Ninja Tribunal (episode)

	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 4; September 10, 2005 - April 15, 2006; List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes
	Episodes: Cousin Sid; The People's Choice; Sons of the Silent Age; Dragon's Brew; I, Monster; Grudge Match; A Wing and a Prayer; Bad Day; Aliens Among Us; Dragons Rising; Still Nobody; All Hallows Thieves; Samurai Tourist; The Ancient One; Scion of the Shredder; Prodigal Son; Outbreak; Trouble with Augie; Insane in the Membrane; Return of Savanti, Part 1; Return of Savanti, Part 2; Tale of Master Yoshi; Adventures in Turtle Sitting; Good Genes, Part 1; Good Genes, Part 2; Ninja Tribunal; Season 1 – Season 2 – Season 3 – Season 4 –Ninja Tribunal – Fast Forward - Back to the Sewer

“Ninja Tribunal”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) episode
Season Code:	S04E26
Episode:	104
Original airdate	April 15, 2006
Written by	Michael Ryan
Supervising Producer	Lloyd Goldfine
Producers:	Gary Richardson
	Frederick U. Fierst
	Al Kahn
	Norman Grossfeld
	Thomas Kenney
Supervising Director	Roy Burdine
Story Editor:	Lloyd Goldfine
Episode chronology
"Good Genes, Part 2"	"Lap of the Gods"

"Ninja Tribunal" is the one hundred fourth episode of the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which originally aired on April 15, 2006.

Appearing in Ninja Tribunal (episode)[]

Objects and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Episode[]

Voice-over introduction[]

Leonardo: "You know, if there's one thing I've learned being a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, is to always expect the unexpected. But with all of our training, and all of our hard work, I'd like to think that we're ready for anything. But sometimes, the unexpected is just a little too... unexpected."

Plot[]

The episode opens as Leonardo and Raphael move furniture around the lair, while Michelangelo gives them a hard time. Meanwhile Donatello, who is sitting on the couch that his two brothers are moving, is dismayed at his inactivity and eager to help. His brothers have forced him to rest due to their fear of a relapse. Don assures them he hasn't remembered any of trouble he put his brothers through when he was mutated into a monster and he is sorry he did this. Furthermore, the purple clad Turtle makes it clear he's feeling much better and he has been resting for weeks. Leo points out that they have been cooped up in the lair for a while and suggests that they should all go for a guys' night out, much to the others' delight.

A moment later, the guys are seen running, jumping, and rough housing on roof tops. Then Mikey jokingly asks if Don is changing back into a monster. Don playfully teases Mikey back and chases him all over the roof top pretending to be a monster. Little do the guys know, they are being watched by four wooden warriors, the Mokusai no Bushi.

Wood Warriors — The Mokusai during their first appearance.

Meanwhile, Splinter is seen back in the lair meditating. Suddenly, a concerned Ancient One enters and becomes frantic when he learns that the Turtles are gone.

Meanwhile, the Turtles are still chasing each other and laughing on the roof tops. When they stop and Don comments how great it is to be out and about, the four Mokusai no Bushi appear. They wield double tonfa and looking ready to fight and then they bow. The Turtles bow back. Then the fight ensues.

Tora 1 — The second male and third member of the humans team Tora

As the Turtles battle, Leonardo discovers that their foes are made of hard wood when one of his katana attacks lands squarely in a Mokusai no Bushi's head. Despite receiving what would have been a killing blow to most opponents, the wooden warrior casually removes the katana from his wooden head, and it's wound instantly heals. The bizarre warrior bows and offers to give the katana back to Leo. Leonardo grabs the katana and resumes fighting, but the Turtles soon realize that they have little chance in defeating their seemingly indomitable foes. One by one, each Turtle is defeated and knocked unconscious. The Mokusai no Bushi pick up all of the Turtles (along with their weapons) and carry them off...

The Turtles wake up, only to find themselves locked up within what seems to be a prison cell. The Turtles exit the surprisingly unlocked prison cell door, and find their weapons floating in a magical aura in the hallway outside. The Turtles grab their weapons, before noticing four other floating weapons nearby. Four humans then emerge out of four nearby cells, groggy and confused, much like the Turtles. The humans also grab their weapons. After briefly mistrusting one another, the groups introduce themselves - the human team introduces themselves as Adam McKay, Joi Reynard, Tora Yoshida, and Faraji Ngala. The Turtles then decide to look around and explore, asking if the humans wish to accompany them. The eight enter another chamber and realize that the door they just came in through has disappeared. Mikey then wishes for a door, and strangely, a gigantic one appears right in front of them. As the group walks through the door, they find themselves in a sanctuary, with many Mokusai no Bushi lined up along the walls. In front of them, they realize, are five thrones, four of which are filled with beings wearing armor similar to the Utrom Shredder's. The four beings then tell them that they are called the Ninja Tribunal, and they then tell the eight that a great evil is coming, and that they must be judged to determine if they are worthy to defend the Earth against the oncoming darkness. They then force the two groups to face each other in combat, as their first test. The so called Ninja Tribunal commands the two groups to fight each other, but the Turtles and humans decide that they would rather fight the Tribunal. However, when the eight begin to approach the thrones, the Mokusai no Bushi leap down from the sidelines and intervene. The eight captives desperately battle the wooden ninjas, but it doesn't take long for them to realize that there is no way to beat them.

The scene then cuts to the New York City city rooftops, where Splinter and the Ancient One are searching for clues that the Turtles are missing. They quickly realize that the Turtles have indeed been taken by the Mokusai no Bushi to the Ninja Tribunal. Splinter demands that the Ancient One take him to the Tribunal, which the Ancient One says is simply not permitted. However, Splinter insists he will protect his boys no matter what.

Back in the Tribunal's sanctuary, all eight warriors are utterly defeated by the Mokusai no Bushi. The Tribunal proclaims that they have all passed their first test by choosing to battle their indomitable foes, rather than choosing to fight one another. The group have become acolytes of the Ninja Tribunal.

The Turtles and humans are now free to contemplate their endeavor, as a magical stairway leads them up to a hatch that takes them onto the deck. The eight emerge on the deck of the Ninja Tribunal ship, far out at sea. They soon discover that their journey has taken them to Japan, which is clearly visible in the distance...

Quotes[]

Raphael: Yeah, no offense Donny, but you weren't too much fun when you were... sick.
Mikey: Fun?! He was a monster. An absolutely, horrible, drooling big nasty-fanged monster! You tried to eat my leg!

Mikey: Are we sure that Donny's all better? See the full moon, Donny? Do you feel the monster inside? The monster taking control?! MWAHAHAHA!!!!
Donny: Oh no. I'm- I'm changing! ROAR!
Mikey: AAAAHHH! HELP ME! HELP ME! HE'S TRYING TO EAT MY LEG AGAIN! AAAAAHHHHH!

[After the enemy ninjas demonstrate their tonfa prowess to the Turtles.]
Raphael: Now maybe it's just me, but I think these guys plan to stick it to us.

Juto: A great evil is coming. Darkness beyond your worst imaginings.
Chikara: We require warriors to combat it, and as pathetic as you are, you eight are our best hope.

Leo: You expect us to fight each other?
Raphael: Forget it, bucketheads.
Kon: You WILL fight, or you will be destroyed.

Trivia[]

Shortly after production ended on this episode, it was announced by 4Kids that the franchise would be heading in a new direction, placing the Turtles into the distant future in a series of "light hearted standalone episodes", this unfortunately indicated the events of this episode would not be elaborated upon in the following season. TMNT Writer and artist Dan Berger would eventually reveal to dismayed fans that Peter Laird was working hard on financing and distributing a full length season on DVD to wrap up the events of this episode.
Mikey's dueling nunchucks is a reference to the first movie, only with Mikey getting outshined this time.

External links[]

"The Ninja Tribunal" at The Official TMNT Web Site (archived)

Ninja Tribunal (episode)

Contents

Appearing in Ninja Tribunal (episode)[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

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