"All Belts are Off" is the thirty-seventh episode of the second season of Star vs. the Forces of Evil.[1]
It premiered on February 21, 2017.[2]
Synopsis[]
Marco wants to prove to Sensei that he's more worthy than Jeremy.[2]
Plot[]
The episode begins with a videotape recording of the Grandmaster of the "How to Karate" series of videotapes, stating that he'll be coming to the Echo Creek Tang Soo Do Dojo to watch their top student perform. If Grandmaster finds them to be "worthy", the Dojo will receive his official certification. As Marco's sensei explains what an honor it would be to receive Grandmaster's certification, Marco is certain he will be chosen to perform. However, Sensei chooses Jeremy Birnbaum instead, and Jeremy taunts Marco over it.
The next morning, Marco goes to Sensei's house to demonstrate his martial arts skills and prove that he's worthier to perform for Grandmaster than Jeremy. Unfortunately, despite Marco's ability, Sensei still believes Jeremy is the better option because of "who he is as a person". After Marco accidentally breaks one of Sensei's collectible toy figures, Sensei tells him he still has a lot to learn about honor.
Some time later, Marco follows Jeremy around town to observe him and capture recorded evidence of his misbehavior, such as pranking people with a hundred-dollar bill glued to the ground. With this evidence, he hopes to change Sensei's mind about letting Jeremy represent the dojo. Later on, Marco goes to the dojo and finds it decorated with banners of Jeremy's face and a gold Jeremy statue. Just before he informs Sensei of Jeremy's unworthiness, he remembers Sensei's words from earlier about honor and instead apologizes for questioning his judgment.
Grandmaster arrives for the certification ceremony, and Jeremy begins performing for him. However, his extreme bragging and showboating earns him the disdain of the audience. When Marco finally confronts Sensei why he chose Jeremy over him, Sensei admits that he chose Jeremy because his family donates a lot of money to the dojo and that he's a terrible business man. Sensei says he is fully aware of what a terrible person Jeremy is, but he didn't choose Marco because friends "do hurtful things to each other". While Marco is flattered that Sensei considers the two of them to be friends, he advises him that real friends are honest with one another. This epiphany teaches Sensei not to take friendship and life lessons from children's cartoons.
Grandmaster, having dozed off during Jeremy's performance, wakes up and commends the boy, despite having not seen the whole thing and getting Jeremy's name wrong. Nevertheless, Grandmaster grants the dojo his official certification, much to Sensei's delight. To celebrate, Marco invites Sensei to get tacos with him. Left all alone in the dojo, Jeremy's only companion is his butler, who offers to take him to prank more people.
Characters[]
Major characters[]
- Marco Diaz
- Jeremy Birnbaum
- Sensei Brantley
- Grandmaster
Minor characters[]
- Star Butterfly
- Mr. Birnbaum
- Mrs. Birnbaum
- Jeremy's butler
- Alfonzo Dolittle (cameo)
- Ferguson O'durguson (cameo)
Production notes[]
Songs[]
Title in other languages[]
Language | Title | Translation |
---|---|---|
Dutch | Alle Banden Vallen Af | All Belts Fall Off |
French | Les Valeurs du Karaté | The Values of Karate |
German | Gekämpft wird ohne Gürtel! | Fighting Without a Belt! |
Hebrew | כל החגורות כשרות | All Belts are Off |
Hungarian | Övet Leoltva | Taking Off the Belts |
Italian | Un Certificato per il Dojo | A Certificate for the Dojo |
Japanese | 空手の師範 | Karate Instructor |
Korean | 도장 대표 | Dojo Representative |
Polish | Wszystkie odeszłe pasy | All Belts are Off |
Portuguese (Brazil) | Tirem as Faixas | The Belts Come Off |
Portuguese (Portugal) | Cintos em Baixo | Belts Down |
Russian | Все ремни отключены | All Belts are Off |
Spanish (Latin America) | Dojo Certificado | Certified Dojo |
Spanish (Spain) | A Apretarse el Cinturón | Tighten the Belt |
Transcript
View the episode transcript here.
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Trivia[]
- The title is a play on the expression "all bets are off".
- Lamorne Morris, best known for portraying Winston in New Girl, guest-stars as the Grandmaster.
Revelations and continuity[]
- The "How To Karate" video series from "Red Belt" is mentioned again.
Allusions[]
- The cartoon television show that Sensei watches and learns friendship and life lessons from is a reference to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
References[]
- ↑ Bryan (2017-01-09). “Star vs. The Forces of Evil” Gets Weekday Premieres in February. Nick and More. Retrieved on 2017 March 5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 All Belts are Off. Disney XD Press. Retrieved on 2017 March 5.