The Shredder Strikes Back, Part 1

"The Shredder Strikes Back" is the seventeenth episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which originally aired on June 7, 2003.

Major Characters

 * Donatello (Sam Regal)
 * Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas)
 * Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson)
 * Raphael (Frank Frankson)
 * Splinter (Darren Dunstan)
 * April O'Neil (Veronica Taylor)
 * The Shredder (Scottie Ray)
 * Hun (Greg Carey)

Secondary Characters

 * Various Foot Divisions
 * Foot Ninja
 * Foot Tech Ninja
 * Foot Elite Guard

Main Locations, Vehicles and Accessories

 * April's Apartment
 * City streets and rooftops

Voice-Over Introduction
Leonardo : There are times in your life when you draw on everything you have. Times when you reach down into the deepest part of yourself. When you know you gotta give it your all, because anything less won't get the job done. It's in times like these that you find out who youreally are. That is, if you live long enough.

Plot summary
It is early morning, and Leo prepares to leave for his daily training exercises. Master Splinter arises to have a few words with his son while the rest of the Turtles are spread out around April’s apartment sleeping. Splinter tells Leo to be very careful due to the Foot activity and he cautions his student against doing any investigating in the sewers on his own. Leonardo reluctantly agrees not to take any unnecessary chances and disappears through the window.

Shortly after Leo leaves, the rest of the Turtles and April wake up and start going through their newly established morning ritual, rushing for the bathroom, making breakfast, picking pillows and blankets up off the floor, etc. As this scene of domestic life is unfolding at April’s place, Leonardo is starting to deal with an entirely different reality - he’s being pursued by a horde of Foot soldiers. To make matters worse, after several tiring skirmishes, the sky opens up and a violent thunderstorm erupts.

Leo runs across the rooftops, occasionally stopping to fight off a few of his pursuers. But for every Foot soldier he defeats, two more appear. Also, as he heads for home, his adversaries become more skilled and fierce. Ordinary Foot soldiers give way to Foot Tech Ninja.

Back at April’s, the rest of the crew has finished breakfast and Raph and Don are doing the dishes. The Turtles are starting to get a little worried about what’s keeping Leo, as his morning training exercises don’t usually last this long. Raph decides that of all the TMNT, Leo is the only one they needn't worry about being late.

Leonardo’s constant battles are starting to wear him out, but just as he thinks he might have defeated the Foot Tech Ninja, he turns a corner and comes face to face with the giant Hun and even more Foot soldiers. Leo signals for Hun to come and fight, man to man. Hun smiles wickedly and instructs his troops to stay back, he’ll handle this Turtle himself. The fight is ferocious, and for a time it looks like the superior size and strength of Hun will win out. However, just when defeat looks certain, Leo uses his speed, agility and ninja skill to knock the big man into a chimney that collapses onto the villain. Seeing their leader down and out, the rest of the Foot turn and run, apparently not wanting any of what Leo is dishing out. With a sigh of relief, the battered mutant turns and heads for home.

At April’s the guys are watching TV when Mikey illustrates his prowess at power burping. April is disgusted, but Don and Raph applaud the effort. However, Raphael says he's going stir crazy and he's going to go out to see what’s keeping Leo. Splinter doesn’t want another Turtle out in the daytime, getting into trouble, so he orders Raph to stay put.

Meanwhile, Leonardo’s trip home takes another turn for the worse. Suddenly four Elite Guard arrive on the scene, blocking Leo’s way forward. Hun, the Foot Soldiers and Foot Tech Ninja come up from behind, blocking any retreat. After seeing he has no options, Leo takes a deep breath, summons up all his strength and attacks the Elite Guard. The battle is the fiercest the Turtle has ever been involved in. The Elite Guard attacks him from every side, passing Leo back and forth, inflicting more and more damage. Just when defeat looks certain, the Elite Guard stops the fight and steps aside. Leo, beaten and battered, barely holding onto consciousness, looks up and, to his total amazement, sees the Shredder silhouetted against the stormy sky. But how is this possible? Leo and the others saw the Shredder fall off a building and get crushed by debris!

Back at April’s apartment, Master Splinter has finally decided that Leonardo must be in trouble. The Sensei instructs Raph, Don and Mike to go look for him. The three gather up their weapons and prepare to leave when suddenly Leo comes crashing through one of the windows. The Turtles, Splinter and April rush to Leonardo’s broken and beaten body, not knowing whether he’s dead or alive. Raphael growls that he's going to find who did this to his brother, but before he can exit, Leo calls out for him to stop.

“He’s back! The Shredder!” the injured Turtle gasps.

Everyone is shocked by this news.

Back on the rooftops, Hun hands Shredder Leonardo's katanas. The Shredder raises the blades over his head and with superhuman effort breaks them in half. The evil mastermind then laughs maniacally as the thunderstorm rages on.

Quotes

 * Michelangelo: (cooking breakfast when the yolks in the pan broke; he begins to stir up the eggs) Scrambled's okay with everybody, right?
 * Everyone (Donatello, Raphael, Splinter, and April): Again?!


 * Michelangelo: Oh man, I slept on my hand, and it got numb and hit my face and I thought somebody slapped me. Don't ya hate that?
 * (long pause)
 * Raphael: Words fail me.


 * April: Hey, what's burning?
 * Raphael: Mike's cooking.


 * April: So, one would think that table manners were a part of their training...?
 * Splinter: One would think.


 * Donatello: My friend, unfortunately the lowly turtle has been saddled by society with the stereotype of being, velocity challenged.
 * Raphael: Say what?


 * Michelangelo: May I have your attention please.
 * (long pause as everyone looks at him)
 * (Mike lets out an extremely long and hearty belch)
 * Don and Raph: Cool. (start clapping)
 * April (disgusted): Gross...
 * Splinter: This is what I live with all the time.
 * Leonardo: He's back...The..Shredder.
 * Leonardo: He's back...The..Shredder.

Trivia

 * This episode is based off of the Leonardo #1 comic book.
 * First appearance of the Foot Elite. In this series the battle is at night during a bad storm but in the comics it was snowing and it was Christmas time. In the 2003 version Casey Jones crashes through the window on a motercycle but in the comics he just came in side wearing a cape with tow bats ready to fight. Comic Casey Jones also battled the Shredder like the 1987s Casey Jones. In the Comics Shredder is invovled in the battle likle the 2003 series and burned the shop down in both versions. In the live action movie Raphael was hurt and the battle was during the day and not in a strom or in a blizzard. In the live action movie Shredder was not in the battle nor did he burn down April shops but did send Tatsu was there in the battle but did not battle the turtles. In the comics the turtles went down stairs just like in the 2003 version to get away from the foot ninjas but in the live action movie the foot cut holes in the floor with their axes and when more comes the floor fell and all of them were in the shop below when Tatsu was seen with a bunch of foot ninjas. None of this happened in the 1987s version.