Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series) season 6

Lore & Background

The season is lighter in tone and less violent than previous ones, with a greater emphasis on jokes, and includes revised designs for all returning characters. The Turtles can move openly in the multispecies population of New New York City. The season's story arc involves the Turtles helping Cody create a time portal to return to the 21st century while uncovering Darius's criminal activities. Enemies include Sh'Okanabo, his sentient computer virus ally Viral, and the Dark Turtles—ferocious clones created by Sh'Okanabo. The season concludes with the Turtles and Splinter eradicating Sh'Okanabo and averting the Day of Awakening.

Reader's Guide

The sixth season of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Fast Forward, is significant for its radical shift in setting and tone, transporting the characters to a futuristic New York City. This change allowed for new storytelling possibilities, including a more open society where the Turtles could interact freely with humans and aliens. The season's lighter, more comedic approach marked a departure from the darker earlier seasons. The scheduling controversy—where this season aired before the 'Ninja Tribunal' arc—created lasting confusion among fans and collectors about the proper chronological order. The season's legacy includes the introduction of Cody Jones and Serling, who became recurring elements in the franchise. The season was released in two partial DVD sets: 'TMNT Fast Forward: Future Shellshock!' (February 6, 2007) containing the first thirteen episodes, and 'TMNT Fast Forward: Day of the Awakening' (August 7, 2007) containing the remaining thirteen episodes. The season's futuristic setting and new characters expanded the TMNT universe, though its lighter tone divided some fans.

Did You Know?

• The season was originally planned to air one year later but was moved up to increase interest in the series.
• This season became the fifth season to air on commercial television even though it was the sixth season produced.
• The season's subtitle 'Fast Forward' refers to the Turtles being transported 100 years into the future.
• The season includes a future equivalent of Baxter Stockman, transformed into a cycloptic brain-headed squid-like creature.