Splinter (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Splinter
File:Splinter thinking.JPG Splinter as he appears in the 2003 cartoon series
Publication information
Publisher	Mirage Studios
First appearance	Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (May, 1984)
Created by	Kevin Eastman Peter Laird
In-story information
Alter ego	Hamato Yoshi (in some versions)
Team affiliations	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Notable aliases	Master Splinter Sensei
Abilities	Highly skilled in Ninjutsu. Keen sense of smell.

Master Splinter, or simply Splinter is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. Splinter is a giant anthropomorphic rat who is the Sensei and paternal figure to the Turtles. He is also deployed to Al Udeid Air Base. He works Alpha Search and has proven to be very wise to the young ones under him.

Origin Story

Splinter has two origin stories, and which one is used depends on the media. In the original version of the tale, he was Hamato Yoshi's pet, and in the other, he is Hamato Yoshi.

Mirage Comics, 2003 Cartoon, and Movies

In the original comics, Splinter was the pet rat of a ninja named Hamato Yoshi in Japan. Intelligent for his species, Splinter was able to learn his master's art by mimicking his movements while he practiced. Yoshi became embroiled in a dispute with a fellow ninja by the name of Oroku Nagi, and was eventually murdered by Nagi's brother Oroku Saki.

Without a home, Splinter was forced to run away and live in New York City's sewers. Due to a traffic accident, four baby turtles and a canister of radioactive slime were sent down into the sewer, where they mutated both Splinter and the turtles. Splinter named the four turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo (after a book on Renaissance artists that he found in a storm drain) and trained them in the arts of ninjutsu, while still raising them as his own sons. , Splinter died of old age in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (vol. 4) #10.

In the 2003 TMNT cartoon, he possesses a significant reputation as a ninja master; in a multi-part episode, he was revealed to be a champion of the Battle Nexus, a multi-dimensional-spanning contest where the greatest combatants of various dimensions come together to fight each other for the title of Battle Nexus Champion. When the Turtles first learn of the Battle Nexus, they participate as well, resulting in Splinter forfeiting when called upon to fight Michelangelo, as he wishes to allow his sons the opportunity to fight where he succeeded in the past.

In the 2003 cartoon during the Battle Nexus, Splinter is referred to as 'Hamato Splinter' indicating either that he regards himself as a member of the Hamato family, or that he took the name in honor of his dead owner.

1987 Series and Archie TMNT Adventures comics

In the 1987 TMNT cartoon, Splinter was changed to be Yoshi himself, and was framed by his rival, Oroku Saki (who would eventually turn into his future arch-enemy, the Shredder), for trying to murder their common dojo master in Japan. Being unable to prove his innocence, he moved away to New York City, where he lived as a hermit in its sewers and befriended the rats. One day, he came across four baby turtles which were accidentally dropped by a boy through a grate of the sewers. He kept them as pets and treated them like his children. But later, he found the turtles venturing near broken barrels that were oozing glowing pink chemical liquid. As he tried to recover them from danger and attempted to clean them with his bare hands, they were all affected by the chemical which was a mutagen. This mutagen transformed any living being into a mutant whose body became mixed with the DNA of any other living being it was last in contact with. The turtles, being touched by Yoshi, turned into young anthropomorphic humanoid turtles. Hamato himself, having more recently been in contact with sewer rats than his own pet turtles, became a humanoid rat.

Since then, Yoshi raised the turtles by himself, and gave them the names of his favorite Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, who were to be distinguished by personality and headband color. He also taught them the art of ninjutsu in order to protect themselves better, since people above ground would not accept them.

Hamato was given the nickname "Splinter" by his adoptive sons, due to his proficiency at breaking wooden boards.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures from Archie Comics uses the same background, since the first issues are identical.

Appearance

Splinter in the early films

Splinter in the 2008 season of TMNT

In the original live-action movies, he was portrayed as an elderly rat in tattered grey robes, commonly meditating and remaining behind while the Turtles fight, but nevertheless an efficient combatant. He also lacks at least part of his right ear, Saki having cut off the rest of the ear when Splinter was still a normal rat with the same blow that killed Yoshi due to Splinter attempting to attack Oroku Saki, leaving the latter with distinctive scars on his face.

In the 2003 animated series, he is portrayed as a dark grey rat in monk robes. Splinter also had an opponent named Drako, who would prove to be a dangerous adversary of the Turtles. In the series TMNT: Back to the Sewers, his look is slightly changed to resemble the 2007 movie.

Personality

Splinter is portrayed as a wise and intelligent skilled martial arts teacher. He is nearly always calm and even when angry, he refrains from raising his voice. He seems to be an example of the cliched calm, all-knowing wise master of all martial arts; he may have even helped to create that image. He cares for his adopted sons with fierce devotion, going so far as to rescue them from the Shredder's grasp, going beserk with fury when the Foot attempted to slay the turtles with a robot Splinter, going all the way to Japan after the four had been kidnapped-the list goes on. In the Ninja Tribunal series, he was haunted again and again with nightmares of his sons being slaughtered. When it appeared to actually happen, Splinter was lost in despair, but quickly turned to relief when it was apparent they had just been knocked out. Adding comic relief to Splinter, he enjoys soap operas.

Voice actors

In the 1987 series, he was voiced by Peter Renaday in the American version and by Hideyuki Umezu (TV), Yuzuru Fujimoto (NHK-BS2) and Kiyoshi Kobayashi (VHS) in the Japanese versions.

In the 2003 and Fast Forward versions, Splinter is voiced by Darren Dunstan. In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Shoto Kashii.

In the first two movies, he is voiced by Kevin Clash, and in the third, he was voiced by James Murray. In the 2007 animated film, Mako voiced him. Splinter was Mako's final role before his death.

See also

• Hamato Yoshi
• Elderly martial arts master