Kluh, Mikey's opponent form the Battle Nexus Tournament, is back and wants revenge for being humiliated and defeated in the final. While the Daimyo grants a rematch, Kluh and his father Ammag are not satisfied with the rules of the Battle Nexus, and turn the fight into a battle to the death...
This episode provides examples of
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: Kluh promises to kill the rest of Mikey's family after finishing him.
- An Aesop:
- Don’t let your accomplishments go to your head and brag about them too much, or let it think you don’t need to practice
- Just because a challenge might seem impossible, if have faith in your self and try hard enough you can achieve anything.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Don, Raph and Splinter are eager to see Mikey get a well-deserved beating after having to endure his incessant bragging, not realizing the rematch was going to be a Duel to the Death. Raph even lampshades the trope in the opening narration.
- Ammag wanted to turn the rematch between Kluh and Michelangelo into a Duel to the Death. He never anticipated the consequences Kluh would lose.
- Berserk Button:
- Kluh vows to finish off the other Turtles and Splinter once he's done with Mikey. This enrages Mikey so much he turns the tables on Kluh.
- Mikey saying he's Battle Nexus champion is this for Raph. Gets worse when Raph says he only won through dumb luck. Mikey reminds him who beat who in their match, and not by any technicality.
- Big Brother Instinct: Mikey has been neglecting his training because he won the Battle Nexus. When he is challenged by Kluh to a rematch, he begs his brothers and father for help who abandon him except for Leo. When Mikey is terrified he is going to lose, Leo expresses his faith in his little brother. Meanwhile, Don and Raph enjoy the prospect of Mikey getting smacked around by Kluh, but when they see him actually get hit by Kluh’s weapon when he should’ve ported out and told the combat has become a Duel to the Death, they're ready to jump in to help.
- Big Damn Heroes: The Daimyo won't intervene to save Mikey while his own son is being held prisoner, stating he can't bare watching his son die again. That is Leonardo's cue to state he won't lose his son and come to the rescue.
- Break the Haughty: Mikey had been bragging about winning the Battle Nexus Championship, the episode starting with him saying he doesn't need to train. Then he finds Kluh return for a rematch and even Splinter is looking forward to seeing him get what's coming to him.
- Ammag went through a lot of effort of the Levrams' pride being wounded by Kluh's defeat. To his shock, he finds Leonardo beat three of his warriors, and Michelangelo defeats his son.
- Brick Joke: When Raph says it's a wonder that Mikey doesn't wear his trophy around his neck, Mikey admits he tried and that the chain kept breaking. At the end of the episode, the Daimyo awards Mikey a medal that he will be able to wear around his neck. The other Turtles are less than pleased.
- Bring It: Mikey to Kluh when he's had enough."All right, if this is what you want, come on then!"
- Call It Karma: Mikey's been boasting about his Battle Nexus Championship for so long that his brothers and even Master Splinter are fed up with him. In addition, he believes he doesn't have to train because he's the champion. So when Kluh is granted a rematch and Mikey suddenly finds himself needing to train for the battle, Raph, Don and even Splinter enjoy the change in situation, and Splinter remarks that it is 'karma' for his behavior. They regret this once they see the fight was for keeps.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Ammag tampers with the Battle Nexus' safety spells so that Kluh can flat-out kill Mikey instead of being teleported out after a finishing blow. But ironically, Michelangelo starts off the fight so poorly that Kluh would have probably won legitimately without the tampering. All the attempt the cheat does is ensure that Mikey stays in the arena long enough to recover and turn the tables on Kluh.
- Cruel Mercy: Mike has two reasons for sparing Kluh.Kluh: Do it. Finish me.
Mike: I don't think so. My father taught me better than that. Besides, you're already finished. - Curb-Stomp Battle: Kluh initially deals out one to Michelangelo, until he threatens the rest of Mikey's family. Mikey then turns the tables.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Michelangelo proves that when he pushed and/or focusing, he can be a very competent fighter.
- Deadly Dodging: Mikey does this against Kluh to score some hits, particularly the final blow.
- Didn't Think This Through: Ammag's entire plan hinged on the assumption Kluh would beat Mikey; he never planned the possibility Mikey would win.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: The Daimyo could easily undo the Levrams' meddling the Battle Nexus' safety spells, but they abducted his son. By the time Leonardo arrives to save him, Michelangelo has already won the match.
- Duel to the Death: The Levram warriors change the rematch into a battle to the death, much to everyone else's dismay.
- Dumbass Has a Point: When Raphael points out Michelangelo's win in the Battle Nexus tournament was dumb luck, Michelangelo points out that he beat Raphael cleanly.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Ammag freaks when told that Michelangelo will decide his and Kluh's fates. He sincerely believed Mikey would be just as petty and vindictive.
- Feud Episode: Seems to start off that way, as the brothers start off arguing about Leo's relentless training regimen and surly mood, before the argument shifts to Mikey's lackadaisical attitude towards training and his Unsportsmanlike Gloating about winning the Battle Nexus Championship. Mikey getting challenged to a rematch distracts them all for the rest of the episode, but the issues with Leo are far from resolved.
- Get It Over With: At the end of the fight:Kluh: Do it. Finish me!
Michelangelo: [lowering his weapons] I don't think so. My father taught me better than that. Besides, you're already finished. - Hidden Agenda Hero: Leo's offer to train Mikey for the fight isn't purely altruistic, as Leo is entering his Knight Templar phase and is obsessed with training all four brothers to perfection so that they can't get beaten again as they were by Shredder. Mikey picks up on this, but is too panicked about his impending fight to think too much about it right then:Leo: Like pushing yourself beyond your limits, to a place where there are no limits...so that nothing and no one will ever catch you off-guard again!Mikey: Um, we still talking about me here?
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Ammag saw to it that the laws of the Battle Nexus were magically altered so that Kluh could kill Mikey in the ring. In the end, though, the tables are turned.Daimyo: Gaze what you have done, Ammag. Now, your son's life hangs in the balance. I will let Michelangelo decide your fate and the fate of your son.
- Humble Hero: In contrast to his earlier boasting, Mikey accepts his victory in stride and thanks Leo for helping him.
- Irony: Ammag had the safety spells of the Battle Nexus removed to allow Kluh to kill Mikey. In doing so he caused Mikey to get the push he needed to win and put Kluh’s life in danger.
- It's Personal: For Kluh. By threatening the other Turtles and Splinter, he also makes it personal for Mikey.
- Jerkass Ball: Don, Raph, and Splinter of all people act like Jerkasses towards Mikey by not offering to help him out for his rematch. Justified, as Mikey had been driving them all up the wall with his constant Unsportsmanlike Gloating and had been arrogantly refusing to train since his championship victory. Also, they didn't think this was going to be a Duel to the Death.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Two fold;
- After Michelangelo bragged so much about winning the Battle Nexus Championship, he finds he has a rematch with Kluh. Right after he boasted he didn't need to train. Splinter even lampshades it when he refuses to help him train.
- Ammag turns Mikey's match with Kluh into a Duel to the Death, and kidnaps the Daimyo's son to keep him from restoring the safety spells. Leonardo saves the boy and Mikey meanwhile turns the tables on Kluh, and thus the Daiymo decides to leave it up to Mikey as to whether or not Kluh and Ammag will die for their transgression. Luckily for them, Mikey decides against killing them.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Mikey during the fight.
- Little "No": The Daimyo in response to his son being Ammag's hostage. Donnie soon has the same reaction.
- Man Hug: Mikey gives Leo one when he offers to train him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Not explicitly stated, but when Raphael, Donatello, and Splinter don't bother to help Michelangelo prepare for his rematch against Kluh just to see him get humbled, they panic once they realize the match became a fight to the death. Had Michelangelo actually died, it would've been their fault due to their intentional negligence and pettiness.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If Kluh and Ammag hadn't tampered with the battle, Kluh would have won, but by forcing Michelangelo to fight for his life, Kluh gave him the time and the incentive to pull out a win—and not by a technicality this time.
- Not Helping Your Case: Ammag says the Daimyo considers Levrams to be barbarians. Whatever the Daiymo's reasons were, the Levrams likely reinforced them by turning a Battle Nexus Championship match into a Duel to the Death.
- No One Could Survive That!: When Leonardo reappears after being cornered by multiple Levram warriors, Ammag exclaims that "No one could defeat three Levram warriors! Impossible!" Obviously, Leo did.
- Not So Above It All: Splinter joins in when Don and Raph jokingly refuse to help Mikey train.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While it's not too shocking that Raph and Don are looking forward to Mikey having to put his money where his mouth is, it really sells the point about how bad he's gotten that Splinter decides he's on his own with training. Leo offering to help Mikey train is also this, as it comes in the middle of his Knight Templar phase and serves as the first indicator that he's not as lost as he's been acting.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Leonardo was seen being attacked by three giant Levram warriors, and by the next time we see him, it turns out he beat them all.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Kluh gasps when Mikey starts taking the fight just as personally.
- Leo gets a brief one when the child Ulimate Ninja shows a hint of memory of their past experiences. Fortunately he decides to befriend Leo this time around instead.
- Papa Wolf: For the attempt on his son's life, the Daimyo immobilizes Ammag and his men and lets Mikey decide what his, his men's and Kluh's fate will be as punishment for his crime. Fortunately for him, Mikey was merciful.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Subverted. After Leonardo saves the Daimyo's son, the Daimyo leaves up to Mikey whether Kluh will live or die, along with Ammag. Mikey however spares Kluh.
- The Power of Love: While getting beaten during the fight, Mikey recalls what he was told earlier:Leonardo: In this life, we only have each other. If one of us goes down, we all go down, so focus.
- Product Placement: Downplayed. The end of the episode sees the Turtles don special ceremonial armor which were sold as toys in the Battle Nexus sub-toyline roughly a year before the episode aired. The armor was also available as unlockable costumes in the Battle Nexus video game.
- Shout-Out: Ammag declares, "Now the combat is mortal!"
- Shout-Out Theme Naming: In the form of Sdrawkcab Name, Kluh and Ammag from the planet Levram.
- Smarter Than You Look: Ammag notes his people are written off as lowly barbarians, but he says they possess cunning and magical spells. Their wizard is able to remove the arena's safety spell.
- Sore Loser: Although Kluh has a point about only losing on a technicality, it eventually becomes clear that he doesn't really give a damn about the Battle Nexus Championship or its rules.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Leo's reaction to when the Ultimate Ninja (now an innocent kid) asks if the two "played together" in the past.
- This Cannot Be!: Ammag's reaction to Leo beating three Levram warriors by himself.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Played for laughs when Mikey is awarded a medal.Don: And I thought the trophy was bad.
Raph: We're never gonna hear the end of this. I'm gonna have to move out. - Took a Level in Jerkass: Kluh was never pleasant to begin with but was never outright villainous in previous appearances, being at worst an irascible guy with a temper but could also perform feats of heroism like join the rebellion Traximus was forming. In this episode, he outright schemes with his father to kill Michelangelo even though he had a fair shot of defeating Mikey honorably in a rematch per the rules.
- Unexplained Recovery: The Battle Nexus Gyoji got sucked into the vortex created by the Daimyo's warstaff in "The Big Brawl, Part 4", but is seen alive and well in this episode, with no explanation as to how he recovered.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Mikey has this moment with Leo at the end of the episode, thanking him for helping him train and having faith in him. Leo's "You did good" response is also a Pet the Dog moment after several episodes of his relentless moodiness towards his brothers.
