The Shredder Strikes, Part 1

“The Shredder Strikes, Part 1”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003) episode
Season Code:	S01E10
Episode:	10
Original airdate	April 12, 2003
Written by	Michael Ryan
Supervising Producer	Lloyd Goldfine
Producers:	Gary Richardson
	Frederick U. Fierst
	Al Kahn
	Norman Grossfeld
	Thomas Kenney
Supervising Director	Chuck Patton
Story Editor:	Lloyd Goldfine
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Garbageman" "The Shredder Strikes, Part 2"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 1 February 8, 2003 - November 1, 2003 List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes

Episodes: Things Change A Better Mousetrap Attack of the Mousers Meet Casey Jones Nano Darkness on the Edge of Town The Way of Invisibility Fallen Angel Garbageman The Shredder Strikes, Part 1 The Shredder Strikes, Part 2 The Unconvincing Turtle Titan Notes from the Underground, Part 1 Notes from the Underground, Part 2 Notes from the Underground, Part 3 The King The Shredder Strikes Back, Part 1 The Shredder Strikes Back, Part 2 Tales of Leo The Monster Hunter Return to New York, Part 1 Return to New York, Part 2 Return to New York, Part 3 Lone Raph and Cub The Search for Splinter, Part 1 The Search for Splinter, Part 2 Season 1 – Season 2 – Season 3 – Season 4 – Ninja Tribunal – Fast Forward - Back to the Sewer

"The Shredder Strikes, Part 1" is the tenth episode of the 2003 TV series and is also part 1 of 2 of The Shredder Strikes story arc. It first aired on April 12th, 2003. It had 2.26 million views on the 4kids website as of 2007.

Appearing in The Shredder Strikes, Part 1

Major characters

• Donatello (Sam Riegel)
• Hun (Greg Carey)
• Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas)
• Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson)
• Oroku Saki/The Shredder (Scottie Ray)
• Raphael (Frank Frankson)
• Splinter (Darren Dunstan)

Minor Characters

• Foot Ninja
• The Guardians (Sam Riegel)
• Hamato Yoshi (Eric Stuart) (debut) (flashback only) (death)
• Utrom Council Trio (Darren Dunstan)

Species

• Human
• Mutant rat
• Mutant turtle
• Utrom

Objects and vehicles

• Battle Shell
• Bō
• Katana
• Nunchaku
• Sai

Locations

• Abandoned warehouse
• New York City streets and rooftops
• Sewer tunnels
• Y'Lyntian outpost lair

Episode

Voice-over introduction

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Leonardo: In our ninja training, Master Splinter is constantly telling us that when given two choices, always choose the harder path. But somehow, when you're a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, the harder path always seems to choose you.

Plot

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While in their lair training, the Turtles argue about which of their weapons is the best. Leonardo wins their sparring match and claims that the katana is the superior weapon. Splinter tells Leonardo to attack him with his katana. Leo is easily defeated by Splinter with only his walking stick, proving Splinter's point that: A weapon is only as good as the ninja who wields it.

Confused and frustrated by what Master Splinter said, Leonardo goes to the roof to cool down, believing that Splinter doesn't understand what his swords mean to him. A nearby Foot Ninja shoots an arrow at Leonardo with a message attached. Leonardo picks up the note apprehensively. He finds out that the note is from Oroku Saki, inviting Leo to meet him at a nearby warehouse. Leo decides to go to the warehouse alone as the note instructed. Little does he know that his brothers are following closely behind him.

Leonardo enters the warehouse while his brothers watch through a skylight. He is attacked by thirteen Foot Ninjas, but defeats them quickly. Saki appears and congratulates Leo on his impressive ninja skills. Saki introduces himself and explains to Leonardo that he is the leader of a group of ninjas that is fighting a great evil that is trying to take over the world. He invites Leo and the other Turtles to join forces with he and his Foot ninja to battle against this evil force. Sensing Leo’s hesitation, Saki tells the Turtle to meditate on his offer over night and let him know tomorrow. Before parting, as a gesture of goodwill, Saki gives Leonardo a finely crafted katana forged by Toshi Kurahawa in the 16th century.

Unknown to those in and on the warehouse, the meeting was also observed by a couple of mysterious agents. They reported their findings to a council of three individuals who speak with one voice. Upon hearing the report, the council tells the Guardians to continue to watch the Turtles and to destroy them if they join forces with Saki.

As Leo makes his way back to the lair, his brothers surround and confront him. Leonardo tries to explain why he met secretly with Saki and what the Foot's leader had to say, but his brothers aren’t buying their enemy's story and a big argument ensues, followed by a short and potentially deadly battle in which Leonardo accidentally sends Raphael off the rooftop. In the end, Leonardo decides to do what he should have done at the start: talk to Master Splinter.

Splinter confesses that he has known who the Foot were all this time. He begins to tell his sons about his origins and his master. Splinter was originally the pet rat of ninja master Hamato Yoshi. He explains how Saki, a.k.a. The Shredder, along with his henchman, Hun, killed his master after Yoshi would not give them information on their enemy. Splinter escaped, but not before leaving his mark on Hun's face. Soon after that, he found the Turtles and they know how their lives go from here. Splinter goes on to tell his sons that The Shredder is great evil. The Turtles agree to go tell Saki their answer Turtle style.

"Let's dance."

The next day, Leo and his brothers return to the warehouse as planned. Leo gives the sword back to the Foot ninja and tell them to tell Saki that his answer is "No". A battle ensues, but the Turtles take the Foot down pretty easily. Just when they thought the battle was over and are about to head home, Hun arrives, excited for his rematch with the Turtles. They have trouble with Hun, but Leo manages to defeat him by kicking him through the warehouse skylight. Thinking they were done, the Turtles begin to head home for a second time. However, Saki arrives clad in his Shredder armor with more Foot ninja. He tells the Turtles that if they aren't with him, they're against him and anyone who is against him must be crushed.

See also

• The Shredder Strikes, Part 1/Gallery
• The Shredder Strikes, Part 1/Transcript

Quotes

[Mikey laughs at the scolding Leo is going to get] Splinter: Michelangelo! Do you think I am funny? Michelangelo: Uh, yeah. I mean sometimes. There was that time you told that joke about the ox and the sparrow... it wasn't really a joke, but it was funny and – (Donatello elbows Mikey in the stomach)* Oof! I mean, no, Master Splinter.

[Leo reads a note that was attached to an arrow] Leonardo: Okay, it's not your regular mail. I guess Mikey would call it, "Airmail."

Splinter: I never told you all this because I didn't want your training to be tainted by the poison of hatred. I did not want you to feel the sorrow that is still in my heart. But, now, you need to know who Saki, The Shredder, really is. He serves no great purpose, he fights no great evil. He is great evil. Any endeavor he undertakes, he does for his own selfish gain.

Trivia

• This marks the first appearance of Hamato Yoshi (albeit, in a flashback).
• This marks the first appearance of Oroku Saki in his Shredder armor.
• Mikey references Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy when he says, "Leonardo, you got some splainin' to do!"
• This episode is based loosely on the first issue of the Mirage comic book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 The Turtles' Origin is Told.

External Links

• "The Shredder Strikes, Part 1" at The Official TMNT Web Site