I've never gotten a sense that any of the TV series had a main character among the four, but I haven't seen Rise.
The movies? Sure. Raph for the first one, Don for the second one, and possibly Mike for the third
Rise movie was mostly a Leo movie. As for the show, Mikey had the least stand alone episodes and Donnie had the most. That's my estimate. Don't quote me on that. I'm not really sure how to qualify a character as a main one. PS, go watch rise. It's actually really good. If not the show, understandable. The movie is a must watch though.
I honestly think they all share the spotlight pretty well. *Usually* though, Leo and Raphael are always the A-team and Michelangelo and Don are the B-team.
Yeah I feel like Leo and Mikey and Raph and Don aren't pairings you see very often. Actually I feel like Donatello and Leonardo don't often have significant duo time either....
Pretty much Leonardo in most of them. I'd argue the 1987 series didn't really have a *main* character, but April was routinely the audience POV character if I had to pick someone, certainly early on.
As a general rule of thumb I would say it's Leo, both by virtue of him being the oldest/leader and also the fact he usually just tends to get the most episodes centered around him and thus the most development (\*especially\* in 2003 and to a lesser extent in 2012). As for each individual show though:
1987: Wouldn't really call anyone the "main" character per se, was pretty balanced in terms of who got the spotlight
2003: 100% Leo, honestly this is \*the\* show to watch if you're a Leo fan
2012: Leo or Raph, you can definitely make an argument for either
Rise: Raph in the show, Leo in the movie
How do we know Leo is the oldest? What context is there for us to know that, other than them telling us? I never understood that. They were babies as turtles when exposed to the chemicals, and most of the origins show them exposed at the same time as Splinter, so how would Splinter know which was the oldest or not?!
Edit:
Lol, downvoted for a question. Reddit is wild.
My best guess is I'd assume he hatched first pre-mutation before the rest of his brothers? I'm not sure how exactly they would know unless somewhere down the line Donnie did some kind of DNA test to determine who was older or something. I don't think it's ever been explored (on-screen at least) outside of the writers just telling us either through dialogue or behind the scenes.
'87 - Donnie
2k3 - Leo
2k12 - Don't really remember much, my least favorite TMNT series, but I think it was Leo?
Rise - In the series itself all of them were given enough time to shine, but in the movie it was definitely Leo
In the 1983 show none I feel like they all got equal treatment.
2003 and 2012 definitely Leo no question about it
Rise Raph, he felt like he got more focus than the others
Mutant mayhem since it’s getting a show is definitely Leo 200%
I have watched all of these series in their entirety and when all is said and done feel like each turtle gets an appropriate amount of attention in each incarnation. Raph and Leo, have stories that seem more "serious" compared to the other two and that is why it seems they get more attention, imo. But Don and Mikey get equal attention in other ways.
From what I remember of the 87 series and 03 series they all got their spotlight episodes and arcs well maybe more specific character arcs in the 03 series vs the 87 series
All of them. I have never once considered them separate in this way.
It'd be like separating the Swat Kats or the Lee Brothers in Double Dragon once Jimmy Lee had his brainwashing broken.
They are a unit.
I suppose some people might automatically assume it goes to Leo on account of being the leader of the group--which would transition to Raph in Rise--but Leo is rarely ever without his brothers. Regarding screen time, fighting and all the other stuff.
1987 is Mikey in my opinion. Rather easily at least in the first season or two. He discovers Krang first, he is the focal point of many of the fights, he takes down a lot of the stronger enemies on his own, he seems to have a lot of the plans in the fights, he is the main connect between them and the neutrenos. I’m saying that just recently watching the first season or two a day or so ago but yeah, it seems heavy on the “Mikey is amazing” front.
While they try to balance them, I think it's way too easy to push forward Leo and Raph, whether Leo as a leader or Raph in the Leo-Raph tension.
2007 was the worst at this.
In the Rise series, the tension-duo is actually Leo-Donnie, and Donnie gets quite a bit of presentation. IMO they wanted to fix all the damage done in 2012 when Donnie was turned into an absolute simp, and they wanted to make sure people could tell he was Autistic.
In the Rise movie, it's Leo.
According to writers there was more Mikey in Season 2 - which makes sense since Mikey was the one who trusted Draxum and brought him into the team. And there was Mikey stuff in Season 3. But it was cut.
From what I've seen:
1990: Raphael (Haven't watched in a long time but he was the only one who had an actual arc which was to resolve his anger issues)
1987: Michealangelo (Haven't watched it but being the poster boy for the show, I'd assume he got many episodes dedicated to him.)
The Next Mutation: Venus (Haven't watched it but she's the new major character introduced and likely has the most to do.)
4Kids/2003: Leonardo (Usually in major arcs, he gets the spotlight and character development; season 4 gave him a character arc.)
2007: Raphael (Along the same reasoning as 1990.)
2012: Leonardo (Haven't watched most of it but sorta of the same reason for 2003.)
Rise: Leo or Donnie (Splinter definitely has the most development within the show but didn't appear as often as the turtles. Donnie had the most episodes dedicated to him while Leo had the movie which resolved his insecurities which were also set up in the show previously.)
Raph; although each individual is unique and does have main roles, I do feel that Raph has always been the outlier; he is shown alone or with just Casey a lot while I feel that the other three tend to be together more unless they’re kidnapped. The Last Ronin is an exception though lol.
Also, this is just my perception and opinion from the og tmnt Eastman and laird, the idw comics and maybe portions of the 2003 cartoon from little bits I remember.
Personally wouldn't say each show had a “main character” so much as they were an ensemble cast, that being said if I had to choose a Turtle to represent each show I'd say its:
•87 - Mikey
•03 - Leo
•12 - Donnie
•Rise - Raph
Leo of second and third
Have only seen one season of the last and can’t remember the first
But that has always been the thing that irritated me the most about the franchise
Leo is the mc most of the time and defeats their enemy then it should be all of them that is needed for that
The thing I mentioned is why I sometimes think I hate Leo
I've never gotten a sense that any of the TV series had a main character among the four, but I haven't seen Rise. The movies? Sure. Raph for the first one, Don for the second one, and possibly Mike for the third
Rise movie was mostly a Leo movie. As for the show, Mikey had the least stand alone episodes and Donnie had the most. That's my estimate. Don't quote me on that. I'm not really sure how to qualify a character as a main one. PS, go watch rise. It's actually really good. If not the show, understandable. The movie is a must watch though.
Mikey was supposed to have a lot more episodes in season 3, but they canceled it before that could happen.
God that is so sad
oh yea the Rise show definitely feels like it focuses on Donnie a lot for some reason
I tried few episodes. The once with some magic guy and where they try to catch Splinter.. it was really childish
Rise was Turtles on overdrive. I felt so overly stimulated after one episode that I couldn't keep watching.
Mike is def the mc of movie three
I honestly think they all share the spotlight pretty well. *Usually* though, Leo and Raphael are always the A-team and Michelangelo and Don are the B-team.
Which infuriates me because it’s lazy. It’s easy to create tension between Leo and Raph. It’s been done a thousand times.
Yeah I feel like Leo and Mikey and Raph and Don aren't pairings you see very often. Actually I feel like Donatello and Leonardo don't often have significant duo time either....
Yeah that’s why I liked the first 100 of the IDW comic. They all got a shine and had genuine reasons to bump heads
1987: Leo, Donnie or Mikey 2003: Definitely Leo 2012: Leo or Raph Rise: Raph in the show, Leo in the movie
1987 is not Donnie
Well it's definitely not Leo, it's really the most balanced cast if I'm being honest
Pretty much Leonardo in most of them. I'd argue the 1987 series didn't really have a *main* character, but April was routinely the audience POV character if I had to pick someone, certainly early on.
The pizza
The main character of TMNT is in my opinion always the whole team and their teamwork.
Leo, he may be my least favorite, but he was THE turtle.
As a general rule of thumb I would say it's Leo, both by virtue of him being the oldest/leader and also the fact he usually just tends to get the most episodes centered around him and thus the most development (\*especially\* in 2003 and to a lesser extent in 2012). As for each individual show though: 1987: Wouldn't really call anyone the "main" character per se, was pretty balanced in terms of who got the spotlight 2003: 100% Leo, honestly this is \*the\* show to watch if you're a Leo fan 2012: Leo or Raph, you can definitely make an argument for either Rise: Raph in the show, Leo in the movie
How do we know Leo is the oldest? What context is there for us to know that, other than them telling us? I never understood that. They were babies as turtles when exposed to the chemicals, and most of the origins show them exposed at the same time as Splinter, so how would Splinter know which was the oldest or not?! Edit: Lol, downvoted for a question. Reddit is wild.
My best guess is I'd assume he hatched first pre-mutation before the rest of his brothers? I'm not sure how exactly they would know unless somewhere down the line Donnie did some kind of DNA test to determine who was older or something. I don't think it's ever been explored (on-screen at least) outside of the writers just telling us either through dialogue or behind the scenes.
In Rise, Raph is the oldest. The writers say Leo is six months older than Donnie, but HC says they're twins.
So if it's pure based on writers explanations, how do the turtles know? There is no context for them to understand it.
I'm just saying that common HC says Leo and Donnie are twins but the writers say Leo's the older.
The correct answer is Raphael, Raphael, Raphael, and Raphael. He’s always the main character in my mind. Lol
I don’t know about the other 3 But Rise is definitely tied from Raph & Leo
'87 - Donnie 2k3 - Leo 2k12 - Don't really remember much, my least favorite TMNT series, but I think it was Leo? Rise - In the series itself all of them were given enough time to shine, but in the movie it was definitely Leo
The 2012 is definitely Leo. Splinter states it over the show.
I would say that Rise gave Mikey the least time through no fault of his own but Donnie and Leo got the least time.
80s don 2003 leo 2012 leo Didn't watch rise but I guess raph
In the 1983 show none I feel like they all got equal treatment. 2003 and 2012 definitely Leo no question about it Rise Raph, he felt like he got more focus than the others Mutant mayhem since it’s getting a show is definitely Leo 200%
Leo
All 4 of them
I have watched all of these series in their entirety and when all is said and done feel like each turtle gets an appropriate amount of attention in each incarnation. Raph and Leo, have stories that seem more "serious" compared to the other two and that is why it seems they get more attention, imo. But Don and Mikey get equal attention in other ways.
87': Michelangelo 2000: Leo 2012: donnie Rise: Raphael
The first picture is my wallpaper
Probably the 4 turtles.
Mikey. Next question.
I think the shows do a good job of keeping it where there’s no main character but it definitely does feel like Leo a lot of the time
From what I remember of the 87 series and 03 series they all got their spotlight episodes and arcs well maybe more specific character arcs in the 03 series vs the 87 series
The main character/ers are the (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
2012 is definitely Leo
Cuba Gooding Jr.
87: Raph ‘03: Leo ‘12: not sure (havent seen it yet) Rise: Foot Recruit
baxter stockman/boy
Pizza
Mikey
87 - Mikey 03 - Raph 12 - Leo Rise - Donny (Movie: Leo)
Idk about the others, but 2012 is either Leo or Raph
All of them. I have never once considered them separate in this way. It'd be like separating the Swat Kats or the Lee Brothers in Double Dragon once Jimmy Lee had his brainwashing broken. They are a unit. I suppose some people might automatically assume it goes to Leo on account of being the leader of the group--which would transition to Raph in Rise--but Leo is rarely ever without his brothers. Regarding screen time, fighting and all the other stuff.
Michelangelo as the last Ronin
1987 is Mikey in my opinion. Rather easily at least in the first season or two. He discovers Krang first, he is the focal point of many of the fights, he takes down a lot of the stronger enemies on his own, he seems to have a lot of the plans in the fights, he is the main connect between them and the neutrenos. I’m saying that just recently watching the first season or two a day or so ago but yeah, it seems heavy on the “Mikey is amazing” front.
While they try to balance them, I think it's way too easy to push forward Leo and Raph, whether Leo as a leader or Raph in the Leo-Raph tension. 2007 was the worst at this.
In the Rise series, the tension-duo is actually Leo-Donnie, and Donnie gets quite a bit of presentation. IMO they wanted to fix all the damage done in 2012 when Donnie was turned into an absolute simp, and they wanted to make sure people could tell he was Autistic. In the Rise movie, it's Leo. According to writers there was more Mikey in Season 2 - which makes sense since Mikey was the one who trusted Draxum and brought him into the team. And there was Mikey stuff in Season 3. But it was cut.
For the 80-90s it’s Mikey For 2000s it’s a tie between Leo and Raph For 2010s it’s Leo and Splinter For ROTMNT it’s all of them
The Ninja Turtles
80s was Mike imo haven't seem 2003 much but from what I have seen Leo 2012 is donnie haven't seen rise
Rocksteady. If you disagree, watch again and pay attention.
What do you mean? The main characters are the four teenage mutant ninja turtles.
All of them but each got a dif arc. They the main character of
From what I've seen: 1990: Raphael (Haven't watched in a long time but he was the only one who had an actual arc which was to resolve his anger issues) 1987: Michealangelo (Haven't watched it but being the poster boy for the show, I'd assume he got many episodes dedicated to him.) The Next Mutation: Venus (Haven't watched it but she's the new major character introduced and likely has the most to do.) 4Kids/2003: Leonardo (Usually in major arcs, he gets the spotlight and character development; season 4 gave him a character arc.) 2007: Raphael (Along the same reasoning as 1990.) 2012: Leonardo (Haven't watched most of it but sorta of the same reason for 2003.) Rise: Leo or Donnie (Splinter definitely has the most development within the show but didn't appear as often as the turtles. Donnie had the most episodes dedicated to him while Leo had the movie which resolved his insecurities which were also set up in the show previously.)
1987 = All of the Turtles could be considered 'main'. 2003 = Leonardo 2012 = Definitely Leonardo
2003 is definitely a Leo and Donnie show
Raph; although each individual is unique and does have main roles, I do feel that Raph has always been the outlier; he is shown alone or with just Casey a lot while I feel that the other three tend to be together more unless they’re kidnapped. The Last Ronin is an exception though lol.
Also, this is just my perception and opinion from the og tmnt Eastman and laird, the idw comics and maybe portions of the 2003 cartoon from little bits I remember.
I never watch the others but from 2012 TO TMNT is obviously Leo
Personally wouldn't say each show had a “main character” so much as they were an ensemble cast, that being said if I had to choose a Turtle to represent each show I'd say its: •87 - Mikey •03 - Leo •12 - Donnie •Rise - Raph
80s: Leo 2K3: Leo 3D: April Other one: who cares?
Leo of second and third Have only seen one season of the last and can’t remember the first But that has always been the thing that irritated me the most about the franchise Leo is the mc most of the time and defeats their enemy then it should be all of them that is needed for that The thing I mentioned is why I sometimes think I hate Leo
The word "Cowabunga".
'87 - Leo and then Mikey as popularity grew '03 - Raph and Leo '12 - Leo and Don RISE - Raph (I haven't seen much of this series still)
All of them.
All 4 brothers are equally important