Splinter

Master Splinter or simply Splinter is a character from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. He is a mutant rat, who trained all four of the Turtles when he found them from sewers.

Mirage
In the original comics, Splinter was the pet rat of a ninja named Hamato Yoshi in Japan. Intelligent for his species, Splinter was able to learn his master's art by mimicking his movements while he practiced. Yoshi became embroiled in a dispute with a fellow ninja by the name of Oroku Nagi and was eventually murdered by Nagi's brother Oroku Saki.

Without a home, Splinter was forced to run away and live in New York City's sewers. Due to a traffic accident, four baby turtles and a canister of radioactive slime were sent down into the sewer, where they mutated both Splinter and the turtles. Splinter named the four turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo (after a book on Renaissance artists that he found in a storm drain) and trained them in the arts of ninjutsu, while still raising them as his own sons. Splinter died of old age in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (vol. 4) #10.

1987 series
In this series, Master Splinter, instead of portraying the Mirage Studios theory of Splinter being a pet of Hamato Yoshi, Splinter was Hamato Yoshi. Before meeting the turtles, back when Yoshi lived in Japan, there was a Ninja Clan known as The Foot, which was led by Hamato Yoshi. One of his students, Oroku Saki (aka The Shredder), constantly challenged him in an effort to usurp his leadership, finally causing him to be banished from the Clan. Yoshi fled to the United States in poverty. He was forced to live in the sewers, where he befriended the rats. One day, a small child was returning from a pet store, carrying four baby turtles in a fish bowl, when he tripped and fell, causing the bowl to crash on the street and the turtles fall into a drain. Yoshi had found four new friends. One day, Yoshi discovers the turtles are covered in "goo", which he later realizes was actually some kind of mutagen that caused whoever touched it to take the form of the animal it most recently came in contact with. The turtles became humanized, with their recent contact with Yoshi (with his attempt to clean them up), and Yoshi becomes a mutant rat with his recent contact with rats.

Master Splinter doesn't hold a father/son relationship with the turtles, as the Mirage Studios and 2k3 stories suggested, but more of a teacher/student bond. However, in an episode called "The Old Switcheroo", Splinter showed a glimpse of fatherly concern for Leonardo when he's slightly injured by one of Donatello's contraptions. Splinter also mentions in the series (episode; Snakes Alive!) that Leonardo is his most gifted student. Master Splinter even gets the chance to be human once more in an episode Splinter No More, but realizes he much more prefers being with the turtles. Master Splinter is always there for the turtles to give a wise/ungrasping quote or speech to try and ease the turtles' troubles. He'll also show a little ninja action just in the knick of time when it seems the turtles are in for impending doom that is inescapable. In this series, Splinter voiced by Peter Renaday.



Movies
The movie origin followed more closely to the original Mirage Comics then the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series). Splinter was the pet rat of Hamato Yoshi in Japan who followed the teachings of his owner from his cage. When forced to America and after his master's death, Splinter found himself in the sewers of New York where he found four turtles.

One morning Splinter awoke to find the turtles playing in a glowing green goo spilling out of a broken canister. Soon, he noticed that not only were the turtles changing, so was he. Eventually, he grew to his full mutated form and began to teach his adoptive sons the ways of honor and the path of the ninja.

Where in the first film Splinter was a dignified father figure for the Turtles, in the subsequent sequels he became more of the "hip" elderly person offering more and more one-liners with each sequel.

Finally, in the 2007 film he had once again reverted back to his origins of the dignified master, and father with only a handful of humorous scenes in his role.

Image Comics
In the Image Comics Splinter turns into a giant bat-mutant. Raphael (as The Shredder) is the one to cure him. Splinter develops a friendship with the Utrom named Dr. X late in the series.

The Next Mutation
Splinter is a more elderly rat than seen in most other incarnations and is the adoptive father to the four 18-year-old turtles. During his spare time, he is seen meditating in a supernatural dimension known as the realm of dreams and plays chess with a blind man called Andre, whom he invites to live with him and the turtles, when Andre is evicted from his apartment. Splinter is also an old friend of a mystical Shinobi Shaman named Chung Li, who warns him of the Dragonlord's plan and demands of Splinter's release when he is kidnapped, unfortunately at the cost of Li's own life. Splinter remains in a coma-like state for a few episodes, until the turtles free him from the Dragonlord's domain. He then reveals that he knew all along about the existence of the fifth turtle Mei Pei Chi (better known as Venus De Milo) and welcomes her into their family, as his daughter. He encourages Venus to no longer mourn Chung Li's passing as he 'has gone on to a better place'. Splinter still shows formidibility and exceptional skill in combat, as he is seen easily defeating entire hordes of Foot soldiers and Dragon warriors. The only warrior shown better to him in combat is the fierce Dragonlord himself. Splinter still shows a sense of humour, often making jokes and wise cracks like his students when battling or simply in the comfort of his own home. He was going to be shockingly killed off in the second season (most likely by the Dragonlord), leaving the turtles to learn how to fight without their master's guidance or presence, but it was cancelled before this could happen.

2003 series
Splinter started his life as an ordinary rat in Japan who found his way into a home owned by the Ancient One. When he was discovered, his life was spared by Tang Shen, the Ancient One's adopted daughter, who took him as a pet. As in previous versions, Tang Shen became tragically caught up between Hamato Yoshi and a jealous rival, this time Yukio Mashimi, a childhood friend of Yoshi's. The two of them eventually joined the Utroms and became Guardians. But Mashimi's jealousy of Yoshi, both for his advancement as a Guardian, and the love of Tang Shen, led him to murder Shen and betray the Utroms to The Shredder. Yoshi killed Mashimi in revenge and went to America with the Utroms, taking Tang Shen's pet with him, and giving him the name Splinter. Later, Yoshi would be tracked down and killed by the Shredder, who tried to force him to reveal the Utrom's location. In this continuity, it was Hun that Splinter scratched as his master Yoshi was attacked, and not the Shredder.

He is portrayed as a dark gray rat in monk's robes. He is also referred to during the Battle Nexus story arc as 'Hamato Splinter', indicating that in this series, Hamato was the surname, not the given name, of Splinter's master. Splinter also had an opponent in the Battle Nexus named Drako, who would prove to be a dangerous adversary of the Turtles.



Ninja Tribunal
Splinter appears most of the time alongside the Ancient One expressing his deepest concern for the safety of his sons and for the harsh teaching methods of the Ninja Tribunal.



Fast Forward
Splinter has been seen in the Fast Forward season continuously teaching his sons' and Cody the ancient ways of ninjitsu and despite how old fashioned he's shown to be in previous seasons he too adjusted to living in the year 2105 fighting off any evil that came his way alongside his sons.

Back to the Sewer


Splinter didn't make much of a physical appearance in Back to the Sewer however he did appear as small data fragments scattered across Cyberspace thanks to Viral and the only times he was every physically shown was during the first episode of BTTS called "Tempus Fugit" when he was first scattered into a million data pieces and the last episode called "Wedding Bells and Bytes" when he was returned to the real world and attended April and Casey's wedding ceremony which was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of "The Cyber Shredder"

(4kids TMNT Blog post with concept art of Splinter's various outfits here.)

Video Games
In most games Splinter is an NPC that often has to be rescued. He actually gets to be a playable character in the 2003 game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus, and TMNT: Mutant Melee. He is a playable character in TMNT:Smash Up.