Oroku Saki (2012 TV series)

"Every day that Splinter lives is a stain on our honor that we must wipe clean."

- Shredder speaking to Karai

Oroku Saki (also known as the Shredder) is the deadly and nefarious leader of the Foot Clan, and Splinter and the Ninja Turtles' vengeful arch-nemesis (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), and takes on the role of one of the central antagonists of the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 Series.

Appearance
The Shredder is a slim, but tall, muscular and toned Japanese man with shiny, chrome plate armor on his chest, shoulders, arms and lower legs, worn over a maroon outfit with a dark blue cape hanging over his back. His signature helmet, the Kuro Kabuto, is perhaps the most notable aspect of his appearance and it masks a face that is partially burned and disfigured, such to the extent that he has very little vision left in his right eye.

Unlike previous incarnations of the Shredder who held tekko-kagi in their hands, this version uses customized, partially mechanical ones built into his gauntlets. His armor is also larger and bulkier than previous versions, except perhaps Ch'rell, though it's streamlined and smooth at the same time. The spikes on it are larger, longer and more blade-like than most previous versions (though once again bearing some similarities to Ch'rell's). As previously stated this Shredder suffers a serious, disfiguring burn on the right side of his face; a considerably greater injury than the scratch marks (from Splinter) most others possess that leaves him nearly, or completely, blind in that eye.

Many aspects of this Shredder bear similarities to previous incarnations. Like the Mirage and first film versions of the character, he wears a red outfit, like Ch'rell and the Tengu Shredder, he wears heavier armor, and like the, Mirage, Demon and 87s Shredder he wears a cape (though he removes it in combat).

Background
Oroku Saki was born in rural Japan into the ninja Foot Clan, the longtime enemies of the Hamato Clan. After a particularly devastating assault by the Hamato Clan on a Foot Clan village that left the rival ninja clan in tatters, the baby Oroku Saki was discovered amongst the wreckage by Hamato Yoshi's father. He was then raised alongside Yoshi as brothers; best of friends and greatest of rivals, with Oroku blissfully unaware of his true heritage.

Their rivalry escalated when they met Tang Shen and subsequently fell in love with her. Their bids for her affection turned their rivalry into hatred and Oroku Saki insulted Hamato Yoshi in front of Tang Shen, and in response was attacked by Yoshi. This brief fight ended in victory for Yoshi, while Saki fled and wandered alone. During this time Saki learned of his true heritage and rebuilt the Foot Clan and donned the moniker 'Shredder'.

Sometime after this he discovered Tang Shen's marriage to Hamato Yoshi and attacked their home. During the fight that broke out Tang Shen was killed and the house burnt to the ground. Saki also discovered the existence of Hamato Yoshi's infant daughter during this assault, and when the fire forced Saki to flee and leave an injured Yoshi to die, he took the baby with him. He later claimed that he was 'returning the favour' to Yoshi for having Tang Shen 'stolen' from him. Shredder would go on to raise the baby as his own daughter, naming her Karai and raising her to hate her true father.

After the fight with Yoshi, Shredder found the ancient Kuro Kabuto worn by Foot Clan leaders in the past, and proceeded to fully transform the Foot Clan into a worldwide crime syndicate. He also freed the Brazilian street thug Xever from prison and took on martial artist celebrity Chris Bradford as an apprentice; though it's not particularly clear when this latter event took place.

Personality
Cold, cunning and extremely ruthless, the Shredder is a man of pure evil who has allowed his hatred to utterly consume his humanity. His massive army of ninja enforcers, his vast wealth and influential connections (such as Steranko), and his absolute mastery of martial arts, coupled with his bladed armour, make him a very powerful and dangerous force to be reckoned with. He will go to any lengths to achieve his goals, even as far as forging a business-like alliance with the alien Kraang who wish only to see humanity wiped out or enslaved.

The Shredder's immense capacity for hatred seems to stem from an inability to accept his own failures and bad luck as just misfortune and mistakes. Instead he seems to need someone to blame everything on; shown when he blames Splinter for Tang Shen's death, despite being the one who initiated the assault that took her life, and blaming him again for Karai's mutation, despite having put the girl in danger in the first place. Saki is utterly convinced that Splinter is the cause for all suffering and misfortune he endures, and considers anyone linked to Splinter to be just as guilty. And he believes that anyone who has contributed to his misfortunes should pay with their lives.

Not only is the Shredder an extremely spiteful and vindictive individual, but also an extremely obsessive one. So obsessed with his hatreds and vendettas is he that upon being told there is more to life than his vengeance, he became angry and stated that there is nothing. He will hunt his targets to the ends of the Earth to claim their lives, and will not stop until this has happened.

Yet despite his burning hatred, he is able to maintain a very calm and calculated persona most of the time, and is a master commander, but is extremely arrogant. This arrogance leads him to refuse to confront the Turtles personally, despite wishing their deaths, and he seems to consider only Splinter worthy of facing in combat, leaving all others to his minions and only fighting them if he deems it necessary.

But, despite his intense hatred, the Shredder has truly come to care and love Karai as his own daughter, as shown with his desire for her to understand his actions and by how distraught he was when she was mutated. He also had no intention of harming her and even stopped Tiger Claw from finishing her. However, the Shredder is still blinded by his burning hatred and refuses to take responsibility for the harm Karai has endured because of him. Later, the Shredder is shown remembering Karai's past training and mutation and when striking a dangerous deal with the Kraang, he states that he will only help them if they help him gain his revenge and return Karai to normal. However, it is debatable whether his love for Karai is genuine or part of his desire to get revenge on Splinter and keep Karai for himself, as seen when he is willing to take away her free will by using the brain worm on her.

However, despite his love for Karai, its apparent he cares far more about his vendetta with Splinter then his adopted daughter's well-being. This is shown when Shredder kills Splinter before he can shut off the Heart of Darkness, despite knowing him, and the rest of the world, including Karai will die if it isn't stopped.

Abilities
The Shredder is extremely strong and agile from decades of training in martial arts. These many years spent perfecting his skills have left as an almost unparalleled master of martial arts with only Splinter standing as an equal to him. His skills are so great that not even all four turtles together were able to do much more than be a nuisance to him in combat; though each turtle was able to strike him once, their strikes caused little injury and had no lasting effect. The Shredder's strikes on the Turtles, however, left them severely injured for weeks. His skills are great enough that even the mutants under his command respect and fear him; including the vicious Tiger Claw. In a recent fight he showed himself capable of fighting off both the Turtles and the Mutanimals with little difficulty.

The Shredder's awe-inspiring fighting skills are only maximized further by the nigh indestructible bladed armour he wears, complete with customized and slightly mechanical bagh naka with extendable claws and a third katar-like blade that is concealed between the two claws. These blades are so strong and sharp that they can cut shipping containers and the spikes that protruded from Dogpound's shoulder. In addition the blades create an extremely intimidating silhouette for the purposes of psychological combat. The end result is that Shredder can both defend and attack at the same time, making his whole body both a shield and a sword.

Yet perhaps just as potent as his physical abilities are the Shredder's cruel intellect and skillful business mind. In approximately fifteen years he was able to transform the Foot Clan from a dying, scattered ninja clan in rural Japan into a powerful global crime syndicate. He was even able to strike a business-like alliance with the Kraang, despite their overall disdain for anything not one of them.

History
The Shredder's first appearance was in Rise of the Turtles as Master Splinter explained to Leonardo about his first failure, trying to protect his family from his vengeful rival and old friend, Oroku Saki (AKA, The Shredder). Saki lashed out at Hamato Yoshi (Splinter's original identity) in his home. During the ensuring chaos, Hamato's house is lit on fire and Yoshi's wife, Tang Shen, is killed by the Shredder's blind rage. After a long fight, Saki leaves Yoshi for dead in the burning house, believing that Yoshi would eventually perish. However this was not the case. In Japan, Saki (who has of recently formed a clan of ninjas called The Foot) saw a television news bulletin from America in which it shows how 'Ninjas' are operating in New York. As the bulletin continued, he caught a glimpse of a shuriken with Yoshi's insignia. Now realizing the status of his 'old nemesis', Saki dons his helmet and leads the Foot to America where he intends to visit his, 'old friend'.



Though he had no actual appearance in Turtle Temper, the Shredder's reason for hating Yoshi was explained to a grumpy Raphael by Splinter, who was explaining how careless decisions of anger could jeopardize the people around him. Since Tang Shen was in love with Yoshi, Saki was overcome with jealousy, so he approached the two one day and cursed harsh and violent words at Yoshi, insulting him to the point of uncontrollable rage. Yoshi stopped Saki with a violent attack that left him limping away, and since that day, Yoshi and Saki's rivalry became a bond of hatred. Splinter never forgave himself for acting so careless, losing his temper was the reason that Saki destroyed his family and his normal life.

In New Friend, Old Enemy, the Shredder appears before his greatest pupil, Chris Bradford, and alerts him to Hamato Yoshi still being among the living. The Shredder assigns Bradford with the job of eliminating Yoshi and his disciples. However, he was required to work alongside the Shredder's second ally, a "street rat" by the name of Xever.

In Never Say Xever, Bradford returns to his master and reports his failure and that Yoshi's disciples were actually "man-sized" turtles. Disappointed by Bradford's failure, the Shredder decides to have him follow Xever's orders instead, hoping that the outcome will be more different. However, the results were still the same and Shredder could not accept his minions' lack of victory. Because of this, he announces that he will deal with the Turtles himself.

The Shredder's disappointment of his lackeys continues where it left off in episode 9, The Gauntlet. Shredder's pet dog Hachiko bites Bradford's hand, and the Shredder explains that the dog wasn't pleased with him, nor was his master. The Shredder's words of disappointment towards Bradford and Xever were as painful as Hachiko's teeth, going so far as to telling his pupil that he shamed his master with his incompetence even after every lesson and secret he shared with him, and he then cursed Xever, wishing that he never released the hoodlum from prison. The Shredder's words burned inside Bradford's mind, making him want to finish the Turtles off once and for all. When the Foot reported to him about the Turtles current location, he and Xever followed them, hoping to please their master by killing the Turtles for good. After their loss, Bradford and Xever were washed away by the mutagen inside a bomb that Bradford cut into. The Turtles celebrated their victory over them, but were shocked to hear a booming voice...''"Your skills are impressive...but they will NOT save you." ''The Shredder made his presence known, making it all the more obvious that he is there to kill them. The Turtles all attacked him one by one, but Shredder easily held them off. He was proven not to be invincible though, as they managed to get in a few good hits off (Donatello most notably). Michelangelo managed to hang the Shredder by his arm with the use of his nunchaku, though not for more than a few seconds. After the Shredder defeated Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, he grabbed Leonardo by the neck and demanded to know Splinter's whereabouts, promising that if Leo complied, he would not die with suffering. Shockingly, the Shredder released the Turtles' leader when he saw Xever and Bradford changed into mutant animals. Though the Shredder was terrified (and it is implied that he was even concerned) by this new surprise, he still intended to interrogate the Turtles, but they were already gone. He roared at his loss and confusion.

In Panic in the Sewers, Splinter has a nightmare about the Shredder killing the Turtles one by one, so the wary sensei takes matters into his own hands by training the Turtles further and restricting their right to leave the lair and play their games. Meanwhile, the Shredder orders a mutated Bradford (whom Mikey dubs Dogpound, because of his new dog-like form) to take command of the Purple Dragons and a pair of Foot Ninjas, and locate a tanker truck of chlorosulfonic acid to flood the Turtles' sewer home with. After a few hours, Bradford reports how the Turtles defeated them with "go-karts and a water balloon." Before Bradford could make an excuse, the Shredder sliced off a part of his seemingly unbreakable spikes, indicating that Shredder is now tempted to kill his pupil if he fails him again.

In Mousers Attack!, Bradford's mutated form proves useful to The Shredder as he reported the Purple Dragons agreement to increase the Foot Clan's cut to 80% with 'no complaints'. Xever (stuck in a tank of water, due to his fish form) yells out his frustrations about how useless he is in his current body. Bradford and the Shredder agree with him, but the Foot leader is quick to threaten Bradford for the price of another loss...his legs. However, Bradford is quick to change the Shredder's mind. The feral hound brings over Baxter Stockman, whose creations, the Mousers, cost the Shredder his chance of finding the Turtles' base. Of course, the Shredder blames the engineer, but he also finds a use for him and his talents at technology. So, he spares Stockman in exchange for the latter's services...

In New Girl in Town, the Shredder is not pleased with Karai's failure in killing Leonardo and tells her that the next time she must finish him off or else.

In The Alien Agenda, the Shredder's patience is wearing thin when Stockman failed in his attempt to build mechanical legs for Xever. When Karai came with information about the Kraang, the Shredder dismissed it and told her to focus on her mission to destroy the Turtles and their master. When Karai brought a Kraang droid, which proved useful, the Shredder was pleased and wanted Karai to find out everything she can about the Kraang.

In Baxter's Gambit, the Shredder for the first time does not act out so much in this episode, but he gives Stockman permission to set out the trap.

In Enemy of My Enemy, the Shredder appears once again. He ignores Karai's warning about the Kraang Invasion. He faces the Turtles once more, is saved twice by Karai, and manages to capture a Kraang.

In Karai's Vendetta, the Shredder interrogates the captive Kraang. He threatens to kill the Kraang with one of his blades unless he tells him what he needs to know. The Kraang tells him that the reason they are trying to destroy the turtles is because they are protecting the Kraang's target; April. The Shredder then orders Karai to capture her.

In The Pulverizer Returns, he decides to obtain mutagen from the Kraang so that he can transform some of the Foot Soldiers into mutants, though warned by the captive Kraang operative of unpredictable results. After the Turtles thwart the plot, the captive Kraang operative tells Shredder that they have a common enemy in the Turtles and thus an alliance was born.

In Operation: Break Out, at TCRI, the Shredder tells the Kraang that The Newtralizer nearly interfered in the plan. However, the Kraang remarks that it didn't prevent Kirby from being taken (which was part of their plan to find the turtles' lair and April). Shredder then says that vengeance will soon be theirs.

Booyaka-Showdown, Part 1, the Shredder abducts April O' Neil and forces Splinter to duel with him. Splinter later finds out that the April that the Shredder "abducted" is just a hologram. When the Shredder finds out that Splinter is now a rat, he laughs, saying that he is "a rat caught in his trap." He then reveals that he only need April as bait to lure him out and now that he had, he had no use of April so he handed her over to the Kraang.



In Booyaka-Showdown, Part 2, Splinter battles the Shredder at the Foot Clan's hideout. The Shredder later reveals sometime into the battle that Karai is in fact Miwa: Splinter's supposedly dead daughter. During the battle, Splinter, in a new flurry of rage, knocks off the Shredder's helmet, to reveal the latter's horribly burned face, and moved in for the finishing blow. This was prevented by Karai, however. The Shredder informs Karai that the rat is Hamato Yoshi, the man that he had told her had killed his mother, which happens to be another lie fed to her by her false father. As Karai attacks her real father, Shredder chuckles maliciously at how Splinter has to fight his own daughter.

In The Mutation Situation, the Shredder can be seen in his lair, approving the Kraang's plan of creating an ape-like creature to attack the turtles. However, after the Kraang's plan fails, the Shredder informs Karai that since the aliens are of no use to him now, he will begin to develop an army on his own.

In Follow The Leader, the Shredder tests his new robotic foot soldiers built by the Kraang (which indicates that the Kraang are still in fact still useful to him, and their alliance still stands) by having them fight Karai. He then leaves for Japan to take care of an "urgent matter", while he tells Karai not to make any move on the Turtles while he is gone.

In Target: April O'Neil, He speaks to Karai through a mouser projection screen [for he's still in Japan]. He is very angry at her for disobeying him and his orders after she went after the Turtles and failed miserably. Karai states that the Kraang have made improvements to the Foot-Bots which she blames for the Turtles' escape. The Shredder then cuts her off and orders her to not have any more dealings with the Kraang until he returns. He then threatens to her punish her should she disobey him again and he assures her the consequences will be severe. He then signs off.

In The Manhattan Project, the Shredder brings Tiger Claw onto his team and makes him his second-in-command. Karai is appalled by this, saying that she earned this position fair and square. The Shredder then sends Tiger Claw off to find & abduct Splinter and the Turtles, commanding Karai to follow Tiger Claw's every order. After the capture of Splinter, Shredder enters the lair, along with Karai. He tells both Xever and Bradford that they must leave the area for the time being. Afterward, he immediately approaches Splinter and purposely tries to exacerbate things by telling him that he has grown to be 'a wretched rat-man only waiting to be put out of his misery'. Splinter retorts that, at least he is not someone who wears a mask, hiding the low amount of humanity that they have left. Shredder says that Splinter is the one and only reason that he wears his signature helmet. The Shredder then extends one of his gauntlets and prepares to kill his mortal enemy. However, Karai halts his horrible action. The Shredder asks why she would dare to try and stop him, to which Karai replies that executing a sworn enemy while the latter is poisoned and chained is just improper. She then recommends allowing Splinter to perish with the slightest bit of honor and in a combat situation, preferably. Tiger Claw ends up siding with Karai on this one. Thus, the Shredder offers Splinter one last chance to inhale and exhale before fighting with him. Meanwhile, Leo is climbing up the side of the Foot Headquarters with the usage of Tegaki. After destroying a couple Foot-Bots that were put on guard, he successfully gains entry into the building and jumps down several platforms until he has reached his sensei. However, the throne room is then lit up with dozens of orange lights at the sidelines, and this is when the Shredder appears from behind his throne. Just when Leo is about to pull out his twin weapons, Tiger Claw (along with the two other Mutants and Stockman) appears and twists his arm, disarming him and knocking him onto the floor. The Shredder then asks where the other three Turtles are, but Tiger Claw, using his very keen sense of smell, says that he senses no one else in the area. The Shredder then removes his cape, breaks the bindings around Splinter's arms, and instructs Leo to watch in horror as the retribution with Splinter is finally carried out to the end. In spite of being poisoned, Splinter is actually able to avoid just a few of the Shredder's attacks, but Yoshi is then kicked hard in the torso, sending him flying a good length of the way across the room. Shredder then picks him up and is about to put him out of his misery for certain when yet another earthquake occurs, catching the Shredder and his henchman off-guard. Not only that - but our heroes then enter, armed with some handy fire crackers, which they actually use to distract the villains' attention and escape with their sensei.

In The Lonely Mutation Of Baxter Stockman, the Shredder and Rahzar walk in, scolding Stockman for creating a bunch of useless mutants, including a duck. Stockman explains that it swims, flies, and knows tae kwon do, but this is obviously not enough to please the Shredder. Stockman then says that he has devised plans for pigs and rhinos, but this still does not get himself off the hook. The Shredder knows that Stockman has failed him one time too many, and Rahzar begins approaching the engineer with the intention of severely harming him, but the Shredder has a much more suitable fate in mind - mutating Stockman. Shredder presses a button on the controller that triggers the bottles on Stockman's neck brace to crack, slowly spewing the contained ooze all over him. The Shredder and Rahzar then leave him behind to mutate. The Foot-Bots drag a dazed Stockman-Fly all the way back to the Foot HQ. They then pause and Rahzar approaches. He says that he wants to squish Stockman here and now, but the Shredder has "other plans." Shredder then says that Stockman will need to create one last mutant to be evaluated -- and if he messes up, the villain will pluck his wings. Knowing that his hateful life will continue from this point, Stockman-Fly thanks the Shredder for his 'generosity,' while Rahzar tosses a chocolate bar for Stockman-Fly to eat.

In The Wrath of Tiger Claw, the Shredder sees Karai looking at a photo of her mother and asks what troubles her. Karai asks him to tell her the truth about Hamato Yoshi, the Shredder tells her that he is responsible for the death of her mother just as Tiger Claw enters the room. Tiger Claw explains how he crossed different dimensions to return so he could have is revenge against all those who have wronged him. The Shredder tells Tiger Claw to go after the Turtles and and destroy them despite Karai's objections, he orders her to go with him. Tiger Claw brings Karai before the Shredder, telling him of her betrayal. Karai demands that he tell her the truth about Splinter to which the Shredder finally admits that she is Yoshi's daughter. The Shredder then tells Tiger Claw to take her away, locking her away in a cell.

In The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto, the Shredder visits Karai in her jail cell explaining why he kept her real father a secret and hopes that she will one day understand what he had to do. After the Shredder's helmet called the Kuro Kabuto is stolen by Anton Zeck on Steranko's behalf, the Shredder finds his calling card on a glued-down Rahzar and orders him to get him everyone. After explaining the history of the Kuro Kabuto, The Shredder orders his minions to hunt for Anton Zeck where Fishface is sent with Stockman-Fly while Rahzar is sent with Tiger Claw. When Leonardo confronts the Shredder for a trade, he kept him busy long enough for the others to get to Karai. The Shredder managed to get the Kuro Kabuto back upon the Turtles' retreat. It later turned out to be a bomb as the Turtles evade it.

In Vengeance is Mine, the Shredder appears and orders Tiger Claw to spare Karai's life. Tiger Claw agrees and, later, Karai awakens with chains around both of her wrists, while Shredder is standing behind her. The Shredder takes off the lower part of his mask and asks why Karai has insisted on trying to hurt him. Karai refuses to speak, causing the Shredder to ask why 'his daughter' does not have a thing to say. Karai harshly scolds him and, at the top of her lungs, yells that she is not his daughter. As Karai escapes, she looks up to see the Shredder staring down at her from the top of the building with an enraged look in his eyes. Tiger Claw reports back to the Shredder, stating that he has searched the city in search of Karai and that he has ordered some Foot Bots to continue the search and to return with every detail. After Tiger Claw reveals that he has not had any luck yet, the Shredder tells his minion that his efforts are pointless and that Karai's escape was to be counted on. He then goes on to say that Karai will most likely arrive with Splinter and his pupils to finish what they have started, which will allow the Shredder to have his vengeance. Shredder then commands Tiger Claw to inform Stockman of the situation. Breaking back into the Shredder's headquarters, Karai notices that her former 'father' seems to be resting in his throne, but, after coming closer, it is then revealed that the Shredder has put Chrome Dome there instead. She is then nearly captured by the robot, but manages to stab it through the chest before it can possibly inflict any harm. Shredder then emerges from the shadows and says that she has returned sooner than expected. She then confronts Shredder in combat, vowing to give him a final goodbye. However, Shredder quickly tells her that the mistake she's made is foolish and that he has taught her everything she has come to learn. Shredder then brings his blade up close to her neck and has her handed over to a massive hoard of his own henchmen. Karai is then taken away so that a mysterious experiment can begin.Inside Baxter's new lab, Shredder walks in and it is soon revealed that Baxter was told to extract a large portion of DNA from a serpent and place it inside of his vat filled with Mutagen. Shredder then orders his men to have Karai bound to a table within a cage hanging over the vat. Tiger Claw remarks that Shredder is pretty ruthless if he's wanting to mutate his own 'cub', but Shredder replies that Karai becoming a mutant is not his actual intentions. His plan is that, when the Turtles attempt to save Karai, he will drop them into the mutagen, and this will cause them to become brainless serpents that will immediately start to target Splinter. Therefore, the latter would be left mortified and this is when Shredder would get the chance to 'shatter' his body. However, what Baxter did not reveal is that, the split second before Shredder entered, a different substance was accidentally spilled into the jar that is containing the modified Mutagen. Regardless, he states that everything has been prepared perfectly. During the next moment, Splinter and his sons all jump down from the ceiling. It is not that long before Donnie, Mikey, and Raph are all trapped inside of spring-loaded cages that were set on the floor, while Master Splinter is restrained by ropes thrown onto him by the Foot-Bots. Leo is also tossed into a cage by a Foot-Bot, but, luckily, just as the cage detracts, he slips a part of his Katana into an opening and this lets him pry his way out. He then jumps up and over the vat in order to reach Karai. He removes the gag from her mouth and she thanks him. However, Shredder then tries to stab Leo from behind, but Leo ducks and Shredder's gauntlet accidentally cuts through the chain that is holding up Karai's cage. Leo and Shredder both jump clear of the vat, but Karai's cage drops, and sinks deep into the mutagen, as Master Splinter observes this in sadness, while Shredder is horrified by his missed attack on Leo sending Karai into the mutagen by mistake. As a now mutant serpent Karai makes her way out of the mutagen, Shredder is filled with remorse. However, refusing to accept the blame for what happened, Shredder immediately tries to pin the blame on Splinter for Karai's mutation, and he charges off to finish his foe, only to be stopped when a large piece of the ceiling caves in and prevents him from continuing further. Tiger Claw says to Shredder that they have won this fight and should retreat proudly. Shredder is angry when he hears these words, as he does not feel like he has won at all and vows to avenge Karai, before disappearing into the debris.

In The Invasion Shredder is seated on his throne, remembering Karai as a human and his pride in her skills as a ninja. Tiger Claw then enters the room, asking the Shredder if he's made up his mind about a deal with the Kraang. The Shredder states that he does accept their alliance with the Kraang, as they have provided the Foot Clan with alot of Technology and have asked for little in return. Tiger Claw questions the Shredder's decision because the Kraang will most likely betray him, as they have no care for the human race. The Shredder states that he has no regard for it, either. Kraang Prime then contacts the Shredder, asking for a decision as well. In exchange for the Kraang to reverse Karai's mutation and 'deliver' Splinter and the Turtles to the Shredder, the Shredder will then help the Kraang take over New York and the world. As chaos erupts during the Kraang invasion, watches it with his disciples. He gets word that Leonardo is moving in their direction. The Shredder prepares an ambush for him. Leo battles the Shredder's Foot-Bots. He demands the Shredder to face him, but the Shredder denies this, stating that Leo is beneath his abilities. Leo begins to tire from the Foot-Bots' attacks, but the Foot do not let up. Tiger Claw asks the Shredder if he can finish Leo off and the Shredder tells him not to do it yet, as he wants to see Leo suffer.Leo fights off more Foot-Bots at the construction site and loses both his katana in the process. When his enemies seem to be defeated, Leo pauses, but a Foot-Bot on the ground grabs his leg and Leo loses balance, causing him to roll down the embankment and into the ice water collected in the pit below him. Leo soon comes out of the water, chilled and exhausted, but is unwilling to flee from his enemies. The Shredder then gives Tiger Claw, Xever and Rahzar the go-ahead to attack Leonardo, and they do so. Leo fights them off and, amazingly, he defeats all of them, but the Shredder then slashes him across the chest, causing Leo to fall completely unconscious. Tiger Claw picks up the battered and senseless Leo and looks at his T-Phone, seeing the text messages from Mikey telling Leo to come to April's home. The Shredder demands his minions to draw every one in the apartment out by throwing in Leo. As Tiger Claw and the others leave to do this, the Shredder is confronted by Splinter, who demands to know where Leo is. The Shredder states that he has 'taken' Leonardo much like he took Miwa from Splinter and then they Fight.the Shredder states that Splinter is weak, while the Shredder is still strong with his rage. After Splinter knocks down the Shredder, however, Splinter tells him that anger is something that doesn't last. The Shredder ignores Splinter's wisdom and kicks him against a machine, causing lead pipes to fall on top of him. As the Shredder is poised to drive his gauntlets between Splinter's eyes, Leatherhead leaps on top of the Shredder and grabs him inside of his jaws, trying to crush him. However, the Shredder also defeats him and kicks him down into the water at the bottom of the pit. Now, full of righteous anger, Splinter starts to battle the Shredder with newfound strength and they both fall into the pit after Leatherhead. Splinter and the Shredder continue to fight in the sewer, April, Donnie, Mikey and Raph follow April's vision to the end of at drain pipe where they are trapped behind bars and only able to watch and shout words of encouragement to Splinter as he fights with the Shredder. Although Splinter is able to send his enemy flying through a wall, the Shredder strikes him down and turns a nearby wheel, activating a whirlpool that he throws Splinter into. This enrages Raph beyond words. The Shredder then leaves and Raph is angry beyond words, calling the Shredder a monster.

In "Vision Quest", he appears in the spirit realm as Leonardo's opponent. At first, he overwhelms him by attacking the injured leg and being able to snatch the twin katanas welded. Leo is nearly defeated until he realizes the pain is all in his mind, leading to him to finally take the Shredder on. Shredder then grows to a giant size and is able to grab Leo, but is defeated upon Leo escaping his clutches and shooting him with an arrow to his burnt eye. Following this victory, Leo states that one day he'll beat him in the real world.

In "Return to New York", he warns Tiger Claw to watch his tone, and reveals he knows much more about the Kraang's plan. For some reason, Shredder had other plans. He decides to destroy the Kraang and take over the city himself when the time is right. While telling Tiger Claw to continue his search for Karai, the Foot-Bots arrived in with Splinter (who's lost his mind from the injuries). He has Stockman-Fly to place him in a containment unit to have his memories restored. Later, when Mikey accidentally sets that alarm on, Shredder and his gang arrive in to see the Turtles, Casey and April with Splinter, who's mind has been restored. Shredder has his clan to go after them, but they quickly get out with the help of ninja smoke bombs.

In "Serpent Hunt" Shredder has Fishface and Rahzar continue their search for Karai. At the docks, he discovers Zeck was employed Steranko to steal his helmet, but Steranko arrives with a restrained Karai, who he promises to get back to Shredder in exchange for a way out of the city safely. After Karai and the Turtles escape, Shredder becomes furious at Zeck and Steranko for attempting to steal his helmet and hunting Karai, and proceeds to have them both mutated in Stockman-Fly's lab, despite Steranko's pleads for forgiveness, since they've known each other for about 10 years. When Stockman-Fly adds warthog DNA in the first batch of mutagen, Shredder orders Fishface to have Zeck to be mutated first for stealing the Kuro Kabuto. After Zeck is mutated, Shredder then has Stockman-Fly add rhinoceros DNA in the second mutagen batch to have Steranko mutated for his betrayal. He tells Steranko that his animal (the rhinoceros) is apropos. Steranko still tries to convince Shredder he would be better for him as a human, but Shredder, still ignoring his pleads, nods at Rahzar, who kicks Steranko in the second mutagen batch.

In "The Pig and The Rhino" Zeck and Steranko attack Shredder for mutating them but he easily defeats them and makes them his new servants. He orders them to find Karai again or else he will further injure them. Despite the two (whom Mikey calls Bebop and Rocksteady) originally disobeying him to go after the Turtles, they end up capturing Karai and bring her to his lair. Shredder vows to cure Karai and have his revenge on the Turtles.

He  appears in "Casey Jones vs. the Underworld "  were he watches Karai in Stokman's Lab.Shredder Then meets with  Don Vizioso, an Italian crime lord. After mentioning how he controls the Russian Mob through Rocksteady, the Purple Dragons through Hun, and the South American gangs through Fishface, Shredder proves his point by slicing his meatballs and candles, Vizioso swears his allegiance with Shredder. Hun then brings him the chemicals he was looking for. After Stockman-Fly told Shredder they did not have the proper equipment they needed Hun gave Shredder access to the abandoned Auman Chemicals (where the chemicals were obtained from) on the Purple Dragons' turf in extage for being put in charge of the facility. After the Turtles and Casey Jones toss an additive into a chemical vat which causes a chain reaction, he says that they have only delayed his plans and orders his henchmen to clean up the factory and start all over. Donnie later learns that The Foot are working on a mind control formula.

In Clash of the Mutanimals, the planned Mind Control Serum is complete by Baxter Stockman while Saki examines the mentally unstable Karai caged. Rather than use Karai as a weapon, Shredder orders Stockman to place the Brain Worms into the minds of Slash and Dr. Rockwell (previously captured by Tiger Claw at the docks) as test subjects. Shredder later appears after Raphael, who was captured by Rockwell and Slash, is subjected to the same experimentation. Despite Raphael wanting to defeat Shredder permanently, he falls to the injected worm's control. When the other Turtles and remaining Mutanimals arrive in a rescue attempt, Shredder orders the three brainwashed mutants, Stockman, and Tiger Claw to eliminate the guests; Shredder watches over the battle from a throne surrounded by flames. After Rockwell, Slash, and Raphael are freed Shredder decides to take matters into his own hands, combating all eight mutants with relative ease. While battling Leonardo and Raphael, Slash and Leatherhead are able to push a statue down to blindside Shredder before escaping when Tiger Claw and Stockman return with reinforcements. Once freed by the Foot Bots, Shredder bellows in anger for another failure to eliminate his enemies.

In The Deadly Venom, Shredder only appears at the episode's beginning. After Karai is administered the brain worm by Baxter Stockman and easily defeats Rocksteady, he orders his mind controlled "daughter" with a mission: the elimination of the Turtles, Casey Jones, April O'Neil, and Splinter.

In Tale of the Yokai, a young Oroku Saki appears during the Turtles' battle with the Hamato Clan, referring to the deities as yokai, ancient Japanese monsters before Michelangelo throws a smoke bomb to escape. Saki goes to the dojo to explain to Hamato Yuuta of his encounter, only to be dismissed by an arrogant and younger Hamato Yoshi. The two "brothers" then combat one another in sparring; the duel turns intense over the mentioning of Tang Shen, with Saki claiming his friend doesn't love her. Knocking him down, Yoshi offers a hand to his friend only for Saki to bitterly reject the kind gesture. Later at night, Saki shockingly protects Shen and her daughter Miwa when the Turtles foolishly behave which causes Miwa to cry. Oroku reveals to Shen of overhearing an earlier conversation between her and Yoshi of the latter's refusal to move to New York and is willing to fill Yoshi's role, claiming to be a changed man before softly kissing her forehead. The tenderness of Saki is seen by Yoshi; when dueling with Saki again, Yoshi fights angrily, demanding to know of the discussion between his wife and "brother". Despite Yuuta's attempts of calming the two, jealousy and bitterness harms Yoshi and Saki's friendship. Out of a lust for vengeance, Saki offscreen drills several Hamato Clan ninjas of the clan's ignorance. Desiring revenge, he torches a shrine and declares the Foot Clan's rise once more; his first target is none other than his former "brother" Hamato Yoshi. Armed with two claw gauntlets, Saki attacks the couple out of rejection and insanity, refusing to stop his merciless attack on Yoshi from the conflicts he's fought overtime. As shown from Splinter's previous flashbacks earlier in the series, Saki's assault results in the dojo's incineration; when Shen renters the dojo to prevent further harm, Orkou Saki commits an accidental fatal slash, killing Shen. Though he attempts to save Shen's body, a piece of burning debris hits Saki, giving him the face burn as a reminder of the tragic day. He then takes Miwa away where he restarts the Foot Clan under a new moniker: The Shredder.

In Attack of the Mega Shredder!, Shredder is watching as Karai, in her mutated state, is being repeatedly injected with mind-control worms. He shows no remorse in what he's doing, instead apologizing for his actions and how they will have their revenge soon. He then requests that Bebop and Rocksteady double the security as he senses the Turtles will attempt another move against him, threatening them with punishment if they fail again. Though the Turtles make it into the catacombs and are beaten back by Bebop, Rocksteady, Tiger Claw, and the Shredder Elite, Shredder is still furious and threatens to punish all of them if it happens again. In an attempt to make it up to him, Bebop and Rocksteady try to help as they manage to capture Mikey and Leo when they infiltrate Stockman's lab alone, but thanks to the turtle brothers suggesting adding the Shredder Elite to what Bebop and Rocksteady intend to do to them, it results in the three Shredder mutants being fused into the Mega Shredder, an amalgamation of all three that proves to be a difficult enemy to the Turtles. After it has been destroyed by the Turtles, Shredder is furious with Bebop and Rocksteady over their stupid act, and leaves Tiger Claw to punish them for their actions.

In Annihilation Earth!, Shredder is surprised to find April and Splinter having infiltrated his lair and wonders why. Splinter requests that they call a truce and unite to stop the Triceratons from destroying the Earth with the Heart of Darkness. When he hesitates as to why he would join forces with his sworn enemy, April tells Shredder that if the Earth is destroyed, he will never see Karai again. Taking this into account, Shredder agrees to the truce between the Hamato and Foot clans, and has his mutant lackeys assist in fighting the Triceratons. However, with the timer on the Heart of Darkness detonator reaching zero, Splinter calls Shredder to help stop it, but instead of saving the Earth, Shredder condemns it to annihilation as he seizes the moment, and murders Splinter in cold blood, finally attaining his vengeance. When Tiger Claw calls him up on this as they are about to be sucked up by the black hole, Shredder shows no remorse in what he has done, only happy to know that his long-time enemy is finally dead and the clan war between him and Splinter has ended in victory for him. With that, Shredder and his lackeys are among the first victims to be sucked up by the black hole to their doom.

Although a cameo in The Arena of Carnage, Shredder appears as a hologram aboard the Ulixes' training station, viewing the fights between the Turtles and his minions, which abruptly ends by the Fugitoid.

In Earth's Last Stand, after the Turtles time travel back to save the Earth, future Leo warns Splinter of Shredder's impending betrayal, resulting in the outcome changing. Livid that Shredder would break their alliance, Splinter fought back against Shredder, who blamed Splinter over how Karai is gone, ultimately besting him in combat, leaving his immobile body to be carried off by Tiger Claw, who vows that the Foot will return.

In City at War, due to the injuries he sustained from Splinter, Shredder has been confined to a hospital bed under the care of Stockman with Bebop and Rocksteady as his bodyguards. When Tiger Claw returns to report the loss of a entire weapons cache thanks to the Turtles and Karai back in Manhattan, making it clear Karai wants to take Shredder down one piece at a time by destroying his criminal empire before taking him out, Shredder decrees that if it's a war Karai wants, it's a war she'll get, before Stockman hooks an I.V. filled with mutagen up to Shredder, and as the mutagen is injected into Shredder, his eyes open wide as the mutagen takes effect.

In The Insecta Trifecta, Shredder is still receiving the mutagen drip as he now turns to Stockman as his last hope due to his undying loyalty since Tiger Claw and the others have become useless as of late in stopping Karai and the Turtles. When Stockman returns to report his mission a failure, Shredder is not worried about it, revealing to Stockman that his mutagen drip is finally taking effect as Shredder deploys a pair of blades from the back of his hand, right out of the skin itself.

Enemies

 * Hamato Yoshi / Splinter - Quite a while before the series began, he and Splinter were good friends. They lived in Japan, where the two learned, exercised and became Masters in the art of Ninjitsu. However, their companionship suffered a great strain when they both fell in love with the very same woman, Tang Shen. They constantly competed for her attention, but she chose Splinter in the very end. Jealous, Oroku began harassing Splinter, insulting him and purposely trying to get him angry. This eventually culminated in The Shredder breaking into Splinter's own house and challenging him to a mortal duel. Both men engaged in battle, and the house soon caught fire in the process (due to the fact that some burning candles were left laying around at the time), killing Tang Shen and horridly burning the Shredder's face. The latter found Miwa and secretly took her in, raising her as his own daughter and telling her many lies about what Hamato Yoshi "did". Sixteen years later, The Shredder discovers that Splinter is hiding out in New York City, and he leaves Japan (along with his deployed Foot Ninja) to finish him off. The two finally meet again in "Booyaka-Showdown, Part 2" and duel with each other in The Foot Headquarters. The Shredder soon reveals to Splinter that his daughter is indeed alive, and he attempts to have her kill Splinter when she shows up. With this revelation, it is likely that Hamato despises The Shredder even more than he formerly did. His hatred for Splinter is so great that he would let the entire Earth be destroyed in order to get revenge as seen in "Annihilation Earth!".
 * The Turtles - Since they are affiliated with Splinter (as his disciples), Shredder views the Turtles as enemies, and he orders his henchmen to find and kill them throughout the entire series. However, the first two times that The Shredder has encountered them, he's let them live only for the purpose of interrogating them (which hasn't yet happened).
 * April O'Neil - The Shredder uses April as bait to lure his sworn enemy, Splinter, out of hiding. Due to this, it is quite probable that April dislikes him greatly.


 * Karai/Miwa - Splinter's daughter, Miwa, who Shredder kidnapped after the events of his and Hamato Yoshi's final battle, named her Karai, and raised her as his own child. However, it was uncertain that Saki truly loved Karai like she does him. In Season 2, after she finds out that Saki is not her true father, she betrays him and he has her locked away. In "Vengeance is Mine," Shredder did not want Tiger Claw to kill Karai when she got out. When Shredder wanted Karai to understand what he had to do, Karai told Shredder that he is not her father. After the Turtles freed Karai, Shredder states to Tiger Claw that Karai will want to have her revenge on him. When Karai arrives to get her revenge on Shredder, she ends up overwhelmed by Shredder who manages to defeat her. Shredder then plans to use Karai as bait so that he can have the Turtles fall into the mutagen vat filled with snake DNA that Stockman had placed in there. During Shredder's fight with Splinter, Shredder tried to stop Leonardo from freeing Karai only for her to fall into the mutagen vat and emerge as a snake-like mutant much to the dismay of Shredder and Splinter. Shredder blamed Splinter for Karai's mutation as the resulting battle ends up destroying Stockman's lab. He escapes after vowing to avenge Karai. This event reveals that despite Shredder's cold attitude and lack of empathy to Karai, he truly saw her as his daughter and loved her dearly. He also continues to refer to her as "his" daughter because he still sees her as his own because he raised and cared for her and desperately searches for her so the Kraang can mutate her back to normal.

Allies

 * Chris Bradford/Dogpound/Rahzar - Known as the Shredder's top lieutenant and was formerly known as the Foot's second best fighter before mutating into Dogpound and Rahzar, but he still maintains his rank and his respect to the entire clan.
 * Xever/Fishface - Works for The Shredder after being freed from a Prison and being hired by him, which the Shredder did mainly because he found Xever's skills to be useful, as well as the fact that Xever "likes having a job where he gets to crack skulls almost everyday".
 * Purple Dragons - a street gang and occasional allies.
 * The Kraang - An alliance made only to get closer to Hamato Yoshi.
 * Baxter Stockman - Shredder spared Stockman because the man is a talented inventor, and very useful to his clan, which led to several improvements, such as making Fishface a pair of robotic legs, thus making the latter a more powerful combatant. The Shredder, however, for the most part, cares little for Stockman and he probably chose to dislike him even more after the scientist trapped Dogpound and Fishface in the "Maze of Doom". After failing to create a formidable or even decent mutant army, Shredder activated the mutagen filled collar turning Stockman into a mutant fly. Stockman most likely hates the Shredder a great deal because of this. However during The Insecta Trifecta, Shredder has begun to respect Stockman more, mainly for the refined mutagen drip he created, which gave him bone blades out of his wrists. He even overlooked the failed attempt to add money to his money supplies.
 * Tiger Claw - Shredder found him in Japan and found his skills as a bounty hunter useful, thus he made the feline fatality his second-in-command. Though Tiger Claw is unimpressed with the Foot Clan, he accepts the job regardless. Even after Tiger Claw returned from the stomach of the Kraathatrogon, he was reinstated as the second-in-command, showing how much Shredder respects his ally's skills. Tiger Claw is horrified when Shredder condemns Earth to annihilation just to finally attain his vengeance on Splinter.
 * Ivan Steranko/Rocksteady-an old business partner that has known Shredder who supplied with weapons, but after he hired a thief to steal the Kuro Kabuto and held Kari for ransom, he had Stockman turn him into a mutant rhinoceros and forced him to serve under him.
 * Anton Zeck/Bebop-the master thief that Steranko hired to steal Kuro Kabuto for his collection and helped Steranko capture Karai. After their plan failed, Shredder had Stockman turn him into a mutant Warthog. Seeing that his form gave him "limited employment options" he reluctantly agreed to serve the Shredder.

Love Interest

 * Tang Shen - A woman that both Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi fell in love with. She chose Yoshi over Saki, however, and in a fit of jealousy and rage, he attacked Yoshi one night and killed Tang Shen in the process when he missed a swing meant for Yoshi and killed her instead.

Quotes

 * "So, my old enemy is in New York and training his own army. At last I can finish what I started so long ago. Prepare my jet! (puts on helmet) I'm going to visit an old friend." - Rise of the Turtles Part 2
 * "And you! (to Xever) I should have left you to rot in that prison where I found you." - The Gauntlet
 * "Your skills are impressive... but they will not save you!" - The Gauntlet
 * "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it." - The Gauntlet
 * (Dream) You think you are ready to face me? - Panic in the Sewers
 * "They defeated you with... Go-Karts and a water-balloon!?" -  Panic in the Sewers' 
 * "It seems your mutated form has its advantages... but do not forget our primary goal. Locating Splinter and the Turtles." - Mousers Attack!
 * "I want you to find out more about this "Kraang". Their technology could prove useful in our war against the turtles." - The Alien Agenda
 * "Tell me where Splinter is, and I'll let you live long enough to watch him perish." - Enemy of my Enemy
 * "Well done, Karai. I found something for you." (Holds up a Kraang) "You've always wanted a pet." - Enemy of my Enemy
 * "Prepare to know why they call me The Shredder!" - Enemy of my Enemy
 * "Do they all speak like this?" (about the Kraang's speech patterns) - Karai's Vendetta
 * "You promised me the the best soldiers in the world, and the turtles have decimated them one by one. The ones left are hardly worthy of wearing the foot emblem. - Pulverizer Returns
 * (To Dogpound) "I need more soldiers, I need better soldiers, and I need them NOW! - Pulverizer Returns!
 * (After the imprisoned Kraang explains about the Mutagen being unstable in this dimension in a complicated and redundant manner) "I believe what this fool is saying is that the Mutagen is dangerously unpredictable. See to it that fail safe measures are put in place." - Pulverizer Returns!
 * (To the captive Kraang) "It seems we have a common enemy..." - Pulverizer Returns!
 * "The turtles have undoubtedly brought O'Neil back to their lair. Soon vengance will be ours." - Operation: Break Out
 * "Now that you are here, Ms. O'Neil is no longer of any use to me. I gave her to my new allies...the Kraang." - Booyaka-Showdown, Part 1
 * (When he sees Splinter is now a mutant rat) "What? A rat?! (Laughs) I see you are as hideous as those turtles that surround you. How fitting. You are a rat that has been caught in my trap." - Booyaka-Showdown, Part 1
 * (Laughs upon Splinter saying that he will have nothing if he is defeated) "That, is where you are wrong. You took Tang Shen from me... so I took something from you. Your daughter." - Booyaka-Showdown, Part 2
 * "It's over, Hamato. Soon you will be no more, and your own daughter will go through her life cursing your name." - Booyaka-Showdown, Part 2
 * (Upon being helped up by Karai after nearly being killed by Splinter) "Karai... that rat is... Hamato Yoshi." - Booyaka-Showdown, Part 2
 * (About his new robot ninjas) "The Kraang swore these new Foot soldiers would be deadly. They were true to their word." - Follow The Leader
 * (After he sees Rahzar in his new mutated form) " You look terrible, Bradford." - The Manhattan Project, Part 1
 * "I have returned, and I bring with me the most feared assassin in all of Asia... (Tiger Claw enters and bows to Shredder) Tiger Claw!" - The Manhattan Project, Part 1
 * (To Baxter) "I have one last mutant I want you to create, or I will pluck the wings off the lonely insect that you are." - The Lonely Mutation Of Baxter Stockman
 * (After Karai asks him to tell her the truth about Hamato Yoshi being her father) "...Yes. Hamato Yoshi is your true father." - The Wrath of Tiger Claw
 * (After Karai falls into the Mutagen) "Karai! NOOOO!" - Vengeance is Mine
 * (To Splinter) "Always the wise one! - The Invasion, Part 2
 * (To Tiger Claw) "Hamato Yoshi is finished! The Earth can be destroyed for all I care! I have finally won!" - Annihilation Earth!
 * It's because of you that Karai is GONE! - Earth's Last Stand
 * I'll rid the world of a vile monster! - Earth's Last Stand

Gallery

 * Oroku Saki (2012 TV series)/Gallery
 * Oroku Saki (2012 TV series)/Animations

Trivia

 * In 's flashbacks, Shredder is seen wielding a pair of "Tekkō-kagi" (lit. "back of the hand hooks"). In the present, he is seen with custom-made Tekko-kagi claw weapons: They have extendable blades and are razor sharp. They have also been shown to be strong enough to cut through metal shipping containers.
 * The Shredder's real given name "Saki" is (usually) a female Japanese name that means "blossom" and "hope".
 * He owns an Akita Inu named Hachiko. Hachiko contributed to Dogpound's mutation by biting him before the mutagen spilled on him.
 * Hun later brings the chemicals that Shredder was looking for. He suggests that Shredder take over the abandoned Auman Chemicals (where the chemicals were obtained from) since it's on the Purple Dragons' turf. At the factory, Hun suggests that the Purple Dragons run the factory.