!: Sean, Kevin and Maria recover just in time to save Daisuke and Hitomi.
• Hey, You!: "Hey Rich Boy!"

• Hope Spot: Several times in episode 13, and the Rangers' fight with Phaedos as a whole until the brutally beats them.

• I Am Your Opponent: Sean gives what could be an American spin on the phrase in Episode 15 when he shouts "You're dead, you bastard!" to Phaedos.
• I'm Going to Disney World!: They deserved it!
• Improbable Weapon User: Sean gets a hockey stick as a weapon.
  Kevin: "A hockey stick! You have a hockey stick for a weapon!"
  'Sean: "I asked the UN to make it for me."

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sean, oh so much. He's probably one of the few examples who doesn't try to hide his Heart Of Gold.

• Knife-Throwing Act: Maria's attack, "Lightning Throw", in which she throws her Haz Daggers at an opponent.
• Made of Iron: Compared to normal people, definitely. Rob punches Sean and Sean doesn't even flinch.

• Mass "Oh, Crap!": The entire city of Orlando gets one when Kalderon sends an invasion force.
• Minor Injury Overreaction: Liaria loses it when Maria and Hitomi scar both of her cheeks in episode 4. Related to Berserk Button above.
• Multinational Team: Sean if from the USA, Kevin is Irish, Mandla is South African, Maria is Venezuelan, and Daisuke and Hitomi are Japanese.
• Nepotism: Explicitly stated to be the reason why Daisuke and Hitomi would be internship supervisors.
• Noble Womans Laugh: Liaria, enough to annoy Maria and Hitomi.
• No Endor Holocaust: Enforced, Because of galactic law, which is enforced no matter what, inhabitants of a planet that are about to be visited must be immunized against alien diseases, usually via the atmosphere, and the visitors have to disinfect themselves.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Phaedos subjects Sean, Kevin and Maria to a BRUTAL one in episode 13, in which the Rangers are left close to death.
• Non-Indicative First Episode: The first chapter-and-a-half really doesn't give any clue that this is a Power Rangers story, even hiding the fact that the main characters were called to Tokyo by the UN.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Sean loudly compares Sakura to the kids who bullied him and even to Ragnar, which she takes offense at.
• Opt Out: Daisuke leaves the team as self-punishment for his actions that nearly got them all killed.
• Orcus on His Throne: Rashon is this for the most part, but he did go down to Earth to fight the Rangers in episode 4, where he nearly beats the crap out of the Rangers. And again in episode 16 when he confronts the Rangers in their own house (but not to fight them) where he finds out they're moving.

• Patriotic Fervor: Justified in episode 19. The USA wins The World Cup and celebrations pop up all over the country. It's not really mentioned afterwards, though.
• Pet the Dog: Sure, the Zordonians are murderous, conquering villains but at least they're willing to keep a kidnapped kid comfortable... until Phaedos needs to use him for nefarious deeds.
• Police Are Useless: Downplayed, but it's mostly because the Zordonians are far more powerful than police can usually handle.
• Polly Wants a Microphone: Parraptor, the first MOTW in Part 2.
• The Power of Friendship: Friendship is more of a symbolic force than a physical one, but it's still vital when the Rangers fight Phaedos in Episode 15.
• Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: "Howzit, brah?"
• Prepare to Die: "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!!! I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: GPX! START! IT! UP! and many others...
  • Actually downplayed in episode 25 when the Silver Ranger shows up.
    Sean: What. The. Fuck.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: The Four; Phaedos, Kalderon, Tirna and Zentor are described as "the Four greatest Zordonian generals". Except they don't seem very quirky. Like the main Zordonians, who are Ersatzes of the Black Moon Clan, the Four are Ersatzes of the Shitennou (Phaedos=Jadeite, Kalderon=Nephrite, Tirna=Zoisite, Zentor=Kunzite).
• Readings Are Off the Scale: Episode 15, again. The Rangers' heart rate, adrenaline and power levels increase when they manage to somehow tap into the suit's power. The staffers at the United Nations base practically quote this word for word.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni:
  • Red Oni: Sean is Hot-Blooded and temperamental.
  • Blue Oni: Daisuke is calmer and more aloof. Kevin is also more calm then Sean.
• Refusal of the Call: The Rangers (then called candidates) are at first skeptical of the UN's story about the alien signal and how they're supposed to become Power Rangers. Of course, we see how that turns out...
• The Reveal: Rob is the Silver Ranger.
• The Rival: An entire team of them, Choushinsei Flashman, who show up in episode 19. This doesn't look good...
• Rousing Speech:
  • Sean quotes the last part of the St Crispian's Day speech from Henry, specifically adapted to their current situation. It works.
  • In episode 32, right before confronting the Zordonians, Sean gives what a Rousing Speech with another recital of the St. Crispian's Day Speech.
• Royal Brat: Daisuke could be considered a modern version. His sister Hitomi, however, is pure Ingenue and is too nice to be a brat.
• Sarcastic Confession: Although it's during a Heroic BSoD, they still confess to Hikari that they're Power Rangers. She doesn't buy it.

• She Is Not My Girlfriend: Shouted word-for-word by Sean after being asked about... Maria.
• Shout-Out: Several.
  • Maria's last name is a shout-out to Luis Aparicio, a famous baseball player from Venezuela.
  • "Who the hell do you think I am?"
    "Do the impossible! See the invisible!"
  • The Zordonians have their name taken from Zordon. They are also named after planets from the series, discussed in detail under Theme Naming.
  • There are also Shout Outs to previous Power Rangers series. In episode 12, Sean shouts "It's morphin' time!" before the By the Power of Grayskull!. Later, he puts his helmet back on, shouting "Back to action!" He does it again in episode 15.
  • "You don't frighten me, Zordonian pig-dog! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"
  • "Goodnight, everybody!"
  • The Rangers use their keys to charge up their weapons for a Finishing Move
  • Multiple shout outs to James Bond in episode 30.
  • Doctor Who, specifically, "The Christmas Invasion", gets a invoked Shout-Out in the final chapter.
    Sean: "By the ancient galactic rites of combat, I forbid you, Rashon III of Zordon, from conquering here for the rest of time. And when you go back to the stars, tell others of this planet. When you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential, when you talk of the Earth, make sure you tell them this: It. Is! DEFENDED!"

• "Shut Up" Kiss: Maria does this to Sean in episode 13 when he keeps complaining about Daisuke and Hitomi's departure. She even adds a little extra by saying, "¿Por qué no te callas?" Unfortunately for Sean, Maria doesn't count it as a kiss.
• A Simple Plan: But an effective one. Used by Sean to catch a wolf-monster.
• Smug Snake: Phaedos, which he inherits from his Sailor Moon counterpart Jadeite.
• South Africa and the United States; two countries Separated by a Common Language.
• Spit Take: In episode 9, Maria tells Sean she and Hitomi are going to Ginza. He reacts in this exact way. He does it again in episode 16 when Maria asks him to kiss her.

• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The GPX and Flash Rangers while fighting Gargotron. Although Hitomi and Flash Pink work real well together.
• Theme Naming: The Zordonians take their name from planets in the Power Rangers main universe.
• There Are No Therapists: Averted. In fact, the Zordonians get information on them from their therapists' notes!
• The Tokyo Fireball: Averted for the most part. The Rangers do their best to lower property damage, as shown in Part 2.
• Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe: Played with. The Rangers went to Tokyo only because the Japanese government gave Project Ranger permission to fight on Japanese soil. The Zordonians later attack the city, but they only picked a random city, and eventually subverted, since the Rangers leave for Orlando. The Zordonians also don't really care about which city they attack, since it's implied they're just looking for the Rangers to try and kill them.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Maria is the Tomboy (sort of) while Hitomi is the Girly Girl.
• Tuxedo and Martini: Episode 30, right down to Sean's martini drink order... which Sean promptly spits out. Heck, the name is a reference to this trope, just with the "martini" changed to "beer".
• Villains Out Shopping: Literally!
• Watch the Paint Job: Sean does not want Rob's Mustang to be damaged. Luckily, it ends well for him and the car.
• We Need a Distraction: Interestingly, the Rangers are one in Episode 15, in order for Toji-san to save the kid. After that, it's a straight-up battle.

• Wham Line: "But I won't be a Ranger anymore."
• What the Hell, Hero?: Sean to Daisuke, after Daisuke almost shoots a monster when civilians are present. Sean decks him big time.
  • Episode 20, when Pola-Killer is reverted back to being a giant teddy bear, the Flashman try to kill him. However, the GPX Rangers tell them not to do it.
  • Rob also gives on to everyone else twice in episode 31, First when they complain that Sean is going to abandon them. Second, when they have a falling out with the Flash Rangers.

• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: In episode 11, Sean tells of a time when playing hockey, he pounded an opposing captain into the boards. The captain lay on the ground for a while, making it seem as though Sean would get a penalty. Sean of course, didn't fall for this and insulted the opponent, which got the opponent to get up and chase him.
• You Are in Command Now: Kalderon gets this treatment at the end of Part 1.
• You Have Failed Me: After the Rangers beat Phaedos, Rashon says this word for word to Phaedos before incasing him in a block of ice. It's subtle but he's threatening enough to turn Phaedos into a groveling, sniveling shell of his once smug self.

Tropes present in Supercharged

Supercharged contains examples of:

• A Real Man Is a Killer: Deconstructed. The Rangers are HORRIFIED when they realize they've been killing monsters the whole time. Not even pep talks from Rob and Eruvanda really pull them out of their Heroic BSoD.
• Abdicate the Throne: Eruvanda is forced to when Ragnar tries to kill her.
• All Webbed Up: Poor Ritchie — and about four other guys — end up on the wrong end of this from a spider woman.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: After running from a fight, Tirna is force to attack the Rangers' downtown Madison command center to do some "espionage", if you will, stealing some information from the Project Ranger database.
• An Ass-Kicking Christmas: The climax of part 1 takes place on Christmas Eve.
• And Knowing Is Half the Battle: Parodied, even with the serious subject matter. Word of God says he put the humor in there as relief for the previous chapter.
• Animated Armor: Well, mechanical armor, anyway.
• Arc Words:
  • "God's will". There is usually a variation of this sentence spoken, but the two main words remain the same.
  • Part 2 has "Ragnarok" (at first), and "nightfall", "Gatchaman" and "only human" gets thrown around.
• Atlantis: Not necessarily. The event where the elves and humans forced the Zordonians off the planet in the distant past may have helped inspire the myth.
• Awful Truth: The Rangers were indeed experimented on with a super-soldier serum by SWORD. It puts the Rangers into a minor Heroic BSoD.
• Batman Gambit: Phaedos and Turelie pull one of these off. Taking Hitomi, Gina and Maelstrom hostage, they demanded that the Rangers surrender their morphers or else they would kill the hostages and/or release information that would destroy SWORD. Naturally, the Rangers refused. However, they were aware of this and were planning to leak the SWORD-killing information anyway, which they did.
• Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Played for Laughs. A tumblr post by the author revealed that Dick Clark is an elf. Why? Because he could.
• Best Served Cold: Phaedos is implictly obsessed with getting revenge on the Power Rangers, but he's willing to wait until the right time and do his main job in the mean time.
• Big Damn Heroes: Played straight until chapter 11. They could not save the victim of Ragnar's on-air killing.

• Bittersweet Ending: Episode 38, not the fic itself. The elves release information that essentially destroys their backers, but the Rangers are able to chase them away and Hitomi undergoes massive Character Development. And Col. Greene is coming back.

• Breather Episode:
  • Chapter 10, which has no Ranger action, but is Sean's first hockey game.
  • Episode 42 is a relative one, compared to the 10 feels-inducing previous chapters, which has Snark-to-Snark Combat over baseball, cheese, and otter puns. And character development on Eruvanda's part.
• The Bus Came Back: Tirna and Phaedos are back and working with Ragnar. Daisuke also returns to fight alongside the Rangers in the climax of Part 1.
• Call a Human a "Meatbag": How Ragnar calls humans "fleshbags".
• Chekhov's Gun: The bruise Ritchie gave Sean in chapter 1 helps Sean realize that Ritchie may have had Project Ranger training. He's right.

• Clarke's Third Law: Invoked again, except this time, unlike in SIU, Sean takes a Doctor-like approach to Ragnar's staff... by admiring it.

• Cow Tipping: "You mean you actually took a break from cow-tipping to go to these games?"
• Deadline News: Ragnar's Do Not Adjust Your Set broadcast ends when he orders a killing live on air.
• Defector from Decadence: Gina's parents escaped Alfheim after being threatened by Ragnar. Eventually Arquen and Queen Eruvanda defect as well.
• Defiant to the End: Arquen and Eruvanda would have been this... had the Rangers not jumped in and saved them.
• Destructive Savior: Played with. If necessary, it doesn't matter if a few walls get damaged so long as the bad guy gets taken down.

• Do Not Adjust Your Set: Ragnar hijacks a news broadcast in Madison to announce himself to the entire world.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: In-Universe and out. Ragnar's rhetoric during his Do Not Adjust Your Set speech reminds Maelstrom of terrorist rhetoric, even a certain someone.
• Dreaming of a White Christmas: Sean is very happy to have some snow before Christmas. Justified, since it takes place in Wisconsin.
• Dying Curse: "God's judgment is coming! It is God's will! YOU WILL ALL DIE!!!"
• Eaten Alive: The poor sap devoured whole by the MOTW in episode 5.

• "Eureka!" Moment: Sean has one when he realizes Ritchie might have been trained by Project Ranger.

• Evil Matriarch: Hitomi and Daisuke's grandmother Sakura, who treats the Rangers like dirt.
• Fighting Your Friend: Ragnar invokes this on Tiris, forcing him to fight Arquen as a test of his loyalty. However, Tiris and Arquen just put on a show to fool Ragnar.
• First Contact: Takes place in a post-First Contact world and shows how human society is adjusting to the existance of aliens. It's also hinted to be the reason the Elves have come out of hiding.
• First Snow: Maria loved snow the first time she saw it. Then she hated it. Sean, who is from a place where snow is pretty much expected every year, welcomes the white stuff.
• Flyover Country: Although saying Madison is "Flyover" might be pushing it.
• Flynning: Invoked In-Universe. In order to fool Ragnar into thinking that Tiris is not The Mole, he and Arquen go at it in an impressive display of Elven fighting abilities

• "Hell, Yes!" Moment: The cops and Madison citizens have one as the Rangers jump in to stop the elves' massive attack.
• Heroic Fatigue: Not really touched on much in the last one, but it's definitely set in by now.
• Homage: The passage where Arquen carries a bloody, unconscious Sean through Madison is inspired by the sewer passage from Les Misérables, albeit with obvious (admitted) differences. There's even a homeless guy by the name of Thenardier!
  Arquen: "Look down, Ragnar! He is standing in his grave!"
• Homoerotic Subtext: Now that it's been confirmed that Hitomi and Gina are not only bisexual, but unknowingly in love with each other, casts some of their interactions, especially Gina's declaration that she'd do anything for Hitomi in a completely different light.
• Hope Spot: For a moment, it looks as if the Rangers will successfully fight off the massive elvish attack. Then the commanders show up.
• Hurricane of Puns: That's what happens when you face an otter monster. And we wouldn't have it any OTTER way!
• I Can't Hear You: Invoked, with Sean pretending not to hear the elves making their threats at the top of Bascom Hill.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Poor Ritchie (and even Sean and Rob) ends up on the wrong end of this from a spider woman.
• I Shall Taunt You: Sean does this, and Ragnar tries to deconstruct this. Sean, however, shuts him down, responding that it's fun.

• Innocently Insensitive: When Sean's teammates are over, Hitomi and Aaron ask Ritchie why he doesn't look Indian. Ritchie responds "Wrong Indian!" To be clear, Ritchie is full-blooded Native American and a member of the Oneida Nation. After that, Hitomi asks what he thinks about Pocahontas. This annoys Sean, but Ritchie is a good sport anyway, saying that he hates it not only because it's inaccurate, but also because it sucks.
• Insult Backfire: "That's Mister Godless Heathen to you!"
• Magic Staff / Magic Wand: The weapons used by the elves are pretty much this, although Clarke's Third Law applies here. It's inspired by Loki's staff in The Avengers (2012).
• Manipulative Bastard: Ragnar blackmails Arquen and Queen Eruvanda over possible exposure of their affair to get them to stay in line with his plans.
• Make It Look Like a Struggle: How Tiris helps Arquen and Eruvanda escape Alfheim. In this case, he does it to himself.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!":
  • The entire city of Madison has one when the Rangers lose.
  • The Rangers after learning that SWORD had planned to sell them out.

• My God, What Have I Done?: Maria (and the other Rangers) get hit hard with this after she stabs a monster and watches it bleed to death.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Ragnar the Terrible? He sounds like a nice guy.
• Narm: In-Universe. Arquen finds Túrelie's post-battle hissy fit entertaining.
• Neck Lift: The Elves seem to be big fans of this!
• Noodle Incident: Apparently something happened when Sean, Jimmy and Kevin found a guy who sounds exactly like Sean while in Ireland, judging my Kevin and Jimmy's nostalgic reactions to it. Also, something happened that made Aaron and Maria afraid of the Wisconsin Jump Around.
• Oh, Crap!: Phaedos is back, and the four Rangers most familiar with him have this very reaction.
• Our Elves Are Different: Word of God says they were inspired by Thor: The Dark World. They're also inspired by Norse Mythology and J. R. R. Tolkien's elves. Although given their nature as antagonist, may be more Screw You, Elves!. They also get a Doing In the Wizard treatment, losing their immortality and magic, but it's made up for with a longer lifespan, Clarke's Third Law-invoking technology and a more realistic ethereal nature.
• Pointy Ears: Related to Our Elves Are Different above, this is what tips the Rangers off to their enemy's nature.
• Poor Communication Kills:
  • The plot of episode 4 could have easily been avoided if Maria only told Sean she was getting an HIV test. Instead, not only does she make him think he has a terrible disease, but she was cheating on him, too. They make up at the end, leading to the chapter's Aesop. Word of God, of course, says Maria does not have anything an did not give anything to Sean.
  • It's the same in chapter 12. If Sean had told Maria ahead of time that Jean, the traumatized Project Ranger trainee had kissed him and not the other way around, they wouldn't have had their big fight.

• Psycho Rangers: Turelie, Phaedos, Tirna, Floki and another elf officer morph into Kamen Rider-like suits.
• Race Against the Clock: The climax of part 1 is a race to deactivate a bomb within 30 minutes. They succeed.

• Red Baron: Ragnar the Terrible. Mocked, naturally, by Sean.

• The Reveal: Hitomi's friend Gina is an elf.

• Santa Claus: Shows up to distract Ragnar and Co. in episode 22. Sadly, it doesn't work. He's actually a retired SWORD agent who works as a Mall Santa.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: That's what happens when you're caught up in two Ranger battles like Ritchie was.
• Secret Chaser: Ritchie Metoxen becomes one for much of episode 6, but after having his life saved (again) by the Rangers, he decides finding out their identities is like betraying them. It's the same with Hitomi's friend Gina, but her plot doesn't last as long.
• Shout-Out: Obviously there's all the Lord of the Rings and Tolkien references. But there are other references, too.
  • Sean pulls a triple Die Hard, The Princess Bride and Home Alone reference in episode 23. The title is even a reference to The Magnificent Seven.
  • A few references to Les Misérables.
  • And of course, a few more Doctor Who references.
  • One to Malcolm in the Middle:
    Hitomi: "YOU are a bitter, racist and bigoted old woman who doesn't care about anyone but your foolish pride! I'm done listening to you! It's because of you and your abuse that I ended up like this in the first place! You are not the boss of me now!"
    Sean & Ritchie: "And you're not so biiig!"
  • In the same episode, Hitomi's Important Haircut scene is similar to the Naruto episode "Sakura Blossoms" wherein Sakura cuts her hair in a similar manner.
  • "IF YA SMEEEEEELLLLLLALALALALALA WHAT THE RANGERS! ARE! COOKIN!"
  • A revision of Episode 2 made Sean yell out "HELLO WISCONSIN!!!"
• Shown Their Work: The author will attempt this and has already shown he's done it. Not only has the author been to Madison, he mentions a meeting then-Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle holding a meeting with the State Building Commission and is wrapping up that meeting when he's kidnapped by the elves.
  • Hell, episode six has him cite his sources noting Lakota courtship flutes!

• Spoiler Title: "[[Bilingual Bonus La Muerte de una Amiga".

• Take That!:
  • One is aimed at David Icke. Apparently, he asked an alien ambassador about the Reptilians and the ambassador, having no clue who he is, honestly tells him that they do not exist and shuts down his entire theory.
  • The author takes time out to rip the NaruHina pairing as the worst-executed pairing he's ever seen when discussing the Sean-Maria-Hitomi Love Triangle, with Sean as Naruto, Maria as Sakura, and Hitomi as Hinata.
• Team Pet: The Rangers now have a dog, a Beagle named AJ.
• Time Skip: The story picks up in mid-September. The Battle of Orlando (The Grand Finale of Part 2) was on July 28th, 2010. Part 2 picks things up a couple weeks later.
• Twisted Ankle: Well, if you fall off a building and land wrong then yes, you can suffer a sprained ankle, as Sean found out.
• Under the Mistletoe: Maria pretty much forces Ritchie and Janet, Arquen and Eruvanda and herself and Sean to kiss under a mistletoe and it makes Sean embarrassed.

• Villain Has a Point: It's generally agreed amongst the protagonists that Ragnar is right about how humans aren't the nicest species around. However, the Rangers also point out that Humans Are Flawed and Ragnar's rhetoric does not justify his actions. It's through subverting that rhetoric—that not only can humans and elves co-exist, but solve their problems together—that the Rangers will defeat him.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: Courtesy of Maria. "Don't! Touch! My! BOYFRIEND!"
  Kevin: I'm glad she's on our side!
• We Have Become Complacent: The general consensus following the weeks after the end of Part 1.
• We Need a Distraction: The Elves attack and take the Wisconsin Attorney General hostage. A fairly typical villain plan, right? It was actually a plan to split up the Rangers and leave the injured Sean defenseless.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 11. Someone is killed live on-air
  • Also chapter 18. Eruvanda and Arquen are forced to flee and it's revealed that the Zordonian generals Tirna and Phaedos are working with Ragnar as Hired Guns.
  • Chapter 20. It looks like the Rangers might be able to fight off the elvish attack. Then things go south fast.
  • Episode 35. Ragnar murders Maria's best friend in cold blood.
• Wham Line: "There is an elf in that city."
  • From episode 32:
    Jimmy: " I know what's going on, Sean. You're a Power Ranger."
  • From the same episode:
    Sean: " Jimmy you're one of us; you're a Ranger trainee."
• Wire Dilemma: Subverted. All it takes is a Goldfinger-like flick of the switch and the bomb is deactivated.
• You Are in Command Now: A Heroic and democratic example. After Sean sprained his ankle in chapter 8, the other Rangers voted Kevin in as leader—even though he didn't ask for a vote.
• You Have Failed Me: The Ragnar does this in his first appearance.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Played with. Ragnar tells Queen Eruvanda that he has no need for her and tries to kill her, but Arquen steps in the way and escapes with her.

SIU-only tropes

The GPX SIU fic contains examples of:

• Alchemy Is Magic:
  • Discussed, with Sean taking the position that it's science while his opponent Ronald saying it's more of Clarke's Third Law.
  • The Ouroboros Society has apparently been saying this so much that this happens:
    Sean: "You're nothing but a bunch of Ren Faire rejects; you and your fake science."
    Drake: "Only to primitive minds such as-"
    Sean: "Invoke Clarke's Third Law again and I'll rip your fucking tongue out."

• Ancient Conspiracy: How the Ouroboros Society sees themselves. The Rangers think that's nonsense.
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Sean's mom acts just like any mother dropping her kid off at school would act, and it embarrasses Sean to no end.
• Assassin Outclassin': Rob manages to foil an assassination attempt by asking the (inexperienced) assassin if he needed any help. It's implied he knew the assassin was up to no good.

• Badass Bystander: The person who takes the package SWORD intended to deliver to the Rangers.

• Bloodier and Gorier: There's a lot more blood here than either continuity.
• Circling Monologue: Drake does one while giving Sean a We Can Rule Together monologue.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Ronald wanted to torture the Rangers to the worst pain imaginable as part of his revenge.
• Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Maria is not happy when Sean, Kevin and Aaron save her, Rob and Hitomi by the end of episode 5, which Sean calls her out on.

• Creator Provincialism: Shout-Out or not, why would alchemists be attacking a relatively rural area (although, judging by their dialogue, there may be some justification for them being there)?
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Sean ends up on the wrong end of one in chapter 9. Hitomi also ends up on the wrong end of one a chapter later.
• Darker and Edgier: Definitely more than the main continuity, especially after episode 6.
• A Day in the Limelight: Just like in the main continuity, the girls get one. However this one has plot-relevant ramifications.
• A Death in the Limelight: Episode 6 focuses on Ronald. Guess what happens at the end?

• Eagleland: Type 2 is parodied in a side story by a man threatening to take a thirty-ought-six to an Ouroboros Society member if they even came to his farm.

• Gilligan Cut: In the prequel, Sean and Daisuke have just finished punching and kicking down trees when Kevin asks to leave so they won't get ticks. Cut to Daisuke complaining while pulling a tick off his leg.

• Greasy Spoon: Sean and Maria go to one in a side story. Maria likes the food, but doesn't like the grease.
• Heroic BSoD: Sean suffers a light one after the Chicago Bears lose to the Green Bay Packers.

• Heroic Second Wind: Attempted, ultimately failed. The only reason they win in episode 6 is because Ronald accidentally kills himself.

• In Medias Res: The story starts at the beginning of the spring semester at Southern Illinois, and the backstory is alluded to a couple of times.
• It's Personal: The biggest mistake the Ouroboros Society could do is harm a family member. They do just that, earning Sean's wrath.

• MacGuffin: The object SWORD sends to the Rangers in episode 5. It gets stolen by some bystander. And then it turns out it was taken by Sean's friend Marty and it's the Gold Ranger morpher.
• Magic A Is Magic A: Discussions of whether alchemy is science or not, the alchemy follows strict rules, including the law that alchemists cannot create life. The Ouroboros Society gets around this by creating walking, talking mannequins.
• Magical Native American: Played with. Native American magic is mentioned, but by an anthropologist who has studied Native American culture. The concept itself is criticized by the author both in-story and in the author's notes where he cites This Very Wiki.
• Near-Villain Victory: Ronald nearly kills the Rangers, but accidentally kills himself.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: An assassination attempt tips the Rangers off to a professor who may be able to help him.

• Origins Episode: Gets a whole prequel. It mirrors much of the plot of the original origins story.
• Perfect Poison: Justified, since the makers are alchemical geniuses, but subverted because the assassin runs into Rob and doesn't get a chance to poison his target.

• Police Are Useless: Played with. Rob is a cop in this continuity and of course, he can't be useless. Plus, they're pretty effective in containing the monsters. However, Rob says that the chief of Carbondale police isn't interested in investigating the Ranger fights.
  • They do a pretty good job in episode 6, though, even if they are outgunned.
  • In this case, it's more of a case of "Police Are Hopelessly Outgunned".
• Protection Mission: Maria and Hitomi are charged with protecting the MacGuffin in episode 5 They fail. They do another one in the 11th chapter. Bridget is almost killed.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: What Ronald does to the Rangers.
• Shout-Out: The whole damn story is one, as Southern Illinois University is the author's alma mater.
  • Dr. Mike Nelson. Come on, it's obvious!
  • All of the Fullmetal Alchemist references, including the possibility of a statewide transmutation circle.
  • Episode 9 is called Do You Remember Love?
• Snow Means Cold: The story starts in January, and there's snow on the ground.

• Stuff Blowing Up: Sirius's power.
• Suddenly Sober: Sean talks to Drake after a night out drinking and appears to be sober. Then Drake points out he's drunk. He is.
• Tampon Run: What Rob uses as an exc—I mean, reason, to go out and do Ranger duties. Also (subtly) averts No Periods, Period.
• Villain Teleportation: The Ouroboros Society uses a form of this, presumably through some kind of alchemy.
• Visual Pun: Sean grabs Minotoro my his horns.
• We Can Rule Together: Drake gives Sean one combined with a Motive Rant. Sean shoots him down.

• We Need a Distraction: Bellatrix volunteers to distract the Rangers while an assassin tries to kill a professor.

Sean: "Aside from the possible… what happened with that transmutation circle in FMA?"
Aaron: " It sucked people's souls out so the person using it could become God."

• What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: Maria should have known better than to assume her and Hitomi's mission was going to be easy.
• Worf Had the Flu: In the second episode, three Rangers are visibly beaten around... because they have hangovers.
• Worthy Opponent: Drake likes fighting the Rangers because they've been their best enemy since The French Revolution.
• You Have Failed Me: Drake says this word-for-word to Ronald after he fails to get what he was chasing in episode 5. However, instead of killing him, he punishes him by removing his rank and forcing him to deal with his failure for the rest of his life!
• You Killed My Father: Bellatrix wants to beat the Rangers because of Ronald's death.