The opening sequence of the 2012 TV series is a sequence that appears on every episode. It is 1 minute long and features the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series)/Theme song set to various scenes. Though it is an opening sequence, each episode actually starts with a cold open usually a few minutes long just before the opening sequence.
Since the series began, the opening sequence has been updated at least once per season. Currently, there have been 6 unique opening sequences, but only one theme song.
Mikey fires the Shellraiser's compressed garbage cannon. A Foot Soldier is alerted.
Leonardo's the leader in blue, Does anything it takes to get his—
Leo drives the Shellraiser with Raph in the background inside. Leo spars against the training dummy in the Turtle Lair.
—ninjas through Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines
Donnie performs maintenance on the Shellraiser in the Garage. Mikey skates past and steals Donnie's last slice of pizza.
Raphael has the most attitude on the team
Raph plays the pinball machine with Spike perched on his shoulder.
Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, And you know just where to find him when it's party—
(Pizza-stealing scene duplicated here from Donnie's scene for continuity.) Mikey skates out the lair's front entrance while taking a bite of the pizza, then does skateboard half-pipes through a sewer tunnel.
—time Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need To be one—
The turtle pose, with Mikey gesturing bunny ears behind Raph's head.
—Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
Donnie emerges from a sewer manhole. Mikey spinkicks some Kraangdroids. Leo slices his katana through some Kraangdroids.
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja—
Mikey and Donnie leap rooftops in the background. Raph prowls past in the foreground.
—Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
The turtles climb a building rooftop and pose beneath the title logo.
Second opening sequence[]
This sequence spanned for approximately the first half of Season 2, from "The Mutation Situation" to "Of Rats and Men". Three scenes changed (four if you count the beginning of Michelangelo's scene at the end of Donatello's new scene), and one scene was dropped entirely.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Here we go with the lean green ninja team On the scene, cool—
—teens doing ninja things So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams
Get rocked with the shell-shocked pizza kings
Can't stop these radical dudes The secret of the ooze—
—made the chosen few Emerge from the shadows to—
—make their move The good guys win and the bad guys lose
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Here we go with the lean green ninja team On the scene, cool—
—teens doing ninja things So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams
Get rocked with the shell-shocked pizza kings
Can't stop these radical dudes The secret of the ooze—
—made the chosen few Emerge from the shadows to—
—make their move The good guys win and the bad guys lose
The villains collage has been updated (new additions in bold), now featuring Kraang Prime, a Squirrelanoid, Slash, Mutagen Man, the Newtralizer, Rahzar (who is Dogpound's new mutant form), Fishface, Tiger Claw, the Shredder and Karai.
(Mrs. Campbell, Snakeweed, Spider Bytez and the Rat King have been cut.)
—
Leonardo's the leader in blue, Does anything it takes to get his—
—ninjas through Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines
Raphael has the most attitude on the team
Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, And you know just where to find him when it's party—
—time Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need To be one—
—lean, mean, green incredible team Teenage—
—Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
New scene. The turtles fire Grappling Hooks at a building wall and slide down a zip line.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of Donnie emerging from a sewer manhole, Mikey spin-kicking Kraangdroids and Leo slicing through Kraangdroids.)
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja—
—Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Fourth opening sequence[]
This sequence spanned for approximately the first one-third of Season 3, from "Within the Woods" to "Vision Quest", covering the entire North Hampton arc. Only two scenes changed, with no new scenes from North Hampton.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Here we go with the lean green ninja team On the scene, cool—
—teens doing ninja things So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams
Get rocked with the shell-shocked pizza kings
Can't stop these radical dudes The secret of the ooze—
—made the chosen few Emerge from the shadows to—
—make their move The good guys win and the bad guys lose
The villains collage has been updated (new additions in bold), now featuring Foot-Bots, Stockman-Fly, the Newtralizer, Rahzar, Fishface, Tiger Claw, the Shredder and (human) Karai.
(Kraang Prime, the Squirrelanoid, Slash and Mutagen Man have been cut.)
Leonardo's the leader in blue, Does anything it takes to get his—
—ninjas through Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines
Raphael has the most attitude on the team
Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, And you know just where to find him when it's party—
—time Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need To be one—
—lean, mean, green incredible team Teenage—
—Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja—
The rooftops scene has updated with the addition of the Turtle Blimp in the background.
—Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Fifth opening sequence[]
This sequence started with the Season 3 episode "Return to New York" and lasted until "Annihilation Earth!, Part 2". It has the most drastic changes of any opening sequence update, with seven new scenes.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Here we go with the lean green ninja team On the scene, cool—
—teens doing ninja things So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams
Get rocked with the shell-shocked pizza kings
Can't stop these radical dudes The secret of the ooze—
—made the chosen few Emerge from the shadows to—
—make their move The good guys win and the bad guys lose
—
New scene. Casey drives the Party Wagon with April in the passenger seat down the rural cliff-side road from Race with the Demon.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of Raph launching from the Shellraiser in the Stealth Bike.)
Leonardo's the leader in blue, Does anything it takes to get his—
New scene. Leo wears his "Vision Quest" outfit. He runs through a forest of birch trees, and cuts down a tree with one slice of his katana.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of Leo driving the Shellraiser and attacking the training dummy.)
—ninjas through Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines
New scene. Donnie wears his Vision Quest outfit. He rides on the gondola of the Turtle Blimp.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of Donnie performing maintenance on the Shellraiser.)
Raphael has the most attitude on the team
New scene. Raph wears his Vision Quest outfit. He leaps off the top of the Turtle Blimp and uses his fire weapon.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of Raph playing the pinball machine with Spike perched on his shoulder.)
Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, And you know just where to find him when it's party time
New scene. Mikey wears his Vision Quest outfit. He swings around the trunk of a birch tree. He then leaps from tree trunk to tree trunk through the birch forest.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of Mikey stealing and eating Donnie's pizza and skating half-pipes through a sewer tunnel.)
Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need To be one—
New scene. Splinter and April train in the dojo in synchronized formation.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of April on the tire swing and Splinter standing on the dojo's outer ledge.)
—lean, mean, green incredible team Teenage—
—Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
New scene.Bebop and Rocksteady are racing their van through a city street. Their van mutually side-bumps with the Party Wagon. Leatherhead jumps from the roof of the moving Party Wagon to the roof of the duo's van. Mondo Gecko skateboards on the same street.
(This scene replaces the previous scene of the turtles using their grappling hooks and sliding down a zip line.)
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja—
—Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Sixth opening sequence[]
This sequence began at the first half of Season 4, the beginning of the black hole generator arc, lasting until "City at War". It is a drastic departure from the norm, as it cuts out half of the theme song and replaces it with narration from Leonardo about the events that led to this point.
Teenage Mutant Ninja— [The intro theme is abruptly cut off as a Triceraton's foot steps on the manhole cover.] Leonardo: The evil Triceratons have invaded Earth. Leonardo: They brought with them the invincible Black Hole Generator that swallowed the entire planet. Leonardo: My brothers and I escaped, saved by a mysterious robot called the "Fugitoid". Leonardo: Now we're trying to stop the Triceratons any way we can. [The intro theme resumes.] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle Power Leonardo's the leader in blue Does anything it takes to get his ninjas through Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines Raphael's got the most attitude on the team Michelangelo, he's one of a kind And you know just where to find him when it's party time Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need To be one lean mean green incredible team. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle Power
Seventh opening sequence[]
This sequence began from second half of Season 4, from "City at War", after the Black hole generator arc. Only two scenes changed.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant—
—Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Here we go with the lean green ninja team On the scene, cool—
—teens doing ninja things So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams
Get rocked with the shell-shocked pizza kings
Can't stop these radical dudes The secret of the ooze—
—make their move The good guys win and the bad guys lose The allies and villains collage has been introduced from left-to-right, than down-to-up and updated now featuring: Foot Clan Soldiers, Karai, Shinigami, Slash, Leatherhead, Dr. Rockwell, Mondo Gecko, Renet, Bishop, Mona Lisa and Commander Sai versus Foot-Bots, Bebop, Rocksteady, Lord Dregg, Rahzar, Fishface, Stockman-Fly, Newtralizer, Savanti Romero, Tiger Claw, Elite Foot-Bots and the Shredder
Leonardo's the leader in blue, Does anything it takes to get his—
—ninjas through Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines
Raphael has the most attitude on the team
Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, And you know just where to find him when it's party—
The rooftops scene update with the addition of the Karai and Shinigami, and removing Turtle Blimp in the background.
—Turtles Heroes in a half shell Turtle power
Eighth opening sequence[]
Trivia[]
The Turtles' final pose beneath the title logo is an homage to the cover of their first issue of the Mirage comic.
The sequence introduces the Turtles by name in the same order as the 1987 and Fast Forward series: Leonardo, then Donatello, then Raphael, then Michelangelo.
Slash's appearance in the third opening sequence's villains collage is unusual in that he appears purple instead of his normal blue or green. It is also the first appearance of Slash's updated yellow lower jaw, which would not appear in-episode until "Battle for New York, Part 1".