Draco

**Draco** was a red Asiatic style dragon and an enemy of the Turtles and - in particular - of Splinter. He was once one of the most feared fighters of the Battle Nexus, until Splinter defeated him. Later on he came back for revenge on Splinter, and also sought the Daimyo's War Staff. This character was created for the 2003 animated series.

## History

Drako's exact origins remain largely unknown, but Drako once was a competitor in the Battle Nexus. Many years ago, he and many other fighters from space, time, and even other dimensions were selected by the Daimyo as candidates for a match in the Battle Nexus. Drako made ​​it to the finals, but during the last round, he fought against Splinter who was taking part for the first time in the tournament. During the battle Splinter's leg was injured, but he adapted and defeated the big lizard single-handedly. Drako was outraged by this loss and attacked Splinter the following night with assassins when he was caught off guard. But Splinter was assisted by the brave young ronin Miyamoto Usagi and the Ultimate Daimyo himself, who chased Drako and his assassins off with the War Staff preventing anything worse from happening. Drako fled and disappeared from the scene for many years.

He returned years later, when Splinter along with his sons where pulled back again into the Battle Nexus to participate at the next tournament. But Drako also returned and now served as a counselor for the son of the Daimyo in exchange for the War Staff. But the Ultimate Ninja wanted to seize power in the Nexus itself. Drako tried to advise the Ninja over the rash course of action to try to attack Leonardo but the Ninja was concerned with revenge. He poisoned Leonardo during the tournament, sending him to the medical ward with little knowledge of what poison was used. They also sent assassins to severely hurt the Damiyo, blame Splinter and install the Ultimate Ninja as Damiyo. However Drako pursued his own plans and also wanted power over the Nexus, in addition to his personal revenge on Splinter for his last defeat. However, the Ninja was planning on waiting for his full initiation as Daimyo, so Drako had to act. In their final battle for the Daimyo's War Staff he tried to grab the War Staff but the Ninja anticipated the move and tried to use the Staff but had no knowledge to control it and it rejected him; Drako had been studying its ways and used it against its inheritor. But his dark heart caused the Staff to accidentally open a dimensional wound that threatened to destroy everything that came into contact with it. Despite attempts to save them, Drako and the Ultimate Ninja fall into the rift and were thought to be dead.

However, it was not the end for both of them, for they had managed to survive but both were fused by their simultaneous passage through the crack and merged into one being, which Leonardo called "Ultimate Drako", kept alive by their hatred of the Turtles. Eventually they learned enough to free themselves and ended up in 15th century Earth, disguised as a dragon pet to Savanti Romero. They waited for their opportunity, as Savanti sought the Time Scepter. Later using a spell, Savanti brought the Scepter, along with the Turtles and their Timestress friend Renet into the Middle Ages and into his clutches. The Turtles met the Ninja and Drako again. After Savanti gained a hold of the Scepter, Ultimate Drako strangely turned into a chrysalis in the castle. Only when Savanti was defeated did Ultimate Drako reveal himself, planning on using the Scepter to destroy their enemies. However, Lord Simultaneous was summoned, who froze Ultimate Drako in space and time. However, they were able to break free and snatch the Time Specter, promising that they will meet again.

Their promise proved to be true. Later, Ultimate Drako manifested in their Y'Lyntian lair, using the Time Scepter to freeze his enemies. Ultimate Ninja wanted to destroy Leonardo but Drako reminded him that they agreed to take care of Splinter, then the Daimyo. Using the Time Scepter, they scattered and stranded the Turtles across time and space into different realities, alternate timelines, probable futures and dimensions at various places in the multiverse, sent Splinter into the dungeons of the Battle Nexus and weakened the Daimyo.

Ultimate Drako posed as the Gyoji, who pretended to assist Leonardo, who had made his way back to the Battle Nexus with the help of his friend Usagi, giving him the War Staff to reach out to his family. All the while, Ultimate Drako was blocking his attempts, before they revealed themselves. With the most powerful objects that controlled time and space at their disposal, Ultimate Drako sent both Leo and Usagi to a dimension where they faced unending hordes of fierce warriors. As Ultimate Drako watches Leo struggle, he used the War Staff to summon the Daimyo and Splinter. They then planned on exacting their revenge on the Daimyo and Splinter. However, the Ultimate Ninja still cared for his father and argued that they could send his father into exile. This moment of hesitation allowed Splinter to grab onto the War Staff. As they fought over possession of the staff, Splinter somehow activates its powers to summon his sons to him, and Raph, Mike and Don appear in a flash of green energy. The Turtles and Splinter separate the War Staff and Time Scepter. The latter object read everyone's thoughts, with help from the War Staff, separated the Ultimate Ninja from Drako. Along with Splinter, who wanted revenge on the Drako, it succeeded the Five again to judge the strength of the scepter and the rod against their opponents. They then both turned to stone and crumbled to dust. Drako was dead; though Lord Simultaneous gave the Ultimate Ninja a second chance as a child and reunited him with his father, he left Drako as he was.