VR Troopers

Television series

VR Troopers

Genre| Science fiction
Superhero
Action/Adventure
Tokusatsu
Created by| Haim Saban
Shuki Levy
Toei Company
Based on| Space Sheriff Shaider,
Dimensional Warrior Spielban,
& Super Android Metalder
by Toei Company
Starring| Brad Hawkins
Sarah Brown
Michael Bacon
David Carr
Gardner Baldwin
Richard Rabago
Julian Combs
Michael Sorich
Aaron Pruner
Zeb
Voices of| Gardner Baldwin
Kerrigan Mahan
Michael Sorich
Mike Reynolds
Richard Epcar
Dave Mallow
Composers| Shuki Levy
Kussa Mahchi
Jeremy Sweet
Ron Wasserman
Country of origin| United States
Japan
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 2
No. of episodes| 92 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers| Haim Saban
Shuki Levy
Producer| Robert Hughes
Production locations| California (Santa Clarita & Los Angeles)
Japan (Saitama, Kyoto, Yokohama and Tokyo)
Running time| 30 minutes
Production companies| Saban Entertainment
Toei Company, Ltd.
Cyberprod, Inc.
Original release
Network| Broadcast syndication
Release| September 3, 1994 (1994-09-03) –
February 21, 1996 (1996-02-21)
Related
Big Bad Beetleborgs

VR Troopers is a syndicated live-action superhero-adventure television series produced and distributed by Saban Entertainment from 1994 to 1996. The show tried to profit from the fascination with virtual reality in the mid-1990s as well as the success of Saban's other property, Power Rangers.[1] VR Troopers was the first official "sister series" to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Much like it, this was an Americanization of a Japanese tokusatsu children's program series by Toei Company. The series is a co-production of Toei and Cyberprod.

The show featured early CGI and video effects mixed with Japanese stock footage from three different Metal Hero Series: Metalder, Spielban and Shaider. On May 7, 2010, the copyright for VR Troopers was transferred from BVS Entertainment to Saban Capital Group.[2] In 2018, the rights were transferred to Hasbro, as part of the acquisition of the Power Rangers brand, which included related intellectual property & content libraries previously owned by Saban Properties.[3]

The show was canceled after only two seasons primarily because the available Japanese footage was quickly exhausted. Its successor, Big Bad Beetleborgs, another Saban adaptation of a Metal Heroes series, was cancelled for the same reason.[4] The show spawned a toy line and a video game for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear.

## Plot

[edit]

Main article: List of VR Troopers episodes

The show focused on three teenagers in their late teens, Ryan Steele, Kaitlin Star, and J.B. Reese, living in the fictional West Coast town of Cross World City, California. They regularly attended and were teachers at "Tao's Dojo", a karate studio. Ryan was the most focused martial artist; J.B. was the computer wizard; while Kaitlin was a photojournalist for the local newspaper, the Underground Voice Daily.

One day, Ryan's search for his long-missing father led him and his two friends to a strange laboratory. Inside, a digitized head of Professor Horatio Hart (who is a friend of Ryan's father Tyler) explained the truth about his life's work of having developed extremely advanced virtual reality technology in secret. "VR" is a dimension existing alongside our own; within it lie mutants, aiming at conquering both worlds. The main ruler of these is a creature known as Grimlord, who, unbeknownst to anyone on Earth, has a human identity as billionaire industrialist Karl Ziktor. As Karl Ziktor tries to overcome the barriers of the true reality to allow his armies easy passage from the virtual world, the responsibility of defending the planet on both sides of the dimensional barrier falls on Ryan, Kaitlin and J.B.. They have assistance in the form of armored bodies having incredible firepower. This includes eventual additions to their arsenal, such as a Turbo Cycle, Techno Bazooka, VR Troopertron, VR Shoulder Cannon, VR Battlecruiser/Interceptor and a flying, laser-blasting Skybase.

Among other regular characters on the show, Zeb as Jeb, Ryan's hound dog that, after an accident in Professor Hart's lab, becomes capable of human speech; Woody Stocker, Kaitlin's wacky hat-loving boss at the Underground Voice Daily; Percival "Percy" Rooney, the local mayor's nephew and Kaitlin's bumbling rival reporter; and Tao, the wise martial arts sensei who owns the dojo and a family friend of the Steele Family. Recurring villains include General Ivar, Colonel Icebot, Decimator, the Skugs and others throughout.

During the second season, the show changed format very slightly. Ryan's father Tyler was finally found and restored to normal. Then he quickly left to help the government research further Virtual Reality based technology. With him came Ryan's new V.R. armor and an upgrade to his powers. Grimlord's base of operations switched from the virtual dungeon to a massive spacecraft which used mostly US footage and added new Generals such as Oraclon, Despera, Doom Master and his Vixens. The Skugs now had the ability to become more powerful in the form of Ultra Skugs.

## Cast and characters

[edit]

Main article: List of VR Troopers characters

* Brad Hawkins as Ryan Steele
* Sarah Brown as Kaitlin Star
* Michael Hollander (credited as Michael Bacon) as J. B. Reese
* Gardner Baldwin as Ziktor/Grimlord
* Julian Combs as Professor Hart
* Richard Rabago as Tao
* Michael Sorich as Woody
* Aaron Pruner as Percy

## Production

[edit]

### Pre-production

[edit]

In pre-production, the series was known as Psycon and Cybertron, focusing on a single hero with a technological theme instead of a team of heroes with a virtual reality theme.

In the Psycon pilot script, the main character was Adam Steele who merged with the cyborg Psycon instead of transforming into it. The enemy was Grimlord, whose alter ego was Cyrus Ritker, who led a robot army known as Cyberdrones. Cyrus had a son called Percy who was Adam's martial arts rival. Adam's mentor and caretaker was a martial arts sensei called Tao. Adam was friends with Tao's daughter Mia, and a young kid called Mouse MacKenzie.[5]

The Cybertron pilot starred Jason David Frank as Adam Steele and drew its source footage from Metalder. Frank's character was depicted as a solo hero going up against an army of robots known as Wardrones who were led by Grimlord. Grimlord's alter ego in the pilot was Cyrus Rikter (Gardner Baldwin), who had a son named Percy, who was Adam's martial arts rival. Tao Chong (Richard Rabago) served as Adam's caretaker and mentor. Tao also had a daughter named Mia and Doug Sloan played the part of Tyler Steele in flashbacks. The pilot included a pair of bumbling news reporters named Elmo (played by Jamie Kennedy) and Scuzzy, who would've served as the series' comic relief.[6] Its theme song was based on Ron Wasserman's "Go Green/White Ranger Go" song in the Power Rangers series.

### VR Troopers

[edit]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "VR Troopers" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

In the original VR Troopers promo, Kaitlin had the last name of "Hall" instead of "Star" and Professor Hart was played by a different actor with an entirely different voice and personality than the Professor that was later used.

Like Power Rangers, VR Troopers used a combination of American footage spliced with fight scenes from Japanese shows. The Japanese shows adapted in to VR Troopers are Shaider, Spielban, and Metalder. All three come from Toei's Metal Hero Series. Metalder provided footage of Ryan Steele's season one robotic suit, Grimlord, the Virtual Dungeon, Grimlord's four lieutenants, Dark Heart, and the military-type robots that are featured in several episodes, as well as the exterior of Ziktor Industries. Spielban provided footage of J.B.'s and Kaitlin's robotic suits, Ivar, Icebot, skugs, and the battle scenes involving the Skybase, shark cruisers, tanks, and fighter jets. Space Sheriff Shaider provided the new footage for season two, including Ryan Steele's season two robotic suit and the ultra-skugs.

Out of all of Saban's tokusatsu adaptations, VR Troopers uses the oldest source-footage of any series. Shaider was aired from 1984 to early 1985, making it 10 years old when first used for VR Troopers in 1995; Spielban was aired from 1986 to early 1987, making it eight years old when originally used in 1994; and Metalder was originally aired in 1987 to early 1988, making it seven years old when it was adapted in 1994.

Because more than one Japanese show was used in an episode at any given time, Ryan's alter-ego was never in the same action scene as JB or Kaitlin's (since they were taken from two different shows). Due to this, many episodes involved some sort of plot device that separated Ryan from the other two, forcing them to fight separately. Almost every episode ended with either Ryan or JB destroying the monster of the day (Kaitlin never got to destroy any on her own), at which point his missing comrade(s) would come running up to inquire how the fight went. The only time the group fought "together" or in battle grid mode was all original American footage, with the Battle Grid suits being low-quality spandex and the helmets simple recolors of the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger's. For the show's first season, there was almost never any original American footage outside of the Battle Grid. Similar to Power Rangers, more U.S. fights were featured in the show's second season.

VR Troopers as an adaptation is different in many ways from Power Rangers and Big Bad Beetleborgs. Because it was syndicated (instead of broadcast on Fox Kids like the former two), the monsters were destroyed more violently; mutant/robot destructions included the monster being split in half, impaled, and decapitated. None of the VR Trooper forms were given names since none of them had one main color.

All three of the Metal Hero shows used in the series had a lot of human vs. human battles. However, because the fights featured close-ups of Japanese actors, it was deemed unusable. Distance shots of Japanese actors from Shaider were usable in some of the fights, and battles with the monster footage were also kind of limited (splicing up to 2–3 episodes), but otherwise such footage was limited. In addition, because many episodes of fight footage from Metalder/Shaider and Spielban were being used in a single episode, viable footage was used more quickly.

In Season 1, the show would open with the traditional "Today on Saban's VR Troopers" teaser, showing scenes from the episode and narrated by Dave Mallow. After the "Quest For Power" mini-series in Season 2, however, Ryan, Kaitlin, or J.B. took over the part and narrated the teaser in first-person).

Various voice actors were listed under different pseudonyms in this series. For example, in the Season 1 end credits, Kerrigan Mahan was credited under his pseudonym, Ryan O'Flannigan (which was also the name credited for doing the voice of Goldar in the early seasons of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers); in Season 2, he would be credited under his real name and was properly identified as Jeb's voiceover. Likewise, Richard Epcar was occasionally listed in the end credits under a pseudonym of his own, Richard George (although he was credited under his real name for the first two episodes of the series), and Mike Reynolds was credited under the name Ray Michaels.

## Home media

[edit]

In the U.S., five VHS videos were released: "Lost Memories", "Oh Brother", "Computer Captive", "Error in the System", and "Virtual V6". Each VHS release contained a bonus music video.

In the U.K., two videos were released through PolyGram Video and 4 Front Video (a subsidiary of PolyGram), Vol.1 contained "The Battle Begins: Parts 1 and 2" and Vol.2 contains "Battle For The Books" and "Katlin's Little Helper". In the 2000s, four DVDs were released by FOX Kids Europe/Jetix Europe and Maximum Entertainment Ltd. They included three single disc Volumes and a Mega-Disc DVD that contained 8 various episodes that were released across the first three volumes and a couple of episodes that were not released on any of the three previous discs.

On June 15, 2011, all episodes of VR Troopers were made available on Netflix until February 1, 2021. In 2015, episodes were available on Kabillion, a video-on-demand service. Tubi announced the series would stream on the service starting February 2025, although it later began streaming in June 2025. The series is also currently available on Roku as of May 2025.

On March 12, 2012, it was revealed in Home Media Magazine that Power Rangers (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to Power Rangers RPM), VR Troopers, Big Bad Beetleborgs/Beetleborgs Metallix, and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation would be released on DVD through a deal signed by Shout! Factory and Saban Brands.[7][8][9]

On October 2, 2012, VR Troopers: Season 1, Volume 1 was released on DVD by Shout! Factory.[10] Shout! Factory released VR Troopers: Season 1, Volume 2 on DVD on January 8, 2013. On May 14, 2013 Shout! Factory released VR Troopers: Season 2, Volume 1 on DVD.[11] VR Troopers: Season 2, Volume 2 on DVD was scheduled for release by Shout! Factory on September 10, 2013.[12] However, due to poor sales of the first three volumes, the release was cancelled.[13]

Season 2, Volume 2 was eventually released as a Shout! Select title on January 14, 2014.[14]

DVD Name  | Ep #  | Release Date

|
|

VR Troopers: Season 1, Part 1  | 26  | October 2, 2012
VR Troopers: Season 1, Part 2  | 26  | January 8, 2013
VR Troopers: Season 2, Part 1  | 20  | May 14, 2013
VR Troopers: Season 2, Part 2  | 20  | January 14, 2014

## Other media

[edit]

### Comics

[edit]

In 1995, Marvel Comics published a flipbook five issues mini-series entitled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ninja Rangers/VR Troopers which featured the Power Rangers on one side and the VR Troopers on the other.

In the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers issue 53, Ryan, Kaitlin and JB's names were mentioned as candidates for the Green Ranger.

The team made their appearance in the Power Rangers Prime comic series from BOOM! Studios.[15] In 2025, BOOM! Studios launched a VR Troopers miniseries written by Mairghread Scott.[16]

### Games

[edit]

* Jeb's Rescue, Ryan's Challenge, and JB's Battle \- Three games for MGA's Game Wizard
* VR Troopers – When Worlds Collide \- A handheld game by Tiger
* VR Troopers, a 1995 video game for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear[17]
* Saban's VR Troopers \- A board game by Milton Bradley

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Mangan, Jennifer (August 3, 1994). "V.R. Troopers' To Hit Airwaves – And Store Shelves". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
2. ^ "WebVoyage". Cocatalog.loc.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
3. ^ "Hasbro to Acquire Saban Brands' Power Rangers and Other Entertainment Assets". BusinessWire (Press release). May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
4. ^ Staff, C. B. R. (July 28, 2018). "VR Troopers: 15 Crazy Things Only Huge Fans Will Know". CBR.
5. ^ "Psycon Pilot Script (Scans)". Archive.is. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
6. ^ "Cybertron pilot presentation". YouTube. September 3, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
7. ^ Latchem, John (March 12, 2012). "Shout! Factory to distribute 'Power Rangers,' other Saban titles". Home Media Magazine. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
8. ^ "It's Morphin Time! Power Rangers coming to DVD and Blu-ray". CSICon.org. March 12, 2012. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
9. ^ Ford, Rebecca (March 12, 2012). "Shout! Factory, Saban sign home entertainment distribution deal". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
10. ^ "VR Troopers: Season 1, Vol.1: Michael Sorich, Mike Reynolds, Gardner Baldwin, Worth Keeter". Amazon. October 2, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
11. ^ "V.R. Troopers – Season 2, Vol. 1 DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
12. ^ "V.R. Troopers – Season 2, Vol.2 DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. January 14, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
13. ^ "V.R. Troopers DVD news: Cancellation for V.R. Troopers – Season 2, Vol. 2". TVShowsOnDVD.com. March 9, 2013. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
14. ^ "V.R. Troopers DVD news: Release Date for V.R. Troopers – Season 2, Vol. 2". TVShowsOnDVD.com. October 23, 2013. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
15. ^ "Next Week's Big Spoilers For Power Rangers: Prime From Boom Studios". Bleeding Cool. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
16. ^ "VR TROOPERS #1 First Look - BOOM! Studios". https://www.boom-studios.com/. Retrieved June 3, 2025. `{{cite web}}`: External link in ``|website=`` (help)
17. ^ "ProReview: VR Troopers". GamePro. No. 89\. IDG. February 1996. p. 70.

## External links

[edit]

* VR Troopers at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Metal Hero Series

Shōwa era series|

* Gavan
* Sharivan
* Shaider
* Juspion
* Spielban
* Metalder
* Jiraiya

Heisei era series|

* Jiban
* Winspector
* Solbrain
* Exceedraft
* Janperson
* Blue SWAT
* B-Fighter
* B-Fighter Kabuto
* Kabutack
* Robotack

Films|

* Gokaiger VS Gavan
* Gavan the Movie
* Super Hero Taisen Z
* Space Squad
* Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad

Foreign adaptations|

* VR Troopers
* Big Bad Beetleborgs
* Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan

See also|

* Kikaider
* Robot Detective
* Robocon Series
* The Space Sheriff Spirits
* Toei Fushigi Comedy Series
* Super Sentai
* Kamen Rider
* Rangers Strike
* Shatterhand
* Campus Special Investigator Hikaruon
* Compati Hero series
* Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation

* v
* t
* e

Power Rangers

Based on Super Sentai (by Shotaro Ishinomori and Toei Company)

Media|

| TV series
(1993–2007,
2008–2023)|

| Saban
Entertainment|

* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
* 2010 re-version
* Alien Rangers
* Zeo
* Turbo
* in Space
* Lost Galaxy
* Lightspeed Rescue
* Time Force

|

Disney|

* Wild Force
* Ninja Storm
* Dino Thunder
* S.P.D.
* Mystic Force
* Operation Overdrive
* Jungle Fury
* RPM

Saban Brands|

* Samurai & Super Samurai
* Megaforce & Super Megaforce
* Dino Charge & Dino Super Charge
* Ninja Steel & Super Ninja Steel

Hasbro|

* Beast Morphers
* Dino Fury
* Cosmic Fury

Films|

* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
* Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
* Power Rangers
* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always

Web series|

* Power Rangers Hyperforce

Video
games|

* Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Sega CD)
* The Movie
* The Fighting Edition
* Zeo: Battle Racers
* Lightspeed Rescue
* Time Force
* Wild Force
* Ninja Storm
* Dino Thunder
* S.P.D.
* Super Legends
* Nickelodeon Super Brawl
* Mega Battle
* Legacy Wars
* Battle for the Grid
* Rita's Rewind

Comics|

* Boom! Studios series
* Justice League/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
* "Shattered Grid"
* "Necessary Evil"
* "Unlimited Power"
* "Recharged"
* Prime

Others|

* "Day of the Dumpster" (series premiere)
* "Go Go Power Rangers" (theme song)
* Power/Rangers (fan film)
* "Power Rangers" (song)
* A Rock Adventure
* World Tour Live on Stage
* Collectible Card Game
* List of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers home video releases

Universe|

* Characters

Related media|

* Spider-Man (Toei)
* Takuya Yamashiro
* VR Troopers
* Masked Rider
* Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
* Big Bad Beetleborgs
* Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation
* Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog
* Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad
* Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills
* Van-Pires
* Los Luchadores
* Power Rangers Dino Force Brave (South Korea)

* v
* t
* e

Hasbro

Intellectual
properties
currently
managed
by Hasbro|

| Toys|

* Action Man
* Alphie
* Army Ants
* Baby Alive
* Battle Trolls
* Beetleborgs
* Blythe
* DohVinci
* Easy-Bake Oven
* Furby
* FurReal Friends
* G.I. Joe
* A Real American Hero
* Glo Worm
* GoBots
* Glitter Force
* Glitter Force Doki-Doki
* Hanazuki
* Inchworm
* Inhumanoids
* Jem
* Julius Jr.
* Kibaoh Klashers
* Koosh
* Kota the triceratops
* Lincoln Logs
* Lite-Brite
* Littlest Pet Shop
* Lost Kitties
* Luna Petunia
* M.A.S.K.
* Masked Rider
* Maxie
* Micronauts
* Mighty Muggs
* Mister Frosty
* Monkgomery
* Monster Face
* My Buddy
* My Little Pony
* Equestria Girls
* MoonDreamers
* My Pet Monster
* NakNak
* Nerf
* Poppin' Park
* Popples
* Potato Head
* Pound Puppies
* Power Rangers
* Play-Doh
* Rom the Space Knight
* Robotix
* Sit 'n Spin
* Spirograph
* Starting Lineup
* Stickle Bricks
* Stretch Armstrong
* Super Soaker
* Talk 'n Play
* Tinkertoy
* Tonka
* Treehouse Detectives
* Transformers
* Beast Wars
* Visionaries
* VR Troopers
* Watchimals
* Weeble

|

Games|

* Acquire
* Aggravation
* Ants in the Pants
* Axis & Allies
* Barrel of Monkeys
* Battleship
* Boggle
* Bop It
* Buckaroo!
* Candy Land
* Catch Phrase
* Chutes & Ladders
* Clue
* Connect Four
* Cootie
* Cranium
* Crocodile Dentist
* Designer's World
* Don't Break the Ice
* Don't Spill the Beans
* Easy Money
* Elefun
* Gator Golf
* Girl Talk
* Guess Who?
* Hi Ho! Cherry-O
* HeroQuest
* Heroscape
* Hungry Hungry Hippos
* Jenga
* Lazer Tag
* The Game of Life
* Mall Madness
* Merlin
* Microvision
* Milton
* Monopoly
* Mouse Trap
* Mystery Date
* Nerf Blaster
* Operation
* Ouija
* Parcheesi
* Pay Day
* Perfection
* Pictureka
* Pie Face
* Pit
* Risk
* Rook
* Pretty Pretty Princess
* Scattergories
* Scrabble1 (US and Canada)
* Simon
* Sorry!
* Stadium Checkers
* Stay Alive
* Stratego
* Subbuteo
* Taboo
* Trivial Pursuit
* Trouble
* Twister
* Upwords
* Yahtzee

Other|

* Alien TV
* Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom
* The Big Knights
* Cubix
* Cupcake & Dino
* Duel Masters
* Dungeons & Dragons
* Exodus
* Humf
* Kaijudo
* Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes
* The Magic Hockey Skates
* Magic: The Gathering
* Ninja Express
* Odd-Paw Vet
* Pat & Stan
* Peppa Pig
* PJ Masks
* Ricky Zoom
* Tractor Tom
* Void Rivals
* Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong

Distributed
worldwide
by Hasbro|

* Beyblade2

Subsidiaries
and brands|

* Avalon Hill
* Cranium, Inc.
* Hasbro Entertainment
* Astley Baker Davies
* Discovery Family (40%)
* Kenner
* Hasbro Games
* Milton Bradley
* Parker Brothers
* Tiger Electronics
* Playskool
* Wizards of the Coast
* Archetype Entertainment
* D&D Beyond
* Invoke Studios

Other media|

* Comics
* Films
* Television programs
* Video games
* Hasbro Family Game Night

Conventions|

* Auto Assembly
* BotCon
* TFcon

See also|

* Hasbro Universe
* IDW
* Skybound
* Allspark
* Control-Vision
* Galoob
* Lionsgate Canada
* MNRK Music Group
* Saban Capital Group
* Saban Brands

* Category

* * *

* 1(U.S. and Canada)
* 2(except Japan and parts of Asia)

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template