WHAT IS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES???

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a franchise about--you'll never guess--mutant turtles who are teenagers and pracice ninjitsu. I love this franchise so much, the good, the bad and the really bad (because lets be honest, most of this stuff is enjoyably bad). The story typically follows Leonardo, Rapheal, Donatello and Michealanglo as they battle the Shredder, the Foot Clan and other villians with their friends April O'Neil and Casey Jones, all while being guided by Master Splinter.

VERSIONS

Like any good franchise, TMNT has been rebooted time and time again. Many people like the different versions for various different reasons! My personal favorite is the 2003 cartoon.

Jump to Different Versions

• Mirage Comics
• 1987 Cartoon
• Archie Comics
• 90s Movies
• The Next Mutation
• 2003 Cartoon
• TMNT (2007)
• IDW Comics
• 2012 Cartoon
• Bayverse Movies
• Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Mutant Mayhem
• Other TMNT Stuff

1987 CARTOON

Made while the Mirage Comics were still ongoing (which is how we got the BEST Mirage arc (Return of the Shredder)) the 1987 cartoon is VERY different from the original comics, but probably the most widely known version of the turtles. As opposed to the dark and gritty nature of the original comics, the cartoon is very silly. The complete opposite end of the spectrum, everything else tends to fall somewhere betwee the goofiness of '87 and the seriousness of the Mirage comics.

This show also carries the vibe of "we thought this was cool so we did it" but it lacks logic, which makes it very fun to watch. Also I feel like all the turtles are very similar in this show, besides Raph. Why does he keep looking into the camera you're NOT REAL.

Fun Facts:

• The last three (or maybe two, I don't remember) seasons of this show had a soft-reboot to make it much edgier, and they're known as the "Red Sky" seasons.
• The average '87 fan is a 40 year old man who tries to out-tmnt-knowledge me when they see my Leonardo pin and they quickly realize I'm insane
• This version is the first time we see the Hamato Yoshi IS Splinter type character which is one I much prefer to Splinter always being a rat because why is this rat Japanese... you're a RAT... from NEW YORK???
• Krangg and Shredder are married in this version they--Eastman and Laird themselves told me it's canon

90s MOVIES

So, I'm a fake fan and have only actually watched the first one of the 90s movie trilogy, which I know is criminal but I'm getting to it I promise. From what I've seen it's kind of similar to the '87 cartoon?? It's more grounded though and thus takes it's self more seriously. Also the Shredder has a goofy costume.

Fun Facts:

• The donatello suit from this one ROTTED and its sick
• Theres supposedly a Usagi Yojimbo poster in the background of the third one but I haven't seen it so I don't know. But I do love Usagi.
• There was originally meant to be a fourth movie where the turtles get super mutated and there was going to be a fifth turtle named Kirby, but since the third movie was (apparently) so bad it got canceled.

NEXT MUTATION

I considered lumping this in with the 90s movies because they're pretty similar in aesthetic at least but like. C'mon. The Next Mutation balls SO HARD and anyone who says otherwise lacks joy and whimsy in their heart. The show is live action and follows not only the fourt turtles, but a new, GIRL turtle named Venus. She's a shinobi (which the show doesn't know is just a ninja and they think it makes her a wizard or something idk) and apparently, totally, definetly NOT related to the boys. They fight various villians, but the main ones are these dragon guys who want to EAT the turtles to gain their powers. I can't believe people hate this show.

Fun Facts:

• Originally Leo was going to have a yellow mask because people thought kids would get him and Venus confused, but they ended up just making it blue anyways, BUT you can still see the yellow mask in the theme song.
• This show was made by the same people who made Power Rangers and you can tell. I'm pretty sure they do a crossover at one point.
• Peter Laird hated Venus SO MUCH that he made it a FRANCHISE RULE that Venus could not be mentioned. Despite this, she got rebooted in the IDW comics and is really cool there :-)

TMNT MOVIE (2007)

This movie was made as a continuation of the 90s movies, but takes lace several years after when the turtles have all gone their seperate ways, and the story is about them reuniting to defeat an evil, capitalist necromancer. It is a lot less cool than it sounds. It's also CGI animated.

This movie blows. I don't know why people like it so much. I think everyone is nostolgia blind because everytime someone talks about this movie being good they always talk about how epic it was as a kid, but I didn't watch this movie as a kid despite the fact that we had it on DVD. Probably because this movie has one good scene. Oh but making Donnie an IT guy was funny.

Fun Facts:

• This movie originally had TWO planned sequels but Imagi Studios went bank rupt after Astro Boy failed, which is sad because the sequels sound much better in concept than this movie.
• Uhh idk this is the one of the few pieces of tmnt media that I don't enjoy so I don't really know anything about it lololol

RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Rise of the TMNT is the cartoon made in 2017 and is tumblr's baby. A lot of people who like Rise are simply fans of animation rather than TMNT and for that reason I would say it's the most controversial in terms of like-"accepted level of quality". This show is much more comedic in tone but still has an over-arching story and the COOLEST animation and character design out of any version. This show is beautiful.

I like Rise a lot, I think it's really good and more people should watch it. It has my FAVORITE version of Splinter and Donnie and maaaaaaaybe April? I'm not sure. But this show is great, people who say otherwise are just haters.

Fun Facts:

• Leo is no longer the oldest nor the leader, rather that role is given to Raph and it gives a cool, new dynamic to the group.
• THIS SHOW WAS CANCELED!!! Well, not canceled but it never got renewed and it's been 8 years.. but for a minute it was the most in-demand cartoon in the US
• Everyone who likes this show is gay or neurodivergent. Or both.

MUTANT MAYHEM

At the time of writing this Mutant Mayhem is the newest installment in the franchise, consisting of the Mutant Mayhem movie itself and Tales of the TMNT. Both of which feature a more distinctly-teenage cast, which brings a lot of accurate characterization to the turtles, who are just dumb teen boys who want to be normal and go to school. Also, April is a teen again. The animation is also WONDERFUL kill that guy in my animation class that said it was ugly.

The movie is really good! I really like all the mutants and the turtles and April. I don't like Splinter though. Sorry. The show is good too, just kind of... mid I feel. It's got that mid-quel deisease since its supposed to take place between the first movie and planned sequel but not be required veiwing. Leo is baby girl in this version though.

Fun Facts:

• April goes to Eastman High and she meets with the turtles on top of the Laird building, both names are references to the original authors of TMNT
• Lines were recorded with the actors all together, which is why the dialouge is so natural in this movie, and a lot of the jokes from the turtles are the actors just improvising.

OTHER COOL TURTLES STUFF

• The TMNT vs Batman movie is actually really good! So are the comics. They feature some of my favorite characterization of the turtles.
• Theres.. the TMNT Operation Metro Blue Line uh.. TV special?? Advertisment?? In which the turtles save the Metro Blue Line in LA while talking about how great the Metro Blue Line in LA is. It's literally just an ad but it's kind of funny and I actually like the cheap looking suits they use.
• Theres actually a lot of tmnt video games, but a lot of them are just side-scrolling fighters which isn't my favorite so i haven't played them... Shredder's Revenge is good though.
• There was plans for a cartoon in 2001 that the concept art for looks really cute but it never got picked up, I can't remember why off the top of my head.
• There IS, in fact, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle anime called Mutant Turtles: Superman Legends. It is a wild ride and you can watch it for free on YouTube with English captions if you want to check it out, t was made in the 90s and based on the '87 cartoon.

Leo is typically the leader and eldest brother of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! He's a skilled and disciplined fighter, and he works hard to protect his family and be the best he can be. Leo is usually characterized as being noble, responsible, serious, a stickler for rules, and a bit of dweeb. His role is also usually boiled down to just "leader" but we all know about the crippling inferiority complex that's under that.

Leonardo is my favorite turtle. I love him so much. My favorite versions of him are the 2003 and Rise (even though he's so different) cartoon versions of him because I feel like those are the shows where he has the most depth.

Donnie is the tech guy, he builds machines and can hack computers and so and such, and he's usually the second youngest next to Mikey. He's very caring for his brothers, always trying to make new machines to help them all on their missions, but is still somewhat snappy, sarcastic and definetly has extreme chaos brewing under the surface. I think he gets baby-ified a lot when actually he's always a gremlin.

My favorite version of Donatello is definetly Rise. I just think he's really funny and I relate to him a lot (insert joke about autism here). I like every version of Donnie pretty much equally though, since I feel like he has pretty consistent characterization, and it's hard to mess up a lovable nerd like him.

Mikey is typically the youngest of the turtles, and plays the role of little brother very well. He's always cracking jokes, messing around and trying to annoy his older siblings, but through these actions he acts as the heart of the team. He loves to make friends and keeps everyone together and having a good time, even when things get tough.

Mikey is probably my second favorite turtle, I think he's sweet and wholesome. It is really easy to make Mikey very annoying though. My favorite Mike is IDW, he's really dedicated to his family and to bringing joy and whimsy to the lives of other people. Also I think it's funny that he can speak Japanese??? Batman Mikey is also awesome, but I don't know if that counts because its not really a main-line thing.

Rapheal is usually the second oldest brother next to Leo, he's serious like him but he's much more impulsive and emotional. Raph is most commonly depicted as having anger issues, but not ever version of him has to have them, because at his core Raph just has to be driven by his emotions and for a desire to protect his family. He's very protective.

My favorite version of Raph is 1987. I like his goofy one-liners and how they made him a sarcastic jerk rather than a rageaholic. I like rageaholic Raph--don't get me wrong--but I also like it when he's silly and breaks the fourth wall. Also '87 Mona Lisa and Raph *awh sound effect*.

Jump to Someone!:

• Bishop
• April
• Casey
• Splinter
• Shredder
• Karai
• Usagi

John Bishop!

April O'Neil!

Casey Jones!

Casey is another friend of the turtles. He's usually closest with Rapheal as he's a crime-fighting vigilante. His passion for this varies from someone who is clinically insane or a... cop?? Actually?? Okay. He's pretty funny and I like himn the most in 2003 or the Mirage Comics. I feel like those are the shows he's most prominent in. There's also Cassandra Jones from Rise who I also really like, but she's very different from typical depictions of Casey.

Splinter!

The Shredder!

Oroku Karai!

Karai is the Shredder's daughter and has a kind of... frenemies(?) type relationship with the turtles. Especially Leo. She's usually adopted but still very loyal to her father, despite the sympathy she might have for the turtles. I like IDW Karai the most, but she's not my favorite character which is sad because I feel like she has a lot of potential to be really interesting??? I don't know. 2012 Karai is pretty cool too but the whole Leo thing is so criminal...

Miyamoto Usagi!

I have a lot but I'm still working on uploading it to here so stay tuned I guess.