Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Tales of the Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles (also referred as Teenage Mutants Ninja Turtles) is a super-hero TV series following the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Synopsis
1500 years ago in medieval Japan, Hamato Yoshi, a Japanese ninja master, is assassinated by his rival Oruku Saki. He will resurrect later in the form of a rat.

The rat will die and will reincarnate an incalculable number and will circumnavigate the world.

At the beginning of the 21st century, he landed in New York and he met four baby turtles and in an accident, they all fall into a mutagenic liquid. Under the effect of the product, the five animals mutate little by little until they develop an anthropomorphic aspect, as well as a human intelligence and dexterity. Splinter then becomes the adoptive father of the turtles, which he raises and trains in the martial arts so that they can survive an environment that will never accept them.

Splinter owns a book on the art of the Renaissance, mutant turtles are named after artists of that time : Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello.

The turtles are each specialized in the use of a specific weapon (the Ninjatōs by Leonardo, the sai by Raphael, the bō by Donatello and the nunchaku by Michelangelo).

They love pizza, the basis of their diet. Their war cry is Cowabunga !

Development and Production
The series was created to put the Ninja Turtles back on the scene after the commercial failure of Ninja Turtles : Out of the Shadows. This new live-action series combines elements already existing (Shredder, the Foot clan, Krang, the Triceratons, Bepob and Rocksteady, ...) but also original (Oni for example).

The seasons are rather short because of budget but also to have a plot that does not scatter too much with too much subplots.

The series is inspired by cartoons from 1987, 2003, 2012 and 2018 but also from the trilogy of the 1990s and of course comics (Mirage, Image but especially IDW) and the film in CGI TMNT. For the last seasons, the stories will be inspired by Marvel and DC Comics stories like The Dark Knight Returns, No Man's Land, Civil War and Spider-Verse and even the novel The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells.

Seasons 1 and 2 will feature the classic characters of the Ninja Turtles but seasons 3 to 7 will consist of two parts and two different stories each with original stories. Seasons 8 to 10 will be the shortest with only one story following on 10 episodes.

The series could potentially be renewed for an eleventh and final season with stand-alone episodes coming together at different times in the series to celebrate the franchise's 50th anniversary but also to solve some unresolved sub-plots and explore a piece of Japanese mythology already a bit exposed in seasons 3 and 5 and tell the true origin of mutants and mutagen.

Ninja Turtles and Co

 * Leonardo : He wears a blue mask and his weapon is the katana
 * Michelangelo : He wears a orange mask and his weapon is the nunchaku
 * Donatello : He wears a purple mask and his weapon is the bo
 * Raphael : He wears a red mask and his weapon is the sai
 * Hamato Yoshi/Master Splinter : He is the master and father of the Turtles
 * April O'Neil : She is a student and the first human encounter with Turtles, she will become their best friend
 * Casey Jones : He is a vigilante who will become the friend of Turtles and the boyfriend of April

Allies

 * Professor Zayton Honeycutt/Fugitoid : An alien scientist whose body was destroyed and who lives in a robotic body
 * Metalhead : A robot designed by Baxter Stockman to infiltrate Turtles
 * John and  Elizabeth O'Neil : The parents of April
 * Punk Frogs (Attila the Frog, Genghis Frog, Napoleon Bonafrog and Rasputin the Mad Frog) : A group of mutant frogs
 * Renet Tilley : A time-traveler
 * Frida : The future daughter of Leonardo and Jennika
 * Hamato Noboko : The daughter of the future reicarnated Hamato Yoshi


 * Shadow Jones : The future adoptive daughter of April and Casey
 * Miyamoto Usagi : An anthropomorphic swordsman rabbit

Villains

 * Oroku Saki/Shredder/Super Shredder/Tengu Shredder : The ultimate enemy of the Ninja Turtles
 * Oroku Karai/Karai/Shredder IV : Shredder's daughter
 * Baxter Stockman : A crazy scientist who turns into a fly
 * Anton Zeck/Bebop and Ivan Steranko/Rocksteady : Two criminals mutated into animals
 * Arnold Jones/Hun and the Purple Dragons : A street gang and their leader
 * Rat King : One of the Dragon's sons who can control rats
 * Krang : An alien warlord
 * The Rock Soldiers (Tragg and Granitor) : Krang's soldiers
 * Mei Pieh Chi/Venus/Tokka and Chris Bradford/Rahzar : A couple of lovers transformed into mutants
 * Leatherhead (enemy turned ally) : A mutant who will become a friend with the Turtles
 * Baron Draxxum : An alchemist mutant
 * The Pantheon (Kitsune, Rat King, Aka, Manmoth, Gothano, Chi-You, Toad Baran, Jagwar, Koya, Lilith, Zodi and various animal gods) : A family of divine animal beings who are the children of the Dragon
 * Yu Shen/Oni : The brother of the late Teng and the uncle of the Turtles, he wants to avenge the death of his sister
 * Slash (enemy turned ally) : An experiment of Shredder who will become a friend with the Turtles
 * Drako/The Dragon : A Kaiju that would have inspired the myth of the Devil
 * The Kaiju : Giant and ancestral creatures who want to plunge the world into chaos
 * The Triceratons (Commmander Mozar, Azokk, Boss Zukko, T'Zirk, Zak, Gruell, Zarax, Zarg, Zarus, Traximus and various others) : An extraterrestrial race of conquerors
 * Agent Bishop : A paranoid government agent
 * Armaggon : A mutant shark from space
 * Viral : A computer virus
 * Lord Dregg : An alien warlord
 * Ch'rell : An Utrom who wants to become the new Shredder
 * Kavaxas and Savanti Romero : Demons traveling in time
 * Rapahel of the AnotherWorld/Shredder II
 * Jennika : A member of the Foot Clan
 * Timothy Tatsu/Ultimate Ninja : An orphan wanting to become the greatest ninja of all time
 * Erich Sachs/Shredder III : A billionaire passionate about Japanese culture who will become the new Shredder
 * Baxter Stockman, Bebob and Rocksteady, Oroku Karai/Karai and Kang from the AnotherWorld : Alternative versions of the classic enemies of the Ninja Turtles
 * Koga Takuza/Shogun : The founder of Clan Foot
 * Tengu : A demon who will possess Shredder
 * Walker : An English arms dealer
 * Yumi/Mother/Mother/Tang Shen : The mother of the Turtles brought back to life
 * Dr. Cornelius Morrow/the Beastmaster : A mad scientist who practices barbaric experiments on animals to transform them into animals thanks to the mutagen
 * The Mighty Mutanimals (Bludgeon, Firefly, Herman, Pete, Mondo Gecko, King Komodo, Sally pride, Nevermore and Dreadmond) (enemies turned allies) : A team of mutant animals created by the Beastmaster
 * The Aeons (Za-Naron) : Interdimensional techno-organic beings also known as Iron Angels, hunt down Ninja Turtles of other dimensions to assimilate them
 * The Street Phantoms (Tygrus/Tyrannus, Tiger Claw, Alopex, Fishface and various mutants) :
 * General Darrius Dun : A terrorist and supremacist gang of mutants
 * Caravaggio : The lost brother of the Turtles Ninjas become a mutant snake turtle eater
 * The Brotherhood of Yaotl (Yaotl, General Aguila, General Serpiente, General Gato and General Mono) : Evil Aztec deities
 * Colonel Santino : A Mexican gang leader

Season 1 (2022-2023)
Episodes 1-18

The Turtles are 16 years old, the action takes place in 2022.

Synopsis
Four teenage mutant turtles come out of the sewers for the first time and discover New York and its threats : a very old ninja clan wishing to enslave the world and accomplish its vengeace against the father of the Turtles : Splinter ! To defend him, they will learn the art of Ninjutsu and will become ... the Ninja Turtles !

Villains
Oroku Saki/Shredder, Oroku Karai/Karai, Foot Clan, Baxter Stockman, Anton Zeck/Bebop, Ivan Steranko/Rocksteady, Krang, Arnold Jones/Hun, the Purple Dragons, Kitsune and Hamato Yoshi/Gelos

Season 2 (2023-2024)
Episodes 19-36

The Turtles are 17 years old, the action takes place in 2023.

Synopsis
Turtles must prepare for an extraterrestrial invasion and will have to destroya gigantic ship to prevent it : the Technodrome. But another invasion has already begun : the New York Sewer Mutants ! Plus, Shredder is back and his revenge will be terrible !

Villains
Krang and the Utroms (later renamed the Krang), the Rock Soldiers (Tragg and Granitor), Oroku Saki/Shredder/Super Shredder, Mei Pieh Chi/Venus/Tokka, Chris Bradford/Rahzar, Leatherhead, Rat King, Baron Draxxum and various mutants

Season 3 (2024-2025)
Episodes 37-54

The Turtles are 18 years old, the action takes place in 2024.

Synopsis
The Turtles Turtles must prevent a sect worshiping animal gods from ressurrecting their father : the Dragon, a very powerful god considered as the inspiration of the Devil !

Villains
The Pantheon (Kitsune, Rat King, Aka, Manmoth, Gothano, Chi-You, Toad Baran, Jagwar, Koya, Lilith, Zodi and various animal gods)

Synopsis
The Turtles must face the mysterious Oni who has allied with Drako, the reincarnation of the Dragon, to ressurrect the family of the latter : the Kaiju, ancestral creatures who want to plunge the world into chaos.

Villains
Yu Shen/Oni, Drako, the Kaiju, Oroku Saki/Shredder, Slash and Kitsune

Season 4 (2025-2026)
Episodes 55-70

The Turtles are 19 years old, the action takes place in 2025.

Synopsis
The Turtles must once again stop an alien invasion and have to face the return of Shredder. They must also flee a government agent a little too curious.

Villains
The Triceratons (Commmander Mozar, Azokk, Boss Zukko, T'Zirk, Zak, Gruell, Zarax, Zarg, Zarus, Traximus, and various others), Agent Bishop, Armaggon, Viral and Oroku Saki/Shredder

Synopsis
After the death of Master Splinter and Shredder and the defeat of the Triceratons, the Turtles must go into space to resolve a spatio-political conflict between various alien species including the Utroms and will also have to foil a plot led by an alien warlord.

Villains
Lord Dregg, Ch'rell and the Utroms

Season 5 (2026-2027)
Episodes 71-88

The Turtles are 20 years old, the action takes place in 2026.

Synopsis
The Turtles have to face demons wanting to change the course of time and these will create a new timeline where the changes are disastrous : Leonardo lost a hand, Donatello became a cyborg, Raphael became the new Shredder and Michel-Angelo is dead ! In addition, enemies from the past resurface.

Villains
The Lords/Demons of Time Kavaxas and Savanti Romero and Rapahel/Shredder II, Baxter Stockman, Bebob and Rocksteady and Oroku Karai/Karai from the AnotherWorld

Synopsis
After the world is back to normal, the Turtles must face Jennika, the new leader of the Foot clan, a coveted spot by Erich Sachs, a millionaire passionate about Japanese culture who will become the new Shredder and make an orphan his apprentice and pupil. But an enemy escaped from the alternative dimension lands in the Turtles' world.

Villains
Jennika, the Foot Clan, Timothy Tatsu/Ultimate Ninja, Erich Sachs/Shredder III and Krang from the AnotherWorld

Season 6 (2027-2028)
Episodes 89-104

Flashback
The action takes place in in 527 AD.

Synopsis
In the sixth century, in Medieval Japan, the young warrior Hamato Yoshidoit fought the Clan Foot and its founder and leader Takeshi Tatsuo, the biggest warrior Japan has ever known ! In addition, he must fight his best friend who covets his fiancée just like an English arms dealer and a demon.

Villains
Takeshi Tatsuo/Shogun, Tengu, Walker, Yu Chen and Oroku Saki

Day of the Dead
The Turtles are 21 years old, the action takes place in 2027.

Synopsis
The Turtles, who are now five, must face the return of their mother and visit the Kingdom of the Dead. They will find the ghosts of former enemies and will find there also their father and master: Splinter ! In addition, Karai embraced his father's legacy and became the new Shredder and the latter came back to life possessed by a demon from his past.

Villains
Yomi/Mother/Tang Shen, Oroku Karai/Shredder IV, the Shikome and the ghosts

Season 7 (2028-2029)
Episodes 105-120

The Turtles are 24 years old, the action takes place in 2030.

Synopsis
Three years after the events of the previous season, the Turtles are invited on a strange island where a scinetifique creates mutants with the mutagen. The Turtles must at all costs seek a way to escape this crazy island.

Villains
Dr. Cornelius Morrow/the Beastmaster and the Mighty Mutanimals (Bludgeon, Firefly, Herman, Pete, Mondo Gecko, King Komodo, Sally pride, Nevermore and Dreadmond)

Synopsis
The Aeons, interdimensional techno-organic beings also known as Iron Angels, hunt down Ninja Turtles of other dimensions to assimilate them. The Turtles of different realities (1984, 1987, 1990, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2018 and finally 2022) will have to join forces to vaicre this ominous threat.

Villains
The Aeons (Za-Naron) and Krang and Shredder of various alternative realities

Season 8 (2030)
Episodes 121-130

The Turtles are 25 years old, the action takes place in 2031.

Synopsis
Mutants have become too numerous, the government wants to register and have them under his control. But a mutant supremacist and terrorist and his gang will put New York on fire to prevent this. Moreover, the arrival of an American army general and mutant killer will not help matters. He will then devote a civil war between the mutants and even among the Turtles.

Villains
The Street Phantoms (Tygrus/Tyrannus, Tiger Claw, Alopex, Fishface and various mutants) and the General Darrius Dun

Season 9 (2031)
Episodes 131-140

The Turtles are 50 years old, the action takes place in 2056.

Synopsis
It's been 25 years since the Turtles disappeared due to the tragic events of the previous season season but they will have to come out of the shadows to defeat their lost brother Caravaggio as well as the unfriendly reincarnations of Shredder and Splinter.

Villains
Caravaggio and the reincarnations of Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi

Season 10 (2032)
Episodes 141-150

The Turtles are 58 years old, the action takes place in 2064.

Synopsis
After improving their image, Turtles must bring their ultimate fight against evil Aztec deities. To defeat them, they will assemble a brand new team consisting ofb: Shadow the adopted daughter of April and Casey, Hamato Noboko the daughter of Splinter, Frida the daughter of Leonardo and Jennika and Karai, returned to life and in law path.

Villains
The Brotherhood of Yaotl (Yaotl, General Aguila, General Serpiente, General Gato and General Mono) and the Colonel Santino

Season 11 (2034-2035)
Episodes 151-175

The First Utrom War
The action takes place in 530 BC.

Synopsis
In the sixth century, several years after defeating Takeshi Tatsuo, Hamato Yoshi must prevent an Utrom invasion led by their emperor Quanin. He will discover the existence of mutagen created by the latter and will face the first mutant in history : Bloddsucker, a leech mutated in human because of the mutagen.

Villains
Quanin, Churk, Krang, Yoom and Bloodsucker

The Dengaku
The action takes place at several times between 2021 until 2065.

Synopsis
Several characters at various times including the Ninja Turtles and the Onna-Bugeisha (Frida, Hamato Noboko, Shadow Jones and Oroku Karai) face the forces of Otofuku, the Japanese deity of Gaeness and Good Mood composed of Orochi, a Japanese dragon with eight heads and eight tails, the Onis and Hyottoko, a mask haunted by a joker spirit.

Villains
Otofuku, Hyottoko, the Onis and Orochi

Critical response
The series was very well received by critics who found that the series was a modern and intelligent rewrite of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The particularly neat effects and performance of CGI actors were also acclaimed.

Ratings
The audiences were good with 4 million viewers during the first broadcast.

Notes and Trivia

 * This is the second live-action series dedicated to Ninja Turtles since Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation from 1997 to 1998 which included a single season.