The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

“COWABUNGA!”

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT for short) are the titular main protagonists of the franchise of the same name. They are a group of mutant reptiles that dwell in the sewers where they practice ninjitsu and fight the Foot Clan led by Shredder.

Why They Rock

Overall

1. The idea of a bunch of sewer-dwelling teenage mutant turtles that practice ninjitsu is very original.
2. They each have diverse personalities.
   • Leonardo is the head-strong leader.
   • Donatello is usually the brains of the group.
   • Michaelangelo is the free-spirited, fun-loving comic relief.
   • Ralphael is the masculine, more serious one of the group.
3. They don’t only have a nice brotherly relationship with eachother but also a father-son relationship with their training master/sensei, Splinter.
4. They also have an awesome companionship with several humans like April O’Neil and Casey Jones.
5. They are awesome depictions of stereotypical teenagers, with their interest for pop culture, their thrill-seeking persepctive, their fun-loving shenanigans and their extreme love for pizza.
6. Their fights (whether it be with the Foot Clan, Shredder or any other villain) are nothing short of awesome.

Leonardo (Blue Mask)

1. He’s shown to be a great leader.
2. Second only to Raphael, he’s probably the more serious and confident one of the Turtles.
3. He’s also usually the “voice-of-reason” of the group.
4. He has awesome skills using katanas.
5. He’s always willing to try new things ninjitsu-wise.
6. He’s quite confident.
7. He is great at fighting and combating with his enemies.

Michelangelo (Orange Mask)

1. He’s the more fun-loving and comical one, which gives him a lot of likability.
2. He’s probably the one that’s depicted the most as a stereotypical teenagers.
3. He may be mischievous and doesn’t take most things seriously, but deep down he cares about his brothers and sensei.
4. He has awesome skills using nunchucks.
5. He can be super hilarious and is the friendliest of the Turtles.

Ralphael (Red Mask)

1. He’s the most serious, strongest and confident of the Turtles.
2. He and awesome skills using twin sais.
3. He has a brave, bold, loyal and determined personality.
4. Though very strict and serious, he’s shown also to have a caring side.
5. He takes ninjitsu and fighting very seriously when it comes to protecting New York City from evil-doers.

Donatello (Purple/Violet Mask)

1. He’s the most intelligent of the Turtles and the one that uses brain smarts the most.
2. He’s very smart, stealth and good-hearted.
3. He has awesome skills at using staff-like weapons.
4. In later adaptations of the popular series, he’s shown to have great technology smarts.
5. He’s also an inventor that  is able to develop multiple advanced devices.

Trivia

• They’re all named after particular Italian artists.