Did you like miss the entire episode where raph went insane from being alone or….. were you watching with your eyes closed? :)
Of course I saw that episode :) In fact (as I say about many others), it’s one of my favorites! It clearly shows that Raph has a hard time being alone and that he needs his brothers (season 1, episode 21a: “Man vs. Sewer”).
But Raph isn’t a static character, and he has some character growth: little by little, he learns to trust his brothers more, as we see at the end of season two and also in the movie (especially with the leadership shift with Leo). And there’s also in season 2, episode 8a: Raph’s Ride-Along, where Raph is already handling things on his own as best he can. Another piece of evidence of his growth to being alone.
Now, in season 2, episode 5b (“Pizza Puffs”), Raph gets angry because he’s been doing all the missions on his own while his brothers don’t really follow through. That’s where my comment came from: “Rise Raph was this close to going solo—no doubt about it—just like 2007 Raph and 2012 Raph. It’s in his blood. Just saying.” (Context here)
I wasn’t saying he was going to abandon his team. In this version, that wouldn’t even make sense—he’s the leader. There’s no contradiction. He was angry, yes, but the way he handled it was by making his brothers take responsibility for their own messes.
If we compare with other versions:
In 2007, Leo (the leader) had left them for a long time, and even though Raph said otherwise, he needed him. That’s why he became destabilized, and his way of dealing with it was going off on his own.
In 2012, Raph is more impulsive, constantly clashes with Leo’s leadership, and ends up going solo on multiple occasions. But he would never abandon his brothers. He’s very protective of his family (and he always came back to the team, which shows that his actions were emotional reactions—not a true rejection).
In short: yes, I saw the episode you mentioned. Yes, I understand Rise Raph and his development. And I also understand the other versions of Raph, with whom he can be compared in certain aspects.
