White Belt, Black Heart

	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1993 Season; 1993 ; List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes
	Episodes: "Night of the Dark Turtle"; "The Starchild"; "The Legend of Koji"; "Convicts from Dimension X"; "White Belt, Black Heart"; "Night of the Rogues"; "Attack of the Neutrinos"; "Escape from the Planet of the Turtleoids"; "Revenge of the Fly"; "Atlantis Awakes"; "Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!"; "Invasion of the Krangazoids"; "Combat Land"; "Shredder Triumphant!"; 1987 Season – 1988 Season – 1989 Season – 1990 Season – 1991 Season – 1992 Season - 1992-1993 Vacation in Europe sideseason – 1993 Season – 1994 Season – 1995 Season – 1996 Season

“White Belt, Black Heart”
1987 TV series episode
Season Code:	07
Episode:	05
Original airdate	November 13, 1993
Written by	Jack Mendelsohn and Carole Mendelsohn
Producers:
Episode chronology
"Convicts from Dimension X"	"Night of the Rogues"

White Belt, Black Heart is a season 7 episode of the 1987 TV series.

Appearing in White Belt, Black Heart[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

Species[]

Human
Mutant rat
Mutant rhinoceros
Mutant turtle
Mutant warthog

Objects and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Golden Buddha Restaurant
Channel 6
Jewelery Warehouse
Mid-City Bank
Pier 17
Technodrome
Turtle Lair

Plot[]

During his meditation, Splinter is contacted by his old mentor Mogo-san, who reveals that he is visiting New York and asks his old pupil to meet him. Splinter is somewhat anxious about leaving the lair, but he goes nonetheless.

Meanwhile, April O'Neil covers a gang of criminal ninja who have been terrorizing the city, the Black Heart Gang, led by a man named Yoku. Shredder and Krang watch the report, and decide that they should get the strange ninjas to work for them.

Mogo is rather shocked when he sees that Hamato Yoshi has become a giant rat, but he soon reveals why he's in New York. He is bringing the sacred white belt of the Mogo clan, to pass it on to his grandson Yoku. Splinter isn't sure where Yoku is, but believes that the Turtles can help locate his sensei's grandson. After the Turtles are introduced to Mogo, Donatello reluctantly reveals to him that Yoku has become a criminal.

That evening, Yoku leads a raid on a jewelry store, while Shredder watches them with great interest. He approaches the ninja gang and easily trounces them, offering them Dimension X weapons in exchange for secret government plans.

April O'Neil alerts the Turtles to the involvement of both the Black Heart Gang and Shredder, just before the Turtle Van nearly crashes into the Black Heart Gang's getaway truck. Just as they track down the Gang, they see Yoku shaking hands with Shredder, and break in to interrupt. Yoku uses a paralyzing weapon to immobilize the Turtles, but is shocked when he sees Splinter, allowing the mutant rat to get the upper hand.

The Turtles apprehend Yoku and bring him back to the sewers, where Mogo chastises him for what he's been doing. He gives Splinter the white belt and orders him to burn it, saying that it is better for it to be consumed by flames than given to someone who would dishonor it. Yoku then escapes.

April successfully manages to track down the Gang, only to be caught when her Turtlecom goes off. They decide to use April to get into the government facility Shredder wants infiltrated. That night, Vernon Fenwick shows news footage of April driving the news van away from the crime scene, and the Turtles charge out to rescue her.

Meanwhile, Mogo decides that it has become too painful to stay, and prepares to leave New York.

When investigating a restaurant the Black Heart Gang frequents, Michelangelo accidentally uncovers a basement level, where April is being held captive. They easily defeat the Gang members, but are buried in rubble by a blast from one of the Dimension X weapons. It's then revealed that the president of a bank robbed by the Gang, Mr. Crocker, is actually their secret boss, but just as the Gang is about to kill the Turtles, Yoku unexpectedly turns on them.

Meanwhile, the maps given to Shredder turn out to be fakes. Krang rages at him until Bebop and Rocksteady restore the status quo by intentionally splashing blue and yellow paint all over Krang.

After the Gang and Crocker are apprehended, Yoku says that he must speak to his grandfather, who is preparing to sail back to Japan. They barely arrive in time, and Yoku reveals that he's actually a government agent who infiltrated the Black Heart Gang. Mogo is delighted, but regrets that he asked Splinter to burn the belt. Splinter then reveals that he never burned it, knowing deep down that Yoku was honorable.

Notes and errors[]

In the first shot of Krang watching April's news report, his robot hands are flesh colored instead of the usual red.
When Donatello drops the sushi and Master Mogo-San catches it with his sword, he hands the sword to Leonardo. The sword instantly vanishes in following shots.
After Bebop and Rocksteady finish painting the Technodrome and Bebop slaps green paint onto Rocksteady's shoulder, the green paint on his own shoulder disappears in the next shot and then reappears two shots later.
When Rocksteady gives the communicator to Krang so he can talk to Shredder, the green paint on Rocksteady's shoulder from earlier has disappeared.
When Rocksteady gives the communicator to Krang so he can talk to Shredder, Krang's robot hands are flesh colored again.
Raphael's colors suddenly change into Leonardo's colors when the turtles are escorting Yoku into the Turtle Van.
Raphael disarms one of Yoku's men by throwing one of his sai and pinning the thug's weapon to a wall. In the next shot, his sai is back on his belt.

Trivia[]

Final episode where Shredder is voiced by James Avery.

Home media releases[]

VHS[]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Legend of Koji

DVD[]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 7, Part 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection