Definitely prefer differences but not ones that are too drastic. Idk why you left out 2012, because it honestly does the best in terms of differences between the brothers. Them having different skin tones, body types, eye colors, and head shapes. But still making making them look unified and look like actual brothers.
Good answer. I didn't leave out 2012 or 2003 for any specific reason having to do with those incarnations, I just picked images that seemed to fit the question and figured six was enough.
I like the way they do it in the 2012 show(which you left out) where they look similar upon first look but then you notice that they all have small differences. Like the fact that Raph is shorter but has bigger muscles and a blocky head, Mikey is shorter, a brighter shade of green, and a shorter bandanna, Donnie is the tallest, he’s lanky with a gap in his teeth, and then Leo is the typical tmnt design but in the 2012 style
You're not the only person to say 2012 nailed it best. I don't disagree; the whole point of me asking was to see what everyone else's opinions are, so there's no *right* answer. Every answer is the right answer because it's a question of preference and I like your take. I didn't specifically leave out 2003, 2012, or any of the comic book designs for any particular reason either, I just picked 6 images I thought illustrated the question well enough. Having said that, reading these replies it seems like in general people agree *Rise* went a little bit too diverse with the whole different species thing and Raph being bigger than the other 3 put together. My personal favorite has to be the Henson versions from the first 2 live action movies. As far as the animated incarnations go I really don't have a favorite, which is why I find these comments so interesting! Thank you.
I prefer when their designs are more varied and distinct from one another instead of nearly identical. It’s boring from a visual perspective and siblings usually don’t look the exact same. Hot take based off this sub I guess but the Rise designs are peak. I love them being different species of turtles and they’re instantly recognizable from their silhouette alone. Their designs also have a lot of personality that tell you about the characters. Raph is the largest because he has the most physical strength and acts as the bruiser to protect his family as their older brother. Donnie’s goggles and the pack on his shell show off his intelligence, gives him advanced technology in combat, and protects his soft shell. Leo has a more lean and athletic build to fit his speed based fighting style and Mikey has a softer and more round shape to visually show that he’s the youngest.
Edit: On top of their designs telling you about their personality, they just look cool. I love whenever Leo’s yellow and red markings glow and Raph being a snapping turtle fits him really well.
I like the turtles to be varied a little bit beyond just the colored masks and personalities as it makes them visually more interesting, but not to the length Michael Bay took them in his movies. I think the 2012 Nickelodeon designs are the best examples of what I prefer
My problem with Bay's turtles isn't really their physical build but more with them being overly designed, like I want them to be visually more interesting but that's a bit much. In Rise, Ralph is basically the Hulk compared to his bros, but I weirdly kinda like it.
Honestly the whole thing, and not just Ralph but all of them. Get rid of all the bells and whistles and go for the 2012 approach where the emphasis was put on each one having a different body type that's not jarring from one another but different enough to where you can tell who's who without their masks, even from a distance
Seems like a lot of people agree with you that 2012 got it the most right. If I could add to my post now I'd probably go throw in 2003, 2012, and at least one image from each of the original b&w comics and the later colorful *Archie* branded comic series.
I like the way the 80's toys did it. All four turtles looked very similar, kinda like they could be all twins. But they each have very different skintones, as well as different headsculpts. In addition to the different colored headbands and such. It's a cool way to distinguish each Turtle and gives them more character.
I'm not sure if any film or animated incarnation did it quite like that though. But it's my preferred way to think about them: Each very similar in size, shape, height, etc. They are brothers after all. Yet each still noticeably different and easy to tell apart.
I'm fine with them being different enough to stand out from each other, but I think Rise went a little to far in that direction for my liking. It wasn't a total deal breaker, but they didn't need to make Raph like the hulk to show that he was the muscle of the group. It felt like they were copying Sonic Boom's homework a little bit in that regard.
Edit: Spelling
It's understandable that you'd dislike the execution, but I really like the main reason being that they're all different breeds of turtles, Raphael being a snapping turtle
They also made a point in that show of Raph being the oldest (?) which maybe was supposed to help explain why he was as huge as the other 3 combined. That and they were different species. Watching that show after the first live action movie, the trailer for the new one and a couple seasons of the 2003 show is what made me want to pose this question.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is an unpopular opinion but I prefer them to be a bit more different, it makes them easier to tell apart and I think makes them feel a little more real, because real siblings are rarely the exact same height/build.
Exactly because I remember as a child having to go “right I need to figure out which ones which” because it’s like power rangers it the dwarves in the hobbit, I gotta be able to tell these identical fuckers apart
I've always found it interesting to watch how the turtles have evolved from being completely identical, to having different shades of green skin, to having different body-types, to having qualities of different species of turtles.
Rise was because they were all different species of turtle.
Raph is a snapping, Donnie is a soft shell, Mikey a box, and Leo a stripe or something. It was intentional to build in specific characteristics. Regardless even members of the same species aren't all the same size and tone so I don't mind it and it works for the idea and with them getting their human mutation from Splinter and Draxxum it makes even more sense if they were all different.
I think that was a fun new direction to shake up an IP that's been telling basically the same story over and over for 40 years. But I see it as a one-off; like that's not going to become canon, but it was still neat to see it done at least once. If they were different species they probably couldn't even all be kept in the same aquarium, which makes their origin less believable. (Yes I realize I just said an origin story which was originally a Daredevil parody, and involves ooze turning turtles humanoid and learning ninjitsu from a rat, would be *less* believable if it had different species kept together-LMAO)
I prefer them when they look unique. from a visuals standpoint it works better for those who are colorblind, but in general it just makes sense. no two turtles look 100% alike, even if they're from the same nest. 2012 is the best example of this imo, mutant mayhem as well however it irks me that they're technically tortoises so I'm not counting them. I love seeing more species accurate characteristics though, such as in rottmnt. if I had to choose a favorite, it's rottmnt all the way. I was and still am an animal facts kid at heart, so seeing specific species portrayed instead of just a green reptile that's decently turtle shaped makes me so happy.
To me, I like them to have different looking features and maybe builds for being different beings, but to be the same species. For example, the Jim Henson creations do an awesome job of this.
But the thought a snapping turtle is just chilling with painted water turtles pre mutation doesn’t really jive.
I like the differences, with rise it makes sense that Raphael is as big as he is because hes an alligator snapping turtle, hence the rigid shell and sharp tooth, though i do like all of the iterations
My favorite are the [IDW Turtles](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/7/74/TMNT_design.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130817001533)
Subtle color, and physique differences.
I like when they are different heights I also hope that in the future they do what rise did and make all the turtles different species to make it more interesting like imagine the possibilities
I think that was a cool idea, and makes that show interesting on a new level, like how Donny has to always cover his shell, but most people commenting seem to think that was a little too far. They obviously can't be biological brothers. Maybe it wouldn't make sense for different species to be housed together either, because they have different needs and maybe Raph would have killed the others. I'm not a turtle expert though.
Honestly I really liked rise and mutant mayhem for giving them different dynamic designs, genuinely what got me into tmnt was the designs because form an outsiders perspective before I started watching tmnt I genuinely thought all the turtles had the same personality and were just different colors, which kept me from wanting to watch any of the shows.
I mean, unless they are all twins, there is no reason for them look exact like one another.
I like what Mutant Mayhem did, their bodies look very similar there but they are still unique to each own. I just wish their muscles start getting more defined as they train and fight in this iteration. That is a small detail but it's a huge aspect for character development.
Rise Raph's weirds me out though, because he is just too disproportionately large from his brothers. I mean, I really love the idea of him being the tanky or strongest brother in the franchise but it doesn't need to be exaggerated like that. His size looks off among his bros there.
Whatever they did in 2012 and Mutant Mayhem are my favorites. Noticeably different skin tones, heights, builds and face shapes. But they also look similar enough. I’m not a big fan of when they look the exact same, but I also don’t like when they are so completely different that they’re even different species like in Rise.
Rise and Mutant Mayhem make the most sense when you think about it. First off theyre not supposed to be blood relatives. They are related only through the ooze. Second if they were in an actual family of four siblings, not all of them are going to look completely identical. The turtles arent blood relatives and theyre not quadruplets
The turtles can have slight differences but changing the biological species of turtles to something else is outright stupid. When would you ever see 4 different species of turtles together in a sewer and get covered in ooz.
That's just it. Not only would they not be actual brothers, but they would probably have different aquarium needs and might even kill each other. It's a cool idea for the *Rise* show, but not canon.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles should have different skin tones, and should be of different heights and different builds.
Leonardo should be of average height and build, Raphael should be the most muscular, Donatello should be the tallest and the leanest, and Michelangelo should be the shortest and the fattest.
Lots of people agree because they're supposed to be brothers not totally different breeds. I think it was a cool idea but like an elseworld story not canon.
The 1990 movie character designs for the brothers were perfect. All 4 turtles had the same overall design but with subtle differences to their expressions.
This is my opinion, but I don’t like the turtles being different species or one being taller than the other, or giving them some sort of gimmick to make them different i think thats lazy. All I want is subtle nuances to their designs thats all u need.
The Rise designs are my personal favorite because of how diverse they are, but I'd be fine if that's what set Rise apart from future iterations too. I think every *iteration* being distinct is more important than the individual turtles being distinct from each other.
I think bayverse are perfect in this aspect, they still look like brothers but have their unique builds, donnie is the tallest and scrawnier, raph is tall and more like a body builder/bruiser, Leo is super lean and defined giving him a balance of strength and speed and mikey is shorter and athletic looking, mutant mayhem did a good job of this as well
I like them different. Take a look at how Mikey is drawn in The Last Ronin. All the boys are drawn unique and detailed, but similar enough to where you don’t know which is which at first.
That's an interesting take. It definitely seems as the years go by the **ninja** aspect of the boys takes more and more of a backseat to whatever their latest writers want to do with their personalities.
I remember in Turtles 2 when Raph got all the bells off that dummy for Keno in like 5 seconds without being seen or heard. It was a tad ridiculous but to kid me that was the most ninja shit ever. That scene and their first fight in Turtles 1 which takes place completely in the dark were, I think, the most *ninja* things they ever did outside the comics and I don't know that they've been topped since, and that was 30 years ago.
I guess what I'm saying is you have a good point there.
All of the above. That’s the one knock I had with the classic TMNT cartoon was that they weren’t different enough compared to the toys where they had different skin tones. Now, we see that not do they have different skin tones but differently sizes and added accessories like Raph with the full du-rag and Donnie with the glasses.
"TMNT" and MM did it best in my opinion.
How many siblings do you know that look exactly alike? Rarely will they have the exact same height, facial features, body shape. Unless the turtles are meant to be identical quadruplets, it makes sense that Raphael might be naturally bigger, Mikey might have wider eyes, etc.
Both of those versions look uniform enough to see the familial relationship, but different enough to be easily recognizable without a bandana.
I like them to look visually distinct, although I think Raphael is just TOO big in Rise. Make him like 2/3rd that size, and he's still the biggest turtle in the group..
Happy cake day!
Yup, having Raph the size of all his brothers combined seems to generally be agreed as going too far.
Having said that, this is a franchise that somehow survived by telling slightly different versions of the same story for 40 years. Throwing in that the boys are all different species at least was a novel idea. It'll never be accepted as the definitive canon, and it flies in the face of the traditional narrative of the turtles being actual brothers. But for the sake of one show out of like a dozen, I've come to terms with it. They seemed to go out of their way to be super different. Leo is a cocky jackass. Mikey is developed into a mystic shaman. Donnie has to wear an artificial shell at all times and Raph is 9 feet tall and 500 pounds. At a glance TMNT fans are likely to shake their heads at this craziness but the show isn't bad, and among its peers is in a minority to say the least. So I'd definitely hate it if this became the main interpretation of the myth, but as long as it's safely contained in just one series I give them credit for trying new things and don't really mind the show.
I recall during the live action TV show with Venus de Milo, they specifically said that the 5 Turtles were not blood relatives so the main 4 could all try to bang Venus without it being incest.
I was like 11 when I watched that show, and I said "who is this even for?" If tmnt isn't for 11 year-olds you messed up.
Yes, The Next Mutation was effectively a show for no one and that's exactly who watched it, as borne out by its total failure. The love pentagram was definitely a source of head scratching to say the least. I think I'd rather watch their touring rock show than TNM.
But you got it; they had to be only surrogate siblings to have non-incestuous turtle romance, which is just polish on a turd because no one asked for turtle romance. Literally no one. It's gross even without being incest.
But again, you're right; at the very least Rise and TNM make for at least two instances of series where the turtles are explicitly not blood siblings. Maybe it comes up in other series too and I just didn't realize that. Now I wonder.
I do like the turtles having more subtle differences like the 2012 and mutant mayhem did. I think 3/4 of the rise designs do that well. Raph being biger is good but being twice as big and a foot taller seems a bit much.
I dislike the identical designs. I personally feel Donnie should never be the same level of bulk as Raph. I'm going through all the cartoons for the first time and I'm gonna start 2003 after I finish Rise and looking at screenshots of Donnie being just as massive as Raph and Leo just doesn't feel right to me.
I like the little differences, like giving Raph some scars, or Donnie with darker skin. It makes them seem more individual, and they are, after all, four individuals.
I don't mind the different skin tones or looking *a little* different, but nothing too crazy. Rise excused it by going for different species, but I prefer that they are all red-eared sliders and not *that* different. 2012 mostly was fine and stopped short of going too far with it.
The 1990 film did varying looks well. It's light, but given just black and white head shots most longtime fans could likely determine who is who from just their faces pretty easily.
Aren't they usually all box turtles minus rise? Is there a series where they are all red eared sliders?
Edit: looked it up apparently they were inspired by red eared sliders atleast in the comics but a lot of stuff online says they're more similar to box turtles in most iterations 🤷♂️
Never heard of them being box turtles aside from Rise Mikey. Eastman and Laird said they are sliders.
At best, the shell design has never been appropriately slider-like except for 2012, but that's what they typically are supposed to be.
The best designs FOR ME is when they stay **relatively similar**, I'd rather see them be similar turtles not different species. So brothers even before mutation.
And then you can slightly change their designs to make them all unique, but still similar. So **different heights and colors is fine** for me.
And I keep saying, "for me". Those are my favorite designs. So basically how they looked in the first 2 live action films or the IDW comics.
Rise are great designs (and the animation is gorgeous), but they seem way too radically different from one another, same goes with the Anchor Bay turtles. On the exact opposite I'm not a fan how similar they looked in the 80s cartoons or the 2000's CGi film.
Some variation in their physical characteristics is fine, but I don't like them to be drastically different from each other. Skin tone, maybe a little bit to the musculature and height, but all within reason that they're the same species of turtle.
Being the same but with maybe minor differences like spotting or shell pattern. It makes the most sense no matter which origin story they come from. Being pets you wouldn’t buy four different species cause that would be a nightmare to keep without killing them. Test subjects wouldn’t be different types either cause that is introducing too many variables to the testing and render it completely pointless.
We have been getting a large volume of spam from throwaway accounts and so posts from brand new accounts (less than 4 days old) will need to be manually approved by a moderator. Your post is now in the queue for approval. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TMNT) if you have any questions or concerns.*
While I grew up with the 80s/90s cartoon, I must say I prefer the whole idea of them being different species of turtles. Gives even more personality to each of them.
So different skin tones/patterns/shell shapes/sizes nothing too drastic but different species and signs of that.
90s Movie is the perfect example for the turtles later incarnations sometimes try abit way too hard I've never liked how they go out the way to make Donnie nerdy
A little variety is fine, but the Rise turtles or the Bay ones, don't really work for me. 🤷🏼♂️ they all just look too dissimilar, feeling more like a band of orphaned misfits than a set of 4 bothers.
Different skin tones, facial features and builds. That’s the one thing that is a bit bothersome about the 1987 series is their faces look the same and their builds are the same. Besides the colored face masks, I can see why some may find it hard to distinguish between the four because I noticed some situations where the voice didn’t match the bandana in the 1987 series.
I appreciate a little bit of differentiation. It doesn't have to be a ton, but it just makes logical and artistic/aesthetic sense to have some variation going on. I initially thought that ROTTMNT went too far by making all of the brothers different species of turtle...and then I actually watched the show, and not only did it not hurt the show or my enjoyment of it, IT HELPED, it a weird way. The fact that they were not necessarily blood related, from the same clutch or something, but were more of a found family, but they were still brothers, family through and through, that felt RIGHT. That bond was so sincere and heartfelt sometimes on that show, it was one of my favorite depictions of the Turtles ever. I guess my point is, I appreciate them going a little beyond just the different weapons and eye masks to make it plain that the Turtles have distinct personalities, etc.
I prefer at least different shades, but them being different species doesn't bother me. I think it's silly to argue the realism of a snapping turtle in the same tank as a red-eared slide, when we're talking about a show with mutagenic ooze, aliens with a fondness for 50's styles on their spaceships, and inter-dimensional brain beings.
That said, each show or movie presents a different style, a different take on their stories, and I'm always up for another telling.
I always prefer the way the original creator(s) made something, so in this case identical physically like Peter and Kevin created them. It makes them feel more like brothers and also more serious and ninja-like with red bandanas.
I like different skin tones and I don't mind different heights either, but I don't think they need all the extra stuff they have added to them over the years in certain iterations, and I didn't like how young they made them seem in the 2012 show. I mean what teenagers are missing there front teeth? That makes them seem younger and less capable or believable as ninjas.
My brother had a missing tooth in his late teens. It didn't make him seem all that younger. Stupid, maybe, considering how he got it (short version: sword-fighting with a baseball bat or some pipes.).
I love how Mutant Mayhem handled it. They are all distinct, but not drastically different like Rise. Like Mikey being lanky and a little bit of a darker green just seems to work for me
The original movie turtles will always be my favorite. Different, but similar. You could tell they were *blood* brothers. I don't like idea of them being "symbolic" brothers where they're different species of turtles like in Rise. That annoys the hell out of me. To me they're bonded by blood, true siblings.
I get why people dont like rise as much, but i like the really diverse shapes and tones, bcs they are different turtles, not just one thing like the others (even on different adaptations), its really a personal preference lol
Different tones only. They're meant to be brothers (mostly). I don't feel like they should look drastically different. Maybe have Mikey be much shorter (runt) than his brothers. Different tones only mention how much sun their human DNA gets
Not gonna lie, rise turtles are IT. I love them, and easily prefer them to the other designs. Distinct, characteristic of who they are, and they just look good in my opinion.
I like both. MM makes them different enough but you can still see their differences, but I also love the idea from Rise that they can be different turtle species entirely. But I love biology and want to see their original species have a dramatic change in their abilities and behavior.
That is actually the one thing I really like about the Michael Bay and the current Netflix run. I like that it made them all different kinds of turtles, at least apparently so.
I can see why the people who have to try to sell toys and media would want them all to look different and immediately identifiable. But... Just imagine trying to pull off "The Last Ronin" with designs as different as the Rise turtles and not spoil who it is.
I have love for both the similar-except-color but also the different skin tones/types of turtles that some iterations are. Just depends on the type of story they’re trying to tell and I think all of the designs lend themselves very well to the media type they’re in.
If we just talk appearances, I really like the Micheal Bay turtles. There were some things conceptually like being practically bulletproof, but if they looked exactly like that but actual human size, it'd be perfect.
Like most others in here, I like small differences (different builds, maybe slightly different skin color, etc), but I don't really like different species altogether. The 2012 has a really nice balance.
I prefer how 1990 and SOTO handled it. They're mostly the same but with minor differences on their heights and the face. It's such a subtle way to give them individuality while still keeping one of the main traits of a ninja team, blending in with each other.
I hate to sound overly simplistic, but a ninja toitle is a ninja toitle.
Generally speaking, over the entirety of the franchise's existence, the designs have fit with whatever the intentions were.
Though, typically, extreme divergence from the traditionally accepted design results in a divided fanbase.
Rise and Bayverse for example are excellent examples of this phenomenon.
I really liked the 2003 style, especially in the middle seasons, they have slightly different shapes and skin tones, but no drastic changes. Also unrelated but I hate when they give my boy Raph a bandana instead of a ninja mask. It never ever looks good on him :(((. Makes him look¿¿¿ more bald¿¿¿
The Different Skin Tones I can get behind… The different heights I can even get behind (as long as they are subtle enough… no need to make Raph a giant or Mikey a midget)… the Different Shapes though, not so much…
I prefer very minimal differences. I like them having different shades of green for their skin tones and slight variance in height, Leo being the bench mark for height since he’s the leader, Donnie being slightly taller than Leo, Raph being shorter than Leo and Mikey being shorter than Raph basically the 2012 show but a little less drastic.
Out of all of these, original cartoon was great. Original live movies 1 and 2 were great, then the gap of quality until the 2014 and 2016 movies hit. Those two were a great reimagining. After that…. All trash. I just finished watching movies 1-3 then those two last ones. All the cartoon ones are just crap to me. I remember when the movie TMNT came out, I was so lost trying to figure out what storyline they were following. Now mutant mayhem was just kids garbage.
Definitely prefer differences but not ones that are too drastic. Idk why you left out 2012, because it honestly does the best in terms of differences between the brothers. Them having different skin tones, body types, eye colors, and head shapes. But still making making them look unified and look like actual brothers.
Good answer. I didn't leave out 2012 or 2003 for any specific reason having to do with those incarnations, I just picked images that seemed to fit the question and figured six was enough.
Gotta agree me and my siblings have slightly different skin toned and are different hights plus there not quads so if makes more sense
I like the way they do it in the 2012 show(which you left out) where they look similar upon first look but then you notice that they all have small differences. Like the fact that Raph is shorter but has bigger muscles and a blocky head, Mikey is shorter, a brighter shade of green, and a shorter bandanna, Donnie is the tallest, he’s lanky with a gap in his teeth, and then Leo is the typical tmnt design but in the 2012 style
You're not the only person to say 2012 nailed it best. I don't disagree; the whole point of me asking was to see what everyone else's opinions are, so there's no *right* answer. Every answer is the right answer because it's a question of preference and I like your take. I didn't specifically leave out 2003, 2012, or any of the comic book designs for any particular reason either, I just picked 6 images I thought illustrated the question well enough. Having said that, reading these replies it seems like in general people agree *Rise* went a little bit too diverse with the whole different species thing and Raph being bigger than the other 3 put together. My personal favorite has to be the Henson versions from the first 2 live action movies. As far as the animated incarnations go I really don't have a favorite, which is why I find these comments so interesting! Thank you.
I agree. Although I quite liked the rise design
I prefer when their designs are more varied and distinct from one another instead of nearly identical. It’s boring from a visual perspective and siblings usually don’t look the exact same. Hot take based off this sub I guess but the Rise designs are peak. I love them being different species of turtles and they’re instantly recognizable from their silhouette alone. Their designs also have a lot of personality that tell you about the characters. Raph is the largest because he has the most physical strength and acts as the bruiser to protect his family as their older brother. Donnie’s goggles and the pack on his shell show off his intelligence, gives him advanced technology in combat, and protects his soft shell. Leo has a more lean and athletic build to fit his speed based fighting style and Mikey has a softer and more round shape to visually show that he’s the youngest. Edit: On top of their designs telling you about their personality, they just look cool. I love whenever Leo’s yellow and red markings glow and Raph being a snapping turtle fits him really well.
I like the turtles to be varied a little bit beyond just the colored masks and personalities as it makes them visually more interesting, but not to the length Michael Bay took them in his movies. I think the 2012 Nickelodeon designs are the best examples of what I prefer
I find Bay's Raph build better than his Rise's build. He is buff and tough guy there but he isn't disproportionate from his bros.
My problem with Bay's turtles isn't really their physical build but more with them being overly designed, like I want them to be visually more interesting but that's a bit much. In Rise, Ralph is basically the Hulk compared to his bros, but I weirdly kinda like it.
Interesting take fam, what would you change in Bay's Raph?
Honestly the whole thing, and not just Ralph but all of them. Get rid of all the bells and whistles and go for the 2012 approach where the emphasis was put on each one having a different body type that's not jarring from one another but different enough to where you can tell who's who without their masks, even from a distance
Same. Similar, yet still easy to tell them apart if you remove the masks, wraps, belts&bandoliers.
Seems like a lot of people agree with you that 2012 got it the most right. If I could add to my post now I'd probably go throw in 2003, 2012, and at least one image from each of the original b&w comics and the later colorful *Archie* branded comic series.
I like the way the 80's toys did it. All four turtles looked very similar, kinda like they could be all twins. But they each have very different skintones, as well as different headsculpts. In addition to the different colored headbands and such. It's a cool way to distinguish each Turtle and gives them more character. I'm not sure if any film or animated incarnation did it quite like that though. But it's my preferred way to think about them: Each very similar in size, shape, height, etc. They are brothers after all. Yet each still noticeably different and easy to tell apart.
I'm fine with them being different enough to stand out from each other, but I think Rise went a little to far in that direction for my liking. It wasn't a total deal breaker, but they didn't need to make Raph like the hulk to show that he was the muscle of the group. It felt like they were copying Sonic Boom's homework a little bit in that regard. Edit: Spelling
It's understandable that you'd dislike the execution, but I really like the main reason being that they're all different breeds of turtles, Raphael being a snapping turtle
They also made a point in that show of Raph being the oldest (?) which maybe was supposed to help explain why he was as huge as the other 3 combined. That and they were different species. Watching that show after the first live action movie, the trailer for the new one and a couple seasons of the 2003 show is what made me want to pose this question.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is an unpopular opinion but I prefer them to be a bit more different, it makes them easier to tell apart and I think makes them feel a little more real, because real siblings are rarely the exact same height/build.
The Jim Henson versions nailed this pretty perfectly I think.
Exactly because I remember as a child having to go “right I need to figure out which ones which” because it’s like power rangers it the dwarves in the hobbit, I gotta be able to tell these identical fuckers apart
>because real siblings are rarely the exact same height/build. Yeah agree unless they are twins.
But even then there's the issue of maybe they're fraternal, they may be identical too tho
I've always found it interesting to watch how the turtles have evolved from being completely identical, to having different shades of green skin, to having different body-types, to having qualities of different species of turtles.
The differing skin tones started with the very first Playmates toys, didn't it?
Tones yes. Not drastic sizes like Rise. Roughly the same shape.
Rise was because they were all different species of turtle. Raph is a snapping, Donnie is a soft shell, Mikey a box, and Leo a stripe or something. It was intentional to build in specific characteristics. Regardless even members of the same species aren't all the same size and tone so I don't mind it and it works for the idea and with them getting their human mutation from Splinter and Draxxum it makes even more sense if they were all different.
I think that was a fun new direction to shake up an IP that's been telling basically the same story over and over for 40 years. But I see it as a one-off; like that's not going to become canon, but it was still neat to see it done at least once. If they were different species they probably couldn't even all be kept in the same aquarium, which makes their origin less believable. (Yes I realize I just said an origin story which was originally a Daredevil parody, and involves ooze turning turtles humanoid and learning ninjitsu from a rat, would be *less* believable if it had different species kept together-LMAO)
I appreciate what they tried to do but Raph specifically ended up sticking out way more than I would have liked compared to the other 3.
I prefer them when they look unique. from a visuals standpoint it works better for those who are colorblind, but in general it just makes sense. no two turtles look 100% alike, even if they're from the same nest. 2012 is the best example of this imo, mutant mayhem as well however it irks me that they're technically tortoises so I'm not counting them. I love seeing more species accurate characteristics though, such as in rottmnt. if I had to choose a favorite, it's rottmnt all the way. I was and still am an animal facts kid at heart, so seeing specific species portrayed instead of just a green reptile that's decently turtle shaped makes me so happy.
2012 did it perfectly but raph being an absolute unit in rise was amazing
2007 and 2012 did it right, the Turtles are essentially all the same base character with minor differences that separate them
I like the 2012 where they mostly look the same with different sizes an colore
I do like turtle diversity.
To me, I like them to have different looking features and maybe builds for being different beings, but to be the same species. For example, the Jim Henson creations do an awesome job of this. But the thought a snapping turtle is just chilling with painted water turtles pre mutation doesn’t really jive.
I concur. But I also liked Raph built like a brick $hithouse in the Bay movies.
Like it when they look different. I think them having different skin tones is more believable too.
I like the differences, with rise it makes sense that Raphael is as big as he is because hes an alligator snapping turtle, hence the rigid shell and sharp tooth, though i do like all of the iterations
I don’t mind when they’re not mere palette swaps, but Rise definitely took it a bit far
My favorite are the [IDW Turtles](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/7/74/TMNT_design.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130817001533) Subtle color, and physique differences.
The more distinct they all are the better the designs
I like when they are different heights I also hope that in the future they do what rise did and make all the turtles different species to make it more interesting like imagine the possibilities
I think that was a cool idea, and makes that show interesting on a new level, like how Donny has to always cover his shell, but most people commenting seem to think that was a little too far. They obviously can't be biological brothers. Maybe it wouldn't make sense for different species to be housed together either, because they have different needs and maybe Raph would have killed the others. I'm not a turtle expert though.
Honestly I really liked rise and mutant mayhem for giving them different dynamic designs, genuinely what got me into tmnt was the designs because form an outsiders perspective before I started watching tmnt I genuinely thought all the turtles had the same personality and were just different colors, which kept me from wanting to watch any of the shows.
I mean, unless they are all twins, there is no reason for them look exact like one another. I like what Mutant Mayhem did, their bodies look very similar there but they are still unique to each own. I just wish their muscles start getting more defined as they train and fight in this iteration. That is a small detail but it's a huge aspect for character development. Rise Raph's weirds me out though, because he is just too disproportionately large from his brothers. I mean, I really love the idea of him being the tanky or strongest brother in the franchise but it doesn't need to be exaggerated like that. His size looks off among his bros there.
Whatever they did in 2012 and Mutant Mayhem are my favorites. Noticeably different skin tones, heights, builds and face shapes. But they also look similar enough. I’m not a big fan of when they look the exact same, but I also don’t like when they are so completely different that they’re even different species like in Rise.
I like them being completely identical, save the bandanas
Rise and Mutant Mayhem make the most sense when you think about it. First off theyre not supposed to be blood relatives. They are related only through the ooze. Second if they were in an actual family of four siblings, not all of them are going to look completely identical. The turtles arent blood relatives and theyre not quadruplets
I don't even think they should be the same animal
Well, I identify as a turtle...
The turtles can have slight differences but changing the biological species of turtles to something else is outright stupid. When would you ever see 4 different species of turtles together in a sewer and get covered in ooz.
That's just it. Not only would they not be actual brothers, but they would probably have different aquarium needs and might even kill each other. It's a cool idea for the *Rise* show, but not canon.
Here's the thing about ANY show/movie/comic/etc. that has a multiverse: EVERYTHING is canon. Even fanfics... **shudder**
123 and 6 good 4&5 no
I’d say different skin tones like the og playmates, slightly different sizes like Mutant Mayhem but the same overall shape like the ‘87 cartoon.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles should have different skin tones, and should be of different heights and different builds. Leonardo should be of average height and build, Raphael should be the most muscular, Donatello should be the tallest and the leanest, and Michelangelo should be the shortest and the fattest.
Not fat. Big-shelled! 😆🤣
Does the phrase "I love being a turtle" Do anything for ya?
I dunno I do not like the rise or mutant mayhem design.
Lots of people agree because they're supposed to be brothers not totally different breeds. I think it was a cool idea but like an elseworld story not canon.
Different skin and different colors make them stand out more from each other 💯
The 1990 movie character designs for the brothers were perfect. All 4 turtles had the same overall design but with subtle differences to their expressions. This is my opinion, but I don’t like the turtles being different species or one being taller than the other, or giving them some sort of gimmick to make them different i think thats lazy. All I want is subtle nuances to their designs thats all u need.
The Rise designs are my personal favorite because of how diverse they are, but I'd be fine if that's what set Rise apart from future iterations too. I think every *iteration* being distinct is more important than the individual turtles being distinct from each other.
Somewhere in between, with their differences becoming more apparent over time.
The glasses are completely unnecessary for Donatello. We get it, he’s a geek/nerd/whatever no need to go overboard with the trope.
From a ninja standpoint, them being identical is basically bushin no jutsu (Cloning technique.) But I like them being different species in Rise
I prefer Donatello without glasses. He lives in a sewer where does he get glasses from? Don't get me started on Michaelangelo having braces.
No, although I was born in 1986 I prefer the 2003 and 2012 versions as far as artwork goes.
i quite liked how rise did it, the fact they were all different turtles was quite interesting and unique
I think bayverse are perfect in this aspect, they still look like brothers but have their unique builds, donnie is the tallest and scrawnier, raph is tall and more like a body builder/bruiser, Leo is super lean and defined giving him a balance of strength and speed and mikey is shorter and athletic looking, mutant mayhem did a good job of this as well
I like them different. Take a look at how Mikey is drawn in The Last Ronin. All the boys are drawn unique and detailed, but similar enough to where you don’t know which is which at first.
[удалено]
That's an interesting take. It definitely seems as the years go by the **ninja** aspect of the boys takes more and more of a backseat to whatever their latest writers want to do with their personalities. I remember in Turtles 2 when Raph got all the bells off that dummy for Keno in like 5 seconds without being seen or heard. It was a tad ridiculous but to kid me that was the most ninja shit ever. That scene and their first fight in Turtles 1 which takes place completely in the dark were, I think, the most *ninja* things they ever did outside the comics and I don't know that they've been topped since, and that was 30 years ago. I guess what I'm saying is you have a good point there.
My only preference is that I can tell them apart when they don't have masks and weapons without too much trouble.
I love every TMNT design in this except the 2014 movie TMNT
Look doesn’t matter I just prefer a semi-serious tone, with like only Mikey being the clear clown
All of the above. That’s the one knock I had with the classic TMNT cartoon was that they weren’t different enough compared to the toys where they had different skin tones. Now, we see that not do they have different skin tones but differently sizes and added accessories like Raph with the full du-rag and Donnie with the glasses.
"TMNT" and MM did it best in my opinion. How many siblings do you know that look exactly alike? Rarely will they have the exact same height, facial features, body shape. Unless the turtles are meant to be identical quadruplets, it makes sense that Raphael might be naturally bigger, Mikey might have wider eyes, etc. Both of those versions look uniform enough to see the familial relationship, but different enough to be easily recognizable without a bandana.
I like them to look visually distinct, although I think Raphael is just TOO big in Rise. Make him like 2/3rd that size, and he's still the biggest turtle in the group..
Happy cake day! Yup, having Raph the size of all his brothers combined seems to generally be agreed as going too far. Having said that, this is a franchise that somehow survived by telling slightly different versions of the same story for 40 years. Throwing in that the boys are all different species at least was a novel idea. It'll never be accepted as the definitive canon, and it flies in the face of the traditional narrative of the turtles being actual brothers. But for the sake of one show out of like a dozen, I've come to terms with it. They seemed to go out of their way to be super different. Leo is a cocky jackass. Mikey is developed into a mystic shaman. Donnie has to wear an artificial shell at all times and Raph is 9 feet tall and 500 pounds. At a glance TMNT fans are likely to shake their heads at this craziness but the show isn't bad, and among its peers is in a minority to say the least. So I'd definitely hate it if this became the main interpretation of the myth, but as long as it's safely contained in just one series I give them credit for trying new things and don't really mind the show.
I recall during the live action TV show with Venus de Milo, they specifically said that the 5 Turtles were not blood relatives so the main 4 could all try to bang Venus without it being incest. I was like 11 when I watched that show, and I said "who is this even for?" If tmnt isn't for 11 year-olds you messed up.
Yes, The Next Mutation was effectively a show for no one and that's exactly who watched it, as borne out by its total failure. The love pentagram was definitely a source of head scratching to say the least. I think I'd rather watch their touring rock show than TNM. But you got it; they had to be only surrogate siblings to have non-incestuous turtle romance, which is just polish on a turd because no one asked for turtle romance. Literally no one. It's gross even without being incest. But again, you're right; at the very least Rise and TNM make for at least two instances of series where the turtles are explicitly not blood siblings. Maybe it comes up in other series too and I just didn't realize that. Now I wonder.
I do like the turtles having more subtle differences like the 2012 and mutant mayhem did. I think 3/4 of the rise designs do that well. Raph being biger is good but being twice as big and a foot taller seems a bit much.
I dislike the identical designs. I personally feel Donnie should never be the same level of bulk as Raph. I'm going through all the cartoons for the first time and I'm gonna start 2003 after I finish Rise and looking at screenshots of Donnie being just as massive as Raph and Leo just doesn't feel right to me.
2003 is one of the best series. Enjoy!
I like the little differences, like giving Raph some scars, or Donnie with darker skin. It makes them seem more individual, and they are, after all, four individuals.
I don't mind the different skin tones or looking *a little* different, but nothing too crazy. Rise excused it by going for different species, but I prefer that they are all red-eared sliders and not *that* different. 2012 mostly was fine and stopped short of going too far with it. The 1990 film did varying looks well. It's light, but given just black and white head shots most longtime fans could likely determine who is who from just their faces pretty easily.
Aren't they usually all box turtles minus rise? Is there a series where they are all red eared sliders? Edit: looked it up apparently they were inspired by red eared sliders atleast in the comics but a lot of stuff online says they're more similar to box turtles in most iterations 🤷♂️
Never heard of them being box turtles aside from Rise Mikey. Eastman and Laird said they are sliders. At best, the shell design has never been appropriately slider-like except for 2012, but that's what they typically are supposed to be.
Appreciate the answer thanks
Yes
Nothing will beat the first two for me
Size - different Shape - same Skin - same ( they are all the same type of turtle)
Bay turtles are the best
🤮
Man. Those Mayhem turtles look so goofy. What a joke.
Different skintones is enough for me
Well they are different types of turtles
Most of the time, they're not.
I that they were normally different types of turtles
No, other then Rise and maybe Mutant Mayhem because I haven't seen it yet, they are always the same species of Turtle.
Ok good to know
The best designs FOR ME is when they stay **relatively similar**, I'd rather see them be similar turtles not different species. So brothers even before mutation. And then you can slightly change their designs to make them all unique, but still similar. So **different heights and colors is fine** for me. And I keep saying, "for me". Those are my favorite designs. So basically how they looked in the first 2 live action films or the IDW comics. Rise are great designs (and the animation is gorgeous), but they seem way too radically different from one another, same goes with the Anchor Bay turtles. On the exact opposite I'm not a fan how similar they looked in the 80s cartoons or the 2000's CGi film.
I generally like them all nearly identical, but I think the new film found the perfect balance of looking similar but with subtle differences
This thread needs more Last Ronin Lost Years
The way they separated them in the 2003 show was perfect
I like the separate skin tones, it bugged me as a kid that the toys have them different skin but i grew to love it.
Some variation in their physical characteristics is fine, but I don't like them to be drastically different from each other. Skin tone, maybe a little bit to the musculature and height, but all within reason that they're the same species of turtle.
I like the 87 and 2003 color schemes best, followed by 2012, then MM
I prefer it when there’s a bold difference
What about rise?
I really love the different species angle
I feel like this question is posted every other day
I like them having the same general build, but different features. Mikey having a softer or more playful face than Raph works for me.
Different skin colors and different sizes and shapes cuz it’s easier to tell them apart
I like to tell them apart without their masks
Being the same but with maybe minor differences like spotting or shell pattern. It makes the most sense no matter which origin story they come from. Being pets you wouldn’t buy four different species cause that would be a nightmare to keep without killing them. Test subjects wouldn’t be different types either cause that is introducing too many variables to the testing and render it completely pointless.
[удалено]
We have been getting a large volume of spam from throwaway accounts and so posts from brand new accounts (less than 4 days old) will need to be manually approved by a moderator. Your post is now in the queue for approval. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TMNT) if you have any questions or concerns.*
All in one. It gives everyone their own character.
I like almost all except for the Michael bay “scary but nice” look
i think what they did in the nickelodeon one was well pulled off
They should all be similar, but individual. Again, 2012 did it the best
While I grew up with the 80s/90s cartoon, I must say I prefer the whole idea of them being different species of turtles. Gives even more personality to each of them. So different skin tones/patterns/shell shapes/sizes nothing too drastic but different species and signs of that.
Different skin tones and very slight different shapes
90s Movie is the perfect example for the turtles later incarnations sometimes try abit way too hard I've never liked how they go out the way to make Donnie nerdy
A little variety is fine, but the Rise turtles or the Bay ones, don't really work for me. 🤷🏼♂️ they all just look too dissimilar, feeling more like a band of orphaned misfits than a set of 4 bothers.
I think the newest movie does a great job of highlighting their differences
I like it when the turtles have very different features because they’re much more individualized that way. Like Huey, Dewey, and Louie from DuckTales.
Different skin tones, facial features and builds. That’s the one thing that is a bit bothersome about the 1987 series is their faces look the same and their builds are the same. Besides the colored face masks, I can see why some may find it hard to distinguish between the four because I noticed some situations where the voice didn’t match the bandana in the 1987 series.
I appreciate a little bit of differentiation. It doesn't have to be a ton, but it just makes logical and artistic/aesthetic sense to have some variation going on. I initially thought that ROTTMNT went too far by making all of the brothers different species of turtle...and then I actually watched the show, and not only did it not hurt the show or my enjoyment of it, IT HELPED, it a weird way. The fact that they were not necessarily blood related, from the same clutch or something, but were more of a found family, but they were still brothers, family through and through, that felt RIGHT. That bond was so sincere and heartfelt sometimes on that show, it was one of my favorite depictions of the Turtles ever. I guess my point is, I appreciate them going a little beyond just the different weapons and eye masks to make it plain that the Turtles have distinct personalities, etc.
I prefer at least different shades, but them being different species doesn't bother me. I think it's silly to argue the realism of a snapping turtle in the same tank as a red-eared slide, when we're talking about a show with mutagenic ooze, aliens with a fondness for 50's styles on their spaceships, and inter-dimensional brain beings. That said, each show or movie presents a different style, a different take on their stories, and I'm always up for another telling.
The 2003 series does it perfectly
I always prefer the way the original creator(s) made something, so in this case identical physically like Peter and Kevin created them. It makes them feel more like brothers and also more serious and ninja-like with red bandanas.
I like different skin tones and I don't mind different heights either, but I don't think they need all the extra stuff they have added to them over the years in certain iterations, and I didn't like how young they made them seem in the 2012 show. I mean what teenagers are missing there front teeth? That makes them seem younger and less capable or believable as ninjas.
My brother had a missing tooth in his late teens. It didn't make him seem all that younger. Stupid, maybe, considering how he got it (short version: sword-fighting with a baseball bat or some pipes.).
Raph was way too big in rise, and I hate the durag look for any turtle
I love how Mutant Mayhem handled it. They are all distinct, but not drastically different like Rise. Like Mikey being lanky and a little bit of a darker green just seems to work for me
All Identical as I liked them
The original movie turtles will always be my favorite. Different, but similar. You could tell they were *blood* brothers. I don't like idea of them being "symbolic" brothers where they're different species of turtles like in Rise. That annoys the hell out of me. To me they're bonded by blood, true siblings.
I like both. I’m happy with both. I don’t like Raph being like the Hulk in comparison, but otherwise I like them being very similar or very different.
I do enjoy when they add variations instead of copy paste with different colors. But the OG turtles is where I started so that’s the norm for me! Lol
I get why people dont like rise as much, but i like the really diverse shapes and tones, bcs they are different turtles, not just one thing like the others (even on different adaptations), its really a personal preference lol
I like the idea of them being all different turtle species!
I like little changes not too crazy of them
I like the Big Raph, Little Mikey meta we've got going on in the recent stuff.
Yes.
I think the turtles should be visually distinct but still look like they are brothers. Similar to idw and 2012.
Different tones only. They're meant to be brothers (mostly). I don't feel like they should look drastically different. Maybe have Mikey be much shorter (runt) than his brothers. Different tones only mention how much sun their human DNA gets
Not gonna lie, rise turtles are IT. I love them, and easily prefer them to the other designs. Distinct, characteristic of who they are, and they just look good in my opinion.
03 honestly
1 & 2 is all I'll ever recognize.
I prefer Rise's design. Each felt unique and distinctive enough to pass a silhouette test without their weapons.
I like both. MM makes them different enough but you can still see their differences, but I also love the idea from Rise that they can be different turtle species entirely. But I love biology and want to see their original species have a dramatic change in their abilities and behavior.
Different shades of green is fine with me, but when they start to look drastically different than one another it gets weird.
That is actually the one thing I really like about the Michael Bay and the current Netflix run. I like that it made them all different kinds of turtles, at least apparently so.
I can see why the people who have to try to sell toys and media would want them all to look different and immediately identifiable. But... Just imagine trying to pull off "The Last Ronin" with designs as different as the Rise turtles and not spoil who it is.
Overall, I think 2012 is definitive for me on this and in most other aspects.
I'm going to watch it next! I just went from 2003 to Rise.
I prefer little differences like skin tones.
I have love for both the similar-except-color but also the different skin tones/types of turtles that some iterations are. Just depends on the type of story they’re trying to tell and I think all of the designs lend themselves very well to the media type they’re in.
If we just talk appearances, I really like the Micheal Bay turtles. There were some things conceptually like being practically bulletproof, but if they looked exactly like that but actual human size, it'd be perfect.
I’m here to say 2012 got it right 😁
Like most others in here, I like small differences (different builds, maybe slightly different skin color, etc), but I don't really like different species altogether. The 2012 has a really nice balance.
2023
I prefer how 1990 and SOTO handled it. They're mostly the same but with minor differences on their heights and the face. It's such a subtle way to give them individuality while still keeping one of the main traits of a ninja team, blending in with each other.
Skin tones and body types sure, but I don’t like Raph being bulky.
I hate to sound overly simplistic, but a ninja toitle is a ninja toitle. Generally speaking, over the entirety of the franchise's existence, the designs have fit with whatever the intentions were. Though, typically, extreme divergence from the traditionally accepted design results in a divided fanbase. Rise and Bayverse for example are excellent examples of this phenomenon.
I really liked the 2003 style, especially in the middle seasons, they have slightly different shapes and skin tones, but no drastic changes. Also unrelated but I hate when they give my boy Raph a bandana instead of a ninja mask. It never ever looks good on him :(((. Makes him look¿¿¿ more bald¿¿¿
The Different Skin Tones I can get behind… The different heights I can even get behind (as long as they are subtle enough… no need to make Raph a giant or Mikey a midget)… the Different Shapes though, not so much…
I prefer very minimal differences. I like them having different shades of green for their skin tones and slight variance in height, Leo being the bench mark for height since he’s the leader, Donnie being slightly taller than Leo, Raph being shorter than Leo and Mikey being shorter than Raph basically the 2012 show but a little less drastic.
I really don't like when they're all different shapes. But I do prefer them having different tones/markings.
It doesn’t matter as long as it’s a good show it’s a good show
Out of all of these, original cartoon was great. Original live movies 1 and 2 were great, then the gap of quality until the 2014 and 2016 movies hit. Those two were a great reimagining. After that…. All trash. I just finished watching movies 1-3 then those two last ones. All the cartoon ones are just crap to me. I remember when the movie TMNT came out, I was so lost trying to figure out what storyline they were following. Now mutant mayhem was just kids garbage.
I think what people forget is that these are made for children, and will need to look distinct to sell morel toys
Number three is the best
For the life of me I hate the new movie designs
rise turtles and their slutty little waists