Top 10 Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Episodes

[Jester]

Not a bad list, but as i said in the comments:
Any list of the top TMNT episodes needs:
* Night of the Rogues: Shredder gathers a Sinister Six style hit squad of familiar villians to take out the Turtles who have to be rescued by their human friends (April, Irma, Casey and Zach) and Splinter.
* Legend of Koji: Shredder travels back to ancient Japan to make sure his ansestor and not Hamato Yoshi's creates the Foot Clan and the Turtles follow. It almost plays out like an apology for TMNT III.http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/09/top-10-original-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-episodes

[CyberCubed]

Zach episode as #1? Jesus Christ. It wasn't a bad list till the first choice.

I'm glad to see some Red Sky episodes there as they tend to get overlooked.

[turtlefanforever]

How come Split-second never gets any love? that's on my top 10 of episodes from the series

[CyberCubed]

How come Split-second never gets any love? that's on my top 10 of episodes from the series

Probably because people don't remember it. Had the episode taken place in like Seasons 4-6 just without Dregg or the mutations people would have remembered it more.

Season 9 tends to be the most overlooked season in general because it wasn't as good as 8 and 10 of the final set.

[snake]

Probably because people don't remember it. Had the episode taken place in like Seasons 4-6 just without Dregg or the mutations people would have remembered it more.

Season 9 tends to be the most overlooked season in general because it wasn't as good as 8 and 10 of the final set.

9 is good. I actually have it on DVD and Carter isn't that bad of a character after a few rewatchings.

[oldmanwinters]

IGN counted down the top 10 episodes of the original show. I figured half that list would consist of the pilot season episodes.

You'll never guess what earned the #1 spot.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/09/top-10-original-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-episodes

[Jester]

Um...Adam...
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=48768

[oldmanwinters]

Aw, dang, I even tried to look before I posted this thread (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?p=1327731#post1327731) too!

The forums confuse me during movie premiere weekend, it seems.

[Cryomancer]

Well at least “Corporate Raiders from Dimension X” gets acknowledged. That is probably one of the most legit funny episodes.

If I had to come up with a top ten the first season would probably be most of it, haha.

[CyberCubed]

Some more excellent episodes:

- Leatherhead meets The Rat King
- Splinter Vanishes (second Leatherhead/Rat King team up)
- The Sword of Yurikawa
- Krangenstein Lives
- The Big Cuffling caper
- Enter: Mutagen Man
- Cowabunga, Shred-head
- The Foot Soldiers are revolting


Don't let anyone ever tell you the OT doesn't have many great episodes. I could go on and on.

[MikeandRaph87]

Well since we started listing....

1. Night of The Rogues
2. Get Shredder
3. Leatherhead:Terror of The Swamp
4. Big Cufflink Caper
5. Adventures In Turtle Sitting
6. Wrath of The Rat King
7. Shredder Is Splintered
8.Planet of The Turteoid
9. Turtles On Trial
10. Leatherhead Meets The Rat King
Honorable mentions to The Dimension X Story and Split Second.

[oldmanwinters]

Reposting from 2012 (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=966582&postcount=2):

Figured I'd share two lists: (1) The best 10 episodes, (objectively speaking IMO), and (2) my other favorite episodes that don't quite hold up to critical analysis.

Also, I just went ahead and disqualified the first season; all those episodes would automatically make the list because they form one big epic. My favorite one of that bunch is probably Enter the Shredder.

Top 10 Episodes (Non-pilot season)
#1 Turtles on Trial
Excellent TMS animation, characters stay on model consistently, and the plot is both humorous and exciting. Every character has something interesting to contribute to the plot. And we even get to see Krang in action. It is, in my opinion, the perfect episode that showcases the finest strengths of the entire series.

#2 The Legend of Koji
Wow, this episode is amazing! I really makes an effort to dig deep back into the Foot Clan backstory and reminds us that the Foot only became a force for evil after Shredder's corruption. BTW, I love time travel that includes characters essentially creating themselves. LOL
Bit of trivia, this is the only episode of which I am aware that April does not appear in any capacity.

#3 Enter the Fly
The birth of the Baxter Stockman we all know and love! This is still one of the all time watershed moments of the series. A great way to transition a well established character into something completely different yet so iconic that people started to forget he wasn't always a mutant.

#4 The Big Blowout
It's one of the most epic episodes in the series, so I might as well include it. The animation isn't great, but it is the greatest Turtles Vs. Technodrome episode we got. For that reason, I think it is a good showcase episode for the series. Also, it is the culmination of a season long story arc that directly tied into the previous 2 episodes.

#5 The Making of Metalhead
Very funny to see the Turtles sick, & very good animation on Metalhead and the sewer chase scene. Metalhead's weapons effects and the showdown at the construction site were animated very well. The part were Metalhead gets his wires crossed and starts flipping out was amazingly funny, especially when he started talking in all the Turtles' different voices. [In Raph's voice:] "I'll just blast EVERYBODY!"

#6 White Belt, Black Heart
This episode answers the question (in my mind) of just what exactly Splinter was doing with his free time when he wasn't present in the sewer lair. We get a little bit of insight into Splinter's past and we get to see the classic "Triple Cross" in the ninja criminals.

#7 The Mean Machines
Machines gone mad, just like in the 80s classic, OverDrive! A great episode with lots of action and oodles of enemy appliances to fight; the animation just isn't quite as crisp as some later episodes, however. It's got April tagging along with the Turtles without necessarily being a damsel-in-distress, and she actually saves in the day in humorous fashion. Raphael gets a few good lines in too.

#8 Burne's Blues
I think it hits most of the high points of the series; it's almost video game like. Lots of action, good animation. Cheapskates chase the module under the city. April plays the plucky hostage for about 50% of the episode. Weird subplot with the Channel Six folks. I've always enjoyed this one.

#9 Shredder's Mom
Well animated, and it cracks me up. Also, this was pretty ahead of its time in handling the whole global warming angle; unlike today's treatments of the subject, it wasn't quite so preachy and apocalyptic in its treatment ... other than the world possibly getting fried by the sun's radiation that is. Doh!

#10 The Ninja Sword of Nowhere
Outside of the horrible Raphael replacement voice actor it's a very entertaining episode. The animation of the fights and the limbo area is pretty good as far as I remember. We get to see the Turtles' clever side as they try to free their sensei and how Splinter's patience really pays off.

Other personal favorites:

*The Cat Woman from Channel Six
Any time the good guys have to fight one of their own makes for good plot tension. Plus, Irma finally meets the Turtles so it is one of the most significant episodes from a plot standpoint.
The plot is full of holes and the animation can be either hit or miss at parts (lots of mistakes but some impressive work during the climatic sewer scene), but I really love the whole kooky classic monster movie feel of this episode. April is genuinely creepy as a half-woman/half-cat mutant, much more so than the times she got turned into a fishwoman or a hornet. I really wish this episode had got a sequel that revisited any lingering effects of her mutation.

*Leonardo Vs. Tempestra
Three words: video-game-addiction! The animation at the power plant scene is great. And I love the idea that the Turtles sneak out by night to party at the local arcade all night. (With the owner's blessing, it seems!)

*Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero
Casey Jones as Dirty Harry. Krang walks around in a Knucklehead. Lots of appliances going haywire. It's all good.

*Corporate Raiders from Dimension X
Casey Jones gets respectable. Lots of jokes and spoofs of the corporate world. Donatello's running gag with the Retro Catapult. Terrific.

*Raphael Meets His Match
Mona Lisa was a great addition to the show with a great design, which was accentuated with the solid animation of this episode. Too bad she never reappeared. This one is the first episode I remember seeing when the series when to CBS Saturday mornings. I remember there being two Raphael centered episodes for the first two weeks in a row and since he was my favorite, I was looking forward to a Raph-heavy series!

*Usagi Yojimbo
The Samurai Rabbit takes a tour of New York reminiscent of Turtle Tracks. A good introduction to the character. It's really too bad he only showed up in one more episode without resolving his storyline.

*The Sword of Yurikawa
Two words: Ninja-Splinter... oh yeah! It's obvious that he's behind the mask the whole time, but it's still so great to see the old rat in action.

[CyberCubed]

Man I love both your lists. These are the kind of episodes you should show people who say the original cartoon wasn't good after Season 1.

I guess people just remember the weaker episodes for some reason and forget all the good ones.

Here's another one:

- Rock around the block. General Traag finally gets his own episode, and there are two plots with Shredder/Krang bringing the Technodrome back to Earth again

[Aaronardo]

Curse of the Evil Eye, Night of the Dark Turtle, and the 3-part miniseries of Season 10 were pretty sweet, too.

[CyberCubed]

"What's Michaelangelo good for?" is the best mad scientist episode of the series, and one of the best Mikey spotlight eps. Plus you get to see the origin of Pigeon Pete and his rise from an obscure pet to an actual character 20 years later.

[Prowler]

Zach's debut episode got number 1? Well, that's certainly a surprise :lol:

Casey Jones got 2 eps on the list. They were fun eps, but they wouldn't crack my top 10. I guess the person who made the list liked Casey a lot.

Surprised to see 3 red sky episodes on the list, including a Dregg one. Always nice to see those getting recognition. Plus the 3 listed eps were pretty damn good ones.

Usagi's ep on the list was quite a surprise as well.

I was expecting "Turtle Tracks", "Enter The Shredder" and "Cowabunga Shreddhead" to make the list.

[Galactus]

Confession time, one that's probably make people think less of me; I don't dislike Zack. I don't really like him either but he was never in the series enough for me to find him annoying, I actually thought he had a great role in Shredderville.

Not only that but I actually think The Fifth Turtle is a great episode apart from the end were Don tells Zack "you're all the fan we need" that's got to be a kick in the teeth to any kid watching but the episode itself is well written and animated. Not enough to be #1 on any list but I wouldn't argue with a Top 10 placing.

[Redeemer]

Confession time, one that's probably make people think less of me; I don't dislike Zack. I don't really like him either but he was never in the series enough for me to find him annoying, I actually thought he had a great role in Shredderville.

Not only that but I actually think The Fifth Turtle is a great episode apart from the end were Don tells Zack "you're all the fan we need" that's got to be a kick in the teeth to any kid watching but the episode itself is well written and animated. Not enough to be #1 on any list but I wouldn't argue with a Top 10 placing.

Get Him!!!!!!!!!!:flaming:

:lol:

Personally Zach makes me cringe, but even the turtles make me do this at times from the series.

[mikey22]

how come nobody mentioned a lot of good season 2 episodes


the catwoman from channel 6 was fun


splinter no more was great... the turtles failed the entire episode. shredder takes them out, then bebop and rocksteady actually shoot them and hit (instead of missing all the time) and then the creatue they dont send back

thats why this show was so great- unlike a lot of kids shows nowadays the people are flawless, they never get injured or fail. it was good

+ i thought the whole splinter human bit was well done

and we get to see all 4 turtles use their weapons

and finally donatello takes out raphael!!! before they destoy the machine you see donnie standing up and raph on the ground. good to see

[oldmanwinters]

how come nobody mentioned a lot of good season 2 episodes

Well, I did.

[Prowler]

As nostalgic as I am for the first 30-40 TMNT episodes, season 2 nowadays gives me the feeling that the show still wasn't sure what direction to take. You had episodes with silly concepts such as the pizza alien creatures and April turning into a cat, and also had the 4 episode story arc of Eye of Sarnath. Also, why did they just keep Bebop and Rocksteady in Dimension X for half of the season?

I do like how the show, despite its goofy nature, still had some serious and tense feeling to it until the end of the 3rd season. Season 4 onward it became even goofier and the action didn't bring much tension to the table again until season 7 or red sky.

[CyberCubed]

As nostalgic as I am for the first 30-40 TMNT episodes, season 2 nowadays gives me the feeling that the show still wasn't sure what direction to take. You had episodes with silly concepts such as the pizza alien creatures and April turning into a cat, and also had the 4 episode story arc of Eye of Sarnath. Also, why did they just keep Bebop and Rocksteady in Dimension X for half of the season?

I didn't think those were silly concepts. Pizza Monsters and Cat April were actually played up seriously. The silly episode from Season 2 was the Rex-1 episode, especially the climax when he started doing excercise videos to defeat the evil robots.

Also Bebop/Rocksteady staying behind made sense because otherwise you wouldn't know why Baxter was kept along. Obviously looking back on it now its a bit refreshing since Bebop/Rocksteady always went with Shredder for the rest of the series.

I do like how the show, despite its goofy nature, still had some serious and tense feeling to it until the end of the 3rd season. Season 4 onward it became even goofier and the action didn't bring much tension to the table again until season 7 or red sky.

Season 6 was just as serious as the other seasons. Also select Season 4 and 5 episodes were excellent.

"My brother, the bad guy," "Donatello's Duplicate," "The Ice Creature Cometh," "Mutagen Man," etc. are examples of great Season 5 episodes.

[turtle1237]

Will shock the 5th Turtle got number 1 though. Mime would be turtle tracks.

[us_sofcskey]

Finally got around and picked up all the ten seasons of the FW series.
I have only watched through season 6 so far… so no 7 or the red sky episodes yet so instead of 10 I will list my 5 favorite so far.
Excluding season 1 since it’s only 5 episodes and I couldn’t tell you how many times I watched it when I was little on a VHS copy so needless to say season 1 is very nostalgic.
#5 Foot Soldiers are revolting
#4 The Case of the Killer Pizzas
#3 Sky Turtles
#2 Nightmare in the Lair (Huge elm street fan is probably why)
#1 Leo vs Tempestra

[Prowler]

If I had to make a list of the 10 best FW series episodes:

Turtle Tracks
Enter The Shredder
Cowabunga, Shredhead
Turtle Trek
The Big Blowout
Return of the Technodrome
Get Shredder
Planet of the Turtleoids
The Legend of Koji
Divide and Conquer

They're in no order, btw.

[us_sofcskey]

Just watched the first 6 episodes of European vacation overall kind of bland episodes… I did like some of the gladiator fighting in the episode “artless” and the whole renaissance namesake gimmick that was kind of neat so far my favorite of the 6 episodes.
The last episode I watched was the lost queen of Atlantis…. Kind of weird that it’s out of order on the discs but o well.
Something I did notice in the episode that was cool is that Leo actually stabs an enemy that’s not a robot. Granted it was the giant octopus but he still stabbed it… unique it actually had the gashing noise and blood poured out…. Was kind of surprised to see that in the FW series.