6 Reasons Why You Need To Watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2. Splinter
Oddly enough, one of the best things about the latest Turtles cartoon is Master Splinter. Previous incarnations did a pretty successful job with the character, but none have come close to perfecting the anthropomorphic rat like the new cartoon has. Splinter embodies a lot of personas throughout the show, such as protective father, idiosyncratic philosopher, strict teacher and most importantly, a ninja master. He shares the same origin as Splinter's before him, starting off life as the human Hamato Yoshi, before being transformed into a sewer rat. Splinter has an interesting rivalry with Shredder in this series, too. Years ago, before the birth of the Turtles, Hamato Yoshi and Oraku Saki (Shredder) fell in love with the same woman, Tang Shen. Eventually, Hamato married Tang Shen and they had one child together, Miwa. They lived a happy life together, until Saki became consumed by jealously and hatred. Saki, who was blinded with this rage, attacked Yoshi in his home with intent to kill, which lead to the accidental deaths of Tang Shen and the young Miwa. Yoshi fled to New York soon after, and that's where his life as a father began anew. Since the second series has started, fans have even been speculating over Splinter's true intention with the ooze and the Turtles, which has added a whole new interesting aspect to the character. During the new intro sequence in the second season, a graphic shows Splinter pouring ooze over four turtles, which has opened up a whole new bunch of possibilities. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but it's sure to add one hell of a dynamic. The latest Splinter triumphs over the others due to the fact that he is funny, capable and extremely wise, all in one package. The various lessons that he teaches his children actually have meaning, and viewers are left hanging to witness just a little bit of his ninja mastery - so when it does occur, its especially awesome. His fight scene in the season one finale is undoubtedly the best action sequence in the series.
