List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series) characters
Appearance
This is a list of characters of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, an American animated series based on the eponymous franchise that premiered on September 29, 2012 on Nickelodeon in the United States[1] and that will premiere on YTV in Canada.[2]
Main Characters
A team of anthropomorphic freshwater turtles who are the protagonists of the series:
- Leonardo/"Leo" (voiced by Jason Biggs[3]) - An enthusiastic ninjutsu student, learning how to be an effective leader for his three often unruly brothers. He wears a blue mask and fights with two katana swords called Niten Ryu.[4] Aside from his sensei, he takes leadership references from his favorite sci-fi cartoon series Space Heroes which annoys his brothers to no end.[4]
- Donatello/"Donnie" (voiced by Rob Paulsen[3]) - In charge of the design and manufacture of all of the tools and weapons in the Turtles' arsenal, and a gifted hacker.[5] He wears a purple mask and fights with a rokushakubo which converts to a naginata via a blade inside one end of the staff.[5] He also has a crush on April which his brothers all tease him about.[5] This incarnation of Donatello is depicted with a gap in his front two upper teeth. Paulsen previously voiced Raphael in the original 1987 TV series.
- Raphael/"Raph" (voiced by Sean Astin[3]) - The one who often lets his impulsiveness get in the way of rational thinking.[6] He wears a red mask and fights with two sai.[6] While hot-headed, he has a soft side, as demonstrated by his interactions with his pet turtle Spike. This incarnation of Raphael is depicted with a lightning bolt-shaped crack in his upper left prastron.[citation needed]
- Michelangelo/"Mikey" (voiced by Greg Cipes[3]) - A lover of lover of video games, skateboarding, pranks and pizza.[7] He wears an orange mask and fights with two nunchaku which convert into kusarigama via a blade inside if one of the sticks of each nunchaku and extra lengths of chain stored in the other.[7] Despite possessing a child-like innocence, he always brings his best game to a fight. This incarnation of Michelangelo is depicted with freckles.
Allies
- April O'Neil (voiced by Mae Whitman[3]) - The 16 year-old daughter of Dr. Kirby O'Neil who likes to play video games and eat pizza.[8] April befriends the Turtles after the Kraang kidnap her and her father. After the Kraang get away with her father, April's aunt takes her in and the Turtles promise to help her find her father and take down the Kraang. In "Monkey Brains", Splinter learns April has a special spiritual sensitivity and offers to train her to be a kunoichi (a female ninja).
- Hamato Yoshi/Splinter (voiced by Hoon Lee[3]) - Splinter was originally the human Hamato Yoshi and resided in Japan where he became an expert of ninjutsu. When his friend Oroku Saki sought the affections of Splinter's wife Tang Shen, Saki wished to discredit Yoshi in front of her. Yoshi lost his temper and the altercation ended their friendship culminating in a battle that burned down Yoshi's home killing Shen and their daughter Miwa. After moving to New York City, Yoshi had just purchased four pet turtles when he stumbled upon an exchange in an alley between two Kraang droids. Seeking to silence Yoshi before he could share what he had seen, a fight ensued and the canister the droids had been carrying smashed open splashing both Yoshi and his turtles with an alien chemical called mutagen. As the result, Yoshi changed into a humanoid rat after having had contact with a rat upon entering an alley. Realizing he could no longer live a normal life topside, he retreated to the New York sewers where he raised his pets as sons and taught them the ancient Japanese fighting art of ninjutsu.
Villains
- Foot Clan - An evil ninja organization that led by the Shredder.
- Oroku Saki/Shredder (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson[3]) - A major antagonist of the series and leader of the Foot Clan. Once friends in Japan, Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi parted ways when both fell for Tang Shen who ultimately chose Yoshi. Saki's jealousy turned to anger and hatred, especially after Yoshi and Shen welcomed a baby daughter named Miwa. A final battle resulted in a fire that burnt down Yoshi's home, disfigured Saki, and killed Shen and Miwa. Oroku Saki became the Shredder and established the Foot Clan. Years later, Shredder learns that Splinter is alive and in New York after seeing the Hamato clan crest on a shuriken during a television news report. Seeking to finish his business with Splinter, Shredder and his Foot Clan relocate to New York. The Turtles first encounter Shredder in "The Gauntlet" where he dominated them all in combat. Shredder almost kills Leonardo, but the distraction of the newly-mutated Xever and Chris Bradford gave the Turtles the chance to escape. In the same episode, Shredder is shown to have a pet Akita named Hachinko. He is also Karai's father. In "The Alien Agenda," Shredder didn't believe in the Kraang until Karai brought him the robot body of one of the Kraangs. As Baxter Stockman gets to work on studying the technology, Shredder assigns Karai to learn more about the Kraang so that he can use whatever information is gathered about them in his war against the Turtles.
- Karai (voiced by Kelly Hu[9]) - A rebellious teen member of the Foot Clan and an expert martial artist who stirs up trouble for the Turtles.[10] She first appears in a duel with Leonardo, while the other Turtles are out looking for Snakeweed. She is also the daughter of the Shredder. Karai tries to encourage Leonardo to break the rules for a change, daring him to help her steal a sword once owned by swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. When Leonardo's life is threatened by Snakeweed and he asks for her help, Karai kicks a knife toward him (which helps him break free), which Leonardo interprets as an act of friendship but which Raphael considers malicious. She later attacks the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the Kraang's World Wide Genome Project. Karai pushed a button which caused all the animal and plant DNA to be dumped into the mutagen resulting in the creation of a composite beast. Karai escaped with the Kraang robot body and presented it to Shredder as Baxter Stockman gets to work studying the technology. Shredder then assigns Karai to learn more about the Kraang so that he can use whatever information is gathered about them in his war against the Turtles.
- Dogpound (voiced by Clancy Brown[11]) - Chris Bradford famous martial artist and secretly a member of the Foot Clan. He is ordered to New York with Xever to find Splinter. After his first encounter with the Turtles, he befriends Michelangelo on a social media website in an attempt to entrap the Turtles, going so far as to teach Mikey his secret kata "The Death Dragon". Bradford later captures Mikey and baits the Turtles to rescue him and lead the Foot to Splinter. However, the plan fails after Splinter recognizes the "Death Dragon" move during the Turtles' sparring. Bradford is defeated by Mikey's use of the "Death Dragon" before he and Xever are flushed down the sewers. In "The Gauntlet", Bradford and Xever go after the Turtles again and are exposed to mutagen. As Bradford was previously bitten by Shredder's pet Akita Hachiko, the mutagen transforms him into Dogpound, a spike-backed dog-like mutant with a large left arm, acute senses, and super-strength.
- Fishface (voiced by Christian Lanz) - Xever is a Brazilian street who was in a prison. He learned how to make weapons in prison until Shredder freed him and brought him into the Foot Clan. Shredder orders Xever to assist Chris Bradford in finding Splinter. He was both agile and powerful, and had flexible, strong legs. He was ruthless, holding a blind man over a huge bulding, and not caring if the turtles would kill Chris Bradford. He was also in charge of the Purple Dragons prior to his mutation, though they proved virtually useless to him. During a battle in "The Gauntlet", Xever is exposed to mutagen. As Xever previously touched an exotic fish, the mutagen transforms him into the fish-like mutant Fishface. After his transformation, Fishface lives in the waters within Shredder's hideout due to the loss of legs and not being able to breathe air. In "The Alien Agenda," Baxter Stockman creates a water-breathing rig for Fishface and mechanical legs that Baxter tries to get working.
- Foot Ninjas - The foot soldiers of the Foot Clan.
- The Kraang (voiced by Nolan North[12]) - The main antagonists of the series. The Kraang are a race of brain-shaped aliens that pilot robotic bodies and who are responsible for bringing mutagen to Earth. The Kraang have not mastered English and communicate in redundant speech. In "The Gauntlet," the Turtles learn that the Kraang have been abducting scientists so that they can help modify the mutagen's properties. In "The Alien Agenda," the Kraang establish the World Wide Genome Project as a front while they were collecting the DNA of every animal and plant species on Earth.
- Kraang Prime (voiced by Roseanne Barr)[10]
- Mrs. Campbell (voiced by Cassandra Peterson) - A research scientist from the World Wide Genome Project who takes an interest in April O'Neil.[10] She is actually an android created by the Kraang who used the World Wide Genome Project as their front. When she was pursuing April, she ends up fighting the Turtles until her face is sliced off and is then shorted out by water from a nearby water fountain.
- Purple Dragons - A street gang that has been extorting shop owners for protection money. The Purple Dragons were led by Xever, but Dogpound took over since Xever's mutation into Fishface.
- Fong (voiced by Andrew Kishino) - The leader of the Purple Dragons who fights with a butcher knife. Staff writer Kenny Byerly named Fong after Benson Fong, an Asian actor from the '60s who appeared in such films as The Love Bug and Flower Drum Song.[citation needed]
- Sid (voiced by Andrew Kishino) - A member of the Purple Dragons. Sid was named by show writer Jeremy Shipp.[citation needed]
- Tsoi (voiced by James Sie) - Member of the Purple Dragons. Tsoi fights with a sledgehammer. He is named after Andrea Tsoi, a friend of show writer Kenny Byerly's.[citation needed]
- Baxter Stockman (voiced by Phil LaMarr[13][12]) - An inventor who plotted revenge against a company called TCRI, after he was fired for spilling copier toner. A running gag is that the Turtles mispronounce his name. The Turtles first encounter Stockman in rudimentary battle armor, while he attempts to break into a building. The Turtles defeat him, but Stockman obtains Donatello's T-Pod, which contains a military-grade artificial intelligence chip, and incorporates it into his battle armor. The next time the Turtles run into Stockman, his battle armor has upgraded itself. Eventually, the Stockman battle armor and the T-Pod merge into a destructive robotic being, which Mikey dubs "The StockmanPod." The StockmanPod defeats the Turtles, causing them to flee. Using wisdom from Splinter about "fighting the person inside the armor," the Turtles engage the StockmanPod again, and make use of a beehive to cause the StockmanPod to fall off a building. The Turtles deactivate the T-Pod and throw Stockman in the dumpster again. Following the incident with the M.O.U.S.E.R.S., Dogpound brings Stockman to Shredder. Shredder threatened to kill Stockman for interfering with his plan to kill the Turtles, but spares him and comments on how his intelligence could be useful. In "The Alien Agenda," Baxter Stockman creates a water-breathing rig and his prototype mechanical legs for Fishface. After Karai returned to Shredder's hideout with the Kraang body and the controls to it, Baxter Stockman gets to work on studying the machine so that he can get Fishface's mechanical legs operational.
- M.O.U.S.E.R.S. - Mobile Offensive Underground Search Excavation and Retrieval Sentries (M.O.U.S.E.R.S.) are small robots that were created by Baxter Stockman to steal on his behalf. Stockman programs them to attack anything tagged with his radioisotope spray.
- Rat King (voiced by Jeffrey Combs) - Dr. Victor Falco is working for the Kraang on an experiment involving a combination of mutagen and monkey DNA. Believing that he was close to developing a neurochemical that could make him psychic, Falco tests the chemical on his colleague Dr. Rockwell, transforming him into a man/monkey monster who can read emotions. After the Turtles figure out that Falco was lying about Rockwell's involvement in the research, they confront him. Falco injects himself with the chemical, and is able to predict the Turtles' every move. Donatello figures out how to close off his mind from Falco to defeat him. Falco escapes before the Turtles can interrogate him about the Kraang's plot. In "I, Monster", a destitute Falco has salvaged some mutagen and has recreated the psychic chemical in his rat infested lab. An accident with the chemical gives him psychic control over all the rats in the city, including Splinter. Falco dubs himself The Rat King and attempts to take over New York with his legion of rats. He manipulates Splinter into fighting the Turtles, but Splinter frees himself from mind control and defeats the Rat King.
- Snakeweed (voiced by Danny Jacobs) - Snake is a thug working for the Kraang as their getaway driver. The Turtles interrogate him and find out where the Kraang are holding April and Kirby O'Neil. During their mission to rescue the O'Neils, the Turtles crash a truck full of mutagen into the Kraang base. Snake is exposed to the the mutagen and some nearby weeds which turns him into a plant monster that Michelangelo dubs "Snakeweed". The Turtles fight Snakeweed. Leonardo lures him into a power core where Snakeweed is electrocuted and blown up. After the Turtles leave, Snakeweed's heart starts beating again.
- Spider Bytez (voiced by Lewis Black) - Vic is a crabby middle-aged New Yorker who videotapes the Turtles on his cellphone during a rooftop battle with the Kraang. When Vic attempts to sell his video to the Kraang, they kidnap him. The Turtles attempt to rescue Vic, who is splashed with mutagen shortly after coming into contact with a spider. He transforms into a giant spider-like monster, which Michelangelo dubs "Spider Bytez". Spider Bytez blames the Turtles for his mutation, and attacks them with webs and acidic spit. During the battle, his cellphone is destroyed.
- Justin - As a result of Karai pushing a button of a machine in the World Wide Genome Project that causes all the animal and plant DNA sample gathered by the Kraang to be dumped into the ooze, this results in the creation of a composite monster that the turtles just named Justin. After Karai left, Justin attacked the Kraang until only the Turtles are left. Leonardo managed to use his swords as a conductor in order to destroy Justin.
Other characters
- Kirby O'Neil (voiced by Keith Silverstein) - A scientist who is April O'Neil's father. He and April were captured by the Kraang. Although April was rescued by the Turtles, the Kraang made off with Kirby. In "The Gauntlet," the Turtles find information left by Kirby O'Neil that the Kraang have been abducting scientists so that they can help modify the unstable mutagen.
- Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe (voiced by Jim Meskimen) - A local TV news reporter.
- Dr. Tyler Rockwell (voiced by Frank Welker) - A scientist that was the partner of Dr. Victor Falco were approached by the Kraang to work on an experiment involving mutagen, a neurochemical, and monkey DNA. April and the Turtles learn Rockwell has gone missing and investigate, to discover Falco had transformed Rockwell into a monkey-like monster that can sense emotion.
- Mr. Murakami (voiced by Sab Shimono) - A blind, skillful Japanese chef who runs a noodle shop. He becomes a friend to the Turtles after they save him from an extortion attempt by the Purple Dragons. Despite being blind, he knows what the Turtles are, but isn't afraid of them. Murakami rewards the Turtles with a dish called "pizza gyoza" (a type of Japanese-style dumpling that is stuffed with pizza ingredients) which the Turtles love. The Turtles also address Mr. Murakami as "Murakami-san".
- Pete (voiced by A.J. Buckley) - A pigeon that was mutated by the Kraang. Pete learned to talk and befriended Kirby O'Neil who used him to send a message to his daughter.
- Leatherhead (voiced by Peter Lurie) - An alligator that was originally owned by a young boy until his parents found out and flushed him down the sewer. The Kraang took him to their dimension, mutated him, and experimented on him. Leatherhead eventually escapes from the Kraang, steals the energy source that powers the portal between the Kraang dimension and Earth, and retreats to the sewers. The Kraang locate and attack Leatherhead, to demand the return of the power cell. The Turtles witness this event and Michelangelo urges his brothers to help intervene. The Turtles protect Leatherhead, restore his health, and keep the power cell from the Kraang.
References
- ^ "Tuning in to TV: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have new series, toys". The Washington Times. July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
- ^ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Shows. YTV. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lowry, Brian (2012-09-26). "Variety Reviews - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - TV Reviews - - Review by Brian Lowry". Variety.com. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ a b "Leonardo - Ninja Turtles - TMNT Characters". Nick.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ a b c "Donatello - Ninja Turtles - TMNT Characters". Nick.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ a b "Raphael - Ninja Turtles - TMNT Characters". Nick.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ a b "Michelangelo - Ninja Turtles - TMNT Characters". Nick.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ April's official profile
- ^ "Twitter / KellyHu: "@JasonRainwater: @Kelly". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
- ^ a b c Exclusive: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Guest Cast Includes Roseanne Barr - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com
- ^ "Filmography | The Official Clancy Brown Web Site". Clancybrown.com. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ a b "Episode 38 Guest: Nolan North". Rob Paulsen Live. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
- ^ "Episode 36 Guest: Phil Lamarr". Rob Paulsen Live. 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2012-07-07.