Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Main Characters

Main Characters

  • Leonardo (Leo) — The courageous leader and devoted student of martial arts, Leonardo wears a blue mask and wields two katana. He is the oldest of the four. Leonardo was named after the Italian polymath, scientist, engineer, inventor, anatomist, and painter, Leonardo da Vinci.
  • Michelangelo (Mike or Mikey) — Easy-going and free-spirited, Michelangelo wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchaku. Michelangelo provides much of the comic relief, most of the time. He is the youngest of the four Turtles. While he loves to relax and eat pizza, this Turtle also has an adventurous and creative side. He's something of the "surfer" boy, speaking usually in a Southern California accent. He is named after the Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer, Michelangelo Buonarroti. His name was originally misspelled "Michaelangelo" by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.
  • Donatello (Don or Donnie) — The scientist, inventor, engineer, and technological genius, Donatello wears a purple mask and wields the bō. Donatello is perhaps the least violent Turtle, preferring to use his knowledge to solve conflicts. He is named after the early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence, Donatello.
  • Raphael (Raph) — The team's bad boy, Raphael wears a red mask and wields a pair of sai. He has an aggressive nature and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch. He is often depicted with a Brooklyn accent. His personality can be alternately fierce and sarcastic, and oftentimes delivers deadpan humor. Still, he is intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei. Raphael is good friends with Casey Jones. He is named after the Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, Raphael.
  • Splinter — The Turtles' sensei and adoptive father, Splinter is a Japanese mutant rat who learned the ways of ninjutsu from his owner and master, Hamato Yoshi. In the 1987 TV series, Archie Comics series and the 2012 TV series, Splinter was Hamato Yoshi mutated into a rat instead of being just Yoshi's pet.
  • April O'Neil — A former lab assistant to the mad scientist Baxter Stockman, April is the plucky human companion of the Turtles. April first met up with the Turtles when they saved her from Baxter's Mouser robots. She embarks on many of the Turtles' adventures and aids them by doing the work in public that the Turtles cannot. In the 1987 TV series, Archie Comics series and subsequent three films, April was a television news reporter.
  • Casey Jones — A vigilante who has become one of the Turtles' closest allies as well as a love interest to April. Casey first met up with the Turtles after having a fight with Raphael. Casey fights crime with an assortment of sporting goods (baseball bats, golf clubs, ice hockey sticks, cricket bat, etc.) while wearing a hockey mask to protect his identity.
  • Shredder — A villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki who is the leader of the Foot Clan. In every incarnation of the TMNT franchise, he has been the archenemy of Splinter and the Turtles. Shredder prefers to use his armor instead of weapons in some versions.

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