Meet The Main Cast Of TMNT: New World Mutants!

Meet the Main Cast of TMNT: New World Mutants!

I received these very kind asks about my version of TMNT, and i’m finally getting around to answering them! @sirwolficus-art​ @dianounais​

So! Mutations and meetings first!

When Splinter met the boys, they were human kids living on the streets of NYC as a group, scavenging for food and making trouble. He had an instant soft spot for them but knew he couldn’t properly house them. Instead, he kept an sharp eye on them and bought them fresh food whenever he could.

One day, Splinter came across the boys in the middle of a street fight with a group of older kids. They weren’t faring particularly well, so Splinter stepped in and scared off the bullies, ushering them into a nearby pet shop to talk to them. While there, they took interest in the baby turtles and played with them for a while. Mikey explained to Splinter that they were fighting over food. Splinter offered to take them out for a proper meal when the chaos calmed down outside, something they happily took him up on.  

Unfortunately, on their way to a diner, they were approached by a threatening stranger carrying a couple canisters of glowing green chemical. They attacked, and though Splinter did his best to defend the boys (ultimately hurting the stranger enough to scare them off), at the last moment they managed to throw the ooze onto them. Boom, mutation!

Donatello!

Donatello is the eccentric of his brothers. He’s the embodiment of pure chaotic neutral and will blow up a Chili’s just to see what happens. (Think Rise Donnie without the ego) He’s an outspoken, highly opinionated drama queen, but has a quiet confidence about his actual intellect. More often he’ll show his family something he’s made with excitement rather than arrogance. His skills lie mainly in hacking, but he’s also a gifted engineer. He’s an absolute genius but a total dumb ass about everything else.

He LOVES science fiction and is 100% convinced aliens are real, and the thing that mutated them. None of his brothers belive him, but they tolerate his rambling conspiracy theories to various degrees.

Despite being the oldest of his brothers at 17, he is by far the least mature. He often focuses too much on his projects and doesn’t take anything else nearly as seriously. He swears like a sailor and the hardest for Splinter to get to train. He is a red eared slider.

Leonardo!

Like his father, Leonardo came up in a heavily traditional Japanese culture. He grew up learning ninjutsu from his birth parents (more on that in later posts ;)), and though he is now separated from them, he still values the culture. He takes his training very seriously, and though he can sometimes come off a stoic or emotionless, he is very much capable of being just as silly and fun loving as his brothers. He just has his own way of showing it. If you pay attention, he laughs the most at his brothers antics; it’s just quiet.

In fact, he is selectively mute thanks to his severe voice dysphoria. He is a trans boy and it’s the thing he struggles with the most; so he often just doesn’t speak. Instead, he signs to his family and used common mannerisms and gestures to communicate. He will only speak when he feels it totally necessary.

Despite being the youngest at 15, he’s always been the natural leader of his brothers; even before meeting splinter and becoming mutated. He just naturally falls into the role, and his brothers don’t object. He is a red eared slider.

Raphael!

Raph, along with Mikey (his bio twin) is 16. He loves to scrap and fight and be strong, and often underestimates his physical strength in training. But it’s never mal intended, he just shows affection with his actions rather than words and the language he speaks best is physical. He aims to be strong enough to give the BEST hugs.

He has his fair share of hissy fits, though, due to some unresolved sensitivity that can turn into anger if left unchecked. He doesn’t get angry often, but when he does he REALLY gets angry. Sometimes to the point of intentional malicious harm towards his brothers until he’s able to calm down. His biggest fear is seriously or permanently hurting his family, so he does his best to quell his anger.

He loves to cook, especially pizza (he takes a lot of pride in his homemade pizza dough, something he’s perfected for many years) and his favorite thing is to make food for his family. He is a box turtle.

Michelangelo!

Mikey is also 16, but despite his young age he is the most emotionally mature of his brothers. He’s very chill, down for whatever. He’s great at reading others and will find a way to make friends with anyone. He jokes around a lot, but he know the exact way to listen to, console and then cheer up every member of his family.

He’s highly sociable and loves to go out in the daylight and explore NYC whenever he can. He’ll often drag one or all of his bros with him. He is a literal ray of sunshine, and is immediately friends with everyone he meets. Unless he gets Bad Vibes™ from someone. If Mikey doesn’t like someone, it’s a definite sign they’re bad news bears.

He loves to yoyo, and spends almost as much time on the hobby as he does on his art. He is a box turtle.

Master Splinter!

Splinter is a patient, soft and caring father. He loves his sons to the ends of the earth and would do anything to protect them. Perhaps a tad over protective at times, but a loving father above all else. That is, except for in the dojo. He takes his teaching very seriously, and while he is still patient with the boys, he is very tough love when it comes to ninjutsu. He places a very high value on the culture he came from and expects his sons to honor it to the same level.

He is a very young father, currently only 36 and 28 when he was mutated (along with his sons). He’d always intended on adopting a kid or two when he was old enough to support them, but was very much thrown into fatherhood when they were all mutated. His Dad Instincts™ kicked into high gear, and there was no question in his mind that these were his kids now. He sometimes struggles with being a young father to four teens, but he wouldn’t trade his life now for anything.

Due to his rat mutation, he is severally color blind and now considered legally blind. His vision only got increasingly worse over the years, so he can no longer see what Leo is signing. Instead, one of the other turtles will speak for him or Leo will tap morose code to him if he wants to communicate. It’s tough, but they do their best.