Characters / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): The Shredder's Inner Circle

aka: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 The Shredder

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The Hamato Clan | Allies and Civilians | The Foot Clan (The Shredder's Inner Circle) | The Kraang | Other Villains | TV Show Characters

Oroku Saki/The Shredder/Super Shredder

As a healthy human

^{Super Shredder}

^{As an Undead}

Voiced by: Kevin Michael Richardson

"There is undoubtedly a fascinating story behind how my old nemesis came to teach ninjitsu to four mutant turtles. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it."

Once the adoptive brother of Hamato Yoshi, jealousy over Yoshi's marriage to Tang Shen, who they both loved, prompted him to discover his birthright in the Foot Clan, become evil, and attempt to kill Yoshi. A fire that broke out during the battle disfigured Saki and seemingly killed both Shen and her and Yoshi's daughter. Subsequently becoming the head of the Foot Clan, Saki moved to New York to hunt down and kill his old nemesis after seeing a news broadcast that implied that Yoshi is still alive.

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• Abduction Is Love: His view on the kidnapping of Miwa and raising her as Karai. The Shredder genuinely believes she should be his daughter, even if he is not her biological progenitor.
• Absurdly Sharp Blade: He cuts through parts of a building sign like butter.
• Abusive Parents: Implied towards Karai, but she still loves him though. Later episodes indicate that he's actually not physically abusive, however.
• Accidental Murder: The death of Tang Shen was this. "Vengeance Is Mine" and later "Tale of the Yokai" revealed that Tang Shen intercepted an attack Shredder had meant for Splinter.
• Adaptational Badass:
  • The Mirage Shredder was killed in the first issue, the 1987 Shredder varied in how effective he was against the Turtles, and the 2003 Shredder was beaten by Leonardo in a duel near the end of the first season, with future appearances having him use technology to get the upper hand. By contrast, the Shredder in the 2012 series is completely out of the Turtles' league since every encounter that they have with him ends with them either retreating or his being incapacitated by other means. Even backed by the Mutanimals, he still kicks their asses 8-on-1 until they drop a statue on him. Leonardo battling him to a draw in "Casey Jones vs. The Underworld" is treated as a major, major achievement by the Hamato Clan. It takes until the last episode of the "Turtles in Space" arc, which aired halfway through season four, for him to suffer his first one-on-one defeat at the hands of a seriously pissed-off Splinter, which puts him on life-support and results in him undergoing a horrific mutation himself to become the Super Shredder. It would also take until "Owari" for any of the Turtles to defeat him without Splinter.
  • In Secret of the Ooze, Super Shredder, while still feared by the Turtles, was easily defeated by being buried in a pile of wood. Here, he is shown to be more resilient by taking slash and stab wounds by bladed weapons. He also survived being thrown from a cliff and being crushed in a garbage truck.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed. His love for his daughter Karai is genuine, but this does not stop him from using her as a means to harm the Hamato Clan, from using her as bait for a rather poorly planned trap, from brainwashing her to make her perfectly loyal to him, from putting her life and the life of Earth in danger of extinction to take a cheap shot at killing Splinter in what was supposed to be an Enemy Mine. By the time he declares war on her Rogue Foot after she makes a full Heel–Face Turn when she is able to recover from the brainwashing, he gives up trying to get her back and outright stops loving her after "Requiem".
• Adaptational Ugliness: He's hideously disfigured, unlike most versions of the character.
• Adaptational Villainy: A given for nearly every Shredder in comparison to the original Mirage Comics version (which lasted only the first issue) and the 1987 version (who eventually devolved into a Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain). This Shredder's villainy is so bad that it can be argued that there is only one version that is worse than him in the entire history of the franchise: the Utrom Shredder from the 2003 series, who was willing to destroy The Multiverse and the very fabric of reality out of his hatred for the Turtles.
• Alien Blood: After his transformation into the Super Shredder, his blood is bright green, depicted by green veins on his skin, him coughing it up when Karai punches him in the heart in "Darkest Plight" and it spurting from his wounds when Splinter cuts off his wrist blades in "Requiem".
• And Your Little Dog, Too!:
  • In "The Super Shredder", he declares to Splinter that after he kills him, he'll kill his loved ones as well. This provokes Splinter into detonating a bomb in a Taking You with Me attempt.
  • In "Requiem", he attacks Karai and lands her in the hospital, and then impales Splinter right in front of April and Raph before throwing him off a multi-story building. By "Owari", the Turtles go all out, track him down, and kill him.
• Arch-Enemy: To Splinter and the entire Hamato Clan. Anything he does is aimed at either killing Splinter, or making him suffer, something he finally succeeds at in season three, for a while, until he finally kills him for good in "Requiem".
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: His wearing the Kuro Kabuto is proof that he is a worthy successor to Koga Takuza, the founder of the Foot Clan who made the helmet from the armor of his thousands of slaughtered enemies. He is by far a better and more dangerous fighter than all of his subordinates, save perhaps for Hattori Tatsu, with only Tiger Claw coming anywhere close to his level and easily overpowering the newly mutated Bebop and Rocksteady, which is made even more impressive by the fact that he is human until season 4 and that most of his lieutenants, save for Tatsu, are or eventually become mutants.
• Attack Its Weak Point: In "Darkest Plight", Karai does this to the Super Shredder, which is his exposed heart.
• Ax-Crazy: Shredder is already a sociopath and monster for things he's done up to the end of season three (especially where Karai is concerned), but after backstabbing Splinter in an Enemy Mine (which is reversed) and mutating, he goes fully insane to where he even manhandles Tiger Claw, who is not pleased with this turn of events.
• Back from the Dead: He's revived by Kavaxas in "End Times", but as a zombie under Kavaxas's control. After Kavaxas is forced to retreat back to the Netherworld, Shredder falls in with him.
• Backstab Backfire: While he is successful in stabbing Splinter from behind in "Annihilation: Earth!", this leads to the Earth being destroyed and Professor Honeycutt/The Fugitoid saving the Turtles and going back in time to prevent this. The second time in "Earth's Last Stand", a yell from Leo puts Shredder on the wrong side of a counterattack from Splinter, who seriously cripples him and forces his clan to bail out of New York, allowing the Heel–Face Turn Karai to resurface and take over the old lair.
• Badass Cape: Though he sheds it when he fights the Turtles. He keeps it on in "Serpent Hunt" and all instances as the Super Shredder except for his final encounter with the Turtles, however (thanks to the animation having improved since the show's beginning).
• Badass in a Nice Suit: In Fishface's flashback explaining his Start of Darkness, Shredder, in silhouette, appears to be wearing a rather nice suit.
• Badass Normal: He appears to be a normal human, despite his extreme strength, speed, and ferocity. And he's proven more dangerous than mutants and aliens the size of cars. He's one of the few characters who can effortlessly take on a Triceraton soldier.
• Bad Boss:
  • He makes it a clear point that he would not hesitate to mutilate his lieutenants if they disappointed him. He threatens to harm Karai in the same way if she doesn't eliminate Leonardo the next time they meet. Keep in mind that Karai's his daughter.
  • In "Pulverizer Returns!", he's gathering mutagen to use on his minions. If you're lucky, mutagen turns you into this◊ or this◊. If you're unlucky, you turn into this◊.
  • "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman" has him detonate Baxter Stockman's Mutagen collar when all he probably really needed to do was tell Baxter to make more dangerous or intimidating mutants, and he barely even hesitates when Baxter starts begging Shredder not to do it.
• The Bad Guy Wins: In season two, his alliance with the Kraang prevails and he seemingly kills Splinter, though it turns out he's done worse as Splinter has lost his humanity. In season three, he succeeds in killing Splinter. However, this is undone in "Earth's Last Stand" half a season later when the Turtles' time-travel successfully help save their master and instead put Shredder in hospice. He finally gets his "revenge" on Splinter when he kills him in "Requiem".
• Bald of Evil: His hair was burned off when he was struck by a burning piece of the Hamato Clan's dojo the night he formed the Foot Clan.
• Batman Gambit: Pulled off two at the end of season one, where he had the Kraang lure the Turtles in and stage a breakout in their prison so the Turtles would rescue Kirby O'Neil, who was being controlled by a device planted by the Kraang on him, with the plan being for him to kidnap April once he was taken to the Turtles' lair, since he knew Splinter would come to his building to rescue her. It worked like a charm, the only thing that came close derailing it being the Newtralizer breaking out.
• Became Their Own Antithesis: He comes to New York when he discovers Yoshi has been training ninjas. He mocks and belittles his rival when he finds out Yoshi himself is now a rat and his ninja clan is a bunch of mutant turtles he considers his adopted sons. Shredder also actively hates and ignores all the Fantasy Kitchen Sink occurrences happening New York. Flash forward a few seasons, he's replaced all his low level Mooks with robots based on Kraang technology and mutated all his high level apprentices, generals, and adopted daughter. He's became the Token Human of the Foot Clan, which has turned into a dark version of Turtle and Kraang weirdness-only to eventually use mutagen on himself to hasten his near death recovery, the consequences of which result in a giant monster of a mutant named Super Shredder. Karai lampshades it, declaring that Shredder has become everything he hates.
• Believing Their Own Lies: Shredder's Never My Fault personality is due to the fact that he truly believes he has done nothing wrong and everything that happened to him (and Karai/Miwa) is Splinter's fault and not his own, often resorting to Insane Troll Logic to keep his hatred easy. Taken to ludicrous extremes after his mutation in "The Super Shredder" where he rants at Splinter for supposedly turning Karai against him and brainwashing her, which is exactly what Shredder has done her entire life, and in a more literal sense with brain worms a season before. He goes so far as to swear that he saw Splinter kill Tang Shen with his own eyes.
• Berserk Button: Never question or mock his quest for revenge and never suggest he get a new helmet.
  • Also, never remind him of his failures, as he threatens to seriously hurt Karai for make snide little remark about his previous failure to kill the Turtles.
• Beyond Redemption: The Hamato Clan considers him to be this after he killed Splinter for real in "Requiem". The following episode, the Turtles and their allies went on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge at Shredder's hideout, giving no mercy to his followers (except Baxter Stockman), culminating with Leo beheading Shredder in the climatic battle.
• Big Bad: After spending much of the series sharing the spotlight with Kraang Prime, Shredder becomes the chief antagonist for the fourth season's "City at War" arc and is the Final Boss of the series' main storyline.
• Big Bad Ensemble: He shared this role with Kraang Prime for the majority of the series, with Shredder being the most personal threat to the Hamato clan, whereas the Kraang were the more prominent. Both of them served as the main recurring threats and played a part in the Turtles' origin. Following the demise of the Kraang in "Annihilation: Earth" and the Triceratons in "Earth's Last Stand", Shredder was left as the final antagonist for the rest of season four until he, too, was killed in "Owari".
• Blade Below the Shoulder: His trademark tiger-claws, which are bigger in this adaptation and come in a pair as opposed to just one. He can also have a third blade pop out of his gauntlets, and all of them are retractable. He gets spikes below the shoulder when he mutates.
• Bloodless Carnage: His gauntlets never show visible damage, but when he uses them it's often treated as a finishing blow. He's also on the receiving end of this as noted below in Made of Iron.
• Body Horror: After he is defeated by Splinter, he is put in bandages to help his severe wounds (this is after half his face was burned off). When he undergoes "Chemomutagentherapy", it turns him into a hulking man with spikes all over his body, a mask-like face with visible teeth, green monster eyes, and an exposed heart. It gets even worse in "Heart of Evil"; when he's resurrected by Kavaxas, he's a decaying zombie with a skull for a face, and is even shown at one point with worms wriggling out of his rotting flesh.
• Break the Haughty: After getting his ass handed to him in "Earth's Last Stand", Shredder is bedridden and in critical condition. He receives words that not only are the ganglords under his criminal empire revolting and jockeying for territory, but his own adopted daughter has regained her sanity and has formed a new Foot Clan in his own lair and has taken the Kabuto for her own, along with disavowing him for Splinter, her biological father. He wearily admits that even after everything he inflicted on his scientist, he's now totally reliant on Stockman, who he considered one of his least favorite henchmen.
• Brutal Honesty: When Karai asks him if he would punish her even if she's his daughter, he notes that she's especially the case. Later, however, it clearly pains him to admit to her that Splinter is indeed her father.
• Cain and Abel: "Vengeance Is Mine" reveals that Oroku Saki was adopted by Hamato Yoshi's father, and the two were raised as brothers. Saki kills Yoshi/Splinter in "Requiem".
• Came Back Wrong: In "End Times", after he's resurrected by Kavaxas, Tiger Claw and the rest of the Foot Clan view him as such, since Shredder is now little more than a shambling corpse; Tiger Claw suspects that Shredder hasn't really been revived, and that Kavaxas is simply using him as a puppet. His suspicions are confirmed immediately when Shredder and Rahzar attack Tiger Claw and Shredder destroys the seal controlling Kavaxas, before admitting that yes, Kavaxas IS Shredder's master now.
• Character Development: In "End Times", it's implied that he's significantly rethought his life choices after having been killed, possibly indicating that he took Leo's accusations of being a monster to heart in "Owari", and after Kavaxas's control over him is broken, he helps push him back into the Underworld, saying that neither he or Kavaxas belong on Earth.
• Character Exaggeration: Revenge has always been a major part of Shredder's character in previous incarnations, but this series takes it to much more extreme and obsessive levels than any previous version.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Even before his transformation into Super Shredder, Saki displayed strength, speed, agility and durability beyond what one could expect of a normal man. This is perhaps best exemplified by when he shrugs off a surprise attack from Leatherhead and then immediately proceeds to soundly defeat the mutant alligator.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Threatens a captured Kraang with it to get him to talk.
• Combat Pragmatist: When against opponents of greater number or equal skill, he relies on cheap shots, the opponent having been weakened beforehand, or death traps in his lair. Tellingly, when he can't rely on these, he finally loses a fight against Splinter.
  Shredder: In any conflict, the winner is the one ready to do what the loser is not.
• The Comically Serious: Rather rare, but two instances stand out in "Panic In The Sewers" and "Karai's Vendetta", respectively:
  (Learning that Dogpound was defeated) "...They defeated you with go karts, and a water balloon?"
  (Upon his first time speaking to one of The Kraang) "Do they all speak like this?"
• Composite Character:
  • He draws elements from multiple versions of the character; His vocals and basic design take cues from the 1987 Shredder, but the clothes have a red tint similar to the original comics, while having the combat prowess and effectiveness of the films and 2003 versions. He also eventually becomes Super Shredder, much like the ending of Secret of the Ooze.
  • His part in the Love Triangle between him, Hamato Yoshi, and Tang Shen is taken from his own counterpart from the 1990 movie. Him being raised as a surrogate brother to Yoshi and eventually killing Tang Shen due to his rivalry with Yoshi escalating, however, is taken from Yukio Mashimi of the 2003 series.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To himself, or at least one self in particular; while he and Ch'rell would likely get along like a house on fire complete with all the horrible deaths that happen in one, he contrasts the Tengu Shredder by being obsessed with his vendetta against Splinter while the Oroku Saki of the 2003 series was mostly concerned with conquest and didn't pay the Turtles much mind. He also contrasts all three Shredders of the 2003 series by being a completely normal human before mutating instead of an Utrom, a demon, or a computer program.
• Cool Helmet: The Kuro Kabuto, the symbol of Foot leadership, follows the samurai-like kabuto/helmet style of his previous versions. This is also a major Macguffin in two episodes; one where Zeck steals it and the Foot Clan tries to get it back, and again as one of the two missing items needed to resurrect Shredder.
• Create Your Own Villain: At the very least, Splinter sees him this way. In "Turtle Temper", Splinter recounts an incident where Shredder insulted him in front of Tang Shen, eventually leading Splinter to snap and attack him. This caused their rivalry to intensify, eventually leading to Shen's death at Shredder's hands. It's all downhill from there.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • As per TMNT tradition, his first fight with the Turtles is one of these in his favor. Pretty much every battle except his duel with Splinter in "Showdown" is one of these in his favor, including a rematch against Splinter in "The Invasion" and against a rampaging Leatherhead. He later is fought to a draw by the combined forces of the Turtles and the Mighty Mutanimals and is finally given his first outright defeat against Splinter during the fourth season.
  • As Super Shredder, he delivers a downright brutal one to Splinter, nearly killing him.
• Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: In "The Super Shredder", he dishes out such a threat to Stockman to force him to inject him with the rest of the mutagen.
  Shredder: [grabs Stockman by the throat] Do it! Or I will pluck off your limbs until you are nothing left but a buzzing head.
• Dark Lord on Life Support: In the second go round with the BHG in "Earth's Last Stand", he fails to kill Splinter and is put in a personal intensive care facility outside of New York by Splinter for betraying the Enemy Mine. When he's finally seen, he's hooked up to an IV machine and a breathing mask while confined in bed, and wrapped in casts and bandages like a mummy. Stockman begins giving him mutagen to eventually turn him into the Super Shredder.
• The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: His love for Tang Shen, and her choosing Splinter over him, is his primary reason for turning evil. By the time of "Requiem", he's fallen so far that he no longer seems to care about Tang Shen at all, having absolutely zero qualms against mocking Shen's death to Karai's face by declaring that it's fitting that Karai will die in the same manner as her mother.
• Demoted to Dragon: As a zombie, Shredder is a puppet to Kavaxas, and is responsible for the Seal of the Ancients being destroyed and The End of the World as We Know It beginning. After Mikey repairs the seal and send Kavaxas back to the Netherworld, Shredder immediately turns on Kavaxas and kicks him into the portal, falling in with him.
• Determinator: Shredder has the negative side of Leo's determined trait. By the end of season three and the second half of season four, where Shredder is directly responsible for the end of the world just for revenge, it's crystal clear that he will do anything to kill Splinter, and is capable of anything no matter how evil, dangerous, dishonorable, or immoral it is.
• Diabolical Mastermind: He has connections to groups in Japan, runs the Foot Clan on his own, but he really comes into this in season three. He mentions that through his different minions, he has control over the Asian, South American, Russian and Italian mobs of New York, with him at the top.
• Dirty Coward: Beats on Splinter after he's been weakened by a poisoned-dart. And impales him through the back when he was meant to use his claws to stop the Triceratons' Earth destroying machine.
• Disproportionate Retribution: As punishment for stealing his helmet and attempting to hunt a mutant Karai, Shredder mutates Anton Zeck and Ivan Steranko into Bebop and Rocksteady.
• The Dreaded: Even so far that Splinter had a nightmare of him slaughtering the Turtles. He's also this to his minions, particularly when the Kabuto was stolen and Rahzar was on the verge of tears dreading his punishment.
• Dramatic Irony: Think about how he took Karai away when she was a baby and lied to her about her parents. Turns out Splinter's own father did the same thing when Shredder himself was an infant...
• Empowered Badass Normal: After his brutal defeat at Splinter's hands has left him bedridden wrapped in casts and bandaged while hooked up to an IV and breathing apparatus, Baxter Stockman hooks up a special IV that begins to put Mutagen in his veins, which ultimately turns him into a hulking monster with multiple spikes in his body.
• Enemy Mine: Allies with the Hamato Clan to combat the Triceraton invasion in "Annihilation Earth!". And he immediately kills Splinter the moment he has his back turned, dooming the Earth.
• Entitled to Have You: Had this mentality concerning Tang Shen. His entire beef with Splinter is because he's pissed that Splinter took Shen away from him, despite the fact that, as Splinter points out, Shen was never his in the first place.
• Establishing Character Moment: Much of his scenes are usually threatening his men or being uninterested in anything but revenge. "The Gauntlet" finally showcases him in a fight, and the fight scene itself further shows his hunger for revenge as well as how brutal and quick on his feet he is.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • Deconstructed in the case of Karai. For all of Shredder's faults, the one and only redeeming trait he has is his love for his daughter Karai. Unfortunately, like everything else in his life, this love for her is centered around his all-consuming hatred for Splinter, having raised her to hate him as a form of revenge. Outside of this, half the time he treats her as just another underling that he controls through fear, implying that his love was always conditional. When the Triceratons threaten to invade the Earth, April manages to convince him to help stop it by pointing out that Karai will die along with everyone else, but this does not stop him from killing Splinter anyway when he could have stopped the Doomsday Device, declaring that the Earth's destruction was worth winning against Splinter. When he becomes the Super Shredder, his hesitation to hurt her becomes the only thing keeping him from destroying the Hamato Clan once and for all. When he realizes this, rather than consider ending his vendetta, he had Stockman remove this roadblock from his mind, considering his vengeance worth more than the girl he raised.
  • He also deeply loved Tang Shen, to the extent that one of the reasons he turned evil is because Shen chose Splinter over him. Come "Requiem", he's fallen so far that he's abandoned his love for her as well, going so far as to mock Shen's death to Karai's face.
  • Also played straight when he punished Anton Zeck and Ivan Steranko for hunting a mutated Karai. (It is speculated that he believes he cares about her in his own mind, when in fact, it is only part of his obsession to kill Splinter and keep her for himself. Given the way Shredder is, this may be true after all.)
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Played with, he has never followed through with his threats of killing or mutilating his top lieutenants. He usually just beats them up, and the worst he's done is mutate Baxter Stockman. Tiger Claw was unnerved when he believed Shredder was going to mutate his own daughter in "Vengeance is Mine", but Shredder told him she was only bait for Splinter and the Turtles. He still put her in that situation in the first place, so it turns into a perfect non lethal example of Hoist by His Own Petard, The Shredder visibly upset after she was mutated.
  • On a much lesser note, he is clearly pretty disgusted by the grossly obese glutton Don Vizioso and wastes no time showing him who's boss.
  • His undead self actually decides to finish off Kavaxas and send them both back into the netherworld, proclaiming that neither of them belong on Earth.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • In "Requiem", Shredder tells Splinter that his weakness is that he cares about others.
  • In "Owari", he remarks that he had anticipated that the Turtles would all be demoralized by Splinter's death and flee the city as they did before, afraid to face him. Instead, the Turtles are righteously pissed that Shredder murdered their father figure and attack his hideout full force with the intent to kill him.
• Evil Counterpart:
  • He is this to Hamato Yoshi/Splinter. Both are equally skilled combatants and the leaders of their respective clans. Dogpound even remarks on their similarities to Fishface, stating that Splinter is just as skilled as Shredder, but "doesn't have the stomach to finish the fight."
  • He's also one to the Turtles, Casey, Karai, and his own minions.
    • Just like Leonardo's determination to defeat Shredder and protect Earth from the Kraang, Shredder will stop at nothing to get his revenge on Splinter.
    • He shares Raphael's violent and aggressive nature and the sparring match between Splinter and Shredder in "Tale of the Yokai" is basically a more violent reflection of Leonardo and Raphael's sibling rivalry with Yoshi/Splinter being the more skilled and lighthearted while being the favorite of their master/father with Shredder as the more cynical one. He's basically what Raph could grow up to be if he didn't control his temper, even if he has to learn this lesson multiple time.
    • Like Donatello obsessing over April and his rivalry with Casey, Shredder is possessive of Tang Shen and doesn't take too kindly to the woman of his dreams interacting with anyone else
    • Like Michelangelo, he never admits that anything is his fault. The difference is that Mikey doesn't always do this and regardless, doesn't get away with it. Other times he's right in that it really wasn't his fault.
    • Like Casey, he thinks highly of himself and lowly of his enemies and wears protective armor while fighting.
    • The similarities with Karai are near invoked. As an infant his father was killed by Splinter's father and taken in by the Hamato clan where he was raised by the enemy in ignorance and effectively did the same thing to Karai by attempting to do this to Karai's father and accidentally murdered her mother in the process and raising her in the Foot clan.
    • His minions are willing to work with their enemies against a bigger threat namely Baxter Stockman in "Baxter's Gambit" and the Triceratons in "Annihilation: Earth!". Xever is willing and has the sense to wait until after the threat is finished before resuming his fight against the turtles. Shredder holds no sense and kills Splinter as the latter is trying to save the Earth from being destroyed during the Triceraton invasion, dooming the entire world including himself.
• Evil Former Friend: To Hamato Yoshi/Splinter.
• Evil Is Bigger: While not Large and in Charge, he's still much stockier than Splinter is while being the same height as him. Then he mutates, and he's by far the largest member of the Foot Clan at that point.
• Evil Is Petty:
  • He had created a fully functional and prosperous Ninja Clan for years, but the moment he finds out that Hamato Yoshi is in New York, he packs his bags and devotes most of his efforts to having better men just to destroy Yoshi. Everything Shredder does is motivated by his anger that Tang Shen chose Yoshi/Splinter over him, and almost every loss he ever has in the series is due to prolonging the feud just so he can twist the knife further.
  • It's especially bad when you compare him to previous iterations of the Shredder. While the likes of the '87 Shredder, 2003 Shredder and the 90's Live-Action Shredder all had a hatred for Splinter and were willing to wipe out the Hamato Clan, they also had ambitions of conquest and forging an empire. All this Shredder cares about is his revenge. Even when Karai brings the Kraang to his attention and insists that there is a bigger picture to consider, Shredder completely ignores the fact that there are alien invaders in New York because he deemed it irrelevant to his vengeance... until it's revealed that they have a common enemy in the Turtles, upon which he's perfectly willing to help the Kraang.
• Evil Laugh: Doesn't usually do it, but does it much more frequently in "Showdown", where he states that his revenge is already complete, as he's raised Splinter's own daughter to hate him.
  • He also lets one when he sees that Splinter is a Rat.
• Evil Makes You Monstrous: When he mutates into the Super Shredder, he turns into a freakish being with spikes, and his sanity continues to go downhill. He also abandons his affection for Karai in "Requiem" and leaves her to die in a burning building; on top of that, he has seemingly abandoned his love for Tang Shen, which was his former driving motivation for going after Splinter, declaring that it's fitting that Karai should die in the same manner as her mother. Both Karai and Splinter even lampshade it:
  Splinter: You must be proud. You are finally a monster both inside and out!
• Evil Overlord: Of the Foot Clan, as shown by his wearing the Kuro Kabuto, passed down from all leaders of the Foot Clan.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: In "Annihilation Earth!", he allies with Splinter and the Turtles to stop the Triceratons from destroying the Earth. It's ultimately subverted when Shredder fatally stabs Splinter In the Back just as he's about to disable the black hole generator, dooming the world; all the while, Shredder gloats over finally killing Splinter, declaring that now that he's won, he doesn't care if the world is doomed.
• Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is very deep.
• Expy: In addition to being the TMNT version of Darth Vader, this version of Shredder seems to channel quite a bit of Doctor Doom. He blames his nemesis for everything he's lost, wears a mask to hide heavy scarring (other versions just use it for symbolism and protection) and he's consumed by his thirst for revenge.
• Family-Unfriendly Violence: The aforementioned Curb-Stomp Battle involves him kicking Raphael into an electrified sign and later dropping pieces of said sign on top of Michelangelo. He's on the receiving end of this when he's mauled by Leatherhead and later dishes it out when he impales Splinter on his blades, twice. Later, his head is sliced off by Leo, who then carries it with him and throws it on the ground contemptuously.
• The Farmer and the Viper: Hamato Yuta took him in as a baby and raised him as his own son, despite Shredder being of the Foot Clan and the son of his sworn enemy. How does Shredder thank him for doing so once he finds out his true heritage? By destroying/corrupting the Hamato Clan and spending nearly two decades of his life trying to kill Hamato Yoshi, his adoptive brother.
• Fatal Flaw: His thirst for vengeance. Even in the face of The End of the World as We Know It, he chooses to kill Splinter rather than allow him to stop the Triceratons' black hole machine, declaring that he doesn't care if the world does end; as long as he defeats Splinter, it's Worth It.
• Faux Affably Evil: Often dips into this, such as his reunion with Splinter in "Showdown, Part 1".
  Shredder: (Evil Laugh) Hamato Yoshi. I am so glad you accepted my invitation.
• Feeling Oppressed by Their Existence: His hatred of Hamato Yoshi/Splinter runs so deep, he considers him still being alive another day a stain on his honor. In season four, he goes so far as to rant about having nightmares about Splinter's "proud, leering, loathsome face".
• Final Boss: Of the main storyline that spanned seasons one to four. Defeating Shredder was the Turtles' ultimate test in "Owari".
• Freudian Excuse: He first came to power by convincing the Hamato Clan that they were wrong to wipe out his ancestors' clan, the Foot Clan; then comes the tragedy of Tang Shen which he uses to justify pretty much everything.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: He's called out by Splinter, Karai, and Leonardo for using his Freudian Excuse to justify every horrible action he has done, pointing how he never moved on with his life and instead become a monster inside and out. Leo in particular spells it out to him during their final battle.
  Leo: You killed him. He was your brother, and you killed him! He was your brother, Saki. Your best friend! How could you do that? [...] You're a monster! A demon! Is that your destiny?!
• Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: In "End Times", he possesses green ones.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: A significant portion of his face is covered in burn scars, and his right eye is whited out. This is fixed in a way with his mutation, when he gets green monster eyes, but now he's barely human; even then, the sclera of his right eye is noticeably redder than the left.
• Green-Eyed Monster: His jealousy of Hamato Yoshi for winning Tang Shen's love prompted their feud.
• Handicapped Badass: Despite being blind in his right eye, he's very formidable and scary.
• Heritage Face Turn: He was born from the Foot Clan but discovered by the father of Hamato Yoshi alone as a baby after a particularly devastating assault by the Hamato Clan on a Foot Clan village. He was raised alongside Yoshi, completely unaware of his heritage. However, after having a falling out with Yoshi after fighting and losing for the love of their mutual love interest, Oroku fled and eventually learned of his true heritage, choosing to rebuild the Foot Clan and donned the moniker 'Shredder' to take revenge against Yoshi and the Hamato Clan.
• Hero Killer: He succeeds in killing Splinter twice. The first time is in "Annihilation: Earth!", but this is undone by "Earth's Last Stand". He, however, succeeds in killing Splinter for good in "Requiem".
• Heroic Sacrifice: Surprisingly enough, he pulls one off in "End Times", dragging Kavaxas back to the Netherworld with him.
  Shredder: We do not belong here, demon!
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: He's one of the most evil bastards in the series and one of the Turtles' most dangerous enemies, being perfectly willing to support an Alien Invasion as long as he can get revenge on Splinter... and he's not an alien or a mutant. At least not until the events of "The Super Shredder".
• Hypocrite:
  • As seen in Never My Fault, he vows to avenge his daughter Karai, who is NOT actually his daughter but the daughter he kidnapped from Hamato Yoshi, for her mutation, even though he used her as bait to lure the Turtles and Splinter out, with the mutagen that changed her having been made by his instructions.
  • He tells Tang Shen that Hamato Yoshi will never let go of his clan and tells her to leave him. After finding out his own lineage, he restarts his clan and refuses any attempts at peace, making him just as unwilling to let go as Yoshi is.
  • He mocks the Hamato Clan for a majority of them being mutants, in spite of expressing a desire for an army of them himself and a lot of his most powerful enforcers are mutants. He also eventually becomes a mutant himself, and enjoys the power that comes with it.
  • He frequently derides Splinter for being a dishonorable coward, in spite of the fact that he's perfectly fine with beating up Splinter when he was poisoned and stabs him in the back when Splinter's not looking in two different timelines, one of which was while they were in a truce.
  • One of the reasons why he is so hell-bent on wiping out the Hamato Clan is because he discovered that they wipe out his clan before adopting him as one of their own. Not only that, but he would go on to repeat this very sin when he adopts Miwa as his own daughter Karai. What makes them different in this is while Hamato Yuuta adopted him out of compassion and empathy, Shredder did it out of spite.
• I Control My Minions Through...: Fear, Mind Control and (Fanatical) Loyalty.
  • Bebop, Rocksteady and Stockman are controlled by fear. Shredder and his other minions continually threaten to hurt them if they fail at whatever mission he gives them, Stockman eventually developing genuine loyalty toward Shredder when his skills prove useful to the Foot.
  • Shredder has Baxter Stockman create mutant worms that make anyone under their influence loyal to Shredder, testing them on the Mighty Mutanimals before using them on Karai after she rebels against him.
  • Rahzar, Fishface and Tiger Claw obey him out of undying loyalty to him as their master, perfectly willing to kill and die for his cause.
• Insane Troll Logic: With his tendency to blame Splinter for everything that goes wrong in his life (especially if it was his own fault to begin with), the Shredder will often go to great lengths to maintain this delusion. Tang Shen chose Yoshi over him? Obviously Yoshi wanted to take what was rightfully his! Tang Shen takes the killing blow meant for Yoshi? It was Yoshi that really killed her! Karai turns against him when she finds out that not only is he not her father, but that he killed her mother? Splinter turned Karai against him! He dangles Karai over a vat of mutagen and turns her into a snake-monster when he cuts the chain to get to Leonardo (who came there to her rescue just as planned)? Splinter's fault!
• Invincible Villain: Compared to his 1987 version (where he constantly suffered defeat) and his 2003 version (where he was tougher, got a few wins in on the Turtles, but wasn't completely unbeatable), this Shredder constantly hands the Turtles their butts or succeeds in whatever he does for the sake of his revenge. The most the Turtles can do is either cause inconvenience for him or at best tie with him in a fight and run away, but until the fourth season, he never suffers a complete defeat. His Invincible Villain status is even lampshaded in "Vengeance is Mine"; Splinter tells Leo outright that any plan that leads to a confrontation with Shredder is doomed to fail.
• I Have No Daughter!: As of "City at War", Shredder says that if Karai wants a war, she'll get one, suggesting he has given up on trying to get her back on his side. This sticks for good in "Requiem", where he outright tries to kill Karai and leaves her for dead.
• Jerkass: He's a Bad Boss and quick to berate his underlings if they fail him, even if he doesn't kill them. He has also managed to convince himself that Splinter is the monster rather than him, and ultimately, he's unpleasant and, in keeping with tradition, has a giant ego.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk:
  • In "Return to New York," when his men capture a feral Splinter, he orders Stockman to restore Splinter's sanity... because he wants Splinter to be fully aware of what's happening when Shredder finishes him off.
  • In "Annihilation: Earth," Shredder and the Foot Clan agree to help Splinter and the Turtles fight off the Triceraton Army, only for Shredder to backstab Splinter, both figuratively and literally, when he attempts to disable the Black Hole Generator, not only killing Splinter, but dooming the entire Earth, an act that disgusts even Tiger Claw. Though, this was later undone via time travel, where present Leo manages to warn Splinter just in time.
• The Juggernaut: He was already all but unstoppable as a human. As Super Shredder he's nearly indestructible. The Turtles try to run him over with the Shellraiser? He stops it dead in its tracks and tosses it aside like a toy. Blows from Splinter no longer affect him. Getting by a gas truck, which then exploded, just prompted him to throw it back. Only hitting his exposed heart, combined with the instability of mutations, does anything. And even this is undone when the Mutagen inside him is stabilized.
• Karma Houdini: Excluding his burnt face, Tang Shen's death, and arguably Karai's mutation, he never has to pay for his actions. Though his decision to kill Splinter instead of saving the Earth cost Shredder the ultimate price: his life. And what does he have to say for it?
  Shredder: "Hamato Yoshi is finished! The Earth can be destroyed for all I care! I have finally won!"
• Karma Houdini Warranty: His streak starts to come to an end in the fourth season. When Splinter's initial death is undone in "Earth's Last Stand", Splinter is so outraged at Shredder for breaking the Enemy Mine that he beats him senseless; the next time we see Shredder, he's bedridden and in intensive care. Later, when he injures Karai and kills Splinter for good in "Requiem", the Turtles come after him full force in "Owari", culminating in Leo slicing his head off.
• Kick the Dog: Among many, many examples of this trope in the series, a striking one is that when asked about Hachiko's disappearance from the series, Word of God is that the Shredder is a terrible pet-owner.
• Kick the Morality Pet: Brainwashing Karai, showing that there is nothing he'd consider too horrible to do to her, as long as it gets her back on his side. By the semi-final episode of the fourth season, "Requiem", he's completely abandoned his love for Karai and outright tries to murder her.
• Killed Off for Real: In "Owari", his head is sliced off by Leonardo, finally killing him. He returns as a zombie in "End Times", but is sent on a one-way trip to the Netherworld with Kavaxas.
• The Kindnapper: In "Showdown", he told Splinter that he stole Miwa after their fight, and raised her as his own. His primary motivaton was to punish Splinter for taking Tang Shen, but he views what he did as Abduction Is Love. The Shredder genuinely believes she should he his daughter, even if he is not her biological progenitor. He seems to view himself as a Well-Intentioned Extremist going so far as telling Karai that he could not bear to have her raised by scum like Splinter.
• Knight of Cerebus:
  • The episodes he appears in usually make it clear that it's not going to be the same as a one-off adventure, and whenever he's in a fight scene, things get really ugly. The fact that he's a much, much more personal enemy to the Turtles and won't settle for anything but attacking them where it hurts (such as stealing Hamato Yoshi's child and raising her as his own to get his ultimate revenge on his former friend) earns him this status.
  • To put another thing in perspective, the point when he finally got up and did something, it brought a darker shift in the show. His Villain Team-Up with the Kraang also allowed them to nearly succeed in their invasion of Earth and, in "The Invasion", they succeed.
• Lack of Empathy: Nothing matters to him but himself and his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Splinter. Nothing.
• Large and in Charge: When the Foot Clan is entirely human, the Shredder is by far the tallest and most imposing of the members, being a bit taller than human Chris Bradford. He returns to the trope years later, when he mutates and is considerably larger than Bradford as Dogpound ever was, and now being the largest person involved with the Foot Clan.
• Leitmotif: A dark and menacing yet somewhat morose theme irregularly shows up whenever he appears or is in a fight scene.
• Lighter and Softer: While he shares a lot in common with his 2003 version, such as his Ax-Crazy personality, he is far less punishing and cruel, generally letting his minions live without much of a scratch on them. Although season two and certain events, such as his near-complete lack of hesitance in mutating of Baxter Stockman and Karai learning who her father actually is began changing this, and by the end of season three, the end result of his blood feud with Splinter all but took him to the darkness and insanity level of Ch'rell the Utrom Shredder from 2003, only he's human. Tiger Claw was horrified by this revelation.
• Lightning Bruiser: Donatello described him like this. Up until season four, only Splinter was able to match him in strength and speed.
• Love Makes You Evil: His unrequited attraction to Tang Shen was what caused him to go from Hamato Yoshi's friend to Arch-Enemy, and his love for Karai makes this situation much worse as the show progresses.
• Made of Iron: He gets caught within and mauled by Leatherhead's jaws in one of the most brutal attacks of the series. He simply shrugs it off and beats up the alligator when the latter lets down his guard and continues laying into Splinter. He is, however, seen in a rare moment of genuine fatigue at "The Invasion"'s end.
• Manipulative Bastard: To Karai for her entire life.
• Misanthrope Supreme: His only concern regarding the Kraang's plans to conquer the Earth is their inevitable betrayal of him. The human race? Not so much. He happily kills Splinter before he can stop the Triceratons before invading Earth, and before he and the Earth are destroyed, he's still happy that he's finally defeated his long time enemy.
  Tiger Claw: [The Kraang] will betray you. You know this. They care nothing for the human race.
  Shredder: Nor do I.
• Monstrous Humanoid: He eventually turns into this when he forces Baxter Stockman to complete his mutation. Nightmarish appearance? Check. Deranged face? Check. Bad temper? Check. Unstoppable being of hatred. Checkmate.
• Moral Myopia: As far as Shredder is concerned, Splinter is an utterly vile monster and is responsible for everything wrong with his life, and everything Shredder does to spitefully ruin his life and murder anyone close to him is completely justified and necessary.
• Motive Decay: By the time of "Requiem", Shredder's delusional motivation of "avenging" Tang Shen completely decays along with any "love" for Karai. He just wants to kill Hamato Yoshi/Splinter and destroy everything and everyone associated with him. And since Tang Shen and Karai sided with Splinter, they are now enemies that deserve to die.
• Mythology Gag: When he first shows up in "The Gauntlet", Donatello nervously says, "do you think that's The Shredder?" and Raphael replies, "well, it's definitely a shredder", referencing the various versions of The Shredder appearing in each of the TMNT comics and series.
• Never My Fault: Refuses to take responsibility for his actions, whether it be the death of Tang Shen or Karai/Miwa being transformed into a snake mutant, blaming both on Splinter even though they're both clearly Shredder's own fault. Even when he's pumping multiple mind control worms into Karai's head, he still blames Splinter and the Turtles for "bringing such pain" upon her. Also, more recently, after Splinter's death is averted in "Earth's Last Stand", he states that it is because of Splinter that Karai is gone. Come "The Super Shredder", it's made clear that Shredder genuinely believes that everything that's happened to him is Splinter's fault and not his own.
• No Sense of Humor: He's very serious, to say the least. This is especially evident in his interactions with Karai.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: Though he was already Made of Iron, he's upgraded into this when he becomes the Super Shredder, shrugging off an exploding tanker truck and being crushed in a garbage truck after a multi-story fall into it. Though, Leonardo does manage to kill him by decapitating him, showing that he wasn't completely invincible.
• Obliviously Evil: Has shades of this; Shredder has legitimately convinced himself that he's done nothing wrong, and that Splinter is a monster who needs to be killed. Of course, this doesn't make him more sympathetic or tragic; if anything, considering the atrocities he's committed and the lengths he's willing to go in order to take Splinter down, all while refusing any blame for anything he does, it makes him even worse.
• Obviously Evil: Let's see deep voice, evil scars, dangerous looking costume covered in spikes, calls himself "Shredder"... Definitely a bad guy.
  April: Doubts about the evil leader of the evil ninja clan? Really?
  Karai: Yes...
• Off with His Head!: Twice. In "Owari", Shredder is beheaded and killed by Leo. Leo slices his head off a second time in "End Times", but as he's undead, it doesn't faze him much.
• One-Man Army: Not only is he a powerful master of ninjistu, but he can easily take on all turtles, Mutanimals, Leatherhead, Rocksteady, and Triceratons without breaking a sweat. the only person who can come close to equal power as him is Splinter. He even becomes more harder to penetrate when he becomes "Super Shredder", or get's resurrected as a zombie.
  Raphael: Are you crazy? Shredder is a dangerous assassin, you don't stand a chance! I mean, not even the slightest chance, the tiniest, tiniest, ittiest, bittiest.
• One-Winged Angel: Goes through this when he becomes the second Shredder in the franchise outside of video games (and the first one since Secret of the Ooze in 1991) to mutate, and unlike that Shredder, who ended up becoming a Clipped-Wing Angel, this Oroku Saki becomes a giant monstrosity and a Hero Killer.
• Orc Raised by Elves: Originally raised as a member of the Hamato Clan, he turned on his adopted family as soon as he found out that he was actually the heir of their Evil Counterpart the Foot Clan, taking special care to target the man he called his brother for years over a girl they both liked.
• Orcus on His Throne: He generally doesn't enter the field unless absolutely necessary, such as in "The Gauntlet" when Bradford and Montes had failed him one time too many, or when he's expanding his organization like in "Casey Jones Vs. The Underworld".
• Palette Swap: His animation model as Oroku Saki (seen in full in "Tale of the Yokai") is a slightly tweaked version of Hun.
• Papa Wolf: In "Vengeance is Mine", it's shown that, in his own twisted way, he does care about Karai, swearing vengeance on Splinter and the Turtles for her mutation, which he perceives as their fault.
• Pet the Dog: With his empire crumbling in the fourth season and he himself being in critical condition, Shredder has the decency to thank Stockman for being his most loyal, dutiful servant... while still calling him a lowly bug, of course.
• Politically Correct Villain: Even if he commands them solely through fear, he doesn't let race and gender dictate who learns his ninja-arts or make up his inner-circle, his primary minions including his (adopted) daughter, an American-Caucasian, a Brazilian-American, an African-American, a Chinese mercenary, etc. He also doesn't let his prejudice towards mutants get in the way of having mutants working under him, though considering all of his minions wind-up becoming mutants, he would be out of minions if he let that get in the way.
• Predecessor Villain: Of the first arc of the fifth season. The Foot Cultists who worship him were mutated into pseudo-clones of him after coming into contact with the Shredder's blood, which was spilled during his battle with Splinter, and Tiger Claw leads said cultists and seeks to resurrect him using Kavaxas' power.
• Pragmatic Villainy:
  • Despite Stockman's Mousers losing them a chance at finding the Turtles' lair, Shredder spares him because he has use for his talents. Probably why he has only beaten up his henchmen when they disappoint him, because he knows good help is hard to find.
  • He also isn't above having mutant minions or mutagen for offensive purposes despite finding them disgusting, considering all of his best minions end up mutated and mutants tend to be stronger and more resilient than the average human.
• Psychopathic Manchild: Has shades of it. He's the skilled, feared leader of the Foot Clan armed to the teeth with knives and mutant henchmen... who's actions are largely, if not entirely, motivated by the fact that Tang Shen chose Yoshi/Splinter over him. Everything Shredder does is basically just him throwing a temper tantrum over not getting the girl and his angst about being adopted, using his adopted brother as The Scapegoat to vent his general contempt for the world.
• Put on a Bus: During an episode in early season two, he mentions having to do business in Japan and leaves Karai to fill in for him while he's gone. He does not return until "The Manhattan Project".
• Pyrrhic Victory: Bitterly lampshaded to Tiger Claw about Karai's mutation. He is pissed at how badly things went.
  • He finally obtains his "revenge" against Splinter, but through a backstab where he had the opportunity to save the world, instead allowing it to be destroyed by the Triceratons. He didn't care at this point.
• Red Right Hand: His burned face and blind left eye.
• Redemption Rejection: In "The Super Shredder", Splinter pleads with Shredder to give up his twisted vendetta and offers to help him. Unsurprisingly, Shredder turns him down flat.
• Removed Achilles' Heel: In "Darkest Plight", Karai is able to incapacitate Shredder and force him to retreat by punching him directly in his exposed heart. Once his mutation is stabilized in "Requiem", that weakness has been removed; Karai tries to stab him directly in the heart... only for her sword to shatter against it.
• Revenge Before Reason: The Shredder's defining trait; he's so obsessed with getting revenge on Splinter (primarily for things that were Shredder's own fault in the first place) that nothing else matters to him at all. Splinter calls him out on this in "Showdown", pointing out that when Splinter dies, Shredder will have nothing. In "Annihilation Earth!", during an Enemy Mine scenario to stop the entire Earth from being destroyed, Shredder fatally stabs Splinter In the Back at a crucial moment, killing him and dooming the planet. He then goes on to say that he doesn't even care if Earth gets destroyed anymore, he can die happy now that he's finally gotten his revenge.
• Revenge Myopia:
  • The Shredder's obsession with vengeance against Splinter began when Tang Shen was killed... by himself when she gets in the way of a killing blow meant for Yoshi after he had killed Yoshi's father and burned his house to the ground. Yeah.
  • When Karai learns the Awful Truth (that Splinter is her real father, Shredder killed her mother and raised her out of spite) and decides to oppose him, the Shredder blames Splinter for "turning her against him", absolving himself of any responsibility for any of it.
  • When Karai gets mutated into a snake-creature in "Vengeance Is Mine" in a botched rescue attempt, he vows revenge on Splinter for it. Never mind it was his vat of mutagen that he dangled her over as part of a convoluted plot to stick it to Splinter for all of the other reasons why the Shredder wants to kill him. Just add it to the pile, Saki.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His entire operation in New York, regardless of how much he invests, is specifically to kill Splinter, blaming him for EVERYTHING including deaths and misfortunes Shredder causes. And he won't let anything, not even the end of the world or getting mutated himself, get in his way.
• Sadist: Has shades of this, especially towards Splinter. Case in point: when faced with a feral Splinter in "Return to New York", he refuses to allow Tiger Claw to Mercy Kill him, instead taking him to Baxter to have his mind restored solely because he wants Splinter to be fully conscious and aware of what's happening before he kills him.
• Sanity Slippage: He's already a bit of a sociopath when he first appears in the series, but it gets worse from the middle of season two, eventually reaching a tipping point at the end of season three and then goes up a notch once he mutates into Super Shredder during the "City at War" arc that makes this Shredder one of the most insane villains in the entire franchise.
• Serial Escalation: He's already a borderline Invincible Villain at the series beginning, and he just keeps getting upgrades. The Turtles are only able to fight him to a draw as a human by season three, he becomes a nigh-unstoppable juggernaut as Super Shredder, and then in "End Times", he's brought back as a seemingly unkillable zombie with Psychic Powers.
• Shadow Archetype: To Raphael. Shredder's relationship with Splinter is a dark reflection of what Raph and Leo's relationship could turn into.
• Speak Ill of the Dead: In "Requiem", while attacking Karai and setting fire to the Mutanimals' hideout, Shredder mocks Tang Shen's death right to her face, boasting that it's fitting that she should die just as her mother did. It goes to show just how far off the deep end Shredder's gone, especially since his love for Tang Shen, as well as his jealousy that she chose Hamato Yoshi/Splinter after him, was his primary reason for turning evil in the first place.
• Shoulders of Doom: He has these, just like most versions.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: In "Showdown", Splinter calls Shredder out on his Revenge Before Reason, declaring outright that if Shredder actually succeeds in killing him, then he'll have nothing left. Shredder responds by revealing that he kidnapped Splinter's daughter Miwa and raised her as Karai, gloating that he'll still have her as a living symbol of his revenge for all her life.
• The Sociopath: BIG time. Shredder is completely arrogant, remorseless, vengeful, cold and ruthless, and there's virtually nothing he won't do and no low he won't stoop to to destroy his enemies, especially Splinter, up to and including supporting the Kraang's invasion of Earth and allowing the Triceratons to destroy the planet outright. He openly admits he doesn't give a damn about the human race, and in general he completely refuses to accept responsibility for any heinous act he commits, regularly using Splinter as The Scapegoat; come Season 4, it's made clear Shredder has genuinely convinced himself that's the case.
• Spikes of Villainy: He has plenty, going with his nickname "The Shredder". He gains even more when he mutates into Super Shredder.
• The Starscream: He plotted to take out the Kraang early in season three and take over New York. The Turtles defeat the Kraang before he has a chance to do this.
• Straw Nihilist: To Karai’s statement there's more to life than his vendetta, Shredder fiercely refuted there's nothing more than that and deems anything not affiliated with his revenge as a distraction, showing his utter nihilism.
• Stupid Evil: He only cares about getting revenge on Splinter, and will do so at any cost. He truly falls into this in "Annihilation Earth!" when he fatally stabs Splinter In the Back just as he's about to shut down the black hole generator, killing him and dooming the planet; all the while, Shredder gloats over finally killing Splinter and makes it clear that now that he's finally won, he doesn't care that the world is going to be destroyed, and him along with it.
• Tempting Fate: In "Showdown", he boasts to Splinter that he'll have Karai/Miwa as a living example of his revenge for all her life, gloating that after Splinter dies, his own daughter will spend the rest of her days cursing his very name. Over the course of the second season, Karai discovers the truth and turns on him.
• Theory Tunnel Vision: He repeatedly claims Splinter is responsible for everything bad in his life. At first, it seems like he's just lying to manipulate his henchmen, but soon it becomes clear that Shredder seriously believes in the bizarre conspiracies he attributes to Splinter, violently rebuking any evidence to the contrary. He clings to this theory so obsessively that he sometimes seems to be outright delusional. It eventually reaches the point where, in Season 4, he sincerely claims to have watched Splinter murder Tang Shen, who Shredder himself killed.
• Tin Tyrant: Like all Shredders.
• Token Human: Though its hard to consider human on the inside, he's the only human in his own army as his generals have been turned into mutants while the Foot Clan soldiers have been replaced by robots, and ironically, he may be far more monstrous than they ever could be. In the fourth season, this changes as Shredder orders Stockman to heal him with a new batch of mutagen, turning HIM into a mutant just like the rest of the main Foot Clan, Karai, and the Hamatos apart from Casey Jones and Shinigami; he's the final human member of the Clan to mutate, and this is only the second time in non-interactive TMNT media where a human Shredder mutates after 1991's Secret of the Ooze (meaning it's been 25 years in the franchise since a Shredder last mutated), but unlike that Shredder, this one is no Clipped-Wing Angel.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He's already a dick from the very beginning, revealing that he kidnapped baby Miwa and raised her as Karai purely to hurt Yoshi, but he keeps getting worse as the series goes on. In "Annihilation: Earth!", he kills Splinter and happily allows the Triceratons to destroy the Earth, and he arguably reaches his lowest point by the time of "Requiem", where he openly mocks Tang Shen's death to Karai's face, implying he doesn't even care about Tang Shen anymore despite the fact that her choosing Splinter over him is one of the main reasons he became evil to begin with.
• Too Powerful to Live: Shredder becomes this when his Super form is stabilized in "Requiem", as the character would be killed off in the following episode "Owari". His zombie form also lasts only one full episode, until he's killed again.
• Tranquil Fury: His default state of being when he's not visibly enraged.
• Two-Faced: The fire he inadvertently started while trying to kill Hamato Yoshi has burned roughly half of Shredder's face, as shown when Splinter knocks his helmet off.
• The Undead: Shredder is brought back to life as a zombie under the control of Kavaxas in "End Times". He walks and limps like a classic zombie and can survive losing his head.
• The Unfettered: He'll do anything to get his revenge on Splinter, no matter how evil, dishonorable, or immoral. Up to and including assisting the Kraang in conquering New York and allowing the Triceratons to destroy the Earth.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Towards Hamato Yuuta, Master Splinter, and the Hamato Clan as a whole.
• Unstoppable Rage: His hatred for Hamato Yoshi has led him to destroy Hamato's home, his love, and his sanity as he hunted him and the Turtles down, and said hatred begins to really take its toll on Shredder and everyone he knows on a first-name basis (friendly or no) as the series goes on.
• Villainous Cheekbones: This is how one can tell Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi apart pre-Shredder/pre-fire. Saki has some prominent cheekbones.
• Villain Team-Up: After her and the Kraang are foiled by the Turtles one too many times, they team up in a loose but fair alliance. Shredder even notes that the Kraang have been completely on the level, and provide much for little in return. However, the Shredder still does not trust the Kraang entirely, acknowledging the inevitable fact that they will turn on him some day.
• Virtue Is Weakness: In "Requiem", he tells Splinter as such:
  Shredder: Your weakness is that you care about others. I have torn all weaknesses away and become all powerful.
• Vocal Dissonance: Hearing Kevin Michael Richardson's mighty, deep voice coming out of Oroku Saki's mouth pre-Shredder (Saki is a palette-swap of both Hun and Yoshi) is a bit jarring, to say the least.
• Vocal Evolution: His voice is a little higher pitched in "Enemy of My Enemy", sounding slightly more like his 1987 counterpart. It's still plenty deep though. "Karai's Vendetta" also adds a slight echo to his voice. Seasons 2 and 3 also gives his voice more of a bassy rumble. Upon becoming Super Shredder, his voice becomes much deeper, gruffer, more monstrous, and psychopathic, reflecting both his mutation, and that what little sanity he had left is pretty much gone. Finally, when he is resurrected as Zombie Shredder, he speaks with a deeper, more gruff, guttural growl.
• Was It Really Worth It?: In "Owari", Leonardo asks Super Shredder if he thinks it was his destiny to become a "demon". This actually causes Super Shredder to hesitate for a moment... which Leonardo capitalizes on by attacking him.
• Was Once a Man: Becomes this in the "City at War" arc when he undergoes a mutation.
• We Used to Be Friends: With Splinter before their fight over Tang Shen.
• Wolverine Claws: Gains these as the Super Shredder, which can be fired off as projectiles and quickly regrown.
• Worth It: Killing Splinter instead of taking out the Triceratons' black hole generator resulted in the destruction of Earth. Shredder didn't care, as he had finally succeeded in his revenge, and nothing else mattered to him.
• Wrestler of Beasts: He's able to fight and defeat Leatherhead using using nothing more than his natural strength and fighting skills in the season 2 finale.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: He knew Splinter would come to his tower to rescue April, but he had already handed her to the Kraang by the time he got there what Splinter thought was April was a hologram. He probably did that just to mess with him.
• You Are What You Hate: In a last resort to rid himself of his enemies once and for all, Shredder resorts into turning into the one thing he hates most of all: a mutant. Karai lampshades this:
  Karai: "You... you've become... everything you've loathed. Everything you hate! A mutant!"
• You Have Failed Me: Downplayed. When his minions disappoint him enough, he either induces a Curb-Stomp Battle on them (usually played for laughs) or mutates them (usually played seriously).
• You Monster!: Shredder's MO in a nutshell.
  Raphael: "YOU! You monster!"
  Karai: "You're Insane! You are the monster!"
  Shinigami: "I will destroy you monster, for everything you have done to Karai!"
  Splinter: "The only monster here is YOU Saki!"
  Leonardo: "You're a monster, a Demon! Is that you're destiny?!
• Zombie Gait: In "End Times", he walks with one after being resurrected as The Undead by Kavaxas.

Chris Bradford/Dogpound/Rahzar

Voiced by: Clancy Brown.

Bradford

Dogpound

"I feel the mutagen coursing through me. I'm faster, stronger, more powerful than ever! I feel like a ninja again! To thank you, I'll make your end swift."

Rahzar

"Only way I bust a fang is if I'm chewing on someone's leg."

An alpha dog who is a lieutenant to the Foot Clan. He used to be the heir of one of New York's wealthiest families, until he journeyed to train in many martial arts, with his training in ninjutsu, and became a famous martial artist by owning a chain of dojos across America. Eventually he and his dojo chain joined the services of the Shredder and the Foot Clan after Oroku Saki refounded the clan. Becomes a dog-like mutant Dogpound and and later a bony werewolf-like super mutant Rahzar. He also had a television cartoon prior to meeting the Shredder, which is the cartoon gag for the fourth season.

---

• Adaptational Badass: In The Secret of the Ooze, Rahzar only relied on brute strength. Here, he's also a skilled ninja.
• Adaptational Intelligence: The original Rahzar had the mentality of an infant, whereas here he's fully articulate and capable of speech.
• Adaptational Villainy: In regards to becoming Rahzar. The original Rahzar was a stupid infant, and here Rahzar is an unrepentant and pretty malicious loyalist to the Shredder.
• A Day in the Limelight: "Mikey Gets Shellacne" partly revolves around his desire to be human again and his subsequent mutation into Rahzar. Later, he gets some focus in "The Forgotten Swordsman" in which he is brought Back from the Dead and considers leaving Shredder's Foot Clan.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Considering he died a monster when he always wanted to be human again, struggling helplessly as Leatherhead drowned him; only to be revived as an undead puppet for Kavaxas and suffering a final fate of falling into the Netherworld, it’s easy to feel sorry for him.
• Arch-Enemy: To Michelangelo, due to the events of "New Friend, Old Enemy". He barely returns the feeling, though, viewing Michelangelo as just another nuisance. Despite this, Mikey still evidently considers him cool, if the trip into Mikey's mind and the resurfacing of his cartoon show in the fourth season is any indication.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He has shades of it, especially as Dogpound.
• Back for the Dead: He's brought back to life in the fifth season after he's anticlimactically killed off near the end of the fourth season. He lasts two episodes, and then dies anticlimactically again.
• Back from the Dead: Rahzar is drowned by Leatherhead in "Requiem", but he's revived by Kavaxas in "The Forgotten Swordsman" to assist the demodragon and Tiger Claw in applying this trope to Shredder as well.
• Badass Normal: Bradford was able to hold his own against the Turtles, usually being able to fight two at once.
• Bad Boss: Consider who he works for, and this is a given; He is at one point seen kicking one of his own men while they're down when he's annoyed, and regularly belittles Baxter Stockman, sometimes alongside Montes. The latter didn't work out for him.
• Barehanded Blade Block: He can do this with just his fingers.
• Beard of Evil: As a human, though Dogpound still has his mustache. Rahzar has a flap of fur that almost gives the impression of a Reaper's hood due to how thin he is.
• Broken Pedestal: Mikey looked up to and worshipped him, but the discovery that Bradford is one of Shredder's men and was just using him to try to track down Splinter completely shatters that.
• The Brute: Big, bad, and brutish. He's far from Dumb Muscle though. He's also physically the tallest member of the Foot Clan, about a head and a half taller than his master until Shredder's mutation.
• Came Back Wrong: Though it doesn't seem that way at first, it is revealed in "End Times" that Rahzar, like Shredder, was also resurrected to serve as Kavaxas' undead puppet, which is proven when Rahzar assists the zombie Shredder in attacking Tiger Claw and destroying the Seal of the Ancients.
• Canon Character All Along: In the second season, he became the character Rahzar.
• Co-Dragons: With Xever Montes to Shredder, at least until Karai enters the scene. And notably this is after Bradford and Montes have fallen out of favor with Shredder.
• Cool Helmet: He has a Shredder-esque helmet, but he rarely wore it as a human.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Being drowned by being dragged to the depths of the ocean is one Hell of a way to go.
• Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes.
• Death by Adaptation: In the original live-action films, Rahzar's fate was being reverted back into an ordinary wolf. Here, he first gets drowned by Leatherhead, then he gets brought back to life by Kavaxis only to suffer a Disney Villain Death two episodes later.
• Decomposite Character: He has some characteristics of Hun from the 2003 series, despite this show having its own version of Hun. He is a big, strong martial artist, the Shredder's Caucasian very loyal henchman, who happens to connect with the Turtles online (Hun unknowingly played an online game with the Turtles, while Bradford became friends with Mike online) and eventually mutates into this show's iteration of a famous mutant character from the franchise (Hun became Slash in Turtles Forever, while Bradford became Rahzar).
• Dem Bones: His transformation into Rahzar.
• Demoted to Dragon: In the second season, Karai becomes the new second-in-command and is left in charge, lowering his status to become The Brute with Fishface. He later answers to Tiger Claw, but in contrast with his relationship with Karai, he forges a mutual respect with the new Dragon. His competence, loyalty and lengthy history with the Shredder also gives him a high position in the Foot Clan's hierarchy, and he mentions in season three that he's in charge whenever Tiger Claw isn't around.
• Disney Villain Death: He's kicked off a cliff into a chasm leading straight into the Netherworld, where he's never seen again.
• The Dragon: He's the Shredder's Dragon in the second half of the first season, being his most trusted servant and the field leader, though he eventually loses this position to first Karai, then Tiger Claw.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Double Subversion. Despite being Made of Iron, he's drowned very easily by Leatherhead towards the end of the fourth season. He's brought back to life in the fifth season...only to get kicked into a chasm two episodes later, where he fell to his death with absolutely no buildup whatsoever.
• Dying as Yourself: Averted. His final death is when he’s been forcibly taken over by Kavaxas, and he falls into the Netherworld fighting Tiger Claw.
• Empowered Badass Normal: He was already a competent martial artist as a human. He became even more dangerous ss Dogpound and Rahzar.
• Establishing Character Moment: His Bad Boss tendencies and rivalry with Montes are demonstrated within his introduction.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He describes Splinter's unwillingness to kill as "not having the stomach to finish the fight".
• Evil Counterpart:
  • To Michelangelo, as he becomes a major Butt-Monkey of the team (though Mikey embraces it).
  • He was also this to Leonardo in season one, being The Leader on the field.
• Evil Sounds Deep: As Dogpound and Rahzar.
• Evil Virtues: Bradford has a few of these traits, like his loyalty to the Shredder, his sense of honor in regards to his losses, and his valor in not giving up.
• Face–Heel Turn: Whenever he joined the Foot Clan. Before the start of the series, he had his own TV show centered around fighting crime.
• False Friend: When Michelangelo attempts to befriend him, he goes with it and uses the connection to attempt to learn more about the Turtles.
• Foil: Prefers a more pragmatic approach and is rather famous, while his partner is a street rat who likes to take a much more violent and sadistic approach. His attacks are also much more brute force-based.
• Forced Transformation: He hates his mutation into Dogpound. Subverted when he mutates into Rahzar. Even then, he still would like to be human again.
• Genius Bruiser: Can be quite the Manipulative Bastard when he needs to be. Best shown when he manipulated Mikey.
• Glass Cannon: Rahzar can hit fast and hard, but he can be easily taken out, likely due to his extremely lean frame. He's helpless when grabbed by the much larger Leatherhead and can only flail helplessly as he's drowned in the river.
• He's Back!: A villainous example when he becomes Rahzar in "Mikey Gets Shellacne".
  Rahzar: I feel the mutagen coursing though me. I'm faster, stronger, more powerful than ever. I feel like a ninja again.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Or villainous, in that case. Back when he was human, he used to wear a Shredder-esque helmet in his first appearance. After revealing himself to Mikey, he never wears that helmet again, even while he's in civilian clothes and his ninja outfit.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Wants to turn back into a human in "Mikey Gets Shell Acne", but changes his mind upon his second mutation into Rahzar. "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman" later shows that while he's comfortable as Rahzar, he'd still prefer to be human again.
• I'm a Humanitarian: Implied in "City At War", where he suggests eating Karai and Shinigami after kidnapping them.
• It's All About Me: Shown in “The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman” when he tells the Foot Bots to retrieve the Retro-Mutagen since it belongs to him, highlighting how self-centered and egotistical he is. Xever's "rich boy" remark during their debut and his status as a martial arts celebrity only help further this portrayal.
• Jerkass: Oh, so very much. He's a bad boss to the human foot soldiers and looks down on anyone not in his social class be it his street thug partner in crime Xever, subordinate Baxter Stockman, or his mutant archenemies the Turtles.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Does this to a defeated Foot Ninja.
• Knight of Cerebus: A minor example in that after his mutation into Rahzar, he's not played for laughs nearly as much as Fishface or Stockman.
• Lean and Mean: His Rahzar transformation causes him to become much skinnier.
• Lightning Bruiser: He was fairly quick as a human, but lost this aspect when he became Dogpound, becoming more of a Mighty Glacier, a fact he complains about in "Mikey Gets Shellacne". He stops complaining when he mutates into the far more quick and powerful Rahzar, regaining this trait.
• Logical Weakness: He can survive an absurd amount of punishment, but he still needs to breathe. Thus, Leatherhead dragging him underwater kills him just like it would anything else.
• Made of Iron: As Rahzar, he survives numerous things that would normally get someone killed, including electrocution (to be fair, Fishface and Baxter (while still human, no less) also survives this), getting an explosive hockey puck stuck on his mouth and even being ran over by a subway train. Being drowned by Leatherhead finally does him in, however.
• Manipulative Bastard: Poor Mikey.
• McNinja: When he was human, Bradford was a Caucasian American male trained in ninjitsu by the Shredder and tasked both in training recruits for the Foot Clan and eliminating the Hamato Clan.
• Mighty Glacier: As Dogpound. His greater size makes him MUCH stronger, but also too slow to dodge and his fights tended to have him mostly standing still. By the second season he's grown to detest this and welcomes the second mutation into Rahzar.
• Nice Character, Mean Actor: In-Universe: He played a hero in his movies and cartoon show, but is really a bad guy.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Not only does his attempted Taking You with Me in "The Gauntlet" disarm the Mutagen Bomb, it covers him and Xever Montes in Mutagen, mutating them into a dog man and a fish man. It gets zigzagged though, since his mutant dog form has much more physical strength, along with increased sense of sound and smell at the cost of losing some of his speed and most of his stealth as a human ninja.
  • That said, the sight of him and Montes getting mutated did distract the Shredder long enough for the Turtles to get away from the Shredder as he about to kill them.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Ninja werewolf zombie mutant as Rahzar.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: His look is based on Chuck Norris. The Foreshadowing cartoon in season four shows that his cartoons were send-ups to Norris' old shows, as well as an ad for his "kung fu khakis" (a play on Chuck Norris' own "Action Jeans") seen on the back of a magazine April is reading in his debut episode. He also shares his name with a martial artist who wrote the Young Samurai books.
• Not So Above It All: He actually likes his cheesy old cartoon, fondly remembering voice recording sessions and even keeps up with fan sites about it.
• Number Three: He's third in command of the Foot Clan, mentioning that he's in charge whenever Shredder and Tiger Claw aren't around.
• Out of Focus: He has a lesser role in the second and third seasons, even after his mutation into Rahzar. On occasion he has a starring role, but he's not nearly as prominent as he was in the first season. This is thanks to a combination of losing his title as The Dragon and the Foot Clan swelling in ranks. Returns to focus in a different manner in the fourth season; Mikey is still a fan of Bradford and manages to dig up an old cartoon of him from the 80's while on board the Fugitoid's ship (this same episode which shows this adaptation's debut also saw a hologram of all three of Bradford's forms (his human form, Dogpound, and Rahzar), be used, and they're serving Mikey). Bradford/Rahzar in the flesh doesn't physically appear in the season until the end of the "Turtles in Space" arc, and he and the rest of the Foot Clan are back in the enemy role for the "City at War" arc.
• Pragmatic Villainy: While he does want to kill Michelangelo in "New Friend, Old Enemy", he says that he can't because Michelangelo is bait and will lead them right to the Turtles' lair. Later agrees to work together with the Turtles to escape Stockman's maze and ceases hostilities when its clear that both sides are too tired to keep going for the day.
• Primal Stance: After becoming Rahzar, he's often seen crouching or slouching.
• Progressively Prettier: Inverted to nightmarish and freaky degrees. When Chris becomes Dogpound, he has bone covering parts of his body, and asymmetrical arms. And when he becomes Rahzar, he becomes symmetrical, but also has an emaciated apparently-undead appearance with glowing eyes and exposed bones.
• Punny Name: Mikey names him "Dogpound" as the first battle after his mutation has the Turtles "pounded by a dog" and Rahzar as a "razor-faced dog".
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: His original costume invoked it. Now his pants and eyes do.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: As Dogpound.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Montes's blue.
• The Rival: To Fishface. It's died down since Tiger Claw became Shredder's new lieutenant, but they're still far from fond of each other.
• Savage Wolf: He becomes far more wolf-like after his second mutation and sees being unwilling to kill as "not having the stomach to finish the fight" while also being completely loyal to the monster that is the Shredder.
• Sleeves Are for Wimps: As Bradford.
• Spikes of Villainy: His Foot uniform had spiky pauldrons. He also has spikes on his body as Dogpound and Rahzar.
• The Right Hand of Doom: Dogpound's left arm is grossly oversized. His right hand, meanwhile, seems to be completely covered in bone.
  • Averted as Rahzar, which balances him out.
• Taking You with Me: Says this word-for-word to the Turtles before breaking open the Kraang's mutagen bomb. All it does is end up mutating both himself and Montes.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Even before their mutations, he and Xever Montes hated each other and only worked together because of Shredder's orders.
• This Is Gonna Suck: When Shredder discovers the Kabuto was stolen right under his nose, Rahzar nearly breaks down in tears apologizing to his master, dreading the inevitable maiming. However, Shredder lets him off easy, having more important things on his mind.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • After being mutated, he gains invulnerability to the point where Leo slashes him with his katanas, and he catches them, and strength enough to pick up a car. Not that this stops the Turtles from defeating him.
  • Takes another when he falls into a vat of mutagen, mutating again into Rahzar. Though he loses some of his brute strength, his speed and agility greatly increase.
• Underestimating Badassery: Though he already respects Splinter, he claims he doesn’t have the stomach to kill his enemies. Little does he know that Splinter is currently carving through their troops like butter and outright killing them in the process. He learns to be much more wary of the old master after this.
• Undying Loyalty: He is the only member of Shredder's inner circle who is utterly loyal to his master, as Fishface is in it for the thrills, Bebop, Rocksteady, and Stockman were all pressed into service, Tiger Claw originally never intended to stay with the Foot Clan, and Karai pulls a Heel–Face Turn. It waivers a bit when Tatsu offers him a place in his new Foot Clan, but ultimately Rahzar decides to remain loyal to the Shredder, and Rahzar's the ONLY member of the Foot Clan to remain loyal to Shredder and Kavaxas after Shredder is shown to have Came Back Wrong and Kavaxas starts the apocalypse, with Rahzar/Bradford becoming responsible for Tiger Claw losing the Seal of the Ancients and forcing Tiger Claw to fight and kill him, again.
• Villain Decay: He gradually became less of a threat over the course of the first season, but it was reverted upon his mutation into Rahzar, whereupon he becomes a competent threat again. It happens again, as he can often be taken down quickly, but he's not as laughable as he was during the final hours of his tenure as Dogpound.
• Villain with Good Publicity: He's a martial arts superstar with a chain of dojos across the country, but he's secretly Shredder's star pupil.
• Villainous Friendship:
  • Type 3 with the Shredder, he's loyal and devoted to him, but the Shredder cares not for Bradford. Nevertheless, Shredder usually treats him with more respect than most of his other lieutenants due to his loyalty.
  • He develops one with Tiger Claw in "The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto", showing respect for their skills and a mutual dislike of Fishface. Tiger Claw later goes through the trouble of having his corpse recovered from the bottom of the river and has Kavaxas bring him back to life.
  • He's old friends with Tatsu, and is the only character the ninja master treats with respect during "The Forgotten Swordsman".
• Villains Out Shopping: In "The Super Shredder", he's shown watching an old cartoon he starred in, Chris Bradford's 2 Ruff Krew, and even eating popcorn, an activity he mentions often indulging in. When Stockman informs him that Shredder wants him during the show, he's not happy:
  Rahzar: Awww, right at the good part!
• Virtue Is Weakness: In "Showdown", he deems Splinter weak, remarking that Splinter may be Shredder's equal, but "doesn't have the stomach to finish the fight." He's proven wrong; just because Splinter prefers not to kill his enemies doesn't mean he won't if there's no other choice.
• Was Once a Man: After becoming Dogpound.
• Wolverine Claws: His nails merge with his fingers to create natural claws as Rahzar.
• Wolves Always Howl at the Moon: In "The Invasion", he first appears howling at the moon to get the attention of the rest of the Foot Clan.
• Worthy Opponent:
  • Even though he deems him weak for not willing to kill, Bradford holds a lot of respect for Splinter, acknowledging him to be just as strong as his master. He ends up getting proven wrong and stops laughing at this, as the scene has his narration playing over a montage of Splinter entering the Foot Clan's lair and very clearly slaughtering several Foot soldiers, proving he really will kill his enemy.
  • Mikey, for a while, does consider Bradford/Rahzar this to him by virtue of still being a big fan of his, though Rahzar does not return this.
  • Despite being nominally against mutants and Shredder's inner circle, Tatsu respects Rahzar enough to offer him a place in his new Foot Clan. Rahzar refuses.

Xever Montes/Fishface

Voiced by: Christian Lanz

Montes

Fishface

"Mostly I like having a job where I get to crack skulls every day."

An thug who shares a complete knowledge of criminal street routes with the Foot. He used to be a Brazilian street bandit, but got caught one night stealing a briefcase full of money that happened to belong to the Shredder, and luckily for him, the Shredder bailed him out of prison, impressed enough with skills to take him as a subordinate. He becomes a mutant snakehead fish.

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• Afro Asskicker: He was this while being a human.
• Appropriated Appellation: Averted, "Meet Mondo Gecko" reveals he takes "Fishface" as an insult.
• Arch-Enemy: He seems to be Raphael's, since when the Turtles and the Foot Clan fight, they usually fight each other.
• Artificial Limbs: The reason why Stockman was taken by the Foot Clan is because the Shredder needs him to give Fishface both artificial legs and what appears to be a scuba tank that pumps water into Fishface's gills.
• Attack the Tail: Splinter beats him in "Showdown, Part 2" by tricking him into biting his own tail.
• Ax-Crazy: The most obvious case out of Shredder's henchmen.
• Badass Abnormal: As Fishface, once he got his robotic legs, he started to fight all four them, and win.
• Badass Biker: He drives a fearsome-looking motorcycle in "Pulverizer Returns!" and "Vengeance Is Mine".
• Badass Normal: Montes was still able to hold his own against the Turtles.
• Bad Boss: One of the few things he shares in common with his partner is his disregard for his henchmen (to the point when given the role to lead the mission by Shredder, he was willing to let Bradford die, and admitted this to his face) and Stockman. As with Bradford, he never anticipated the possibility that Stockman would go for revenge.
• BFS: In "The Manhattan Project" onward, Montes is sometimes seen wielding a balisword. (A giant butterfly/balisong knife)
• Blessed with Suck: As a fish, he needs water to breath and has no legs.
• Card-Carrying Villain: He makes no attempts to hide how little he cares for others or how dangerous he is.
• Canon Foreigner: He was created for the series.
• The Casanova: Implied by his yearnings for a lover every now and then.
• Co-Dragons: With Bradford to the Shredder, at least until Karai enters the picture. Notably this is also after Montes and Bradford have fallen out of favor with the Shredder.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Averted. Raph tears off his apparatus and leaves him on land to seemingly suffocate to death, but he turns up in the fifth season.
• Cursed with Awesome: He can inject venom into his opponents by biting them.
• Dance Battler: He uses capoeira. And surprisingly, it sticks after he gets new legs in his mutated form.
• A Day in the Limelight: Fishface gets to be the main antagonist of "Meet Mondo Gecko", hosting an underground race for the Foot Clan and other villainous mutants on a clan-wide day off.
• Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes.
• Decomposite Character: He is Rahzar's partner, a role usually given to Tokka, who is given a completely different role in this continuity unrelated to Shredder or the Foot Clan.
• Demoted to Extra: He has an incredibly minor role in the second season, not even speaking in some of his five appearances. He gets a slightly larger role in the third season, but he's still nowhere near as prominent as he was in the first season.
• Dual Wielding: Sometimes with switchblades.
• Empowered Badass Normal: As Fishface.
• Even Evil Has Standards: In "End Times", he decides that things have gotten way too weird for him to handle and leaves the Foot Clan.
• Evil Counterpart: He possesses a preference for violence as well as a somewhat bad temper, much like Raphael, the character he usually tends to fight, and thus could be considered the logical extension of his personality if he were raised by someone like the Shredder. These similarities are called upon in "Baxter's Gambit", where a discussion as they're working together leads the two to conclude that they are "of a kind".
• Expy: Of Hun from the 2003 series via having connections to street gangs, specifically the Purple Dragons. The only difference is Hun is the leader of the Purple Dragons while Montes is merely an associate. There's also the fact that Montes and Bradford were both mutated into animals. The animal mutation would also make Montes and Bradford expies of Bebop and Rocksteady or, since Dogpound became Rahzar, Fishface becomes an expy of Tokka by default.
• Extremity Extremist: He attacks mostly with his legs.
• Fish People: He becomes a mutant snakehead fish after getting doused in Mutagen.
• Foil: Prefers violent behavior and he's just a street rat, rather than his partner, the famous and pragmatic Chris Bradford. His fighting style is also much more fast-paced and quick.
  • He's mainly seen as one to Raphael, due to both loving violence, but Raph knowing restraint and control with it.
• Forgotten Phlebotinum: Fishface's ability to poison people/inject venom by biting them was only shown in "The Pulverizer" and has never been used since then.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Nobody in the Foot Clan really likes him.
• Freudian Excuse: Downplayed. In "Baxter's Gambit", he talks about his life as a street rat and how he had to become a thief in order to survive in the world, but he himself makes it abundantly clear that he likes to do terrible things.
• Hypocrite: Xever tells Stockman-Fly that he looks nasty, despite his appearance as a mutant snakehead fish being slightly hideous as well.
  • He also tells Anton Zeck that he talks too much (though he immediately lampshades it by adding "And that says a lot, coming from me!").
• I Have Many Names: Downplayed, as he's referred to by his human name by the Foot Clan, and the name Mikey gave him by the Turtles.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Downplayed, with his robotic legs and breathing apparatus, Montes is comfortable with his mutation, at least moreso than Bradford is, but when he thinks Stockman can change them back, he jumps on the chance.
• Informed Species: Despite being classified as a mutant snakehead, he bears absolutely no resemblance to one.
• Jerkass: Mikey explicitly calls him a jerk when he's in the process of kicking the dog.
• Knight of Cerebus: A minor one; he doesn't drain all of the comedy from a scene, but his sociopathic tendencies are not Played for Laughs and he makes the Turtles question their sense of ethics in a case of He Who Fights Monsters in the first episode where he takes center stage.
• Lack of Empathy: It provides a major ethical dilemma for the Turtles.
• Lightning Bruiser: As Fishface, he gains rocket boots that allow him to move faster than when he wa human.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Sounds like "sever", and he uses knives.
• The Napoleon/Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Once mutated into Fishface, he is the shortest (even with the robot legs) and smallest member of the Foot Clan, but can still put up a fight.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: His look as a human is based on Jim Kelly, the famous martial artist.
• Obviously Evil: He doesn't hide his nature from anyone and has no problems telling people about how he sent to prison,= before Shredder broke him out.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: He says it to Raphael when he saves Raph from one of Stockman's traps.
• Opt Out: When asked if he wants to help defeat the zombified Shredder, Kavaxas, and Tiger Claw, he says that things are getting too weird for him, and that he'd just rather go back to basic, street level crime instead.
• Out of Focus: Was sidelined for several episodes after becoming Fishface, not doing much of anything until being upgraded. Shredder even mentioned that he was barely worth keeping around.
• Psycho for Hire: He says so to Raph:
  Raphael: "So, you do all this because you owe Shredder?"
  Fishface: "Eh, mostly I like having a job where I get to crack skulls every day."
  Raphael: "Okay, I can relate to that."
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Bradford's red.
• The Rival: To Rahzar.
• Scary Black Man: Though not as dark as other examples, so he may be Black Hispanic or Brazilian instead.
• Slasher Smile: He often has one of these as a human. However, since he is unhappy with his transformation, Fishface doesn't smile as much.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After he sees Shredder Came Back Wrong courtesy of Kavaxas, Xever/Fishface helps the Turtles against the Foot Cultists, tells them a few things, and then beats it.
• The Sociopath: Has no regard for any form of life whatsoever, is completely morally unfettered, and displays many other sociopathic traits. "Baxter's Gambit", however, does show a slightly softer side of him in his interaction with Raphael.
• Taking You with Me: Kicks Bradford into the black hole in "Annihilation Earth!" before being sucked in himself.
• The Team Benefactor: Word of God implies that Fishface's underground mutant entertainment ring is one of several sources of income for the Foot Clan.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has a mutual hatred of Bradford despite the fact they're usually the ones assigned to work with each other the most. In "The Forgotten Swordsman", he's visibly fuming at having to retrieve Bradford's drowned corpse from the river.
• Took a Level in Badass: Once Stockman finishes his new legs and breathing tool, he quickly shows in "The Pulverizer" that his new legs are even more versatile than his original ones, and on top of that, he has venomous teeth.
• Unexplained Recovery: He somehow survived his apparent death in "Owari" and returns alive in the fifth season.
• The Unfettered: Described as such by Raph.
• Villain Decay: He's mostly relegated to a comedic role in season two, where he's slapped around by the Shredder to make a point, demonstrates more submissive behavior in regards to Tiger Claw (though this may be a skill difference and instincts taking prominence), that jar with his general control of the situations he was in season one. His level of competence has also gone down, as in "The Invasion", he was defeated by an exhausted Leo in one hit. He starts to get some of his villainy back in season three, shown when he beats Zeck in a fight using his dark wit and cunning, and even gets to be the main antagonist of an entire episode, running an underground mutant entertainment ring.
• Villainous Friendship: A Downplayed Type 4 with the Shredder. Like Bradford, the Shredder doesn't really care for him, but finds him useful enough to spring from jail and even commissions robot legs for him to stay in the fight. Unlike Bradford, Montes isn't necessarily loyal to the Shredder, mostly just in it for the thrills.
• Villainous Rescue: He actually helps the Turtles fight off several of the Foot Cultists by shining a lantern when they were getting ready to overwhelm them. He then gives them info on the Cultists being mutated humans before he bails out of the Foot Clan.
• Was Once a Man: After turning into Fishface.

Baxter Stockman/Stockman-Pod/Stockman-Fly

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr

Stockman

Stockman-Fly

A bug-eyed mad scientist who shares a complete knowledge of inventing and genetic mutations with the Foot Clan. He used to be a TCRI employee, but was fired for a spilled copier toner incident so he decided to take revenge on all those who ever mocked him. However, after 2 solo outings against the Turtles, he and his MOUSERS accidentally interfered with a plan to destroy them that happened to have been masterminded by the Shredder, and luckily for him, the Shredder spared his life, impressed enough with skills to take him as a subordinate. Finding little respect from his new teammates, he turned on them and briefly went solo again, before being brought back to the Foot Clan. He becomes a mutant housefly when botched experiment ideas result in Shredder mutating him; Baxter's the third to last human member of the clan to mutate, with Karai following a few episodes later (partially due to Stockman's help) and Shredder mutating by Stockman's hand in the fourth season.

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• Accidental Misnaming: People will frequently get his name wrong every appearance after "I Think His Name Is Baxter Stockman". Even he got his own name wrong at one point.
• Adaptational Ugliness: This grosser incarnation of his Fly form makes the 1987 version adorable by comparison.
• Afro Asskicker: When in the more dangerous version of his Powered Armor.
• Attack Its Weak Point: His head was left exposed after the Stockman-Pod upgraded into a Humongous Mecha.
• Anti-Villain: In "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman", he only wishes to become human again, either via Donatello's Retro Mutagen, or more horrific means such as dipping a human in Mutagen and then going in himself, the results of which probably wouldn't even work.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: When first mutated, he wanted nothing more than to cure himself of it, constantly trying to make his own retro-mutagen and failing. By the time of his last appearance, upon being demutated, Stockman ungratefully yells at Mikey for, as he had begun to like being a mutant fly, due to the fact that he was "smarter, stronger, and people liked him" in spite of being super disgusting.
• Big Creepy-Crawlies: After his mutation.
• Black and Nerdy: He is black and is a nerdy scientist.
• Body Horror: His mutation was one of the most grotesque of the show.
• Brought Down to Normal: He gets retro-mutated back into a human with one of Donatello's Retro Mutagen grenades in "Owari", and he actually does not take this well due to losing his abilities as a fly.
• Butt-Monkey: Got this a lot back when he worked at TCRI, and it doesn't get better when he meets the Turtles and is pressed into the Foot Clan.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Doesn't seem to deny that he's this trope, when Michelangelo asks why he's a villain.
• Composite Character: He appears to be based on the comic book and 2003 versions in name and ethnicity, but his design (hairstyle, clothes, and physique), personality, and threat level borrows aspects of the version seen in the 1987 series. As of "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman", he has become a mutant fly, another trait of his 1987 counterpart. He also appears to have ulterior motives in his services to the Foot Clan, like his 2003 version, if his holographic chart in "The Noxious Avenger" means anything.
• The Dog Bites Back: After being picked on for almost every episode by the Turtles and threatened by his higher-ups, he decides to take payback in "Baxter's Gambit".
• Doomy Dooms of Doom: To the point that everyone could see it coming from a mile away.
• Even Evil Has Standards: In "The Super Shredder", he initially refuses to infuse Shredder with the rest of the mutagen, insisting that the mutagen is unstable and could have disastrous side effects. Of course, he quickly gives in when Shredder threatens him with death.
• Evil Counterpart: He loves technology, can be quite dangerous even though he's mocked and sometimes even underestimated by his coworkers, likes wearing purple and is kind of a dork, much like Donatello.
• Evil Genius: His role when working for the Shredder or when trying to use it to be a solo villain.
• Evil Is Hammy: Nowhere near as much as his 2003 counterpart, but he still has his moments.
• Forced Transformation: Was originally human before being turned into a fly mutant. When Stockman is returned to his human form in "Owari", he complains, saying that while he looked disgusting as a fly mutant, he was smarter, stronger, and faster.
• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Played with. While he's a bad guy who wears glasses, he lacks the cold-blooded sociopathic nature that generally comes with this trope.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Deep down, he just wants to have people sincerely like and respect him. This is the primary reason he hates being returned to being a human, as he had gotten smarter with his science and Shredder had begrudgingly complimented him on both his loyalty and his perfection of the Super Shredder mutation while he was a mutant fly.
• Kick the Dog: When he's got the insane Splinter locked up, he offers him cheese, only to eat it himself at the last second.
• Laughably Evil: His dorky demeanor and tendency to get angry over the Turtles insulting him made him quite entertaining. He loses this trait briefly after he becomes a fly mutant, however, but even after becoming a source for comic relief, he's not quite as Laughably Evil as he once was. Even after becoming a fly mutant however, he still has some genuinely comedic moments such as when he gets into a Wimp Fight with Pigeon Pete in the episode, "Clash of the Mutanimals".
• Mad Scientist: Both in the sense of being angry at the world and not being very sane. Stockman starts as a typical deranged scientist, but he becomes an Eggman/Wily/Hojo grade Mad Scientist once he mutates, as this actually helps him mastermind plot-altering experiments such as Karai and Shredder's mutations and gives him some fighting abilities against the Turtles, but he also slips further into insanity.
• Nerd Glasses: Going with his nerdy portrayal in the series. He loses the glasses when he mutates, no longer needing them.
• No-Respect Guy: Comes with being a huge Butt-Monkey. He does start get some slightly more civil treatment following his mutation and subsequently more or less complete loyalty to Shredder.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain/Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: He treads the line between these two, the latter to the extent that in his first appearance, Mikey actually suggests that they get him some ice cream rather than kick his butt. After he mutates, he goes off the deep end but also becomes more competent with his experiments; Stockman's the one who created the mutagen that ensnares Karai and later created the brainwashing worms used on her, and then he mutates Shredder into Super Shredder later.
• Powered Armor: He had one in his first appearance. It was initially kind of crappy, but was upgraded by the T-Pod.
• Robot Master: He uses machines to win his fights often, ranging from his powered suit to the mousers.
• Sanity Slippage: After his mutation into a fly in "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman", he's become far less trusting and crazy thanks to it.
• Slasher Smile: When he uses the T-pod to upgrade his armor, he tries this, but it turns out too pleasant and goofy. He improves it in "Baxter's Gambit".
• Straw Loser: As part of being a villainous nerd, his pathetic nature almost makes him pitiable despite his clearly evil intentions.
• Trademark Favorite Food: After mutating into a fly, he has started to constantly eat candy bars.
• Took a Level in Badass: Once he mutates into a fly, he dismantles a Foot Bot and subdues Rahzar long enough to escape temporarily. He also proves to a more difficult opponent for the Turtles without any technological aid, and begins to mastermind much more dangerous and plot-altering experiments, such as the mutagen for a trap that accidentally mutated Karai, the worms that brainwash her, and then the mutation of Shredder.
• Uncertain Doom: In "Owari", he's demutated by the Turtles, and last seen knocked out by Mikey before the Shredder sets the mansion on fire with a molotov cocktail. He's not shown amongst the surviving members of the Foot Clan in the next season (he's never shown again at all), but his death remains unconfirmed.
• Undying Loyalty: He becomes a relatively loyal and active member of the Foot Clan after his mutation and when it's clear that staying with them is his best shot at becoming human again. In "Owari" he even loudly declares that nobody can stand against the Super Shredder, his last creation before being de-mutated back into a human, having become pretty fanatical by that point.
• Ungrateful Bastard: When he's returned to human form by the Turtles, he complains that he liked the strength, speed, and intelligence he had as a mutant. Mikey punches him for being ungrateful.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: "Baxter's Gambit" has him talk about his backstory, and he states that he used to be a nice kid. It's not easy to guess if he's telling the truth or not.
• Was Once a Man: He gets turned into a fly mutant in "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman". "Owari" features him getting changed back into a human with retro-Mutagen.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Baxter's final appearance in the series was in the Season 4 finale "Owari", where he is de-mutated by Mikey. While everyone else in the Foot Clan was either killed (Shredder, Rahzar) or parted ways (Fishface, Tiger Claw, Bebop, and Rocksteady), it is never explained what happened to Baxter after that episode.
• Who's Laughing Now?: His motivation, though he hasn't been very good at his revenge schemes so far.

Takeshi/Tiger Claw

Voiced by: Eric Bauza

"When have I ever failed you, Master Shredder?"

The most feared assassin in all of Asia, the Shredder hired him to help him in his fight against the Hamato Clan.

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• An Arm and a Leg: Gets his right arm cut off by Alopex as a warning that she could've just as easily taken his life.
• Arch-Enemy: Is this with Alopex.
• Artificial Limbs / Swiss-Army Appendage Used to replace his right arm.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's Shredder's new second-in-command in New-York, and the new leader of the Foot Clan after Shredder's death in season 4 finale and is, fittingly, by far the most skilled and dangerous of Shredder's lieutenants, save for Hattori Tatsu,being often able of taking on the four turtles and other fighters on his own. Only Splinter, the Shredder himself, Alopex and Tatsu can be considered better fighters than him.
• Backstab Backfire: When he attempts to shoot Alopex in the back after she spares his life, she darts back and cuts off the arm that he's using his gun in.
• Barefoot Cartoon Animal: He doesn't wear shoes.
• Big Eater: Loves to eat, whether it's skim milk, fish, or cheesy junk food.
• Body Horror: Not quite as bad as other examples, but for starters, his tail was cut off when he was first introduced. When he comes back, he's missing his left eye and part of his right ear. In "Tale of Tiger Claw", he loses another body part to his sister Alopex, his right arm.
• Breakout Villain: The most popular addition to the mythos introduced in the show, and a character that Word of God would like to see become a recurring character in subsequent adaptations. Tellingly, he's the only member of the Foot Clan outside of the Shredder who doesn't undergo a large amount of Villain Decay, gets the most character development, and becomes the most important Foot character besides Shredder and Karai.
• Cain and Abel: Alopex and Tiger Claw are brother and sister who have grudges against each other. However Alopex, despite hating him for killing their parents, spares him. Tiger Claw immediately tries to shoot her in the back, but she dodges and slices his arm off.
• Canon Foreigner: He was created for the series.
• Cats Are Mean: He's a mutant tiger who associates himself with the villainous Foot Clan.
• Cats Are Superior: He's a tiger warrior who's very overconfident in his ninja skills.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu: How effective and dangerous he is to the turtles and their allies often depends of whenever he is facing them alone or with the Shredder and/or other Foot clan lieutenants. When alone he often is able of facing the turtles and their allies by himself, and even have the upper hand in several occasions, but is fought more evenly and even suffers Amusing Injuries such as being hit and run over by a van or punched in the crotch by April, when with his fellow Foot Clan members.
• Corporal Punishment: One of his duties as The Dragon is to inflict this upon the lower Foot Clan members should they fail or particularly piss off Shredder. He gets to deal it out on Bebop and Rocksteady at the end of "Attack of the Mega Shredder".
• Determinator: He manages to cut his way out of the Kraathatrogon, defeat the 1987 Turtles, and jump through dimensions, defeating every enemy in his way, including a whole army of Kraang, all to return and have his revenge.
• The Dragon: Despite being a bounty hunter, he becomes Shredder's top lieutenant full-time after Karai defects, and serves him faithfully. This is reinforced in "Owari", where he's the last of the Inner Circle to fall to the Turtles before they face Super Shredder.
• Dragon Ascendant: The fifth season shows that Tiger Claw is now in charge of the Foot Clan since Shredder was killed by Leo. His goal now is to revive Shredder, which is why he releases Kavaxas and presses him into the Clan.
• The Dreaded: Has this reputation thanks to being far and away the most powerful member of the Foot Clan besides Shredder himself. His appearance on the battlefield is a real cause for alarm and any battle he joins immediately becomes an uphill one for the Turtles.
• Enemy Mine: Once his usefulness as Kavaxas's master is expired and Undead Shredder destroys the Seal of the Ancients to start The End of the World as We Know It, Tiger Claw wastes no time in trying to blast Shredder and help the Turtles defeat Kavaxas. After Kavaxas and Undead Shredder are defeated and sent back to the Netherworld, Tiger Claw declares a truce with the Foot Clan now in an even deeper hole.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: He states that racism is ridiculous and he would never distrust or dislike a person only because they are a dog mutant, even though he is a feline.
• Establishing Character Moment: He makes his respect for the Shredder and disdain for the Foot Clan apparent very quickly, and when Karai is about to attack Tiger Claw, he pulls a gun on her without skipping a beat.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Though he did not try to stop it, he was somewhat unnerved when he believed Shredder planned to mutate Karai.
  • He's becoming increasingly resentful of Shredder regarding his apathy towards the fate of humanity at the hands of the Kraang.
  • He's horrified when Shredder kills Splinter before the latter can save the Earth from the Triceratons, his master happy to let the Earth be destroyed if he can triumph over Splinter.
  Tiger Claw: "Shredder, what have you done?!"
  Shredder: "Hamato Yoshi is finished! The Earth can be destroyed for all I care! I have finally won!"
  • He's equally horrified when he discovers that Kavaxas was using him as a pawn in order to destroy the world, and unhesitatingly teams up with the Turtles to stop him.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: In the first episode of the fifth season, he summons Kavaxas to Earth to resurrect the Shredder for him, using the Seal of the Ancients to keep him in line. Three episodes later, Kavaxas does so... but Shredder Came Back Wrong as the demodragon's puppet and destroys the Seal of the Ancients, allowing Kavaxas to begin The End of the World as We Know It.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: In "End Times", when Kavaxas betrays him and brings about the apocalypse, Tiger Claw has no desire to see the world end and willingly teams up with the Turtles to stop him.
• Expy:
  • Of Boba Fett from Star Wars, especially with the Shout-Out of the Boba's defeat by jetpack and Sarlacc.
  • He also bears a number of similarities to Major Bludd, since both are powerful international mercenaries who've lost an eye and an arm, have a number of high tech gadgets at their disposal, and combat a ragtag bunch of misfit warriors who've wronged them.
  • While Tigerclaw himself is an Original Character, he bares a heavy resemblance to Old Hob from the IDW comic series; a humanoid cat-mutant with an affinity for guns with a grudge against the Hamato Clan for the loss of his eye
• Eyepatch of Power: His journey through dimensions, fighting his way home, seems to have cost him an eye.
• Family-Unfriendly Violence: On the receiving end in "Tale of Tiger Claw" when Alopex slices his arm off, on-screen. We even see the severed arm laying limp on the ground.
• Female Feline, Male Mutt: Inverted. He was mutated into a humanoid tiger while his sister Alopex was mutated into a female fox.
• Freeze Ray: One of his weapons that he employs in combat, presumably to assist in capturing opponents alive.
• Furry Confusion: In "Owari" it's revealed that he owns pet tigers, despite being one. Then you remember that he was formefly human, and likely doesn't see anything wrong with owning non-anthropomorphic tigers as pets.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He's Shredder's Dragon, and is missing his tail, and later loses an eye and his right arm, and gains an Ear Notch.
• Groin Attack: April eventually masters an ability called "Dragon's Tail", and uses it to give Tiger Claw one of these, knocking him out. And this is after Casey gave him one.
• Heel–Face Turn: He forms a truce with the Turtles once Kavaxas and Zombie Shredder are defeated. Unfortunately, this happens in his final episode.
• The Heavy: While Shredder is incapacitated, Tiger Claw is the most prominent antagonist in the fourth season.
• Invincible Villain: While it's not to the same extent of the Shredder, Tiger Claw counts as this since the Turtles are usually incapable of defeating him in fights, let alone landing any blows on him. Heck, it wouldn't be surprising to see him comfortably fare well or be on par with the Shredder himself.
• Jerkass: He doesn't seem to particularly care about Shredder's Foot Clan, and makes that thought known when Karai talks badly of him.
• Jetpack: He has one that allows him to obtain an aerial advantage.
• Kick the Dog:
  • In "The Wrath of Tiger Claw", he has no qualms against harassing Murakami, a blind old man, for information on the Turtles. Karai is disgusted.
  Karai: There's no honor in this.
  Tiger Claw: I didn't come here for honor.
  • In "Owari", he mocks Splinter's death to Leo's face.
  Tiger Claw: Do you feel it, boy? The weight of the world crushing you, now that your sensei is gone?!
• Knight of Cerebus: He's not a very funny character and, much like his master, episodes where he's prominent are bound to be more serious. See The Dreaded as well.
• Known Only by Their Nickname
• The Musketeer: Tiger Claw uses a machete for melee combat and two Ray Guns for long range battle.
• My God, What Have I Done?: His reaction in "End Times" when he realizes he was Kavaxas' Unwitting Pawn all along.
• Not So Above It All: While scoffing at the idea that he and Bradford wouldn't get along because he's a cat and Bradford's a dog, he comments that he does want to eat Xever because he's a fish.
  • He has always been the most serious, strict and stoic of the villainous mutants, but "Meet Mondo Gecko" shows him among the crowd of villains watching Xever's underground racing event, which he enjoys with a bag of popcorn and gets pretty pumped up during the race.
• Only Sane Man: He is this in the Foot Clan when you compare him to its other members. Shredder has been driven insane with his desire for vengeance on Splinter, Bradford is fanatically loyal to Shredder, Xever is an Ax-Crazy immoral killer, Bebop and Rocksteady are bumbling, largely comical forced recruits, and Stockman has lost a great deal of his sanity.
• Panthera Awesome: He's a mutant tiger and is consistently a tough opponent for the heroes.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Despite his hatred for Karai, he tries to assure Shredder that the Hamato Clan will pay for her mutation, upon seeing how distraught he was about it.
  • In "Annihilation Earth!", he's probably the biggest team player during the Foot Clan's brief alliance with the Hamato Clan against the Triceratons, helpfully providing cover fire and support for April and Casey.
• The Power of Hate: Claims this allowed him survive being swallowed by the Kraathatrogon and make his way home after being stranded in the 1987 universe.
• Professional Killer: He's described as "Asia's deadliest assassin" in his introduction. The only one who has ever managed to defeat him was Splinter himself. The closest thing to a victory any of the Turtles have had against him was when Leo knocked him down briefly in "The Invasion".
• Promotion to Opening Titles: He appears in the opening in his first appearance, "The Manhattan Project".
• Punch-Clock Villain: While loyal to the Shredder, Word of God is that Tiger Claw did not intend to stay with the Foot Clan for the rest of his life before season five.
• Put on a Bus: According to Word of God, "End Times" is Tiger Claw's last appearance in the series.
• Rocket Punch: His mechanical arm can fire its fist at his opponents.
• Scarf of Asskicking: Has a nice-looking blue scarf, and Tiger Claw has had to fight out of Dimension X more that once, including when he was originally mutated with Alopex.
• Seeks Another's Resurrection: In the fifth season, his primary goal is to bring the Shredder Back from the Dead. It's the entire reason he summons Kavaxas.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Coinciding with his having Took a Level in Jerkass, in "The Wrath of Tiger Claw", he has absolutely zero qualms against threatening Murakami, a blind man, for information on the Turtles' location.
• That Poor Cat: In "Casey Jones vs the Underworld", after Casey delivers a Groin Attack to him. Again in "City at War", when April uses the "Dragon's Tail" move to give him another Groin Attack.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: Ever since his mutation, he feels as if cannot go back to his normal life anymore. Instead, now accepts being the monstrous mutant he is now.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He was villainous but still honorable in his first appearance. Upon his return, his honorable side was no more and he's just now filled with rage and focused solely on revenge, but eventually it began to even out again as he began showing more shades of Even Evil Has Standards again.
• Unwitting Pawn: In "End Times", it turns out that he was this to Kavaxas all along; Kavaxas needed his help to accomplish three objective in order to bring about The End of the World as We Know It: killing a strong warrior (Tatsu), resurrecting an evil warrior (Shredder), and destroying the Seal of the Ancients that was used to keep Kavaxas in line.
• Villainous Friendship:
  • Has a mutual sense of respect for Bradford. This doesn't save Bradford from being subjected to a beating for his failures, however. Tiger Claw goes through the trouble of having his corpse retrieved from the bottom of the river and has Kavaxas bring him back to life.
  • He has a more genuine one with the Shredder, as he's the only lieutenant who regularly receives genuine respect from his master. Shredder is much more willing to listen to him on matters, and even when he's become the raging, insane Super Shredder, he still audibly softens when Tiger Claw tries to get him to rest and calls him "old friend". It's to the extent that his main goal in the fifth season is to use Kavaxas' power to resurrect the Shredder.
• Was Once a Man: He was only a child when he was mutated.
• We Used to Be Friends: With Alopex. His sister from his time as a young human boy, who was mutated alongside him, fought alongside him, and then betrayed him after she found out he killed their parents.
• Worthy Opponent: He develops a serious level of respect for Splinter, marveling at him fighting off a deadly poison after nearly killing him.

Ivan Steranko/Rocksteady

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

Steranko

Rocksteady

A Russian rock-head who provides more-advanced weapons and security for the Foot Clan. He used to be a Russian arms industry officer who allied with the Shredder as a business partner in the mafia, but his attempts to steal Shredder's helmet and hunt Karai in exchange for a safe departure from the Kraang-invaded city, which were thwarted by the Turtles, got him captured and, luckily for him, Shredder had him work full time in the Foot Clan as punishment for his minor betrayal. He becomes a mutant white rhinoceros.

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• Actor Allusion: This would not be the first or the last time Fred Tatasciore played a Russian Rhino supervillain in New York City, having played the Rhino in five different Spider-Man games.
• Adaptational Badass: This version of Rocksteady is more dangerous and difficult to take down than the 1987 version.
• Adaptational Intelligence: He's more capable of formulating a plan and improvising when it goes wrong than the 1987 Rocksteady.
• Adaptational Nationality: In the previous adaptations that Rocksteady appeared in, he was portrayed as being an American. In this adaptation, he is a Russian.
• Affably Evil: At least when interacting with Shredder anyway.
  • And later with Zeck/Bebop.
• All There in the Script: His name is only shown in the end credits in his debut episode; it is mentioned in "The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto".
• Ambiguously Gay: He displays some interest in his pal Bebop and has some effeminate qualities in his character. See Ship Tease.
• Appropriated Appellation: When Mikey is told to distract him and Zeck, he gives them the names "Bebop and Rocksteady". Ivan Steranko loves the moniker of Rocksteady.
• Arms Dealer: His role in "Enemy of My Enemy".
• Ascended Extra: He had a minor role in his debut episode before becoming the 2012 version of Rocksteady.
• BFG: Wields a weapon which is more or less a Gatling gun.
• Body Horror: His Golden Knuckles and shoulder pads are melted into his flesh after his mutation into Rocksteady.
• The Brute: Begins sharing the role with Bradford in the Foot Clan after being mutated.
• Canon Character All Along: For the first two seasons, he appears to be a completely original character who functions independently. In season three, he is hit with mutagen and becomes the 2012 version of Rocksteady.
• Characterization Marches On: His first two appearances were more stoic and businessman-like, while his later appearances play up his Russian aspect and he seems to have a few Cloud Cuckoolander traits, particularly after becoming Rocksteady.
• The Collector of the Strange: As of the episode "The Legend of The Kuro Kabuto", he reveals that he has been after The Shredder's Helmet for quite awhile, though none of the thieves he has hired have succeeded in stealing it, indeed, they have failed to even come back alive, He says this is because "The Shredder has eyes in back of head." One has to wonder how he has managed to keep his involvement in the numerous theft attempts a secret. Steranko's collection isnt really that strange, but it does have a collection of rare antique military weaponry, and a large stuffed polar bear, among other things
• The Comically Serious: Due to his lack of skills with the English language, he's prone to messing up common sayings, but has no idea how goofy he really sounds.
• Dark Is Evil: He dresses in all black. It's later [[Subverted subverted]] when he becomes Rocksteady.
• Divergent Character Evolution: Played with. While this Rocksteady keeps most aspects of the 1987 version's design, he has gold knuckles and shoulder plates.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He makes a brief appearance in "Enemy of My Enemy" before becoming a supporting then main cast member.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Rocksteady very much loves his mother. It's how Bebop convinces him to pull a Heel–Face Turn and save the world.
• Evil Sounds Deep: It's Fred Tatasciore behind the mic, voice of Hulk and Nikolai Belinski (the latter of whom shares a dialect and the exact same delivery as Steranko), after all.
• Evil Versus Evil: Though Shredder trusts him enough to make deals with him, Steranko is actually really only out for himself, to the point of trying to steal the Shredder's helmet.
• Flanderization: His Husky Russkie traits become more played up as time goes on, and while he was Comically Serious as a human, after he mutates into Rocksteady he becomes more of a Dumb Muscle and a Cloudcuckoolander. Whether this is due to his "career change" or an effect the mutagen had on his mind is anyone's guess.
• Foil: To Zeck, being a bigger, stronger fighter, though with a slightly skewed grasp on reality, and whom gets used to his mutation fairly quickly and accepts the Rocksteady name wholeheartedly.
• Genius Bruiser: He's fairly cunning and quite the powerhouse in battle.
• Hammer and Sickle: To fit his Russian background, Rocksteady's trademark weapons are a matching set of a hammer and sickle.
• Heel–Face Turn: After expressing horror at Kavaxas' evil and the 1987 Shredder and Krang's attempt to destroy the world, Rocksteady and Bebop decide to give up villainy for good and become superheroes.
• Honor Before Reason: Rocksteady is a man of honor, being aghast when the Turtles use Exact Words against him and refraining from killing the 1987 Turtles when they're down.
• Husky Russkie: He comes from Russia and is a pretty big guy.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Rocksteady and Bebop are both this when it comes to working for the 1987 versions of Shredder and Krang, from being able to complete all their missions successfully to being able to totally curbstomp both the 1987 versions of Shredder and the Turtles alike.
• Implacable Man: After transforming into Rocksteady, it becomes damn near impossible to knock him down and outside of Aliens and Martial Arts Masters he's the only one seen to overpower a Triceraton, easily treating one as a punching bag.
• Instant Costume Change: A weird example: Steranko's pants switch from all-black to camo print after being mutated.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: Turns out Shredder does end up tracing Zeck's attempt to steal his helmet back to Steranko, captures them both, and mutates them. Seems Steranko should've taken that "eyes in the back of his head" notion a little more to heart.
• Lightning Bruiser: He's a huge guy, but he's just as quick on his feet in battle. Even more so as Rocksteady, being a rhino and all.
• The Man Behind the Man: To Zeck in "The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto" and the Purple Dragons in "A Chinatown Ghost Story".
• Old Friend: Explicitly says that he and Shredder are this. According to him before being mutated, for at least 10 years. However, he later hires Anton Zeck to steal Shredder's helmet.
• Power Fist: He appears to be wearing golden brass knuckles, with hammer and sickle insignias on them. After being mutated into Rocksteady, they're melted into his flesh. He puts them to good use in his first fight with the Turtles in "Serpent Hunt", leaving a sickle imprint on Raph's forehead.
• Promotion to Opening Titles: As Rocksteady.
• Red Right Hand: His fake eye, which he got because Zeck accidentally shot his eye out. Lampshaded when Zeck tries to make him feel better about it, telling him that before he was just a regular arms dealer, and now people will think of him as "the cool eyeball guy".
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Both he and Bebop bail out of the Foot Clan after Shredder Comes Back Wrong thanks to Kavaxas and helps the demodragon start the end of the world.
• Ship Tease: He's gotten a few moments with Bebop, including holding each other as they die in "Annihilation Earth!", proclaiming he loves him in "Half-Shell Heroes" (even though it was largely Played for Laughs), and the two of them holding hands to share Bebop's invisibility, then giving each other an odd look as they realize they're still holding hands and slowly separate in "In Darkest Plight". Rocksteady is also holding Bebop in a protective position when Undead Shredder is brought to life by Kavaxas. Their moment of holding hands with hearts in the background during "The Big Blowout" make it very unlikely there isn't anything more than friendship between the two, either.
• Spell My Name with a "The": Occasionally refers to himself as "The Rocksteady".
• Spikes of Villainy: He has two shoulder pads with spikes on them.
• The Starscream: Plotting to overthrow Shredder with Zeck/Bebop. They eventually defect from the Foot Clan and pull a Heel–Face Turn.
• Theme Naming: With Zeck. Both have the surnames of classic Marvel Comics artists.
• Third-Person Person: Tends to refer to his full name when referring to himself.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: Once an intelligent mob boss who had the respect of Shredder himself, Rocksteady soon became the Dumb Muscle upon getting mutated.
• The Unfought: He gets electrocuted into submission before he can put up any kind of fight. In his first proper starring appearance in "Serpent Hunt", he gives the Turtles a hell of a fight and only gets worse after his mutation.
• Villain Decay: He was once a powerful mob boss with his own organization, but Shredder turned him into his Dumb Muscle that obeyed his every command.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Zeck/Bebop. When they're being sucked into a black hole to their deaths, they hold each other so they don't have to die alone.
• Was Once a Man: Is mutated into Rocksteady by Shredder for both being behind the theft of the Kuro Kabuto helmet and for trying to hurt Karai.
• The Worf Effect: Goes down incredibly quickly at the hands of a brainwashed Karai.

Anton Zeck/Bebop

Voiced by: J.B. Smoove

Zeck

Bebop

A master thief who can turn invisible, along with a host of other gadget powered abilities. Works as Steranko's agent. He becomes a mutant warthog.

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• Adaptational Badass: While he is still incredibly goofy, he is a Bunny-Ears Lawyer and a genuinely good fighter rather than the incompetent idiot his 1987 counterpart was.
• Adaptational Slimness / Adaptational Curves: The previous versions of Bebop have traditionally been fat and big, while this Bebop is slim and fit (and smaller), even after becoming a warthog mutant. This makes sense, given that warthogs aren't that fat in real life, and are actually smaller than rhinos.
• Affably Evil: At least when interacting with Steranko/Rocksteady anyway.
• Ambiguously Bi: He has some Ship Tease moments with Rocksteady, but unlike the Rhino, Bebop has also admitted that he's a ladies man too.
• Appropriated Appellation: Averted. Unlike his partner Rocksteady, Bebop absolutely hates his new moniker.
• Battle Boomerang: He can throw mohawk shaped energy bolts that can boomerang back to him from his mohawk.
• Atrocious Alias: He lampshades how silly and nonsensical his mutant name is, but the other characters (including his partner) continue to refer to him with it anyway, much to his chagrin.
• Berserk Button: HATES being called Bebop. Though he at least tolerates it from Rocksteady.
• Beware the Silly Ones: While he might look like a joke compared to the likes of the Shredder, this ain't your dad's Bebop. Before he was mutated, he was a master thief with a suit that makes him invisible, shoots lasers, lets him skate on light-rails and a host of other gadgets. When he tries to steal the Kuro Kabuto, he manages to nick it from the Shredder's lair without getting caught and runs circles around an army of the mutants and ninjas, only failing due to bad luck. Even mutated, he is still able to hold his own when fighting the Turtles despite having no official martial arts training to speak of.
• Blind Without 'Em: His mutation caused him to lost his sight, forcing him to keep his visor on to see.
• Body Horror: Parts of his costume appear to have merged into his flesh after becoming Bebop.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's a very competent thief, but he's extremely eccentric. When Steranko questions his ability to steal Shredder's helmet, Zeck tells him to lick his Spear of Destiny, revealing that he replaced the real spear with one made of marzipan, just to prove he could. The fact that Steranko does this without hesitation seems to imply that Zeck does that kind of thing all the time.
• Calling Card: Because of his gigantic ego, he actually throws his business card at Rahzar just before making his exit.
• Canon Character All Along: He is introduced in season two, but gets mutated and becomes Bebop much later.
• Dance Battler: He dances literally every single time he gets into a fight. This is most likely how he manages to throw off the Turtles.
• Divergent Character Evolution: As Bebop, he is much less bulky than the 1987 version, differentiating him more from Rocksteady. He's also more cynical and irritable than his partner, though the latter is more because of his mutation and the nickname that comes with it.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": An inversion, in that he hates his mutant name instead of his real one.
  Bebop: I am not gonna be called Bebop, got me? That is the dumbest name ever!
• Evil Is Hammy: Pun aside, Bebop is very over-the-top in his personality.
• Eye Scream: Post-mutation, his visor seems melded to his head. And may even be his eyes now.
• Foil: To Steranko, being a slimmer, weaker fighter, who is a bit more of a realist, and whom absolutely hates his mutation and the name, Bebop, that ended up coming with it.
• Fragile Speedster: He's quick on his feet, but is much lankier and more fragile than most of his other versions.
• Hard Light: His boots can generate beams of this in the air to skate on, usually between two points. His mohawk energy balls also seem solid, as he can use them as boomerangs.
• Hates Being Nicknamed: While Ivan takes to "Rocksteady" pretty quickly, Anton does not like being called "Bebop". Later on he lets people address him by it, likely out of resignation.
• Heel–Face Turn: After expressing horror at Kavaxas' evil and the 1987 Shredder and Krang's attempt to destroy the world, Bebop and Rocksteady decide to give up villainy for good and become superheroes.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Bebop and Rocksteady are both this when it comes to working for the 1987 versions of Shredder and Krang, from being able to complete all their missions successfully to being able to totally curbstomp both the 1987 versions of Shredder and the Turtles alike.
• Invisibility Cloak: When powered up his suit can make him invisible. He can also plug in some type of cord to apply the affect to his backpack.
• Ironic Name: This incarnation of Bebop is more of a Dance Battler. Bebop is a type of jazz that created to not be danced to.
  • That's most likely reason why Zeck hates his nickname.
• Jive Turkey: Speaks in slang most of the time.
• Kiai: He makes Michael Jackson-esque sounds whenever he fights. Donnie points out that he uses it to distract his opponents, while April points out that it makes his Invisibility Cloak pointless.
• Leitmotif: He's got a very jazzy theme whenever he starts to do his work.
• Motor Mouth: He has a tendency to ramble that can be to his detriment, April managing to hit him despite being invisible because he wouldn't shut up.
• Mythology Gag: His mohawk and visor match Bebop's from the 1987 show. A not-so subtle hint about his mutation.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: He dances and shouts like Michael Jackson.
• Powered Armor: His suit allows him to become invisible and create walkways with his Tron Lines, aside from shooting laser beams and a Battle Boomerang.
• Promotion to Opening Titles: As Bebop.
• Purple Is Powerful: His suit has purple Tron Lines when it's powered on. He can also throw purple boomerangs from his mohawk.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Both he and Rocksteady bail out of the Foot Clan after Shredder Comes Back Wrong thanks to Kavaxas and helps the demodragon start the end of the world.
• Ship Tease: He's gotten a few moments with Rocksteady, including holding each other as they die in "Annihilation Earth!", Rocksteady proclaiming he loves him in "Half-Shell Heroes" , and the two of them holding hands to share Bebop's invisibility, then giving each other an odd look as they realize they're still holding hands and slowly separate in "In Darkest Plight". Rocksteady is also holding Bebop in a protective position when Undead Shredder is brought to life by Kavaxas.
• Skewed Priorities: At the beginning of "The Pig And the Rhino," he seems less upset about being mutated and more upset that the animal that he was mutated into isn't cool enough.
  Bebop: Look at me! You turned me into a dang pig! I don't wanna be a pig! Ladies don't love pigs! Can't you turn me something cool, like a mongoose?
• Small Name, Big Ego: "I don't want to be a mutant, I'm too handsome! The ladies love me!"
• The Starscream: Plotting to overthrow Shredder with Rocksteady.
• The Nicknamer: He calls Ivan Steranko "Big S" and "Baby Ivan".
• The Nose Knows: After mutating, he uses his enhanced sense of smell to track down the Turtles, saying that his nose is "better than a bloodhound". A case of Shown Their Work, as warthogs like all pigs have a very acute sense of smell.
• Theme Naming: With Steranko. Both have the surnames of classic Marvel Comics artists.
• Tron Lines: His suit is covered in them.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Steranko/Rocksteady. When they're being sucked into a black hole to their deaths, they hold each other so they don't have to die alone.
• Was Once a Man: Is mutated into a warthog both for stealing the Kuro Kabuto helmet and for hurting Karai.
• Weaksauce Weakness: He legitimately is almost as deadly as Rocksteady but he just doesn't know when to shut up and fight, especially when he's cloaked.
• Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Has an impressive array of high tech gear capable of laser blasts, invisibility, hard light constructs, and special tracking features built into his suit. Where he got the suit is unknown.

Kavaxas

Kavaxas

Voiced by: Mark Hamill

A powerful supernatural enemy who is brought to Earth by Tiger Claw to help him resurrect the Shredder, who was killed by Leo in the last episode of the fourth season.

• Arc Villain: Of the first story arc in the fifth and final season of the show.
• Beam Spam: Can rapid-fire laser blasts from every fingertip.
• Big Red Devil: Kavaxas is a humanoid dragon from Hell.
• Breath Weapon: Can breathe green fire much like Maleficent.
• Canon Foreigner: He was created for the series, though it seems he was inspired by Hothead from the NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters. Michelangelo even calls him Hothead.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Proclaims "Now is the season of evil!" when he takes center stage as the Big Bad in "End Times" and brings on an apocalypse.
• Combo Platter Powers: He has Super-Strength, Nigh-Invulnerability, Playing with Fire powers, is immune to April's Psychic Powers, capable of Beam Spam, and can raise the dead.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: His first encounter with the Turtles ends as such in his favor; Kavaxas shrugs off everything they throw at them and forces them to retreat, with Kavaxas only being prevented from pursuing and killing them by Tiger Claw's order to stand down.
• Demon Lords And Arch Devils: Calls himself the "ruler of the netherworld" when Tiger Claw unleashes him. If he is not Satan, he is this.
• Draconic Humanoid: His face is rather human-looking, but he has red scales, a tail, wings, and fire breath.
• Dragged Off to Hell: The end of "End Times" sees him dragged back to the Netherworld by the Shredder.
• The Dragon (No Pun Intended): Agrees to become this to Tiger Claw, albeit with a bit of scorn in his voice, when Tiger Claw takes control of the Foot Clan following Shredder's death.
• Dragon with an Agenda: He's not happy with being forced to obey Tiger Claw, and in "Heart of Evil", he clearly has his own ulterior motives to resurrect Shredder. Turns out he not only needed to revive Shredder, an evil warrior, but also destroy another warrior, Tatsu, and have Shredder destroy the Seal of the Ancients that Tiger Claw used to keep him in line, allowing Kavaxas to bring about the apocalypse.
• Dragons Are Demonic: Kavaxas is referred to as a demodragon.
• The End of the World as We Know It: This mixed with Take Over the World is in fact Kavaxas's primary goal, and resurrecting Shredder, an evil warrior, is one of three steps necessary for Kavaxas to have him conquer Earth, with the destruction of a warrior like Tatsu at Kavaxas's hands and the destruction of the Seal of the Ancients the other two steps to raise spirits such as the now-dead Tatsu and Ho Chan to help him overtake Earth. Kavaxas is the third villain in this TMNT continuity to threaten Earth with this trope after Kraang Prime and Captain Mozar and the Triceratons.
• Evil Is Hammy: Kavaxas has a very powerful presence and speaks loudly, courtesy of Mark Hamill.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: When Tiger Claw summons him, he nearly kills him for daring to try to control him until Tiger Claw produces the amulet that will keep him in line. Played straight when Shredder is brought back as a zombie under Kavaxas's control and then stomps on the amulet, ending Tiger Claw's control of Kavaxas and allowing him to start the apocalypse. In his debut episode, Donnie's research even states that the ritual to summon Kavaxas has been used for millennia, and every attempt ends in tragedy.
• Evil Laugh: Kavaxas gives off several of these kinds of laughs, including when the Turtles visit his lair after he has resurrected Shredder.
• Expy: Seems to have a few things in common with the Tengu Shredder from the 2003 series. Supernatural demons, dragon theme, and the Big Bad of the fifth season.
  • Also, Mark Hamill voicing an evil dragon? Hello, Malefor.
  • He shares a bit in common with Drako from the 2003 series, being a red dragon-like being with some degree of mystical ability.
  • He shares a few similarities to Dragon Lord from Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, being a Draconic Humanoid who was imprisoned in an Eldritch Location, is too tough to be taken on by the turtles' ninjitsu or their token female/super's super-abilities and basically replaces the Shredder as the new Big Bad after he is indisposed. He even declares that he will eat April and gain her powers when he sees them first hand, something that Dragon Lord declared with the turtle's mutant physiology.
• Flat Character: While the rest of the Foot Clan have tragic backstories and Freudian Excuses that give their villainous natures a sense of depth, Kavaxas has no real reason to be evil beyond being a Demon-lord, seeking to unleash Hell on Earth for its own sake.
• Four-Fingered Hands: Kavaxas has four fingers on his claws.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The amulet that brought him to Earth and the person who needed his power to be resurrected (Shredder) are the very things that send him back to the Netherworld.
• In-Series Nickname: Mikey dubs him "Hot Head".
• Invincible Villain: From the minute he's introduced, Kavaxas absolutely dominates every fight he's in, turning battles from martial combat to just trying to survive long enough to escape. In the end, the Turtles only manage to defeat him by reassembling the Seal of the Ancients and ordering Kavaxas to go back to the Netherworld.
• The Juggernaut: For all practical purposes, Kavaxas cannot be defeated in a direct confrontation. Even after the Turtles managed to defeat Super Shredder, Kavaxas beats them all despite Tiger Claw forcing him to fight hand to hand. Leonardo hitting him in the face with his swords causes them to shatter to pieces, and April's Mind over Matter doesn't effect him. The ONLY thing that can do ANYTHING to him is the Seal of the Ancients.
• Knight of Cerebus: There is nothing funny or lighthearted going on whenever Kavaxas is onscreen. He's one of the most dangerous villains in the entire TMNT multiverse and is treated as a very serious threat by the Turtles.
• Legion of Doom: He forms one of numerous villains the Turtles have faced.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: He's not happy about having to obey Tiger Claw, but since Tiger Claw possesses the Seal of the Ancients, he has no choice. This also applies to Michelangelo when he reassembles the seal and orders Kavaxas to end the apocalypse and return to the Netherworld, orders Kavaxas are forced to obey (undead Shredder ensures Kavaxas is sent back).
• Multiversal Conqueror: As he states in "End Times", he intends to conquer all dimensions.
• Necromancer: He can revive the dead. Does this with Rahzar, but to revive Shredder he needed his head, heart, and body.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: Nothing hurts him. Leo's swords shatter against him when he strikes him in the face.
• No-Sell: He's immune to April's Psychic Powers, claiming it's because he's not of their reality.
• Omnicidal Maniac: If his line to rule all dimensions in a throne of bone and begin an age of suffering, it definitely indicates upon ending all life on Earth, kavaxas will move onto reign death and destruction across the rest of the universe to conquer them all. The fact that his own method of conquering Earth is througha genocidal takeover indicates it.
• Our Demons Are Different: He comes from the underworld and is classified as a demon on the TMNT Wiki.
• Our Dragons Are Different: He's a Demodragon.
• Power Parasite: He mentions wanting to devour April and gain her powers.
• Playing with Fire: As is expected for a demon dragon, he can breathe fire. He can also toss green fireballs.
• Restraining Bolt: The Seal of the Ancients, a mystical amulet that protects the wielder from Kavaxas's attacks, and also forces him to obey anyone who possesses it without question. The destruction of this amulet is one of the three steps required to start the end of the world with Kavaxas in control, but Mikey reassembles it with bubble-gum, reverses that, and forces Kavaxas and Undead Shredder to abandon Earth.
• Rule of Three: He has three objectives he must accomplish on Earth to initiate his own End of the World scenario with him as the ruler. They are, destroy a strong warrior (Tatsu, the blind swordsman who attempts to take control of the Foot Clan in "The Forgotten Swordsman"), revive an evil warrior (Shredder himself, who was killed by Leo in "Owari"), and destroy the Seal of the Ancients.
• Satanic Archetype: He's described as the "ruler of the Netherworld" and the "Lord of the Demodragons", he steals the souls of mortals, and is an expert manipulator.
• Spikes of Villainy: Kavaxas has spikes on his shoulders.
• Technicolor Fire: His fire breath is green.
• This Cannot Be!: His reaction in "End Times" when Mikey repairs the Seal of the Ancients with bubble-gum. According to Kavaxas, the Seal was supposed to be unfixable.
• Who Dares?: His first lines when Tiger Claw summons him:
  Kavaxas: Mortal! You dare call upon Kavaxas, Lord of the Demodragons, Ruler of the Netherworld?! I will burn you and the rest of these abominations to ASH!
• Winged Humanoid: Kavaxas has the classic demon wings on his back.
• Your Soul Is Mine!: Can steal the souls of others, as Tatsu and the Hammer find out the hard way.