Recap / Power Rangers Ninja Storm S1E1 Prelude To A Storm

When the malevolent Lothor invades Earth and captures all but three of the students of the Wind Ninja Academy, Earth's future protectors, the remaining three (who are also the worst of the bunch) must become the Ninja Storm Rangers to stop Lothor's mad ambitions.

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Tropes

• Arbitrary Skepticism: Tori infamously implies that Power Rangers are merely comic book characters. The line was meant to play the trope straight, but some fans thought it indicated that continuity was being rebooted. References to Ninja Storm next season were meant to correct this misconception.
• Ascended Fanboy: Dustin, somewhat. He was a big Power Rangers fan and was the only one to believe in them before becoming one.
• The Chosen Zeroes:
  Shane: So, what exactly does [the morpher] do?
  Tori: Where's the switch?
  Dustin: Does it have any games or what?
  Cam: Ladies and Gentlemen, the defenders of the galaxy.
  • Done almost immediately afterward where Shane and Tori become the only power rangers who can't figure out how to morph on their first try even though Cam already told them what to do. It thus fell to Dustin to teach them...
• Closest Thing We Got: Tori, Shane, and Dustin. They're at the bottom of their class, but they're also the only ninjas not captured by Lothor.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: During their fight, Lothor effortlessly has Sensei on the ropes.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Lothor wants revenge against Sensei specifically, and it's later explained he was a ninja that turned evil and got banished from Earth. The reason why will be shown later in the season.
    Sensei: It doesn't have to be this way.
    Lothor: Why would now be any different?
  • Lothor offhandedly mentions that the Wind Ninja Academy is actually the last of the academies he's attacked. Two students from the Thunder Academy will be debuting in the near future.
• I Knew It!: Invoked. Dustin's reaction to being given a morpher is to stress that he called Power Rangers being real.
• It's Quiet… Too Quiet: Said by the Rangers as they approach the academy.
• Karmic Jackpot: Shane, Tori, and Dustin stop to help a stranded couple, despite having been warned that if they're late to the Academy again they'll get kicked out. This directly results in their missing Lothor's attack and becoming Power Rangers.
• Late to the Tragedy: Tori, Shane, and Dustin, leading to them being the Closest Thing We Got.
• Mood Whiplash: Sensei explains each Ranger's inherent quality and how that will be reflected when they morph, capping off with a dramatic statement of how they are now the protectors of Earth. The trio then get sidetracked by asking how the morphers work and squabbling over possible special features.
  Cam: Ladies and gentlemen, the defenders of the galaxy.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Sensei says he will expel the trio if they show up late one more time, but it's also noted he's been cutting them slack on this for an entire year, due to the potential he sees in them. Cam expresses astonishment that he puts up with so much grief from them.
• Retool: Arguably the biggest in PR history; first season produced by Disney, production moving to Auckland, New Zealand, and the first to deal with the trope of Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping.
• Small Role, Big Impact: The stranded couple whom Tori, Shane and Dustin take time to take care of. Without them, there'd be no Power Rangers this season.
• This Cannot Be!: Lothor's reaction to seeing the morpher trio fighting it out with his troops.
  Lothor: Power Rangers?! Nobody told me there would be Power Rangers!
• This Is Gonna Suck: Sensei, upon sensing the arrival of Lothor's ship.
• We Meet Again: Sensei and Lothor note it's been some time since they last saw each other.
• Wham Shot: During the attack, Sensei takes a nasty blast from Lothor. When we see him next, we see he's been turned into a guinea pig.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Cam's reaction to Sensei telling him to present the trio with the morphers.
• You Watch Too Much X: When Shane and Dustin compare the themselves and Tori to the Power Rangers, she tells them read less comic books.