Foot Clan

The Foot Clan is a ninja clan. They are usually led by the Shredder and are the turtles' main antagonists'.

The Foot were inspired by the Hand in Daredevil. Both are ninja clans from feudal Japan that now run international crime rings.

Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
In Eastman and Laird's original comic books, the Foot was started by two Japanese men named Sato and Oshi. In Volume 1 Issue 47, the turtles travel back in time before the clan exist. Raphael met the two men and, not knowing who they were, taught them Ninjutsu. After the turtles returned to the present, the two decided to follow the way of the ninja. Oshi said, "We must never again mention the strange shelled creatures. In time, others will join us and we will become a force to be reckoned with. So just as every journey begins with a single step... we shall call ourselves The Foot."

The Foot Clan became the most feared ninja in Japan. Both Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Nagi were members, until they fought for the love of Tang Shen and Yoshi killed Nagi. Shamed, Yoshi and Shen moved to New York City. Oroku Nagi's brother, Oroku Saki, joined the Foot and trained as a ninja. When he was ready, Saki went to New York to start the American branch of the Foot Clan. In only a year, they became a powerful and feared group.

Saki also sought vengeance for his brother. Using the persona The Shredder, he killed Yoshi. Over ten years later, the turtles challenged The Shredder to a rooftop duel to avenge Yoshi's death. The Shredder sent Foot ninjas to deal with the turtles, but they were all defeated. He was forced to fight the turtles; though he was a more skilled ninja, he was defeated when he fell of the building while holding a bomb.

After the Shredder's death, the New York Foot feel apart and the Foot soldiers began fighting Shredder's elite. Karai, a clan leader from Japan, came to New York to reunite the Foot. In exchange for the turtles' help, she promised the Foot would not attempt to avenge the Shredder's death.

In Volume 4, the Foot were given a security contract with the Utroms because their base had a no weapons policy and the foot are skilled in hand-to-hand combat. At one point, mysterious Aztec warriors started attack the Foot Clan around the world. Karai informed Leonardo that the New York Foot Clan is all that's left.

The 1987 cartoon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Adventures
Both the 1987 and TMNT Adventures share the same origin of the Foot Clan. In this version, the Foot Clan is formed in Japan in 1583. The Shredder, followed by the turtles and Splinter, go back in time to influence the formation of the Foot. Shredder's ancestor, Oroku Sancho, is leading a small band of ninja and Shredder offers to give him a magic artifact that will allow him to form a real clan. Meanwhile, Splinter's ancestor Hamato Koji is trying to find the same artifact. Koji was able to find it first, with the turtles' help. The artifact released a dragon, which decided to destroy a nearby city. Splinter and Koji went to stop the dragon while the turtles' fought the Foot. The turtles' got captured and were about to be executed when Koji rescued them, riding the dragon. Sancho fled and Koji became their leader. He named their clan the Foot Clan because he was standing in the dragon's foot as he spoke.

In the 1960s, both Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki were members of the Foot Clan. Saki framed Yoshi for trying to kill a sensei and Yoshi was exiled to New York. Saki took over the Foot Clan and quickly turned it into an army of criminals. Saki became known as the Shredder. He moved operations to New York, where he allied himself with the alien warlord Krang and replaced the human Foot soldiers with robots.

Movies
The Foot Clan in the movies was founded by The Shredder in New York. Shredder takes kids off the streets and trains them himself. His second-in-command is the Ninjutsu master, Tatsu.

The Foot are not a match for the turtles and are reduced to a fraction of their size after The Shredder's defeat and massive arrests by the NYPD. Tatsu takes over the clan, but steps down when Shredder returns. The Foot then kidnapped professor Jordon Perry and forced him to make a mutagen like the one that mutated the turtles. Using the mutagen, they created Rahzar and Tokka to battle the turtles. Though the two were able to hold their own against the turtles in terms of physical strength, the turtles were able to reverse the mutation. Shortly after, they killed The Shredder.

In the fourth movie, Karai is the leader of the Foot Clan and she wants to avenge The Shredder's death.

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation
In The Next Mutation, the Foot Clan is a street gang, similar to the Foot Clan in the first two movies. After the turtles defeat the Shredder, they tell the kids that the Foot is a lie, and the gang disbands.

The 2003 series
In the 2003 series, the Foot Clan was founded by The Shredder 700 years ago. Being an Utrom, the Shredder has a very long lifespan and has led the Foot since he created it. The Foot have technology beyond that of humans, thanks to The Shredder's knowledge of Utrom technology. They sometimes create robots, including the TurtleBot.

The Foot Clan is organized as a hierarchical meritocracy, with the most talented ninja at the top. At the bottom are Foot Ninja, the basic soldier. The Foot's technicians seem to be on the same level as the Foot Ninja. Above them are the Foot Tech Ninja, who wear specialized armor that render them invisible. Above them are the Foot Gunners, followed by the Mega Foots.

Above the Mega Foots are the rarely seen Foot Mystics. Each of the Foot Mystics have control over a certain element: earth, water, fire, air, and metal. They are also skilled in black magic and can attack people through the astral plane. The obey whoever holds a medallion called Heart of Tengu. However, while Karai was leader of the Clan, the Heart of Tengu was destroyed and they set to work restoring The Shredder to power.

Above the Mystics are the Elite Foot Ninja. There are four of them; they serve as The Shredder's personal guard as well as field commanders. Each one carries a different weapon: a trident, a spear, an axe and a twin bladed sword.

The Foot Clan is ultimately controlled by Shredder. Karai is his second-in-command. Before Karai appeared, Hun served as Shredder's second-in-command. Currently, Shredder is exiled to the ice asteroid belt of Mor Tal. Karai has taken the mantle of the Shredder and serves as the leader of the Clan.