THE ULTIMATE NINJA

01PLOT

On a New York City rooftop, a strangely-attired man appears out of thin air. He pools some water in one of his hands from a dripping fountain, using it to create a sentient “water mirror”. The man asks to be shown the one he seeks, and a face appears in the mirror - It's Leonardo's face! The man then tells the water mirror to lead him to his quarry, for the latter's end is soon at hand.

Meanwhile, in the Turtles' lair, Leo is at a mirror brushing his teeth. We learn that April O'Neil is living with our heroes, something that's slightly getting under Leonardo's skin (since her laundry is hanging all over the bathroom and getting in his way). Leo approaches Master Splinter, wanting to discuss the situation, but he discovers that April has been brushing out Splinter's fur and the Sensei is delighted to have her around. Leonardo decides to drop the issue and heads to the main room of the lair. Raphael is sitting on the couch watching the local news broadcast about increased gang violence, and is getting upset. Donatello is examining the hover cart that April and Casey Jones used to escape the T.C.R.I. building. Michelangelo is in the kitchen making popcorn as preparation for "Movie Night." Casey arrives with a western movie entitled "Rio Gato", which features a story about a young gun slinger seeking fame by taking out a respected sheriff - a tale that parallels what is about to unfold in respect to Leo and the strange man hunting him. Once the movie is completed, Mikey complains that he's still hungry and thus the gang heads out in the Battle Shell to get some ice cream.

Our heroes are soon in an alleyway, enjoying ice cream. The Turtles express doubt about the accuracy of the western story, as Raph admits that while Rio Gato turned out to be a great film, he wonders how Sheriff Bart managed to defeat the Kid, especially considering the Kid obviously had better skills. Splinter suggests that the Kid lost because he fought only for fame and glory, while Sheriff Bart won because he fought to protect his friends and loved ones. Alternatively, Splinter posits that Sheriff Bart won simply because it was a movie that needed a happy ending. As the guys continue to talk, the mystery man arrives and throws a dagger at the back of Leonardo's head. At the last moment, Leo turns around and catches the blade. The knife has a tassel on its end that Splinter recognizes. Everyone takes defensive positions, and the otherworldly ninja emerges from the shadows. The man explains that he had come here to battle the Shredder in order to claim the title of Earth's mightiest warrior. However, Leo had beat the fellow to the punch when he apparently defeated Shredder in "Return to New York, Part 3". Thus, the ninja has come to challenge Leonardo to a mortal duel. The Turtles and Casey form a defensive position beside Leonardo, and Raph tells the warrior that anyone that messes with Leo is messing with him as well.

The visitor looks surprised and states that this is against the rules - Master Splinter looks at him and acknowledges that he's aware of that. The Turtles are surprised that Splinter seems to know what this crazy dude is talking about. The strange ninja pulls a Den-den daiko paddle drum out of his cloak and uses it to summon an even stranger figure - the referee Gyoji, a masked, transparent figure that floats in the air, sitting in the lotus position. The Gyoji forms a force field around the group and tells Leonardo that he must choose either to accept or not accept - if he refuses the challenge, his friends' lives will be forfeit, but if he accepts the challenge and loses, they will be spared and his life will be forfeit. Splinter tells his son that he must decide what to do, and Leo states that there is no choice - he must accept the challenge. The Gyoji nods and the visiting ninja promises Leonardo that he will be defeated. Splinter walks up to the Gyoji and demands a “full observance,” which is granted, although the ninja doesn't seem to be so happy about it. The Gyoji then creates a puddle of water that Leo sinks into as if it were quicksand. Raph rushes to try to help his brother, but he arrives too late and Leo is gone. The Gyoji creates a large water mirror that will allow the battle to be seen by the others.

Leonardo arrives in Central Park and begins roaming around, but he is unaware that the visiting ninja is right behind him, preparing to attack!

Leo isn't caught unaware by this, and the fight begins. After a brief fistfight, the Ultimate Ninja violently kicks Leo into a light post and then prepares to strike him with a chain he pulls out. Leonardo dodges this attack and strikes back, sending his foe flying into the trunk of a tree. Leonardo's adversary seems to attempt to make a break for it and jumps onto the top of a passing truck, where Leonardo meets him for Round Two. Leonardo pulls out his katanas and the opposing ninja does as well. The two begin fighting once again, but neither seems to be able to maintain the upper hand for very long. Unfortunately, when the ninja vanishes to avoid one of Leo's oncoming attacks, Leo's katanas get stuck into the truck's roof. Back in the alleyway, Raphael accuses the ninja of cheating. The Gyogi notes his complaint, but Raphael is not satisfied - He demands intervention in the duel. Splinter approaches his son and tells him that such things are considered at then end of the battle, not during. Donnie remarks that it might be too late by 'the end'. Meanwhile, the ninja is beginning to gain the upper hand when he pushes Leo towards the back end of the truck's roof, where Leo nearly loses his balance and falls off!!! Luckily, the Ultimate Ninja is carrying a small grappling hook in his belt, which is just enough for Leo to effectively use...and avoid certain death! After an intense second round, the two warriors jump off of the truck onto the Brooklyn Bridge, where they climb up to a slab of pavement near the top and face off with each other there.

Near the top of the bridge, the alien warrior strikes Leo with his tekkō-kagi (a clawed glove), sending Leo flying to the ground. Back in the alleyway, Raphael has seen enough and goes after Gyoji, who traps him in a small force field. Gyoji tells Raph he can’t interfere while Splinter tells Raph to calm down. The Gyoji releases a more settled Raph. Splinter assures him that the duel is hard to watch, but they must do so. Don asks if there is anything at all that they can do to help Leo. Splinter says there is something they can do to help. Splinter asks the Gyoji the right of attendance and to be near Leo. The referee grants this without question and the force field ball surrounding the group melts into the ground and reemerges on the slab of pavement near the Brooklyn Bridge, where the skirmish is taking place.

By this time, Leonardo has regained his feet and the tide of battle seems to have turned in his favor, much to everyone's joy. Unfortunately, the situation changes quickly. The alien ninja uses a questionable tactic by blowing green dust into Leo's face, which discombobulates Leo so that the Ultimate Ninja can gain the advantage with an array of kicks. These moves send Leonardo towards the edge of the pavement where the warrior delivers an open-fisted blow to the turtle's chest. As the other turtles, Splinter, April and Casey gape in horror, Leo begins to fall!!!!

Leonardo manages to grab onto some cables on the bridge to stop his plummeting descent, but the ninja leaps down and cuts them. Once again, Leo plummets towards the river far below. Fortunately, during the battle, Leonardo managed to gain possession of his foe's tekkō-kagi (a clawed glove). The Turtle, miraculously, is able to stop his fall by sticking the glove's blades into the concrete bridge support - This slows his descent and eventually stops it...not too many feet from the surface of the water!!

On the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, the warrior claims victory and brags about being the Ultimate Ninja on the planet. Splinter, April Casey, Mikey, Don and Raph are furious for possibly killing Leo. Raph declares that he'll teach the Ultimate Ninja a lesson that he'll never forget.

Leo makes it to the rooftop alive much to his friends’ and his family’s delight. Leo informs the fellow that he hasn't won quite yet. The Ultimate Ninja is stunned that the Turtle survived a fall that would've been fatal for most opponents. The battle renewed, the ninja hurls a bunch of shurikens at Leo - Leo is not intimidated by this, however, and blocks all of them with the tekkō-kagi glove. This time, Leo wastes no time disarming his quarry of his swords and then uses them to pin the man's head to the ground. Unable to move without the risk of cutting his neck or otherwise, the Ultimate Ninja surrenders and the Gyoji proclaims Leonardo as the winner. The force field around the others fades away and they rush to Leo's side, congratulating him. Splinter tells his son that he is very proud of him, and gives him a hug.

The Ultimate Ninja turns out to be a poor sport. The villain pulls out some more green dust, but this time, he uses it to create a nasty mystical dragon that attacks our heroes. Before the beast can cause any harm, it is cloven in half! As the green dust clears, we see a gigantic warrior standing with a single blade. The Gyoji bows and welcomes his "Majesty". We learn that this gargantuan figure is actually the Ultimate Ninja's father, the Daimyo. The Daimyo scolds his son, admonishing him for his dishonor, he was impetuous to selfishly claim this name. The Daimyo congratulates Splinter for teaching his students very well and congratulates Leonardo for winning the duel fair and square. The Daimyo then gives Leonardo his pair of katanas as his award. Leo and Daimyo bow to each other. The Daimyo explains that his people had visited the Earth long ago, and had been treated like tengu, or goblins. Before they departed, the Daimyo's kinsmen had taught those humans who were deemed worthy the mystic fighting art of Ninjutsu. The Daimyo congratulates Leo for holding the legacy of ninjutsu very well, but his son is not. The Ultimate Ninja is humiliated. With this, Daimyo, Ultimate Ninja and Gyoji then go home as they disappear into the puddle...

Our heroes begin the long walk down the bridge on their way home. Raph asks Master Splinter about what just happened, and the Sensei replies: “Be patient, when the time is right, all will be made clear.”

02CAST & APPEARANCES

03OBJECTS, VEHICLES & PLACES

04SCREEN GRABS

4 frames. Auto-matched screencaps via Fancaps.net.

05MEMORABLE QUOTES

Leo: _(after sticking a claw into the bridge and sliding to a stop just short of the water)_ Phew! I have got to get me a pair of these!

06TRIVIA

• First appearance of the Ultimate Ninja, the Gyoji and the Daimyo.
• The fictional _Rio Gato_ movie the Turtles and Splinter watched on television is a spoof on the real-world western movie _Rio Bravo_ from 1959. Likewise, the character of Sheriff Bart is named after the hero of another western movie, _Blazing Saddles_ from 1974. "The Kid", meanwhile, is most likely named after the famous western outlaw Billy the Kid.
• The Ultimate Ninja declares that _Leo_ defeated the Shredder. However, during their last battle with him, all of the Turtles defeated him, not just Leo. It's possible he is referring to the battle on the Foot Headquarters in which Leo was responsible for the defeat of the Shredder, as the Ultimate Ninja likely wouldn't have known about the more recent battle with the Shredder inside the TCRI Building.

07FAN REVIEW

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