Billy Cranston

William Cranston, also known as Billy Cranston, Blue Ninja Ranger and Blue Ranger, is one of the main characters from the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series.
== Charactah Account ==
One of the first five people to become Power Rangers, Billy was a gifted genius and began studying karate under Jason's teachings. He was given the Blue Triceratops Power Coin due to being "patient and wise".
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. 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 planet with her, officially leaving the team.
== Appearance ==
=== Comics ===
* Godzilla vs. the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
* Justice League/Power Rangers
* Masked Rider
* Mightily Murdered Power Rangers
* Mighty Morphin
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 25th Anniversary Special
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2017 Annual
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Archives
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Saga
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Lost Chronicles
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ninja Rangers/VR Troopers
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Shattered Grid
* Mighty Morphin/Power Rangers
* Power Rangers
* Saban's Go Go Power Rangers
* Saban's Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers
* Saban's Power Rangers: Aftershock
=== Movies ===
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
* Power Rangers
=== TV Series ===
* Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 2
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 3
* Power Rangers Beast Morphers
* Power Rangers Cosmic Fury
* Power Rangers Megaforce
* Power Rangers Zeo
=== Video Games ===
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Game)
* Power Rangers All Stars
* Power Rangers Dash
* Power Rangers Key Scanner
* Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
* Power Rangers: Legacy Wars
* Power Rangers: Super Legends
* Power Rangers: Super Megaforce
* Puzzle and Dragons
* Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle
== Trivia ==
* Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series.
* In Cosmic Fury, Billy becomes the first Blue Ranger to serve as the team's mentor. He is also the second Mighty Morphin Ranger be a mentor. The first was his old teammate Tommy Oliver.
** Billy piloted the Cosmic Wolf Zord in this role as well, which is a callback to his use of the wolf motif in Season 3.
* Billy is the first Ranger to be promoted as a leader while being the Blue Ranger.
* Billy received a tribute in the credits of Rangers of Two Worlds, Part II.
* Billy is the only Ranger to keep a single power for three seasons without giving it away or switching colors, and the only original Ranger to not be replaced, as he stepped down from his position at the start of Zeo.
* Billy is the only Ranger to retire from being a Ranger, but not immediately leave the show.
* Because of the absence of Yost, stock footage of Billy was used for his departure and his character was voiced by someone else. He was also the last of the original Power Ranger team to leave the show. Also of note is that backstage, David Yost left the show on bad terms, causing the writers to change the Turbo movie's plot so that the Rangers created the Turbo powers themselves with Alpha 5's assistance rather than by Billy himself.
* David Yost's departure from Power Rangers occurred as a result of drama behind the scenes. Yost, at the time struggling with his homosexuality, was frequently harassed and insulted by the show staff. Unable to reconcile, Yost left the show and was written off without involvement in filming the episodes that would remove Billy for good.
** Years later, Yost managed to reconcile with his former co-stars, including Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, Amy Jo Johnson, and Jason David Frank, the last of which had frequently pranked Yost on set. He was also present for Thuy Trang's funeral after her passing after a car accident.
* According to IMDb, Walter Jones was originally cast as Billy. However, when he auditioned, he said he thought he would be more recognizable as the Black Ranger, so he was re-cast.
* Billy frequently dressed in clothing that was oversized or otherwise baggy or frumpy, in an effort to cover David Yost's well-defined physique due to him being a gymnast (as he was supposed to be a nerd, and thus not entirely athletic). This effort was gradually dropped by the second season of MMPR.
* During the 2010 reboot of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, a toy version of Billy was seen with the Dragon Shield, though Billy never wore Tommy's Dragon Shield in the show.
* It is said that actor Bryan Cranston was the inspiration for Billy's last name. However, the name was already used in the Bioman pilot.
* When asked what he'd do for the Phantom Ranger's identity if he had the chance, Lynn said he'd make him Bill and explain that his "man made" Phantom powers were limited (as a way of explaining his limited appearances); Billy would have created Ecliptor as a failed Robot Ranger experiment "and in order to correct that mistake he created the Phantom Ranger powers". 
* In the Bio-Man pilot, Billy's name was shared with the counterpart to Blue3, and rather than super-intelligent, he was a "heartthrob with a body of steel".
* Billy is a playable character in Power Rangers Legacy Wars.
* Despite rumors that Billy was originally meant to be the Gold Ranger, David Yost has since confirmed that there were no plans for this.
* Billy's birthday was given as April 1, making him an Aries.
* Billy's birthplace was given as Chicago, Illinois.
* Billy said he tried to use his mind over muscle in his normal state, and even when fighting Putties, he would try to outsmart them to make them injure or defeat themselves; if he had to get physical, he would do it only as a last resort.
* Over the course of the series, Billy has advanced through the ranks as a martial artist under the tutelage of his fellow Rangers – he was a brand-new white belt taking his first karate class in "Day of the Dumpster" immediately prior to becoming the Blue Ranger; was promoted to yellow belt in "Dark Warrior"; by "Wizard for a Day", he was a red belt, and by "Mondo's Last Stand", he had become a 1st degree black belt.
== Gallery ==
File:Billy Cranston Render 01.png
File:Billy Cranston Render 02.png
File:Billy Cranston Render 03.png
File:Billy Cranston 01.png
File:Billy Cranston 02.png
== External Links ==
* Billy Cranston at RangerWiki
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Category:Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers