Cam Watanabe

Cameron "Cam" Watanabe is the son of Sensei Watanabe and Miko, nephew of Lothor, and cousin to Marah and Kapri. Kanoi made a promise to Cam's mother that Cam would never be trained in the ways of the ninja. As such, Cam was not a student at the Wind Ninja Academy, but he was a constant presence and usually at his father's side. Unable to train, he began putting his talents to use in the technological arena.

After the academy was destroyed by Lothor and his minions, Cam took Shane, Tori, and Dustin into a high-tech underground dojo. Under instruction from Sensei Watanabe, who had been turned into a guinea pig, he (reluctantly) presented the three with Wind Morphers, allowing them to become the Wind Rangers.

Throughout the series, Cam used his brilliant intellect to construct/maintain power spheres, Zords, and weapons for the Rangers. For example, when Sensei was captured by the Thunder Rangers, Cam created a powerful forcefield to protect his father. After Hunter and Blake joined the team, Cam discovered the mystery piece in their Megazord that would allow the Storm Megazord to combine with the Thunder Megazord.

Early on, Cam often displayed a sarcastic personality and low opinion towards Shane, Tori and Dustin. Besides their faulty track record in training, Cam was also jealous that they got to be Rangers and not him. When this became known, Tori suggested Cam talk to his father, while Shane, Dustin, Hunter and Blake argued to Sensei Watanabe that Cam would make the perfect Ranger.

Throughout the series, Cam began to change his opinion towards Shane, Tori, and Dustin when Shane, Tori, and Dustin proved him wrong time and time again and eventually he became good friends with them and he began to see them as great Rangers and great ninjas.

Soon afterwards, the Rangers' powers were stolen and Lothor was poised for final victory. When Sensei mentioned a great power source lost to time, Cam used the Scroll of Time to travel into the past. He arrived at the Wind Ninja Academy when Kanoi was a student. Surprisingly, he also met an unmentioned twin brother named Kiya as well as a mystery samurai revealed to be Miko, his mother. Miko possessed the Samurai Amulet, which Cam recognized as the great power source he came back for. However, Kiya also wanted it and framed Cam for the theft. Kanoi exposed Kiya's plot – leading to a brutal fight between Cam and his future uncle, who had knowledge of the dark ninja arts. Cam won and had successfully claimed the amulet. Kiya was stripped of name and rank, and banished from Earth. Before he was off-world, Cam witnessed Kiya take the name "Lothor" and vow revenge. Cam was unable to do anything to change history as he had to return home. Miko let him keep the amulet, allowing Cam to become the Green Samurai Ranger and use the Samurai Star Megazord to save the present.

As the Samurai Ranger, he helped the others fight Lothor's evil, still shocked by the discovery that the evil ninja master was his uncle. Because of the demands that being a Ranger put on him, he created a holographic virtual duplicate of himself he dubbed "Cyber-Cam" to take over day-to-day running of the dojo and maintenance of the equipment. Cyber-Cam was given a "thug" persona, with wardrobe and vocabulary to match, and was highly skilled in extreme sports; in short, everything that Cam was not. Cyber-Cam briefly locked Cam up, so he could enjoy life. Cam later reprogrammed him to be focused on work in Ninja Ops, though the "thug" persona and wardrobe remained.

It is noted that after the events of "Samurai's Journey," Lothor began to pick on Cam more than the other Rangers. This could be because Cam is his nephew and because Cam was indirectly responsible for Lothor's banishment. Lothor did know it was Cam, as he later recalled their "meeting in the past".

   Notably, Cam is the only Ninja Storm Ranger not to be turned evil, like the Thunder Rangers ("Return of Thunder") and later the Wind Rangers ("Thunder Storm").

When Lothor was finally defeated, Cam again became an advisor at the Wind Ninja Academy, helping the other Rangers in their instructor duties, and keeping a special watch over Lothor's nieces (and his cousins) Marah and Kapri, who had reformed and enrolled at the academy. Within a year time, he got closer to the girls and shared a bonding moment.

When Lothor escaped from the Abyss of Evil in Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Cam later briefly regained his samurai powers and re-teamed with his fellow Ninja Rangers, as well as teaming up with the Dino Thunder Power Rangers, to battle the combined forces of Lothor and Mesogog, in which he teamed up with White Dino Ranger Trent. After the battle, it was revealed that Cam's morpher was fully depleted resulting in the permanent loss of his Ranger powers.

However, a means of restoring them-at least temporarily-was apparently found, as he joined the Ranger army in battling the Warstar Armada forces that invaded Earth. He would later join his teammates in the final battle with the Armada forces in Super Megaforce.

## See Also

Power Rangers Ninja Storm -- Power Rangers Dino Thunder