Living up to your family’s name can be tough. Especially when you’re a white dude with a super white name who happens to be next in line (kind of) to take over as the head of a generations-old Samurai lineage. All of the best Samurai are in America, of course.

Yeah whatever, here’s Jayden.

NAME: Jayden Shiba
RANGER DESIGNATION: Red (Super) Samurai Ranger, Power Rangers (Super) Samurai
BASE OF OPERATION: Panorama City
FIRST APPEARANCE: “Origins Part I” – Power Rangers Samurai
LAST APPEARANCE: “A Samurai Surprise” – Power Ranger Super Megaforce
PERSONAL WEAPONS/GEAR: Fire Smasher; Shark Attack Mode/Shark Sword; Bullzooka; Shogun Mode/Shogun Spear/Shogun Buckle
ZORDS: Lion Folding Zord; TigerZord; SharkZord; BullZord/Bull Megazord
PORTRAYED BY: Alex Heartman

PROFILE

As a child, Jayden had a Kiwi accent and underwent constant Samurai training after his dad – the previous Red Samurai Ranger – fell in battle. He would go on to fill in for his sister, Lauren, as the head of the very, very caucasian Shiba Clan. In the meantime, she would master the Sealing Symbol to defeat the evil Master Xandred once and for all. Jayden would also become the latest in a long line of Red Samurai Rangers, and later the leader of the Power Rangers Samurai.

As the threat of Xandred and his Nighlock Army grew, Jayden and his Mentor Ji decided it was best to summon the other Samurai Rangers and begin their training. Ji did so by blindly firing arrows at them in a manner that would make Clint Barton second-guess his entire life and convince the viewer that the show should just be Mentor Ji shooting demons in the face.

The four summoned Rangers gathered  near a black SUV with a Shiba House logo and eagerly awaited their leader. Jayden showed up on a goddamn horse and presented them with their Samuraizer morphers, informing them that if they follow him on this quest, there would be no turning back. Kevin, Emily, Mike, and Mia gladly accepted this commitment that would literally have them drop their entire lives and hopes and dreams in pursuit of fighting monsters under the leadership of a guy who isn’t even supposed to be doing it in the first place. But that’s just our little secret.

Jayden was fully committed to fulfilling his duties as the leader of the Samurai Rangers and preferred to waste no time during battle. He’d train himself beyond exhaustion if it meant that his team and the world would be safe. It was rare to see the guy take a day off or relax, given the discipline that was instilled in him from a young age. The fact that he wasn’t the true Red Ranger was a burden that laid heavy on him throughout his tenure. His team would to anything and everything to protect him, which brought even more pressure and responsibility to live up to their expectations.

Compared to the rest of the Samurai Rangers, Jayden was rather advanced, having trained consistently for his entire life. His no-nonsense discipline contrasted heavily with Mike, who had a rather juvenile attitude and lacked any sort of focus. When Mike tried to take on a Nighlock on his own, Jayden had to remind him that he’s not supposed to fly solo. In different ways, both Jayden and Mike had to learn how to work as a team.

The Nighlock Madimot took control of Kevin and had him threaten to basically commit seppuku unless Jayden fought him. Though hesitant, the two dueled it out, and Jayden was able to use the Resist symbol power to free his Blue Ranger from the spell. He then used this symbol to free his father’s TigerZord and destroy Madimot.

It was revealed soon after that Jayden’s dad was the last one to try the Sealing symbol on Master Xandred. However, he was not powerful enough to make it last forever. Jayden himself was unable to fully utilize the power, but Xandred feared that he may one day be able to master it. He sent the evil Robtish monster and some Red Ranger-seeking Moogers to occupy Jayden. The other Rangers tried to help him but were quickly brushed off. It was then that Jayden encountered the mysterious half-human half-Nighlock Deker, who joined them in a three-way fight that left Robtish dried up and defeated. Deker let Jayden know that he’ll get him next time because his sword is apparently horny for the Red Ranger.

Knowing that Xandred was targeting him specifically, Jayden left the Shiba House to protect Mentor Ji and his team, because the constant reaffirmations that they work better as a team apparently weren’t enough to sway him. At the park he connected with a kid who was missing his father, something he could heavily relate to. He tried to protect the park when some Moogers showed up, but he was well outnumbered. His teammates arrived on the scene to protect his butt, showing Jayden that We’re All In This Together.

Jayden was surprised to reconnect with his childhood friend Antonio, who for whatever reason left the Shiba House early on and promised Jayden he’d return as a Samurai in his own right. He was even more surprised when he realized Antonio was the mysterious Gold Ranger that saved his team from an overwhelming Mooger attack. They caught up by staring longingly at each other and sparring.

Antonio thought that Jayden would vouch for him when it came to joining the Samurai Rangers, but Ji found that their friendship was too strong for him to be impartial. He found Antonio to be inexperienced and unfit for battle. Jayden hesitantly agreed with Ji at first, but after some convincing from his team he opened up a spot for his old friend.

When the Nighlock started to become a bit too much for the Rangers, Jayden informed them of the Black Box, an unfinished talisman created by the first Red Samurai Ranger that could bring together the Symbol Powers of the entire team. They travelled to the Tengen Gate and were greeted by Sensei Guinea Pig Lothor Diesookay Daisuke the Elder Guardian.

Unfortunately, Octoroo poisoned Jayden and took the opportunity to force the Sealing Symbol out of him. Antonio showed up just in time to save him. So did Deker, except he didn’t want to save him. He revived him in the river just because he really really needed to remind him that they’re gonna fight. As usual.

After saving him, Deker held him hostage in a cave and kept nagging him about the ultimate duel, which Jayden continuously declined. He got mad cock-blocked by Antonio who told him that his friend was too exhausted to fight right now and said bye-bye.

Jayden didn’t leave that cave without some issues, though. Deker’s claim that they are both “warped and twisted” made him question his motives and emotionally distance himself from his team. Deker eventually resorted to threatening harm to civilians to coax Jayden into battling him. Kevin, ever the contrarian, tried to talk him out of it and instead fight him as a team. The Red Ranger was adamant, though, knowing that Deker won’t stop unless it’s 1v1. A Nighlock attack threatened to interrupt Jayden’s fight, but he entrusted Kevin to lead the team in his absence to defeat it.

In spite of his team’s worries, the two finally dueled a duel so duelly it would make Anakin and Obi-Wan blush. In the end, Jayden took a near-fatal stab to the chest on purpose so that he could pull off an Arya Stark maneuver, dropping his sword from his dominant hand and catching it with the other to deliver a final blow to his opponent. Deker fell from a cliff, finally satisfied and freed from his half-Nighlock curse. Probably.

Xandred initiated his plan to bring the Sanzu River water to the real world and flood the Earth. Considering Nighlock use it to rehydrate, that didn’t make the Rangers’ job any easier. Thanks to Antonio, the Black Box was now hacked and ready to be used. Jayden was first to use it and unlock Super Samurai mode. It gave him a pretty white jacket thing and some nifty new moves.

It’s not entirely clear when, but somewhere around this time, Scott Truman of the Power Rangers RPM arrived in their dimension chasing after the evil Professor Cog. The Samurai Rangers assisted him but Jayden and Scott didn’t exactly get along thanks to an evil spell. The two egos came to a head on the battlefield, but it turned out to be a ploy to lure Cog into a false sense of security. Jayden lent Ranger Red his Shark Attack Mode and the team was able to vanquish Cog. Oh also he had to fight this fat gold Nighlock.

In a stunning twist, Deker was still very much alive and kind of evil. And he still wanted to fight Jayden. Except he considered Jayden too weak, relying on his team to fight alongside him. That being said, Jayden was truly learning the value of teamwork and not to take every challenge on his own.

Even more so, Jayden became more powerful with the help of the SharkZord, BullZord, Bullzooka, and Shogun Mode. I swear at this point the boy had enough power-ups to take on a small army. Despite all of this power, Jayden still had doubts about himself, the truth of being a “surrogate” Red Ranger eating him up inside. Deker’s words were starting to get to him and caused him to go rough on his team during training. Mentor Ji reassured him that his team made him stronger than he ever was on his own.

This didn’t stop Master Xandred from manifesting on Earth to wreck Jayden. Try as he might, the Red Ranger was unable to bring him down. Between that and Serrator the Nighlock Traitor, the Rangers had their work cut out for them.

When Jayden was injured during a battle with a Nighlock, a mysterious woman took control of the LionZord. This happened to be Lauren Shiba, Jayden’s older sister and true Red Samurai Ranger. The secret was finally out: Lauren had mastered the Sealing Symbol and would finally take Jayden’s place as the head of the Shiba Clan. No matter how much they wanted to work together as a family, Jayden knew it was best that he leave his Samurai life behind. He bequeathed his Power Disks to Lauren and bailed from the Shiba house. His fellow Rangers knew that things would not be the same without him. But, you know, no pressure, Lauren.

For the first time in his life, Jayden had no direction and struggled to find a true purpose. But of course since he was outside and alone, he had to run into Deker and fight him. Also he still had his Morpher for some reason. Mentor Ji found them in the middle of the battle and tried to sway Jayden into bailing, but he knew deep down that he couldn’t stop him. The fight continued on horseback because as we know by this point, Symbol Powers can just materialize horses. They were evenly matched until Jayden was able to disarm Deker and administer a final blow, leaving them both worn. Jayden had decided the battle was over, which was a stupid decision because Deker had not. He charged at Jayden until Kevin appeared with a surprise attack from behind. The blow finally purified Deker and allowed him to die in peace, along with this plotline.

In the aftermath, Jayden thanked his friends for the rescue. He meant to move on with his life from there, but the Samurai Rangers rallied around him and insisted he fight by their side. He caught up with them during a Mooger attack and destiny be damned, Jayden resumed his duty as a Samurai, red suit or no red suit.

And wouldn’t you know it, he returned just in time for Master Xandred to finally return to Earth and face the Samurai Rangers. He also arrived to see Lauren’s Sealing Symbol fail to finish Xandred off. Unable to bear seeing the team defeated, Jayden jumped in to teleport his friends out of the battle to regroup.

Lauren shared her disappointment in herself with Jayden. Having done all she can, she passed the job of the Red Ranger back to her brother. With the knowledge that Xandred was now weakened, Jayden knew that if they hit hard enough, the Nighlock master would fall. Lauren also bestowed him with the Shiba Fire Disk charged with as much energy as she could muster to ensure their victory.

The Rangers finally stare Xandred down, with Jayden taking the responsibility of unleashing the final strike. His team flanked him so that he could make it through a sea of Moogers. The stab was not enough, though: Xandred took it head on and tossed the Red Ranger like a rag doll. Jayden’s Fire Disk – their ace in the hole – was destroyed.

The Rangers continued to slice down Moogers unmorphed until Mentor Ji arrived. His old ass assisted them in fighting off the Moogers before handing Jayden a new Shiba Fire Disk from Lauren and a super duper disk from his dad, giving them one more shot at destroying Xandred. His father’s disk allowed him to use two Fire Smashers, but the big guy just wouldn’t quit.

In one last move, Jayden used his sister’s disk to power up into Shogun Mode, which was unthinkable outside of the Megazord. He wailed on Xandred’s weak spot until he finally went down and exploded. But like any other Nighlock, he had his second life as a big ol’ monster. Inside the Ultrazord, Jayden planned for the Rangers to save all of their Symbol Power for one big attack in melee range. They lost a few Zords in the process, but they were finally able to get close enough to destroy Xandred and end the Nighlock invasion once and for all.

When the dust settled, Jayden said goodbye to Lauren and the team and hung back at the Shiba House for a while. Mentor Ji decided he needed a new hobby and gave him a guitar. The boy was a savant, able to immediately play the “Go Go Power Rangers” riff.

A couple of years later, Jayden was snackin’ down at Ernie’s Brain Freeze and offered the Super Megaforce Rangers some sagely advice about getting into the enemy’s head. He then gave them his father’s Power Disk so that they could wreck their current opponent and summon the Legendary Samurai Megazord. What a nice gentleman.

 

RANKING

Jayden is… Jayden is many things. Above all else, he’s confusing. Sometimes he’s a hardass who just wants to do things solo. Other times he’s this friendly relaxed dude that you could have a beer with. He’ll flip-flop between these depending on what the episode or the Shinkenger footage need him to be.

I hate to even mention Super Sentai but it’s really difficult not to in this case, just because Samurai borrows so heavily from it. Jayden’s unevenness can all be summed up in one moment from the very first episode in which Jayden declares, “We’ll do this together,” and then plows through a horde of Moogers all by himself. Trying to adapt the character to fit the source material, while also trying to make him the child-friendly do-gooder that Power Rangers needs him to be, really really really put a damper on things.

Deker’s story really felt like it didn’t need to be such a big part of Jayden’s. It did nothing to inform Jayden’s character because as he stated many times, there’s no need to fight for the sake of fighting. The guy has bigger things to worry about. Deker’s Goku-like obsession with fighting a worthy opponent grew more and more stale and then all he did in the end was die — which is how he became half-Nighlock to begin with. This took about 30 episodes.

Also, he’s a white dude and his last name is Shiba and he’s part of a long lineage of legendary Samurai? I promise you this Big Time Rush-ass Justin Bieber-ass boy does not have an ounce of Japanese in his body. Just make his name Jayden Johnson and call it the Johnson House instead. At LEAST. But never mind proper context.

All this and more puts Jayden at a solid number fourteen on our list of the Children of Zordon. At least Jake is charming.

Make sure you follow me on Twitter (and also no context power rangers, of course) and check back every Monday eventually for new entries on the list. I might do some other stuff in-between, and @childrnofzordon is probably the first place you’ll hear about it. As usual, I don’t make promises. If you wanna see where other Rangers stand on the list, make sure put your dirty finger on that link.

Next line item is Rose from Operation Overdrive. Considering her entire season doesn’t revolve around her, I imagine it will probably be a lot sooner than this one was.