Halo's Prison

"Halo's Prison"

Season	1
Episode	5
Original Airdate	June 30, 1995
Running Time	No information
Directed by	No information
Translated by	No information
previous	The Search Begins
next	The Counter Attack

"Halo's Prison" is the fifth episode of Ronin Warriors. It was originally broadcasted on syndicated television during the summer of 1995, and was eventually aired through reruns on the SciFi channel, as well as part of Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block.

Summary[]

Following the poem left to them by Professor Koji, Ryo, Mia, and Yuli arrive at the Catasota Gulch Pinnacles, where they expect to find Sage. But Sekhmet has a plan to that won't make it easy for Ryo to find his friend.

Plot[]

White Blaze runs alone on the beach while the jeep heads down the highway. Yuli asks why they're in such a hurry. Mia tells him that they're heading for the Pinnacles, where a stalactite cavern is. Yuli wonders why Sage would be there, so she explains what the poem her grandfather left them said about the Warrior of Light.

When they finally make it to the Pinnacles, Yuli and Ryo comment about the environment. Yuli still isn't sure that Sage could be in the area, but Mia is positive. Ryo promises to find him. White Blaze runs up to them, and the group sets off. Sekhmet appears, having overheard them talking about Sage.

Reaching the cave entrance, Yuli calls out to Sage, but is only answered by his own echo and the distant sounds of water dripping. He questions Mia for a third time, and Mia responds that she's absolutely sure Sage is there. White Blaze suddenly growls menacingly. When Mia asks what's wrong, Ryo responds that the tiger believes they are being followed. A disturbance in the forest confirms it. Ryo demands to know who it is, and Sekhmet rises from the water. The Ronin is surprised to see him, having thought he died at the university. The Warlord informs him of the plan to have Ryo and the others lead him to Sage. He pulls out one of his poisoned swords, preparing to kill both Ronin Warriors. Ryo warns Mia and Yuli to get out of the way.

Ryo swears that he won't let Sekhmet anywhere near Sage, and the Warlord responds with his special attack. The Warrior of Fire swiftly dodges the attack, only to be forced to avoid multiple strikes as Sekhmet keeps attacking. Finally getting an opening, Ryo lands a direct kick to the Warlord's face, knocking him down. Yuli cheers him on. Mia is amazed by Ryo's new speed and strength. Sekhmet gets back up, scoffing. Ryo prepares for another assault when he notices, to his shock, that his undergear has taken damage. Sekhmet notes that the Ronin Warrior has now seen the extent of his poison first hand, and pulls out another sword before launching another attack.

Despite the Warlord of Venom's speed, Ryo is able to leap away from both swords and keep Sekhmet at bay. Even he starts to notice that his abilities are increasing ever since his revival in the volcano. Sekhmet realizes that Talpa was right about the power of the Ronin Armor. He summons the Dynasty soldiers to assist him. Ryo tells Mia and Yuli to run for it, so they and White Blaze head off into the cave. Ryo takes out a couple of the soldiers but is not fast enough to dodge Sekhmet's blade in time. His eyes are instantly blinded by the poison.

Sensing Ryo is in danger, White Blaze turns back and rushes to his aid. Yuli wants to help, as well, but Mia thinks the best thing they can do is to have faith in their friend. Outside, Sekhmet gloats over the wounded Ronin. Ryo manages to dodge the next attack but has trouble sensing the Warlord as he approaches once more. White Blaze fortunately arrives just in time and, despite being wounded himself, gets Ryo far away from the Warlord. Sekhmet tries to stop them, causing the entrance to cave in on them and effectively trapping them all inside.

Ryo and White Blaze stop by a small stream, where Ryo tries in vain the clear the poison from his eyes. When he realizes that White Blaze is also injured, he orders the tiger to remain behind while he goes on to search for Sage and dons the Wildfire armor. Using the Swords of Wildfire as a honing beacon, he uses them to find his way to the Armor of Halo. Elsewhere, the Dynasty soldiers have found Mia and Yuli. The two try to get away, going deeper into the cave, but run right into Sekhmet. He intends to use them to lead him to Sage. Yuli says that Ryo's probably already found him by now. The Warlords informs them that is not possible, and Mia demands to know what the Warlord is talking about. Sekhmet doesn't give her a direct answer. The Dynasty soldiers capture the two civilians.

The Swords of Wildfire lead Ryo into a large cavern, where a light shines from under the ice-covered ground. As Ryo steps on it, the ice gives way, and he falls through. The swords resonate loudly, pointing him at a large pillar of ice, inside of which lies Sage. Ryo calls out to him and swipes at the pillar with his swords, but nothing happens.

Sekhmet melts through a rock wall, the soldiers behind him still holding Mia and Yuli captive. The two call out to Ryo, telling him that Sage is right behind him. The Warlord of Venom says they shouldn't bother, since Ryo's blind. The Warrior of Fire states that it doesn't change the fact he's standing between his friend and their enemies. Sekhmet attacks, paralyzing Ryo where he stands and striking the Wildfire armor with his poison. Ryo calls out to Sage again, asking him for help. He raises his fist and punches at the pillar with all his strength. Sekhmet mocks his efforts as Ryo tries again. This time, the cavern begins to shake as the pillar cracks. A bright green light bursts forth from the pillar. Ryo passes out as Sage is revived.

Finding his friend unconscious beside him, Sage prepares to face Sekhmet himself. The Warlord attacks, but Sage parries the blows and knocks the swords out of the man's hands. He uses his special attack, filling the cavern with light and defeating the Dynasty.

The group emerges from the cave, Sage supporting the wounded Ryo. Sage explains that he could hear Ryo calling for him, but was unable to answer until he shattered the pillar. He then uses the healing powers of the Halo Armor to cure Ryo's blindness. Sage apologizes for everything Ryo had to go through. Yuli cheers, happy at having saved another one of their friends.

Continuity[]

Ryo, Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze continue to search for the other four Ronin Warriors, who were separated by Talpa in "Glory for Anubis."
Ryo, Mia, and Yuli arrive at Catasota Gulch Pinnacles, one of the locations Mia believes they will find another of the Ronin Warriors.
Ryo, Mia, and Yuli find out that Sekhmet survived their previous encounter in "The Search Begins."
The Armor of Wildfire sustains heavy damage from the Armor of Venom.
Sage is the second Ronin Warrior to be revived.
Sage uses his special ability for the first time: Thunderbolt Cut.

Title[]

The title refers to both the poem Mia's grandfather passed down to her - "the darkest prison sheds the light" - and Sage's return.

Cast[]

Ryo of the Wildfire — Matt Hill
Sage of the Halo — Michael Donovan
Mia — Lalainia Lindbjerg
Yuli — Christopher Turner
Sekhmet — Ward Perry
Narrator — David Kaye

Quotes[]

"The poem Grandfather used to tell me when I was a little girl was encrypted in his computer. The passages in ancient legend are the keys to finding the Ronin Warriors. 'Immortal Fire' led to Ryo in the volcano. The next verse is 'darkest prison sheds the light.' Sage is the Warrior of Light. My instincts tell me Sage may very well be in the cavern at the Pinnacles."

— Mia explains her reasoning to Ryo and Yuli.

White Blaze: "(roars)"
Yuli: "What's up?"
Ryo: "Hmm?"
Mia: "What's wrong?"
Ryo: "He thinks someone is following us."

— Maybe Ryo should listen to White Blaze more often?

"And I always say, one good sword deserves another."

— Sekhmet makes a really bad joke.

"Since I was revived in the magma lair, I gain power every time I fight, I'm sure of it. The power in my armor is increasing."

— Ryo, on the Armor of Wildfire.

"Your eyes, they burn, and your vision is blurred! And now, you're as blind as the bats in those caves!"

— Sekhmet after one of his swords strikes Ryo.

Yuli: "Mia, we have to help him out!"
Mia: "No, Yuli. I think we'd only be getting in his way right now."
Yuli: "But we gotta help 'im!"
Mia: "I know we do, but Ryo's no weakling. Have faith in him."

— Mia keeps Yuli out of trouble.

"Be calm. Think, Ryo, think! Okay, if I can sense where he is, maybe I can dodge him. Now, where is he? I can't find him. If I can't find him, I'm finished."

— Ryo tries to focus his other senses after losing his sight.

Sekhmet: "Wildfire's helpless like a small, nervous rat."
Ryo: "I'm not totally helpless. I stand between you and Sage."

— Sekhmet and Ryo face-off yet again.

"Come on, Sage. Without my eyesight, I'm beat real bad. You're my last chance."

— Ryo tries to wake Sage.

"Well, I didn't really need that beauty sleep, but I guess my armor needed some time to recharge it's power."

— Sage, after leaving the caves.

Cultural references[]

Errors[]

Animation Mistakes[]

Dialogue Mistakes[]

English Dub Mistakes[]

Trivia[]

When first arriving at the Catasota Gulch Pinnacles, Ryo comments how White Blaze is reminded of the Himalayan Mountains, which was once his home. This is only true in the English dub.
This is one of the few times that the special healing abilities of the Halo armor is seen when Sage uses it to cure Ryo from the blindness caused by Sekhmet's venom.