Native Son

Native Son

Production
Episode	1.17
Running time	21 min 26 sec
Original Airdate	April 14, 2012
Director(s)	Mitsuo Kusakabe
Writer(s)	Tab Murphy
Animators(s)	Warner Brothers Animation Studio 4°C
Distributor(s)	Warner Brothers
Chronology
Previous Episode	Trials of Lion-O, Part 2
Next Episode	Survival of the Fittest
All Episodes	Episode Guide

Native Son is an episode from the re-imagined series of ThunderCats. Written by Tab Murphy, it originally aired on April 14, 2012.

Story

As they scout ahead to look for a shortcut across a snowy mountainous area, Lion-O and Tygra stumble upon a cave. The cave turns out to be the home of the Tiger Clan who were thought to have perished long ago. The first encounter a tiger called Caspin who takes them to their leader, Javan, who also happens to be Tygra’s biological father. Javan tells Tygra that he had to send him away for his own safety but Tygra isn’t convinced and still harbors anger towards his father for abandoning him.

That night, Lion-O and Tygra encounter a bunch of Shadow Creatures who attack them relentlessly. The mindless zombie-like beings appear to be indestructible as every time Lion-O cuts through them they simply rise up again to attack. Lion-O gets suspicious about the creatures when he is unable to find any tracks of these creatures to or from the cave. Using the Sword of Omens’ “Sight Beyond Sight”, Lion-O learns the shocking truth that the Shadow Creatures are none other than the Tigers themselves.

Confronted by Lion-O, Javan tells the truth. Due to their continued loyalty to Mumm-Ra, the Tigers were ostracized by the rest of the animals, including the Lions. They ended up settling in the snowy mountains where they prospered despite the harsh conditions.

One day the Tiger Clan was struck by an unexplained illness that wreaked havoc among them. Too proud to ask the Lions of Thundera for help, the Tigers, at the suggestion of Caspin, invoked the Ancient Spirits of Evil who demanded the sacrifice of Javan’s first born. Unable to kill Tygra, Javan sent away his infant son in a hot air balloon with a note that had his name written on it. The hot air balloon eventually ended up in Thundera where Claudus and the Queen adopted Tygra as their son. Furious, the Ancient Spirits cursed the Tiger Clan to turn into Shadow Monsters every night.

Wanting to lift the curse by killing Tygra, Caspin and a few of the Tigers attack Tygra but Javan comes to his son’s aid and kills Caspin in the process. As night falls, the Tigers turn into shadow monsters and Javan lunges at Tygra. Having learned the truth about why his father sent him away, Tygra tells Javan that he forgives him. This act of humility breaks the curse that was brought on by pride. The Tigers revert back to their normal forms before disappearing for good. Tygra takes the Bolo Whip that belonged to his father.

Characters

Lion-O

Tygra

Javan

Caspin

Tiger Clan

Claudus

Queen

Ancient Spirits of Evil

Locations

Thundera

Trivia

• This is the first and only episode in which Lion-O's mother, the Queen, appears, albeit in a flashback sequence.

• This episode also marks the first appearance of the Ancient Spirits of Evil.

Notable Quotes

Lion-O: We always suspected Tygra came from a lost clan. But where did you come from?

Tygra: That night I lost the two things I cherished most. My mother and my kingdom.

Lion-O: Give him a chance. Don't let your pride get in the way of forgiveness.

Lion-O: He may be your son, but he's my brother.

Javon: The real curse for the tigers has been pride. We've never been able to over come it.

Javon: You broke a curse born of pride through an act of humility. Perhaps if I'd been able to do the same we'd still be together.

Media

This episode was released on the following media:

DVD

• ThunderCats: Season 1 Book 3
• ThunderCats: Complete Series

VOD

• ThunderCats: Season 1 - Amazon Prime Release

Episode Screenshots

Official Preview Clips

ThunderCats episode 17 Native Son Preview Clip 1

ThunderCats episode 17 Native Son Preview Clip 2