| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- "I have been living large long enough. I shall no longer deny my destiny! Hot Soup!"
- ― Hamato Yoshi
Splinter, once known as Hamato Yoshi and professionally as Lou Jitsu, is a member of the Hamato Clan, a former martial arts movie star, and the biological father and (sometimes) sensei of the Turtles who was mutated into a rat.
Physical appearance[]
Human[]
As a human, Hamato Yoshi was a Japanese man with straight black hair styled in a pompadour, black eyes, tan skin, and a lean figure. He typically wore a light blue flared leg jumpsuit with rolled up sleeves. Attached to his neckline was an orange and white cape with an abstract yellow print on the back. He also wore a gold rectangular engraved medallion on his waist, orange gloves, white platform shoes, and a pair of yellow glasses.
Mutant[]
Splinter is a mutant rat with long white hair styled half up in a bun, a white beard, white bushy eyebrows, short grey fur, and a short, plump figure. His legs are light pink and from the elbows down, his arms are also light pink (with his hands having five fingers instead of the usual four). He has yellow sclerae, a dark pink nose and tail, black whiskers on his cheeks, and a nick in his right ear. He wears a brown yukata with yellow trim and the Hamato Clan emblem placed on its heart. He also wears a black hair tie.
Personality[]
Splinter, unlike his previous incarnations, is laid-back and lazy. He is absent-minded and sometimes attempts to stir up mischief and trouble with his sons when bored, including stealing the Turtle Tank in "The Fast and the Furriest". Splinter comes off as an extremely flawed (albeit loved) father figure; he often treats his sons flippantly and is mentioned to not spend much time in family outings Turtle Tots", "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man"). However, he is shown to take action when needed, like in episodes such as "Origami Tsunami" and "Mrs. Cuddles". As shown in "The Evil League of Mutants", Splinter deeply cares about his sons and their safety.
How strictly Splinter treats the Turtles can vary. He slowly grows more serious as the first season progresses, especially after learning of the existence of the Shredder. Despite his previous indolence, Splinter becomes quite serious in training the Turtles to perfect their fighting skills, albeit in unorthodox ways (e.g., Lou Jitsu movies). This apparent contradiction is eventually explained, as in the past he developed a distaste for fighting, refusing to put himself (or his sons) in that position again.
History[]
Childhood and rise to fame[]
Yoshi is a descendant of the Hamato ninja clan who defeated the Shredder 500 years ago and trained themselves to fight against the Foot Clan and prevent the Shredder's return. When Yoshi was a young child, he heard the story of how the Shredder was defeated from his grandfather, Hamato Sho, but on that same spring day, Yoshi's mother, Hamato Atsuko, left her father and son so that she could perform her clan duty, which devastated Yoshi.
For many years afterwards, Yoshi trained under Sho in ninjutsu so that he may defeat Shredder should he be resurrected, quickly mastering it. However, Yoshi's grief over his mother leaving him eventually turned into bitterness towards his own clan, leading him to disbelieve the existence of the Shredder. Then one day, as a teenager, Yoshi entered an argument with his grandfather, which led to him deciding to abandon his family duties so that he could pursue his dream of going to Hollywood to become a movie star.
Using the skills he was taught, Yoshi quickly rose to national fame and fortune as the action star known as "Lou Jitsu" before leaving for the United States of America and attaining prominence there as well.[2] Then one day while filming in the United States, he was visited by Sho, who demanded that Yoshi end his career so that he could return home to fulfill his true destiny. However, Yoshi sternly refused one more time before closing his trailer's door in his face. Seeing that Yoshi had truly cut ties with his clan, the saddened Sho chose to respect his grandson's wish and left, never to speak to him again. Yoshi watched from the window as his grandfather walked away, slightly remorseful for how he treated his former teacher.
Kidnapping and mutation[]
While shooting for Crouching Shrimp Hidden Tiger Prawn, Yoshi met Big Mama, the driver of his filming trailer, and the two started a romantic relationship. However, Yoshi was unaware that she wasn't a human, despite some obvious signs displayed during their time together. After attempting to propose to Big Mama while on a date at Dinner on the Green, she forced him into her Battle Nexus, where he triumphed over his opponents and earned the title of the greatest Battle Nexus Champion of all time. Sometime later, Yoshi swore off fighting in the Battle Nexus and tried to resume a lifestyle where he wouldn't be so violent towards others. As a consequence, Big Mama imprisoned him in a Battle Nexus cell.
However, Yoshi's fame in the Battle Nexus attracted the attention of Baron Draxum, who wished to use his DNA to mutate an army that would serve him. Draxum, with the help of Huginn and Muninn, brought Yoshi to his laboratory to carry out his plan. Once Yoshi realized Draxum was going to use him to mutate the Turtles from their natural state, he objected, but was too late. Draxum submerged them in capsules of ooze and it was through this process that they were mutated from ordinary reptiles, making Yoshi the biological father of their human genes. Unwilling to watch animals be turned into monsters for Draxum's cause, Yoshi freed himself and Draxum's experiments. In the midst of his escape, he tried freeing the rat from his Battle Nexus cell as well. In turn, it bit Yoshi as he was exposed to the ooze, resulting in his mutation. Huginn and Muninn destroyed the laboratory and it went up in flames, leading Draxum to believe that the Turtles had been killed in the fire. Yoshi successfully escaped the Hidden City with them and raised his children in the New York City sewers.
Splinter remained unaware of his sons' contact with Draxum and the Foot until the events of "Shadow of Evil". Upon discovering evidence of the Foot, he impersonated a teenager and managed to spy upon his enemies, discovering that they were reassembling the Kuroi Yōroi. Realizing that this foreboded the possible return of the Shredder, Splinter pretended to be a member of the clan in order to take a piece of the armor. This attempt was thwarted by Draxum and, unwittingly, his sons. Upon escaping without the armor piece, Splinter promised to tell his sons "everything" and stated that they were "way behind" on their destiny.
Bio[]
Once human, now a mutated rat, Splinter is an eccentric mentor to his turtle sons, training them in the art of ninjutsu. Well, when he's not watching game shows and Lou Jitsu movie marathons.
Abilities[]
- Tail extension: Due to his mutation, Splinter can make his tail grow longer to reach faraway objects as shown in “The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek”.
- Prehensile tail: Due to his mutation, Splinter’s tail can grasp and hold objects.
- Self-combustion: Splinter can voluntarily set parts of his body on fire as shown in "End Game" and "Many Unhappy Returns".
- Sewing: Splinter is knowledgeable about sewing. This is shown in “Insane in the Mama Train” when he made each of his sons Hamato Clan jumpsuits.
- Cooking: While it is heavily implied Splinter doesn’t cook often, it is shown that he can make good green bean casserole.
- Dancing: Splinter enjoys dancing and used to regularly attend nightclubs as Lou Jitsu. Nowadays he has a specific dance that helps him regain back movement and soothe his back pain shown in “Shadow of Evil”.
- Singing: Splinter is quite a skilled singer, able to sing aria so beautifully that his performance makes others cry and attracts birds in “Al Be Back”. However, Splinter’s sons dislike his singing regardless of if he sings well or poorly as seen in "Al Be Back" and "Down with the Sickness".
- Acting: Splinter was a professional film actor.
- Ninjutsu: Splinter has been taught ninjutsu from childhood and has since mastered it, creating and patenting his own techniques. Many years devoid of regular practice and an aging body have taken a toll on his skills, but he can definitely get it together when he wants to.
- Stealth: As a practitioner of ninjutsu, Splinter can slip in and out of areas undetected and blend in with his environment to the point where he can seamlessly pose as objects.
- Slow Motion Jutsu: By moving exceptionally slow, Splinter's body movements are unable to be perceived by opponents, allowing him to execute very close range contact with opponents unnoticed.
- Lights-Off Jutsu: By clapping his hands, Splinter can turn off any lights in an area to use the darkness to his advantage.
- Agility: Splinter's agility allows him to successfully dodge attacks and perform sharp twists and flips.
- Speed: Splinter possesses a great amount of speed, capable of moving in bursts faster than the eye can follow.
- Strength: Despite his small size, Splinter is remarkably strong, able to lift heavy objects with relative ease. However, his upper body strength has waned to the point where he finds it hard to climb ladders at times.
- Hamato Ninpō: As a member of the Hamato Clan, Splinter is capable of tapping into his clan's energy to unleash his own mystic might.
- Stealth: As a practitioner of ninjutsu, Splinter can slip in and out of areas undetected and blend in with his environment to the point where he can seamlessly pose as objects.
- Macho Gazpacho Fury Kick: A foot technique where Splinter moves incredibly fast and kicks his opponent with his ignited foot. It is effective in handling a large group of opponents.
- Pompadour Punch: An arm technique where Splinter punches the underside of his opponent’s jaw in an upwards motion.
- Flaming Gorilla Arm Bar: A grappling technique where Splinter traps his opponent's bent arm between his own crossed arms.
- Seven Deadly Vipers: Labeled as a "secret secret" by Splinter, the Seven Deadly Vipers move immediately makes opponents yield upon merely hearing its name. April O'Neil is the only one Splinter has taught it to.
- Lazy Llama: A blocking technique where Splinter moves his arms loosely and wildly to defend a wide area of his body against attacks.
- Tiger Claw: A technique where Splinter tackles his opponent in a manner reminiscent of a pouncing tiger.
- Weapon proficiency: Splinter is versed in wielding a variety of melee and flexible weapons such as tonfā, morning stars ("The Evil League of Mutants"), the kusari-fundō, nunchaku, dual axes ("End Game"), sai, even mystic weapons like Leo’s portal-generating ōdachi. Alongside his use of formal ninja weaponry and techniques, Splinter is a skilled improvisational fighter, known for weaponizing fish and ladders in Little Jacob's Ladder and clam shells in Punch Chowder.
- Shurikenjutsu: Splinter is proficient in throwing shuriken with keen precision and wields them multiple times throughout the series.
- Bōjutsu: As Donnie’s teacher, Splinter is proficient in wielding a bō.
- Kenjutsu: As Leo’s teacher, Splinter is proficient in wielding a variety of Japanese swords such as katana and the ōdachi.
- Survival training: Splinter has wilderness survival training with knowledge of safe alternative food and water sources as shown in "Cloak and Swaggart".
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Hamato Yoshi's parent(s)
- Hamato Atsuko: Atsuko is Yoshi's mother. Yoshi loves his mother dearly. During his childhood, he was heartbroken when Atsuko left him and his sadness surrounding her eventually warped into resentment towards his own clan. In "Rise", when Splinter believed that he failed, his mother's ghost along with the other ghosts of their ancestors arrived to help defeat the Shredder.
- Raphael: Apart from Mikey, Raph and Splinter have the most individual conversations that exhibit their bonds of family. In "Mrs. Cuddles", Splinter helped Raph defeat Mrs. Cuddles. After locking her away, Splinter announced they should free his brothers and April, who were all taken captive by Mrs. Cuddles. However, he then said "Eventually", being well aware the situation was their fault due to them teasing Raph over his fear of her. In the season 2 finale, Splinter demoted Raph from Mad Dogs leader and gave the position to Leo.
- Donatello: Splinter has a somewhat difficult relationship with Donnie. While Splinter deeply loves his son, he doesn't express his love towards Donnie in the way he desires through regular praise and quality time, resulting in him vying for Splinter's approval and attention at times. Splinter trusts Donnie to approach situations in a more serious manner as expressed in "Many Unhappy Returns" and considers him to be the funniest of his sons.
- Leonardo: Splinter has a rough relationship with Leo despite his deep love for him as his obnoxious antics tend to aggravate Splinter. Leo's insistently nonchalant and lighthearted attitude through even dire situations distresses Splinter instead of relaxing him as it is seemingly meant to. He finds Leo's immodesty and his need to attain victory in every situation annoying as shown in "Lair Games". However, Splinter is impressed by his combat skills and capacity for cleverness and chose to promote him to Mad Dogs leader in the season 2 finale.
- Michelangelo: Splinter's relationship with Mikey is the most positive and untroubled out his relationships with his sons. Splinter loves Mikey and took him on a tour through the Hidden City to spend time one-on-one with him in "Hidden City's Most Wanted" and while he tried to get Draxum arrested against Mikey's wishes, Splinter worked with Mikey to rescue Draxum when he was discovered by the Hidden City police. Splinter allowed Draxum to be a part of his family's life after coming to understand where Mikey's desire to include him stemmed from despite his personal feelings towards Draxum.
- April O'Neil: As a close friend of the family, April is essentially an older sister to the Turtles, but April's relationship with Splinter is not quite like that of Splinter's relationship with his sons; Splinter and April are not responsible for or answerable to one another other in the ways a father or daughter would be. They are nevertheless still close friends, no matter how badly Splinter behaves or how strongly April criticizes him. Splinter isn't hesitant to express his appreciation for April's talents, even as he seldom expresses similar appreciation to his own sons who crave it from him. It was not difficult for Splinter and his sons to regard April as surrogate family, but later on April would formally be acknowledged by clan matriarch Hamato Karai as truly being a member of the Hamato Clan.
- Piebald: Piebald was Splinter's beloved pet fish a year prior to the start of the series. After she was mutated, Piebald expressed that she saw Splinter as her father. They have since gotten along well, conspiring along with Franken-Foot to play a prank on the Turtles for having originally flushed Piebald down the toilet and lying about it.
- S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.: When Donnie first invented S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., his first tech demonstration was to show how S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. could make Splinter's life more convenient. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was also made sentient in his own right, and when Draxum had captured the Turtles and held them hostage in "End Game", Splinter recruited S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. as part of The B-Team (along with April, Bullhop, Franken-Foot, and Todd) to go rescue them. Later, when Donnie upgraded S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.'s software to version 13 and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. started behaving like an obstinate teenager, Donnie would start frequently yelling at S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and handing out harsh, arbitrary punishments. Mikey pointed out that the way Donnie was treating S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was the same way Splinter treated Donnie, establishing a multi-generational pattern of parental dysfunction. This also acknowledged that S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was effectively Splinter's grandson, though the two were never shown interacting much after S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.'s first appearance. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. would later sacrifice his own life trying to save his family from an onslaught by the Shredder during the destruction of their lair.
- Hamato Sho: Sho is Yoshi's maternal grandfather. Yoshi was raised by him in his mother's place, but he has had a strained relationship with his grandfather for the majority of his life. He found Sho's relentless attempts to urge him to uptake the clan's obligations extremely abrasive and was unhappy with his grandfather's lack of support for his film career. However, it is seen in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" that he has some love for Sho or at least mourns their lack of a harmonious relationship and regrets not listening to his stories about the Shredder.
- Mystic Aura: Splinter sought one of his ancestors' counsel in "Insane in the Mama Train" and "End Game" regarding how to stop the Foot from resurrecting the Shredder. However, Splinter dismissed his advice once he told him to allow his sons to die in service of the Hamato Clan's cause.
- Hamato Karai: Karai is Yoshi's ancestral grandmother. He, along with the Mad Dogs, removed Karai from the Twilight Realm unknowingly in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Splinter holds deep love and respect for her, easily following Karai's lead and looking to her for guidance as his elder and the clan matriarch. He diligently ensured Karai's needs and comfort were met during his time with her.
Friends and allies[]
- Mayhem: Splinter and Mayhem have not been shown interacting much, but Mayhem as April's pet is a frequent visitor in the life of Splinter. When Splinter had been injured in a fight with Draxum after the latter donned the fully-assembled Kuroi Yōroi in "End Game", Mayhem teleported Splinter to safety.
- Stanley / Bullhop: For a time, Bullhop lived in the lair with Splinter and the Turtles as they helped Bullhop adjust to his new mutation. Splinter and Bullhop were never shown interacting much, but when Draxum had captured the Turtles and held them hostage in "End Game", Splinter summoned Bullhop's help as part of the B-Team (along with April, Franken-Foot, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., and Todd) to go rescue them.
- Todd Capybara: Splinter entrusted Todd to teach the Turtles wilderness survival training in "Todd Scouts" and when Draxum had captured the Turtles and held them hostage, Splinter summoned Todd's help as part of the B-Team (along with April, Bullhop, Franken-Foot, and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.) to go rescue them. Splinter, like so many others, is fond of Todd's lemonade.
- Sunita: Splinter and Sunita have not been shown interacting, but Splinter once entrusted her and April to be the lair's house sitters when he and the Turtles intended to head out for some wilderness survival training in "Cloak and Swaggart".
- Franken-Foot: When Draxum captured the Turtles and held them hostage, Splinter recruited Franken-Foot as part of the B-Team (along with April, Bullhop, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., and Todd) to go rescue them. Franken-Foot also once conspired with Splinter and Piebald to play an elaborate horror prank on the Turtles to punish them for previously flushing Piebald and lying about it.
- Baron Draxum: Splinter and Draxum share a complicated history that goes back to shortly before the Turtles were mutated. Draxum was no fan of Lou Jitsu's movies, but he was nevertheless in awe of his formidable might and fiery will and coveted the human warrior's DNA to create formidable warriors who would be raised to serve Draxum. Draxum helped Lou Jitsu escape Big Mama's servitude in exchange for agreeing to be Draxum's laboratory subject. Their arrangement quickly soured when Lou Jitsu opposed Draxum's plan for the Turtles and fled with the Turtles who he would raise as his own sons. It wasn't until Draxum encountered Lou Jitsu again in person in "Shadow of Evil" that he learnt he had become a mutant rat who called himself "Splinter". It was through Draxum in the same instant that the Turtles discovered for the first time that Splinter had actually been Lou Jitsu all along. Later in "End Game", Draxum captured the Turtles, holding them hostage and demanding Splinter exchange his last piece of the Kuroi Yōroi for their safe release, which Splinter eventually relented to. Draxum and Splinter met again later in "Repairin' the Baron" after Draxum had already been betrayed by his Foot Clan partners, his life force drained almost to death by the Kuroi Yōroi, become a wanted fugitive unable to return to the Hidden City, and their son Mikey shown Draxum the real love of a son. Mikey had tricked Splinter and the rest of his family into having dinner at Draxum's new apartment, but Draxum and Splinter loathed each other and the other sons didn't think much better of Draxum. Mikey's influence would later be instrumental in Draxum coming to a genuine change of heart by willingly risking his own life to save the lives of strangers; from then on, Draxum's sons started to accept him, and he gradually started loving them as his own sons, but Draxum and Splinter were still openly hostile to each other. Later, during a family tourism trip to the Hidden City in "Hidden City's Most Wanted" (where Draxum wore a cloaking brooch to disguise himself from the authorities), Mikey arranged for Draxum and Splinter to be his only company during their outing, in the hopes that he could inspire them to finally get along. After some initial conniving between the two fathers, Draxum's cover was blown, and all three had to hide from the Hidden City police in a dumpster; here, Draxum and Splinter were finally forced to face each other and talk, at first as a paint-peeling verbal fight about all the reasons they despised each other. But, almost like a miracle, Splinter realized he would never have had his sons in his life if Draxum had not made it happen, and Draxum recognized that he had wronged Splinter and appreciated that they were both fathers of a son who loved each of them, and this was enough for Draxum and Splinter to at least start trusting one another as the other of two parents of these children they had created together. From then on, for the most part, Draxum and Splinter started treating each other more respectfully, at least in front of their sons, and they would join together to fight in the defense of their sons when they were in danger. Later in "Anatawa Hitorijanai", after the Shredder had destroyed the lair and taken both Draxum and Splinter prisoner without their sons, at first it seemed that Draxum would again readily betray Splinter for Draxum's own self-interest, but Draxum had only feigned betraying Splinter in an attempt to attack their captors and Splinter apologized for momentarily doubting Draxum's honor. The two fathers were now truly allies, with or without their sons, and would not turn on each other again.
- Cassandra Jones / Foot Recruit: Foot Recruit was initially ordered by her Foot Clan superiors in "Hot Soup: The Game" to watch more Lou Jitsu movies, at a time when none of them even knew if Lou Jitsu was still around, much less that he was a mutant rat who would become their enemy. On this basis, Foot Recruit had already come to hold Splinter in esteem, even when they were on opposing sides. In "Always Be Brownies", when Foot Recruit had briefly taken Splinter prisoner, and she came to realize that her brownie business would not help the Foot Clan in the ways she had hoped, the two ended up bonding, with Splinter cheering Foot Recruit up with a pep talk and telling her a story about April and her lifetime of perseverance, though without mentioning April by name. From then on, even as enemies, Splinter and Foot Recruit considered each other friends. It was later in "Rise", when Foot Recruit felt split between her loyalty towards the Shredder and her desire not to harm Splinter, that she finally made a choice to turn against the Shredder and protect Splinter. Very soon after, Foot Recruit helped the rest of the Hamato Clan finally destroy the Shredder. No longer bound to the Shredder or the Foot Clan, Foot Recruit was finally not just a friend, but also an ally to Splinter and his family.
Enemies[]
- Kristoff Van Bradford: Lou Jitsu was a rival celebrity to Kristoff Van Bradford. He describes Kristoff Van Bradford as "an atrocious actor who is dishonorable to his core". Splinter hates him for his cheating ways of fighting and for taking over his Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu Dōjō.
- Big Mama: Lou Jitsu developed a romantic interest in Big Mama after meeting her on the set of one of his films and sometime later she became his girlfriend. Lou Jitsu grew to deeply love Big Mama and eventually proposed to her while they were on a date, but she revealed that she had always been a Yōkai and kidnapped him to the Hidden City, which severed him from human society. Lou Jitsu was then forced by Big Mama to compete in her Battle Nexus and at some point they consequently broke up. After a time, Lou Jitsu refused to participate in her Battle Nexus and he was imprisoned in the Battle Nexus by her. Lou Jitsu severed all connection with Big Mama once he let Draxum free him from his servitude until he encountered her again in "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man". Despite her betrayal, Splinter thinks very fondly of the person Big Mama had been to him prior to his kidnapping and his mutual chemistry with her has proved undiminished despite them being enemies. Simultaneously, Splinter resents her and regrets ever getting involved with her. He is guarded around Big Mama now and wants an apology from her. He attempted to rescue Big Mama from Foot Recruit's wrath in "Battle Nexus: New York", hoping there were redeemable qualities in her, but was unsuccessful. Splinter regrets trusting in "Many Unhappy Returns" that Big Mama wouldn't weaponize the Shredder after gaining custody of him as expressed in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
- Gus: Splinter knew Gus prior to "The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek" where they are first shown interacting due to his time at the Battle Nexus and the Grand Nexus Hotel and is quite afraid of him even currently.
- Huginn & Muninn: Huginn and Muninn brought Lou Jitsu to Draxum's laboratory from the Battle Nexus where he met the Turtles and was mutated.
- Rupert Swaggart / Meat Sweats: Splinter encountered Meat Sweats while driving the Turtle Tank around New York in "The Fast and the Furriest". He was bribed with food to enter Meat Sweats' truck where Splinter told him about his concept for a restaurant chain, unaware that Meat Sweats intended to eat him. He fled with Meat Sweats in his truck once the Turtles found him, but was eventually abandoned by Meat Sweats despite his protest. Splinter considers "Rupert" to be a worse name than "Meat Sweats".
- Mrs. Cuddles: Splinter finds Mrs. Cuddles to be ridiculous and her efforts as a cute rabbit to be intimidating endlessly amusing. He hates Mrs. Cuddles for terrorizing his family and her show taking over his favored TV schedule.
- The Foot Clan: The Foot Clan are the sworn enemy of the Hamato Clan. However, Splinter has spent most of his life unconcerned about the Foot. He briefly infiltrated their ranks in "Shadow of Evil" to prevent them from resurrecting the Shredder, but was revealed by the Turtles.
- Foot Lieutenant: Foot Lieutenant was Splinter's boss when he went undercover as a Foot recruit to obtain a piece of the Kuroi Yōroi.
- Foot Brute: Foot Brute was Splinter's boss when he went undercover as a Foot recruit to obtain a piece of the Kuroi Yōroi. Later in "End Game", Splinter broke into the Shredder's shrine and after defeating Foot Brute, stole his dual axes to fight Draxum with.
- Oroku Saki / The Shredder: Saki is technically Yoshi's ancestor as he is the ancestor of the Hamato bloodline through Karai. Yoshi spent most of his life discounting the Shredder's existence, instead believing he was a fictional figure. It wasn't until "Shadow of Evil" that he was forced to realize that the Shredder and the threat he posed had always been real. It was this revelation that led him to take training the Turtles more seriously. Splinter is quite afraid of the Shredder. He was held captive by him in "Anatawa Hitorijanai" and had his Hamato essence extracted from him and nearly absorbed by the Shredder in "Rise".
- The Evil Six: Splinter competed against the Evil Six as Rat Jitsu in the Battle Nexus alongside Leo in "Many Unhappy Returns" and was able to triumph over them.
- The Brownie Clan: Splinter was confronted and abducted by the Brownie Clan in "Always Be Brownies" for upstaging their brownie sales.
- Julia: Splinter was kidnapped by Julia for stealing the Grandma CJ Scouts' brownie consumers for April with his product promotion skills.
Quotes[]
- "I mean, come on, who buys an SUV from a bunny?" ("Mrs. Cuddles")
- "Well, look at you fancy-pants boys." ("The Evil League of Mutants")
- "I just figured that the guy who turned me into a rat could just mutate the mashed potatoes into cream corn!" ("Repairin' the Baron")
- "Yes! Audiobook." ("Insane in the Mama Train")
- "You destroyed my detective microwave friend!" ("Smart Lair")
- "I'm a...super master planner." ("Hidden City's Most Wanted")
- "Maybe I will call April. She is no snitch." ("The Fast and the Furriest")
- "Yes, your methods need work. Much, much, much, much, much work. But I am honored to be your teacher and proud to be your father." ("The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek")
- "Anything? Hmm...that is more than something and just shy of everything. Go on." ("The Longest Fight")
- "Okay, fine. I'll just start another family and join their band. ("Al Be Back")
- "What, Donnie? You do not need to do this." ("Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man")
Trivia[]
- This is the fourth version of TMNT to have Hamato Yoshi mutate from a human to a rat, the first version being the 1987 TV series, the second version being the Archie Comics' series loosely based on the 1987 series, and the third version being the 2012 TV series.
- Splinter is voiced by Eric Bauza, the same actor who voiced Tiger Claw in the 2012 TV series.
- Throughout most of season 1, it is hinted that Splinter was once Lou Jitsu (and Hamato Yoshi).
- Throughout Lou Jitsu's appearances until "Shadow of Evil", Eric Bauza has been credited as "Additional Voices" and not as "Lou Jitsu".
- Like with many celebrities, Splinter keeps copies of most of his merchandise. But the episode "Late Fee" suggests he may not have copies of all his own films, as he had rented one of his films and the episode's plot involved his sons' attempts to return it on time.
- Splinter's catchphrase is "Hot Soup".
- The name "Lou Jitsu" is a pun of the term jiu jitsu, an outdated romanization of the word jūjutsu (kanji: 柔術), which is the name of a Japanese martial art system.[3] The former variation is still used in derivative arts, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
- According to an interview, the reason that Splinter seemed out of shape is without immediate the threat of the Shredder, Lou Jitsu's growing disgust for fighting, and (based on Draxum's comments) his fear of treating his sons as weapons, he had no exact reason for training the Turtles. However, after they learn about threats such as Draxum and the fact that the Foot Clan is planning to revive the Shredder, he begins training the Turtles more seriously.
- According to Leo in "Mystic Mayhem", Splinter always falls asleep after eating milk and cake.
- Lou Jitsu's eyewear as a human strongly resembles Kamina and Simon's glasses from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
- While in Big Mama's Battle Nexus, Lou Jitsu briefly had a pet rat. This is a reference to previous incarnations of Hamato Yoshi having a pet rat that would later become Splinter.
- Lou Jitsu's jumpsuits were/are made from spandex ("Jupiter Jim Ahoy!").
- Out of the Turtles, Splinter refers to Donnie and Leo by their mask color the most.
- Lou Jitsu's difficulty coming up with good names for the Turtles as shown in a flashback ("Goyles, Goyles, Goyles") might be this continuity's explanation of why they wear different colored masks as opposed to the uniform red of the Hamato Clan.
- It is likely Splinter hasn't attempted to teach his sons Japanese, a result of his estrangement from his clan and its culture.[8]
- The running gag of Splinter being unable to tell his sons apart (which is sometimes implied to be intentional teasing) is ironic given each Turtle is a different species in this continuity.
- Although some of Splinter's model sheets portray him wearing a patterned yukata, this design is never depicted in the show. It is, however, depicted in the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics (Sound Off!).
- It was revealed in April 2021 from Rise of the TMNT writer Ron Corcillo in a Tweet that the explanation behind the difference in Lou Jitsu's natural voice versus his voice in film is the presence of English dubbing over the films from his Japanese era of work such as Teriyaki Shakedown. However, this difference turns into code-switching when Lou Jitsu is seen on a film set in a flashback and can be heard speaking with an Americanized accent ("E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind").[9][2]
- Code-switching (colloquially) is the act of marginalized communities, notably BIPOC, performing the mainstream culture in order to prevent ostracization and violence from others.
- Even currently, Splinter sometimes changes his voice to an Americanized accent (though not as strongly as in his films) when playing his recurring character, average teenager Randall, as part of his "being perceived as average" gimmick.
- These moments allude that, in-universe, Lou Jitsu's image could only be ethnic to a certain extent to be palatable for an American audience as determined by his talent manager, thus encouraging him to speak without his Japanese accent and use a stage name.
Gallery[]
- Splinter (Rise of the TMNT)/Gallery
- Splinter (Rise of the TMNT)/Animations
- Splinter (Rise of the TMNT)/Appearances
References[]
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CQkDo3ggfaO/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://twitter.com/RonCorcillo/status/1386220225155112963
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://twitter.com/RCoA/status/1194817049081462785
- ↑ https://twitter.com/RCoA/status/1298130461223354369
- ↑ https://twitter.com/RCoA/status/1306782752625356801
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMyonPFcY3Y
- ↑ https://twitter.com/RonCorcillo/status/1542035037675069440
- ↑ https://twitter.com/RCoA/status/1215640308660109317
- ↑ https://twitter.com/RonCorcillo/status/1386197803022524416
|
This article uses content from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wiki.
The original article can be found here and the original contributors here.
The content is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license. |