The BEST episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Every episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Distinctly different from the grim, violent, and dark MIRAGE comics from which the Turtles originated, this version of the franchise has remained the longest running, and most memorable, version of all. Four turtles fall into the sewers and are befriended by Hamato Yoshi a Japanese man sent to New York who was forced to live in the sewers. One day he sees a strange green glow which transforms the four turtles into human-like creatures. Hamato (now Master Splinter) changes into a giant rat from the green glow and teaches the turtles the skills of the ninja as they team up with Channel 6 news reporter April O'Neil to battle against Yoshi's arch enemy Shredder and Krang, an alien warlord from Dimension X.

Last Updated: 12/27/2023Network: CBSStatus: Ended
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Splinter No More
star
8.83
128 votes

#1 - Splinter No More

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/1988

Sensing Master Splinter's despair at his new life as a rat, the Turtles agree to use the small amount of mutagen that they have left to concoct a formula that will revert Splinter back into Yoshi. The experiment is a success and Yoshi decides to take a stroll, as a human, through the city. Meanwhile, April is reporting Public Service Announcements from the local library when spies Rocksteady and Bebop. She immediately contacts the Turtles who head straight for the library where they encounter Shredder. It seems that Shredder has stumbled onto a spell that will enable him to open a portal to any dimension he chooses.The Turtles find a reference to a temple in an old subway terminal somewhere under the city.

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The Starchild
star
8.80
10 votes

#2 - The Starchild

Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired 9/25/1993

A small alien being, named Quirx, crash-lands on Earth, with intergalactic stormtroopers in hot pursuit. The Turtles must figure out how to get Quirx back to his home planet, before Earth is destroyed.

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Carter, the Enforcer
star
8.78
9 votes

#3 - Carter, the Enforcer

Season 9 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/28/1995

Dregg plans to build a Star Shield, a device that Dregg claims will protect Earth from hostile alien invaders. Meanwhile, the Turtles, with the help of April & her mini-cam, hope to expose Dregg for the fraud that he is. The Turtles also find out that Dregg has built an android replica of Cater.

Writer: David Wise
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The Wrath of Medusa
star
8.70
10 votes

#4 - The Wrath of Medusa

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1995

Dregg hires an alien bounty hunter named Medusa to help capture the Turtles. The Turtles must fight off this new threat. Meanwhile, Carter realises that he is more of a hindrance than a help. Meanwhile, an alien slug, called a Slorr, hatches & begins terrorising the city.

Writer: David Wise
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Doomquest
star
8.64
11 votes

#5 - Doomquest

Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/4/1995

An interdimensional being called Doomquest comes to Earth to try to get a powerful crystal from Lord Dregg. The turtles find that their unstable mutations are now starting to cause them to lose their intelligence whenever they mutate into their new forms. In the end, April is able to successfully expose Lord Dregg's true intentions to the world.

Writer: David Wise
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A Thing About Rats
star
8.56
388 votes

#6 - A Thing About Rats

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/16/1987

Baxter Stockman, a mad scientist, is showing an exterminator his new invention a rat catching robot called Mousers. The exterminator rejects Stockman's offer, however Shredder decides to buy his inventions. He unleashes a dozen mousers into the sewers they are easily defeated by Splinter. The Turtles track the one responsible for the mechanical rats to his hide where they encounter Krang.

Directors: Yoshikatsu Kasai
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Enter: Krakus
star
8.56
9 votes

#7 - Enter: Krakus

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/22/1994

Still after the Flux Transformer, Titanus & his mutants track its unique electronic signals, in order to locate it & get it back. Meanwhile, the Turtles have their hands full, when an enforcer named Krakus shows up. The Turtles must find out who Krakus is & whether he is friend or foe.

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Atlantis Awakes
star
8.56
9 votes

#8 - Atlantis Awakes

Season 7 - Episode 23 - Aired 11/20/1993

The Turtles discover an Atlantean city, not in ancient Greece, but in modern times. After meeting Merdude, in reality is the true King of Atlantis, the Turtles must defeat Shredder & dethrone Bebop, who been set up as a puppet king.

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Leonardo is Missing
star
8.50
12 votes

#9 - Leonardo is Missing

Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/28/1992

Leonardo gets lost following a distress signal while Krang invents a 'Hyper-Thruster'. Krang tries to blow the Earth off its axis and melt the ice. The Technodrome is not at the bottom of the sea, but is at the North Pole.

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Donatello Makes Time
star
8.50
12 votes

#10 - Donatello Makes Time

Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 10/6/1990

Donatello invents a machine that can freeze time, which a deranged professor steals as part of a plan to conquer the world.

Writer: Dennis Marks
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The Fifth Turtle
star
8.50
130 votes

#11 - The Fifth Turtle

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/4/1989

Dressed in their human disguises, Donatello and Raphael venture out of their Turtle lair to buy supplies to make pizza. On their way back, via what they believe to be a shortcut, they are "intercepted" by a gang of young street Punks. Suddenly, a young boy wearing a Turtle costume, and who calls himself Zack: "Master Ninja Turtles and the Scourge of Evil Doers", drops in out of nowhere. As he prepares to defend Donatello and Raphael, he falls flat on his face, allowing the real Turtles to dispatch the punks with ease. Afterwords, Zack explains how he wants to help them fight crime -- but Raphael tells him that he is more of a menace than a crime fighter. The kid leaves in a huff, picking up Donatello's Turtle-Com -- which he had lost in the scuffle with the would-be attackers.

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Beware the Lotus
star
8.47
17 votes

#12 - Beware the Lotus

Season 3 - Episode 28 - Aired 11/1/1989

Krang hires a female Ninja, Lotus, to replace Shredder. It seems that Lotus has agreed to help Krang locate the Turtles in exchange for 100 pounds of gold. To prove her worthiness, and Shredder's unworthiness, Lotus defeats him with her Ninja skills. Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop leave the Technodrome with their tails between their legs vowing that Krang will someday beg to have them back. Meanwhile, Burne assigns April and Vernon to do a special story on romance. At the Olaf Perfume Factory, April interviews a Monsieur Olaf, who reveals that he has a 'Scent Analyzer' that can 'sniff out' any fragrance. But, while protected by three armed guards, is suddenly stolen by Lotus and in its place, she leaves a lotus flower. A short time later, Lotus visits Aqua Land and steals from Dr Gilman, a marine biologist, his complete file on his study of genetic codes of turtles. Once again she leaves a lotus flower in its place.

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Leatherhead: Terror of the Swamp
star
8.45
20 votes

#13 - Leatherhead: Terror of the Swamp

Season 3 - Episode 30 - Aired 11/3/1989

While Raphael is reliving the past, via the Turtles' photo album, their Frog friends in the Florida Swamps (Napolean Bonafrog, Genghis Frog, and Rasputin) are being terrorized by a mutant alligator known as Leatherhead, who makes them his slaves. They decide to call the Turtles for help. Meanwhile, Krang's scanner picks up Leatherhead's activities and he sends Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop to the same Florida Swamp to retrieve the mutant alligator and use him to help defeat the Turtles. But no sooner do the Turtles and April arrive when they are captured by Leatherhead. The Frogs turn the tables and help the Turtles capture Leatherhead. Shredder and company arrive in the Florida Swamp and stumble upon the Turtles and April, the Frogs and Leatherhead. They decide to track them for awhile before charging in and attacking. Sure enough he finds his golden opportunity when he rescues Leatherhead from the quicksand that the Turtles, the Frogs, and Leatherhead have fallen into.

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Bye, Bye, Fly
star
8.35
17 votes

#14 - Bye, Bye, Fly

Season 3 - Episode 44 - Aired 11/23/1989

An interdimensional alien spacecraft leads Baxter Stockman to his latest vengeful plot to destroy the Turtles and Shredder.

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The Case of the Killer Pizzas
star
8.34
169 votes

#15 - The Case of the Killer Pizzas

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/1988

Shredder and Baxter Stockman switch meatballs on some pizzas, used as prizes in a contest, with some weird alien eggs from Dimension X. The Turtles must battle the creatures that hatch from the eggs in order to save the city.

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Raphael Versus the Volcano
star
8.33
15 votes

#16 - Raphael Versus the Volcano

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/5/1991

A malfunction of Donatello's latest invention ultimately results in Raphael believing he is about to die, and ultimately trying to save the world by himself.

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Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X
star
8.29
14 votes

#17 - Slash: The Evil Turtle from Dimension X

Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/22/1990

Bebop and Rocksteady use Krang's new Mutagen on Bebop's pet turtle Slash so he can do their housework for them. Slash runs away and is conned by an irritated entrepreneur into framing the TMNT.

Writer: David Wise
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Michaelangelo's Birthday
star
8.26
23 votes

#18 - Michaelangelo's Birthday

Season 3 - Episode 31 - Aired 11/6/1989

It's Michaelangelo's birthday, but none of his brothers seem to remember, and it frustrates him greatly. Meanwhile, Shredder and Krang discover what is possibly an 'anti-mutagen' that, after testing it on three rock soldiers, can undo mutations. Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady are sent to use it on the Turtles, and our heroes have a few close calls.

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Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!
star
8.20
10 votes

#19 - Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!

Season 7 - Episode 24 - Aired 11/27/1993

Professional mutant hunter Dirk Savage is conned into to rounding up New York's mutants. Tokka, Rahzer, two of the Punk Frogs, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Mondo Gecko all fall prey and become part of a mutant slug's army.

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The Maltese Hamster
star
8.18
102 votes

#20 - The Maltese Hamster

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/28/1989

It was a dark and rainy night. The Turtles, wearing their trench coats and fedoras investigate a reign of mob terror. Donatello, in his worst 'Sam Spade' impersonation, narrates this pulp/film nor story of banks all over the city being "taken down by the mob". But, as Donatello tells the viewer, the mob is using sophisticated weaponry -- the kind that could be only supplied by Shredder. And what mobster would be 'gutsy' enough to deal with Shredder?

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Farewell Lotus Blossom
star
8.15
13 votes

#21 - Farewell Lotus Blossom

Season 4 - Episode 24 - Aired 10/13/1990

Ninja Lotus Blossom's nightmares draw her to a strange artifact in the Turtles' possession. The artifact contains an angry spirit, whose wife's soul is within Lotus.

Writer: David Wise
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The Mean Machines
star
8.09
144 votes

#22 - The Mean Machines

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/1988

After the batteries died in the alien crystal converger, Donatello, using spared circuits from the space ship, builds a tracking device to help locate the second fragment of the Eye of Zarnov. On the streets, the tracking device picks up the signal and leads the Turtles to a branch of a bank where a hold-up has just occurred.

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Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X
star
8.03
284 votes

#23 - Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/17/1987

Shredder experiments with the Inter-Dimensional Portal, hoping to contact Krangs' Rock Soldiers and prepare an invasion of Earth. A group of fun-loving aliens called the Neutrionos, renegades in Krang's dimension, take advantage of the Portal's opening and use it to arrive on Earth.

Directors: Yoshikatsu Kasai
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Enter the Shredder
star
8.01
505 votes

#24 - Enter the Shredder

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/15/1987

The Shredder kidnaps Splinter in an attempt to lure the Turtles to his own cause. In order to rescue Splinter, the Turtles must enter the Shredder's mobile fortress, The Technodrome and brave it's dangerous weaponry. Even if they can, they must still confront The Shredder himself, who is armed not only with the nature of their origin, but also with his own mutated henchmen, Bebop, and Rocksteady.

Directors: Yoshikatsu Kasai
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Shredder's New Sword
star
8.00
9 votes

#25 - Shredder's New Sword

Season 7 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/22/1993

Shredder takes possession of the mythic sword, Excalibur, and proclaims himself "King Shredder". The Turtles, along with Merlin, must take it from him or else the Medieval period will merge with the modern world.

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