Summary
- Different weapons were originally assigned to each Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for easy identification in early designs.
- Raphael once rocked tonfa instead of sai, while Michelangelo wielded a manriki-gusari before settling on nunchaku.
- Fans have speculated on the origin of the Turtles’ weapons, with theories suggesting Splinter assigned them based on personalities.
Everyone knows the distinctive weaponry of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but how many fans know their original ninja weapons? An issue of the original black-and-white series depicts an early mission before the Turtles were fully seasoned, and a few hadn’t settled on their trademark weaponry.
Ask any kid on the street, and they’ll be able to tell you each Turtles’ distinctive weapon without missing a beat: Leonardo uses the katana swords, Donatello a bo staff, Michelangelo the nunchaku and Raphael has a pair of sai. Considering the original designs for the Turtles had them all wearing identical red masks, giving each their own weapon so readers would be able to tell them apart was a masterstroke. Yet, this wasn’t always the case.
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The Ninja Turtles’ First Mission Came Before Weapons
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9 by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird and Michael Dooney tells a story of the pre-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, still in training and not quite fully-formed ninja warriors. Master Splinter is asked by the aging Gosei Hatsumi to rescue his son and grandson from an upcoming assassination attempt, and sends the Turtles on a mission to stop the assassins.
Since they are still in training, not every Turtle has decided what their weapon of expertise will be. Leonardo and Donatello have settled on the sword and bo, but their brothers haven’t locked-in their weapons of choice. Instead of nunchaku, Michelangelo wields the manriki-gusari, a weighted chain often carried by ancient ninja. And instead of his trademark sai, Raphael uses a pair of baton-like tonfa.
The TMNT Originally Had Different Weapons
In spite of being different weapons than fans are used to seeing, Michelangelo and Raphael make good use of them throughout the issue. The two weapons used look great in action, with Michelangelo’s manriki-gusari being particularly versatile in the way it can be used at both close- and long-range. The tonfa’s offensive and defensive capabilities make it a dynamic weapon to watch in action, with Raphael able to block his enemies’ moves and counter them with devastating blows in quick succession.
In an ironic turn of events, Michelangelo would actually wind up using the tonfa as his primary weapon in the much-maligned Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation TV series, due to the nunchaku being outlawed in various countries.
The TMNT’s Raphael Strikes With The Tonfa
Of course, Michelangelo and Raphael would eventually settle on the familiar weapons known to casual observers and hardcore fans alike. In author notes to The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Vol. 2, co-creator Kevin Eastman states:
“We had Don with the staff, and Leo using the swords – but we hadn’t had Mike and Raph zero in on their trademark choice yet… but they were close.”
They may be well-defined now, but canonically the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had to try a few options before settling on their trademark weapons.
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Fan Theories Have Explained The Origin of The TMNT Weapons
Exactly where the Ninja Turtles got their weapons has always been something fans have fixated upon, with a popular fan theory suggesting the Ninja Turtles’ weapons were assigned by Splinter, based on their personalities.
Another fan theory has also suggested one of the most compelling motivations for the Turtles’ weapon selection, revealing the merciful heart and masterful manipulation on Splinter’s behalf. As the teens’ sensei explains in 2018’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #80 by Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz, Brahm Revel, Ronda Pattinson, and Shawn Lee, Splinter gave the Turtles defensive weapons, to protect both their honor and their enemies.
Were The TMNT’s Main Weapons A Total Accident?
Where the movie Turtles simply found the weapons in the sewer (or took from Splinter’s armory), the original Mirage Comics version of TMNT simply gave them different weapons to more easily differentiate them for fans, without any reason given as to who fights with what. But in the Archie Comics version of TMNT, specifically Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #71 and #72, Splinter tells April the story of how the Turtles got their weapons.
While fighting some criminals to help save a friend of Splinter’s, the Turtles all started out using Bo staffs, but as the fight raged on, their weapons became destroyed. Michelangelo’s staff was split in half, which he began using as two separate tonfas, before tying them together to make nunchaku. Likewise, Raphael’s staff was shredded to resemble sais. The two found these weapons worked better for them, and were able to dispatch the criminals.
Donatello almost ended up with a completely different weapon when, after the Turtles save Splinter’s friend, she gifts them with a boomerang. Intending to use it in combat, but soon losing it without a trace, Donatello simply returned to his staff, and the rest is history.
Whether official or unofficial, fans looking for a reasoning behind the weapon wielded by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have their pick of brilliant explanations. Which they believe is up to them.
Source: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Vol. 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #72
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