 This article is about a monster in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
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- "What is this?!"
- ―The Mantis when reacting to the other four newly arrived Power Rangers.[src]
- "So, you have decided to face me after all, Yellow Ranger. Perhaps. But that will not save you from destruction!"
- ―The Mantis before his duel with Trini after he commented she had honor after all.[src]
- "I'll make bug juice out of you!"
- ―The Mantis upon being enlarged.[src]
Mantis was an praying mantis monster who was extremely skilled in Praying Mantis Kung Fu and an expert warrior. He was the titular main antagonist of the episode "Plague of the Mantis".
History
Rita ordered Finster to create the Mantis to destroy Trini since he had been created to match her mantis fighting style. The Mantis was first detected by Alpha who sent Trini (who was practicing her martial arts in the woods) to investigate only for her to have to morph as the monster arrived. They then battled, with the Mantis calling Trini a weakling and easily overpowered her. Luckily, before she morphed, Trini had called the other Rangers for help. They swiftly made an appearance, forcing the Mantis to retreat as he was now outnumbered but not before directly insulting Trini's honor.
Trini was at the Youth Center when she got a letter thanks to Ernie which had been secretly sent by Rita. It was supposedly from Master Li and told her to meet him in the quarry for some "special training" only for it to turn out to be a trap as the Mantis was lying in wait. Rather than call her friends, Trini decided to fight Mantis alone to restore her supposedly lost honor. The monster wanted to defeat Trini in a battle one on one, using her nobility and bravery against her. When Trini fought him, Mantis realized that his opponent is not only brave, but is highly skilled in battle.
The Mantis played fair until Trini jumped onto his pincer claws and scratched at his eyes which made him realize that, at best, they were evenly matched and at worst, he was no match. To turn the tables, he cheated and summoned Putties who held her down, revealing himself as a massive hypocrite. Even though the other Rangers knew she was in trouble due to the suspicious letter, an ambush by other Putties held them up. However, with the gloves fully off, Trini used one of her Power Daggers to take down the monster. Her friends soon arrived but the Mantis was still able to quickly cut down the other four Rangers with ease, even rendering Kimberly's Power Bow useless against his pincers.
With her monster emerging victorious, Rita made him grow so the Rangers summoned the Megazord. The Mantis had a temporary stand-off with the Megazord, "channeling his energies for a quick single blow", before jumping up and attacking the Megazord. But was no match for the monster's pincers so Jason summoned the Power Sword. With its aid they matched the monster's blades and quickly turned the tables by having the Mantis lock his pincers onto the Power Sword before they flipped him to the ground. With Mantis down, they hit him with two slashes to the stomach and, with the Mantis now severely weakened, they destroyed him with an energized slash. 
TV STORY-Plague of the Mantis
Trumpet Top summoned an illusionary Saliguana to wear out the Power Rangers enough that Lord Zedd would easily be able to destroy them. After Zack forced the Rhinoblaster down the steps, the Mantis appeared and took him down with a series of smacks from its pincers and three kicks. Billy tried to intervene but a smack to his throat sent him flying down. Due to not really being there, the Mantis alongside the Grumble Bee, the Saliguana, the Fighting Flea, the Soccadillo, the Rhinoblaster, the Stag Beetle and the Slippery Shark managed to "beat them" until they were worn out completely. However, Zordon saw through the plan, making the illusionary monsters cease to exist. TV STORY-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Park
Personality
The Mantis is a cunning, intelligent and skilled fighter in battle. But despite his skills he lacks such traits, as honor and prefers to cheat in battle. He was surprisingly arrogant as he challenged Trini for a duel. He promised her a fair fight, but after the battle he told her that he really has no honor. He also doesn't care that this makes him a hypocrite, apparently reveling in it.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Teleportation: The Mantis can teleport to any location at will.
Abilities
- Strength: The Mantis was capable of battling Trini and knocking the Megazord back with one swing of his pincers.
- Durability: Trini gauged at his eyes when she jumped on his pincers but he was unfazed and, when giant, he took multiple hits from the Power Sword without injury.
- Resilience: The Mantis recovered from both being back flipped to the ground by Trini and flung down by the Megazord, no worse for wear.
- Skilled Fighter: The Mantis is also a skilled fighter, skilled in Praying Mantis Kung Fu. He easily overwhelmed Trini and even the Megazord barely kept up.
- Putty Summoning: The Mantis can summon Putties to aid him in battle.
Weaknesses
to be added
Arsenal
- Mantis Claws For Arms: Instead of hands, Mantis has razor sharp pincers which he can use to slash his enemies. A single swing of his claws cut down a tree and three stopped an equal number of Power Bow arrows.
- Trees: The Mantis was able to cut down trees to try and cut down Trini during the forest battle but she dodged them.
Behind the Scenes
Portrayal
- Mantis is voiced by Barbara Goodson, who also voiced Rita.
Design
- His design is based on a mantis.
Etymology
- He is named after the common mantis.
Notes
- Mantis comes from what is commonly referred to as "Zyu2" footage, and was not seen in the original Zyuranger.
Appearances
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Season 1)
- Episode 48: Plague of the Mantis
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Official Fan Club Video (flashback; archive footage only)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Season 2)
- Episode 15: Orchestral Maneuvers in the Park (as an illusion)
Power Rangers Funniest Moments (archive footage only)
References
Footnotes
