Battle Shells are one of Donatello's main weapons in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Overview[]
Donatello created Battle Shells to wear over his carapace[1] as armor and to aid him in combat. He has several of them, each with unique abilities, and they feature a slot towards the bottom of them to store Donnie's Tech-Bō when not in use. Battle Shells can be controlled with verbal commands and remotely summoned to him by pressing his goggle buttons or a designated button on his tech-gauntlet. They also have a self-destruct command, accessible through Donnie's tech-gauntlet, and he can verbally override their programming using the "Alpha Bootyyyshaker9000" authorization code. They utilize a microwave transceiver to communicate and class C encryption.
Donnie stores Battle Shells inside the Turtle Tank and on his laboratory wall. While he doesn't wear them while sleeping, Donnie can be seen wearing a Battle Shell most of the time, switching between the Flight Shell and the Spider Shell the most often. Battle Shells can also be worn by others as seen when Kendra, April O'Neil, and Bullhop each wear one in respective episodes. Donnie can take off Battle Shells by pressing a designated button to release their seal.
Battle Shell models[]
Flight Shell[]
Donnie's primary Battle Shell and the one he makes his series debut in is the Flight Shell. It allows him to fly via rotors and features a detachable hoverboard with the ability to transform into a DJ mixer ("Mascot Melee") and into a seat with handle bars to carry a passenger on top of it ("Mystic Mayhem"). It can deploy a powerful laser for Donnie to use offensively against opponents ("The Purple Game"), emit a light capable of speed-aging materials that is activated by a separate handheld button ("Donnie vs. Witch Town"), and record audio ("The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle"). The Flight Shell can transform into a pair of speakers ("One Man's Junk") or a detachable speaker suspended by a mechanical arm ("The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle").
Spider Shell[]
The Spider Shell features two pairs of telescoping mechanical arms that he can manipulate as additional limbs and the ability to self-propel. It has two blue indicator lights towards the top that turn orange when the Spider Shell is active. The ends of the Spider Shell's arms can take the form of pincers ("Mascot Melee") or three-fingered hands ("Down with the Sickness"). The ends of the Spider Shell's arms can also transform into circular saws ("Repo Mantis") and remove its pincers to expose the spear-like ends of its arms to pierce opponents ("The Purple Jacket"). The Spider Shell can deploy a work light suspended by a mechanical arm ("Repo Mantis") and is capable of generating electricity through its arms, electrocuting opponents/objects that make contact with them ("War and Pizza").
A.I. Battle Shell[]
This Battle Shell is equipped with an A.I. (S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.).
Rocket Shell[]
The Rocket Shell acts as a jet pack. It features two retractable[2] wings with a tapered leading edge and a straight trailing edge, yellow barricade tape on its wings and body, and three blue lights towards the top. The Rocket Shell can reach immense speeds and is seemingly capable of flying at higher speeds than the Flight Shell as seen in "Breaking Purple".
History[]
Battle Shells debuted in "Mystic Mayhem". Donnie allowed April to ride on his Flight Shell as they made their way to Rucker Park. Donnie flew and landed on one of Baron Draxum's mystic vines and he later flew as part of his assault against Draxum's golem with the Tech-Bō, taking a photograph of himself in midair.
Trivia[]
- The jet pack Battle Shell is said to possess diving aides for underwater use in the product descriptions of the Playmates Toys Donatello with Spider Shell and Donatello with Jet Pack action figures though this feature has yet to be shown or mentioned in the series itself.[2]
- While a lie, Donnie says he has constructed a prototype for an aquatic model of Battle Shell in "Mind Meld".