Dissecting the Krang Fight
I've wanted to do this for a while but was afraid I was going to step on some toes, so I never did. Also, finding the clips I want to find is hell, so I'm not sure where to start. However, I haven't seen it done and I want to have this stashed somewhere for posterity, so I'm doing it.
Leo in Rise is a showboat. He adores showing off, peacocking, and everything else that addresses vanity to the point where it shows up in his fighting. I can think of two moments when it's at its extreme, though, and that would be in Many Unhappy Returns with the fight against the Kraken and the Evil Six.
And the fight against Shredder where he just... grabs his sword with his teeth because he freaking can.
In fact, it's only in the movie where I would say that we see Leo's true potential as a fighter and a strategist and I think I can boil it down to three moments. The one where he goes for the key and Raph has to sacrifice himself to make sure Leo gets home. The fight with Krang Raph. And the one that absolutely takes it home, the sacrifice against Krang.
The first fight with Krang, he's still showing off to a certain degree. Playing distraction, trying to figure out what the Krang are capable of right up until their powers get stolen. Then, Splinter gets hurt, things turn for the worst, and Leo...
is left with no other choice but to plan on the fly.
And he does it. Blows every expectation out of the water and manages to get the Key from under Krang's nose. What did him in? He only thought of getting the Key. He didn't think beyond it. He forgot his escape plan.
The second moment would be the fight with Krang Raph.
Again, he's trying to figure things out and trying to buy time. He knows he's got to get his brother back, but he's also playing distraction. Krang's watching and that's keeping his eye off Leo's brothers.
The third moment, the one everyone remembers.
The one where Leo puts everything on the line and is left to make a decision that he knows he has to take despite knowing what it's going to cost, and here's why.
The entire fight with Krang, that self-sacrifice, is long decided even before he stands.
is when he formulates what he's got to do to save everyone. Not to win the fight, to save everyone. Why?
The fight itself lasts two moves. Two of Leo's moves, too. The portal first and then him swinging his blade off into the Prison Dimension. He did not let Krang do anything that could sabotage him. He was running on low already, he had one chance.
And he made it count. This was thought through. Leonardo Hamato knew exactly how to play his cards against Krang and got a victory out of it.
How is this insane? Because typical heroes don't do that. You know who does? Chessmasters and Villains. The ones with the grand plans that the heroes have to struggle to stop.
Leo's strength in Rise is downplayed and minimized. Why? Because if they did trust him, he would be devastating.