The Ninja Tribunal is a group of Ninjutsu masters that appear in the 2003 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
History[]
At the beginning of the 4th century, the Ninja Tribunal was born with a human Oroku Saki, thus uniting into the five greatest warriors of Japan, who became famous after they killed a tengu called The Shredder under orders of the Emperor of Japan. He therefore decided to call himself "The Five Dragons".
Unbeknownst to everyone, their victory was not total. Oroku Saki, who had apparently dealt the fatal blow to the Tengu, had made a secret pact with the demon, that in exchange for power, Saki allowed that Tengu to enter the body of a human, so that the Shredder could continue to live; the demon Saki had killed was nothing more than an empty shell.
Saki, with the power of the Tengu and an army of demons, created a reign of terror that spread across Japan. The four remaining Dragons acknowledged they couldn't defeat him due to how powerful he had become despite their own considerable magic and strength, so they decided to travel the world to gain the knowledge and power they needed to best him, during which, as described by The Ancient One, they managed to become immortal forces of natures themselves. They then engaged Oroku Saki in battle, and though the battle was long and difficult, they eventually managed to defeat him using their dragon avatars and working together. Because they knew his evil magic prevented him from being destroyed altogether, they decided to seal him in a coffin and took both his helmet and gauntlet and hid them separately. Since then, they have kept watch over them, knowing that if they were ever reunited, the original Tengu Shredder would rise again.
In the present, they become the overarching protagonists of the show's fifth season, often known as "The Lost Episodes", when they conscript the Turtles and a few other warriors as Acolytes in order to prepare them for what they fear to be the imminent return of the original Shredder due to the Foot Mystics conspiring to set him free. While each of their personalities varies to some degree, they are generally harsh on the Turtles and the other recruits while training them due to seeing it as necessary to prepare them for the worst case scenario and make sure they're as ready as possible to face what they call "the greatest evil to walk the earth". However, they are also willing to give credit where it's due and acknowledge their progress when the Turtles and other warriors each show noticeable aptitude in different areas of their training.
Powers[]
The members of the Ninja Tribunal are among the most powerful beings in the TMNT Universe. Their knowledge of the mystic arts allow them to perform tasks normally beyond the means of the series' other ninjutsu practitioners, such as manipulation of forces like the weather and energy; greatly enhanced speed and strength; and they can project energy to the point where they could summon powerful blasts capable of blowing up multiple cities and mountains. They can also manifest their astral selves into dragon avatars. It appears their knowledge on the mystic arts also gives them the ability to run at super speeds, use telekinesis, attack on the mental plane, and they even have the strange ability to warp reality. The Ninja Tribunal resides in the Lap of the Gods, a monastery mystically hidden in Japan. In addition to their powers, they command the Mokusai no Bushi, a group of mystical warriors made out of wood. They also make use of the Ninja Tribunal ship, a sailing ship which is also capable of flight, in which to travel.
Each member of the Tribunal is the master of the four distinct aspects of ninjutsu: Spirit, Weapons, Strength, and Stealth. The Ninja Tribunal members are:
- Kon-Shisho: Ninjutsu master of Spirit
- Juto-Shisho: Ninjutsu master of Weapons
- Chikara-Shisho: Ninjutsu master of Strength
- Hisomi-Shisho: Ninjutsu master of Stealth
At the end of Enter the Dragons, Part 2, the Tribunal asks the Ancient One to join them, which he does.
Trivia[]
- The term Shisho is a Japanese honorific designating the master in an apprenticeship.
