EPISODE ONE HUNDRED FOUR

"The Ninja Tribunal" Written by Michael Ryan Original Air Date: April 15, 2006

Supervising Producer: Lloyd Goldfine
Producers: Gary Richardson, Frederick U. Fierst, Al Kahn, Norman Grossfeld, Thomas Kenney
Supervising Director: Roy Burdine
Story Editor: Lloyd Goldfine

MAJOR CHARACTERS:
Donatello (Sam Regal)
Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas)
Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson)
Raphael (John Campbell)

SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
Master Splinter
The Ancient One
The Ninja Tribunal
Mokusei-no-Bushis

MAIN LOCATIONS, VEHICLES AND ACCESSORIES:
TMNT Lair
New York City Rooftops
Ninja Tribunal Ship

Synopsis:

Intro: Leonardo narrates as we open with the four Turtles on New York City rooftops where they're fighting against four Mokusei-no-Bushis (wooden ninjas). As Leo slices one in the head, his katana gets stuck. The wooden ninja steps back, pulls out the katana and his faceless head heals!

Act 1: Open as Leo and Raph move furniture around the lair while Mikey goofs off and Don rests. Donatello is feeling much better, but can’t remember anything that happened during his mutation. Don insists that he's feeling fine, so the Turtles decide they’ll go out. Soon enough the guys are on the city rooftops, But they don’t realize they’re being watched by four Mokusei-no-Bushis.

Cut back to the lair as Splinter meditates. Suddenly, a worried Ancient One enters and becomes frantic when he learns that the Turtles are gone.

Meanwhile, the Turtles are startled by movements in the shadows. As the teens look around, the four Mokusei-no-Bushis appear, wielding double tonfa and looking ready to fight!

Act 2: As their mysterious opponents bow, the Turtles bow back, and a fight ensues. As the Turtles battle, it seems their opponents are rock solid. Leo lands a blow to one of their heads, but the Mokusei-no-Bushi simply removes the katana sticking in its head and the split instantly heals. The mysterious ninjas are made of wood! Leo grabs the katana and resumes fighting, but the TMNT are taking a beating from their invulnerable foes. One by one, each Turtle is defeated and lying unconscious. The Mokusei-no-Bushis pick up the Turtles and carry them away...

Act 3: Open in the Ninja Tribunal ship below its decks. As the Turtles awaken, they find themselves in an ornate chamber. The young ninjas exit the unlocked room and find their weapons floating above a table. The TMNT grab their respective arms and notice four other floating weapons. Four humans enter, groggy and confused much like the Turtles. As the groups introduce themselves, they decide to look around. They enter another chamber and realize the door they just came in has disappeared! One of the humans smashes a hole in the wall and everyone walks through - and then the hole repairs itself! Now in a hallway, the confused warriors find a set of double doors in front of them. As the group walks through the doors, they find themselves in a sanctuary, with many Mokusei-no-Bushi lined along the walls. In front of them are five thrones, four of which are filled with beings wearing Shredder armor! The four Shredders inform our heroes that a great evil is coming and that they must all be judged to determine if they are worthy to defend the Earth. This judgment will be determined by the two groups facing off against each other in combat!

Act 4: As the Shredder-clad Ninja Tribunal commands the two groups to fight, the Turtles and humans decide that they would rather fight the Shredders. But as they approach, the Mokusei-no-Bushis leap from the sidelines. The eight heroes battle the wooden ninjas, but it's clear there is no way to win. Soon, all eight are on the ground and at bay to the Mokusei-no-Bushis. The Tribunal proclaims that they have all passed the first judgment by battling invulnerable foes rather than fight one another.

Cut to the New York City city rooftops where Splinter and the Ancient One search for clues. As they realize the Turtles have indeed been taken by the Mokusei-no-Bushis, Splinter orders the Ancient One to take him to the Ninja Tribunal.

The Turtles and humans are now on the deck of the Ninja Tribunal ship, where they discover that their journey has taken them to Japan...

NOTE: The fifth season was originally planned to be a continuation of the "Ninja Tribunal" story before the "Fast Forward" direction change was implemented - hence the unfortunate cliffhanger at the end of season four. The good news is, "The Ninja Tribunal" story line was completed - the bad news is, it apparently won't be airing on television in the USA.

4Kids Home Video planned to release the entire "Ninja Tribunal" story arc on DVD worldwide in early 2007, but changed their minds and only released the DVD set for Region 4 territories (Australia and New Zealand). Hopefully 4Kids will release these episodes for North America and Europe at some point in the future.