The Most Memorable Encounter with a 'Power Rangers' Star

Greetings, Vocal readers! April 27 was National Tell a Story Day, which encouraged people to share stories, either personal or reading a book to others. The story I'll be sharing will be heartfelt and might bring tears to your eyes. Before I proceed any further, once you've finished reading this story, please give it a like. You can follow me on social media. Subscribe to my page on here and finally, please consider gifting me a one-off tip, which is located at the end of this story. No amount is too big or small. Doing this will support creators like me on Vocal and we'll continue to write and publish new stories.

Now on to the story.

2019 was a year that will forever be memorable to me. In August of that year, I won my first cosplay contest at a con in my area. I was so happy and proud of myself for accomplishing such a remarkable feat. Six weeks later, I would attend another convention and for a very surprising reason.

That September, I attended Arkansas Comic Con in Little Rock. This was my very first time attending this particular convention. Many of my cosplay friends who had gone multiple times said that it was a great con to attend and recommend it to me. On the first day of the con, which was on a Saturday, I arrived there around 9:00 that morning to wait in line. Just to remind everyone, I was staying with one of my friends at the time during that entire weekend. Around 9:30, the line started to move and had our stuff searched. I didn't arrive on the convention floor until a half hour later. I met up with some of my cosplay friends, took pictures, and enjoyed ourselves.

Later on, that day, I was scheduled to have two photo ops with two different celebrities. If you're unfamiliar with how photo ops work at fan conventions, in most cases, you have to pay money in advance in order to meet some of your favorite celebrities. I had two of these scheduled for that afternoon: one with the late Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman from Batman The Animated Series and the other with someone I'll discuss shortly. Kevin Conroy tragically passed away in 2022 at the age of 66, but his legacy will go on and he'll never be forgotten. He was so kind and I was honored to have met someone who was part of my childhood.

Another person I got to do a photo op with is also no longer with us. Jason David Frank needs no introduction, because everyone knew who he was and was already a familiar face to Power Rangers fans. I loved Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as a kid and loved Jason as the Green Ranger. However, as an adult, I had difficulties liking him, mainly because he was being a showoff and displayed an arrogant and boastful demeanor. My impressions of him at the time wasn't positive, nor convincing. I had a huge disdain of him for over a couple of years, but something told me that I had to attend this con and meet him in person. Otherwise, I would regret it. To give him a chance, because I was being unfair to him and also harsh. Even though he wasn't my favorite Ranger, at the end of the day, he was and will always be part of the Power Rangers franchise. I was going to be cordial and respectful towards him.

I waited in line to have my photo taken with Jason while he was finishing up a panel. He finally came to the location where the photo op took place behind some curtains. He popped his head out to mingle with us for a bit before having our pictures taken. I couldn't believe that I was about to do a photo op with a man I previously disliked for a brief period as an adult but grew up watching on TV as a kid. When it was finally my turn to take a photo with Jason, I was nervous, but starstruck. After I got done with my photo op, I shook his hand and told him that it was nice meeting him. I received both the physical and digital versions of my two photo ops. I told my friends about meeting Jason, and they expressed how proud they were of me for having a change of heart doing it. To be honest with everyone, it was the best decision I made and I'll forever remember that. What were my impressions of Jason, now that I had the pleasure of meeting him at Arkansas Comic Con? He was such an amazing and pleasant person. Jason cared a lot about his fans and they loved him back. I enjoyed his posts on social media and still do, whenever they pop up on my feed. I get a bit emotional seeing them. Jason passed away in November 2022 at the age of 49, less than a year shy of his 50th birthday. If you haven't seen Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always on Netflix, which debuted in April 2023, I highly recommend that you do, but just a fair warning, it'll bring you to tears. It's dedicated in not only Jason's memory, but also to Thuy Trang, who portrayed the Yellow Ranger. She passed away in 2001 and 2023 marked the 30th anniversary of Power Rangers.

Nearly three years after Jason's passing, I never get tired of sharing this story. When news of his death was announced, I posted a heartfelt tribute to him on social media by sharing the photo I'm using for this story with an amazing caption. I've never lived vicariously through famous people, because they're regular people just like us. Power Rangers was more than just a TV show that we grew up watching. It's now a global phenomenon and it has no signs of losing its relevancy anytime soon. May the power protect Jason and every Power Rangers fan forever.