History Main / Ranger

* The ex-Afghan Army Commandos are seen as the Ranger equivalent.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger''.

->''"'Cause the eyes of a Ranger are upon you\\
Any wrong you do, he's gonna see\\
When you're in Texas, look behind you\\
'Cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be."''
-->-- '''ThemeSong''', ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger''

* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', of course, which entails the story of the titular Texas ranger, Cordell Walker, as he battles criminals all over the Dallas area, much less around the world. Providing the page quote is the ThemeTune [[DoItYourselfThemeTune performed by]] Creator/ChuckNorris himself.

%%* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', [[Creator/ChuckNorris of course.]]

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': "Bush rangers" are shown in ''Literature/TheLastContinent'' as being outlaws. Though, the Last Continent is a mishmash of Australian culture, pop culture and nostalgia for things long since abandoned. The term "bush ranger" refers to criminals operating beyond the settled and adequately policed areas of the time, analogous to American Wild West outlaws.

** Somewhere between ''Fallout 2'' and ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', these two Ranger groups merged in recognition of the threat posed by Caesar's Legion, and in ''New Vegas'' you can find a monument to the Ranger Unification Treaty. One of the NCR Veteran Rangers graces the game's cover in their GasMaskLongcoat getup, and such soldiers are the most dangerous forces NCR can field.

* The Kenyan Army's Ranger Strike Force or "40RSF" in the Special Operations Regiment. It's established in 2009 when 6 KDF soldiers were deployed to Fort Benning to be trained at the Warrior Training Center. It's existence was only made public after Operation Linda Nchi. Their lineage was traced back to the Rangers Strike Company, formerly under the army's 20th Parachute Battalion.

* The Italian Army's 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment, which operates as a special forces unit. Italian language-media dubbed them the equivalent of the 75th Ranger Regiment, although they specialize in fighting/navigating through in skiing through snowy terrain and surviving harsh weather. They trace their legacy through the ''Alpini'' soldiers, who were known to use mountainous terrain during World War I.
** Although not a Ranger unit, The US 10th Mountain Division was formed during WorldWarII largely as a counter to Italian Alpini troopers. Mountain warfare brings some unique challenges to a fight.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'': Far from being EliteMooks, the Ranger is the most basic type of ranged unit.

* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Obviously]], the Rangers of the ''Literature/RangersApprentice'' series. They're BadassNormal special forces and investigators, FamedInStory for stealth and archery skills, and ShroudedInMyth because they keep their secrets close to their chest. They're no slouches when it comes to close-quarters combat, either. [[TheDreaded Just the knowledge that a Ranger is in the area is generally enough to make bad guys think twice.]]
* The Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse has the Antarian Rangers, an organization of clans founded to support Jedi Knights; they interbred somewhat with the Jedi, so Force-Sensitivity was common. [[Literature/XWingSeries Wraith Squadron]] member Tyria Sarkin is the last of the Antarian Rangers from her planet, and puts the infiltration skills she learned to good use.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': "Bush rangers" are shown in ''Literature/TheLastContinent'' as being outlaws. Rincewind, however, [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant makes the mistake]] most of us would probably make if we heard the word "ranger". ''The Last Continent'' is a mishmash of Australian culture, pop culture and nostalgia for things long since abandoned. The term "bush ranger" refers to criminals operating beyond the settled and adequately policed areas of the time, analogous to American Wild West outlaws.

%%[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
%%* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'': Buzz Lightyear, [[RecycledINSPACE Space Ranger!]]
%%[[/folder]]

* United States Army Rangers, who are advanced light infantry troops in the United States Army. Their [[NiceHat berets]] are a bit of military tradition inherited from the British Commandos, who helped train the first Army Rangers. The Rangers in turn passed the Beret on to the Air Force Security Police airmen who attended Ranger School during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar when they needed to [[TookALevelInBadass expand their skills from being military policemen to defending their bases against major ground attacks.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:In fairness, Wehrmacht training probably doesn't cover [[WhoWearsShortShorts short shorts-wearing]] teenagers [[GrievousHarmWithABody throwing Hans at you.]]]]

%%* ''Film/PacificRim'': Jaeger pilots are called Rangers.

* ''Film/TheATeam'' were all US Army Rangers before being framed and dishonourably discharged.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Ranger class -- particularly in 1st Edition AD&D -- almost defines BadassNormal. Rangers start their career with 2 [[HitPoints Hit Dice]] rather than the 1 everyone else gets, a whompin' 90% base tracking chance (by comparison, a 1st level thief with ''maximum'' Dexterity would have 20-40% in all but one skill), a 50% chance to surprise ''anyone,'' and a huge (by 1st Edition standards) damage bonus to pretty much any humanoid monster. At high levels they can learn magic [[TheRedMage drawn from the spells of two different classes]] (druid and magic-user) and start to attract [[TheBeastMaster loyal followers]], potentially up to ''[[GentleGiant storm giants]] and [[OurDragonsAreDifferent copper dragons]]''. Yeah.
** Of course, now they are Tier 5 and only see use at all because there aren't any official ranged disciplines and none of the effective melee classes have wilderness skills. Or the rare instances of binkered grognard [=DMs=] who see no problem with a party of two Tier 1s, a Tier 4, and a Tier 5.
** Some editions indicated that having ''any'' player class is a sign of being someone at least somewhat special (that's why 3E had NPC classes). A ranger therefore is ''not'' your average wilderness fighting person regardless of where they might be in relation to ''other'' player classes... when this was consistently applied, which wasn't always the case even in editions where it was indicated.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Ranger class -- particularly in 1st Edition AD&D -- almost defines BadassNormal. Rangers start their career with 2 [[HitPoints Hit Dice]] rather than the 1 everyone else gets, a whompin' 90% base tracking chance (by comparison, a 1st level thief with ''maximum'' Dexterity would have 20-40% in all but one skill), a 50% chance to surprise ''anyone,'' and a huge (by 1st Edition standards) damage bonus to pretty much any humanoid monster. At high levels they can learn magic [[TheRedMage drawn from the spells of two different classes]] (druid and magic-user) and start to attract [[TheBeastMaster loyal followers]], potentially up to ''[[GentleGiant storm giants]] and [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons copper dragons]]''. Yeah.

** By extension, people who go to Ranger School are identified as badasses by their Ranger Tab, even though they are not considered to be part of the actual 75th Ranger Regiment ("Scrolled" Rangers are generally required to go earn their Tab if they serve in a combat capacity in the Regiment, especially if they hope to lead one day). This honor goes to foreign allied soldiers who are vouched by their [=COs=] to attend them.

** By extension, people who go to Ranger School are identified as badasses by their Ranger Tab, even though they are not considered to be part of the actual 75th Ranger Regiment ("Scrolled" Rangers are generally required to go earn their Tab if they serve in a combat capacity in the Regiment, especially if they hope to lead one day).

** Batou's past with the JGSDF as a Ranger-trained soldier is occasionally mentioned. In the ''[[Anime/GhostIntheShellStandAloneComplex SACverse]]'', this has some prominence while he was tasked to hunt a suspected an American Empire commando turned serial killer in Niihama.
** In the ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellArise Ariseverse]]'', Ishikawa, Saito and Borma are implied to be also Ranger-trained soldiers.

* Steve Rogers (a.k.a. ComicBook/CaptainAmerica) served in a Ranger unit during UsefulNotes/WW2.
* Badass superspy ComicBook/NickFury was an Army Ranger during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* United States Army Rangers, who are advanced light infantry troops in the United States Army. [[note]]Their [[NiceHat berets]] are a bit of military tradition inherited from the British Commandos, who helped train the first Army Rangers. The Rangers in turn passed the Beret on to the Air Force Security Police airmen who attended Ranger School during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar when they needed to [[TookALevelInBadass expand their skills from being military policemen to defending their bases against major ground attacks.]][[/note]]

So you have your [[EliteMooks Elite Redshirts]]. They're on the good side, they're a group of (usually) non-heroes, and they are AWESOME. So... what do you call them?

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Bush rangers'' are shown in ''Literature/TheLastContinent'' as being outlaws. Rincewind, however, [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant makes the mistake]] most of us would probably make if we heard the word "ranger". ''The Last Continent'' is a mishmash of Australian culture, pop culture and nostalgia for things long since abandoned. The term "bush ranger" refers to criminals operating beyond the settled and adequately policed areas of the time, analogous to American Wild West outlaws.

* In Creator/TomClancy's ''Literature/Jack/Ryan'' series, Domingo Chavez is a graduate of Army Ranger school, later bringing that expertise to the anti-terrorist [[Literature/RainbowSix Rainbow team]].

* 'TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Ranger class -- particularly in 1st Edition AD&D -- almost defines BadassNormal. Rangers start their career with 2 [[HitPoints Hit Dice]] rather than the 1 everyone else gets, a whompin' 90% base tracking chance (by comparison, a 1st level thief with ''maximum'' Dexterity would have 20-40% in all but one skill), a 50% chance to surprise ''anyone,'' and a huge (by 1st Edition standards) damage bonus to pretty much any humanoid monster. At high levels they can learn magic [[TheRedMage drawn from the spells of two different classes]] (druid and magic-user) and start to attract [[TheBeastMaster loyal followers]], potentially up to ''[[GentleGiant storm giants]] and [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons copper dragons]]''. Yeah.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has Rangers, a troop choice for the [[OurElvesAreBetter Craftworld Eldar]]. They're Eldar who have decided to leave the ultra-regimented [[GenerationShips Craftworlds]] to seek excitement and adventure out in the galaxy. Between their highly accurate long rifles, their ability to traverse difficult terrain easily, and skills at infiltration and survival, the Rangers make for excellent scouts, assassins and guerilla fighters, and they will often return to their home craftworlds to aid them and fight for them. There is also an elite version of the Ranger, the Pathfinder, Rangers who have been Rangers for so long that they will never willingly return to their craftworlds and have centuries of experience; just small groups of them have been known to harass and stall entire [[RedshirtArmy Imperial Guard]] columns, [[BadassArmy exacting devastating tolls on their numbers, supplies and morale while receiving very few casualties themselves]].