The Turtles We Saw Ourselves in
So who’s your favorite turtle?
The simple question everyone asked.
When I was first introduced to TMNT, it was always Michangelo.
Life was a bit difficult for me growing up. I experienced loss and tragedy at an early age, and looking back, Michangelo represented the only emotion that I wanted to feel - happiness. He was constantly fun and making jokes - nothing bothered him. He loved the simple things in life - pizza and making everyone smile. I had happiness in my life for sure, but in those moments of saddness, I easily gravitated to his laidback personality.
As I got older, I found myself drawn to Leonardo. I’m the youngest, the baby. I was never the leader. I wasn’t someone they paid attention to. No one listens to the baby afterall. Leo was everything I wanted to become. Calm. Responsible. Someone people looked to when things got difficult.
The funny thing is that I spent years avoiding Raphael, thinking I never related to him. But I actually understood his anger more than I wanted to admit. It was almost uncomfortable because it reflected feelings I was trying to hold inside. But underneath his anger was someone who cared deeply, felt things intensely, and struggled to properly express those feelings.
Donatello was the other turtle I felt I didn’t connect with. I didn’t see myself as intelligent. Looking back, that wasn’t true at all. It wasn’t intelligence, but curiosity that best represented him. And I was all about science, experimenting, creating and building things - trying to always figure it out and think outside the box.
That’s the thing about the Ninja Turtles. They’re not really four completely different characters.
They’re four different pieces of all of us.
As for the “ending” of the Turtles in The Last Ronin (NO SPOILERS PLEASE! I’m begging you!), I have not watched it nor read what happened. I know that I’ll be crying my eyes out, as these turtles were a huge part of my life. I won’t mention it, but I do know who the last Ronin is. There was a recent announcement that the game was being created. I can’t wait!
Not to watch the story, but to experience it.
So now I'm curious:
Which turtle are you most like?
JOIN the 3BC DISCORD community (link below) and let us know what you think!
#tmnt-pick-your-turtle
