Tantō

Weapon type

Type of Weapon	Blade
Type of Weapon in Kanji	短刀
Type of Weapon in Rōmaji	Tantō
Weapon name
Name in Kanji	短刀
Name in Rōmaji	Tantō
Wielder(s)
Wielder(s)	Tomei Oroku Saki Oroku Karai John Bishop Donatello Leonardo Karai Michelangelo April O'Neil Raphael
Appearance(s)
Appearances(s)	Mirage 2012 TV series

[Source]

The tantō is a traditional samurai dagger often used as a secondary weapon to the katana and is great for close range combat and surprise attacks. As a secondary weapon to a katana, they are known together as a "daishō" (大小), literally meaning "big-small", with "big" referring to a katana and "small" referring either to a tantō or a wakizashi (脇差).

In TMNT[]

The tantō is commonly featured in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

Mirage[]

In the Mirage continuity, Tomei uses a tantō to commit seppuku in City at War, part 11 of 13.

1990 film series[]

In the 1990 film series, a tantō is wielded by the Shredder which he uses in an attempt to murder Splinter by throwing it, but fails.

2003 TV series[]

In the 2003 TV series, Oroku Karai wields a tantō. In "Hun on the Run", John Bishop steals Karai's tantō from her person and deflects Raphael's sai with it before throwing it at Karai and Leonardo.

2012 TV series[]

In the 2012 TV series, according to the concept art of Leonardo's katana, Niten Ryu, a tantō blade is concealed within the hilt of the daitō (longsword), and a kogatana (miniature katana) is concealed within the saya's (scabbard's) binding wrappings, all as secondary, auxiliary weapons to his katana. The tantō is a short dagger used by the Ninja Turtles. It appeared in episodes, such as "New Friend, Old Enemy", "TCRI", and "Panic in the Sewers". In "New Friend, Old Enemy", Leo used these to cut Michelangelo free from his bonds when he was kidnapped by Chris Bradford and Xever Montes. In "TCRI", Donatello used Leo's tantō to make a cut in the glass cell he and his brothers were trapped in when they were captured by the Kraang. In "Slash and Destroy", Raphael takes one out to use against Slash after seeing him beat Leo up, since his sai were knocked out of reach earlier in the fight. The weapon's small size is also symbolic in the scene: At this point, it is an unmistakably feeble melee weapon in an already long and bitter fight where more conventional weapons have failed, but its use reflects Raph's desperate determination to put a stop to Slash's rampage however he can. April O'Neil also owns her own tantō, gifted to her by Splinter in "City at War". She used it to destroy Za-Naron in "The Power Inside Her". A tantō is also wielded by Karai in "The Wrath of Tiger Claw" to threaten Mr. Murakami.

Rise of the TMNT[]

In Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splinter owns a tantō as first shown in "Mystic Mayhem" and displays it on his Do Not Touch Cabinet.