The Shredder may be (supposedly) dead and the Foot Clan in shambles, but the Turtles are dismayed when the injured Master Splinter has disappeared during the battle. Angry and confused, Raphael impatiently heads out to find his sensei, only to be thrust into a solo adventure helping a headstrong kid, Tyler, against ruthless mobsters.
First appearance of the New York mob.
This episode provides examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode focuses on Raph and his adventure away from his brothers.
- Atrocious Alias: Raph tries the name "Green Vengeance" but gets this reaction.Weasel: What are you?
Raph: I am Green Vengeance.
Weasel: Green Vengeance? What?
Raph: All right, never mind. Don't like green, huh? How about black and blue? - Continuity Cameo/ Mythology Gag: Tyler's mother seems to be a composite character of the 1987 cartoon version of April, and Irma Langinstein.
- Determinator: Tyler is determined to save his mother, with or without help from Raph.
- Evil Power Vacuum: The mobsters reveal that with the Shredder gone a gang war is on its way.
- Foreshadowing: As mentioned above and below this episode hints at the "City at War" arc coming next season with the head mobster mentioning that with Shredder gone there is a gang war coming.
- Innocuously Important Episode: The episode introduces the mobster characters who'll make up one of the three factions in next season's "City at War" three-parter.
- Insistent Terminology: Tyler gets angry whenever Raph calls him "kid".
- Letting the Air out of the Band: When Raph calls himself "Green Vengeance", the music deflates when one of the head mobsters replies with "'Green Vengeance'? Wha'?"
- Mythology Gag: Raphael meetign an angry kid with an attitude and befriending him also happened in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. For bonus points, Peter Laird's blogs indicate that Tyler was initially going to be a Japanese kid, like Yoshi from Turtles III.
- Oh, Crap!: The Mobster with the tie does this when Raph reveals that his Temporary Blindness is over by insulting said tie;Mobster: Wha- You can see?
Raphael: I can see. Though, looking' at you, I'm kinda missing the blind thing! - Shout-Out: The title of the episode is a reference to the manga Lone Wolf and Cub. Tyler is even seen watching the movie (one of them, at least) during his flashback.
- Temporary Blindness: Raph, for a good half of the episode.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Raph, after being blinded, relies on Tyler to locate his opponent and win a fight. Previously, on The Shredder Strikes Back, Part 1, Leo fought against a bunch of invisible Foot Tech Ninja while being blindfolded and won.
- Would Hurt a Child: The mobsters fully intend to take Tyler out, and they probably would have too, if Raph hadn't intervened.
