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Leonardo Versus Tempestra
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 Cartoon) episode
Leonardo Versus Tempestra Title Card
Season Code: 04
Episode: 33
Original airdate November 17, 1990
Written by Susan Stewart-Taggart
Supervising Producer Fred Wolf
Producers: Walt Kubiak
Supervising Director  Bill Wolf
Episode chronology
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"The Big Cufflink Caper!" "Splinter Vanishes"
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 Season
September 10, 1990 - December 8, 1990
List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes
Tmnt1987logosmall

Episodes:

  • Syndication
  1. "Plan Six From Outer Space"
  2. "Turtles of the Jungle"
  3. "Michelangelo Toys Around"
  4. "Peking Turtle"
  5. "Shredder's Mom"
  6. "Four Turtles and a Baby"
  7. "Turtlemaniac"
  8. "Rondo in New York"
  9. "Planet of the Turtles"
  10. "Name That Toon"
  11. "Menace Maestro, Please"
  12. "Superhero for a Day"
  13. "Back to the Egg"
  • Saturday Mornings
  1. "Son of Return of the Fly II"
  2. "Raphael Knocks 'em Dead"
  3. "Bebop and Rocksteady Conquer the Universe"
  4. "Raphael Meets His Match"
  5. "Slash - The Evil Turtle from Dimension X"
  6. "Leonardo Lightens Up"
  7. "Were-Rats from Channel 6"
  8. "Funny, They Shrunk Michelangelo"
  9. "The Big Zipp Attack"
  10. "Donatello Makes Time"
  11. "Farewell, Lotus Blossom"
  12. "Rebel Without a Fin"
  13. "Rhino-Man"
  14. "Michelangelo Meets Bugman"
  15. "Poor Little Rich Turtle"
  16. "What's Michelangelo Good For?"
  17. "The Dimension X Story"
  18. "Donatello's Degree"
  19. "The Big Cufflink Caper!"
  20. "Leonardo Versus Tempestra"
  21. "Splinter Vanishes"
  22. "Raphael Drives 'Em Wild"
  23. "Beyond the Donatello Nebula"
  24. "Big Bug Blunder"
  25. "The Foot Soldiers are Revolting"
  26. "Unidentified Flying Leonardo"

1987 Season1988 Season1989 Season1990 Season1991 Season1992 Season1992-1993 Vacation in Europe sideseason1993 Season1994 Season1995 Season1996 Season

Leonardo Versus Tempestra is an episode of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series.

Appearing in Leonardo Versus Tempestra[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

  • Night watchman (Townsend Coleman)

Species[]

Objects and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Plot[]

While Leonardo trains with Splinter and a "Shredder" dummy, the other Turtles are feeling a touch of cabin fever (as well as food deprivation). Fortunately, Raphael reveals that the Video Madness Arcade - whose owner lets them play after hours - has just gotten a new shipment of games. They decide to invite Leonardo to come with them, only to accidentally embarrass themselves by attacking the "Shredder" dummy.

Armed with several pizzas, the Turtles power-up the games and spend the night playing. Leonardo is initially uncertain which game he wants to play, but is lured in by the challenge of a game called "Tempestra's Revenge". He finds himself talking to the game and taking its challenges personally.

By dawn, Leonardo is still furiously playing when the other Turtles are tired out. He's desperate to keep playing, declaring that he nearly beat Tempestra. The night watchman appears, forcing the other Turtles to physically drag Leonardo out of the room (although they manage to clean up the arcade before departing).

A few days later, Leonardo is distracted and unwilling to eat, instead choosing to sketch a picture of Tempestra. Donatello brings up that Splinter is worried because Leonardo has been skipping practice, and Raphael concludes that it's because of the video game. An irate Leonardo denounces video games as being for kids, but Donatello is convinced that he's been secretly sneaking out to play.

That night, when everyone else is asleep, Leonardo has nightmares where Tempestra taunts him. He sneaks off to the arcade during a lightning storm, and reaches the final level just as a bolt strikes the arcade, blasting open the game. Suddenly Tempestra is real and alive, and she declares that "now you are playing for the fate of the world!"

He manages to call the other Turtles, who are irritated by his call and initially think that he's gone nuts until they see Tempestra on the screen. Enraged by their attempts at interference, Tempestra blasts energy into the sewer and causes it to flood, trapping the other three Turtles in the lair.

After telekinetically flinging games and bolts of electricity at Leonardo, Tempestra finally leaves the arcade behind. Leonardo grabs a circuit board from her broken game, hoping to trap her with it.

Meanwhile, Donatello is cobbling together a diving bell (partially out of pizza pans), since the pressure outside is too great for them to simply swim.

Leonardo stalwartly tries to fight Tempestra, but her powers allow her to control steamrollers, instantly freeze him in ice, and even trigger earthquakes. April arrives just in time to rescue Leonardo from a growing crack in the street. After leaving him behind, Tempestra decides to mess with the people of Channel 6, causing temperatures to fluctuate wildly.

Leonardo comes to the conclusion that Tempestra will be heading to a nuclear power generator, since her powers require absorption of power from elsewhere. He is in fact correct, as she has already switched the signs for a broken bridge and the nuclear power generator, sending April and Leonardo hurtling off onto a massive rollercoaster. They manage to escape in one piece.

Meanwhile, the other Turtles manage to leave in the diving bell, and home in on April's Turtlecom signal.

While Tempestra absorbs the nuclear energy, April and Leonardo arrive at the plant, and Leonardo begins taunting Tempestra in an effort to exhaust her. She responds by summoning three monsters to attack him - a red dragon, an electricity monster and an ice monster. While he fights them off, the diving bell bursts through the ground, and the other three Turtles join the fray, easily defeating all three monsters.

As a famished Tempestra prepares to blow up the generator, Leonardo flings the circuit board at her, which reabsorbs her instantly.

The Turtles pass the Video Madness Arcade again, but Leonardo is now wary of the place. A truck speeds past them with the broken Tempestra's Revenge game in the back.

See also[]

Notes and errors[]

  • First appearance of Tempestra. She will return one last time in "Night of the Rogues", but no explanation is given as to how she comes back to life.
  • The red dragon and the electricity monster Tempestra summons were previously created by Shredder and Baxter with the Eye of Sarnath in "Curse of the Evil Eye".
  • This episode tries to reflect the issues of video game addiction on arcades which had a controversial increase in the middle of the 80s and early 90s.
  • Irma references having recently received an apparent promotion, as she is seen directing Vernon's evening weather update and reports directly to Burne Thompson.
  • Leonardo doesn't have his swords with him when he's at the arcade and when Tempestra goes on a rampage through the city, but gains them at the power plant.
  • When Leonardo tells the Turtles on the Turtlecom to get to the arcade, Raphael speaks in Donatello's voice when he says, "Is this about that Tempestra game?"
  • When Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo wake up in the arcade, the patterns on Leonardo and Michelangelo's shells are the wrong way. 

Home media releases[]

VHS[]

LaserDisc[]

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo Lightens Up/Michaelangelo Meets Bugman

DVD[]

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