End Game

**"End Game"** is the forty-sixth episode (Episode 26) of *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*, and is the Season 1 finale. It first aired on November 16th, 2019.

## Characters

* April O'Neil (Kat Graham)
* Baron Draxum (John Cena, Roger Craig Smith)
* Donatello (Josh Brener)
* Foot Clan
	+ Foot Brute (Maurice LaMarche)
	+ Foot Lieutenant (Rob Paulsen)
* Leonardo (Ben Schwartz)
* Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith)
* Raphael (Omar Benson Miller)
* Splinter (Eric Bauza)
* Bullhop
* Council of Heads
	+ Councilor 1 (Peter Cullen)
	+ Councilor 2 (Frank Welker)
	+ Councilor 3 (Susan Blu)
* Franken-Foot
* Huginn (Tim Simons)
* Mayhem
* Muninn (Sam Richardson)
* Mystic Aura (Hoon Lee)
* Origami Ninja
* S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.
* Shredder
* Todd Capybara

## Plot

The second part enters with Splinter, who impatiently waits for his sons and wondering where they are (who are actually kidnapped by Baron Draxum). A tied up April comes and Splinter frees her. With that April warns him that Draxum captured the Turtles, and says that Splinter has the last piece much to Splinter's horror.

In the Hidden City, the Turtles express their despair over failing their father as they were trapped in a cage. They tried to find a way out of here but meditating together to reconnect the Hamato way and figure out to get out of here.

April and Splinter return to lair in order to find the final part of the Kuroi Yōroi. Splinter said that it could be anywhere. April asked if the teapot Skully was the last piece but Splinter didn't believe it as Skully had been passed on for generations. Suddenly it turned out that Skully is actually the helmet of Kuroi Yōroi. Splinter had to make a difficult decision: save his sons from being killed or save the world from the Shredder. He asks the Mystic Aura what choice he has to make. The ghost explains that he must protect the final part of the Kuroi Yōroi and let the Turtles be killed. Splinter realizes how unacceptable it was, he shreds the scroll in anger. Splinter decides to save his sons and not to give the last part of the Kuroi Yōroi. April then calls the B-Team: Bullhop, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., Franken-Foot and Todd Capybara.

While meditating, the Turtles become frustrated and realize that the Hamato way isn't working for them and decide to revert to being themselves. Raph then punches the cage open, leading the other Turtles to be dumbfounded and Leo said to Raph that he could have done this the whole time.

In the Hidden City, Splinter, April and the B-Team enters and the whole team is captured by booby traps, leaving April and Splinter to deal with Draxum alone. In the throne room, Splinter defeats Origami Ninja, Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant. Splinter gives Draxum a good fight, Draxum tells Splinter that if he won't give him the last part of Kuroi Yōroi, his sons will be tortured until they reveal its location. Draxum gives Splinter their weapons and he realizes what he put his sons through. Splinter looks at the weapons and through his reflection he sees his sons smiling at him. Saddened, Splinter stands up and stoically uses ōdachi to open the portal so he can give the last part of Kuroi Yōroi, much to April's charging.

The Mad Dogs have defeated the Origami Ninja and go to the throne room. At the throne room, the Turtles are overjoyed at the sight of their father. Splinter happily greets them, but their joy is interrupted when Baron Draxum finally puts it to the Kuroi Yōroi, much to the Turtles, April, and Splinter's horror. Splinter tries to stop him, but is too late. Now with the Kuroi Yōroi completed, Draxum wears it.

In the flashback, we learned why Baron Draxum hates humanity, he thinks them as a threat and wants to change them as he explains his situation to the Council of Heads, who are giant stone heads, three members disbelieve short-tempered alchemist, who leaves in anger. The Council then sent Agent 64, also known as the Mayhem to look after Baron Draxum, right before giving him a bone as Mayhem disappears to look after Draxum.

After he left, the Foot Clan thought that the armor wasn't working right and followed after him.

From below, everyone seemed to have survived. Splinter apologizes to his sons and says that the scrolls were wrong, and says that he should have change them the way they were now. The one that made them is to be themselves. With tears in their eyes, the Turtles hug their father. Splinter gave them their colored masks and weapons back to restore their true selves, and tells them to finish Draxum.

At a baseball stadium, the Mad Dogs fight Draxum. while the Lieutenant and Brute are trying to figure out what was going on because the armor was not complete. April tells the Mad Dogs that there is a hole inside revealing that the helmet has a tiny piece. They tried everything but their are caught but April gets the hit with a baseball and hits the weak spot on the head, getting Draxum right out, complete drained of energy.

Happily, the Mad Dogs completely save the day but somehow it was not over. The armor started to come to live because the Shredder had come to life.

## Trivia

* + It was revealed in November 2019 by *Rise of the TMNT* staff writer Ron Corcillo in a Tweet that, "Actually we had already written the episode ['End Game'] before they announced the title of the Avengers movie. That's how long these things take to produce." The official title for *Avengers: Endgame* was announced on December 7th, 2018.
	+ Each member of the Council of Heads is voiced by an actor from the *Transformers* franchise. Specifically, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and Susan Blu, best known as Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Arcee, respectively, in various incarnations of *Transformers*.
		- Susan Blu also served as voice director during the first five seasons of the 1987 TV series as well.
	+ Instead of an instrumental version of the theme song, the sound of wind blowing is the audio track of this episode's end credits sequence.
	+ This episode reveals that Hamato Yoshi is the final living Hamato Clan descendant (excluding the Turtles).
	+ During the flashback sequence, the logo "Teenage Mutant Ninja Flashback" is actually most similar to the logo used for the 1987 TV series and the Archie TMNT comic.
	+ This episode marks the final appearances in the series of both Bullhop and Mayhem.
	+ This episode marks the final time John Cena voices Draxum, as he is replaced by Roger Craig Smith in the next episode for the rest of the series.
	+ It was revealed in December 2020 by *Rise of the TMNT* director and story artist JJ Conway in a Tweet that a scene from this episode was inspired by the 1993 fantasy adventure film *Super Mario Bros.*, stating, "When Draxum gets the Dark Armor, there's this little moment where he realizes he's in over his head. That was inspired by that moment just before Lena dies, when she realizes the power of the crystal is too much for her."
	+ The "Guys, it's April (\*^3^)ﾉ ♡" stadium video board message April types uses a kaomoji, a Japanese emoticon.
	+ The gesture the Turtles do when meditating is viśuddha mudrā ("throat chakra seal"), used in Buddhism and Hinduism. While Donnie slightly chants the bījamantra "Ōṃ", the bījamantra specific to viśuddha is "Ham".
	+ It was revealed in August 2022 by *Rise of the TMNT* staff writer Corcillo in a Tweet that Donnie's "I don't normally feel things, but that one got through," line in the Shredder's shrine following Splinter's apology to the Turtles is an ad-lib by Josh Brener.
	+ The type of bow April and Splinter do to the Hamato Clan ancestors is likely sitting saikeirei, a bow at a 45 to 70-degree angle, one the most formal Japanese bows.
	+ The mystic Hamato Clan scroll is destroyed by a "Saki" brand paper shredder, a reference to Oroku Saki who shares the identity of the Shredder in this continuity.
		- A near-identical paper shredder previously appeared in "Stuck on You".

## Errors

* Although Zelda Williams is credited as the voice of the Foot Recruit, her character does not appear in this episode.