The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are some of the most iconic amphibian-based superheros in existence. They originate from comics, but have had many adaptations on the screen. The four main turtles are easily the most iconic, but they aren't necessarily the most skilled.
10 Lita Is Originally Just a Regular Girl Who is Affected by a Mutagen Bomb
The Turtles Eventually Show Lita How to Harness Her New Powers
Lita is one of the most recent editions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mythos. She is solely the creation of IDW comics, and hasn't appeared in any on-screen media since her comic debut. Lita is originally a young albino girl who forcibly becomes a turtle after being affected by a Mutagen bomb. After her transformation, she is found and cared for by the original turtles and actively trains with them at their dojo.
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The newest turtle's most important abilities come in the form of "Big Lita", her future time-traveling counterpart. She arrives only four issues after Lita's official introduction in IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #101, and attempts to avoid a devastating conflict between The Turtles and The Foot. Aside from her time-travelling powers, her character isn't that unique. Moreover, young Lita doesn't demonstrate nearly half the skills as her more aged counterpart.
9 April O' Neil Becomes a Turtle Briefly in the Archie Comics Adaptation of the Franchise
She Doesn't Have Her Turtle Powers For Long
April O' Neil is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' most consistent allies. She is involved in almost every major TMNT adaptation, and is constantly rebooted along with the Turtles. Yet, the character's arguably most interesting period comes from Archie Comics. During a large battle, April is exposed to Mutagen and very briefly becomes a female turtle. April performs decidedly well despite having never been exposed to mutagen previously, but ultimately desires to return to her human form.
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While in her Turtle form, April dons a white bandanna and welds a single sword. She is only a turtle for the entirety of the special, but fairs somewhat well, all things considered. Despite not being an actively fighting member of the team, it's clear her time with the Turtles has rubbed off. She might not be able to take down Shredder on her own, but it's clear that April can hold her own in a fight, even as a turtle.
8 Jennika Becomes a Mutant Turtle After a Blood Transfusion From Leonardo
She Primarily Wears Yellow, In Line With the Other Mainline Turtles
Jennika is another one of IDW Publishing's more recent creations and is one of the only female turtles in comics history. The series had famously been prevented from creating a female turtle until finally being given the green light with Jennika. She is an avid martial artist and begins her story as a human, before suffering a mortal wound. She then receives a blood transfusion from Leonardo, starting her transformation.
As a member of the TMNT, Jennika wears Yellow and is a combination of Leonardo and Raphael. She carries a single Katana, but also wears a bladed gauntlet called a Tekko-kagi. Jennika is a fantastically skilled combatant, but her relatively short time as a turtle puts her at a disadvantage compared to her other more mutated opponents.
7 Venus De Milo Uses Magic to Enhance Her Martial Arts
Venus Rarely Appears Outside of Her Original Series
Venus De Milo is the only female Ninja Turtle to feature on the screen. She appears in the comics several times after her original television debut, but many remember Milo from Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. The series even had a crossover episode with Power Rangers In Space. Aside from already admirable Martial Arts skills, Venus also has access to magic in the form of intense chi attacks.
In combat, Venus primarily uses two weaponized fans called Tessen, but she has been known to use armored balls called Kai Mi as well. She is one of the more versatile fighters of the turtles, but her lack of experience puts her at a disadvantage. Overall, Venus De Milo is incredibly skilled, but only in certain situations. She is also one of the only turtles to wear the same color as one of the original four, although her gear is a slightly lighter blue in the television series.
6 Tokka Is a Powerful Snapping Turtle WIth Barely Any Intelligence
Tokka Is One of Shredder's Most Reliable Enforcers
Tokka is a regular snapping turtle who is provided with monstrous proportions thanks to some extreme mutagen. In terms of raw power, Tokka is almost unstoppable. He has an insane bite capable of utter destruction and is incredibly strong to boot. The alligator snapping turtle is often partnered with the equally dim-witted Rahzar to form a stronger but stupider Bebop and Rocksteady-like pairing.
Depending on the iteration, Tokka sometimes comes to the aid of the turtles, but he is typically one of Shredder's many minions. He lacks the general intelligence to do pretty much anything but fight. Yet, with the right direction, he can be a truly formidable opponent. Thankfully, his lack of brains severely limits his already incredible brawn.
5 Donatello Makes Up For His Lack of Combat Skills With Clever Gadgets
Donatello Makes a Majority of the Technology Used by the TMNT Team
Donatello might not be the most gifted fighter out of the original four turtles, but he is undoubtedly the most intelligent. He creates or modifies almost all the gear used by the turtles in the field. Without Donatello, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would've come unprepared for many important battles. Sadly, in many adaptations, the turtle is hyper critical of himself, which can sometimes get in the way of his success.
The purple-centric turtle spends most of his days in his own head or at the computer, but will do anything he can to help his brothers. The somewhat anxiety-ridden turtle often puts himself in the path of danger for his brother's benefit. Donnie might not like leaving the sewers as much as his brothers, but he'll do it if it means going on patrol and scavenging some new tech to play with.
4 Raphael Lets His Anger Cause Him to Act Irrationally
Raphael Could Lead the Team If He Weren't Blinded By Emotion
Raphael possesses an incredible amount of potential, but is consistently held back by his intense emotions. In almost every adaptation of the series, Raphael is hot-headed and quick to anger. This can sometimes get him into trouble with his brothers and his enemies alike. His emotional outbursts have even caused him to come to blows with his brothers in a few TMNT adaptations.
When it comes to physical strength, Raphael is completely unmatched out of the original four turtles. However, his enemies often distract him in fights and prevent him from fighting at his fullest. Once Raph learns to center himself, there aren't many enemies who can defeat him. Sadly, Raphael usually doesn't reach the required level of zen until towards the end of each version.
3 Michelangelo Has the Most Raw Potential Out of His Brothers
Michelangelo Would Easily be the Strongest Turtle If He Consistently Practiced
Michelangelo is easily the most fun-loving and childish of the original four turtles, but his is also the most gifted. In many adaptations, if Mikey simply stopped goofing around and trained hard, there's no one who could defeat him. Unfortunately, that mindset would go against everything that Michelangelo stands for. He is the party dude after all.
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There is one version of the TMNT where Mikey's brothers all die in battle, where he becomes The Last Ronin. As the Last Ronin, Mikey is easily one of the most powerful characters in the entire franchise, but the loss it takes for him to achieve this power simply isn't worth it. The Last Ronin is an incredibly cool character, but it's somewhat devastating to watch one of the most fun-loving characters in media forcibly mature due to induced trauma.
2 Slash Is One Of The Strongest Turtles in the Franchise
Slash Is a Popular Anti-Hero in the TMNT Franchise
Slash is a recurring anti-hero in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise, who often serves as a member of the Mutanimals. That said, he is easily one of the physically strongest turtles in the entire franchise. Slash even makes Raphael look weak by comparison. Slash's weapons are rarely consistent, but his raw power is a key concept of his character.
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The Alligator snapping turtle is adorned with various spikes in every TMNT adaptation. That said, he takes on a more unique form in the 1987 series, where he was first introduced. His original character is fit with several cybernetic enhancements, but is the shape of a regular turtle. Later adaptations seemingly swap his cybernetic side with innumerable size. Thankfully, Slash is often on the side of the turtles, albeit with some convincing.
1 Leonardo Is the Team's Dedicated Leader for a Reason
He is the Wisest and Best Trained Combatant of the Original Turtles
Leonardo is the team's leader, and the most level-headed of the Ninja Turtles. He is also arguably the most skilled in terms of training. In addition to Master Splinter's direction, Leonardo spends hours a day honing his abilities. Leo wields two swords, sometimes katana or ninjato, to absolutely devastating effect.
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Leonardo is many fans' favorite ninja due to his noble heart and extensive skills. Leo is a decisive leader, but has also demonstrated the ability to mess around when necessary. As far as the Ninja Turtles go, he is easily the most skilled and the most powerful.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Release Date
- 1987 - 1996-00-00
- Network
- Nickelodeon
- Directors
- Bill Wolf
- Writers
- Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, David Wise
Cast
-
Cam ClarkeLeonardo -
Barry GordonDonatello
-
Townsend ColemanMichaelangelo
-
Peter RenadaySplinter
