#tmnt 2036

[lazyvase]

Is it just me, or do this guy:

And this guy:

Kinda resemble each other?

[lazyvase]

TMNT (2036): Heroes

TMNT 2036 is my own iteration. I chose the year 2036 because the time span between 2012 and 2036 is about the same as the time span between 1987 and 2012.

Let's start with the heroes.

Splinter

Now, one of my least favorite interpretations of Splinter is when he used to be a rat instead of Hamato Yoshi. This is for two main reasons: 1. It removes the personal connection to Shredder. At best, Splinter hates Shredder for killing his master, with Shredder not really caring. At worst, the two don't give a shit about each other. Shredder is often at his best when his main goal is specifically to kill Splinter and the turtles. He best serves as the turtles' personal enemy. (Though that may be my 2012 bias). 2. A regular, normal rat learning martial arts is too ridiculous. It's literally the fairy vs. walrus situation, where the normal creature doing something unexpected is less believable than the mystical, magic creature existing.

All that being said, I made Splinter originally a rat. WITH ONE KEY DIFFERENCE. His owner was not Hamato Yoshi, it was Oroku Saki. (In fact, I'm not sure if Hamato Yoshi even exists in this iteration). This change in ownership allows Splinter and Shredder to still have a direct connection, though this one will be significantly different than everything that's come before. Splinter was a gift to Saki by his mother, Oroku Miyoko (1987 reference). The two were inseparable, with Saki even taking Splinter to his training with the Foot Clan. While there, Splinter saw all sorts of training and warriors. While he couldn't practice as a rat, he still retained the memories of his best friend training and practicing. Now, I'm not sure exactly how things go down but tragedy strikes Saki. His mother dies. Both Saki and Splinter (who Miyoko had always been kind to) were both devastated. Whether through grief, or anger, or accident. Saki loses Splinter.

The rest goes relatively the same. Splinter stumbles across 4 turtles. Goop attack. They all become mutants. Splinter has a new family, but the pain of losing his old family still haunts him. His memory enhanced by the ooze, Splinter is able to teach himself to fight like the masters Saki studied under. Soon, he begins to teach his sons the same.

After about 15 years, the turtles want to go to the surface. Despite his fear, he agrees and takes them up. Things play out like how @cnwolf-brainrot said, as Splinter (being afraid to lose his family again) accompanies/leads them on missions. This allows me to have the turtles go against much more dangerous and powerful foes in the earlier seasons, while still making it be believable that they can survive. For Splinter is nearly as powerful as his 2012 counterpart.

When he runs back into Saki, Splinter is heartbroken. His best friend is now a cruel criminal. While he despises Saki for how far he's fallen, Splinter still hopes that Saki will change, and become the good man he once was.

Leonardo

As usual, Leo is the most responsible of the turtles. He follows Master Splinter to the letter and never questions him. However, there is a reason for this. Without his loyalty, Leo is unremarkable. And he knows this. He's not as strong as Raph. He's not as smart as Donatello. And he's not as stealthy as Mikey. He has a real middle-child syndrome. He thinks that the best way to stand out is to be the most faithful to his father's wishes and guidance, unlike his brothers. One aspect I want to play with is the turtles' masks. They'll still be all their iconic colors, but I want to add a few little details to each of them. For instance, Leo has the cleanest mask. He takes good care of it and washes it whenever he can.

Donatello

Donatello is sort of a merge between his 2012 and Rise versions. He's anxious to the point of being kinda cold and distant. He's kinda burnt out. There's 1000% going to be an arc of him getting fed up with always being the solution. Often indulges in TV and gaming as a distraction.

Raphael

Raph is going to portrayed as both the "youngest" and the comedic relief in my incarnation. I'm going for that gremlin child energy. He's the shortest of the brothers. Always ready for a fight and hyperviolent, Raph has been known to bite his opponents, constantly. He's what's making me consider having the turtles be different species, though not to the same extreme as Rise. His mask has stitches in it.

Michelangelo

Mikey has the most changes. He's portrayed as the "oldest". He's the tallest. He not super energetic. He's much more chilled and relax. Stoned older brother vibes. Rodrick Heffley if he wasn't a jerk. Still the party dude, he plans on just coasting through life. Mikey is the one who buts heads with Leo the most. Leo takes everything super seriously and Mikey doesn't take anything seriously. Still, Mikey is devoted to his brothers, and would do anything for them. His mask has plenty of stains on it.

April O'Neil

April O'Neil is a highschooler at Eastman-Laird High (since its apparently required to namedrop them). She's an outcast (Mutant Mayhem). Her friend Irma, a massive nerd, has better social skills than her. April is often seen as a nosy and gossipy. However, it would be more accurate to say she's investigative. She currently runs a YouTube channel exposing corruption and crime. Currently, she's hot on the trail of the many, many, many, many unethical and illegal practices of Stockman Industries. She first meets the turtles when they're all captured by Stockman Industries. They work together to escape, and the turtles gain their first human friend. She has dyed red hair in a pony tail, but you can often see her naturally brown roots. I'm continuing the pattern of making April black (Rise, Mutant Mayhem). Suspicious yet curious, April is the perfect in-between for the pedestrian and strange features of New York.

Casey Jones

Casey Jones is the star hockey player of Eastman-Laird High. She's the pride of the school. She's the most popular girl in her class. A real jock. And jerk. She's April's bully. For the first season she's more of an obstacle for April and occasionally the turtles. But by season 2, after seeing all the mutant and criminal danger out in the city, she becomes the vigilante "Skullcrusher". She wears a hockey-mask with a skull painted on, and a crack painted over the skull. Brash and reckless as ever, it's no wonder why her and Raph get along so well. Her appearance resembles more of the earlier Casey Joneses (1987 and 2003). Muscular with long messy black hair. (As much as I love 2012, he's way too skinny). While not the best influence (Splinter is not a big fan of her at first), she's exactly what the turtles need to come out of their shells.

[lazyvase]

This might be a hard question to answer, but have you thought about what TMNT 2036 would look like in terms of art style? Would you want it to be 2D animated or use 3D models? Would it be more "grungy" and geometric like 2012 and Mutant Mayhem, or more wild and expressive like Rise, or more grounded like 03? Is the style somehow completely new that it's hard to compare to the prior incarnations? Do you have any specific design notes for the specific characters that you didn't mention in your big post on the heroes? How "weird" do the turtles look, pretty standard or would they push the bar even further than Rise did in making them stand out? Splinter's always changes a lot, what's he supposed to look like?

Sorry if this is a tough thing to ask, I know it's hard to describe something like a visual style without any kind of existing reference. But I also wanna come as close as I can to getting the same mental image of this iteration that's in your hand, and... MAYBE no promises at all Whatsoever don't count on it, try to give it some manner of actual visual interpretation? I'd do it completely out of my own reading of what you've said already without me asking directly, but I felt the end result would be more accurate if I did.

Regardless, I'm excited to see what else you have in mind in general for this! For as fun as a franchise like TMNT is with how it reiterates old concepts in new ways, it's a little shocking to me I haven't seen more people suggest their own iterations. I'll be honest and say I'm a little baffled I haven't had any ideas for my own Turtles (though I DO have part of an Avengers incarnation I had some scattered ideas for, might get back to that eventually), so I'm very glad you're picking up the slack in that sense. I might chip in with potential ideas as I get them but for now I definitely wanna wait and hear what you have in mind for the basics first. Excited to hear more when you have it!

This IS a hard question to answer, but I don't mind at all (Thank you for the ask!). I don't have too much of a consistent style in my mind, but I do have a few stray thoughts.

In terms of design desire, I'd say it's most similar to TMNT 2012 (for obvious reasons) with the turtles being blatantly different, without it being exaggerated like Rise or arguably even Mutant Mayhem. They're rather bulky (TMNT 2012 levels of bulky with defined muscles). I don't know what exactly grungy looks like, but if it's anything like 2012/Mutant Mayhem then I suppose they are(?). I definitely can see the argument for a geometric art style (more in a bit). I would want them to look more standard. Yet my imagination has other plans.

I have no idea if it would be 2D or 3D animated.

I'll start with Mikey and Donnie for they share an interesting similarity: I can't stop seeing their Mutant Mayhem heads. Granted it's not exactly their Mutant Mayhem versions. My Mikey has a much bigger forehead, and has a skin tone much more similar to 2012. I really think it's his gangly/lanky body that remind me of the Mutant Mayhem version. Though I can also see my Mikey having his eyes more spaced apart. I'm actually kinda inspired by the original comics by having Mikey's forehead just be a lump on top of his head. Mikey is the tallest of the 4. Not sure how tall exactly. But his brother typically have to look UP at him. (Though if this gets changed to make their heights more consistent it's fine with me.)

(Just have his mask lower (like where this one's nose would be), and I'd think we'd be close to what's in my head.)

Also, despite me kinda picturing Mutant Mayhem Donnie, my Donnie DOES NOT HAVE GLASSES. I'm one of those people who don't like it when they add the classes to convey "nerd". Maybe a more circular head? I also want my Donnie to be kinda pathetic. He and Leo are about the same height. (Donnie may be slightly taller. Who knows.)

For Raph I have two main sources: @/nerves-nebula's drawings (warning: it heavily discusses and alludes to topics such as abuse/SA/incest, so proceed with your own caution). And Bowser Jr. In fact, whenever I imagine Raph, he's the only who doesn't have proper eyes. He just has two dots. Though for consistency sake its best if he does I imagine. To expand more on the Bowser Jr inspiration, he's also comically short. As big as Rise Raph is, 2036 Raph is small. He's like half the other turtle's height. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I much prefer it when the turtles are about the same height (akin to 2012). On the other hand, this is so much funnier. It makes the moments when he FNAF jumpscares a Foot soldier or other enemy much funnier. It also allows him to bite onto some poor enemy's arm and force them to shake him off. Raph is the main reason why I kinda want to make the turtles different species of turtles, as he's so inconsistent from the others.

Raph's head kinda reminds me of Trappinch. The visible mouth/teeth outline is ESSENTIAL. HE CHOMPS!!!!!

Though ultimately it's for the best if Raph loses being the most cartoony for being more consistent with his brothers.

I have no clue for Leo. Mutant Mayhem kinda fits. But it's not perfect. I really only have vibes to go off of. He's a unique blend of 2003, 2012, and Mutant Mayhem. He takes everything as seriously as 2003, but doesn't have the authority to actually do anything about it. This results in him being kinda whiny.

The shell size for the turtles is the same as 2012. Gives them normalish body proportions. But still allows them to full retract. I'd also like the shells to look rather tough (maybe 2003 tough?), because, just like (of all inspirations) the Micheal Bay movies, the turtles are bullet proof. BUT ONLY WHEN RETRACTED IN THEIR SHELLS. Fun fact: Being bulletproof is what forces most of the villains to use laser guns and stuff because that's the only thing that could theoretical pierce their shells. Bullets don't work on Splinter either because he just Matrix-dodges them all.

Speaking of Splinter, he's heavily inspired by his 2012 version proportions wise. Very tall (though Mikey is as tall as he is). His fur is a light brown, akin to early incarnations. Most of his height is in his tall, thin legs. I don't know why I keep coming back to this design feature, but I think it's funny. Chicken legs Splinter. His most vital design element is his mouth (nose/snout?) being super long as well. This mostly so when he puts on his "human" disguise (just a bunch of human clothing hiding his features), his face mask is stretched out to the point in looks like a cone.

My April is heavily inspired by Mutant Mayhem April. She may be a bit more bottom-heavy than MM April. I'm also don't see 2036 wearing glasses, but if it completes the look then I don't mind. Now, the most important part is her hair. It is specifically the 2003 April's shade of red. She dyes it that way. Her hairstyle is inconsistent in my mind, but it often looks similar to 2003 April's due to color association. Though I imagine one of her bangs(?) being much much much longer on one side of her head than the other.

My Casey has the muscle mass of 1987, the hair of 2003, and the iconic gap tooth of 2012. I can see her head often being more oblong. She's often seen in gray/light-blue tank top, pridefully showing off her arms. As stated before, her hockey mask is painted with a skull featuring a large crack.

Now, as a bonus, I'll go over two villains I ever so briefly mentioned in the heroes post.

Baxter Stockman mostly resembles his 2003 design, although he has 2012's mustache.

Oroku Saki is also heavily inspired by his 2003 design. Though he also has a bit of 2003 Hamato Yoshi in him too. Given that's he's Splinter's owner and all that. I really want Saki to just look like a normal guy. His Shredder armor is also heavily inspired by 2003. Unlike 2012, there is not an inch of skin visible. The most important part of the 2003 inspiration is the fact that you can only see his glowing eyes in the mask, though they're pure white in this incarnation (like the fortnite skin).

I also really like this helmet design in general.

The most important part of 2036 Saki is that he has 2012's vambraces. Those are the coolest shit in media. I'll be damned if my Shredder doesn't have those exact ones. INCLUDE THEM!!!!.

Oh, and by the way, here's a visual teaser for another iconic TMNT villain in my incarnation:

Well that's about everything I can think of. Once again, thank you so much for the ask! It feels great to get all these clashing and conflicting design elements off my chest. It means so much to me that people are interested in my ideas. And don't worry, I already got three 2036 posts in the works. And I welcome any of your ideas.

[lazyvase]

The Stockman Value

Fun Fact: Baxter Stockman is in the top three most recurring villains for TMNT.

Baxter Stockman

Baxter Stockman, son of Senator Robert Stockman, is the CEO and founder of Stockman Industries. His corporation amassed its massive wealth through the creation of the MOUSERS. Unlike most real-life billionaires, Stockman actually invents and builds all his horrible, unethical, and straight-up evil devices himself.

He has the confidence of his 2003 counterpart. He has a habit of blaming other people for his failures. He will do whatever it takes to gain more wealth and power.

At the start of the series he is hunting mutants. He believes they are the key to a new energy source. Which he will patent and hoard to make himself ten times richer. He doesn’t care if he has to tear the mutants apart, piece by piece.

Bebop & Rocksteady

Anton “Bebop” Zeck and Ivan “Rocksteady” Steranko are two of the most feared mercenaries in the world. As ruthless as they are dangerous, Bebop and Rocksteady never ask questions. Despite not being mutants, the pair are still a major threat to the turtles. Going toe-to-toe with them in fighting skill and prowess, and exceeding them in strength. Under the employment of Baxter Stockman, the pair has access to a variety of high-tech weapons and gadgets.

Zeck is not as big as his partner, but he is definitely not made of toothpicks like his 2012 self. He’s more focused on agility and gadgets, even known to tinker with Stockman’s tech, much to the businessman’s annoyance. Zeck is not lacking in strength in the slightest. His signature purple mohawk is less exaggerated in his human form. He, of course, has a deep appreciation of bebop jazz.

Steranko is big and wide. He is incredibly strong, and has mastered over 80 fighting styles. He, of course, has a deep appreciation of rocksteady jazz.

Chaplin

Chaplin is Stockman’s assistant and biggest fan. He’s basically the average twitter (legally known as X) user and Elon Musk defender. He thinks Stockman can do no wrong. He’s a sweet guy, if your name is Baxter Stockman. Otherwise, he’s as big of an asshole as the average Elon Musk defender.

MOUSERS and More

Throughout the series, we see a variety of MOUSERS and MOUSER adjacent robots.

Stockman Industries gained its positive public image through the MOUSERS, a multiple use robot. It’s pest control. It’s home security. It’s child entertainment. It’s a pseudo family pet. Connect to the MOUSER app on your phones. Call the number on your screen and receive the special Sonar MOUSER.

WRATHS. Emphasis on the RAT part. These are based heavily on the MOUSERS, but are much taller. Their proportions are similar to a velociraptor in the Jurassic Park series. Though the head is still perfectly round like a MOUSER. They are used for security. They are also sold for use in militaries, specifically the US military.

Mega MOUSER (Name pending). A MOUSER roughly the size of a double decker bus.

Metalhead

Internet username “Metalhead2021” (real name: Melanie) is Donnie’s online girlfriend. In reality, she is a robotic turtle built by Stockman Industries in order to lure the turtles into a trap. However, due to Chaplin’s faulty coding, she may have other plans.

Hun

Hunter “Hun” Mason is Baxter Stockman’s business rival. Hun is the CEO of the Purple Dragon Corporation, best known for producing a wide variety of vitamins and supplements. However, Hun’s big (obvious) secret is that he’s also the leader of the Black Dragon Gang, a crime gang that rules New York’s criminal underworld.

Hun is one of those alpha sigma male types.

Hun is basically his 2012 appearance stretched over his 2003 appearance.

Chris Bradford

Chris Bradford is the main spokesperson for the Purple Dragons Corporation. He’s a formerly famous actor, known for his action movies. He now appears in every ad from the PDC. Much like Shaquille O’Neal and The General.

He absolutely hates his coworker, Xiomara Montes.

Xiomara Montes

Xiomara “Fishface” Montes is the field leader of the Black Dragon Gang. She oversees most of the criminal operations as Hun has a gang and a corporation to run. The Black Dragon Gang’s base of operations and main front is the Ray Fillet Aquarium.

She absolutely hates her coworker, Chris Bradford.

[lazyvase]

A major rule I have for TMNT 2036 is that I cannot make up a new name.

With a franchise as long and varied as TMNT, making up new names would be a waste of effort. I can easily find the perfect name for a character idea by looking into previous incarnations. The added benefit being is that I can also bring the name’s previous connotations and connections to my idea.

So, I promise you that every name ever spoken, no matter how small, will be a reference.

I have come close to breaking this rule. I’ve edited names such as going from Xever to Xiomara. I’ve combined some names such as Mortu and Ma’riell into Mor’riell.

The only character I’ve truly broken this rule for is Milli, Krang’s pet kraathatrogon.

And I don’t intend to break it again.

[lazyvase]

TMNT 2036

Partners In Slime

TMNT 2036 is my own incarnation of TMNT. I chose 2036 as the distance between 2036 and 2012 is roughly the same as the distance between 2012 and 1987.

Now we get to talk about TMNT's second most iconic villain. But first, we have to talk about a highly respected one.

Ch'rell

The history of Dimension X is long and complicated. So I shall just keep it to the basics for now.

Dimension X is a separate plane of existence concurrent to normal reality. It was originally a purple-pink void before the Utroms found it. After some experimentation, they discovered that the dimension could be used to quickly travel long distances (like the Nether World in Minecraft). Thus, intradimensional travel was invented, which allowed never before seen exploration and discovery. Soon, the tech needed for intradimensional travel spread across the cosmos. In response, the Utrom began building bases and cities in Dimension X, and therefore gained substantial control over all interdimensional travel, lest someone use it for nefarious deeds. Eventually, a species known as the Neutrinos approached the Utrom, asking for sanctuary within Dimension X. The Utrom agreed, and the two species monitored Dimension X in unity. Much later, the Triceratons (after their own civil wars over their own fast travel technology) sought to join the Utrom and Neutrinos. The two species agreed, letting the Triceratons in. Together, the three species formed the X-Triad. A governing body that ruled Dimension X and watched over all intra-dimensional travel. The three species ruled in tandem and equality.

But not all were happy with that. Ch’rell, an Utrominon General, believed that only the Utrom should have control over Dimension X. He planned to stage a violent coup, exp’ell the other two species, and then use Dimension X to take over the cosmos.

Fortunately, the war with the X-Triad resulted in Ch’rell losing. However, Ch’rell and (most of) his followers managed to escape. Wherever he is, he’s busy planning his revenge.

Unfortunately for him, there’s one loose end he neglected.

Krang

Recently, I've been playing a lot of TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (10/10. Buy the DLC). And it's made me realize we haven't had a truly singular Krang for quite a while (at least on screen. IDW had one). Rise had a group. 2012 had a hive mind. 2003 had Ch'rell. The Micheal Bay movies are kinda derivative. And the Injustice 2 Krang was just a cameo. So for my iteration, I'd like to try a singular Krang again:

Krang always had a passion for building weapons. However, since the Utroms were mainly a pacifist species, his craftsmanship was not appreciated. Especially since his weapons were often sadistic, unethical, and immoral. Krang instead received the respect he desired from Ch’rell.

Krang became the chief scientist and right-hand man to Ch’rell. After Ch'rell went into hiding, Krang was left out to dry. A wanted Utrom fugitive, Krang fled to earth with his pet Kraathatrogon (2012), Milli. Krang's new plan is to lie low until the heat dies down, and then take his revenge on Dimension X.

Of course, being stuck on a planet with such limited technology makes things difficult. Not to mention that Krang needed a cover to avoid any suspicion and investigation.

Currently, he runs the Technodrome, the coolest arcade in NYC, as Craig. Craig bears a resemblance to his 1987 appearance. Bald head, red slides, red cargo shorts, yellow-button up. Krang's true form is a robot body housing him in its stomach with a protective pane of purple glass.

The Technodrome used to be a vehicle. Krang converted into a building once on earth. It still has its iconic eye and cannons sticking out of it though. The Technodrome is loved for its realism and exclusive entertainments. All the arcade cabinets in the Technodrome are unique, as they're all old tracking systems and combat consoles converted, rearranged, and reprogrammed by Krang. Little kids can take a ride on Milli, with parents believing it's a robotic train. Robotic Unicycles (1987) man the prize desk, with some of the prizes being the usual plushes and novelty toys. While some of the higher-end prizes are old weapons that Krang THINKS don't work anymore. For birthday parties, kids can expect a special appearance by Krang the Courageous: an inter-dimensional hero. For this "costume", Krang simply deactivates his Craig hologram disguise. The adults think that Craig merely puts on a robot costume, with a purple TV screen displaying a pink blob on his stomach. For laser tag, Krang converted some old blasters to harmless laser guns. Last and certainly least is concessions, no arcade would be complete without pizza. Unfortunately, the Technodrome’s pizza is disgusting. The only people who have ever liked it were 4 peculiar teenage boys.

Krang is able to power the Technodrome through the ooze milked from Milli. This ooze is a vital power source of Dimension X. Krang uses it to power all of his gadgets and technology, even his suit. And it tastes good too. At least to Utroms. When a creature from earth comes in contact with ooze, it results in rapid DNA degeneration, followed by rapid DNA regeneration. However, the regeneration is not equal. If one has some other kind of DNA on them, then their original DNA will intertwine with the other DNA. Resulting in mutants.

In the beginning, Krang's relation to the turtles is interesting. Once he finds out they are mutants, he's not sure what to do with them. The existence of mutants in the area is proof that Milli (and therefore Krang) are in the area. If the X-Triad Agents hunting him discover the turtles, they could discover him and arrest him. For now, Krang actively helps the turtles hide and blend in. But, he’s already making plans for when that isn’t viable anymore.

I don’t want to get too into specifics now, but I’ll briefly mention some important plotlines.

Krang will confront Ch’rell.

Krang will team up with Saki, and they’ll bicker akin to the 1987 incarnation.

And the biggest plotline is that pretty much every major character will get a job at the Technodrome at some point. This so far includes Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, Casey, Splinter, Karai, Saki, and even Bishop. This is all done to reveal that not only is Krang an evil genius with a thirst for revenge, but he’s also kinda a shitty boss.

[lazyvase]

TMNT 2036

We Ain't Came To Lose

TMNT 2036 is my own personal iteration of TMNT. I chose the year 2036 because the distance between 1987 and 2012 is almost the same as 2012 and 2036.

No piece of TMNT media is complete without the Foot Clan. Seriously, I can't think of one iteration without the Foot Clan. So now we shall go over the heroes in a half shell's greatest foes (and especially foe).

Shredder

Now, you might have noticed that I tended to say Saki more often than Shredder in my first TMNT 2036 post. Well it’s because The Shredder has some big changes in this incarnation. Most importantly, “Shredder” is a mantle/title. Not an individual’s nickname. Whoever wears the helmet (the Kuro Kabuto) is the Shredder and the leader of the Foot Clan. This is inspired by 2003 having multiple Shredders, and 2012’s whole lore for the Kuro Kabuto.

Speaking of which, the lore for the Kuro Kabuto is lifted straight from the 2012 series, verbatim. Koga Takuza is the founder of the Foot Clan in my incarnation as well.

Oroku Miyoko

Over the centuries, many people held the mantle of “Shredder”. Most notably, Oroku Miyoko. Miyoko was wholly devoted to the clan. She had her son, Saki, train harder than anyone, so that the clan could have a future. Miyoko’s health was starting to waver, and her second-in-command, Hattori Tatsu, was not much younger than her. Saki was the only guarantee for the future of the clan.

Worse, the Foot Clan was an already dying clan. Previously, the Foot Clan stayed afloat through mercenary work and security. But it was the early 2000’s (don't quote me on that) in New York. Nobody was really looking to hire ninjas when you had intimidating mercenaries who could look at a potential robber and send them running. Instead, the Foot Clan had to resort to kid’s dojos and movie extra stunt work. Around this time, if you saw a movie where a stunt double had to fight off a bunch of ninjas, the Foot Clan were almost always those ninjas.

This did not stop the Foot Clan from sliding into irrelevance. And thus, Miyoko began to consider disbanding the Foot Clan.

Hattori Tatsu

Tatsu wanted more for the Foot Clan. The Foot Clan did not deserve to live in such pathetic and meager situations. He suggested they turn to organized crime. Miyoko disagreed, and soon the two were battling to the death. Tatsu won, and became the next Shredder.

By the time the series begins, Tatsu is still in charge, and is attempting to turn the Foot Clan into the most powerful criminal organization in New York. I say attempting because the Foot Clan is still kinda pathetic. It’s outclassed by most of the other gangs in the city. Especially compared to “Fishface” and their Purple Dragon goons.

Regardless, Tatsu will do whatever it takes to keep the Foot Clan the best ninja clan in the world. This was easy, for it was the only ninja clan in the world for a long time. Or at least it was until 5 individuals with clear ninja training started causing trouble in New York’s underbelly. He’s not sure who they are, where they’re from, or how they got their training. Nevertheless, Tatsu won’t rest until this potential rival is squashed, and he knows the perfect ninja for the job.

Oroku Saki

Oroku Saki, Miyoko’s son, was one of the Foot Clan's finest warriors. Growing up, he trained hard at her bequest. She and her second-in-command, Hattori Tatsu, often told Saki tales of previous Shredders and their heroism. He grew up thinking that the Foot Clan was the greatest ninja clan in the world (which was technically not wrong). His pride and love of the clan pushed him to become their greatest warrior at a young age, even surpassing his teachers.

Those jealous of his skill often joked that he only won fights because of his “good luck charm”: his pet rat, Splinter. In all fairness, Saki took Splinter everywhere. The two were inseparable. As close as man and rat could be.

Life was good for Saki. Sure, the Foot Clan was not in the most prestigious position, but he had his family, he had respect, and he had the heart of the beautiful Foot Clan archer, Tang Shen.

Of course, things change. His mother died. Splinter disappeared. All Saki had left was the clan and Tang Shen. Things grew complicated when Tatsu turned the Foot Clan’s attention to organized crime, as Tang Shen left with this change. Saki and Shen were able to maintain their relationship, even getting married. Though Shen continued to disapprove and warn Saki of his involvement in the Foot Clan.

Saki didn’t really care about the clan’s new direction. While crime tarnished the Foot Clan’s honor and dignity, it was necessary to maintain the clan. The kid dojos and background stunt work wasn’t going to cut it. Saki did whatever Tatsu asked, all for the Foot Clan.

His skill and loyalty earned his place as Tatsu’s second-in-command AKA “Foot Elite”. Saki would be responsible for leading the many missions done by the Foot Clan: drug smuggling, weapon smuggling, assassinations, and especially grand theft. The job was demanding, as the targets were dangerous, and the ninjas were incompetent. Still, under his leadership, the Foot Clan was a decent threat. Unfortunately, Saki’s skill was not enough to make the Foot the star player in the criminal underworld. That belonged to the Purple Dragons Gang, who were the clan's criminal rival.

[Pictured above: The Foot Elite from the Mirage Comics]

Saki’s life wasn’t all too bad, however. Soon, Tang Shen had their daughter, Karai. Saki once again had a complete family. This too, would not last.

When she was old enough, Saki had Karai become a Foot trainee. Shen did not approve. The two argued over Karai’s involvement for years. When Karai completed her training and was prepared to go on her first mission, Shen put her foot down and left Saki. The two divorced. Saki kept custody of Karai due to the Foot Clan’s interference. Tatsu saw Karai as the future of the clan, and so he helped Saki win the trial.

Unfortunately for Saki, it was all for nothing. Karai now wanted nothing to do with him after the divorce. She avoided him at every opportunity, which included no longer training with Foot Clan. She threw herself into extracurriculars so she could be too busy to participate. Thankfully, Saki respected this. But, he promised Karai that if she was not in any club, sport, or job, then she would have no choice but to go back to the Foot Clan.

At the beginning of the series, Saki is still the Foot Elite. He continues leading the Foot Clan on missions. I can’t really elaborate on what Saki goes through throughout the series without explaining whole plot threads. He goes through a lot of status quo shifts. But rest assured that he’ll get his chance to shine as The Shredder.

I will go over some general character stuff. Saki grows to hate Splinter personally due to jealousy. I mean in all fairness, imagine if you found out your pet rat was living a happier life than you. Splinter is a respected warrior, has a loving family, and is not divorced. Speaking of divorce, Saki is, as they say, “chronically divorced.” He’s on facebook or whatever posting things like: “Ex-wife? More like ex-strife!”

Oroku Karai

For my incarnation, I wanted to tackle Karai being Saki’s own flesh in blood. Most incarnations, that is not the case. 2003 Karai was adopted. 2012 Karai was kidnapped. The IDW comics have Karai be a distant descendant of Saki (close but not close enough). In all the other incarnations (to my knowledge), Karai isn’t even related to Saki. Even in the original Mirage incarnation, which is kinda crazy to think about.

Regardless, I was inspired to do this by the 2012 incarnation. In the season 4 episode “The Super Shredder”, Karai tells Saki that “[he] was never her father.” While this is a great moment and made good sense, it still felt rather easy. All that time and complex history just swept away. What if it wasn’t so simple. What if Karai really had to grapple with who Shredder was. With no amount of genetic distance to help her.

Thus in my incarnation, Karai is Saki’s biological daughter, plain and simple.

Growing up, Karai’s parents argued a lot. Not wanting to be home for them, Karai threw herself into any activity that would keep her from home. And there was only one option readily available to her: The Foot Clan. Karai devoted herself to the clan, unknowingly causing her parent’s arguments to worsen.

Karai’s time in the Foot Clan was nice. She was not only their best recruit (though that wasn’t difficult due to a lack of other recruits), but also one of their finest ninjas. She gained great respect and admiration in the Foot Clan, much like her father. Speaking of which, the Foot Clan allowed her to get close to at least one of her parents. However, the best part of the Foot Clan was that she got to spend time with her best friend, Shinigami. The two met in the Foot Clan, and became attached. The two would goof off all the time during training. Much to the chagrin of Karai’s father. But, despite her father, some of Karai’s happiest moments were spending the day with Shinigami, messing with the arcade machines the Foot brought in to try (and fail) to get kids to join the Foot Clan (1990s movie reference).

And then her parents divorced. The trial took a bit of toll on her. She couldn’t stand to be around her father, so the sanctuary of the Foot Clan was no longer an option. She stopped training, and she stopped seeing Shinigami. She instead threw herself into any and all clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities she could to avoid him. Eventually, she landed on hockey, where she met her new friend: Casey Jones.

At the start of the series, Karai is a generic popular girl, bully character. Once again, she takes great pride in where she excels and does whatever she pleases. She and Casey have a great disdain for April. While I don’t have a solid reason locked in yet I have two ideas. The first is that April exposed how the school was fixing Karai and Casey’s grades as they are the captain and star player of the hockey team, respectively. They could also see April as nosy and gossipy. Maybe both.

Once again, Karai goes through a lot of status quo shifts, so I'll go over her future another time.

Khan

He is there.

Ok. Now for the real character discussion. Khan is originally a 2003 character. He is completely unremarkable in his origin show. Just being generic bad guy second-in-command.

In 2036, he’s the Foot Clan’s weakest soldier. He mainly exists in the story to show how bad and incompetent the Foot Clan is. Despite his nonexistent skill, Khan has excessive pride and ego. This usually is his downfall, as his overconfidence leads to him being horribly injured. This is a reference (at least according to TMNTpedia) to the 2003 series as well (first line in the trivia section). Regardless, he’s kept on due to his undying loyalty, and the fact that the Foot Clan cannot afford to lose members.

He looks like his 2003 counterpart, except his hair is more of a mullet and his outfit is WAY less nice and fancy. He just dresses like a normal Foot ninja.

Keno

Keno has his long awaited return as a member of the Foot Clan. This is a reference to how in his debut he joined the Foot Clan to spy for the turtles. Though for my incarnation he’s truly in it.

He’s not a prominent character. But he serves an important role. The Foot Clan goes through many changes throughout the series, and I need a character who’s on the ground floor of those changes. We need to see how the average Foot ninja deals with these.

Keno is a young recruit of the Foot Clan. He’s more focused on hand-to-hand combat and similar martial arts. He saw the Foot Clan as a way to hone his skills, not knowing the depth of their operations at the time.

Keno and Khan form a sort of duo. As Khan is trying to show Keno the ropes. The problem being that Keno is already a better fighter than him by a mile.

Despite being a member of the Foot, Keno doesn’t hate the turtles. In fact, he has a lot of respect for them and their skill.

[lazyvase]

Turtles ForNever

I already have a good idea for the crossover special within TMNT 2036. But first, you'll need to hear WHY I chose the other iteration in the crossover (abbr. T2)

The main requirement for a good iteration crossover is the powerful villain. There needs to be a reason for them all to stay in the crossover. If the only threat for them to face is Scumbug, I don’t see why 8 turtles are needed. Just send the rest back home already.

These crossover specials are best saved for the end of the series, allowing the series to develop on its own and to have fully developed ideas and casts be contrasted. While I don't know the specifics, I am certain that by the end of TMNT 2036, there will not be many villains left. Therefore, the T2 I'm crossing over with needs to have a sizable villain roster remaining.

Furthermore, I have some personal requests for any potential T2: 1. cannot have been in a TMNT x TMNT crossover before, 2. must not be regularly receiving updates, 3. must have been produced in the 2010's.

Request 1 is so I can be more original. I want to "break" new ground. I don't want to crossover with a TMNT iteration that has already done a crossover. The past experience can be kinda limiting. Sadly, this means I can't crossover with 2012. Fortunately, this means I can't crossover with 1987 (They already have too many). 2003 is also off the table.

Request 2 is so I don't break anyone else's canon, or, more accurately, I don't get broken by anyone else's canon. Also, so I can exclude the comics as potential crossovers. IDW is still getting official releases. Mirage and Archie occasionally get fan continuations. Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal, but these fan creations often heavily collaborate with the original writers and artists. For instance: the Archie comics continuity got a new project based on a scrapped arc, they got the original creator of the arc to fully collaborate with them.

Request 3 is complicated. You see the major inspiration for my iteration is TMNT 2012. As such, I take a few design and creation philosophies from the show. One of the biggest is a love for nostalgia. The creators of the show are clearly 80's kids. They references 80's media and culture whenever they can (especially horror movies). The pinnacle of this is the fact that the 2012 turtles use VHSes. The Watsonian reason is that the turtles use whatever trash they can find, and VHSes are going out of style. The Doylist reason is that since the creators used VHSes growing up, so do the turtles. They have the turtles experience the creators' own memories of their youth. I plan to do the same. My turtles are big fans of DVDs. They have a collection of collections and a small DVD player that they move around all the time.

To circle around, I want to bring my own experiences and memories forward in time. As such, I want TMNT media from my childhood: the 2010's.

Now, according to my knowledge, there is only one iteration that fits the requirement and the three requests. My T2 still has plenty villains on the loose. My T2 has not crossed over with any other iteration. My T2 will NEVER EVER get any continuation. And my T2 was released in the 2010's, twice to be specific.

Yes. My T2 is none other than TMNT 2014, and it's sequel: Out of the Shadows.

"Donnie, Mikey, Raph, Leo, Ready. Straight from the Sewers. Bebop and Rocksteady. Got the Foot Clan under attack. It gets heavy. When the brother hood of ninja warriors drop levy. It's all in the fam. No heroes just brothers. Dedicated to the cause of protecting others. All different in their own right. But when they come together, as a team you've never seen it better. Splinter's got their backs. But Shredder strikes back. Turtle Power to the limit. There's no turning back."