Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and self-published in comic-book form in 1984.

Starting as common pet-store turtles, the quartet become exposed to green goo that mutates them into anthropomorphic turtles that possess intelligence and the ability to speak. A rat, Splinter, was also exposed, and he takes on the role of their surrogate father, teaching them the ways of the ninja that he learned in his former life as a pet rat of the master Hamato Yoshi. In the first issue of the comic, the turtles are 13 years old, and become full ninjas, facing off against Oroku Saki, the Shredder, who murdered Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen.

1 Characters
2 Movies
3 Series
4 Videos
5 Video Games
6 External Links

Characters

Subsequent issues of the comic begin to reveal each turtle's personality in more depth.

Leonardo is the unofficial leader. His chosen weapons are two straight katanas strapped on his shell with homemade leather straps, which he most likely found in the sewers where the turtles make their home. The most disciplined of the turtles, Leonardo strives to please his master Splinter and dedicates himself to the life of a ninja.

Raphael is the most emotionally troubled, angry young man of the four. He fights the fact that they are freaks of nature and can never live life the way he believes they deserve—living in a house and being able to walk down the street like anyone else. He is temperamental; once he loses his temper it takes him a while to cool off. He is a strong fighter, but his temper makes him mentally weak. His weapon of choice is the sai, a three-pronged, short-range weapon designed for defense and to disarm without killing.

Michelangelo is the fun-loving turtle of the team. He accepts what he is, and not much bothers him. He loves comics and games; he loves his weapons—a pair of nunchaku; and he loves to tease his brother Raphael. Although he is a strong fighter, he can at times seem a bit timid.

Donatello is the brain of the bunch. He soaks up knowledge and loves to take things apart and figure out how they work, then rebuild and improve them. He rigged their sewer lair for power, water, and other creature comforts. His weapon of choice is the bo, a four-foot-long hardwood staff.

In the original comics, all of the turtles wore a red bandanna over their eyes. In the late '80s animated TV series, colors were established: blue for Leonardo, red for Raphael, purple for Donatello, and orange for Michelangelo. In 1990, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie debuted, using the animatronic techniques of Jim Henson's Creature Shop to portray the turtles. Two further movies were released, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1992, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1994. An attempt in 1997 to bring the turtles back in the form of a live-action series failed after one season. In 2003, the turtles came back in full force with a dramatic and mature cartoon that restored the characters to their original personalities. This version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series has had a successful five-year run on Fox, with a sixth season in the works.