Master Splinter

Splinter

Real Name	Hamato Yoshi
Species	Human (Formerly) Mutant Brown Rat (Formerly) Spirit (Currently)
Skin Color	Brown, Black, White
Eye Color	Reddish Brown
Weaponry and Abilities	Cane Sword Whip Staff Enemy Detection Enhanced Strength Enhanced Speed Nightvision
Allegiance	Ninja Turtles
Family	Hamato Yuuta (father), Tang Shen (Wife) (Deceased), Miwa/Karai (Daughter) , Leonardo (Adoptive Son), Raphael (Adoptive Son), Michelangelo (Adoptive Son), Donatello (Adoptive Son), Shredder (Former adoptive Brother) Ice Cream Kitty (Pet), Chompy Picasso (Pet)
Adversaries	Shredder, The Foot Clan, The Kraang, The Rat King, Villains
Age	50
Voiced by	Hoon Lee

Splinter was both the adoptive father and sensei of all four of the Turtles. He was wise, mature, and highly trained in the art of Ninjutsu.

Honorable Rat Sensei of the Ninja Turtles

Official Description

"For many years I have lived in the shadows, training my adopted sons in the ways of Ninjutsu. I have tried to prepare them for the worst that the world has to offer - hoping it would never come. But we are running out of time. Our family is strong. I only hope that we are strong enough."

- Splinter

Description

Master Splinter is the teacher and adoptive father of the Ninja Turtles. He has trained the Turtles in the art of Ninjutsu, but they are not ninja masters yet. Splinter is mature, serious, and defensive. He engages with various ninja weapons and fights with many ninja skills. Any villain wishing to harm his sons will have to go through him first.

History

Born in 1962 in Osaka, Japan into a peacekeeping ninja clan called the Hamatos, Hamato Yoshi enrolled into a Martial Arts school before he could inherit his father's role as clan leader. His skills were only rivaled by fellow student Oroku Saki, who was Yoshi's adoptive brother, originally from one of the wiped out rival clans, the Foot. Not only were they rivals in Martial Arts but also for the love of a beautiful woman named Tang Shen, who eventually chose to marry Yoshi. Saki could not accept this and once insulted Yoshi in front of her. Yoshi lost his temper and struck Saki to the ground. This attack solidified Saki's hatred for Yoshi and he vowed revenge. During this time, Saki learned of his true heritage and rebuilt the Foot Clan, rechristening himself as "the Shredder". One night, he came to Yoshi's home armed with razor sharp claw weapons and challenged him to a duel to the death. Yoshi accepted, and the two tore through Yoshi's home, catching it on fire. Just as Saki was about to kill Yoshi, Shen interfered and took the fatal blow for herself. Yoshi escaped without knowing the fate of his baby daughter Miwa, who Shredder secretly raised as his daughter, Karai.

Yoshi made his way to America and attempted to make a new life in New York City. One day, out of loneliness, he visited a pet store and purchased four baby turtles. Walking home, he bumped into a man and felt off about him, so he decided to follow. He came into an alley and overheard a conversation between two strange men, later shown to be members of the Kraang. His foot spooked a rat hiding in the alley, causing the villains to spot him and attempt to kill him. Yoshi fought back but accidentally broke a canister of Mutagen they were holding in the process, spilling it all over himself and the turtles. Yoshi escaped down a sewer drain, now mutated into a humanoid rat. The turtles also mutated, gaining humanoid bodies and intelligence. Yoshi, knowing that they would be persecuted by humans, adopted these turtles as his sons and students and has raised them in the sewers of New York ever since. He started training them in his Ninjutsu techniques because he knew that, one day, his sons would want to explore the surface, but he knew it would also be dangerous. He took on the name of Splinter and gave the turtles names of painters and sculptors from a book of Renaissance Art that he found in a storm drain.

Appearance

As Hamato Yoshi: Yoshi is tall, lean, and muscular, with dark brown eyes and black hair. He wears a red kimoto with his clan's symbol when he lived in Japan. During the time that he resided in America, he wears a whitish blue polo shirt, along with brown pants.

As Splinter: Splinter has black, brown and white fur, with a droopy white beard, whiskers, a pink tail and a pink nose. He still wears the red kimoto that he wore in Japan. Unlike all of his past incarnations, Splinter is considerably taller than all of the Turtles.

Personality

Splinter is many things to the Turtles - A wise sensei, defensive parent, loving father, stern discipline, quirky master and Zen philosopher. He is determined to train and protect his new family at all costs. The fact that he has gone through decades of ninja training does not only mean that he is always fierce when he fights, but that he's also remarkably in tune with the universe.

Splinter can be very strict when it comes to training and letting his sons venture up to the surface, as seen in many episodes. At certain times, he may use harsh methods in order for them to learn a lesson, as seen in "The Pulverizer Returns!", in which he took away his sons' weapons so they could learn to fight outside of their typical environment. Nonetheless, Splinter is a loving father who only wants what is best for his sons, and will do anything that he can to protect them from harm's way.

Splinter seems to dislike anyone that lays a hand on the Turtles. This is emphasized in "It Came From The Depths", as he battled Leatherhead because he threatened to harm the Turtles. Splinter's absolute worst fear is losing his family all over again to the Shredder, as seen in "Panic In The Sewers". His fear of losing the Turtles to the Shredder caused him to push their training to the point where they become exhausted, stressed, and antsy; though he does eventually apologize for it. It is very possible that Splinter fears the fact that the Turtles will leave him someday, as this was one of the notions that the Rat King (in "I, Monster") used against him in an attempt to control his mind.

Abilities, Skills and Powers

As a human, he was a great and powerful master of Ninjutsu. He was training for his entire life when he was very young. He has mastered many skills and has great abilities such as great strength, acrobatics, speed, stamina, and endurance greater than any athlete.

Ninjutsu: As a master of Ninjutsu, Splinter is knowledgeable, speedy and has greater strength. He can take down larger opponents without a whole lot of effort, as demonstrated in "It Came from the Depths". His strength was shown that he was able to slap his hand against Dogpound and toss him into the air by a back hand and use his anger to take off the heavy pillars of his back for revenge for Leo and Leatherhead. In Return to New York, he easily defeated three Shredder mutants in a very short battle.

Jaw Strength: His jaws are powerful enough to break certain forms of metal such as Shredder's weapon, similarly to a sword.

Fighting Skills: His skills of Ninjutsu are so remarkably high that even Rahzar (back when he was still Dogpound) referred to him as "one of the best" and claimed that "he's as skilled as Master Shredder, but he doesn't have the stomach to finish the fight". Though the Shredder's skills of Ninjutsu often seem to be to be higher due to his knowledge of forbidden techniques (even surprising Yoshi), he has been defeated by Splinter twice (once in Japan just before the fire that burned the Hamato home and again in Showdown).

Teaching: He is a great teacher to those who will like to train, as he trained his four sons for 15 years of their lives. He even trains April well enough to defend herself from enemies. He even told them that weapons usual chose their owner not the other way around.

Enemy Detection: He can easily detect when an enemy is coming. This is either do to excellent hearing that he got when he mutated or his "balanced mind" but this type of power or ability when he was human couldn't hear the noise that April was hearing. Similarly to April, he appears to possess a rare sensitivity gift.

Enhanced Strength: He has a very special skill that is powerful but could be even be much stronger for being a mutant to use his fingers to push away his enemies as shown on the Shredder to be able to injure his arm.

Enhanced Speed: He is shown to have a lot of abilities that ordinary rats possess - namely running on all fours. His speed is capable for him to get behind Dogpound.

Senses: He probably can see in the dark like regular rats do. He had shown in his feral state that he was able to smell a peanut outside of his cage from Baxter Stockman glass.

Weaponry: Splinter is skilled with the usage of many weapons as well as showing he is able to adept to all weapons that he can find that is around even a magazine.

Stealth: His stealth is a combination of his speed to get pass his enemies like Dogpound.

Leap: He can even jump very well to Shredder's window.

Intelligence: He shows amazing wisdom to give to anyone as for his fighting intelligence he can ways for his sons to escape when being hold tight they can escape from their enemies by making then loose focus as shown that he was able to escape the strength of Raph by licking him.

Stamina and Endurance: Both are great for a mutant of his age (50) he seems to be very well to fight. This is shown that he is well enough to take attacks from Shredder as he was able to go toe-to-toe with him. He was able to defeat Foot Ninjas, Fishface, and Dogpound with absolute ease before he fought against the Shredder in a long brutal fight. Even when countless heavy pillars fell on him during another fight with Shredder, he was still more than capable of fighting competently against his opponent. He was able to endure the attack from the Mind Controlled Slash mace.

Interactions With Other Characters

See: Master Splinter (Relationships)

Trivia

Splinter's name is a spoof on a moniker from a character in the Marvel Comics series, Daredevil. Matt Murdock (Daredevil), after being blinded by spilled radioactive waste, is trained in martial arts by a master call 'The Stick'. "Splinter" is a spoof from this name.

Quotes

"Spike. Chew on your leaf if you're in the mood for a story."
Splinter:"You see? Mikey does not think" (Mikey): Thank You! (Splinter): Your Welcome! (Trips Mikey with his tail)
"Seek victory, not fairness."
"I hope you learn that truth, isn't the only thing that hurts."
"I'm not one of your rats to control!"
"That was the choice I made...What choice will you make?" (to Raphael)
"Yes....and no."
"But first... RANDOLI!"
"Oh, I did not realize he said mean things. Of course, you had no choice but to jeopardize your mission!"
"No training for today...unless Michelangelo throws that balloon."
(When asked if Leatherhead should be chained up) "Of course! I am compassionate...not insane.
" You made a wise decision Michelangelo."( other turtles look with question) " I know; I never thought I'd hear myself say that either."
" You are ninjas. You work in the shadows -- in secret.
"What you know is dangerous to your enemy; what you think you know is dangerous to you."
"I fear we are celebrating too soon."
Splinter (After April asks about a weapon): "April, you posses the kunoichi's most powerful weapon: the mind." (April asks if Splinter has seen someone beat up a person with their mind.) Splinter:"True. Let's find you a weapon."
"No -- I am a man! I am Hamato Yoshi!"
"Yamea! *At the end of training*"
"Hajime! *At the beginning of training*"
"You are brilliant Donatello, but you tend to over think things too much."
"Very good, April."
Splinter: "How many times have I told you NOT to skateboard in the lair?" Mikey: "None, Sensei." Splinter: "I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TELL YOU!"
"I like a good maze."
(Hearing Leonardos call on Peanutphone) "The Peanut phone, truly an emergency"
"Moshi Moshi?" (Master Splinter answering Leonardo's call on the Cheese Phone
(About the Pulverizer) "He has no business learning our art. He is....a doofus."
(To Leonardo) "Remember, my son, everything that you know I have shown you, but I have not shown you everything I know."
"(To Leatherhead) "STOP! GET AWAY FROM MY SONS!"
"Raphael! There is not a monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion." (Looks at Leatherhead) "My mistake."
(When he allows the Turtles to go to the surface) "Don't talk to strangers!"
(As Donnie works on figuring out the symbol) "Oh, the Olympics??"
"We are at war."
(After Donnie would ask what Splinter would do in a move) "I don't know."
"Yes well...Michelangelo has his challenges as well."
"The first rule of the Ninja is to do no harm...Unless you mean to do harm, then do LOTS of harm."
"Welcome home, my sons."
"You are all grounded for a week!"
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE!?!"
(After he licks Raphael, and finishes his lesson) "You'll need to take a bath."
(After Leo asks if Splinter's not mad.) "Who said I'm not mad?" *injures Leo's foot with his cane*
"Eveything I knew is gone; my wife, my daughter, my clan, even my humanity. You four are all I have left."
"My place...(Breaks free of Falco's control)...is with my sons!"
"Very good, April. Again."
"Hand over your weapons...NOW!"
"Do you think Timothy is happy with his new state of being?"
"Miwa would have been about your age now. I would have like to think she would have turned out as you [April] have, my child."
"Rest? The Shredder will not rest....Until you are all dead!"
"Yes (to Mikey)...Don't interrupt!"
(to the Turtles; under the control of the Rat King) "You waste your words. This is where I belong, with my brothers."
"Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?"
(to April) "I do not have to explain myself to a child."
(After Shredder told him that he took his daughter) "No, it can not be."
(After Shredder told him what he had done with April) "You fool! Do you have any idea what you've done!?"
"Look closely at this face, Shredder...FOR IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU WILL EVER SEE!"
(After Shredder tells him that he took Tang Shen from him) "SHE WAS NEVER YOURS!"
"(To Shredder): You never had anything but hatred. And if you defeat me, YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING."
"I don't want to say I was right, but I was right."
"I'd say the 'or something' part is the most accurate."
"Ugh, need ice, for my head, and possibly, a popsicle."
"It is not hard to sense loud mouths."
"Now - let´s see if a cat always lands on it's feet." (After defeating Tiger Claw)
"Perhaps one day she will believe the truth, but that is her own decision...
Human once more? Save April's father first and then i will consider it.
I may not be human, but at least I am fortunate enough to have my humanity.
(To Karai) "You are who you choose to be - not what others make you!
"After all of this time, I have learned that revenge only leads to more pain."
(to Donatello, about the Pulverizer) "DONATELLO!!!! Does this belong to you?"
"Rage is a fuel that burns quickly."
"We choose what holds us back and what moves us forward."
"Home for me will never complete without my daughter."
"Do not make me fight you, my daughter."
(To Shredder) "The only monster here is YOU, Saki."
"I'm already proud of you, my daughter."

Gallery

See Master Splinter/Gallery