Hamato Yoshi (Rise of the TMNT)

Hamato Yoshi
Biographical information
Home	Japan, Earth (formerly) The Battle Nexus, Hidden City (formerly) New York City, Earth (currently)
Aliases	Lou Jitsu (former stage name) Splinter Randall Rat Jitsu (Battle Nexus stage name) Lou Rat Jitsu
Nicknames	Dad, Daddy, Daddy-o, Father, Papa, Pop, Pops (by his sons) TGI Parmesan (by Meat Sweats) Splints, Rodel, Splinty (by April O'Neil) Rat man, Snuggle Muffin Beefcake, Fuzzy Cuddlelupagus, Huggypoo, Prickly Petey (by Big Mama) Poo Jitsu (by Kristoff Van Bradford) Rat, the rat (by Baron Draxum)
Date of birth	1961-1966 59-54 (in the film)
Abilities	Ninjutsu Acting
Weapon of choice	Walking staff Tail Remote control Fish and ladders (formerly)
Occupation	Martial arts movie star (formerly) Battle Nexus competitor (formerly)
Affiliation	Hamato Clan Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu Mad Dogs The B-Team
Family members	Hamato Atsuko (mother) Raphael (human mutation son) Leonardo (human mutation son) Donatello (human mutation son) Michelangelo (human mutation son) April O'Neil (fellow Hamato Clan) Piebald (adopted daughter) S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. (grandson built by Donatello) Hamato Sho (maternal grandfather) Mystic Aura (ancestor through Sho) Hamato Karai (ancestor through Sho) Oroku Saki (ancestor through Karai)
Physical description
Species	Human-born mutant rat
Gender	Male
Height	3' 0" (as a mutant)
Ethnicity	Asian (Japanese)
Bandana color	Green (briefly)
Eye color	Black (as a human) Yellow sclerae (as a mutant)
Hair color	Black (as a human) Grey/white (as a mutant)
Out of universe information
Era(s)	Rise of the TMNT, Rise of the TMNT comics, Rise of the TMNT: The Movie
First appearance	Rise of the TMNT #0
Voiced by	Eric Bauza Sander Argabrite (young child)
Teachers and Students
Teacher(s)	Hamato Sho
Student(s)	Raphael Leonardo Donatello Michelangelo April O'Neil

"I have been living large long enough. I shall no longer deny my destiny! Hot Soup!" — Hamato Yoshi, "Shadow of Evil"

Hamato Yoshi, once known professionally as Lou Jitsu and currently known as Splinter, is a member of the Hamato Clan, a former martial arts movie star, and the biological father and (sometimes) sensei of the Turtles who was mutated into a rat.

Appearance

Human

As a human, Hamato Yoshi was a Japanese man with straight black hair styled in a pompadour, black eyes, tan skin, and a lean figure. He typically wore a light blue flared leg spandex jumpsuit with rolled up sleeves. Attached to his neckline was an orange and white cape with an abstract yellow print on the back. He also wore a gold rectangular engraved medallion on his waist, orange gloves, white platform shoes, and a pair of yellow shield sunglasses.

Mutant

Splinter is a mutant rat with long straight white hair styled half up in a bun, a white beard, white bushy eyebrows, short grey fur, and a short, plump figure. His legs are light pink and from the elbows down, his arms are also light pink (with his hands having five fingers instead of the usual four). He has yellow sclerae, a dark pink nose and tail, black whiskers on his muzzle, and a nick in his right ear. He wears a brown yukata with yellow trim and the Hamato Clan emblem placed on its heart. He also wears a black hair tie.

Personality

Splinter, unlike his previous incarnations, is laid-back, abstracted, exhibits slovenly tendencies, and is rather invested in popular culture entertainment. He sometimes stirs up mischief and trouble with his sons when bored, including stealing the Turtle Tank in "The Fast and the Furriest". He comes off as an extremely flawed, albeit loved, father figure; he often treats his sons flippantly and is shown not spend much time in family outings ("Turtle Tots", "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man") as he is busy entertaining himself or napping. There are times when Splinter makes an effort to bond with the Turtles, such as auditioning to be their bandmate in "Al Be Back", telling anecdotes as they watch a Lou Jitsu film together in "Jupiter Jim Ahoy!", and helping them with the Lair Olympics each year. Splinter has a deep care for his sons and their safety, deciding to doom all humans to rescue them in "End Game" and is mentally "utterly destroyed" by Leonardo's self-sacrifice in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.

Splinter has a hedonistic quality retained since his days as Lou Jitsu, prioritizing whatever brings him joy and he enjoys the wilder things in life, like joy rides. He has an immaturity streak, acting younger than he is, like when he tries to avoid his sons when they discover the Turtle Tank’s location instead of facing his transgression, asking for a new motorcycle in "Down with the Sickness" after the Turtles contract Rat Flu, and at least somewhat following current trends as seen in his awareness of "kickies" in "Shadow of Evil". Yet he also has the wisdom of someone who has experienced much, such as when he advises April O'Neil and Foot Recruit on tackling discouragement and how to continue on when they fail in "Always Be Brownies".

Splinter is inclined to sarcasm and can be rude, such as when he overrides the Turtles' time playing Hot Soup: The Game to play it himself in "Hot Soup: The Game" yet is caring, believing in honorable battle instead of cheating. He gently caretakes Piebald before her mutation and extends sympathy to Foot Recruit and Big Mama despite the harm they personally inflict on him. Although he verbally praises and expresses love to others, such as April, with ease, he sometimes struggles to verbalize the same to the Turtles.

Splinter is courageous. He takes action when needed as shown in "Mrs. Cuddles" when he defends the Mad Dogs from Mrs. Cuddles and in "Shadow of Evil" when he immediately initiates an undercover solo mission to stop the Foot Clan upon learning the Shredder exists. Splinter slowly grows more serious as the first season progresses. Despite his previous indolence, he becomes devoted to training the Turtles to perfect their fighting skills as mentioned by Leo in "Man vs. Sewer" and "Snow Day" and other skills like survival in "Cloak and Swaggart" and "Todd Scouts". This apparent contradiction is later explained as Splinter's captivity in the Battle Nexus and his childhood being dominated by martial arts training causes him to discourage his sons from being fighters like he is if it is unnecessary which he believes it is until "Shadow of Evil".

Splinter states repeatedly how important TV is to him as if it rivals his love for his family ("Turtle Tots", "Mystic Mayhem", "The Longest Fight", "Mrs. Cuddles", "Many Unhappy Returns") but his frequent TV-watching stems not from unadulterated laziness or egotism as it initially seems but rather as his main way to distract himself from his mutation. The misery caused by Splinter's mutation makes him inclined to sleep and engage in things that let him feel closer to his celebrity identity. He is able to finally gain the perspective that was missing for 13 years to begin to reframe his life as a mutant in a less negative light in "Hidden City's Most Wanted".

Lou Jitsu was known to be bold, charismatic, and free-spirited, and while he exhibits those traits still, Splinter can also be insecure. He is hurt when Leo dismisses him as "just a rat", underestimates how much his sons, particularly Donatello, enjoy spending time with him, and anticipates Hamato Karai's criticism of him when it is apparent how non-traditional he and the Turtles are, apologizing multiple times to her as a result. Not fulfilling his family’s expectations causes Splinter shame, depicted in "The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek" when he debates whether or not he is worthy of his "Greatest Dad" coffee mug, lamenting in “Insane in the Mama Train” about being a disappointment by insufficiently training his sons, and in “Rise” when he is overcome with anguish at his perceived failure to his clan and the world at large. While Splinter learns to accept his background, he is also affirmed in his skepticism of Hamato customs in "End Game".

How strictly Splinter treats the Turtles can vary. At times he can be surly, scolding the Turtles ("Breaking Purple") and quite nonchalant at other times, such as constantly allowing the Turtles to travel to the surface for their own fun and letting the lair to fall to a filthy state in "Smart Lair" before ordering the Turtles to clean up.

In Rise of the TMNT: The Movie, Splinter remains casual and comedic, eating popcorn while the Turtles interrogate Casey Jones II. Despite the headway he made in "Hidden City's Most Wanted", he is shown still struggling with his mutation as he is saddened by April's remark about his "big rat head".

History

Childhood and rise to fame

Yoshi is a descendant of the Hamato ninja clan who defeated the Shredder 500 years ago and trained themselves to fight against the Foot Clan and prevent the Shredder's return. When Yoshi was a young child, he heard the story of how the Shredder was defeated from his grandfather Hamato Sho, but on that same spring day, Yoshi's mother Hamato Atsuko left her father and son so that she could perform her clan duty, which devastated Yoshi.

For many years afterwards, Yoshi trained under Sho in ninjutsu so that he may defeat Shredder should he be resurrected, mastering it. However, Yoshi's grief over his mother leaving him eventually turned into bitterness towards his own clan, leading him to disbelieve the existence of the Shredder. One day, as a teenager, Yoshi entered an argument with his grandfather, which led to him deciding to abandon his family duties so that he could pursue his dream of going to Hollywood to become a movie star.

Using the skills he was taught, Yoshi quickly rose to national fame and fortune in Japan as the action star known as "Lou Jitsu" before leaving for the United States of America and attaining prominence there as well. Then one day while filming in the United States, he was visited by his grandfather, who demanded that he end his career so that he could return home to follow his true destiny. Yoshi sternly refused once more and dismissed Sho by closing his trailer door in his face. Although his desire to be left alone by Sho was finally fulfilled afterwards, Yoshi was remorseful about his part in how their relationship ended.

Kidnapping and mutation

While shooting for Crouching Shrimp Hidden Tiger Prawn, Yoshi met Big Mama, the driver of his filming trailer, and the two started a romantic relationship. However, Yoshi was unaware that she wasn't a human, despite some obvious signs displayed during their time together. After attempting to propose to Big Mama while on a nighttime date at Dinner on the Green, Yoshi was abducted by her and brought to the Hidden City. For 10 years, he was forced to be a Battle Nexus competitor, where he triumphed over his opponents and earned the title of the greatest Battle Nexus Champion of all time. Sometime later, Yoshi renounced fighting altogether and tried to adopt a pacifistic lifestyle. As a consequence, Big Mama imprisoned him in a Battle Nexus cell.

However, Yoshi's fame in the Battle Nexus attracted the attention of Baron Draxum, who wished to use his DNA to mutate an army that would serve him. Yoshi was approached during his imprisonment by Draxum's henchmen Huginn and Muninn. Seizing the opportunity to escape the Battle Nexus and apathetic to his own welfare, he permitted Huginn and Muninn to secretly take him to their employer's laboratory to be an experimental subject. However, once Yoshi realized Draxum was going to use him to mutate turtles from their natural state, he objected, but was too late. Draxum submerged the turtles in capsules of ooze and infused them with Yoshi's DNA. It was through this process that they were mutated from ordinary reptiles, making Yoshi the biological father of their human genes. Unwilling to allow animals to be turned into monsters for Draxum's army, Yoshi released himself and Draxum's experiments. In the midst of his escape, he tried freeing the rat from his Battle Nexus cell as well. In turn, it bit Yoshi as he was sprayed with ooze from above, resulting in his mutation. Huginn and Muninn destroyed the laboratory and it went up in flames, leading Draxum to assume that the Turtles had been killed in the fire. Yoshi successfully escaped the Hidden City with them and raised his four children in the New York City sewers. Because his film career made him well traveled, Yoshi developed esteem for Renaissance art and thus named the Turtles after Renaissance artists.

Splinter debuted in “Mystic Mayhem”. He was watching a Japanese game show called Soapy Treadmill and snacking when he was approached by the Turtles asking to use the TV room. Splinter refused because he was comfortable and shooed them away. Soon after, he fell asleep in his recliner.

Splinter reappeared in “Origami Tsunami” watching Teriyaki Shakedown with the Turtles. He corrected Donnie, Raph, and Mikey's poor recreation of a film scene. When the Turtles expressed interest in being heroes like Lou Jitsu, Splinter said they weren't competent enough to. He was insulted when Leo suggested he and his brothers exterminate New York City's rats.

Splinter suffered from his annual contraction of Rat Flu in “Down with the Sickness” and wandered into the lair arcade room where the Turtles were playing Pants Pants Revolution. He was taken back into his bedroom and tended to by the Turtles, but he only grew sicker as he developed the first stage of Rat Flu: Fever. Splinter blasted the lair's air conditioner to the point that snow and ice formed and removed his yukata. Desperate for relief, he shaved off all of his hair and fur and entered the lair atrium. He fell over after explaining himself to the Turtles before he was overcome by Rat Flu stage two: Wild Rat Man. Belligerent and unable to speak, Splinter mindlessly chased the Turtles on all fours. Later, Donnie constructed a small transparent ball to trap Splinter in, luring him inside with pizza. However, Splinter broke open the ball and ran from the lair atrium. When Mikey and Raph searched for him in his bedroom, he entered the third stage: Captain Cuddle Cakes. Overcome with love for the Turtles, he tried to hug them and the Turtles ran from him, however, he snuck into Leo's hazmat suit to kiss him, infecting him. With Leo now quarantined in his bedroom, the fourth Rat Flu stage, Ninja Supreme, began. Splinter donned a ninja outfit and attacked the Turtles, destroying their hazmat suits all at once with a sword. He turned off all of the lair's lights and entered Donnie's laboratory. Splinter attacked Donnie the ceiling and leapt into the lair atrium. Rat Flu stage five started: Karaoke Love Songs and Splinter sang romantic karaoke. Donnie was quarantined and Rat Flu stage six began: Fanfiction. Splinter shared a Lou Jitsu-Jupiter Jim crossover idea with the Turtles. Rat Flu stage seven starts: Must Say Yes and Raph prepared to ask Splinter, who was incapable of declining, for a gift on behalf of all of his brothers. However, Leo, in the throes of Rat Flu stage three, asked Splinter to hug Raph, which he did, also infecting Raph. Splinter then asked for a new motorcycle.

In “The Fast and the Furriest”, Splinter secretly drove the Turtle Tank before Donnie was able to reveal it to his brothers. The Turtle Tank suddenly stopped Splinter from driving because Donnie remotely activated the Turtle Tank's shopping cart protocol. He fiddled with the engine to try to override it and was confronted by Meat Sweats. He followed Meat Sweats to his Rupert's Roadhouse BBQ truck after being offered a meal. Unaware that Meat Sweats was trying to eat him, Splinter conversed with him and forced Meat Sweats to drive away from the Turtles’ approach to hide that he was the Turtle Tank thief. Splinter operated the pedals as Meat Sweats steered, but during the Turtles’ rescue of Splinter, Meat Sweats tossed Splinter onto the street to get the Turtles to leave him alone. Splinter was punished by Donnie by being forced to watch only educational TV for a month.

To celebrate Splinter's birthday, the Turtles sought to give him a present in “Mascot Melee”. Splinter was gifted a new yukata when the Turtles returned home from their errand, but swore to wear it only on special occasions and continued to wear his old, tattered yukata.

Splinter refused to relinquish the TV room to the Turtles when they offered him gourmet dinners, nostril waxing, and to be carried constantly in exchange in “The Longest Fight”.

Splinter watched TV with April and the Turtles as they pranked Raph by scaring him with Mrs. Cuddles’ TV series in “Mrs. Cuddles”. Splinter ignored Raph’s warning of Mrs. Cuddles being alive and later went to the lair arcade to look for his napping robe in a locker. Raph refused to open the locker as Mrs. Cuddles was trapped inside and Splinter fooled Raph into leaving by pretending to believe him and ordering him to retrieve weapons as he guarded the door. Splinter grabbed his napping robe and left the arcade, narrowly avoiding being seized by Mrs. Cuddles. Splinter joined Raph in the lair atrium as he fought Mrs. Cuddles who had grown massive from scaring the rest of the family. He fought Mrs. Cuddles and it was his laughter that prompted Raph to realize that laughter disempowered Mrs. Cuddles. Splinter made fun of Mrs. Cuddles, making himself laugh, and eventually, she shrunk to her original size. Raph and Splinter locked her in the trunk April brought her in, pranking April and the Turtles back for pranking Raph by procrastinating to release them from the binds Mrs. Cuddles had put them in.

Splinter sang for the Turtles to convince them to make him their bandmate, but was rejected despite his obvious skill in “Al Be Back”.

Splinter canceled the Turtles’ plan to watch Lou Jitsu Meets the Mummy Ninjas in “Smart Lair” so that they could clean the lair. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was introduced to Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Splinter by Donnie as an automated maid and Splinter quickly took a liking to him, pleased that S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. made walking unnecessary. Splinter was unhappy with the soup that S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. served him quickly becoming “luke-hot”, but was appeased by S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.’s flying microwave upgrade. Splinter requested an ivory-billed woodpecker egg omelet, but because S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. believed they were extinct, he upgraded the flying microwave be able to time travel to retrieve Splinter dinosaur eggs to eat. After the Turtles defeated S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and the flying microwave, Splinter entered the kitchen and was upset that he could no longer achieve his dream of traveling through time with a microwave to solve mysteries.

Splinter took over Mikey’s turn playing Hot Soup: The Game, aiming to beat the game in “Hot Soup: The Game”.

Splinter was awoken from a nap by Raph in “The Evil League of Mutants” who asked him to train them in ninjutsu. Splinter agreed, but his idea of training was watching the Lou Jitsu films 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish - Dead Fish and Little Jacob’s Ladder. He taught them to ask themselves "what would Lou Jitsu do?" (W-W-L-J-D) when in the field and the Turtles told him they wanted actual training. Splinter asserted that they weren’t prepared for training more advanced than watching films and when the Turtles tried to skip out on the “training”, he grounded them and took their weapons. Splinter was fooled into thinking that the Turtles listened to him and stayed home by dummies of the Turtles, but eventually realized they disobeyed him. He waited in the lair atrium for their return and tried to explain his reaction to their frustration, but the Turtles told him that they discovered that they were Lou Jitsu’s sons. Staggered by this, Splinter tried to ask the Turtles how they found out, but was instead comforted by them. They told him that even though they weren’t biologically related to him as they were to Lou Jitsu, they still wholeheartedly saw Splinter as their father.

Splinter tasked the Turtles with returning Bedtime for Bozos and tried to reward them with hugs and some other reward that the Turtles didn’t allow him to say before accepting the task. He gave them each hugs once they completed the chore, including the Trash Wizard.

Splinter sat on the toilet reading Knoble Knockout as Bullhop showered in the lair bathroom in “Bullhop”.

In “Mind Meld”, Splinter glimpsed the Turtles while he walked past Donnie’s laboratory, but didn’t think much of their antics.

Splinter relished his good mood while in the lair TV room in “Shadow of Evil”. He was startled by April, but soon noticed her new t-shirt and was immediately suspicious of her new job at the Foot Shack. He told April that he wanted to visit, but April denied him. Once April left the lair, Splinter shaved his fur and changed his clothes to create his teenage disguise, average teenager Randall. He entered the Foot Shack posing as a customer and warned April that Foot Lieutenant and Foot Brute were in the Foot. Splinter was kicked out of the store by April, but tore away from her hold to climb up the Foot Shack’s roof. He entered a secret room through a rooftop window and spied on the Foot meeting with April. Splinter thought that the Foot had given up crime to instead sell footwear, but soon realized that the Foot was as evil as ever as Foot Lieutenant shared the plans to acquire the Kuroi Yōroi. Splinter then explained to April his past as a human. The meeting adjourned and Splinter stole the uniform of a Foot Soldier he fell on top of accidentally, initiating his undercover mission. He resolved to prevent the Foot from assembling the entire Kuroi Yōroi and refused his family’s aid for their safety. He convinced Foot Lieutenant that he was a new Foot recruit and joined them on their mission to a train station. Upon arrival, Splinter learned that April had followed him, also disguised as a Foot Soldier, and he begrudgingly accepted her help. While April distracted the Foot, Splinter retrieved the Kuroi Yōroi fragment, but to everyone’s surprise, the Turtle Tank crashed into the train station. He told April to run away with the Kuroi Yōroi fragment while the Foot fought the Turtles. Splinter was ordered to fight the Turtles and defeated them right before Draxum broke into the train station. When Draxum revealed he had restrained April and taken the Kuroi Yōroi fragment from her, Splinter acted eager to execute her for her betrayal, nonverbally conveying his plan to attack Draxum to April, however, his back pain ruined his attack. Splinter did his typical dance to soothe his back pain to the Turtles’ recognition, leading to his identity as Splinter being exposed. He accidentally further revealed his identity as Lou Jitsu when he said “Hot Soup” while he freed himself from Draxum’s mystic vines. He was shocked by the Turtles’ mystic weapons when they fought the Foot, but was picked up by Raph before he could grab the fallen Kuroi Yōroi fragment. Splinter was angry to learn that the Turtles had been trying to be heroes without telling him, but promised to genuinely train them to fulfill their destinies as Hamato.

A video featuring Lou Jitsu played while Foot Lieutenant followed along at the Foot Shack in “Sparring Partner”.

Splinter dreamt of a Battle Nexus in which he defeated a Yōkai in "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man”. He woke up abruptly when he began to choke on the cereal the Turtles were tossing into his mouth and told the Turtles to leave him alone. Saddened by the loss of reverence others once treated him with, he read the Doom Dome flyer on his Do Not Touch Cabinet and approached Donnie and Mikey in the lair arcade. He invited them to compete in the Doom Dome with him using the Turtle Tank, describing the event as a car show instead of a demolition derby. They entered the Doom Dome and Splinter had a blast driving until Donnie realized that it wasn’t a car show and turned off the Turtle Tank. He was told by Donnie his lying hurt his feelings and he apologized for it and clarified that he truly had wanted to spend quality time with him and Mikey even if he had lied about the event. Splinter explained that his motivation was to reconnect with the acclaim he was used to receiving as a human and was surprised when Donnie wanted to keep competing in the Doom Dome. The Turtle Tank was turned back on and Splinter and the Turtles managed to defeat Hypno-Potamus, Meat Sweats, Repo Mantis, and Warren Stone. When Big Mama, the fox bellhop, the otter bellhop, and the owl bellhop entered the competition, Splinter rode a Shell Hog to lead Big Mama’s vehicle into the Turtle Tank’s line of fire. Splinter, Donnie, and Mikey won and he expressed his pride in his sons’ efforts.

Splinter used ninjutsu to steal Raph’s slice of pizza in “The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek” and ushered the Turtles onto a rooftop to educate them on ninja stealth and invisibility. He taught them to keep to the shadows, to exploit their opponent’s blind spots, Slow Motion Jutsu and, to blend into their environment. Splinter was frustrated by Turtles’s lack of seriousness when learning and sent them on a mission to steal Gus’s dog tag in the hope that the Grand Nexus Hotel’s threats would force them to focus. For days Splinter awaited his sons’ return on the rooftop and on the third day he entered the Grand Nexus Hotel to assist them, assuming they had failed. He stole the operator’s uniform to disguise himself and stumbled upon Donnie and Mikey hiding under a food cart. They tried to steal Gus’ dog tag from the cart and Splinter saved them from being discovered by distracting Gus with a meal. Splinter later found Raph in a dining room trying to steal from Gus as he drank from a fountain. When Raph’s sneaking-up-on-people stink alerted Gus, Splinter distracted Gus with a tennis ball and hid Raph behind a portrait. Once Gus left, Splinter went to find Leo. He found Leo in the sporting lounge and his attempt to steal Gus’ dog tag got him caught and Gus, the fox bellhop, the otter bellhop, and the owl bellhop chased Leo and his brothers. Through the ventilation ducts, Splinter followed the Turtles into Gus’ room and was overjoyed to see them implement his ninjutsu lessons and steal Gus’ dog tag. He reunited with the Turtles back on the rooftop to commend them and encourage them to celebrate their success. Splinter snuck back into the Grand Nexus Hotel and entered Big Mama’s room. Gus’ dog tag was a key to a drawer he unlocked to look at a photograph of him and Big Mama when he was human.

In a flashback, Splinter watched Jupiter Jim’s Pluto Vacation IV with the Mad Dogs in “Snow Day” and was upset by Raph accidentally breaking the projector. He was confused by Mayhem’s sudden teleporting in and out of the lair TV room.

Having allowed April and Sunita to housesit, Splinter sought to teach the Turtles intense survival training in “Cloak and Swaggart”. However, once they were in the Turtle Tank and about to leave, Raph unintentionally engaged the Turtle Tank’s 24-hour lockdown. Splinter and the Turtles were freed once the 24 hours elapsed, but they were then unintentionally locked in the Turtle Tank garage for 24 hours by April.

Splinter shared trivia about a Lou Jitsu film he watched with the Turtles in “Jupiter Jim Ahoy!”, but the Turtles were uninterested. He became annoyed when the Turtles left before the film’s end to instead attend Galaxy Con and meet Marcus Moncrief, an actor he wasn’t fond of. Splinter watched the same Lou Jitsu film alone when the Turtles returned from Galaxy Con. He was assured by Leo that he and his brothers saw him as their hero and Mikey asked Splinter to regale them with stories about the stunt performers he knew.

During a nighttime mission, Splinter used a wingsuit to reach the Foot Shack roof. His fight with a pigeon caused him to crash onto the roof and incapacitate the Foot Soldiers positioned there, to April’s disappointment who joined him on the mission. With April disguised as a Foot Soldier, he and her snuck into the Foot Shack to spy on the Foot who were gathering the nearly-assembled Kuroi Yōroi and readying it for transport. Splinter had to leave the mission early to return to the lair after he was notified of Raph’s T-emblem panic button activating. At first, Splinter thought the Turtles had been killed and was disappointed to see that they had neglected the mission they were meant to do that night. A prank explosion was activated in his bedroom by Splinter on accident, placed there by the Turtles, and he soon remembered that he could contact the Hamato Clan Ancestors for advice on how to proceed with the mission with Turtles ninjutsu skills not being up to par. Via a mystic Hamato Clan scroll, he was told by the Mystic Aura to train the Turtles in Hamato tradition and the Turtles eagerly cooperated. Once he had sufficiently instructed them, they left the lair to take the Kuroi Yōroi from the Foot so they couldn’t resurrect the Shredder. Splinter was reminded by the sound of April’s T-emblem panic button that she was still undercover as a Foot Soldier and he hurried with the Turtles to help her. He drove the Turtle Tank and used Donnie’s goggles to spot Big Mama’s invisible mystic train and locate April. He then gave the Turtles the proper timing to leap from the Turtle Tank onto Big Mama’s train.

Splinter was anxious about the safety of his family as the Kuroi Yōroi mission went on in “End Game”. He helped April escape her binds after she was teleported beside the Turtle Tank by Draxum, the mission having failed and the Turtles having been kidnapped. He and April returned to the lair after she told him that Foot Lieutenant claimed that Splinter owned the final Kuroi Yōroi piece. Splinter disbelieved it initially, but came to recognize that Skully was the final piece and debated with April about whether to relinquish Skully to save the Turtles or to protect humanity by hiding Skully before asking for the Mystic Aura’s input. His advice angered Splinter as he was told to sacrifice the Turtles and protect Skully and he shredded the mystic Hamato Clan scroll and decided against the recommended course of action. He had April assemble the B-Team to free the Turtles and teleported into the Hidden City. They made it to the Shredder’s shrine where the Kuroi Yōroi ritual was being held and where the Turtles were being held and he devised a plan on how to gain entry. Unfortunately, all of the B-Team was captured by a net at the shrine’s entrance, and Splinter resigned himself and April to fight off the Foot alone. While searching for the Turtles, April and Splinter encountered Foot Brute, Foot Lieutenant, and dozens of Origami Ninja. Splinter easily defeated them all and battled Draxum, also defeating him, but when Draxum threatened to torture the Turtles to learn Skully’s location, Splinter gave him Skully to spare the Turtles. Once he realized the Turtles were freed from their cell, he tried to reclaim Skully before it was added to the rest of the Kuroi Yōroi, but was too slow. Draxum donned the Kuroi Yōroi and damaged the shrine’s interior, causing rubble to fall on Splinter and his family. Now injured, Splinter told the Turtles that he shouldn’t have listened to the Mystic Aura’s advice and took responsibility for the failure of their mission. He expressed to the Turtles that they didn’t need to be traditional Hamato Clan ninja, but rather their authentic selves. The Turtles then followed Draxum to the baseball stadium and Splinter’s wounds were cared for by April. Later, Splinter was teleported by Mayhem into the baseball stadium press box and saved April after her disguise was exposed by the Foot. After beating up Foot Brute, Foot Lieutenant, and the Origami Ninja, Splinter was teleported onto a stadium bench to rest while the Mad Dogs battled Draxum. Splinter was the first to realize that the actions the Mad Dogs had taken to exploit the Kuroi Yōroi’s flaw only repaired it and allowed the Shredder to absorb Draxum’s mystic powers and revive.

Splinter was shocked at the Shredder’s assault against the Foot in “Many Unhappy Returns” and by his sudden vanishing mid-attack. He left the baseball stadium with the family and was frustrated with Leo’s lightheartedness towards the dire situation. Hearing news of the Shredder terrorizing an Albearto’s location from Donnie, he traveled to Albearto’s to protect those inside. Splinter was about to sustain a blow from the Shredder while defending April when he once again disappeared. Splinter and the family followed the Shredder to another site of his manifestation, the Museum of Art and Framing. They were once against unable to compete with the Shredder’s strength, but the Shredder vanished before he could destroy them. They decided to change their strategy and Splinter suggested employing Big Mama’s assistance because controlling hyperaggressive entities like the Shredder was a skill of hers. Splinter was uncommitted to the idea, but he was forced by Leo to teleport with him to the Grand Nexus Hotel. She rejected their request to meet with her until Splinter referred to himself as Big Mama’s “Snuggle Muffin Beefcake” when they were then teleported to her Battle Nexus luxury box, but not before Splinter shared his history with Big Mama and the Battle Nexus with Leo. Splinter’s brief dance with her confirmed his identity as Lou Jitsu and Big Mama agreed to lend them the Mystic Collar to subdue the Shredder as long as Splinter competed in the Battle Nexus again and won his match. He loathed the agreement, but was pitted against Kraken Tom and the Evil Six. Big Mama tricked Leo into competing as well and Splinter discounted Leo’s claim that everything in his deals with Big Mama was thought out. He and Leo eventually defeated Kraken Tom and the Evil Six with Leo’s use of the Mystic Ōdachi and pointy helmets and they teleported from the Battle Nexus with the Mystic Collar. They reunited with April, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph in New York City and worked together to put the Mystic Collar on the Shredder, incapacitating him. Big Mama then teleported to New York City and had her assistant return the Shredder to his prison dimension and Splinter returned the family to the lair to recover.

In a flashback one year before the series, Splinter read Piebald to sleep in the lair TV room in “Flushed, but Never Forgotten”. In the present, Splinter went into the kitchen to feed Piebald and asked the Turtles, who had gathered there, if any of them wanted to confess anything. He left when the only confession made was of Mikey’s flatulence. He was later kidnapped by a mutant Piebald in his bedroom and placed in a net alongside Donnie, Mikey, and Raph suspended over a whirlpool in the sewers as she threatened to flush them down the toilet as the Turtles accidentally did her. Piebald cut the rope suspending the net, but they weren’t doomed to drown as the net recoiled and landed back on the sewer platform Leo stood on. Splinter revealed that he had been conspiring with Piebald ever since she returned to the lair following her mutation to teach the Turtles they shouldn’t have lied about Piebald’s fate. Splinter then headed to sleep while carrying Franken-Foot.

In “Lair Games”, Splinter acted as the referee of the sixth annual Lair Olympics for all 16 events. He was annoyed by Leo’s predictable victories and when the first Lair Olympics tie occurred between Donnie and Leo, Splinter decided what the tie-breaking final event would be as described in the Lair Olympics rules. He chose the Slippery Whippery Woo event where he shaved off his fur and coated himself in oil to make it difficult for him to be captured. It appeared that Leo grabbed Splinter, but he grabbed his bottoms and it was Donnie who grabbed him, claiming victory for himself after crushing Leo with Splinter’s body. Afterward, Splinter went to sleep in his bedroom.

Splinter taught the Turtles a lesson in the cleverness required to be a ninja by having them escape a trap in “Todd Scouts”, but the Turtles relied on the internet to problem solve so Splinter drove them to a forest in the Turtles Tank. Forcing them to train without access to technology, he left them in Todd Capybara’s instruction until they developed new skills.

In a flashback, in “Goyles, Goyles, Goyles” Lou Jitsu was protesting the Battle Nexus in his Champions’ Row cell with his rat companion when Huginn and Muninn took him to Draxum’s laboratory to be experimented on. He found multiple turtles in a box beside the cage he was placed in and instantly adored them. Later, Draxum began the experiment, but Lou Jitsu became apprehensive upon realizing that he was also experimenting on the turtles. Lou Jitsu was enraged by Draxum mutating them and fought him. He chose to rescue the turtles and freed Draxum’s other experiments and his rat companion, but became a rat mutant in the chaos. Lou Jitsu then escaped Draxum’s laboratory.

Mikey showed a photograph of Splinter reprimanding Donnie to Donnie to compare his parenting to Splinter’s in “Breaking Purple”.

After being told that the family would meet April’s parents for the first time, Splinter was angry to learn that Mikey had fooled the family into having dinner with Draxum in “Repairin’ the Baron”. During the tense dinner, Splinter berated Draxum for causing his mutation, but was admonished for his outburst by Mikey.

Splinter overheard April complaining in the lair TV room about her failure to sell cookies for tree conservation and offered to help her in “Always Be Brownies”. He showed her a motivational Lou Jitsu video and she accepted his company. Disguised as average teenager Randall, he helped April make a profit by at first teaching her and then exemplifying the approach she should be taking to successfully promote her cause. Splinter was able to make 135 dollars, but when April was still unhappy that she couldn’t make a sale by herself, he tried to console her. He was interrupted by their competitors, Grandma CJ Brownies girl scouts, abducting him and April. He was brought to Grandma CJ Scouts HQ and interrogated by Foot Recruit, accused of trying to stop her world domination plans. He wound up comforting Foot Recruit when she felt like a failure for not realizing that her plan would take her 10 years to achieve by framing April as a role model. Splinter was held for ransom by Foot Recruit once April located them and April gave her the tree conservation funds for Splinter’s safety.

Splinter visited the Hidden City with the family in “Donnie vs. Witch Town”.

Splinter visited the Hidden City with the family in “Raph’s Ride-Along”.

In “Hidden City’s Most Wanted”, Splinter sought to be Mikey’s tour guide in the Hidden City. His plans were sullied by Draxum who was disguised as a teddy bear by a cloaking brooch. Splinter struggled to have fun with Draxum around who antagonized him the whole time. He brought Mikey to his favorite lucky fountain and got into an argument when Mikey was making a wish in the fountain. The dispute was interrupted before it could escalate in a skirmish by a Hidden City Police officer asking if the teddy bear was Splinter’s. Wanting to be alone with Mikey, he allowed the officer to take Draxum to his home, but his scheme was soon uncovered by Mikey. He was then made to follow the officer to his house by Mikey and when Mikey was attacked by the home’s guard dog, he tried to encourage Mikey to give up on the quest to save Draxum. His effort failed and Splinter went to the Hirsuté Resort & Spa where Leo was to borrow the Mystic Ōdachi. He teleported into the officer’s house and untied Draxum from his restraints, but when they were about to escape, the officer entered the room and they were stopped. The officer’s anti-mystic device made Draxum’s cloaking brooch and the Mystic Ōdachi non-functional and they had to flee from the house. Draxum, Mikey, and Splinter hid in a dumpster while the Hidden City Police searched for them and another argument sparked between them and Splinter once again expressed that he felt his life had been ruined by Draxum. A memory of Splinter’s early days of his mutation was triggered. In a flashback, a mutant Lou Jitsu was homeless on the streets of New York City and mourned the loss of his original body. He was cheered up by the Turtles and the love he had for them. In the present, Splinter realized that if he hadn’t met Draxum, he wouldn’t have become the Turtles’ father and thanked him. Draxum then resolved to fight the Hidden City Police that had surrounded them and Splinter escaped the dumpster with Mikey unseen.

Splinter and Mikey disguised themselves as Hidden City lawyers in “Bad Hair Day” to free April, Draxum, and the Turtles from Hidden City Prison. Splinter lied about prisoners legally being owed a giant birthday cake, which he hid the Mystic Ōdachi inside of, and they teleported out of the prison.

Splinter brought April along with him on his Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu inspection in “Fists of Furry”. However, they traveled all over New York City just to find a single remaining location as all the others were replaced by a Komodo Dragon Karate Dojo. The students there were without an instructor and were bullied by the Komodo Dragons students. Splinter challenged Kristoff Van Bradford martial arts competition for ownership of the final Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu. Banned from competing himself due to his height, he trained April so she could represent the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu instead. The competition was held at Kaufman Coliseum later that night and misled by his bubbly demeanor, Splinter chose Frank April's opponent. She initially struggled to beat him, but eventually tied the score 2-2. When Frank hurt himself in frustration, April refused to continue the match, but Frank was ordered to transform himself using the Komodo dragon yōkai the Komodo Dragons brought. April threatened to use the Seven Deadly Vipers move and Frank gave up, winning the match in her favor. Her, Jake, Sam, and Sara were attacked by Kristoff and when he transformed himself as Frank did, she teamed up with Splinter to defeat him with the Seven Deadly Vipers move.

April had the family, including Draxum, participate in a New York City scavenger hunt in “Battle Nexus: New York” to educate them about the city. Before it could start, Splinter was mystically swept into a summer cruise ship with April, Draxum, Foot Recruit, and Todd. It was only after Draxum realized they had been abducted and placed in an illusion by Big Mama's Mystic Orb that Splinter worked with the others to escape. Later, Shadow Fiend's claws created a fracture in the Mystic Orb's surface which Draxum exploited and used to free himself, April, Foot Recruit, and Splinter. Engaged in a fight against Big Mama and her Battle Nexus champion Shadow Fiend, Splinter forced Draxum to dodge a strike from Shadow Fiend, saving his life, but was swatted away. The battle moved inside of the Grand Nexus Hotel sporting lounge where Splinter was part of the Mystic Hot Soup Hibernator team move against Shadow Fiend. After Foot Recruit stole the Mystic Ring from Big Mama, Splinter realized that Shadow Fiend was the Shredder in disguise. He was attacked by the Shredder on Foot Recruit's order along with everyone else and afterward grabbed the Mystic Ōdachi and formed a portal to save everyone, and even attempted to include Big Mama.

In “Finale Part 1: E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, Splinter assessed the current crisis with the family at the lair. He couldn’t recall what Sho had told him about defeating the Shredder and he allowed Draxum to use the Sands of Time Hourglass to insert the Turtles into a brain and find a memory of Sho telling him how to defeat the Shredder. The first memory was of Sho arguing with Sho about the Hamato Clan when Splinter was Lou Jitsu. A manifestation of Splinter’s subconscious in the shape of Lou Jitsu confronted the Turtles and demanded they leave. The second memory was of Splinter when he was a teenager arguing with Sho about the Hamato Clan again. It was interrupted by Shadow Lou Jitsu attacking the Turtles again and chasing them out of the Hamato apartment onto the streets of the city. While the rest of the Turtles stalled Shadow Lou Jitsu, Raph accessed the final memory. Sho explained the Shredder’s origin to a young Yoshi and Atsuko left for her Hamato Clan mission. Shadow Lou Jitsu made his way into the memory and attacked the Turtles before being stopped by April. The ritual ended and Raph shared that there was a weapon in the Twilight Realm that defeated the Shredder long ago. Splinter retrieved the weapon from the dimension and returned to Earth. To Splinter’s shock, the weapon transformed into a woman.

After the woman, who revealed herself to be Karai, explained some Hamato Clan history in "Finale Part 2: Shreddy or Not", Splinter ordered the Turtles to leave her alone to recover her strength. Splinter apologized to Karai for the Turtles disturbing her rest and was surprised to hear that Karai approved of how he raised the Turtles. The Shredder and the Foot broke into the lair, the Shredder’s consciousness having been restored, and Splinter defended the lair against them. His fight with Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant moved to the Turtle Tank Garage and he questioned why Foot Recruit was still a member of the Foot. He and Draxum managed to beat the Foot, but Splinter was agonized to learn that Karai was dying. He fought the Shredder beside Draxum, acknowledging his parent status to the Turtles.

In “Finale Part 3: Anatawa Hitorijanai”, Splinter and Draxum were defeated by the Shredder and Draxum allied himself with the Foot and led them to the Empyrean he had at his laboratory as they needed it to extract Splinter’s Hamato essence to make the Shredder invincible. At the laboratory, Draxum betrayed the Foot and attacked them with his golem and Splinter saved Foot Recruit from being crushed by falling debris. He apologized for not giving Draxum the benefit of the doubt and was recaptured by the Shredder.

Splinter was bound by the Shredder and taken to the Crying Titan in “Finale Part 4: Rise”. As Foot Recruit drew the ritual circle, he encouraged her to be good. The ritual began once the Shredder obtained some of the Crying Titan’s Empyrean. Splinter’s life force was extracted and chained until it was entirely removed and Splinter lost consciousness. After battling the Mad Dogs, the Shredder began to consume Splinter’s Hamato essence, but was stopped before completion by Foot Recruit. Splinter used the arm that had been freed by Foot Recruit, revealed to be Cassandra Jones, to punch the Shredder before he could hurt her. Donnie and Leo broke the rest of his life force’s binds and it returned to its body. They initiated a simultaneous assault on the Shredder and Splinter finally unlocked his Hamato Ninpō with the desire to protect the family, but the Shredder still overpowered them. He became despondent, but when Atsuko’s ghost appeared, his resolve was strengthened. More Hamato Clan Ancestors joined the fight and Splinter nearly cried when Atsuko began the “Hot Soup” battle cry. They destroyed the the Kuroi Yōroi and Oroku Saki’s ghost was freed. Splinter left the Hidden City and the New York City citizens were released from the Mystic Orb. Later, Splinter praised the Turtles for their heroic acts on top of Molina Tower and suddenly assigned Leo as the Mad Dogs’ leader.

In Rise of the TMNT: The Movie, Splinter and the Turtles moved into a new lair. He tried to get Leo and Raph to get along when their fighting disrupted his TV watching. Later, April appeared at the lair with a stranger she knocked unconscious. He awoke and introduced himself as Casey Jones and someone from the future. Splinter's believed his claims when he mentioned the Krang as he knew of them and gave legitimacy to Casey’s warnings. Splinter was told that the Foot brought on the apocalypse in his timeline after they stole the Mystic Key and released the Krang from the Prison Dimension. Splinter went with Casey and the Mad Dogs to the Foot’s new hideout as the Turtles knew that the Foot stole the Mystic Key earlier. Upon arrival Casey, Splinter, and the Mad Dogs battled the Foot to take the Mystic Key, but were unable to stop Foot Lieutenant from opening the Prison Dimension. The newly freed Krang attacked Casey, Splinter, and the Mad Dogs and Splinter was rendered unconscious by Krang Two. Raph then called for a retreat and Splinter was flown to the lair by a Donnie Pod. Leo arrived in a Donnie Pod after April, Casey, Donnie, Mikey, and Splinter did. After Leo informed them that Raph had sacrificed his own freedom to save Leo, the family decided to split up. Splinter stayed at the lair with April to destroy the Mystic Key, but every attempt failed. He fled from Krang Two and her Krang zombie army when they invaded the lair on a Shell Hog, but he and April were knocked off of it by Krang Two. After April fended off Krang Two, he managed to escape with her on the Shell Hog. Splinter was told by Donnie and Mikey that they were trapped in the Turtles Tank in a subway tunnel below Metro Tower surrounded by the Krang. April and Splinter appeared at their location and saved them from being crushed by the Turtle Tank. However, Krang Two continued to chase them and Splinter and the Mad Dogs ran into Metro Tower. They met up with Casey and Leo and learned that Raph was in the room, too, suspended in Krang material. Raph was freed, but transformed into a Krang zombie and stole the Mystic Key from April and gave it to Krang One who needed it to reopen the Prison Dimension and free the Technodrome. Splinter used a smoke bomb to escape when Casey and the Mad Dogs were surrounded by the Krang zombies. The Technodrome was freed and the Krang began its assault on New York City and Splinter helped to devise a plan to stop the Krang. He worked with April and Casey to stop Krang Two, now in her Titan. The battle moved to a construction site and Splinter coaxed Krang Two beneath an unfinished structure so April could use a wrecking ball to force steel beams to fall on top of Krang Two. With Krang Two defeated and immobilized, April and Splinter were left behind by Casey who traveled to Metro Tower to retrieve the Mystic Key. When Leo planned to seal himself in the Prison Dimension with Krang One, Splinter could do nothing to intervene. Devastated by Leo’s sacrifice, he grieved with April. After Leo was rescued by his brothers, Krang One was trapped in the Prison Dimension, and New York City was reconstructed, he enjoyed pizza with the family on a rooftop and cheered Raph on to best Leo’s pizza stack record.

Splinter received a text from April offering pizza to whoever arrived first to her apartment in “Race” and showed up before the Turtles to eat it all. He then noticed Leo’s strange absence.

In a flashback, Splinter introduced the young Turtles to their signature weapons in “Turtle Tots” in his bedroom, but was distracted mid-lesson by an episode of Soapy Treadmill and ordered the Turtles to leave the weapons alone before running to the TV room. He returned during the show’s commercial break only to find the Turtles misusing their weapons. He scolded them and Leo helped him realize that it was his fault for not supervising them, but Splinter was distracted again by ‘’Soapy Treadmill’’ before he could deeply self-reflect.

Splinter eagerly volunteered to help Donnie test his new invention, the Personal Slumber Defensive Device, and immediately fell asleep on it in “Sentient Bed”.

Biography

Once human, now a mutated rat, Splinter is an eccentric mentor to his turtle sons, training them in the art of ninjutsu. Well, when he's not watching game shows and Lou Jitsu movie marathons.

Abilities

• Tail extension: Due to his mutation, Splinter can make his tail grow longer to reach faraway objects as shown in "The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek".
• Prehensile tail: Due to his mutation, Splinter’s tail can grasp and hold objects.
• Self-combustion: Splinter can voluntarily set parts of his body on fire as shown in "End Game" and "Many Unhappy Returns".
• Sewing: Splinter is knowledgeable about sewing. This is shown in "Insane in the Mama Train" when he makes each of his sons Hamato Clan jumpsuits.
• Cooking: While it is heavily implied Splinter doesn’t cook often, it is shown that he can make good green bean casserole ("Repairin' the Baron") and has been described as "a pretty good cook".
• Dancing: Splinter enjoys dancing and used to regularly attend nightclubs as Lou Jitsu. Nowadays he has a specific dance that helps him regain back movement and soothe his back pain shown in "Shadow of Evil".
• Singing: Splinter is quite a skilled singer, able to sing aria so beautifully that his performance makes others cry and attracts birds in "Al Be Back". However, Splinter’s sons dislike his singing regardless of if he sings well or poorly as seen in "Al Be Back" and "Down with the Sickness".
• Acting: Splinter was a professional film actor.
• Ninjutsu: Splinter has been taught ninjutsu from childhood and has since mastered it, creating and patenting his own techniques. Many years devoid of regular practice and an aging body have taken a toll on his skills, but he can definitely get it together when he wants to.
  • Enhanced stealth: As a practitioner of ninjutsu, Splinter can slip in and out of areas undetected and blend in with his environment to the point where he can seamlessly pose as objects.
    • Slow Motion Jutsu: By moving exceptionally slow, Splinter's body movements are unable to be perceived by opponents, allowing him to execute very close range contact with opponents unnoticed.
    • Lights-Off Jutsu: By clapping his hands, Splinter can turn off any lights in an area to use the darkness to his advantage.
  • Enhanced agility: Splinter's agility allows him to successfully dodge attacks and perform sharp twists and flips.
  • Enhanced speed: Splinter possesses a great amount of speed, capable of moving in bursts faster than the eye can follow as demonstrated in "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man", "The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek", and "Insane in the Mama Train". He reaches the O'Neil apartment before all of the Turtles even with their use of vehicles and Donnie's Flight Shell in "Race". Lou Jitsu's speed was a key skill Draxum sought to bestow the Turtles when mutating them after watching Lou Jitsu compete in the Battle Nexus.
  • Enhanced strength: Despite his small size, Splinter is remarkably strong, able to lift heavy objects with relative ease, shown in his ease of throwing Meat Sweats from the back of his truck into the driver's seat in "The Fast and the Furriest" and tossing Raph's large barricade in "Mrs. Cuddles" as well as his ability to punch Draxum with such force that his body rebounds against the floor and his throne in "End Game". However, his upper body strength has waned to the point where he finds it hard to climb ladders at times.
    • Hamato Ninpō: As a member of the Hamato Clan, Splinter is capable of tapping into his clan's energy to unleash his own mystic might. It has been said about Splinter's Hamato Ninpō that "there's a good chance he can do anything the boys can do, if he really tries" as Splinter's decade-long exposure to mystic powers in the Hidden City has fortified his own mystic powers.

• Macho Gazpacho Fury Kick: A foot technique where Splinter moves incredibly fast and kicks his opponent with his ignited foot. It is effective in handling a large group of opponents.
• Pompadour Punch: An arm technique where Splinter punches the underside of his opponent’s jaw in an upwards motion.
• Flaming Gorilla Arm Bar: A grappling technique where Splinter traps his opponent's bent arm between his own crossed arms.
• 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 O'Neil is the only one Splinter has taught it to.
• Lazy Llama: A blocking technique where Splinter moves his arms loosely and wildly to defend a wide area of his body against attacks.
• Tiger Claw: A technique where Splinter tackles his opponent in a manner reminiscent of a pouncing tiger.
• Weapon proficiency: Splinter is versed in wielding a variety of melee and flexible weapons, such as tonfā, morning stars ("The Evil League of Mutants"), the kusari-fundō, nunchaku, dual axes ("End Game"), sai, even mystic weapons like Leo’s portal-generating ōdachi. Alongside his use of formal ninja weaponry and techniques, Splinter is a skilled improvisational fighter, known for weaponizing fish and ladders in 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish - Dead Fish and Little Jacob's Ladder and clam shells in Punch Chowder.
  • Shurikenjutsu: Splinter is proficient in throwing shuriken with keen precision and wields them multiple times throughout the series.
  • Bōjutsu: As Donnie’s teacher, Splinter is proficient in wielding a bō.
  • Kenjutsu: As Leo’s teacher, Splinter is proficient in wielding a variety of Japanese swords, such as katana and the ōdachi.
• Wingsuit flying: Splinter has been shown to be quite skilled in piloting his wingsuit during his mission to steal the Kuroi Yōroi in "Insane in the Mama Train".
• Survival training: Splinter has wilderness survival training with knowledge of safe alternative food and water sources as shown in "Cloak and Swaggart".
• Promotion proficiency: Splinter's time as Lou Jitsu made him develop a sense of what potential consumers want and the charisma to endorse it as seen in "Always Be Brownies". A tactic of his is to advertise the fantasy or emotion a product can realize for a consumer rather than just advertising the product itself, such as eating chocolate chip cookies granting consumers access into a feeling of childhood innocence and being looked after by a parent, summarizing it as "buying love". Splinter's skill to quickly grab and keep potential consumers' attention with an energetic yet affable demeanor and to be viewed as "super cool" by potential consumers as both Lou Jitsu and his teenage Randall persona alike allows him to easily persuade new buyers and counteract competition.

Relationships

Family

• Hamato Yoshi's parent(s)
  • Hamato Atsuko: Atsuko is Yoshi's mother. Yoshi loves his mother dearly. During his childhood, he was heartbroken when Atsuko left him and his sadness surrounding her eventually warped into resentment towards his own clan. In "Rise", when Splinter believed that he failed, his mother's ghost along with the other ghosts of their ancestors arrived to help defeat the Shredder.

• Raphael: Apart from Mikey, Raph and Splinter have the most individual conversations that exhibit their bonds of family. In "Mrs. Cuddles", Splinter helped Raph defeat Mrs. Cuddles. After locking her away, Splinter announced they should free his brothers and April, who were all taken captive by Mrs. Cuddles. However, he then said "Eventually", being well aware the situation was their fault due to them teasing Raph over his fear of her. He finds Raph's "fear-flops" amusing and betted on him winning the Lair Olympics Handstand Hill-Bomb, but Splinter still had doubts which were ultimately validated. In the season 2 finale, Splinter demoted Raph from Mad Dogs leader and gave the position to Leo.
• Leonardo: Splinter has a rough relationship with Leo despite his deep love for him as his obnoxious antics tend to aggravate Splinter. Leo's insistently nonchalant and lighthearted attitude through even dire situations distresses Splinter instead of relaxing him as it is seemingly meant to. He finds Leo's immodesty and his need to attain victory in every situation annoying as shown in "Lair Games". However, Splinter is impressed by his combat skills and capacity for cleverness and chose to promote him to Mad Dogs leader in the season 2 finale.
• Donatello: Splinter has a somewhat difficult relationship with Donnie. While Splinter deeply loves his son, he doesn't express his love towards Donnie in the way he desires through regular praise and quality time, resulting in him vying for Splinter's approval and attention at times. Splinter trusts Donnie to approach situations in a more serious manner as expressed in "Many Unhappy Returns" and considers him to be the funniest of his sons.
• Michelangelo: Splinter's relationship with Mikey is the most positive and untroubled out his relationships with his sons. Splinter loves Mikey and took him on a tour through the Hidden City to spend time one-on-one with him in "Hidden City's Most Wanted" and while he tried to get Draxum arrested against Mikey's wishes, Splinter worked with Mikey to rescue Draxum when he was discovered by the Hidden City Police. Splinter allowed Draxum to be a part of his family's life after coming to understand where Mikey's desire to include him stemmed from despite his personal feelings towards Draxum.
• April O'Neil: Although April is essentially an older sister to the Turtles, Splinter's relationship with April is not quite like that of his 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. They are nevertheless still close friends, no matter how badly Splinter behaves or how strongly April criticizes him, and he cares very much about her well-being. Splinter readily expresses his appreciation for April's skills, even as he seldom expresses similar appreciation to his own sons who crave it from him, dubbing her a "ninja supreme" ("Insane in the Mama Train") and a "J.I.T.S.U. course graduate" ("Always Be Brownies"). Despite Splinter's faith in her, he still tries to shield April from perilous situations and his personal matters just as he does his sons, although she often involves herself anyway due to her care for Splinter. It is not uncommon for them to squabble in spite of their immense love and trust in one another, like when Splinter is annoyed when April scratches his head in "Shadow of Evil" and becomes frustrated with her contrarian insight in "End Game". They regularly entertain each other's ideas as seen in "Always Be Brownies" when April heeds Splinter's advice and when Splinter follows April's strategy against Krang Two in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie. He regards April as someone who can keep a secret reliably and doesn't arbitrarily tell others ("The Fast and the Furriest"). It was not difficult for Splinter and his sons to regard April as surrogate family, but later on April would formally be acknowledged by clan matriarch Karai as truly being a member of the Hamato Clan.
• Piebald: Piebald was Splinter's beloved pet fish a year prior to the start of the series. After she was mutated, Piebald expressed that she saw Splinter as her father. They have since gotten along well, conspiring along with Franken-Foot to play a prank on the Turtles for having originally flushed Piebald down the toilet and lying about it.
• S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.: When Donnie first invented S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., his first tech demonstration was to show how S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. could make Splinter's life more convenient. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was also made sentient in his own right, and when Draxum had captured the Turtles and held them hostage in "End Game", Splinter recruited S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. as part of the B-Team (along with April, Bullhop, Franken-Foot, and Todd) to go rescue them. Later, when Donnie upgraded S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.'s software to version 13 and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. started behaving like an obstinate teenager, Donnie would start frequently yelling at S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and handing out harsh, arbitrary punishments. Mikey pointed out that the way Donnie was treating S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was the same way Splinter treated Donnie, establishing a multi-generational pattern of parental dysfunction. This also acknowledged that S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was effectively Splinter's grandson, though the two were never shown interacting much after S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.'s first appearance. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. would later sacrifice his own life trying to save his family from an onslaught by the Shredder during the destruction of their lair.
• Hamato Sho: Sho is Yoshi's maternal grandfather. Yoshi was raised by him in his mother's place, but he has had a strained relationship with his grandfather for the majority of his life. He found Sho's relentless attempts to urge him to uptake the clan's obligations extremely abrasive and was unhappy with his grandfather's lack of support for his film career. However, it is seen in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" that he has some love for Sho or at least mourns their lack of a harmonious relationship and regrets not listening to his stories about the Shredder.
• Mystic Aura: Splinter sought one of his ancestors' counsel in "Insane in the Mama Train" and "End Game" regarding how to stop the Foot from resurrecting the Shredder. However, Splinter dismissed his advice once he told him to allow his sons to die in service of the Hamato Clan's cause.
• Hamato Karai: Karai is Yoshi's ancestral grandmother. He, along with the Mad Dogs, removed Karai from the Twilight Realm unknowingly in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Splinter holds deep love and respect for her, easily following Karai's lead and looking to her for guidance as his elder and the clan matriarch. He diligently ensured Karai's needs and comfort were met during his time with her.

Friends and allies

• Mayhem: Splinter and Mayhem have not been shown interacting much, but Mayhem as April's pet is a frequent visitor in the life of Splinter. When Splinter had been injured in a fight with Draxum after the latter donned the fully-assembled Kuroi Yōroi in "End Game", Mayhem teleported Splinter to safety.
• Stanley / Bullhop: For a time, Bullhop lived in the lair with Splinter and the Turtles as they helped Bullhop adjust to his new mutation. Splinter and Bullhop were never shown interacting much, but when Draxum had captured the Turtles and held them hostage in "End Game", Splinter summoned Bullhop's help as part of the B-Team (along with April, Franken-Foot, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., and Todd) to go rescue them.
• Todd Capybara: Splinter entrusted Todd to teach the Turtles wilderness survival training in "Todd Scouts" and when Draxum had captured the Turtles and held them hostage, Splinter summoned Todd's help as part of the B-Team (along with April, Bullhop, Franken-Foot, and S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.) to go rescue them. Splinter, like so many others, is fond of Todd's lemonade.
• Sunita: Splinter and Sunita have not been shown interacting, but Splinter once entrusted her and April to be the lair's house sitters when he and the Turtles intended to head out for some wilderness survival training in "Cloak and Swaggart".
• Franken-Foot: When Draxum captured the Turtles and held them hostage, Splinter recruited Franken-Foot as part of the B-Team (along with April, Bullhop, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., and Todd) to go rescue them. Franken-Foot also once conspired with Splinter and Piebald to play an elaborate horror prank on the Turtles to punish them for previously flushing Piebald and lying about it.
• Jake: Jake is a student at the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu and Splinter worked with April 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 Splinter worked with April to ensure the School would remain open for him.
• Sara: Sara is a student at the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu and Splinter worked with April to ensure the School would remain open for her.
• Baron Draxum: Lou Jitsu met Draxum after being approached by his new henchmen Huginn and Muninn while in Champions' Row. Simply not wanting to fight anymore, forcibly or otherwise, he agreed to be part of Draxum's experiments. However, Lou Jitsu quickly resisted being a part of them after learning that Draxum planned to mutate animals as soldiers of his personal army. Nevertheless, his DNA was used in the experiment, mutating the Turtles, and Lou Jitsu retaliated against him in a battle. He saved the Turtles and released the rest of Draxum's experimental subjects from his laboratory before escaping, becoming a mutant himself in the process. Splinter went on to harbor intense contempt for him because of his evil plans and personal mutation. He was quite displeased to encounter him in "Shadow of Evil" and even more so when he realized that Draxum and his sons were already familiar with one another. He faced Draxum at the Shredder's shrine in "End Game" seeking his captured sons from the Foot, and managed to best him in a fight. However, he was compelled to relinquish Skully to him after Draxum threatened to torture the Turtles for information. Draxum and Splinter met again later in "Repairin' the Baron" after Draxum had become a wanted fugitive unable to return to the Hidden City and Mikey showed Draxum the real love of a son. Splinter and the rest of his family was tricked into having dinner at Draxum's apartment by Mikey, but Draxum and Splinter loathed each other and the other family members didn't think much better of Draxum. Mikey's influence would later be instrumental in Draxum coming to a genuine change of heart, but Splinter remained openly hostile to him. Later, during a family tourism trip to the Hidden City in "Hidden City's Most Wanted" (where Draxum wore a cloaking brooch to disguise himself from the authorities), Mikey arranged for Draxum and Splinter to be his sole company during their outing, in the hopes that he could inspire them to finally get along. After some initial conniving between the two, Draxum's cover was blown, and all three had to hide from the Hidden City Police. It was then Draxum and Splinter were forced to face each other and talk, at first as a paint-peeling verbal fight about the reasons they despised each other. But Splinter realized he would never have had his sons in his life if Draxum had not made it happen, and Draxum recognized that he had wronged Splinter and appreciated that they were both fathers of a son who loved each of them, and it was enough for Draxum and Splinter to at least start trusting one another as the other of two parents of these children. For the most part afterwards, Draxum and Splinter began treating each other more respectfully, at least in front of their sons, and would join together to fight in the defense of their sons when they were in danger. Later in "Anatawa Hitorijanai", after the Shredder had destroyed the lair and taken Draxum and Splinter prisoner, initially it seemed that Splinter would be readily betrayed by Draxum for his own self-interest, but Draxum had only feigned his betrayal in an attempt to attack their captors and Splinter apologized for momentarily doubting Draxum's honor. Splinter and Draxum became true allies, with or without their sons, and would not turn on each other again.
• Cassandra Jones / Foot Recruit: Splinter met Foot Recruit in "Always Be Brownies" when he and April were kidnapped by the Brownie Clan on her order. He was asked by Foot Recruit what his plans were to stop her from world domination, to which he had none for he had no awareness of her Brownie Clan operations to begin with and had only a dim awareness of her as member of the Foot. Splinter comforted her when she became very disheartened after realizing just how much time she would have to dedicate to her world takeover scheme and used April as an example of someone he admires who fails, but still tries to be optimistic and continue on. He began to harbor a fondness and concern for Foot Recruit from then on. He worked with her in "Battle Nexus: New York" against Shadow Fiend and Big Mama until she allied herself with Shadow Fiend after discovering his true identity. Splinter and Foot Recruit later battled during the Foot's invasion of the lair in "Shreddy or Not" where he urged her to leave the Foot and direct her ambitions towards good. Despite Foot Recruit heavily contributing to the extraction of his Hamato essence in "Rise", Splinter still sympathized with her and protected her from the Shredder after he sought to attack her for purposefully disrupting the extraction ritual. Splinter has since befriended Foot Recruit.
• Casey Jones II: Splinter was hardly threatened by Casey when he met him in the present in Rise of the TMNT: The Movie and quickly grew to care about him. Splinter collaborated with Casey to fight Krang Two in his and April's final confrontation with her and was saved by him from being crushed by tumbling metal beams after April used a crane to collapse the building Krang Two was beneath.

Enemies

• Kristoff Van Bradford: Kristoff Van Bradford was a rival celebrity to Lou Jitsu. He describes Kristoff Van Bradford as "an atrocious actor who is dishonorable to his core". Splinter hates him for his cheating ways of fighting and for taking over his Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu.
• Big Mama: Big Mama is Lou Jitsu's ex-girlfriend. He developed a romantic interest in Big Mama after meeting her on the set of one of his films and sometime later she became his girlfriend. Lou Jitsu grew to deeply love Big Mama, describing their dynamic as "inseparable", notably taken by her eyes, smile, and some other third attribute. They often spent time together going to many different nightclubs to dance, but likely never moved in together. He eventually proposed to her while they were on a date, but she revealed that she had always been a Yōkai and kidnapped him to the Hidden City, which severed him from human society. Lou Jitsu was then forced by Big Mama to compete in her Battle Nexus and at some point they consequently broke up. After years, Lou Jitsu refused to participate in her Battle Nexus and he was imprisoned in the Battle Nexus by her. Lou Jitsu severed all connection with Big Mama once he let Draxum free him from his servitude until he encountered her again in "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man". Despite her betrayal, Splinter thinks very fondly of the person Big Mama had been to him prior to his kidnapping and his mutual chemistry with her has proved undiminished despite them being enemies. Simultaneously, Splinter resents her and regrets ever getting involved with her. He is now guarded around Big Mama and wants an apology from her. He attempted to rescue Big Mama from Foot Recruit's wrath in "Battle Nexus: New York", hoping there were redeemable qualities in her, but was unsuccessful. Splinter regrets trusting in "Many Unhappy Returns" that Big Mama wouldn't weaponize the Shredder after gaining custody of him as expressed in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
• Gus: Splinter knew Gus prior to "The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek" where they are first shown interacting due to his time at the Battle Nexus and the Grand Nexus Hotel and is quite afraid of him even currently.
• Huginn & Muninn: Huginn and Muninn brought Lou Jitsu to Draxum's laboratory from the Battle Nexus where he met the Turtles and was mutated.
• Rupert Swaggart / Meat Sweats: Splinter encountered Meat Sweats while driving the Turtle Tank around New York in "The Fast and the Furriest". He was bribed with food to enter Meat Sweats' truck where Splinter told him about his concept for a restaurant chain, unaware that Meat Sweats intended to eat him. He fled with Meat Sweats in his truck once the Turtles found him, but was eventually abandoned by Meat Sweats despite his protest. Splinter considers "Rupert" to be a worse name than "Meat Sweats".
• Mrs. Cuddles: Splinter finds Mrs. Cuddles to be ridiculous and her efforts as a cute rabbit to be intimidating endlessly amusing. He hates Mrs. Cuddles for terrorizing his family and her show taking over his favored TV schedule.
• The Foot Clan: The Foot Clan are the sworn enemy of the Hamato Clan. However, Splinter has spent most of his life unconcerned about the Foot. He briefly infiltrated their ranks in "Shadow of Evil" to prevent them from resurrecting the Shredder, but was revealed by the Turtles.
  • Foot Lieutenant: Foot Lieutenant was Splinter's boss when he went undercover as a Foot recruit to obtain a piece of the Kuroi Yōroi.
  • Foot Brute: Foot Brute was Splinter's boss when he went undercover as a Foot recruit to obtain a piece of the Kuroi Yōroi. Later in "End Game", Splinter broke into the Shredder's shrine and after defeating Foot Brute, stole his dual axes to fight Draxum with.
  • Oroku Saki / The Shredder: Saki is technically Yoshi's ancestor as he is the ancestor of the Hamato bloodline through Karai. Yoshi spent most of his life discounting the Shredder's existence, instead believing he was a fictional figure. It wasn't until "Shadow of Evil" that he was forced to realize that the Shredder and the threat he posed had always been real. It was this revelation that led him to take training the Turtles more seriously. Splinter is quite afraid of the Shredder. He was held captive by him in "Anatawa Hitorijanai" and had his Hamato essence extracted from him and nearly absorbed by the Shredder in "Rise".
• Kraken Tom: Splinter competed against Kraken Tom as Rat Jitsu in the Battle Nexus alongside Leo in "Many Unhappy Returns" and was able to triumph over him.
• The Evil Six: Splinter competed against the Evil Six as Rat Jitsu in the Battle Nexus alongside Leo in "Many Unhappy Returns" and was able to triumph over them.
• The Brownie Clan: Splinter was confronted and abducted by the Brownie Clan in "Always Be Brownies" for upstaging their brownie sales.
  • Julia: Splinter was kidnapped by Julia for stealing the Grandma CJ Scouts' brownie consumers for April with his product promotion skills.
• The Krang: Splinter knew of the Krang and of their initial invasion of Earth prior to Rise of the TMNT: The Movie and dreads their existence. He worked to impede their Earth takeover alongside Casey and the Mad Dogs.
  • Krang Two: Splinter was knocked unconscious by Krang Two during their first fight at the Foot's hideout after she flung him into Raph. He later fled from her and her Krang zombies accompanied by April on a Shell Hog after she invaded the lair in search of the Mystic Key the two of them possessed. Splinter grew bored of her insistence on fighting him and April by their last encounter and was able to defeat her with April and Casey's help.

Others

• Tang Shen: Shen was Lou Jitsu's Jitsu for Justice co-star.
• Krystal Yistal: Krystal Yistal was someone Lou Jitsu dated.
• Andrea: Andrea was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Ben: Ben was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Brandon: Brandon was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• The Brian twins: The Brian twins were stunt performers who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Chad: Chad was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with. Lou Jitsu enjoyed his pranks.
• Josh: Josh was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Kat: Kat was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Kris: Kris was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Omar: Omar was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Rob: Rob was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Ryker: Ryker was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.
• Wilder: Wilder was a stunt performer who Lou Jitsu worked with.

Quotes

• "I mean, come on, who buys an SUV from a bunny?" ("Mrs. Cuddles")
• "Well, look at you fancy-pants boys." ("The Evil League of Mutants")
• "I just figured that the guy who turned me into a rat could just mutate the mashed potatoes into cream corn!" ("Repairin' the Baron")
• "Yes! Audiobook." ("Insane in the Mama Train")
• "You destroyed my detective microwave friend!" ("Smart Lair")
• "I'm a... super master planner." ("Hidden City's Most Wanted")
• "Maybe I will call April. She is no snitch." ("The Fast and the Furriest")
• "Yes, your methods need work. Much, much, much, much, much work. But I am honored to be your teacher and proud to be your father." ("The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek")
• "Anything? Hmm... that is more than something and just shy of everything. Go on." ("The Longest Fight")
• "Okay, fine. I'll just start another family and join their band. ("Al Be Back")
• "What? Donnie? You do not need to do this." ("Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man")

Trivia

• This is the fourth version of TMNT to have Hamato Yoshi mutate from a human to a rat, the first version being the 1987 TV series, the second version being the Archie comic series loosely based on the 1987 TV series, and the third version being the 2012 TV series.
• Splinter is voiced by Eric Bauza, the same actor who voiced Tiger Claw in the 2012 TV series.
• When asked what references Bauza pulled for Splinter in September 2018 in a Collider interview, Bauza answered, "I would say he’s a mixture of Mr. Miyagi and Danny DeVito. And if that rat were to exist, he went to college with Yoda. He’s like that weird, aloof teacher who teaches you the clues, and then later on you discover what he was trying to get across. I believe that’s what we’re trying to get across with this Splinter."
  • When asked what Bauza liked about Splinter's writing and what he added to this Splinter incarnation, Bauza answered in the same interview, "He’s definitely back to a smaller rat. The last version we saw a very tall, stoic, kind of statuesque kind of Splinter, but now he’s back down to size. The Turtles are definitely bigger than their dad. In this version, he’s kind of more whimsical, more of a 'drunken master' type approach to this character, as opposed to stern and serious. Before he was very stoic and every now and then he’d drop a joke or 'make a funny'; this time around, he’s all laughs. When he’s more serious is when he catches you off guard."
  • Splinter's personality is inspired by Danny DeVito's specific role as Frank Reynolds in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as stated by Bauza in the November 2022 Rise of the TMNT: The Movie TAAFI panel.
  • It was revealed in August 2020 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Russ Carney in a Tweet that, "We also wanted Splinter to feel like a father, instead of as a cold, detached sensei, and for the boys to call him Dad, Pop, etc, not just Master."
• Throughout most of season 1, it is hinted that Splinter was once Lou Jitsu (and Hamato Yoshi).
  • Throughout Lou Jitsu's appearances until "Shadow of Evil", Bauza is credited as "Additional Voices" instead of "Lou Jitsu".
  • Like with many celebrities, Splinter keeps copies of most of his merchandise. But "Late Fee" suggests he may not have copies of all his own films, as he had rented Bedtime for Bozos and the episode's plot involved his sons' attempts to return it on time.
• Splinter's catchphrase is "Hot Soup".
• The name "Lou Jitsu" is a pun of the term "jiu jitsu", an outdated romanization of the word "jūjutsu" (kanji: 柔術), which is the name of a Japanese martial art system. The former variation is still used in derivative arts, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
  • Lou Jitsu's name was ideated by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Ron Corcillo.
• According to an interview, the reason that Splinter seemed out of shape is without immediate the threat of the Shredder, Lou Jitsu's growing disgust for fighting, and (based on Draxum's comments) his fear of treating his sons as weapons, he had no exact reason for training the Turtles. However, after they learn about threats such as Draxum and the fact that the Foot Clan is planning to revive the Shredder, he begins training the Turtles more seriously.
• According to Leo in "Mystic Mayhem", Splinter always falls asleep after eating milk and cake.
• Lou Jitsu's eyewear as a human strongly resembles Kamina and Simon's sunglasses from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
• While in Big Mama's Battle Nexus, Lou Jitsu briefly had a rat companion. This is a reference to previous incarnations of Hamato Yoshi having a pet rat that would later become Splinter.
• The running gag of Splinter being unable to tell his sons apart (which is sometimes implied to be intentional teasing) is ironic given each Turtle is a different species in this continuity.
  • Out of the Turtles, Splinter refers to Donnie and Leo by their mask color the most.
  • It was stated by Rise of the TMNT co-executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward in the November 2022 Rise of the TMNT: The Movie TAAFI panel that Splinter refers to the Turtles by their mask colors "out of affection".
• It was stated in September 2018 by Bauza in a Collider interview that Splinter's go-to pizza order is, "California roll and chocolate Rocky Road ice cream, on the same slice. He’s very time conscientious, so if you could jam in the meal—the entrée and the dessert all in one—that’s the kind of Master Splinter we’re dealing with here.”
  • Congruent with this, Lou Jitsu requests a donut on top of a pizza in "E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
• Lou Jitsu's difficulty coming up with good names for the Turtles as shown in a flashback ("Goyles, Goyles, Goyles") may be this continuity's explanation of why they wear different colored masks as opposed to the uniform red of the Hamato Clan.
• It is likely Splinter hasn't attempted to teach his sons Japanese, a result of his estrangement from his clan and its culture.
• Although some of Splinter's model sheets portray him wearing a patterned yukata, this design is never depicted in the show or film. It is, however, depicted in the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics.
• It was revealed in April 2021 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Corcillo in a Tweet that the explanation behind the difference in Lou Jitsu's natural voice versus his voice in film is the presence of bad English dubbing over the films from his Japanese era of work, such as Teriyaki Shakedown. However, this difference turns into code-switching when Lou Jitsu is seen on a film set in a flashback and can be heard speaking with an Americanized accent ("E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind").
  • Code-switching (colloquially) is the act of marginalized communities, notably BIPOC, performing the mainstream culture in order to prevent ostracization and violence from others.
  • Even currently, Splinter sometimes changes his voice to an Americanized accent (though not as strongly as in his films) when playing his recurring character, average teenager Randall, as part of his "being perceived as average" gimmick.
  • These moments allude that, in-universe, Lou Jitsu's image could only be ethnic to a certain extent to be palatable for an American audience as determined by his talent manager, thus encouraging him to speak without his Japanese accent and use a stage name.
  • It was revealed in December 2022 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Corcillo in a Tweet that Splinter's voice texture becoming rougher than it is as a human is due to both aging and his mutation.
• It was revealed in December 2022 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Corcillo in a Tweet that Lou Jitsu was in his early thirties in the mid-1990s the night he was captured by Big Mama. His decade-long imprisonment in the Battle Nexus until approximately 2005 makes Lou Jitsu in his early forties during "Goyles, Goyles, Goyles".
• It was revealed in February 2024 by Rise of the TMNT staff writer Corcillo in a Tweet that, "Splinter had never celebrated [the Turtles'] birthdays in the past, because he was so depressed about his own mutation. But I think they're going forward, now that he's come to grips with who he really is, he would start to celebrate that day."

Gallery

• Hamato Yoshi (Rise of the TMNT)/Gallery
• Hamato Yoshi (Rise of the TMNT)/Animations
• Hamato Yoshi (Rise of the TMNT)/Appearances