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Leonardo is the de facto leader of the Ninja Turtles and is described as the eldest brother. He is playable in all video games based on the movie TMNT and is a central part to the stories.

History[]

Prior to the events of the games, Splinter sent Leo on a pilgrimage in an effort to have him realize his true potential as a leader and as a family member. During this journey, he ends up in Costa Rica, and becomes a local hero known as the "Ghost of the Jungle", donning a cloak and utilizing a medallion that he had found, that allows him to teleport short distances. During his time in Costa Rica, Leo often fights against a group of mercenaries.

Leo eventually returns home to New York after his stay in Costa Rica, where he attempts to assert his position in the family and team once more. However, Raphael, jaded at Leo for having "left" them (despite it being on Splinter's orders), resents his elder brother. Leo, for his part, also has not quite learned the lessons Splinter had sent him out to receive.

Leo learns of a local vigilante who has been roughing up thugs known as the Nightwatcher, and disapproves of his tactics, even though they are much like his own back in Costa Rica. He encounters Nightwatcher and the two come to blows, only to find out, after knocking off his helmet, that the vigilante is actually Raphael. The battle only gets more heated from there, with Raph pinning Leo down and having a realization that he had gone too far, when he was actually prepared to kill his brother.

Raph runs off to cool down, but sees Leo get captured by Max Winters' Stone Generals from afar. He returns to his family to admit fault and gather them for a rescue mission. The remaining Turtles, April, Casey, and Splinter storm Winters' compound and make their way through his Foot Clan security detail, with Raph rescuing Leo from a containment chamber. There, they find Winters quarreling with his generals. Winters, actually the immortal 3000+ year-old warrior king Yaotl, had been gathering monsters in an effort to restore his mortality and finally die, along with making up for the curse of stone he inflicted on his generals. The generals, however, wanted to remain immortal, even if as stone beings, and captured Leo to sabotage his return of the monsters to the dimensional rip that cursed them.

While April, Casey, and the Foot rush to capture the final monster (although in the GBA game, players can field this operation as one of the Turtles), the Turtles fight off the generals, while Splinter and Winters handle any new monsters that come through the portal. The Turtles knock the generals into the portal, ending not only their curse of stone but their lives as well, and the final monster is sent back through as well, ending Winters' life.

Some time later, Splinter holds a family tournament to compete for prizes on his trophy shelf, hoping it would be a good bonding exercise. The Turtles, Splinter, Casey, and April all compete, but they are interrupted by a distress call from their friend, Honeycutt, who has been captured by the Foot, now led by the restored Shredder. Donatello decides to utilize the Time Scepter to have them jump straight to Japan, where he is being held, but an impromptu attack from a giant alligator, and unfamiliarity with the Scepter's usage, leads them to various locales and time periods before finally arriving. The Turtles beat the Foot and rescue Honeycutt.

Powers and abilities[]

  • Mutant turtle physiology: As a mutant turtle, Leonardo experiences the advantages and disadvantages of being a (roughly) five-foot humanoid turtle, including the possession of a natural armor in the form of a shell.
  • Leadership: Leo is a natural leader, although in this timeline, he is forced by Splinter to hone the skills for his position, as they are not to the standards in which they should be. He does not quite accomplish this on his sojourn through Costa Rica, but instead, following his fights with Raph, Winters, and the Stone Generals.
  • Athleticism: Leo is an Olympic-level athlete and capable of feats that even the most highly trained humans struggle with, due to his mutation enhancing his potential above a normal human's, and life-long training in the art of ninjutsu.
  • Mastery of ninjutsu: In tandem with the above, Leo's training in ninjutsu makes him quick, strong, and nimble, as well as an excellent combatant. He also excels in stealth and covert movement.
    • "Walling": Leo, like his brothers, is capable of running horizontally and vertically along walls, known as "walling" in the instruction manual for the console/PC game.
    • Meditation: Leo can utilize meditation to heal himself, or, in conjunction with his medallion, phase through certain objects (see "Medallion", below).

Weapons and equipment[]

  • Dual katana: Leonardo's main weapons are a pair of katana, wielded in a pair similar to a daishō .
  • Cloak: During his time as the "Ghost of the Jungle" in Costa Rica, Leo wore a brown cloak that enhanced his mystique among the locals, as well as hid his identity as a giant humanoid reptile.
  • Medallion: In Costa Rica, Leo found a medallion which he wore around his neck. Through meditation, he is able to phase through grates and gates, in a technique known as "Shadow Warp".
  • Bandana and joint pads

See also[]

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