"In the end... too little, too late. Story of my life."
Contains unmarked spoilers. You Have Been Warned!
The Last Ronin
Issue One: Wish for Death
- Throughout the issue, the Ronin is shown chatting away with three disembodied voices who are momentarily revealed to be his brothers, appearing to him as Spirit Advisors. While this is already a hefty reminder of what the Ronin has lost and what this mission means to him, who's to say that the Ronin isn't just imagining things in a vain effort to recall the good old days?
- At first glance, the fact that the Ronin has all four of the Turtles' signature weapons at the ready could just be a way of making it harder to determine just who he is. But then you realize he's very likely holding on to them for good reason — it's one of the many ways he's holding on to the memory of his brothers.
- This gets utterly brutal near the end. Following his abject failure to kill Hiroto, the Ronin puts his and his brothers' weapons on display and lays their old bandanas over them. After taking one last look at them, he grabs his broken katana blade and prepares to commit seppuku.
- Following multiple pages worth of hints pointing towards who the identity of the titular Last Ronin could be, the issue ends revealing it to be none other than Michelangelo.
Issue Two: First To Fall
- Raphael's death. When Splinter gets mortally wounded in an ambush from the Foot, Raph goes berserk with anger and heads out to the Foot's lair at the docks. Once there, he slaughters all the Foot ninjas until only Karai is left. The two engage in a fierce battle until Raph throws them both into the river. Raph then stabs Karai in the back with his sai while Karai stabs him in the throat with a katar. Karai falls unconscious and is saved by the Foot but Raph chokes to death from his throat wound and his lifeless body sinks to the bottom of the bay.
- Even more heartbreaking is that Raph's death was a Senseless Sacrifice as Splinter was shown to have survived his injuries in the next issue.
Issue Four
- After the death of Splinter and his brothers, Mikey falls into utter despair and travels to the coldest part of a mountain in Hokkaido to die. When he doesn't, he then finds peace in his solitude on the mountain. It doesn't last when some thugs find Mikey and beat him up.
Issue Five: The Last Ronin
- Constantly annoyed by his brothers telling him what to do and how to defeat Hiroto, Mikey angrily tells them to shut up and go away—and they do. It is the last time we see them until the very end.
- Mikey finally finishes his mission and kills Hiroto. However, he dies of his wounds shortly after, but not before imparting onto Casey Splinter's journal and telling her to most of all "know peace." Mikey is seen reunited with his brothers (as teenagers), Splinter, and Casey Sr. in the afterlife.
The Last Ronin: Lost Years
