Pokémon's Squirtle Squad Is Officially Returning Power Rangers

More than 1,000 episodes after taking its last proper place on Ash's team, Squirtle and its Squirtle Squad are finally back, this time dressed like never before.

Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon: Aim to Be A Master, episode 5

Fans of the original Pokémon series will no doubt be delighted to see Ash's Squirtle and Squirrel Squad in the most recent episode of Pokémon: Aspire to be a Master — even if they're wearing the new Power Rangers-inspired look for the most part.

Not only does Squirrel Squad return to the Pokémon anime as firefighters, but they also put on a Power Rangers-inspired stage show for urban kids as performers (the show is secretly run by a disguised Team Rocket) . Squad donning colorful costumes and defeating the stage villains (and Jesse and James in disguise), Ash and friends arrive in time for the show. Jackie the Turtle is cute in the audience watching Ash's reaction, but things quickly go awry when Ash, Brock, and Misty try to say hello after the show.

Squirtle Squad Get a Power Rangers Makeover

The popularity of the stage show sees gold in Pokémon's Team Rocket, so they try to keep Ash and his friends away from Squirtle to avoid being caught. This can eventually lead to misunderstandings, as both parties assume that the other does not want to see them. Of course, a sudden and catastrophic fire eventually brought Ash Back with Squirtle, Squirtle Squad returns to their iconic look to fight back the flames. Of course, they were successful and were able to part ways again knowing they still cared about each other.

When Ash first found his Squirtle, it was the leader of a group of Squirtles who caused trouble, but Ash helped them use their powers as firefighters forever. While Ash's Squirtle went with him, the others stayed behind to fight the fire. Aside from a brief return in Ruby and Sapphire and a cameo in Sun and Moon, Ash's Squirtle would eventually rejoin the squad and be there forever. Squirtle Squad is known for everyone wearing sunglasses, and Ash's Squirtle wears pointed sunglasses to stand out from everyone else's round lenses. In this episode, the Squirrels wear sunglasses while donning their Ranger outfits, and each wears a medallion on their belts, similar to Ash's Squirtle head with sunglasses.

Since Squirtle is one of the most iconic members of Ash's original team, seeing Squirtle Squad again is an interesting throwback for anyone who remembers Squirtle's debut over 20 years ago. The new Pokémon: Aspire to be a Master episode is very much like an episode of the classic series of the era, with Team Rocket's shenanigans and a focus on Kanto, and it's sure to please fans who've been missing Squirtle, even if the squad did learn from Power Rangers Inspired by.