The Black Ranger, aka teenager Zack Taylor, is just another example of the charming subtlety of the early 90s. Played by black actor Walter Emanuel Jones, Zack was every African American 90s stereotype rolled into one, from his Will Smith-style hi-top hairstyle, to his love of b-ball and dancing to a boombox, and just being a straight-up, all-round playa, this was clearly a character dreamt up by a boardroom full of old white dudes.
And yet Walter Jones brought so much fun to the character and the cast that he transcended all that. Always joking around with the gang and getting up to mischief, he was the guy that we all secretly wanted to be, one arm around Kimberly and wisecracking about a savage Putty smack down we just delivered. Walter made Zack come alive.