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A ghost or spirit is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living. The belief in the existence of an afterlife, as well as manifestations of the spirits of the dead, is widespread, dating back to animism or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike forms. To date, there is no clear evidence for the existence of ghosts and the overwhelming consensus of science is that there is no proof that ghosts exist. Their existence is impossible to falsify, and ghost hunting has been classified as pseudoscience. However, ghosts from a psychological perspective can be interpreted as a phenomena that exists in the imagination of the perceiver. Physicians attributed alleged sightings of ghosts as a result of incorrect processing of sensory stimuli in the brain. There are still indigenous peoples who believe in the existence of spirits of nature as well.
Stories of ghosts are known in all cultures and many types of ghosts are described. Many stories of ghosts have them appearing to the living or haunting old houses, castles, cemeteries or certain areas. One of the most popular haunted castles, is the Tower of London. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, since she was beheaded for alleged adultery and witchcraft. The spirits appear to the living to tell them something important, such as where they were eventually buried. They say there are even ghosts who do not know that they are dead. Most ghosts are doomed to haunt, because they are being punished for their past misdeeds and hope to make amends for their sins of the past. Also revenge is a reason for ghost hauntings because they, for example, were killed in a grave injustice. Some ghosts come back to the world of the living to do a job. There are even stories of ghosts who want to warn someone of a bad event, such as a fatal accident or disaster.
In Far Eastern countries such as Japan and Indonesia, the belief in spirits is still fragile so every year festivals and rituals are held to expel evil spirits and to summon good spirits.
Reports of alleged ghost sightings or other haunting were and are considered critical. In 1975 the Lutz family were expelled, from their large house in Amityville, by ghostly apparitions. The fact that in 1974 the then twenty-three year old Ronald DeFeo shot his entire family, contributed to the history of the haunting. Although one doubted the veracity of the ghost story, it was established successfully in a 1977 book under the title The Amityville Horror which lead to a film in 1979; a remake followed in 2005. In 1981 a ghost, called "Chopper" haunted the dental office of Kurtenbach Seitz in Neutraubling. However, in 1982 the haunting was exposed as a staged hoax by the dentist, his wife and the alleged victim Claudia Judenmann.
Even in classical literature ghosts and spirits play a special role, such as in the story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) by Washington Irving, the story A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens, various tales by Edgar Allan Poe, The Canterville Ghost (1887) by Oscar Wilde and the novella The Rider on the White Horse (1888) by Theodor Storm. Well-known children's books about ghosts and spirits are, among other things, The Little Ghost by Otfried Preußler or the Ghosthunters series by Cornelia Funke.
The film industry very often processed the topic of ghosts and spirits, such as for example the films The Haunting (1963), The Shining (1980), Poltergeist (1982), and Paranormal Activity (2007). Famous humorous implementations of the theme are the Ghostbusters films, where a team of para scientists with proton emitters and ghost traps go ghost hunting, and the classic cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo, in which the appearing ghosts turn out usually to be disguised criminals. The fantasy comedy Ghost (1990) tells the story of a man of who is the victim of a murder and now as a spirit is trying to protect his beloved.
In TMNT[]
Ghosts are regularly featured throughout different continuities of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. Ghosts are often a benevolent or neutral presence, commonly aiding the Ninja Turtles in their stories, but they are also sometimes malevolent entities, such as Yukimura or Ho Chan. The physical appearances and abilities of ghosts depicted in TMNT vary, as well as their origins and the means in which they manifest to the living.
Comics[]
Mirage[]
In the Mirage comics, spirits appear in the stories Apparition, A Christmas Carol, Hell's Blacktop, and A Ghost Story.
Archie[]
In the Archie Comics story The Ghost of 13 Mile Island!, the Ninja Turtles encounter the "ghost" of Professor Pert Proton and who helps to clarify his "death".
IDW[]
When Leonardo in the IDW comics comes under the magical brainwashing of the witch Kitsune, the spirit of Tang Shen, his mother from his previous life, appears to free him from this spell and to lead him back into the family. In the crossover story Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters, the Ninja Turtles come to a New York of a parallel world that is plagued by ghosts, and encounter the Ghostbusters.
Television[]
1987 TV series[]
In the 1987 TV series, the Ninja Turtles meet the spirit of the late Shibano Sama that the Shredder summoned to destroy the Ninja Turtles in "Blast from the Past". In "Farewell, Lotus Blossom", the spirit of the samurai is Chakahachi looking for his former love.
Anime[]
In the anime Mutant Turtles: Chōjin Densetsu Hen, Yukimura is the vengeful ghost of fear who's been known as the worst of the worst.
2003 TV series[]
On some occasions in the 2003 TV series, it is possible for Splinter to contact the ghost of his old master Hamato Yoshi and he also appears to finally defeat the Tengu Shredder.
2012 TV series[]
In the 2012 TV series, the Ninja Turtles battle with the accursed sorcerer Ho Chan their first ghostly enemy. The Deer spirit has also appeared in numinous episodes to guide the Ninja Turtles.
Rise of the TMNT[]
In Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ghosts are seen almost exclusively from Hamato Clan Ancestors whose ghosts are glowing, translucent green figures that seemingly take the appearance they had upon their moment of death. Oroku Saki's ghost is blue instead of green for a reason that is currently unclear. Ghosts can hover or stand on the ground and can touch and interact with the living as seen in Raphael and Hamato Karai's interactions in "Anatawa Hitorijanai". They can touch fellow ghosts as well as Karai and Saki's ghosts are able to hug and hold hands. It is currently unknown where ghosts reside, but Hamato Clan ghosts can be summoned at seemingly any time using Hamato Ninpō.
Ghosts are first mentioned in "The Gumbus", their existence doubted by Leonardo, but believed by Michelangelo and the two of them, along with April O'Neil, travel to the site of an alleged haunting at the Stock & Shop to unveil the truth for themselves. However, the Gumbus ghost described by Baxter Stockboy is not real and is instead a mechanical construct built by him as a hoax. Ghosts are first depicted in "Insane in the Mama Train" when Splinter uses a mystic Hamato Clan scroll to commune with the ghosts of the clan's ancestors to ask for advice and later again in "End Game".
In "Finale Part 2: Shreddy or Not", Karai demonstrates how Hamato Ninpō functions to Splinter and the Ninja Turtles by summoning the ghosts of their ancestors. Later, she accidentally exposes the spirit of Saki trapped within the Kuroi Yōroi. In "Finale Part 3: Anatawa Hitorijanai", Karai chooses to have her ghost reside inside April's body to empower her with Hamato Ninpō to challenge the Shredder as well as relay information to the Ninja Turtles on how to unlock their Hamato Ninpō. Karai's ghost privately meets with Raph to console him in his despondency and she summons the ghosts of their ancestors, including the ghosts of Hamato Atsuko and Hamato Sho. In "Finale Part 4: Rise", Atsuko's ghost rallies the rest of the ghosts of the Hamato Clan's past generations to amplify the Hamato Ninpō utilized against the Shredder to destroy him. Afterward, Saki's ghost is freed from the confines of the Kuroi Yōroi and Karai's ghost leaves April's body to join the fellow deceased in their departure of the clan's living members.
Films[]
In the 2007 film TMNT, Leonardo travels into the deep jungles of Costa Rica to be a better leader. By the local population and the cruel Colonel Santino, he is mistaken for a jungle spirit.