 This article is about a/an ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers .
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- "It's Time for Molecular Transformation! Triceratops!"
- ―One of Billy's morph calls[src]
William "Billy" Cranston is the second Blue Ranger of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, during "Switching Places", Billy accidentally switch bodies with Kimberly Ann Hart becoming (temporary) the Pink Ranger.
Retroactively, he is also referred to as the Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger or Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, though these are terms of address referencing the show as opposed to proper labels.
During Power Rangers Zeo, Billy served as the technical expert helping from the Power Chamber the Zeo Rangers against the Machine Empire, he leaves Earth to spend time with his girlfriend, living now on Aquitar with Cestria.
Until his departure, he was considered the brains of the Power Rangers team, creating many gadgets with which to solve problems that not even Zordon foresaw, and even invented the first team's wrist-worn communication devices (it is believed, though not proven, that he created every other communicator up until his departure from the show).
History[]
Early Life[]
In his youth, he was good friends with Eugene 'Skull' Skullovich, though the friendship eventually soured and became more antagonistic. He is a frequent target of Bulk and Skull's bullying. Go Go Power Rangers Issue 3
Mighty Morphin[]
Becoming a Ranger[]
"Triceratops!"
Billy was one of the five "teenagers with attitude" selected by Zordon to become the second generation Power Rangers, along with close friends Jason Lee Oliver, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Kimberly Hart. Billy became the Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger due to his intelligence and patience. He was given both the Triceratops Power Coin and the Triceratops Dinozord.
Billy began the series as the stereotypical "nerd," speaking almost exclusively in technobabble throughout Season 1. His closest friend throughout the series was Trini, to whom he could communicate most comfortably and effectively. He was initially very insecure about himself, making him an easy target for people like Bulk and Skull, who tormented him often in the beginning. The other Rangers, especially Trini, defended him loyally, and Billy later evolved to become a stronger individual. He was one of the top members of Angel Grove High's science club and often helped its younger members with their experiments. One such person was Willy, a young boy who he helped to create a virtual reality simulator for a Science Fair. In the episode "High Five", Billy not only created the communicators, but also the interface that allowed the devices remote access to the Command Center's teleportation unit.
When they are not saving the world, teenagers with attitudes chosen by Zordon gather at the Angel Grove Youth Center. Trini updates Alpha 5 with the language of the year 1993. Far away, Dr. Carver and Dr. Kenyon discover a new civilization and the largest statue ever built in ancient America. Unintentionally, Dr. Carver activates the terrible cross between monster and robot that attacks the excavation site. Back at the Youth Center, Billy creates a device with internet access when everyone sees the attack on TV. In the territory of the attack, summoning the Dinozords, the Power Rangers fight against a terrible monster. Struck by the lightning of the stone giant, the Rangers lose communication with Zordon and have their pieces exchanged makes it difficult in battle. With the help of Alpha 5, the exchange effect was reversed and the Rangers, winning the battle and returning the giant to its location. Rita Repulsa's Attitude Adjustment
Zordon chose Billy to become the Blue Ranger.
It was revealed that Billy was bitten by a fish in his youth during an experiment involving whirlpools, causing him to develop icthyophobia: fear of fish. This fear would persist well into his teens and Rita would use a spell to exacerbate this fear. When he was the last remaining Ranger able to contend with the Goo Fish monster, Billy overcame the spell, freeing his friends and helping to defeat the monster. He later completely overcame the fear while on a fishing trip with Ernie, the owner of the Youth Center.
Each of Billy's teammates had a unique skill to offer the team and, in Billy's case, it was his vast intelligence. He sought out to improve himself physically, and the audience would see him transform over time from the suspenders-wearing "brain" to a confident, hyper-intelligent athlete with appreciable fighting skills, thanks in great part to Trini's Uncle Howard, Jason, and later Tommy. Billy and his friends in the form of Power Rangers defeat Korruptor using Dino Megazord. Going Green
Billy facing his ichthyophobia.
Billy's intelligence would help the Rangers save the world on many occasions. When the Command Center was damaged, Zordon lost and Alpha incapacitated, it was his invention, the RADBUG that allowed the Rangers to travel to the Command Center. As a Ranger, he had a wide array of accomplishments, including creating the method by which the Ranger's would initially infiltrate Rita's Dark Dimension to disarming the lock-out mechanism for Alpha's activated self-destruct. Though Billy did manage to attract girls earlier in his "nerd-like" persona, it was after he began his journey toward self-improvement that he would garner more attention from romantic interests, to the point of getting more than the other members of the team.
Billy was accepted into the Young Scientists of America program. He befriended Zack's cousin Curtis when he became the newest student at Angel Grove High. Curtis' musical interests, particularly his interest in and skill at playing the trumpet, sparked Billy's intrigue in the rhythmic patterns of jazz music.
Personality[]
Initially shy and insecure, Billy was still a highly intelligent individual that was always eager to learn, this resulted in Billy often speaking in what could only be described as technical jargon during his teenage years, talking with a more scientific terminology even in the most casual conversations, with only his friend Trini being able to understand him most of the time. Despite this, he wasn't a total know-it-all, and never tried to rub his intelligence in other people's faces. During his time as a Blue Ranger, Billy slowly grew more confident and sought out to improve himself physically. One major example of his improvement was that he was able to overcome his ichthyophobia, going from being afraid of eating a fish to fighting a giant toxic fish monster, which allowed him to later go on a fishing trip with Ernie.
Billy assumed the role of leader of the team after the rest of his friends were de-aged by a time-reversal spell, this lead to him interacting with the Alien Rangers and discovering that he could still be very useful even if he wasn't a Ranger. This revelation led Billy to step out of his role as a Ranger officially after his team was given the Zeo Powers, letting Tanya take his spot and becoming a full-time technical advisor. After he needed to heal from accelerated aging at Aquitar, Billy fell in love with Cestria and decided to stay at the alien