Due to the nature of the story, including its First-Episode Twist, it's difficult to talk about anyone without revealing spoilers. As such, all spoilers will be unmarked. Please proceed with caution.
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Characters introduced in the The Last Ronin
The Hamato Clan / the Resistance
The Last Ronin
Michelangelo
"Party dude"... no more.
The last of the surviving Turtles and the titular "Last Ronin". Mikey was once the most laidback and fun-loving member of the turtles. However, after losing his brothers and master/father to Karai and her son Hiroto, he has grown into a much more cynical, vengeful, and cold individual who seeks to kill Hiroto as revenge.
- Anti-Hero: He joins the resistance and fights Hiroto not out of heroism but to avenge his family.
- Blind Weaponmaster: In Lost Years, Mikey spent a few years blind from radiation poisoning, but he received training from another blind master to compensate for his lost sight until his injuries healed.
- Break the Comedian: Michelangelo was the most prone to cracking jokes and generally not taking issues seriously. Then his brothers died, and Mikey stopped being funny and never looked back.
- Break the Cutie: Mikey was the most laid-back and childlike of the Turtles, prioritizing goofing off and comics over training. After the loss of his family and several other traumatic events (see Trauma Conga Line below), he is cynical, vengeful, far more willing to kill, and suicidal.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Mikey is dressed from head to toe in black, is cynical, and willing to kill, but he still fights on the side of good and wants to avenge his family.
- Driven to Suicide: In the first issue of The Last Ronin, Mikey tries to commit seppuku after failing to kill Hiroto. However, he passed out from blood loss before he could do it. Casey Marie found him and took him back to his old Lair where she and April healed him. In The Lost Years, after learning about the deaths of Splinter and Don, Mikey climbs up a mountain and lies down in the snow, waiting to die from hypothermia. The voice of his father encourages him not to.
- Drives Like Crazy: According to Donnie, Mikey “sucks at driving” but when we do see him drive, he doesn’t seem to make any mistakes.
- Freudian Excuse: Mikey Took a Level in Cynic, becoming much more blunt, cynical, and doubtful about his mission. But considering that all three of his brothers, his friend Casey Jones Sr., and his father figure are dead, along with failing his mission to kill Hiroto in the first issue, it's clear how he's gotten cynical about the whole thing.
- It's Personal: He seeks to avenge the deaths of his brothers and the rest of the Hamato Clan by taking down the Foot Clan once and for all.
- Last of His Kind: He is the only surviving mutant turtle left until April and her daughter Casey Marie create Yi, Moja, Uno, and Odyn. Sadly, Mikey dies before their creation.
- The Hero Dies: Michelangelo, the last of the TMNT, dies in the final issue, but not before taking Hiroto with him and freeing New York City from the Foot Clan.
- Master-Apprentice Chain: Master Splinter trained Mikey in ninjutsu. After becoming the Ronin, Mikey trained Casey Marie. After Mikey died, Casey Marie trained Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Some years before Mikey becomes a ronin, his own sensei Master Splinter died from a Foot Clan attack. Years later, Mikey becomes Casey Marie’s sensei and then dies in the last issue.
- The Remnant: The Last Ronin, as his name indicates, is the last of the Hamato Clan, and seeks to avenge his family by taking down Hiroto and ending the feud between the Hamato and Foot Clans once and for all.
- Rōnin: Though not in the strictest sense of the word. In Feudal Japan, a ronin was a samurai without a master, generally due to the former master's death, individual samurai's disgrace, or the destruction of his master's clan. It was common for ronins to become ninjas. Mikey, on the other hand, was always a ninja, but he did lose his father and sensei Master Splinter and his brothers.
- So Proud of You: April believes Mikey feels this way towards his student and her daughter Casey Marie.
- Sole Survivor: He is the last of the Hamato Clan after they were wiped out by the Foot Clan.
- Took a Level in Badass: Downplayed. Mikey was always a badass, but his full potential was never reached due to his lack of focus and laziness. After losing his family, he overcomes those flaws, furthers his own ninjitsu training with the help of his father’s journal, masters his brothers’ weapons, and travels around the world to master other fighting styles. He surpassed his own brothers and possibly his own father, and succeeded in what his family could not: end the feud between the Hamato Clan and the Foot Clan.
- Took a Level in Cynic: Mikey has lost practically all of his fun-loving and laidback nature as a result of everything that's happened
- Tragic Keepsake: He wields his brothers’ weapons and carries their masks with him in a secret pouch.
- Trauma Conga Line: Oh boy where to begin:
- First, he loses his family one by one, except April, whom he doesn’t even know she’s alive.
- After hearing that Splinter and Donnie have died, Mikey climbs up a mountain to commit suicide, stopped only by the voice of his father. He finds the will to live and even some peace, but that ends three years later when he is beaten by thugs.
- Those same thugs were part of a terrorist organization lead by Death Worm who slaughtered the citizens of a nearby village in Hokkaido, Japan. Mikey kills some of those terrorists, starting his quest to end Death Worm.
- Along the way he is tormented by either ghosts or hallucinations of his deceased brothers and spends most of the time wandering aimlessly around Japan until he decides to go back to New York City to take down Hiroto.
- On a ferry to Korea, he is attacked again by two of Death Worm’s men and is forced to jump overboard and swim to Chiburijima Island.
- Three years since Death Worm’s attack on the village, his journey takes him to Donghae-Si, The Unified Korean Republic (South Korea and North Korea are reunited in this world) where he is forced to steel, sleep on the streets, and even sell his beloved nunchucks to survive. Not long after, he confronts four of Death Worm’s followers in a bar, and they try to murder him for being a mutant turtle.
- Decades pass and he returns to New York to kill Hiroto on his own. He fails and once again attempts seppuku, living only because he passes out from blood loss. Only after being found by Casey Marie do things start looking hopeful, but it's only with his own death that he is able to finally defeat Hiroto.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: A tragic case. More than anything, he wants to make his father and sensei Master Splinter proud. After failing to kill Hiroto and avenge his family, he apologizes to his father and attempts suicide.
The Fallen Ninja Turtles
Leo, Raph, and Donnie who one by one died at the hands of the Foot Clan, leaving behind their youngest brother Mikey. Their deaths along with their father’s kickstart Mikey’s journey to becoming a ronin.
General
- Divergent Character Evolution: Inverted. To preserve the twist of who the Last Ronin is, the turtles go back to having identical builds. Their ghostly forms hide what skin color they have, they do not appear with their weapons, and they are maskless (with the Ronin using each of their weapons and wearing a black mask). After the first issue and the reveal that the Last Ronin is Michelangelo, the ghost turtles get their colors back.
- Legacy Character: They and Michelangelo are succeeded by Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno as the next generation of mutant ninja turtles and protectors of New York City. Individually…
- Donatello is succeeded by Yi as The Smart Guy, specializing in mechanical engineering. While she and her siblings Moja, Odyn, and Uno succeed Donnie as practitioners of bōjutsu, Yi is the only one to make it her primary method of fighting.
- Spirit Advisor: Zig-zagged. Raph, Leo, and Don return as ghosts to guide Mikey on his quest for vengeance. However, it’s also implied that they could just be hallucinations created by Mikey as a manifestation of his own survivor’s guilt. The brothers’ dialogue gives credence to both theories.
- Walking Spoiler: Knowing which of the turtles have died spoils the premise and First-Episode Twist of the story, nevermind how they died.
Raphael
Raph, his brothers, and father were ambushed by the Foot on their way to Casey and April’s apartment. Master Splinter was seriously injured. Believing him to be dead, Raph struck out on his own to take down the Foot and Karai. Karai slashed his throat and threw him into the bay where Raph choked on his own blood and drowned, being the first turtle to die.
- All for Nothing: Master Splinter survived his injuries and Karai survived his assault (albeit put into a coma), meaning Raph died for nothing.
- Revenge Before Reason: Raph let his anger cloud his judgment and ran off to avenge his father before staying behind and confirming if he actually died or not. He also charged head first into battalion of Foot Soldiers without a plan or any sort of backup.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Believing his father dead, Raph disobeys Leo to stay put and runs out of Casey and April’s apartment first chance he gets. He kills any Foot Soldier that stands in his way (which is to say a lot) to Karai, and after reaching her, he and Karai engage in mortal combat, leaving Raph dead and Karai in a coma.
Leonardo
Mikey’s oldest brother. Leo is the second turtle to die along with Casey Jones. He leads a strike team consisting of him, Casey, April, Mikey, Professor Honeycutt, and several rebels against Baxter Stockman while Donatello and Master Splinter travel to Japan to broker peace with Oroku Hiroto and the Foot Clan. Casey and Leo die in a building explosion.- Bizarre Taste in Food: He likes jalapeño peppers and pineapple on his pizza.
- Last Stand: He and Casey fight to protect Professor Honeycutt, and die when the Mousers explode and reduce the building they're in to rubble.
Donatello
Mikey’s immediate older brother. He and his father travel to Japan to meet with other members of the Hamato Clan to engage in peace talks with Oroku Hiroto and the Foot Clan. It turns out to be an ambush. Donatello dies by shielding Master Splinter against a barrage of arrows.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrifices himself to save his father. Sadly, he didn’t live for long. See below.
- Ironic Death: Donatello, the smartest of the Hamato Clan, failed to use his smarts to get him and his father out of danger when the peace talks fall apart.
- Martial Pacifist: Don accompanies his father to make peace with the Foot Clan, but when it turns out to be an ambush, he fights alongside his father and the Hamato Clan to defeat Hiroto and the Foot.
- Senseless Sacrifice: Donnie sacrifices himself to shield his father from a barrage of arrows so Splinter can kill Hiroto. Despite his best efforts, Master Splinter dies shortly after, Hiroto lives, and the Foot prevails.
- Snow Means Death: Donatello dies in the snowy mountains of Japan.
Master Splinter
Adoptive father and sensei of Mikey, Raph, Don, and Leo. He and his son Don travel to Japan to meet with other members of the Hamato Clan to engage in peace talks with Oroku Hiroto and the Foot Clan. It turns out to be an ambush. After Donatello sacrifices his life for him, Master Splinter tries to kill Hiroto only to die himself. His journal guides his last remaining son on his journey to avenge his clan.
- Covered in Scars: His face is scarred after the Foot's ambush on him and his sons.
- Snow Means Death: Master Splinter died in the snowy mountains of Japan.
- Spirit Advisor: While he doesn’t appear as a ghost like his sons, he talked the Ronin out of killing himself.
Casey Jones
- Posthumous Character: Casey died in the same explosion that also took Leonardo and crippled April and Professor Honeycutt.
April Jones née O’Neil
- Action Mom: To Casey Marie
- Artificial Limbs: April lost one arm and one leg in an explosion years before the events of the story and wears prosthetic replacements.
- Never Mess with Granny: April has been a resistance fighter for most of her adult life. In The Lost Years, she becomes a grandmother to Yi, Odyn, Uno, and Moja. Despite her old age, she is still capable of fighting.
- Parents in Distress: After the battle with Baxter Stockman, New York City’s power grid is knocked out, causing the sewer pumps to fail and the Lair to flood. April is trapped and is saved by her daughter Casey.
- Someone to Remember Him By: After Casey dies, April finds out she’s pregnant with his daughter.
Casey Marie Jones
Casey is the 16-year-old daughter of April O’Neil and Casey Jones. In The Last Ronin, she’s the leader of a group of teenagers in Rock Bottom (New York City’s street level) who rebel against Hiroto’s regime. She found the Ronin passed out from blood loss and took him to his old Lair that she lives with her mother to heal. She becomes his student in ninjutsu and assists him in his final mission. In Lost Years, Casey mutates four infant turtles - Yi, Moja, Odyn, and Uno - and becomes their adoptive mother and Sensei. She trains them as the next generation of New York City’s protectors and mutant ninja turtles.
- Action Mom: Promoted to one in the sequel when she adopts Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno.
- Dead Guy Junior: She is named after her father Casey Jones, who died before she was born.
- Expy: She’s an expy of Shadow Jones, Casey and April’s adopted daughter in the Mirage comics. Both Shadow and Casey Marie share the same parents (though while both are biologically related to Casey Sr., Shadow is April's step-daughter while Casey Marie is April's biological daughter), are closest to Michelangelo, trained in ninjutsu, and live in a Crapsack World.
- Master-Apprentice Chain: Master Splinter trained Mikey in ninjutsu. After becoming the Ronin, Mikey trained Casey Marie. After Mikey died, Casey Marie trained Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno.
- So Proud of You: Discussed by April who tells her daughter Casey that even though the Ronin (her Sensei) is dead, he is very proud of how far Casey came as a ninja.
The Foot Clan
Oroku Hiroto
Oroku Hiroto
Grandson of Oroku Saki and son of Karai, Hiroto takes over the Foot Clan at the age of sixteen. He is the comic book’s main villain and killing him is the Ronin’s last mission.
- A God Am I: Hiroto rants to himself in Issue 3 that he considers himself a god.
- Bad Boss: After his men fail to capture the Ronin, he has the captain of his forces beheaded and fed to ravens and threatens his replacement with same fate if he fails to find the mutant turtle. Later on, while sparring with his men, he tells them to fight him like they're trying to kill him or he'll have them all executed. When one successfully strikes him, he kills him with a knife he had hidden behind his back.
- Badass Family: Hiroto’s grandfather is the Shredder and his mother is Karai, a deadly kunoichi. Then there is the entire Foot Clan which is made up of ninjas.
- Disappeared Dad: It’s never stated who or where Hiroto’s father is. Presumably, he is Karai’s biological son.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Subverted. Initially, in the first issue, Hiroto talks to his comatose mother about how much he misses her. In the last issue, Hiroto, before his final battle with Mikey, reveals that he hated his mother Karai for abandoning him as a child, and after she fell into a coma in the same fight that killed Raph, he only kept her alive out of spite. He then punches through the protective glass of her container, fatally exposing her to the outside air. Possibly justified due to his Sanity Slippage.
- Expy: He’s an expy of Karai’s daughter in the Mirage comics. Downplayed in that Karai’s daughter was killed off screen before any sort of characterization could happen. Hiroto, on the other hand, has five issues of characterization.
- Freudian Excuse: Many of Hiroto's issues stem from the fact that his mother fell into a coma while battling Raph when he was only six years old and he was left alone to take charge of the Foot's criminal empire, leading to him having both severe abandonment issues and a huge ego about everything he had accomplished without his family's help.
- Master-Apprentice Chain: Oroku Saki trained Karai who in turn trained Hiroto.
- Taking Up the Mantle: Hiroto becomes the Shredder after his mother falls into a coma.
Oroku Karai
- Badass Family: Karai is a deadly kunoichi, trained by her father Saki, the first Shredder. Her son Hiroto is also a deadly ninja who takes on the mantle of the Shredder. Then there is the entire Foot Clan which is made up of ninjas.
- Even Evil Has Standards: As noted by the Ronin, she possesses some honor unlike her son.
- Master-Apprentice Chain: Oroku Saki trained Karai who in turn trained Hiroto.
- Taking Up the Mantle: At some point before the story, she becomes the Shredder after her father Saki.
Characters introduced in The Lost Years
The New Ninja Turtles
General
Once normal turtles, each a different species, Moja, Odyn, Uno, and Yi were mutated by Casey Marie and trained in tai chi and ninjutsu to be the next generation of mutant ninja turtles and protectors of New York City.
- Extra Parent Conception: Each turtle was conceived through the sperm and egg of a male and female turtle, respectively, but they were mutated by what is heavily implied to be the Ronin’s blood.
- Legacy Character: They succeed the original Ninja Turtles, taught and raised by April and Casey Marie. Individually….
- Yi succeeds Donatello as the team’s Smart Guy in terms of mechanical engineering and bō wielder. note
- Odyn
- Moja
- Uno
- Master-Apprentice Chain: Master Splinter trained Mikey in ninjitsu. After becoming the Ronin, Mikey trained Casey Marie. After Mikey died, Casey Marie trained Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno.
- Numerical Theme Naming: Each of them are named "one" in a different language: Yi is Chinese, Odyn is Russian, Moja is Swahili, and Uno is Spanish. This crosses over into Meaningful Name as Casey chose these names to remind the Turtles that they are one family.
Yi
- The Smart Guy: She’s the smartest of her siblings with a specialty in mechanical engineering just like Donatello was.
- Wrench Wench: She loves to help her Grammy April fix broken vehicles.
Odyn
- Acrofatic: Odyn is the largest of his siblings but that doesn’t slow him down as a ninja. Justified in that his design is based on a snapping turtle.
- In-Series Nickname: Odie
- Obsessed with Food: Odyn is always starving, and when he attends a retirement party, all he can think of is the buffet. Uno bullies him for this.
Moja
- Big Sister Instinct: She is very protective of her siblings, especially Odyn whom she defends against Uno’s insults.
Uno
- Big Brother Bully: He calls Odyn fat due to his love of food.
- Fatal Flaw: His ego
