Billy Cranston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Billy Cranston |
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| Power Rangers character | |
David Yost as Billy Cranston
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| First appearance | Day of the Dumpster (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) |
| Portrayed by | David Yost (teenager and adult) Billy Nilles (child, season 1) Justin Timsit (child, seasons 2-3) William Frederick Knight (old, Zeo) RJ Cyler (2017 reboot) |
| Voiced by | Dan Amrich (Rita's Rewind) |
| Information | |
| Title | Blue Power Ranger Blue Ninja Ranger |
| Home | Earth |
| Color(s) | Blue |
| Status | Active |
| Zords | Triceratops Dinozord Unicorn Thunderzord Wolf Ninjazord Blue Shogunzord |
Billy Cranston is a super smart hero from the Power Rangers world. He was the original Blue Power Ranger, known for his Triceratops Zord, and was played by actor David Yost. Billy was the only original Power Ranger who stayed for the whole Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series. He was also one of the longest-serving Rangers, second only to Tommy Oliver. Billy was the super smart inventor of the team, always coming up with cool gadgets to solve problems. He even invented the team's first wrist communicators! A new version of Billy, played by actor RJ Cyler, appeared in the 2017 Power Rangers movie.
Contents
Character History in Power Rangers
Television Adventures
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Billy was one of five "teenagers with attitude" chosen by Zordon to become the first Power Rangers. His teammates were Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Kimberly Hart. Billy became the Blue Power Ranger and received the Triceratops Power Coin and the Triceratops Dinozord.
Billy started as a bit shy and super focused on science. His friends, especially Trini, always supported him. Billy grew to be much more confident and strong. He was a top member of his high school's science club. He often helped younger students with their projects, like a young boy named Willy, helping him build a virtual reality simulator. Billy invented the Power Rangers' wrist communicators. He also created the system that let them teleport to the Command Center.
It was revealed that Billy had a fear of fish (called ichthyophobia). This fear started when he was young after a fish bit him during an experiment. Rita used a spell to make this fear even worse. When he was the only Ranger left to fight the Goo Fish monster, Billy bravely faced his fear. After helping his friends and defeating the monster, he completely overcame his fear during a fishing trip.
Every Ranger had a special skill, and Billy's was his amazing intelligence. He also worked hard to get stronger. He changed from a shy, smart kid to a confident, super-smart athlete with great fighting skills. Trini's Uncle Howard, Jason, and later Tommy, helped him earn a red belt in karate.
Billy's smarts saved the world many times. When the Command Center was damaged, Zordon was lost, and Alpha was out of action, Billy's invention, a car called the RADBUG, helped the Rangers get there. He did many important things, like finding a way for the Rangers to enter Rita's Dark Dimension. He also stopped Alpha's self-destruct sequence. Billy was accepted into the Young Scientists of America program.
In Season 2, he became friends with Zack's cousin, Curtis, who loved playing the trumpet. This made Billy interested in jazz music. Later in Season 2, Kimberly traveled back in time to the 1880s. She recruited Billy's ancestor, also named William Cranston, to be the first Blue Ranger for a special Wild West Ranger team. Billy also commanded the Unicorn Thunderzord. In Season 3, Billy got new powers from Ninjor. He received the Wolf Power Coin and became the Blue Ninja Ranger.
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
The Rangers became young children again because of a time-reversal spell by Rita Repulsa's father, Master Vile. Billy created a machine to make them grow up again, using the Power Coins. Billy managed to restore himself, but Rita and Goldar stole the machine. Lord Zedd and Rita then destroyed all the Ninja Power Coins.
With his Power Coins gone, Billy could no longer fight as a Power Ranger. Instead, he became a super important advisor and helper for the team. He was the only Ranger who stayed his normal age, while the others were played by child actors after Master Vile's spell. Billy helped the Aquitian Rangers communicate with Earth. A special cure for his aging problem eventually led to his departure from the show.
Power Rangers Zeo
When Power Rangers Zeo began, Billy officially stopped being an active Ranger. The Zeo Crystal had five parts, one for each of the five new Rangers. Because of his experience as a technical advisor, Billy let new team member Tanya take his place. He continued to help by creating and fixing most of the Zeo Rangers' weapons, gadgets, and Zords.
He graduated earlier than the rest of the team and then left Earth to help with problems on the planet Aquitar. In one episode, he returned to Earth but was attacked by the Machine Empire and almost captured. Many people wondered if Billy was the Gold Ranger because he was never around when the Gold Ranger appeared. When Trey of Triforia, the real Gold Ranger, was injured, Billy was chosen to take his place. Trey went back to his home planet, Triforia, to heal.
But Billy couldn't take the powers because of some special energy he absorbed earlier. Instead, Jason Lee Scott, the former Red Ranger, became the Gold Ranger. In a later episode, it was shown that Billy had earned a black belt in karate.
Billy was last seen suffering from accelerated aging. This was a side effect from the machine he used to restore his age earlier. To fix this, he traveled to Aquitar for a cure from their Eternal Falls, which was like a Fountain of Youth. It restored his age, and he decided to stay there with Cestria, an Aquitian woman he had fallen in love with.
Power Rangers Super Megaforce
In the final episode of Power Rangers Super Megaforce, called Legendary Battle, Billy joined many other Power Rangers from the past and present. He fought as the Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Actor David Yost did not play the role in this morphed appearance.
Power Rangers Beast Morphers
Billy appeared again as the Blue Mighty Morphin Power Ranger in a Power Rangers Beast Morphers episode called Grid Connection. In this episode, Austin St. John returned as Jason Lee Scott, the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Jason called on the other original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the Dino Thunder Rangers to help fight a revived Goldar Maximus. David Yost did not return for this appearance; Billy had no speaking lines and stayed in his Ranger suit.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always
In 2022, David Yost announced he would return as Billy for the 30th anniversary of Power Rangers. The special, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always, was released on Netflix on April 19, 2023.
In this special, set 30 years after the original Power Rangers were chosen, Billy was the founder and CEO of Cranston Technologies. His company had a secret Power Rangers command center. While trying to contact Zordon again, Billy accidentally brought back Rita Repulsa's evil spirit. This spirit took over Alpha 8 and became Robo-Rita. During a battle, Rita fired an energy blast at Billy. Trini jumped in front of it to save him, and sadly, the Yellow Ranger was lost.
Trini's daughter, Minh, blamed Billy for her mother's loss. Billy worked to make things right. A year later, Rita returned and captured Tommy, Jason, and Kimberly. Rita planned to use their energy to power a time machine. She wanted to contact her past self and change history.
Billy led the remaining Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – Zack, Kat, and Rocky – to stop Rita's plan. Minh tried to join the fight by taking Trini's morpher, but she couldn't use it and was captured. Billy tried to rescue her. Minh bravely protected him from the same fate as Trini. This brave act bonded her to the Sabre-Toothed Tiger Power Coin. It saved her and allowed her to morph into the Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. Billy taught her how to pilot the Megazord to defeat Rita's monsters, and they made up. It was also revealed that Billy and Cestria were still together. He decided to finish his work on Earth and then continue his travels through space.
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury
David Yost returned as Billy in Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, which was the 30th and final season of Power Rangers as of 2025. The Dino Fury Rangers met Billy on a faraway planet. He was fighting against a revived Lord Zedd. Billy teamed up with the younger Rangers, becoming their mentor. He helped create new powers for them when their old ones were destroyed, turning them into the Cosmic Fury Rangers. After Once and Always, Billy had stopped looking for Zordon. But then, a Cosmic Fury Ranger met a mysterious being who quoted Zordon's famous phrase, "May the power protect you." This renewed Billy's hope of finding his old mentor.
Film Appearances
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
David Yost also played Billy in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, which came out in 1995. In the movie, the Power Rangers lost their powers after fighting a new villain named Ivan Ooze. The Rangers went on an adventure to get their powers back and save Zordon's life. The events of this movie are not part of the main TV show story.
Power Rangers (2017)
A new version of Billy appeared in the 2017 Power Rangers movie, played by actor RJ Cyler. In this movie, Billy was African American and was shown to be autistic.
Comic Book Stories
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink
Kimberly was the main character in this comic book series. It was a modern retelling but also continued the story after Kimberly left the TV show.
Power Rangers (Boom! Studios)
The Boom! Studios comics featured Billy as a major character. These stories started shortly after the battle with the Green Ranger in the original series.
Behind the Scenes Facts
David Yost, the actor who played Billy, left the show a few episodes before his character did. He later said this was because of mean comments he received. However, a producer named Scott Page-Pagter said Yost left because of a disagreement about his pay. Because of this, old video clips of Yost were used for Billy's departure, and someone else voiced the character. Billy was the last of the original Power Rangers to leave the show.
Many people believed that Billy's last name, Cranston, came from Bryan Cranston. Bryan Cranston did voice work for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and later played Zordon in the 2017 movie. Bryan Cranston was told this and it was confirmed to him. However, it was later found that the name was chosen much earlier, before Bryan Cranston was involved with the series.
