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 Turtles' vengeful arch-nemesis (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), and takes on the role of one of the primary antagonists of the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 Series/Incarnation.

Appearance
In this version, The Shredder is coated in durable armor from head to toe. His spikes are bigger and bulkier, though his body is much thinner. He still has his signature shoulder, arm, and leg gauntlets. However, his hand claws are now merged with his arm gauntlets. Unlike most incarnations, this version of the Shredder has a horrid injury on the right side of his face. In Splinter's flashbacks, Oroku Saki had black hair and a completely natural face, but after a violent encounter with Hamato Yoshi, his face was burnt, presumably when Yoshi's house caught fire. He now suffers from severe burns and has lost his hair and the sight of his right eye, which is now blood red with a blue iris and a white pupil.

Background
Long ago, Shredder was known as Oroku Saki met up with and developed quite a strong, peaceful companionship with Hamato Yoshi (who became known as Splinter later on), and the two both had trained in the art of Ninjutsu in the very same Dojo for a number of years. However, both men fell in love at the same time with the same woman, Tang Shen, as well, which actually ended up sparking a bitter rivalry between the two. One day, Saki both confronted and insulted Yoshi, calling him many things. Yoshi then snapped back, and he struck him down. This turned their little rivalry into bitter hatred for eachother. Eventually, Tang Shen ultimately decided to marry Yoshi and soon gave birth to his daughter, Miwa. One night, Saki, increasingly mad with jealousy and hate, attacked Yoshi in his home, intending to kill him. This fight resulted in Splinter losing his wife, and Saki was left badly wounded and disfigured too - but he actually managed to steal Miwa....It can be presumed that he stole her while Splinter was screaming out in agony when he was surrounded by some of the debris from the household.

Personality
Cold, cunning, and the evil leader of the Foot Clan, The Shredder is more than willing to go to any lengths to destroy both the Turtles and their rat sensei, Splinter. With his big army and his shredding armor, there is little that The Shredder cannot do. Oroku incorrectly believes that his old friend, Splinter, 'took' Tang Shen away from him, and thus, his extremely revengeful spirit has caused him to become cruel and pitiless over something that is otherwise pointless (and he even took Splinter's daughter away to mold her in his own image -- and he is even willing to go to the trouble of keeping Karai's true identity and biology furtive for a very long time). He now has little connection to humanity. The Shredder fights with a cold-blooded attitude, showing little mercy to anyone...Though he finds himself in a city swarming with Mutant creatures and many invading aliens, Shredder initially viewed it all as nothing but a distraction from his ultimate goal: His vendetta against Hamato Yoshi. When his lieutenants, Bradford and Xever, are mutated into Dogpound and Fishface, he does not question it at all and he continues to use them in his plans to destroy the Turtles and their master - and he only takes an interest in The Kraang after he sees that their advanced technology could prove useful to him. His narrow-minded attitude and overwhelming obsession sometimes does put Shredder at odds with his "adoptive" daughter, Karai, who generally seems to expresses more concern about the strange happenings in the city than her father does. When she complains that "There's more to life than your little vendetta", Shredder becomes angry and rants that there is nothing more to his life.

In this variation, Shredder plays off his role as a very shady character, as he spends almost all of his time within his own lair and instructing his underlings, instead of assisting in many of the Foot Clans' missions (as opposed to the 2003 Serie's incarnation of him, in which he plays a role in many more of the action sequences). This is slightly odd because he is always the one who wants the Turtles utterly destroyed - and he is virtually the best Martial Art skills of any individual in the clan as well.

Abilities
The Shredder is notably strong for a man his age, likely because he had trained for years with Splinter before the two became sworn enemies. When Shredder fought the four Turtles in Episode 9, "The Gauntlet", he bested them with his armor and Ninjutsu skills, though he is shown not to be exactly invincible because each Turtle was able to score a hit on him. However, his armor provides him with great protection from ninja shurikens and various attacks, so he is essentially able to protect himself and face his opponent simultaneously during battle. His upper body is coated in nearly indestructible armor, and he is also equipped with extendable blades attached to his hand gauntlets that he can use to render enemies helpless, or he can use them as a threat while interrogating someone...or something. He is also shown to be quite nimble, intelligent, clever, and manipulative.

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 at Hamato Yoshi (Splinter's original identity) in his home and caused it to burn to the ground. The debris collapsed and killed Yoshi's wife, Tang Shen, which infuriated Saki even more because of his love for her. He left Yoshi in his crumbling house, believing that Yoshi would eventually perish. However, in Japan, Saki (who has recently made a following of ninjas called The Foot) saw a televised news bulletin from America, which tells how 'Ninjas' were 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 an '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 pointed out many 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 Oroku Saki destroyed his family, and his normal life. In New Friend, Old Enemy, Shredder appears before his greatest pupil, Chris Bradford, and alerts him to Hamato Yoshi still being among the living. So he assigns Bradford with the job of eliminating Yoshi and his disciples. However, he was required to work alongside Shredder's second ally, a "street rat" he broke out of prison named 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 instead, hoping that the outcome will be different. However, the results were the same, and the Shredder could not accept his minions' lack of victory. So 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. 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 even more. And 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 once and for all. After Bradford and Xever were washed away by the Mutagen inside a bomb, 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. They all attacked him one by one, but he easily batted them back. He was proven not to be invincible though, as they managed to get in a few good hits each (Donatello most notably), and Michelangelo managed to hang him by his arm with the use of his nunchaku, though not for more than a few seconds. After Shredder defeated Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, he grabbed Leonardo and demanded to know Splinter's whereabouts, promising that if Leo complied, he would not die with suffering. Shockingly, Shredder released the Turtles' leader when he saw Xever and Bradford changed into mutant animals. Though 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, 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. 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 Shredder agree with him, but The Shredder is quick to threaten Bradford for the price of another loss...his legs. However, Bradford is quick to change Shredder's mind. The feral hound brings over Baxter Stockman, whose creations, the Mousers, cost The Shredder his chance of finding the Turtles' base. Shredder, of course, blames the scientist, 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, 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, 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 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 Kraang's target; April. Shredder then orders Karai to capture her. In Operation: Break Out, at TCRI, 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. In Booyaka-Showdown, Part 1, Shredder abducts April O' Neil and forces Splinter to duel with him. Splinter later finds out that the April that Shredder "abducted" is just a hologram. When Shredder finds out that Splinter is now a rat, he laughs, saying that he is "a rat caught in his trap". In Booyaka-Showdown, Part 2, Splinter battles the Shredder at the Foot Clan's hideout. 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 Shredder's helmet, to reveal the latter's horribly burned face, and moved in for the finishing blow. This was prevented by Karai, however. 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. In The Mutation Situation, 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, 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, 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 The Lonely Mutation Of Baxter Stockman, this is cut short when the Shredder and Rahzar walk in, scolding him for creating these useless mutants, including a duck. Baxter explains that it quacks, flies, and knows Taekwondo, but this is obviously not enough to please the Shredder. Baxter then says that he has devised plans for pigs and rhinos, but this still doesn't get himself off the hook. The Shredder knows that Stockman has failed him one time too many, and Rahzar begins approaching the scientist with the intention of severely harming him, but Shredder has a much more suitable fate in mind - mutating Baxter. Shredder presses a button on the controller that triggers the bottles on Baxter's neck brace to crack, slowly spewing the contained ooze all over him. Shredder and Rahzar then leave him behind to mutate... Meanwhile, 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 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 Shredder for his 'generosity', while Rahzar tosses a chocolate bar for Stockman-Fly to eat.

In The Wrath of Tiger Claw 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, 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. 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 Shredder, telling him of her betrayal. Karai demands that he tell her the truth about Splinter to which Shredder finally admits that she is Hamato Yoshi's daughter. Shredder then tells Tiger Claw to take her away, locking her away in a cell.

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, excercised 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 eachother 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.
 * 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, out of the 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 is uncertain that Saki truly loves 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

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 -
 * 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.
 * 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.

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 apparently killed Tang Shen in the process.

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

Gallery
See: Shredder (2012 TV series) / Gallery

Trivia

 * In Splinter'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.