The Shredder utilized robot ninjas known as "Foot Soldiers" when he began his crime spree in New York City. However, they are not very effective in combat, as they fall apart easily (Turtle Tracks). The Turtles fought them in all five episodes of the first season however as the 1987s series go on they are seen less and less because Shredder usually has to do things himself with Bebop and Rocksteady. However in Turtles Forever there are hundreds to thousands of them fighting the 2003 Turtles and the 1988s Turtles underground after leaving the Technodrome with Bebop and Rocksteady leading them into battle. This version of the Foot do not talk at all nor do they use ninja weapons but they use guns. A few episodes show them using swords and other weapons as well, especially during the first two episodes of the first season. In Turtles Forever they had a self destruct sequence that distracted the Turtles while the 1988s Shredder escaped with the Technodrome and almost left Bebop and Rocksteady behind. The 2003 Leonardo is shocked to see that the 1988s Foot Soldiers are robots since the 2003 Foot Ninjas are humans. The 2003 Michelangelo says the 1988s Foot Soldiers are exploding robots. The 2003 Raphael takes pleasure in destroying all of the 1988s Foot Soldiers without his brothers help and was having fun doing it until the 1988s Donatello threw a large boulder down and crushed several of the Foot Soldiers and said strike making the 2003 Raphael angry. In the cartoon, The Shredder once considered making more intelligent Foot Soldiers, capable of learning and taking decisions by themselves. One Foot Soldier named Alpha One was the only robotic Foot Soldier who could talk and was seen in Season Four, in the episode was called The Foot Soldiers are Revolting. However, the idea was quickly abandoned when he rebelled against The Shredder.
The Foot robot concept allowed the Turtles to destroy the Foot soldiers without any moral thoughts, allowing Leonardo and Raphael to use their weapons more offensively. Meanwhile the series could keep its younger audience and remain a "family show".
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