In the episodes, the Turtles visit the surface world in New York City for the first time since being mutated, and witness the Kraang kidnap April O'Neil and her father, Kirby.
Splinter begrudgingly allows the Turtles to visit the surface world, where they encounter pizza for the first time, and observe a teenager named April O'Neil, whom Donatello develops a crush for.
Back in the lair, Splinter criticises the Turtles for their inability to work together, yet relents that having trained them as individuals, they were ill-equipped and considers waiting another year.
The Turtles recoup in the lair, where Splinter warns Leonardo that every leader must prepare to face failure, recounting his final battle with his former friend-turned rival Oroku Saki, resulting in the loss of his wife Tang Shen and daughter Miwa.
Max Nicholson of IGN gave "Rise of The Turtles" a rating of 8.5/10, saying "The action sequences are fluid, fast-paced and exciting, and the dialogue-heavy scenes are usually peppered with entertaining slapstick.
[3] Matt Edwards at Den of Geek opined that the episode is "so polished and ell executed," and praised it for its balance of comedy and action, stating "A very strong start to the series, then, and one I’ve found myself revisiting frequently.