Power Lunch is the second half of the 36th episode in the third season of The Powerpuff Girls, following Helter Shelter. It was released direct-to-video on April 3, 2001 and aired on television six months later, on October 12, 2001.
After feeling a side effect from eating and drinking sweets combined with the Girls' heat ray, the Gangreen Gang get superpowers. Ace has ice powers like Kuai Liang, Snake has stretching powers like Reed Richards, Lil' Arturo has super speed like the Flash, Grubber has a loud belch that can tear bricks off of walls, and Big Billy is a rock. Now, it's superpowered good girls versus superpowered bad teens.
Synopsis[]
One day, the Gangreen Gang binds and gags the clerk of a mini-mart and proceed to raid it. Though they are not after any money, they shove all types of food down their throats, including candy, gum, coffee, frozen treats, chips, cheese sauce, and sodas. ThePowerpuffGirls arrive, address the vandalism, and chase the Gangreen Gang out of the mart into an alley. When the Gangreen Gang is cornered in a dead end, the girls use their heat vision on them, which unexpectedly causes the foods they just ate to chemically react within their bodies.
Shortly after the Gangreen Gang drop to the ground, the effects of the reaction on their bodies becomes apparent. Ace, the leader of the gang, presses his arms around his body, as if he was cold, and complains that he doesn't feel well and begins to shiver. His skin changes from green to blue. All of a sudden, Ace sneezes, and a gust of icy wind blows out of his nose and mouth and completely covers a nearby garbage can. Little Arturo arrives out of nowhere and says "Bless you, Ace," and tells Ace that he "iced" the garbage can. As Ace tries to figure everything out, Little Arturo points out that Big Billy has turned into a rock. Snake stretches over and asks if anyone has seen his hat. When Little Arturo points to a flag pole on the side of a large building, Snake stretches up the side of the building and grabs his hat. Ace asks Grubber if he felt any different and Grubber burps so loudly that bricks fall off of buildings. Understanding the situation, Ace tells the rest of the gang that they somehow got super powers and the Gangreen gang attacks the Powerpuff Girls: Ace freezes Blossom, Snake sucker-punches Buttercup in the face, and Snake also drops Big Billy on Bubbles. After the Gangreen Gang leaves and menaces throughout the city, the girls wake up, realizing what they're facing, and they zip forth.
Meanwhile, as the Gangreen Gang menace throughout Townsville with their new-found powers (stealing jewelry, robbing banks, belching police cars), the girls pursue them despite being decently outmatched. Blossom tries to freeze Ace, but he mocks her and breaks free, feeling no effect and taking no physical damage. Ace counters her attack by shooting icicles out of his hands and hitting her with a giant block of ice. Elsewhere, Buttercup tries to attack Snake, but Big Billy ends up stepping on her, knocking her unconscious. Little Arturo and Grubber use Bubbles as a punching bag; Grubber stuns her with loud burps while Little Arturo wails on her at breakneck speed. After this, the girls come up with an idea. Blossom freezes the ground to use as a bowling alley and Buttercup rolls Bubbles into a ball. She rolls Bubbles toward the gang and Bubbles ends up "striking" them (hitting them with a blow) and sending them to the ground. A few moments later, the gang gets up and Ace orders his group to destroy them. Arturo punches all three girls, knocking them out. Next, Ace freezes them and has Snake stretch high over the girls with Big Billy in preparation to drop him onto the girls. Right as they could ready their coup de grace, the Gangreen Gang's stomachs start to rumble as the supercharged food is being digested. They break from their finale to rush to use a set of portable toilets and re-emerge minus their super powers. The girls break free and beat the Gangreen Gang, whose powers had went down the drain while they still had theirs, and once again, the day is saved thanks to the Powerpuff Girls, while they beat up by the said villains (as the episode ends).
Grubber is seen eating Pringles in this episode, which is a popular chip brand.
The powers of the Gangreen Gang were:
Ace - Cryokinesis (Ice powers) (from the frozen treats)
Snake - Elasticity (from the stretchy candy)
Little Arturo - Hyper Vibration (super speed) (from the caffeine in the coffee he drank)
Grubber - Sonic Belch Resonation (from the gassy snacks)
Big Billy - He was just a rock (from the rock hard candy)
The Gangreen Gang's powers resemble some popular characters from media:
Ace - resembles Kuai Liang (called Sub-Zero) from Mortal Kombat
Snake - resembles Mr. Fantastic from The Fantastic Four as well as Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece
Lil' Arturo - resembles the Flash
Grubber - resembles the Black Canary's Canary Cry
Big Billy - resembles The Thing in Marvel Comics
There was apparently a delay in the airing of this episode.
The powers that the Gangreen Gang gain are likely a reference to their personalities and also a term "You are what you eat", which means that a person becomes related to the food that they ingest.
The Narrator breaks the fourth wall in this episode when he says "Fasten your seat belts, 'cause we're about to have a good old-fashioned superhero/supervillain superfight!"
This episode first debuted as a DVD exclusive on two DVDs on April 3, 2001. It first aired on television on October 12, 2001.
Season 1:Monkey See, Doggie Do • Mommy Fearest • Insect Inside • Powerpuff Bluff • Octi Evil • Geshundfight • Buttercrush • Fuzzy Logic • Boogie Frights • Abracadaver • Telephonies • Tough Love • Major Competition • Mr. Mojo's Rising • Paste Makes Waste • Ice Sore • Bubblevicious • The Bare Facts • Cat Man Do • Impeach Fuzz • Just Another Manic Mojo • Mime for a Change • The Rowdyruff Boys • Uh Oh Dynamo Season 2:Stuck Up, Up and Away • Schoolhouse Rocked • Collect Her • Supper Villain • Birthday Bash • Too Pooped to Puff • Beat Your Greens • Down n' Dirty • Dream Scheme • You Snooze You Lose • Slave the Day • Los Dos Mojos • A Very Special Blossom • Daylight Savings • Mo Job • Pet Feud • Imaginary Fiend • Cootie Gras • The Powerpuff Girls Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever • Just Desserts • Twisted Sister • Cover Up • Speed Demon • Mojo Jonesin • Something's a Ms. • Slumbering with the Enemy Season 3:Fallen Arches • The Mane Event • Town and Out • Child Fearing • Criss Cross Crisis • Bubblevision • Bought and Scold • Gettin' Twiggy With It • Cop Out • Three Girls and a Monster • Monkey See, Doggy Two • Jewel of the Aisle • Super Zeroes • Candy Is Dandy • Catastrophe • Hot Air Buffoon • Ploys R' Us • The Headsucker's Moxy • Equal Fights • Powerprof. • Moral Decay • Meet the Beat Alls • Helter Shelter • Power Lunch Season 4:Film Flam • All Chalked Up • Get Back Jojo • Him Diddle Riddle • Super Friends • Members Only • Nano of the North • Stray Bullet • Forced Kin • Knock It Off Season 5:Keen on Keane • Not So Awesome Blossom • Power-Noia • Monstra-City • Shut the Pup Up • Toast of the Town • Divide and Conquer • Burglar Alarmed • Shotgun Wedding • Save Mojo • Substitute Creature • The Boys Are Back in Town • See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey • Pee Pee G's • Boy Toys • Seed No Evil • The City of Clipsville • Lying Around the House • Bubble Boy • A Documentary • Girls Gone Mild • Curses • Bang for Your Buck • Silent Treatment • Sweet 'n' Sour Season 6:Prime Mates • Coupe D'Etat • Makes Zen to Me • Say Uncle • Reeking Havoc • Live & Let Dynamo • Mo' Linguish • Oops, I Did It Again • A Made Up Story • Little Miss Interprets • Night Mayor • Custody Battle • The City of Nutsville • Aspirations • That's Not My Baby • Simian Says • Sun Scream • The City of Frownsville • West in Pieces • Crazy Mixed Up Puffs • Mizzen in Action • Roughing It Up • What's the Big Idea? • Nuthin' Special • Neighbor Hood • I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future • Octi-Gone Reboot:
