With every good villain, there's a good hero prepared to stop him. In the case of the "Eco-Villains": with every lame villain, there must be a lame hero prepared to stop him. Enter the show's main protagonist, the Planeteers. Going with the requested Sentai comparisson, mostly due to many similarities between them and the famous Japanese henshin series.
First I will break down each Planeteer, then their allies. Captain Planet, who is bascally their Mecha usually used in each episode's climax, will be examined in the next addition.
- They have a similar clothing with the main difference being being the color scheme of them. Their clothes in Season 6 are radically different, though Wheeler's was basically the same save for his shirt was red.
- They are each given a special power by being that also serves as their mentor.
The Planeteers, going by the order of each power, are...
- Kwame, the Red Eco-Ranger: While green would be more fitting, with his power being earth. But Kwame acts as the leader, telling what he and his Planeteers what to do next and starts the summoning of Captain Planet by saying "Let our powers combine". Kwame was given the power of Earth because he planted trees in his homeland of Africa so it won't become a desert. Interesting fact, Kwame was voiced by Levar Burton, in one episode has scene where Kwame does the "same roll under a closing door" thing that was usually done by Geordi La Forge.
- Wheeler, the Yellow Eco-Ranger: The dumb American meant to be us, because we don't know better. Wheeler was clumsy and always asks why should he care about the eco-emergency of the episode, which always leads to a full blown lecture. Like any another token American, Wheeler came from New York, his dad was jerk, and raised by, and I am not kidding, two people that saved him from being mugged and they both live in the trees in Central Park. He has the power of Fire for some reason, probably because his hair red or his so-called "fighting spirit".
- Linka, the Pink Eco-Ranger: She's from the Soviet Union(Eastern Europe in later seasons), so she has a thick Russian accent. She even says Russian words which brings into question how can 5 young people from other parts of the world with different languages are able to speak English so easily. Wheeler has the hots for Linka and so a cliched antagonistic romantic relationship that makes Inuyasha & Kagome look like a steady couple. She has the power of Wind, because she likes birds.
- Gi, the Blue Eco-Ranger: She's the Asian girl, she's pretty smart and likes the animals that live undersea, especially dolphins. Sadly, I just described everything about the character. She has the power of Water because of her love the Ocean.
- Ma-Ti, the Green Eco-Ranger: From South America, the much ridiculed of the team. Why? Maybe because the yongest and that's usually perfect fodder for that. Maybe because he has a pet monkey. Or maybe because he the most retarded power of all five rings. I mean, Heart? That's no element, that's an organ used in cartoons as a way to show emotion. He was raised by his grandfather, who was a shaman, because his parents, who were trying bring peace to their respective people, were killed. I believed that the writers had to actually think on how to make his power of Heart useful. So they have be able to read people's hearts so Ma-Ti can tell if someone is telling the truth, can communicate with animals like Aquaman(which necessarily isn't a good thing), and send telepathic messages to the other Planeteers. That last is probably the most commonly used because he usually gets kidnapped by the main villain of the episode, but that comes with the territory of being the kid.
The rings could be used by it's respective owner by yelling it's power. Like Captain Planet, pollution, which they were made to fight, are their weakness. It there's too much, the rings short out. Also, whenever Captain Planet is summoned, the rings won't work because each ring's power is combined to summon Planet. The villains usually take the captured Planeteer's/Planeteers' ring/rings, but all the times I've seen them do that, they never even try to dispose of the rings. Proving how incompetent they are.
Their mentor was Gaia, the goddess of the Earth from Greek mythology. First voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, now sharing her left-wing ideals on The View, and then by a pre-crazy Margot Kidder. She provided the Planeteers with the rings, briefs the Planeteers on the eco-emergency of the episode, and gives a full blown lecture to ol' ingorant Wheeler on why it's bad. Heck, in some episodes she doesn't appear at all save for the PSAs at the end of the show.
The Planeteers would also have help in each episode. Usually a local youth, a village elder, or a member of enviromental group. The only real ally I should mention is Commander Clash, voiced by Lou Gosset Jr. He first appeared in the two parter "The Mission To Save Earth" as a soldier from a undisclosed country serving a sentry on a otherwise deserted island. He was able to drive Skumm & Sludge away with his weird tank that only fired water and was tricked by Blight into thinking the stranded Planeteers were spies sent by "the enemy". After some explanation from the Planeteers, Clash would find out that the Cold War was over and he was "ob-so-leet". Despite being able to save the Planeteers from Captain Pollution with his water tank thing. It wasn't after a speech from Ma-Ti he would feel useful again. He would help them get their rings back and give a speech heavily lifted from "Henry V" about why Plunder's hired soldiers shouldn't work for him. He and the soldiers would form what Wheeler describes as "environmental clean-up force".
His next and I believe his final appearance would be in "The Summit To Save Earth" Part 2. This two-parter was aforementioned "Every Villains" team-up episode I mentioned a few posts back. In part 1, Zarm and other six "Eco-Villains" were able to sabotage a special meeting of world leaders to solve the "pollution crisis". There by making the planet polluted like hell and Gaia aged & decrepit. The Planeteers were warped 10 years into future and enlisted asked for the help of Clash, who still looks the same. With his help, the Planeteers were able to save Gaia.
I should also point out that Zarm, who was Gaia's predecessor as a spirit of the Earth and has alot of power at his disposal, had trouble with Clash who had a mirror.
So, atleast most of the heroes are on the same level as the villains. But what about the title character himself? Find out in the next time.
