The 1980's Shredder and Kraang arrive in the 2012 universe and recruit the modern versions of Bebop and Rocksteady to destroy it. The 80's turtles also arrive asking their 2012 counterparts for help.
- Adaptational Wimp: The 80's turtles aren't very good at combat (see Wrong Genre Savvy below), something that wasn't a problem for them in Turtles Forever.
- A Day in the Limelight: This special arguably focuses more on Bebop and Rocksteady than the turtles themselves.
- Art Evolution: The 1987 universe's art-style is more accurately portrayed here than it is in the other episodes its shown up in.
- Bad Boss: 80's Shredder and Kraang are horrible bosses to Bebop and Rocksteady despite their competence, constantly verbally abusing them. They admit that it is more out of habit from their own Bebop and Rocksteady than having anything against their 2012 counterparts.
- Behavioral Conditioning:
- Having spent most of his villainous career putting up with a Bebop and Rocksteady pair that are both Minion with an F in Evil, he still insult and belittles them even when they do their jobs right purely out of habit.
- Conversely, even when it is obvious that 80's Shredder and Kraang are cupcakes compared to their 2012 counterparts, Bebop and Rocksteady are still intimidated by them because their version of the Shredder commanded such fear.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: 80's Raph does this when the Turtles are about to be killed by Rocksteady, as he insists they can't as this is a "kid's show".
- The Bus Came Back: First appearance of Bebop and Rocksteady since "End Times". The 80's Turtles and Kraang also return after their last appearance in "Trans-Dimensional Turtles".
- Character Development: While they are skeptical about Mikey's claim that their 80s counterparts being back, Leo, Raph, and Donnie actually look into it instead of brushing it off as nonsense. This shows that they're starting to take his claims more seriously.Raph: Mikey was right again! Lame...
- Conspicuous Trenchcoat: 2012 Leo wears one when he beats up a mugger holding up a store.
- Continuity Nod:
- The 2012 Turtles previously met the 80's Turtles and Kraang in "Trans-Dimensional Turtles".
- The Turtles find their lives boring after the final defeat of the Foot and Shredder's permanent death in "End Times". Bebop and Rocksteady defected from the Foot in that episode when things got too weird for them.
- Bebop and Rocksteady are hanging out in the latter's old warehouse, last seen in "Serpent Hunt". They also mention being reduced to eating ketchup and cockroaches, much like they were in that episode after hiding from the Kraang occupation of New York.
- 80's Kraang remembers his encounter with turtles of this show and warns Shredder that "these turtles are actually dangerous".
- Curb-Stomp Battle: In an odd example, during Bebop and Rocksteady's fight against 80's Shredder to prove their worth, each of them gets both treatments, as Shredder curb-stomps Bebop and Rocksteady while they're still intimidated by him, yet once they recover they take advantage of Bebop's invisibility to confuse Shredder so Rocksteady can sneak up on him, ultimately leading into his defeat, immediately mocked by Kraang.
- Also, Bebop and Rocksteady curbstomping the 80's turtles.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Shredder and Kraang aren't just from a different universe, they're from a different time period and don't know what Wi-Fi is.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Rocksteady's crayon-written resume.Iraq (1986-89)
Yugoslavia (1991-97)
Congo (1998-2001)
Iraq Part 2 (2001-03)
Rare Imports (2005-12)
Foot Clan (2013-16) - Genre Blind: 80's Shredder and Kraang can't seem to stop degrading and insulting Bebop and Rocksteady, despite the two being far more intelligent and capable than their 80's counterparts.
- Honor Before Reason: Rocksteady decides against killing the 80's turtles as he feels killing them when they're down and out is dishonorable, and just takes them back to base.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: 2012 Bebop and Rocksteady are lightyears more competent than their 80's counterpart, thus Shredder and Kraang enjoy an unprecedented run of success with them as their new henchmen. Shredder is also beaten to a pulp when sparring with them as part of the interview process.
- Mythology Gag:
- Rocksteady tells Bebop to chill like "the ice, ice, baby guy".
- 80's Shredder has Bebop and Rocksteady attack him to prove their worth, much like how in The Secret of the Ooze, the Shredder challenged Tokka and Rahzar (two expies of Bebop and Rocksteady, no less) to attack him so he could lay down the law.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Shredder's only real action is fighting Bebop and Rocksteady as part of a henchmen interview to test their combat skills and serving as a getaway driver for them when they pull of their successful heists.
- Rule of Funny: The 80's Turtles aren't terrible as much as they are simply used to operating in a universe where fights can be won with wacky antics. Coming to a universe on the more 'real' end of the realism vs fantastic scale, all of their usual tactics fail them.
- Take That!:
- As soon as 80's Raphael says they can't kill them as they are on a kids show, it just confuses 2012 Bebop. Considering the 80's Turtles were more goofy, he has the right to be confused
- 2012 Bebop comments that 80's Shredder and Kraang are dumber than they are.
- When the 2012 turtles bring their counterparts home, they decided to train them and they prove to be slightly better than Pulverizer. 2012 Leo even says they're terrible.
- Took a Level in Badass: Bebop and Rocksteady. While they've already been established as more competent than their 80's alternatives, after all the beating from their turtles they get to show their skills once again. They've managed to go toe-to-toe with 80's Shredder, curb-stomping the 80's turtles and, with the little help with equipment from 80's Shredder and Kraang, even take on and capture the local turtles.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Averted. People notice a mutant rhino and pig in a diner. Although played straight with 80's Shredder and Kraang who were in the diner before them.
- Victory Is Boring: The 2012 Turtles are left completely bored out of their minds since the final defeat of the Foot and Shredder's permanent death in "End Times."
- Wrong Genre Savvy: The 80's turtles attempt to fight Bebop and Rocksteady with the same comical methods they would operate on Rule of Funny to defeat their versions of them, and fail miserably. In particular when 80's Raphael tries to use his Sai to cut open a fire hydrant, it does nothing.
