Power Rangers Ninja Thunder was the first season to not feature "Thunderstorm". Its Sentai source was Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, which translated into Ninja Squadron Hidden Ranger. However, alongside Season 2, it did not use the Kakuranger suits for the core Rangers and were used for the Alien Ranger series instead. Much of the season was also heavily serialized, with multiple-part storylines sowing the seeds for events such as the Masked Rider television series, the eventual departure of long-running character Carmen Rodriguez and the events that would tie directly into the opening episodes of Ninja Thunder Alien Rangers.