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"Evil Spirit Week" is the twenty-first episode of the first season of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. It premiered on March 18, 2013.
Synopsis[]
School Spirit Day turns into a disaster after Howard is possessed by a mythical demon bird.
Plot[]
The episode starts with the students at Norrisville preparing for the oncoming Spirit Week. Howard had accidentally ruined a papier-mâché carp and it messed up the room. Randy annoyingly tells Howard to clean up the mess together so they can go Photobomb every picture taken. Howard then convinces Randy to go Ninja to clean it up, which Randy reluctantly does. After cleaning all but one spot, Randy accidentally breaks part of the floor, thinking it was just paint, unknowing that the demon bird, the Tengu is sealed there. After Randy runs off to find glue and marks to fix up the part, Howard is possessed by the Tengu, investing him with avian characteristics.
Randy tries to bring Howard to several Photobomb attempts, but Howard messes it up, causing Randy to be frustrated. After earning a detention, Howard runs outside and transforms into a giant orange Tengu. Randy looks into the Nomicon to find out what happen to his buddy. While inside, Randy learns that the Ninja fought a Tengu, attaining its powers from the feathers and sealed the Tengu upon a stone. The seal can only be released by a hand of a Ninja, which Randy accidentally had done earlier in the episode. The Nomicon then tells Randy that the Ninja and the Tengu are connected. Randy then quickly goes outside to stop his best friend from hurting himself and others.
Randy enters the battle as the Tengu wreaks havoc. Randy tries to avoid battling his best friend, telling him that it wasn't Howard's fault that he's possessed. Unable to get through to him, Randy uses his scarf to hurl himself and the Tengu to the ground, injuring his arm in the process. After realizing the Tengu is also suffering from the same injury, Randy realizes that their weaknesses are connected as well. Randy resorts to physically hurting himself in order to subdue the Tengu, eventually releasing the Tengu from Howard. After quickly recovering from his injuries, Randy goes to Howard to help him up; however, the Tengu spirit possesses Howard again.
Randy panics and feel guilt due to hurting his best friend by hurting himself after discovering that Tengu feels the pain he feels, too, but then realizes what has to be done when Howard completely possessed by Tengu. He takes off the Ninja mask and throws it into a fire, destroying it and sacrificing his rôle as the Ninja. The Tengu is sealed back into the stone on the floor and Howard is released, landing on Randy. Howard quickly is delighted to hear that it wasn't his fault, but then realizes what a sacrifice Randy has made. Suddenly, the bonfire glows brighter and Randy receives back the Ninja Mask. After putting it on with the approval from his best friend, Randy is briefly transformed by the Ninja Rage, claiming it was the brucest thing that ever happened to him. Randy and Howard still manage to photobomb the last yearbook picture.
Afterwards, the Tengu, sealed inside the stone, blinks an evil red eye as a shriek is heard.
Characters[]
Main characters[]
Secondary characters[]
Background characters[]
- Bash Johnson
- Bucky Hensletter
- Cass Simonson
- Debbie Kang
- Doug
- Heidi Weinerman
- Juggo
- Julian
- Morgan
- Rachel
- Theresa Fowler
- Nameless Girl with Big Eyelashes
- Nameless Girl with Green Hair & Dress
- Nameless Girl with Lavender Hair
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of the Tengu.
- This is the first episode which does not include The Sorcerer, Hannibal McFist, or Viceroy.
- Two family members of Howard are revealed in this episode: his uncle Clive and another relative who was serving turkey in Howard's flashback.
- Younger Howard is seen for the first time in Howard's flashback.
- This is the second time Howard unintentionally turns against Randy, the first time being in "Weinerman Up."
- This is chronologically the first appearance of Ninja Rage due to Randy receiving the power in this episode. The first appearance of it in airing order is "Silent Punch, Deadly Punch".
- During the Spirit Rodeo, Randy wears an outfit based on the Man with No Name.
- Running Gag: Howard's acting like a bird.
- As happened to Randy while doing the air fist in the Nomicon in the episode "Enter the Nomicon," Morgan disappears for a millisecond while bouncing her booty with another student in fish costume (Bash, maybe).
- This episode confirmed the suit is made of more then Tengu feathers when the suit reforms five creatures can be seen (nine in the storyboard): the tengu, a carp, the twin baku, and a wani (dragon).
- In the storyboards, the tengu, a carp, a wani, two Tsukumogami (kasa-obake & Chōchin-obake), Quetzalcoatl, an oni, a nura-onna, and a taotie.
- Bash is the mascot for for this episode, even though the mascot was almost always Doug and other miscellaneous students.
- When the creatures combine together during and after the explosion, you can see sparkles that actually resemble the Norisu Nine symbol.
- In the 224th issue of Animation Magazine the Ninja Suit is called "magic demon-fiber suit" which is talking about the Tengu's feathers but could also imply the suit is made of more dark magic/demonic powers then just of that.
- It is revealed in the storyboards that this song where Howard sang while waiting on Randy, called “Sitting by Myself“, was cut.
Storyboards[]
- Here are the storyboards from Tumblr.
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.