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April O'Neil is a member of the Mad Dogs and the Hamato Clan.

Appearance[]

April is a slim, brown-skinned African-American teenager (later young woman in the film) with black eyes, black and red lips and curly burgundy-brown hair with bangs, kept in pigtail buns with yellow hair ties.

Her attire consists a simple black choker around her neck, a pair of red cat-eyed framed glasses with pale yellow lenses, and a long yellow T-shirt under a cropped, green varsity jacket which features ¾ sleeves, a button closure (typically found on the right side), followed by light green trim and a '5' print over its heart and back. April also dawned a set of navy-black capri leggings and yellow high-top sneakers.

Personality[]

April is upbeat, quick-witted, and adventurous. She tends to be a more go-with-the-flow type spirit in the way that she is adaptable and often matches her energy with those around her.

April is shown to be incredibly brave as seen in "The Gumbus" when she enjoys the fiasco in the Stock & Shop while Michelangelo and Leonardo are terrified. She is quick to jump into action. However, while she doesn't like waiting around, April isn't known to be detrimentally impulsive.

April has a selfless and heroic streak, such as in "Warren & Hypno, Sitting in a Tree" when she frees Warren Stone from a mystic gauntlet Baron Draxum is trying to collect to ensure he and Hypno-Potamus could remain together. April also has a forgiving nature, befriending and learning to care for Draxum despite all he has done even before most of the Turtles. Although she can be rude at times, like in "The Fast and the Furriest" when Donatello accuses her of stealing the Turtle Tank and, being annoyed by him and his brothers breaking in and being accused of something she didn't do, kicks the Turtles out via her window.

Despite all these traits, April has insecurities as seen when she is trying to sell cookies, but is unable to get customers due to her passive-aggressive approach in "Always Be Brownies". She can be discouraged by repeated failures, but her capacity to self-motivate allows her pick herself up. Even so, April isn't too shy or proud to ask for and accept support from others and regularly leans on those she trusts.

April has an environmentalist side, raising funds for tree conservation in "Always Be Brownies" and working to halt the production and use of a hypertoxic herbicide in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.

April tends to be more responsible compared to the rest of the Mad Dogs, taking accountability for her actions and trying to heal harm she may have caused more often than them, but is still plenty immature.

History[]

Years prior to the start of the series, April encountered Splinter and the Turtles. She befriended and eventually forged a close familial bond with the five of them.

Biography[]

April is a true New Yorker and a real firecracker: upbeat, wisecracking, and confident. As the Turtles' only ally, she loves them like brothers and, along with her pet Mayhem, joins them on all their epic adventures.

Abilities[]

  • Mystic energy manipulation: April wields a baseball bat imbued with mystic energy, magnifying the power behind her strikes when activated.
  • Exceptional accuracy: April is able to strike targets with keen precision, rarely missing, even when the selected target is small and/or distant.
  • Improvisation intuition: April excels in extemporaneous thinking in combat and using her surrounding environment to its potential to defeat opponents, such as when she used a walnut from inside a cookie as a cutting tool to free herself from her binds in "Always Be Brownies".
    • Weapon improvisation: April is adept at using objects in her environment offensively and defensively against opponents.
  • Ninjutsu: While April largely uses her own organic style in combat, Splinter taught her some formal techniques of his own creation so she could defend the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu in "Fists of Furry".
    • Hamato Ninpō: As a member of the Hamato Clan, April is capable of tapping into her clan's energy to unleash her own mystic might.
  • Seven Deadly Vipers: Labeled as a "secret secret" by Splinter, the Seven Deadly Vipers move immediately makes opponents yield upon merely hearing its name. April is the only person other than Splinter who knows how to use it.
  • Lazy Llama: A blocking technique where April moves her arms loosely and wildly to defend a wide area of her body against attacks.
  • Tiger Claw: A technique where April tackles her opponent in a manner reminiscent of a pouncing tiger.
  • Crane operation: April is a licensed crane operator as shown in "Many Unhappy Returns".
  • Cooking: April has been shown to be able make risotto in "Cloak and Swaggart".
  • Video editing: April has knowledge in video editing. This is shown when she filmed and interviewed the Turtles for the sixth annual Lair Olympics.

Weapons[]

Relationships[]

Family[]

  • April O'Neil's parent(s)
    • Carol O'Neil: Carol is April's mother. However, their relationship beyond that is currently unknown.
    • Mr. O'Neil: April's father hasn't been shown, but was mentioned by Splinter in "Repairin' the Baron" along with April's mother.
  • The Hamato Clan: April has been a friend of Splinter and the Turtles for several years prior to the start of the series, but she had been unanimously considered family to the clan long ago as asserted by the clan's matriarch. This has granted April access into her own Hamato Ninpō power. Her relationship with the Turtles is akin to that of a sister and she typically fights alongside them.
    • Michelangelo: April and Mikey are quite sweet towards one another and she isn't hesitant to comfort him. They together are the ones most responsible for helping Draxum adapt to his new life.
    • Leonardo: April gets along well with Leo and enjoys his playful nature. Despite being older than him, she doesn't seem to feel compelled to tell him what to do and just lets him do what he wishes for the most part.
    • Donatello: April gets along with Donnie. She often seeks his help with her school and social life despite his propensity to accidentally make her problems worse. April finds frustration in his persistent nature and thinks Donnie needs to let things go more frequently.
    • Raphael: April and Raph have a very good relationship although she is occasionally annoyed by his imagination and high energy. Raph, as the leader, takes care of her and there seems to be an unspoken understanding between them as the two eldest Mad Dogs and they support one another thoroughly.
    • Hamato Yoshi / Lou Jitsu / Splinter: Although April is essentially an older sister to the Turtles, April's relationship with Splinter is not quite like that of Splinter's relationship with his sons; Splinter and April are not responsible for or answerable to one another other in the ways a father or daughter would be. April has a strong bond with Splinter and they are great friends. She cares deeply about him, concerned about his safety when he chooses to infiltrate the Foot and wishing to help him by pretending to be a Foot member right along with him in "Shadow of Evil" and tending to his injuries in "End Game". Despite their immense love and trust in one another, it is not uncommon for them to squabble like in "Shadow of Evil" when April tires of Splinter's insistence on visiting her workplace and is irritated that Splinter deprived her of the chance to combat the Foot (albeit unintentionally) in "Insane in the Mama Train". April is quite casual towards Splinter and they are both quite comfortable around each other. They regularly entertain each other's ideas as seen in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie when Splinter follows April's strategy against Krang Two and when April heeds Splinter's advice in "Always Be Brownies". She often calls him "Splints".
    • Hamato Karai: April has a trusting and loving relationship with Karai. In "Anatawa Hitorijanai", she was reassured by Karai that she had always been part of the clan. After Karai died, her spirit resided inside April so that Karai, through April, could help the Turtles access their Hamato Ninpō in order to defeat the Shredder.
  • Mayhem: After the events of "Mystic Mayhem", April adopted Mayhem as her pet and he seems to live with her at her apartment. They have a strong bond between them and April seems to care for him diligently as shown in "Mystic Library" and "Race".

Friends and allies[]

  • Todd Capybara: April and Todd worked together as part of The B-Team in "End Game". Todd later served lemonade to April in "Battle Nexus: New York". His Cuddle Cakes Puppy Rescue was a safe haven for April and the Turtles after the destruction of the lair and during April and Karai's teaching of the Hamato Ninpō to the Mad Dogs.
  • Timmy: April was the host of Timmy's birthday party when she worked at Albearto's as a Party Captain. She tried to lead Timmy and his friends in his dedicated birthday song, but was interrupted by Albearto malfunctioning. April saved him when he was endangered by several sentient animatronics and placed him inside a claw machine to protect him from the ongoing skirmish.
  • Baron Draxum: Draxum was initially April's enemy throughout season 1. As seen in "Repairin' the Baron", Draxum moved into the apartment directly above April's in the same building. Once Draxum became a regular part of the family life, he started working at Autry Cafeteria in April's high school. In "Mystery Meat", April is shown to help monitor Draxum's situation, including helping him adapt to his new human workplace, conceal both his Yōkai identity, mystic power, and reel in some of his old bad habits. Over time, April and Draxum have become unlikely friends with a good working relationship. As friends, April usually addresses Draxum as "Barry".
  • Sunita: Sunita is April's friend and lab partner in high school biology class ever since she enrolled in her school in "Operation: Normal". Like April, Sunita also wants some "normalcy" in her life, despite being a Yōkai concealed in the human world. They share a love of unicorns ("Operation: Normal") and hang out regularly.
  • Franken-Foot: April and Franken-Foot worked together as part of the B-Team in "End Game".
  • S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.: April and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. worked together as part of the B-Team in "End Game".
  • Gentry: April befriended Gentry during her visit to Witch Town in "Donnie vs. Witch Town". After Morgan began his rampage and the town was thrown into chaos, the mystic contents within Gentry's cauldron were accidentally exposed to April's baseball bat, giving April her own mystic weapon on par with those possessed by the rest of the Mad Dogs.
  • Stanley / Bullhop: April and Bullhop worked together as part of the B-Team in "End Game".
  • Vivian Slopworth: April met Vivian during her inspection on Draxum's position as her high school's lunch server in "Mystery Meat" and worked to distract her from the havoc in the kitchen.
  • Jake: Jake is a student at the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu and April worked with Splinter in "Fists of Furry" to ensure the School would remain open for him.
  • Sam: Sam is a student at the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu and April worked with Splinter to ensure the School would remain open for him.
  • Sara: Sara is a student at the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu and April worked with Splinter to ensure the School would remain open for her.
  • Cassandra Jones / Foot Recruit: April and Foot Recruit were enemies for most of the series, but Splinter, who had befriended Foot Recruit in "Always Be Brownies", tried unsuccessfully to get April and Foot Recruit to set aside their differences. April and her wouldn't join forces until Foot Recruit helped the Hamato Clan destroy the Shredder in "Rise". April has since become friends with her as stated by her in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie.
  • Casey Jones II: April was confronted by Casey in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie at her college campus and, assuming him to be a threat, knocked him unconscious. After realizing he had a photograph of her, Splinter, and the Turtles, she brought him to the lair to be questioned by the family. Her suspicion of Casey soon after dissipated and she grew to trust him. Together with Splinter, April and Casey fought and defeated Krang Two together in their last encounter with her.

Enemies[]

  • Albearto: April fought Albearto when he came to life and terrorized several children at Timmy's birthday party in "War and Pizza".
  • Guardsmen: April confronted Yōkai bounty hunters Garm and Freki when they were attempting to capture Mayhem in "Mystic Mayhem" and followed them through their portal to the Hidden City. She later encountered them again in "Insane in the Mama Train" when her and the Turtles were on a mission to retrieve the Kuroi Yōroi from its train car and was able to fend them off by weaponizing blocks of ice.
  • Mrs. Cuddles: April was an actress on Mrs. Cuddles' TV show. She brought her to the lair to scare Raph with her and was the first one besides him to realize that Mrs. Cuddles was actually living and was promptly captured by her.
  • Big Mama: April, Draxum, Foot Recruit, Splinter, Todd and New York City's entire population were trapped inside the Mystic Orb in "Battle Nexus: New York". After Draxum helped April, Foot Recruit and Splinter to escape, April helped the group oppose Big Mama.
  • Huginn & Muninn: April fought Huginn and Muninn in "Mystic Mayhem" and was often in opposition to them as they aided Draxum as his henchmen.
  • Rupert Swaggart / Meat Sweats: April helped Sunita retrieve the cloaking brooch that Meat Sweats had stolen from her friend Sunita in "Cloak and Swaggart".
  • The Foot Clan: The Foot Clan are the sworn enemy of the Hamato Clan. April was unwittingly working for them as an employee of the Foot Shack. However, upon learning the true nature of her employers, she aided Splinter in his attempt to keep a piece of the Kuroi Yōroi out of the Foot Clan's possession.
    • Foot Lieutenant: April was hired as Foot Shack employee by Foot Lieutenant at some point despite her and him being enemies.
    • Foot Brute: April was hired as Foot Shack employee by Foot Brute at some point despite her and him being enemies.
    • Oroku Saki / The Shredder: April was baffled by Shredder's animalistic behavior upon his revival in "Many Unhappy Returns", assuming him to be a more traditional, poised samurai figure. She flung shipping containers at Shredder using a crane during her and the Turtles' battle against him at a New York shipyard. April later cooperated with Foot Recruit, Draxum, and the combined Hamato Clan to finally destroy the Shredder in "Rise".
  • The Purple Dragons: The Purple Dragons are a technology club at April's high school and she considers them to be "stuck-up jerks" and as such doesn't like them, even before the events of their debut in "The Purple Jacket".
    • Kendra: Kendra is April's high school classmate. She has known Kendra since kindergarten and seems to dislike her. However, her and Kendra's personal history beyond that is currently unknown.
  • Mezmer-Ron / Hypno-Potamus: April confronted Hypno during his attempt to make her high school disappear in "Hypno! Part Deux". But later helped him rescue his, in her own words, "best friend/roommate/it’s complicated", Warren Stone in "Warren & Hypno, Sitting in a Tree".
  • Baxter Stockboy: April defeated Baxter's Gumbus robot in "The Gumbus" and teased him about his surname coinciding with his job position.
  • Ghostbear: April fought Ghostbear when he disrupted April's family day-out at Bronx Park in "Snow Day" and was able to defeat him with the help of the other Mad Dogs.
  • Mayor Mira: April was quite friendly towards Mira, amazed by Witch Town's mystic powers. However, after Donnie upset the townsfolk and destroyed some of the town's property, April was expelled from Witch Town by Mira, much to her disappointment. Though she saved Mira and Witch Town from Morgan, Mira had April detained by the Hidden City police for Donnie's disruption of the Peace Offering Festival.
  • Warren Stone: April is a fan of Warren Stone and has been part of the Warren Stone fan club since 2010, even after he deliberately put her and the Turtles in danger in his and Hypno's conflict with Draxum in "Warren & Hypno, Sitting in a Tree".
  • The Daves: April opposed the Daves in a game of basketball in "Air Turtle" in order to turn them from demon to human and succeeded.
    • Tim Dunkman: April defeated Tim in a basketball game in "Air Turtle" to revert him and the rest of his team back to their human forms after they were turned into demons by the Arch of Aquinnah.
  • Sloppy Joseph: April had the task of confining Sloppy Joseph with Mikey's help in "Mystery Meat" when he was released into her high school. She was eventually eaten by Sloppy Joseph, but saved by Draxum where he then seemingly destroyed him, however, as of "Battle Nexus: New York", April knows that Sloppy Joseph is still alive.
  • The Brownie Clan: April competed to sell baked goods against the Brownie Clan in "Always Be Brownies", but was able to outshine them with Splinter's assistance. This lead to April getting kidnapped by them to eliminate her competition.
    • Julia: April was kidnapped by Julia in "Always Be Brownies" to be recruited into the Grandma CJ scouts after Splinter attracted more baked goods customers than Julia's scout troupe. April escaped from her restraints after being brought to the Grandma CJ Scouts HQ and fought Julia, eventually defeating her.
    • CJ Girl: April was held captive by her for Brownie Clan recruitment, but her escape only earned April her admiration.
  • Frank: April competed against Frank to save the final remaining Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu from being taken over by the Komodo Dragon Karate Dojo in "Fists of Furry". She won the match against Frank and tried to extend a tie between him and her when he injured his hand during the match.
  • Kristoff Van Bradford: April rivaled Kristoff Van Bradford as she vied for control of the last Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu in "Fists of Furry". Her attempt to call a tie was rejected by Kristoff Van Bradford as he perceived April as merely trying to escape defeat in the match.
  • The Krang: April initially found the Krang's existence to be dubious, but quickly came to believe in their threat. She fought them in their attempt to conquer Earth with Splinter, Casey, and her fellow Mad Dogs in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie.
    • Krang Two: April tried to flee from Krang Two with Splinter on the Shell Hogs as she made her invasion on the lair and defended herself against her by throwing her herbicide vials at her. Although April managed to maintain her and Splinter's possession of the Mystic Key the Krang sought, her attack worked to disfigure Krang Two, creating a bitter quarrel between the two of them. In April and Krang Two's final confrontation, April was able to crush her under many metal beams, forcing her from her Titan, and pinned her beneath a wreaking ball, resulting in Krang Two's defeat.

Others[]

  • Dale: Dale is April's high school classmate. While not close to him, she doesn't seem to have much issue with Dale and tries to ensure he remains out of harm's way when she can. April seems to be aware of his crush on her, but decidedly does not return his feelings.
  • Taylor Martin: Taylor is April's high school classmate. April admires Taylor as a popular student at their school, trying unsuccessfully to befriend her in "Hypno! Part Deux".
  • Loose Lips Malinowski: April sought Loose Lips' help in finding Sunita's stolen cloaking brooch in "Cloak and Swaggart" and was able to get the information she needed concerning its whereabouts from him.
  • Mutant silverfish: April ordered mutant silverfish to help her clean up the Autry Cafeteria kitchen in "Mystery Meat" before Vivian witnessed its messy state.
  • Dr. Boringson: Dr. Boringson is a professor at Eastlaird University. April approached him in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie and had him pose for photographs she allegedly wanted for an Eastlaird University Daily News article and used the distraction to steal his faculty ID card to break into a locked laboratory in Eastlaird.

Quotes[]

  • "I don't care how long you've been working here. I'm a vertebrate, so I'm in charge." ("Mystery Meat")
  • "How did you even get in there?" ("War and Pizza")
  • "Hi, Donnie. You have nine seconds to tell me why you just broke down my door." (The Fast and the Furriest")
  • "Give me back my money... and the rat." ("Always Be Brownies")
  • "Not that I don't like old ladies. My grammy's an old lady." ("Operation: Normal")
  • "Just like you planned, right, Rodel?" ("Shadow of Evil")
  • "You guys crushed it! Give me five—or three." ("Mystic Mayhem")
  • "Usually it's just a lot of clip-clopping, but lately it sounds like a dinosaur on a trampoline." ("Repairin' the Baron")
  • "Raph. You were looking right at us." ("Snow Day")
  • "♪ If a robot bear comes to life or mystic monster's causing you strife just run to the door lickity-split and it's 10% off your next visit ♪" ("Many Unhappy Returns")
  • "Ooh, you're gonna wish you were a ghost, Gumbus." ("The Gumbus")

Trivia[]

  • This version of April O'Neil marks the first time she is designed as black (and non-white in general) in a TMNT TV series or film and the second time she is unambiguously black in a licensed TMNT work overall.
  • This is the second teenage incarnation of April in TMNT after April O'Neil from the 2012 TV series.
  • April's catchphrase is "Aprillllll O'Neil!", often said while charging into battle.
  • A running gag in this series is April having a different job almost every time she appears with her period of employment usually ending by, or before, the end of an episode.
    • According to one of her official biographies, April worked at a pizza shop, which is how the Turtles get their pizzas in this series.
    • The Turtles also get a friends and family discount because of their connection to April.
    • It is unclear, however, if this is actually the case in the series itself, she is never shown delivering pizza except in the comics.
    • She gets fired from her job at a restaurant called Albearto's after the events of "War and Pizza".
    • In "Mrs. Cuddles", April works as an actress on Mrs. Cuddles' television program.
    • In "Shadow of Evil", April works at a shoe store called the Foot Shack.
  • According to one of her official biographies, April loves the Turtles like brothers. This is also iterated in the Junior Novel Ninja Power, April stating, "We [April and the Turtles] became friends. Really good friends. They're like big brothers to me."
    • Though introduced as the Turtles' best friend, in this iteration, April and the Turtles share a brother-sister relationship with one another.[7][8][9][10]
  • It was stated in January 2019 by co-executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward in a World Screen interview that April had the longest casting process of the voice cast as Suriano and Ward sought performances that provided April's character strength, humor, and a specific chemistry with the Turtles as their sister and a fifth Turtle. Suriano stating, "We'd almost given up doing the casting at that point and we were gonna go back to the beginning . . . We had exhausted so many actors at that point and then [Kat Graham] was the very last we heard and we're like, 'That's it. That's our April.' Everything clicked."[8]
  • According to Ninja Power, April has known the Turtles for five years.
    • It was confirmed in August 2020 from Rise of the TMNT staff writer Russ Carney in a Tweet that, "TMNT and April met before they were all teens."[11][12][13]
  • As mentioned by Donnie in "Operation: Normal", April seems to have a fear of cosplay wizards.
  • It is shown in "The Purple Game" that April lives with her mother.
    • It was revealed in January 2020 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Carney in a Tweet that, "All the writers feel April has two parents--we've talked about this. Splinter even addresses this in a S2 ep."[12]
    • It was revealed in July 2023 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Ron Corcillo in a Tweet that April lives with both of her parents.[14]
  • April tends to act as second-in-command to Raph.
  • April presumably has pierced ears as she wears a pair of hoop earrings in "Hypno! Part Deux".
  • April uses "This whole situation" in more situations than the other Mad Dogs do, who usually only use it as a way to refer to their mutation.

Gallery[]

References[]

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