S2E08: Invasion of the Punk Mutants

## Summary

"Invasion of the Punk Mutants" (Japanese title: Foes Become Friends! The Punk Mutants) is Season 2's eighth episode, and the fourteenth episode of the series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Mobians (1987)."

## Plot

The episode opens with Charmy Bee training in an obstacle course in the sewer lair, only for the new booby traps made by Miles "Tails" Prower and Silver the Hedgehog to make him fail at exactly three minutes and twenty-six seconds, according to Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough. Then afterwards, Knuckles the Echidna took his turn. At the abandoned building, Loki's group and their henchmen contact Uka-Uka's group and convince them to send the canister of Mutagen to them so they can create an army of mutants of their own, to which Uka-Uka's group agree, regardless that they pointed out that Dimension X is being overrun by a windy ion storm. In Florida's Okefenokee Swamp, a wife is complaining to her husband about vacationing in the Florida swamps instead of Hawaii when their eight year old son comes up to them with two baby dragon-like lizards and two red wolf pups, both one male and one female each. The wife becomes disgusted by the animals and orders her son to return them to the swamp. As the son does so, the Mutagen canister, due to the ion storm, crashes into the swampwaters nearby and contaminates it. As soon as the boy returned the four animals to the swamp near the Mutagen-filled water, the four animals soon mutated into two mutant anthro dragons and two mutant anthro wolves. Seeing this, the wife panics and she and her son and husband retreated into the motorhome and drove off, much to the four newly-born mutants' confusion. Back in the abandoned building in New York City, Uka-Uka's group reports to Loki's group and their henchmen about the Mutagen canister landing in Okefenokee Swamp, Florida, and then ends the report, telling Loki's group to find whatever mutants they can find themselves. Deciding to do so, Loki's group used Dr. Neo Cortex's device to change into their main attires under their henchmen's suggestion, and before they leave, Loki's group order the henchmen to distract our heroes by wreaking havoc. At the Channel Six building, Elise Oriana III and Tai Kamiya's groups discuss about Christopher Aonuma's group planning on taking Elise's group out to Outback Steakhouse for dinner when they find a peculiar report from the printer. Later in the sewer lair, Elise, Christopher, and Tai's groups reveal the report to the TMNM, Yuffie Kisaragi, Tiny Tiger, and Dingodile, revealing to be about four mysterious mutants being spotted in Okefenokee Swamp. But before they took action, they spot the henchmen wreaking havoc at Times Square on the TV set and decide to go stop them first. At Okefenokee Swamp, Loki's group, after finding the broken Mutagen canister empty, finds the four mutants and immediately takes them in, pretending to be friendly to the mutants by not only giving them clothes, but also tricks them into believing they are fighting against the "Evil Mobians," regardless of the female mutant dragon's suspicions of Loki's group. Back at Times Square, the henchmen are wreaking havoc when our heroes arrived from the manhole leading to the sewers and they proceed to fight. But just when the fight got more action-packed, Loki's group, changed back into their main attires and back in New York City, call the henchmen back, having found what they're looking for. Despite being reluctant, the henchmen did what they ordered and retreated, much to our heroes' confusion and suspicions. Back at the abandoned building, the henchmen are immediately introduced by Loki's group to the four mutants, now called the Punk Mutants.

After Pinstripe Potoroo tries to flirt with the female mutant wolf, much to her discomfort, Loki's group then reveal the Punk Mutants' names; The male mutant dragon is now called Arren AKA Lebannen, the male mutant wolf is now called Ashitaka, the female mutant dragon is now called Therru AKA Tehanu, and the female mutant wolf is now called San AKA Princess Mononoke. After the henchmen point out that our heroes will easily "Wipe the floor with [them]," Loki's group reassured them that they helped Sephiroth instantly train the Punk Mutants into fighting well, which immediately wins the henchmen over when San subdued Pinstripe with her whip. Back in the sewer lair, our heroes, Cloud, and Aerith are hanging around, wondering when Loki's group and their henchmen will strike when Elise, Christopher, and Tai's groups arrived in concern, revealing on the news on TV that four mutants that "Resemble the Mobians" have robbed the local uptown bank, and now the Mayor has hired a man named Hoffman to have his squad called the Anti-Mobian Squad to go after the TMNM. Shocked at this news, our heroes decide to go investigate the incident to find the real culprits. At the abandoned building, Loki's group congratulates the Punk Mutants for passing their test and then orders them to go to the Mallory Chemical Plant and steal some chemicals in order to create more Mutagen under Uka-Uka's group's request since Uka-Uka's group, after Loki's group contact them to send more Mutagen, revealed that the Mutagen canister they sent earlier is the last one. Out on the streets, our heroes begin their search for the culprits when the Anti-Mobian Squad finds them and chases them when our heroes got away. At the Mallory Chemical Plant, the Punk Mutants break in to steal two chemicals called dexonine and flouchist, despite agreeing from Therru's suggestion that they ask Loki's group about the TMNM before deciding to treat the TMNM like enemies. With our heroes, they are briefed by Elise and Tai's groups about the Mallory Chemical Plant's robbery and they head there. Once there, our heroes and the Punk Mutants finally encounter each other, but the Punk Mutants escape with the two chemicals they were ordered to get. Afterwards, Tails, Silver, and E-123 Omega reveal to our heroes under a hunch about why the Punk Mutants have stolen the chemicals and what Loki's group is plotting, and that the next chemical Loki's group might go after next is the nyotrinaline. After contacting Elise and Tai's groups to investigate the next chemical, our heroes are then told by Elise and Tai's groups about a shipment of nyotrinaline being shipped to a chemical plant by Argus Chemical Supply Warehouse. Later, Elise's group, under J. Jonah Jamieson's orders, reports about the Anti-Mobian Squad taking big measures to find and captures the TMNM by using a tracking device that scans their biorhythms, as well as go after them in a tank. At the same time this happens, Loki's group learn about the nyotrinaline from Uka-Uka's group and orders the Punk Mutants to go get it, despite the Punk Mutants expressing doubts. Out on the streets, our heroes find the truck containing the nyotrinaline and caught up with the Punk Mutants just when they attempt to break into the truck after making it stop by one of Ashitaka's bomb arrows. Suddenly, the Anti-Mobian Squad arrives and using an ice blaster from the tank, freezes the Punk Mutants in ice chunks before aiming at the TMNM.

Then Vector the Crocodile immediately threw one of his sais at the ice blaster, making it blast on a nearby building instead, causing some ice to crack and break, allowing the chunks to trap Hoffman and the Anti-Mobian Squad inside the tank. Deciding to bring the Punk Mutants to the sewer lair under Sonic the Hedgehog, Tiny, Dingodile, and Yuffie's request, our heroes do so and managed to escape just when Hoffman and the Anti-Mobian Squad, after escaping the tank, tried to shoot them with laser guns. In the sewer lair, our heroes explained to Cloud and Aerith what happened and deciding to take Cloud and Aerith's advice to get the Punk Mutants to trust them by trusting them, our heroes, with Blaze the Cat's fireballs, melt the ice chunks, freeing the Punk Mutants. But just when the Punk Mutants, except Therru, are gonna fight our heroes, Cloud, Aerith, and Therru stops it and our heroes finally tell the Punk Mutants the real truth about the TMNM and their allies and about Loki's group's true colors. Realizing the truth, the Punk Mutants agree to help our heroes and trust them, and they and our heroes decide to lure Loki's group and their henchmen into a trap at Stonewall Prison. After our heroes and the Punk Mutants successfully lured Loki's group and their henchmen to Stonewall Prison, with the Punk Mutants claiming that our heroes took the nyotrinaline there to hide it, our heroes and the Punk Mutants ambush Loki's group and their henchmen when they heard the Anti-Mobian Squad coming. Then after Loki's group and their henchmen use Cortex's device to disguise themselves as Anti-Mobian Squad members, they seemingly get away. Then Hoffman and the Anti-Mobian Squad arrive and almost caught the TMNM with knockout gas for mutants when Ashitaka fires a bomb arrow on the ground, creating a hole for them to escape into the sewers. After the gas dies down and Ashitaka fires another bomb arrow to hold back the Anti-Mobian Squad, Christopher's group stays behind and managed to clear the TMNM's names by exposing Loki's group and their henchmen as the real culprits behind the bank robbery by having Ace D. Copular, who found the disguised Loki's group and their henchmen among the Anti-Mobian Squad, throw a dodgeball at Cortex's device, breaking it and making Loki's group and their henchmen's disguises vanish. But unfortunately, Loki's group and their henchmen got away before Hoffman and the Anti-Mobian Squad, who now realize the truth behind the bank robbery, almost arrested them instead. After telling our heroes about the TMNM's names being cleared later, Christopher's group, along with our heroes, are in the sewer lair bidding the Punk Mutants goodbye after revealing to them a tunnel to help them go between Okefenokee Swamp and New York City. In gratitude, the Punk Mutants agree to come back for visits in the future and then leave with two pizzas, one topped with beef jerky and the other topped with peppers, in tow after Charmy, Cream the Rabbit, and Cheese the Chao made them for the Punk Mutants, in case they get hungry during the trip back to their home. Later, our heroes finished watching Elise's group on the news announcing the TMNM's names being cleared and that Hoffman and the Anti-Mobian Squad are retiring for good and then enjoying the beef jerky and pepper-topped pizza meal afterwards.

## Notes

* Heroes' Insult Count: 11 (2 by Charmy, 1 by Knuckles, 1 by Wife, 1 by Reporter, 1 by Silver, 1 by Hoffman, 1 by Dingodile, 1 by Therru, 1 by Tails, 1 by Rarity)
* Villains' Insult Count: 13 (6 by Vanitas, 4 by Loki, 4 by Sephiroth, 4 by Myotismon, 4 by Hunter J, 4 by Cortex, 4 by Eggman, 1 by Komodo Joe)
* Insult Total: 24
* Locations: City Streets, Mobians' Sewer Lair, Jotundrome, Dimension X, Channel Six Building, Abandoned Building, Ofefenokee Swamp, Mallory Chemical Plant, and Stonewall Prison
* Vehicles: X-Tornado 2.0
* Gadgets: Mobiancom, Communicator, and Cortex's Device
* This is the first appearances of Ashitaka, Arren AKA Lebannen, San AKA Princess Mononoke, and Therru AKA Tehanu AKA the Punk Mutants
* The weapons wielded by the Punk Mutants have medieval/western overtones to them, in contrast to the Mobians' Asian-originated weapons
* The boy references "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" and the Werewolf while talking to his mother about the two lizard-like dragons and wolf pups he found not being like them.
* Cortex's descriptions on the Punk Mutants' names is exactly true; Arren's name does, in fact, mean "Sword" in Enladian while Lebannen means "Brave king" in Enladian, Therru's name means "Burning flame" in Kargish while Tehanu means "Light" in Kargish, Ashitaka's name means either "Foot hawk" and/or For tomorrow" in Japanese, and "Mononoke" means "Spirit monster" in Japanese. Arren and Therru's name translations originated from the "Earthsea" book series by Ursula K. Le Guin and the 2006 Studio Ghibli film adaptation "Tales from Earthsea."
* One of Ashitaka's arrows gives off a blinding light upon impact, similar to a flash grenade. He is also reminiscent of another superhero with multi-purpose arrows; The Green Arrow.
* Stonewall Prison is a dead ringer for Alcatraz Island.
* There are two Fourth Wall breaks in this episode; The first one is when Chris and Snake pointed out they made a funny when they both expressed how "Change can be slippery," and the second one when Tails and Silver playfully wondered how they easily came up with their own cool lines from a movie they watched.
* Outback Steakhouse is mentioned in this episode when Elise's group tells Tai's group that Christopher's group is planning on taking them there for dinner.
* This episode marks the first time it features a character puking offscreen, it being Amy when she offscreen puked in a nearby garbage can after the Komodo Brothers dizzied her during the fight in Times Square.
* This marks the first time Pinstripe flirts with a female character.

## Goofs

* The TMNM's TV set changes color when it zooms in on the news report about the Punk Mutants.
* Strangely enough, Loki's group actually trained the Punk Mutants in an instant with Sephiroth's help, which, in real life, is impossible.
* In one shot when Elise and Tai's groups are on the computers, Izzy's computer has eighteen buttons only.
* In one shot while the Punk Mutants apologize for misjudging the TMNM while putting their weapons away, San's face tattoos are colored a really darker shade of red instead of its usual dark red coloration.
* San's fang necklace keeps changing a number of fangs from six to eight and back throughout the episode.
* In the shot where Ashitaka fires a flash grenade arrow, the orange ball on his red bag is also colored red instead.
* In one shot when Loki's group shouts at the Punk Mutants "You traitorous Mutants," Arren's straps on his shins where his stockings are are also colored royal blue like his tunic.
* In one shot when the Punk Mutants emerged from behind a garbage dumpster after Ashitaka stops the truck carrying the nyotrinaline, Therru's straps on both her shins and ankles on her stockings are also colored pink.
* Therru's first-degree burn scar marking on her face is colored a half pale, half darker shade of pink when she says "Isn't hard" in one shot.
* While trying to outwit the wave of water in the obstacle course, Charmy's red rim on his helmet is also colored black for a brief moment in one shot.
* While Koala throws the change meter onto the ground in anger because he and the henchmen are called back by Loki's group, his fingerless boxing gloves are colored red instead of tan.
* When Pinstripe is caught by Cubot after being dizzied by San's whip spin attack, his green sleeve rims on his wrists are also colored red instead of green.
* The number of beef jerky chunks and number of peppers on top of the two pizzas change in between shots when the Punk Mutants accepted them from the TMNM and their allies, just before they leave for home.
* In one shot when Ace throws the dodgeball at Cortex's device, his shaggy mustache is missing from his lips and his pocket rims on his vest are colored blue instead of orange like the bottom part of his vest is.
* Chris' yellow rectangle image is missing from his shirt in one shot when he and Christopher's group moved aside the debris to convince Hoffman and the Anti-Mobian Squad that they're tricked by Loki's group.
* Elise's earrings are missing in one shot when she, along with her group and Tai's group, looks up the nyotrinaline for the TMNM and their allies.

## Character Appearances

**Heroes**

* Ace D. Copular
* Adagio Dazzle
* Aerith Gainsborough
* Agumon
* Aku-Aku
* Allison Oriana
* Amy Rose
* Applejack
* Aria Blaze
* Arren/Lebannen (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Ashitaka (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Big the Cat
* Big William "Billy" W. Williams
* Biyomon
* Blaze the Cat
* Braeburn
* Caramel
* Charmy Bee
* Cheese the Chao
* Chief Clancy Wiggum
* Chris Thorndyke
* Christopher Aonuma
* Cloud Strife
* Comet Tail
* Cosmo the Seedrian
* Cream the Rabbit
* Dingodile/Dale Wallaroo
* E-123 Omega
* Eddie
* Elise Oriana III
* Ember
* Espio the Chameleon
* Flash Sentry
* Fluttershy
* Froggy
* Gabumon
* Gatomon
* Gomamon
* Grubber J. Gribberish
* Hoffman (Debut)
* Izzy Izumi
* J. Jonah Jamieson
* Joe Kido
* Kari Kamiya
* Kayla the Wolf
* Knuckles the Echidna
* Li'l Arturo de la Guerra
* Lou
* Matt Ishida
* Max the Wolf
* Miles "Tails" Prower
* Mimi Tachikawa
* Palmon
* Patamon
* Pinkie Pie
* Pokey Pierce
* Rainbow Dash
* Rarity
* Rouge the Bat
* San/Princess Mononoke (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Sanford "Snake" D. Ingleberry
* Seifer Almasy
* Shadow the Hedgehog
* Silver the Hedgehog
* Soarin
* Sonata Dusk
* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Sora Takenouchi
* Spike
* Starlight Glimmer
* Sunset Shimmer
* Tai Kamiya
* Tentomon
* Therru/Tehanu (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Thunderlane
* Tikal
* Tiny Tiger/Tucker Tigerson
* TK Takaishi-Ishida
* Trixie
* Twilight Sparkle
* Vector the Crocodile
* Yuffie Kisaragi

**Villains**

* Arren/Lebannen (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Arukenimon (Temporally changes into her Beast form in this)
* Ashitaka (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Cubot
* Demidevimon
* Dr. Eggman
* Dr. Nefarious Tropy
* Dr. Neo Cortex
* Dr. Nitros Brio
* Dr. Nitros Gin
* General Traag
* Granitor
* Hunter J
* Infinite
* Koala Kong/Kent Kong
* Komodo Joe/Joe Komadipatatim
* Komodo Moe/Moe Komadipatatim
* Loki
* Mephiles the Dark
* Mummymon (Temporally changes into his Beast form in this)
* Myotismon
* Nitros Oxide
* Orbot
* Pinstripe Potoroo/Paul "Pinstripe" Potolini
* Ripper Roo/Ricky Rooter
* San/Princess Mononoke (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Sephiroth
* Therru/Tehanu (Debut; Turned good in this)
* Tribot
* Uka-Uka
* Vanitas

## Episode Titles in Other Languages

* Japanese
	+ 敵は友達になります！ パンクミュータントたち
	+ Teki wa Tomodachi ni narimasu! Panku Myūtanto-tachi
	+ Foes Become Friends! The Punk Mutants
* English
	+ USA: Invasion of the Punk Mutants
	+ UK: The Birth of the Punk Mutants
* Latin America Spanish
	+ Los Enemigos se Hacen Amigos
	+ Foes Become Friends
* Castilian Spanish
	+ Los Enemigos se Hacen Amigos
	+ Foes Become Friends
* Catalan
	+ De Foe a Aliats
	+ From Foes to Allies
* French
	+ La Naissance des Mutants Punk
	+ The Birth of the Punk Mutants
* Canadian French
	+ Nesans la nan Mutan a Punk
	+ The Birth of the Punk Mutants
* German
	+ Invasion der Punk-Mutanten
	+ Invasion of the Punk Mutants
* Italian
	+ La Mutanti Punk de Ascesa
	+ The Punk Mutants Rise
* Portuguese
	+ Cuidado com o Esquadrão Anti-Mobiano
	+ Beware the Anti-Mobian Squad
* Brazilian Portuguese
	+ Cuidado com o Esquadrão Anti-Mobiano
	+ Beware the Anti-Mobian Squad
* Mandarin Chinese
	+ 敌人成为朋友！ 朋克变种人
	+ Dírén Chéngwéi Péngyǒu! Péngkè Biànzhǒng Rén
	+ Foes Become Friends! The Punk Mutants
* Cantonese Chinese
	+ 敵人成為朋友！ 朋克變種人
	+ Dírén Chéngwéi Péngyǒu! Péngkè Biànzhǒng Rén
	+ Foes Become Friends! The Punk Mutants
* Korean
	+ 적은 친구가 되어라! 펑크 돌연변이
	+ Jeog-eun Chinguga Doeeola! Peongkeu Dol-yeonbyeon-i
	+ Foes Become Friends! The Punk Mutants
* Danish
	+ Punk-Mutanterne og Anti-Mobian Troppen
	+ The Punk Mutants and the Anti-Mobian Squad
* Dutch
	+ Vermijd de Anti-Mobian Squadron
	+ Avoid the Anti-Mobian Squad
* Swedish
	+ Mobians Mot Punk mutanter
	+ Mobians Vs. Punk Mutants
* Icelandic
	+ Loki Hópur Fjögur Ný Stökkbrigði Hjá
	+ Loki's Group's Four New Mutants
* Norwegian
	+ Punk-Mutantene er Født
	+ The Punk Mutants are Born
* Thai
	+ ศัตรูกลายเป็นเพื่อนกัน! พังก์กลายพันธุ์
	+ Ṣ̄ạtrū Klāy pĕn Pheụ̄̀xn kạn! Phạng k̒ Klāy Phạnṭhu̒
	+ Foes Become Friends! The Punk Mutants
* Russian
	+ Остановить создание Мутагена
	+ Ostanovit' Sozdaniye Mutagena
	+ Stop the Creation of Mutagen
* Polish
	+ Wprowadzony Punkowe Mutanty
	+ The Misguided Punk Mutants
* Finnish
	+ Ystävät tai Viholliset
	+ Friends or Foes
* Hungarian
	+ Ellenségek vagy Barátok
	+ Foes or Friends
* Greek
	+ Τέσσερις νέοι συμμάχους μεταναστών
	+ Tésseris Néoi Symmáchous Metanastón
	+ Four New Mutant Allies
* Hebrew
	+ עלייתם של מוטציות הפאנק
	+ 'Elyytm shl Mvttsyvt Hpanq
	+ Rise of the Punk Mutants
* Arabic
	+ فاسقالمسوخمنأوكيفينوكيمستنقع
	+ Fasq Almswkh mn Awkyfynwky Mstnqe
	+ Punk Mutants of the Okefenokee Swamp

## Episode Links

Previous: S2E07: Enter the Pumpkinhead

Next: S2E09: Cloud, Aerith, Tiny, and Dingodile No More