The Forgotten Swordsman

“The Forgotten Swordsman”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series) episode
Season Code:	502
Episode:	106
Original airdate	March 26, 2017
Written by	Peter DiCicco
Supervising Producer	Patrick Krebs
Producers:	Ciro Nieli
Directed by	Alan Wan
Voice Direction	Andrea Romano
Supervising Director	Ben Jones & Ciro Nieli
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Scroll of the Demodragon" "Heart of Evil"

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 5 March 19, 2017 - November 12, 2017 List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes

Episodes: Scroll of the Demodragon The Forgotten Swordsman Heart of Evil End Times When Worlds Collide, Part 1 When Worlds Collide, Part 2 Yojimbo Osoroshi no Tabi Kagayakei! Kintaro Lone Rat and Cubs The Wasteland Warrior The Impossible Desert Carmageddon! The Curse of Savanti Romero The Crypt of Dracula The Frankenstein Experiment Monsters Among Us! Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady The Foot Walks Again! The Big Blow-Out! Season 1 – Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Season 5

"The Forgotten Swordsman" is the second episode of the fifth and final season of the 2012 TV series, and is the one-hundred and sixth episode overall in the series. It first aired on March 26th, 2017.

Synopsis

Karai searches for the Kuro Kabuto, claiming to be the rightful heir to the Foot Clan, when she encounters an old rival. Meanwhile, the Turtles discover that Kavaxas and Tiger Claw also desire the Kabuto, but for a different reason.

Characters

Major Characters

• April O'Neil (Mae Whitman)
• Casey Jones (Josh Peck)
• Donatello (Rob Paulsen)
• Fishface (Christian Lanz)
• Hattori Tatsu (Michael Hagiwara) (debut) (death)
• Karai (Kelly Hu)
• Leonardo (Seth Green)
• Michelangelo (Greg Cipes)
• Rahzar (Clancy Brown) (resurrection)
• Raphael (Sean Astin)
• Shinigami (Gwendoline Yeo)

Minor Characters

• Chompy Picasso
• Foot Cultists
• Foot Ninja (Christian Lanz)
• Kavaxas (Mark Hamill)
• Tiger Claw (Eric Bauza)

Plot

A grumpy Fishface dives into the freezing waters around Coney Island to retrieve Rahzar's dead body. He brings the corpse to Kavaxas, who is ordered by Tiger Claw to resurrect Bradford. Kavaxas obeys unquestioningly, as Tiger Claw still wields the Seal of the Ancients. Rahzar is resurrected, but Kavaxas states the Foot does not have the power to similarly resurrect the Shredder yet. To resurrect him they need both his mutated heart, through which new life can flow, and the Kuro Kabuto, which contains his mental energies. Tiger Claw orders Rahzar and Fishface to search for the Kuro Kabuto and bring it to him.

At the Turtles' lair, Leo checks up on the team's search for information on their new enemy. April has managed to find a book on Demodragons from an occult bookstore, supplementing Donatello's spotty internet sources.

In the living room, Raph is punching his punching bag. Meanwhile, Mikey is playing video games and his trash was all over the sitting area. Leo came in too see what was going on. He was not happy about what he's seeing. He demanded Mikey and Raph to meet him at the Dojo. Raph wanted a minute but Leo is having none of it. He then stopped Mikey from playing a video game called Super Comando 3 and ordered him to clean up the sitting area or there will be no TV for week. Mikey became upset and wanted Raph to fight Leo for him. Raph turned around and told Mikey that he better listen to Leo because he's the sensei now. April and Donnie came in announce that their sensors have picked up two mutants heading for Shredder's old lair. Since Raph and especially Mikey have nothing ”better” to do, Leo tells them to investigate. Raph became very defiant about the idea and demanded Leo to get off his back. Normally Leo would put up an argument with Raph back and forth and Raph would get away it. But this time since Leo is the sensei now, he has more control as an authoritative figure and he nips that defiant behavior in the bud immediately, by using Splinter's nerve poke technique. Raph thens falls over. Casey who is watching the whole thing finds Leo kinda strict as a sensei. Raph gets up from his fall. He reluctantly gives in to Leo's authority and he takes Mikey with him so they can investigate.

In the city, Karai and Shinigami are tracking some of their renegade Foot Ninjas. A new mercenary has entered the game and taken control of Karai's ninjas while she was recovering from the Super Shredder's attack. Her mettle as leader has been found wanting and now the traitors are waiting to see who to follow. Shini spots one of them in an alley below, entering a car. The girls follow.

Meanwhile, Raph and Mikey investigate Shredder's old lair. Mikey tells Raph how mad Leo is. Raph answers to Mikey that he misses Master Splinter and being sensei is hard on him. They're surprised to find the signals belong to Rahzar and Fishface on the roof searching for the missing Kuro Kabuto. Xever complains about being demoted to a mere errand boy only for a more intense than ever Rahzar to lecture him on the importance of the Kabuto. They head off to track it down, unaware of being overheard and followed by the Turtles.

Karai and Shini track their Ninjas to a warehouse and attack. They manage to defeat them but sense another presence in the warehouse, a skilled ninja in an Oni mask moving almost too quickly and stealthily to be seen. The two prepare for a tough battle when the warrior takes Shinigami down. Karai recognizes the enemies style, and he steps out of the shadows to greet her as his former pupil.

Mikey and Raph follow Rahzar and Fishface, only for Rahzar to pick up their scent and ambush them. While dueling Raph demands to know what Hot Head wants with the Shredder's helmet and Fishface casually brags about Tiger Claw's plan to resurrect their master. Much to his irritation the Turtles escape by dropping a smoke bomb, but Rahzar is focused on sniffing out the Kabuto.

Karai identifies the mystery rival as her old teacher, Hattori Tatsu, and struggles to hold her own against him. Even resorting to her snake mutation does her no good against the experienced swordsman and only a wave of bats from Shinigami's hat distracts Tatsu long enough for them to escape. One of Tatsu's new ninjas observes that the girls are gone and the ninja strikes him for the entire clan's uselessness. He orders them to focus on retrieving the Kabuto and not to fail him. Shinigami and Karai to refuge in an alley, noting they'll need their friends help to seize the helmet and take back control of the Foot.

Back at the lair, Donnie and Casey argue over how they could defeat Kavaxas. Leo breaks the argument claimed that should wait until Raph and Mikey come back from their patrol duty. Then a voice that sounded like Karai says that Leo always did like bossing people around. It was Karai and Shinigami at the entrance of the lair, because they're going to ask for their help. Though Casey votes to let the bad guys fight over the Kuro Kabuto. Then Mikey and Raph arrive and explain Tiger Claw and Kavaxas' plans. Karai is horrified when she heard about it. Shinigami explains that if they keep the helmet out of Tatsu's hands the ninjas will side with Karai, prompting April to ask why she would even bother. Karai explains the scale of the threat facing them, as if he gains leadership of the clan Tatsu will come after all of them. They are only chance for survival is to take him down.

Rahzar and Fishface track the scent of the Kabuto thieves to an alleyway as Tatsu and one of his ninja pass through. Though Rahzar recognizes something familiar about Tatsu's scent, the two spring from their vantage point and attack. Or attempt to. Tatsu casually knocks Xever out of the air, a shocked Bradford recognizing the style of a warrior he thought would never leave Japan. Tatsu explains he now has possession of the Kabuto and intends to carry on the Shredder's legacy. Grabbing the mutant by the ear, he promises him a place at his side if Rahzar decides to join him, but warns the offer will not stand for long. A contemplative Bradford watches as Tatsu climbs into his car and drives off. Though Xever wants payback for his humiliation at the new player's hands, Rahzar wonders aloud if the offer might be worth considering.

The Turtles and their allies pull up outside one of the few Foot safe houses left in the city, Tatsu's headquarters, in the party wagon and prepare to launch an assault. Leo proposes he, Karai, Mikey and (to Mikey's adolescent delight and her amusement) Shinigami all go after the Kabuto, while the others watch for Shredder's goons. Karai wants to take on Tatsu personally, but Leo is adamant that this operation be stealth only.

Inside, Tatsu reverently removes the Super Shredder's Kuro Kabuto from its resting place and declares himself the new leader of the Foot. Outside, Shini and Mikey take down the guards and turn off all the lights at the safe house's circuit breaker. Though the sudden darkness places the remaining guards on high alert, Leo and Karai easily deal with them and watch from a ledge as Tatsu swiftly returns the Kabuto to safety. The two lunge from above in a silent stealth attack, but the ninja snatches up his blade without even turning around and drives them back, somehow aware of their presences. He turns at the slightest creak as Mikey and Shini try to remove the Kabuto's box, but seems unfazed at finding himself surrounded and outnumbered.

Back at the Party Wagon, April senses Tatsu's Foot Soldiers approaching, and she, Raph, Donnie and Casey soon find themselves surrounded. Tatsu skillfully overpowers Leo, Karai, Shini and Mikey in a surprising display of skill. Karai is the only one to land a hit, knocking away Tatsu's mask and revealing that their enemy is completely blind, which surprised and baffled Leo. Tatsu told Karai that she couldn't defeat him so she hired her foot soldiers to come defeat him. Leo asks Karai what is Tatsu talking about. Then, Tatsu laughs and taunts the team that Karai did not tell them the whole story of "poor" Haturi Tatsu: he was born blind with a sense of hearing so acute that he effectively possesses a sixth sense that renders the blackout tactic useless. Shredder recognized Tatsu's skills and the blind swordsman used the prejudice his other lieutenants had for his condition to work his way up to the place of his master's right hand. He angrily recalls that, after Karai recruited her own clan, she then attempted to assassinate him to remove any competition for control of the Foot. Leo is upset with Karai because she kept this from him as her actions. Karai admits that she was arrogant, trying to reason with Tatsu and make him leave the Turtles alone, but he is determined to make them all pay.

Outside, April, Raph, Donnie and Casey manage to take down the Foot Soldiers, though at the expense of Don's wax job on the Party Wagon.

Tatsu take Mikey and Shini out of the fight by using their chain weapons to pull them within range of his powerful kicks, sending them splashing into his meditation pool. Enraged, Karai mutates, but is still unable to match her old teacher. Tatsu knocks her down and is about to finish her when he's struck by one of Casey's exploding pucks, temporarily disorientated by the force and the effect on his sense of hearing. The rest of the team attacks, but is equally helpless against the blind swordsman's skill, electrocuting Casey with his own taser, and setting Donnie up for almost being impaled by Raph's sai before knocking them both to the floor. Raph says it's like fighting Shredder, but Leo says that Tatsu can't see anything.

Leo and Karai get an idea. Leo throws Casey's explosive pucks at Tatsu, the explosions disorientating his senses again. Karai times her steps with each explosion, but Tatsu is still able to focus and block her sword strike... only to set himself up for Leo to land behind him and land the same nerve blow he used on Raph earlier. Caught off guard by the pain, Tatsu completely loses focus and control of his senses, truly blind for the first time in his life. Karai manages to finally beat her old teacher using her snake hands.

Karai changes back to her human form, and she informs her Ninjas that Tatsu was using them, just like the Shredder, the Foot Clan deserves a noble destiny, one with honor. Karai demands Tatsu to go back to Japan and rot. Then Rahzar, Tiger Claw and Kavaxas arrive, Kavaxas grabs Tatsu by the face and drains his soul. Kavaxas grabs the Kuro Kabuto and try to kill the Turtles and their allies, but April is able to use her psychic powers to create a shield to protect them, and Tiger Claw and Kavaxas leave. Casey and Shinigami are badly injured and must be taken to a hospital.

Back underground, Kavaxas place the Kabuto on the top of various parts of Shredder's body. Now they only need his heart, and Tiger Claw informs that his men are on it. Kavaxas starts to eye the Seal of the Ancients that is in Tiger Claw's hand.

Casey and Shini are left at the hospital floor to be found by the paramedics. Karai apologizes for going after Tatsu, but the rest of the group promises to stop Kavaxas and Tiger Claw once and for all as a team.

Trivia

• It's revealed that Rahzar perished at the bottom of the Coney Island boardwalk while fighting Leatherhead in "Requiem".
• Starting with this episode, Leo uses a pair of O-katanas (the same ones he used in the Season 4 finale) for the rest of this season (excluding the Raphael: Mutant Apocalypse arc and Lone Rat and Cubs).
• At Donatello's Lab, April picked up a book about Demodragons from "Ray's Occult Bookshop." Ray's Occult Bookshop is seen on Ghostbusters II.
• Tatsu striking one of his own Foot ninja references similar abusive methods from the first movie.
• Mikey is seen without his mask when Leo is attending to his injuries.
• Though the concept of the blind martial artist has been around even longer than pop culture has existed, Tatsu's specific disability and fighting style is similar to Marvel Comics character Stick, Daredevil's mentor.
  • Stick was also the inspiration for Splinter's name.

Gallery

The Forgotten Swordsman/Gallery

Transcript

The Forgotten Swordsman/Transcript