Keepin' It Ninja

I feel like I’ve already made something like this…

Oh well. I think way too much about their potential dynamics tbh…

Coping with SAINW brain

I will never draw Splinter the same way twice. Today he's a round ball.

Anyone else feel like the 03 turtles should have been written to know Japanese?

Splinter in that version is an immigrant and given how much he tried to impress upon his sons the cultural values he has, not just in the teachings of ninjitsu, I feel like he would at least try to teach them when they're younger.

I feel like Leo especially would have embraced learning the language

I think the 03 Turtles do have a working knowledge of Japanese, or at the very least know more of it than the average 1990s-2000s American.

There are little bits and pieces of Japanese sprinkled throughout the show.

In the very first episode Things Change, Splinter uses the term 'kage' meaning 'shadow' while talking to his sons.

In The Way of Invisibility, Casey butchers the term 'bushido', and Leo immediately corrects him.

In S3 The Lesson, young Mikey comes up with the nickname 'Gorogoro-sama' for young Casey (his translation is a bit off, but he's a little kid, so we'll let it pass).

In Samurai Tourist, Donnie translates for Casey (seeing a theme here) when Gen calls him 'saru'.

And in S5 Demons and Dragons, the Ancient One prompts Leo to translate 'tatsu'.

There's probably more, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

All that suggests to me that the Turtles are at least familiar with Japanese, enough to translate it casually for their American friends.

There's also the theory that Leo is most likely speaking Japanese the whole time he's in Japan in The Ancient One. We as the audience just hear it all in English because it's more convenient and less trouble than accurately translating the script, adding subtitles for the western viewers, and teaching the VAs to speak Japanese (or at least read the lines with the correct pronunciation 😅). There's also the episode Fathers and Sons, which again takes place almost exclusively in Japan, so it's likely the whole family were speaking the language while there. (The tots don't speak much, so maybe they're still learning the language?)

Usagi's world, being that it so heavily references fuedal Japan, probably speaks Japanese as a primary language too, so again, Leo was most likely speaking it during his time there. The same is likely true for the Battle Nexus, Daimyo, Gyoji and Ultimate Ninja, so at least some of the family's time there was likely speaking Japanese.

If you therefore follow that reasoning, it's likely that the Ninja Tribunal's library is also in Japanese. Which makes it interesting because, although likely fluent at speaking Japanese, Lap of the Gods implies that Leo struggles to read it. Donnie, on the other hand, can, and this leads him to unlocking his mystic powers first.

(Or, the Ninja Tribunal being centuries old means their books were all in old Japanese, so reading them was probably similiar to reading Shakespeare. Which kinda makes Donnie's feat even more impressive 😅)

The only reason we don’t see raph use any Japanese is because he would swear in it.

3 whole tv shows and 3 whole movies plus 1 emotionally devastating comic book later, 2k3 tmnt moments that still live rent free in my head:

Well, Round 1 is over. Stay tuned for Round 2.

Just another one of my favorite Mikey and Raph moments

My turtles hands really needed some work here. Less fingers does not mean I can avoid hand studies 👋😅👌

When it comes to the age-old (haha) debate on the 2k3 turtles and the age order, I ultimately come down on the side of there being no meaningful 'age' order. Whether or not they hatched at exactly the same time, the show is pretty clear about them being mutated at a very similar developmental point, and then raised together under the same conditions by the same parent. They call each other brother often; they refer to Splinter as their father occasionally; they never throw around any 'big bro's or 'little bro's, and Splinter never introduces any of them as his eldest or youngest. Literal, physical age doesn't factor much into their family dynamic.

A mix of temperament and assumed individual responsibility absolutely does, however, and this is what tends to make Leo and Mikey fixed points on either end of the spectrum and leaves Raph and Donnie playing eternal switcheroo in greater fandom discussions. Leo and Mikey sit very firmly in their niches; Raph and Don can be a little more situational, I think.

(More blah blahing below.)

You remember the Pavilion of Past Champions in the Battle Nexus?

There's something interesting here.

Every one of these statues is deliberately unique.

Everyone, that is, except for these three.

It's much easier to see how identical they are face on.

And they all have the Samurai-esque helmet of the Shredder and the Ninja Tribunal.

At first I wondered if this might have been the Ninja Tribunal themselves (or at least an early concept of them).

After all the Daimyo says in The Ultimate Ninja

It could well be that the Tribunal were among the first participants of the Battle Nexus.

I even wondered if this might be the original human Oroku Saki

But look again at the Tribunal's helmets: none of them match the one Leo grabs to defend himself with.

You know who's it does match? The Shredder we know. The Utrom Shredder, Ch'rell.

Now, I'm not saying that statue is Ch'rell. A competition for glory doesn't seem like something the Utrom Shredder would be interested in. He seems like much more of a power player to me, someone who only spends the effort if it can win him greater control. Accolades and bragging rights don't seem like something Ch'rell would waste his time on.

It's just interesting that they intentionally put the Shredder’s helmet in the Pavilion, and that they deliberately had 3 identical Samurai-esque statues of past champions...

Side note:

I want to know more about this penguin warrior! I want to see them in action! Please!

Background from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus" game

Leo..... have I ever told you how much I love you.

TMNT Writer 1: “Ok, we’re gonna put Raph into some mind-fuckery where he will see himself using the Shredder's gear, which will inevitably force him to compare himself to his family’s greatest enemy.”

TMNT Writer 2: “So, this is gonna be something that haunts him for a while, right?”

TMNT Writer 1: “oh no! This moment will never be mentioned again”

TMNT Writer 2: “Well, I love this idea! Let’s do it twice, just for shits and giggles!”

dont you just love when

frog....

I always thought that the '03 'Video Monolith' was too goofy for something that the pragmatic and practical Donatello would have come up with but then upon retching, I finally realized it was a solo Mikey project all along and this made so SO much sense!

And this is why I maintain that Mikey is very capable and is the second go-to turtle but for his inherent laziness <3  There are a few other reasons but this is a prime example. Others, if you are interested: ep 2: Donnie talking to Mikey suggests he could give him a hand with the mouser parts (did not sound sarcastic)

Meet's Leatherhead – trusted (by Donnie) to use blowtorch underwater

'The King' Donnie asking why always him, ‘Why not ask Mikey‘ when Raph asks him to fix the plumbing. I believe they just don't get Mikey to do more because of how Mikey is (distractible, etc) and because Donnie caves so easily where Mikey would come up with excuses and/or procrastinate. Much later, Mikey is also the one to pilot the spaceships. Not once but at least twice. One of those times, it was to scare the real pilot into doing what they needed but totally beside the point. the other, there was a learning curve, which is only natural and yet, Donnie did not take over.

There are a few other instances of if not capability then at least interest, but those are the more obvious. Have you also notice how Mikey is the second to drive the van after only Donnie? It’s ages before Leo or Raph do so. I mean, sure, Raph’s more interested in the bike but still *shrugs* 

...why did it take me over a decade to know Leonardo did a very very cruel expression as his youngest sibling got his life literally on the line after his own clumsiness

Like dude

That's dark 💀