Episodes

Last updated: February 2010.

Dark Water miniseries (syndicated, 1991) (what's this?)

 

» The Quest (first airing: February 25, 1991, syndicated)

A boy named Ren rescues an old man from a storm, finds out he's a prince, is kidnapped by a monkeybird, makes an enemy out of the most feared pirate lord known and an ally of his kidnapper, learns of his father's mystical quest to save their homeland, "recruits" a somewhat unlikely crew, finds the first of the legendary Thirteen Treasures of Rule, and is on his way.

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» Dishonor (first airing: February 26, 1991, syndicated)

Ren directs the ship into the cavernous island of the Atani to escape Bloth and his pirates, and Ioz and Tula display their "shady" natures by pilfering some of the Atani's wealth and knowledge in the form of gold and library scrolls, while Konk gets away with the Compass and the First Treasure of Rule.

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» Break-Up (first airing: February 27, 1991, syndicated)

We see our first glimpse of Dark Water and come to understand why it's so deadly, and delve into Niddler's past and the slavery of the monkeybird race. In the midst of a major slave revolt, the heroes are separated, Ioz and Tula believing Ren to be dead and vowing to chase Konk to retrieve the Compass and First Treasure, and Ren and Niddler acquiring the Second Treasure of Rule and then being captured by Bloth.

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» Betrayal (first airing: February 28, 1991, syndicated)

Ren meets one of his father's aides, a woman named Avagon, among Bloth's other prisoners. Ioz and Tula chase Konk to Janda-town and reacquire the Compass and First Treasure with the help of Ioz's friend Zoolie, but Tula demonstrates that she has her own agenda and steals them, taking them to Bloth.

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» Victory (first airing: March 1, 1991, syndicated)

Ren realizes his quest is more meaningful than he first thought, and he and Niddler discover the reason for Tula's treachery. The three reunite with Ioz during a prisoner revolt among the Maelstrom, coming away with the first two Treasures, the Compass, more knowledge of the Dark Water, and a strong sense of unity.

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Pirates of Dark Water

 

Part 1 (first aired on ABC in 1991)

 

» Andorus (first airing: October 12, 1991)

This episode focuses on Tula, and delves a little into her background, her homeland of Andorus, her relationships with the rest of the crew, her strength as a fighter in her own right, and her newfound powers as an ecomancer. She assists Ren in recovering the Third Treasure of Rule.

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» A Drop of Darkness (first airing: October 26, 1991)

Ren recovers the Fourth Treasure, and the heroes meet a woman who had a brief (but failed) romantic history with Ren's father. She attempts to relive her youth through him, literally restoring her youth to try and get back what she lost with King Primus through his son.

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» The Beast And The Bell (first airing: November 2, 1991)

Ren receives a vision through the water of Primus, ordering him to journey to an island to ring a bell that he claims will get rid of all the Dark Water. Ren tries it, but ends up freeing one of the demons who started the scourge of Dark Water, and learning about the origins and history of the Year of the Black Tide.

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» Panacea (first airing: November 9, 1991)

The heroes journey to the island of Myragon in search of the Fifth Treasure of Rule, coming across a biotransmuter named Slaggon and using one of his "healed" creatures, a half-furry, half-fishy creature named Roulette, as their guide. However, Slaggon has no problems with switching sides if the price is right.

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» King Niddler (first airing: November 16, 1991)

The heroes journey to an island surrounded by a strange, acidic fog, where the Sixth Treasure of Rule is located, and come across a species of wingless monkey-birds that believe Niddler is their king because of his wings.

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» The Collection (first airing: November 23, 1991)

Ioz runs into old foes when the crew's resting in Janda-town, and all come into contact with a wizard who shrinks ships and transports them into bottles in his lab, where he can steal their treasures for himself (after restoring the gold to its true size).

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» The Little Leviathan (first airing: November 30, 1991)

When hiding from the Maelstrom in a cove, the crew comes across a baby leviathan separated from its herd. It and Ren take a liking to each other, much to the amusement and chagrin of Ren's friends, but it also assists in recovering the Seventh Treasure of Rule.

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» The Dark Dweller (first airing: December 7, 1991)

A celebration of reaching the halfway point of the Quest is interrupted by the Maelstrom, and when Bloth gives chase, Tula falls into the Dark Water. Ren journeys into the den of the Dark Dweller with Niddler to save her, and the heroes fight their first major battle against the lord of the Dark Water.

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Part 2 (syndicated, 1992-93)

 

» The Dark Disciples (first airing: November 8, 1992)

For the first time since leaving, Ren returns with his friends to Octopon to find it in ruins. It's there that they meet the Dark Disciples, their half-human leader Morpho, and the failing resistance against them, which includes Ren's guardian Jenna. The situation climaxes to a major confrontation, invoking the power of the first seven Treasures of Rule.

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» The Ghost Pirates (first airing: November 15, 1992)

The crew comes across a ghost ship, which Ioz heard is rumored to carry a bountiful treasure. It ends up being a ghost ship, and its female captain, having taken quite a liking to Ioz, orders him captured. Ren, Tula, and Niddler have to free him before the moonrise, at which point Ioz will become a ghost forever.

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» The Dagron Master (first airing: November 22, 1992)

During a terrible storm, Ren and Niddler are washed overboard. The man who takes them in tricks Ren into wearing an enchanted cloak that turns him into a dagron. Unaware of this, Ioz and Tula discover the island, conveniently timed with a visit by Bloth and the Maelstrom.

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» The Game Players of Undaar (first airing: November 29, 1992)

The Wraith and Maelstrom are captured by two froglike Game Players, who issue Ren and Bloth an ultimatum: they must work together to beat the Game Players' challenging and dangerous game, and if they win, they'll be set free. If they refuse to play or lose the game, they and their friends will die.

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» The Pandawa Plague (first airing: May 2, 1993)

During a rest stop in Octopon, the monkeybird queen comes in search of Niddler and informs them of a plague turning the monkeybirds of Pandawa against her. When Ren and Niddler go to investigate, they find out it's an artificial plague spread by the deposed slave trader Jargis to find the egg of the future monkeybird queen.

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» Sister of the Sword (first airing: May 9, 1993)

During a stopover in a port city, Ren runs into a fiesty and troublemaking thief of a girl, who ends up being Ioz's younger sister Solia. This episode elaborates on Ioz's mysterious background a bit, and serves to demonstrate that Ioz's thieving habits are indeed hereditary.

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» The Soul Stealer (first airing: May 16, 1993)

On the advice of a personal soothsayer, Bloth has Morpho concoct a body-switching potion, which successfully switches Ren and Bloth, as well as Niddler and Konk. At the same time, Joat, the original owner of the Wraith, comes in pursuit of Ren and Ioz, who stole his ship at the start of the quest.

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» The Living Treasure (first airing: May 23, 1993)

After a long period of no luck with locating the Eighth Treasure, the crew's luck changes and they find it. It's a living being, a little blue furry creature--and it lives on an island of vicious, man-hating Amazon-like warrior women that take Ren and Ioz captive but allow Tula to join their ranks.

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* What's the difference between Dark Water and Pirates of Dark Water?

The original miniseries that debuted in February 1991 was titled Dark Water. There were a few differences between these episodes and the Pirates of Dark Water episodes that are being shown today (which debuted in 1992). Some scenes were animated differently, some things were cut out that were later added in, and other scenes existed that were later cut out. Niddler was also voiced by a different actor, Roddy McDowall.

When the rest of the show was produced, Dark Water was renamed to The Pirates of Dark Water and some changes (including re-voicing Niddler in episodes 1-5) were made. Here's a list of many of the changes, based off YTV's airing of the Dark Water miniseries and Cartoon Network's airing of the Pirates of Dark Water series.