The turtles are captured by the Triceratons and must fight for their freedom in the Triceraton Gladiator Arena. Meanwhile, April and Casey need to retrieve the black hole generator.
- Adaptation Distillation: Elements of this story arc were spread over three episodes in the 2003 cartoon.
- Alien Blood: The Spasmosaur has blue blood.
- Animated Adaptation: This episode is based on issue 6 of the Mirage comic.
- Ascended Extra: The Spasmosaur had a mere one-panel appearance in the Mirage comic. Here, it's the Turtles' first opponent.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The Spasmosaur the turtles fight in the arena can only be damaged by a white spot on its body.
- Berserk Button: Do not compare Zanramon to the Kraang.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: The Triceratons who were supposed to be guarding the black hole generator fragment decide to leave their post so they can watch Zeno defeat the turtles, giving April and Casey the opportunity to take it.
- Combat Tentacles: The Spasmosaur the Turtles face had a lot of these.
- Composite Character: Zeno replaces Monza Ram and the team of three other Triceratons the Turtles faced in the Mirage comic and Traximus from the 2003 cartoon. He probably has the fighting strength of all five combined to boot.
- Continuity Nod: The Triceratons having the first piece of the black hole generator and April using the soul star fragment from Riddle of the Ancient Aeons.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Spasmosaur is some kind of blob covered in mouths and eyes, with tentacles ready to grab food.
- Expy: Zeno is basically Traximus from the 2003 cartoon.
- For the Evulz: Mozar orders the hatch to open slowly because he wanted to see the Turtles suffer via air suffocation, but gets annoyed that they used a technique to control their breathing, so he orders his men to open the door completely.
- Foreshadowing: Before the turtles go off to fight their next opponent, they wish Zeno good luck that he wins his freedom. As he soberly remarks he knows all too well who the turtles will fight next, there's then a shot of Zeno's cell being flooded with light. As though his cell were being opened, letting the audience know the turtles' next opponent and Zeno are one and the same.
- Gentle Giant: Zeno is the nicest Triceraton the Turtles get to meet so far. And even among the Trikes, Zeno is big.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Zeno was against using the black hole generator unlike the other Triceratons.
- Mythology Gag: This episode is an adaptation of past Triceraton arena stories.
- The Turtles survive a no-oxygen environment using a technique from Splinter.
- Zanramon survives the episode as he did in the 2003 cartoon.
- The Turtles find a powerful ally in the noble Triceraton Zeno (Traximus), who helps them escape.
- Honeycutt refuses to aid the Triceratons in building a doomsday device.
- "Not So Different" Remark: The Triceratons hate the Kraang with all their being for destroying their home planet. So it hits a raw nerve for their emperor when Zeno declares he's just like the cowardly and dishonorable Kraang if he wants to use the Heart of Darkness on Earth to annihilate their enemies.
- One-Man Army: Zeno prove he is this especially at the near end.
- Shout-Out: The simulation the Turtles play in the beginning is an obvious one to Mortal Kombat, with Shredder sitting at his throne acting like Shao-Kahn and speaking as the narrator. Mikey defeats the simulated Rahzar with a "Balloonality". Although Leo's match with Tiger Claw has him doing a Shoryuken to win. Mikey even lampshades that Leo is acting out the wrong video game.
- Spared by the Adaptation: The Triceraton leader Zanramon survives in this version, unlike in the Mirage comic.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: Mozar has the Turtles placed in the airlock and orders it opened slowly, so they'll suffer.
