The Pit

The ThunderCats reach a city inhabited by dogs, who host a gladiator-style arena for both entertainment and judgment. The group learns of a cat fighting in the arena and goes to see for themselves, while Wilykit and Wilykat go to explore the town and get food with Snarf keeping an eye on them. The group watches a preview of what the dogs call entertainment and witness the cat, Pumyra, defeat the robot that the previous fighters could not beat. They go to the leader, Dobo's, viewing platform to plead for Pumyra's release and learn that she must win 100 battles to gain her freedom, and also that Panthro and Dobo are old friends. Lion-O isn't satisfied with Dobo's choice and sneaks into the cells to break Pumyra out. However, as he tries to release her, Pumyra begins to yell at him with anger and rage because he abandoned his kingdom and his people. The guards awake and Dobo appears, taking the Sword of Omens and the Gauntlet, telling Lion-O that, since he disobeyed his law, he will have to fight against Pumyra to earn his freedom. Dobo returns the Sword and Gauntlet to Panthro and the others, and he tells them that, if Lion-O wins this fight, he will go free. Cheetara and Tygra try to convince him to release them both, but he refuses. Panthro tells Dobo not to let their past affect his judgment. Dobo and Panthro were teamed up in The Pit as a joke, a war prisoner cat and a thieving dog, but they rose in battles and became famed fighters. However, Panthro escaped one night and left Dobo alone with all the enemies they made. Panthro regretted his choice, but Dobo said it was the best thing that happened to him, because it gave him the strength to become leader of the city. However, the betrayal caused him to lose faith in loyalty from cats. Meanwhile, Wilykit and Wilykat run into a fellow pickpocket raccoon named Tookit, who says he is a "kleptovoyant" and, while they talk about how they are as good a thief as him, Wilykit discovers his Flink is missing and Wilykat's flute is gone, too. The battle between Lion-o and Pumyra begins and Lion-o refuses to fight her, but she has no problem with fighting a weakling king. During the fight, Wilykit and Wilykat try to convince Tookit to return their stuff, but he refuses unless they can prove they are as good as they say they are as thieves. The group pleads for Dobo to stop the fight, but he refuses, saying that this battle shows how loyal cats truly are, until Panthro explains why he left that night. Panthro tells him that the next battle was to be a death match against Dobo himself, and Dobo asks if he ran because he was afraid he would have lost. Panthro says that he was afraid that he might have won. Wilykit and Wilykat steal a cane, a button, and a blanket and return to Tookit and tell him they won the "contest" and to return their stuff so that they can hurry and return the random items they just stole. However, it is too late and they are pursued. Tookit uses the items Wilykit and Wilykat took to save them. The kitens think he is not such a bad guy after all, until they realize he still has their stuff. At the fight, Lion-O continues to stand up after taking a beating from Pumyra's attacks, stating that he promised to stand by her. Pumyra learns he is truly a strong and caring king, and refuses to continue the fight. Dobo says that since both forfeit the match, they must be sentenced to death, until he hears his people telling him to let them live. After learning why Panthro left, and witnessing the loyalty between Pumyra and Lion-O, he lets them live and grants them both their freedom. With old wounds fully healed and new friends made, Lion-O ask Pumyra where the other Thundercats are that were taken by the lizards. She tells him Mount Plun-Darr.

Lion-O, Cheetara, WilyKit, Snarf, Tygra, WilyKat, Panthro, Anet, Slythe, Grune, Mumm-Ra, Young Lion-O

The new "ThunderCats" will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O's ascension to the throne- and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost- takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.

Roaring to life through WBA and Studio4°C's use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, "ThunderCats" characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.