Whose your favorite turtles and why?
omg hi!!! sooo like you have asked me a very detailed question, dear anon. get ready for like an essay haha
im going to go in backwards order of release in terms of the different iterations and then do like an overall :3 (not including comics i haven't read those :(( )
started with mutant mayhem/tales of the tmnt:
honestly don't have a real favorite for this one, they're all sooooo silly and i adored the teenage vibe they got. considering they just kinda let the actors go at it, lines-wise, they feel so authentic teenager (i would also know, considering i was mid-high school when it came out last year). however! if i did have to pick a favorite for this version it would probably be donnie. i LOVE the glasses design and how he seems to be more computer smart then building things smart. a lot of donnies tend to be incredibly advanced for their age (which i do love and enjoy, donnie is soso silly <3) so it was cool seeing a donnie that probably just does programming and who knows how to set up TVs and stuff. like realistically he also put all the electronics in the lair, since that is a classic donnie move, but i find joy in the idea that he's just a fucking nerd that makes video games for fun.
this might change when the series comes out. honestly i can find something i love about each of them cause i really think they were all so well written!
rise of the tmnt:
okay so rise was my introduction to the series and has a very special place in my heart. the people who actually got me into the series told me that donnie would be my favorite character and guess what! they were right lmao. however, leo is an incredibly close second. i think the donnie & leo dynamic of rise is overall my favorite dynamic across the entire franchise!
anyways donnie! i think my favorite trait of his is how blunt he is. in middle school i was also super blunt, so that's just a fun little trait i relate to. (especially since donnie is 14 in the series). i also think he tends to have the best plot lines in episodes. having his own villains that aren't really shared with his brothers (the purple dragons) is so cool and just shows off how smart and strong donnie is as a character, something that's kind of downplayed when all 4 of them are together. also father donnie owns my heart <3<3 (which is in reference to his plot lines with shelldon)
also his design slaps. i LOVE making him a softshell so he has to create his own battle-shell. i personally like the idea that protecting his shell, or trying to make his shell more like his brothers, is what got him into engineering (does it count as engineering?). the goggles are stunning, the tech-bo is GENUIS!!!!!!
tdlr: love rise donnie. he is my boy <3
bayverse:
"WOAH!" i hear you say. nobody likes the bayverse movies! they look weird and the plots aren't good!
WRONG! i say to that! i much enjoyed the bayverse movies. i loved the designs. y'all can pry the bayverse movies from my cold dead hands.
anyways, i actually don't have that much to say, it's been a minute since i watched the movies haha. donnie and raph though live in my head rent free (starting to notice a pattern...). raph is probably actually my favorite, i really enjoyed the balance between family loving and angsty teenager that they did. he's the "nobody can hurt my family BUT ME" and honestly? i love that for raph. good for you buddy <3
2012:
i think 2012 is my third favorite iteration overall. i'm not sure what's second (probably 03) but rise is solid first and 2012 is solid third.
my favorite turtle is 112% leo. not just for the transfem headcanon, though that might be a factor haha. i just think leo was written really well. he's balancing being the leader, being the best, and also just wanting to be a kid and i think they did good for the time. like, y'all remember when leo was going to sacrifice himself in season ONE (1). shit is crazy!! he just wants everyone to be happy and safe, and if that means taking things into his own hands he WILL, and it was a great way to show how leo was meant to be the leader of the team.
on the opposite side of that, he's also super nerdy. he loves his silly space show, leo creates the live mazes & mutants game and makes everyone dress up! like yeah, he's an amazing leader and holding too much for his age, but he's also just a silly guy.
anyways yeah, leo is amazing in 2012. i love him soso much <3.
TMNT 2007:
eyyyy that one movie that has one of the best depictions of the raph and leo dynamic ever.
surprisingly, my favorite is neither raph nor leo. it's actually mikey!! yippee mikey appearance. i know he doesn't get a whole bunch of screentime in the movie, but he was amazing in every part he was. mikey being a "costumed" character for birthday parties? still being a wicked ass skateboarder? DRIVING? he's so cool!!! and like despite everything he still tries to be positive and uplifting, which is such a core mikey-trait. idk, i just love him <3
cowabunga carl 4ever frfr
2003:
ahhh, the one i'm currently in the middle of watching (i haven't touched it in like two months but i've been busy alright lol)
i think my favorite turtle kind of changes between seasons, which makes sense because 03 i feel like focuses on one character for an over-arching plotline for a bit and then moves to a different character for a different arc.
overall, though, my favorite is probably raph. he's just so loving and caring in the version. like even though he picks on his brothers or argues with them it's still really easy to tell that he loves his brothers a lot and would do anything for them. also, he rides a motorbike which is rad as fuck. also also, donnie twin <3. also also also, raph is just like really funny in this version? i think raph and mikey make me laugh the most, and one of those characters is unexpected (raph).
the 1990s movies:
gonna be so honest, i don't remember these movies well enough to say which one is my favorite. it's probably mikey or leo though.
OVERALL:
(i've only watched like 5 episodes of 1987 so i don't have an opinion on that one)
no one is going to be surprised by this, but overall, my favorite turtle is donnie. there's just a lot of different ways you can go with his character and support/smart characters have just kind of always been my favorite when it comes to TV shows.
if i was to rank them it would be:
Donnie, Leo, Raph, Mikey
which hurts my soul a little bit because mikey does NOT deserve to be at the bottom of the list :(( mikey just tends to be the hardest for me to connect with and therefore he goes to the bottom. mikey i'm so sorry, please forgive me </3
anyways! i hope this isn't too long for you anon and i hoped you enjoyed my tangent. i love these turtles and have so many, but so few, thoughts.
have a donnie to go :3
