Yeah, aren't there any royalties involved because these characters were brought to life with real life actors? For example characters like Casey and April already existed before the movies so it didn't matter, or characters like Rahzar/Tokka are mutants and not real people....

But Tatsu, Keno, Prof. Jordan Perry, all the Movie III characters, etc. remained in limbo for years. I think the only reason Nick got away with using Tatsu is because "Tatsu" just means dragon and the guy just looked like any generic bald foot soldier.

I still call BS on the "need actors' permission" to use the characters. For one, they don't have to look even vaguely similar to their film counterparts. If we can have Hun be evil Bruce Lee, then Danny Pennington could be bald or have a crew cut or a goatee or be black, Hispanic, or f**king Hmong if they really wanted to use him.

And second, I am certain that more than a few actors would approve. TMNT was an important part of Ernie Reyes Jr.'s career and he's always down to do some TMNT-related stuff so the only thing I can see keeping him from approving of Keno's look in the series would be a draconian contract. The guy who played Norinaga is already f**king in the show so again, I don't see that being a stipulation.

Not to mention, all of the original human characters were pretty generic in appearance anyway, basing on the fact that you know, they're just people. Keno's probably the only one with a semi-iconic look and in any case there's probably 11,000 Asian delivery boys with mullets in the world. And if they really wanted, they could name drop Keno as Ciro's character anyway.

What are you talking about? The show had no generic bald Foot Soldiers. The cartoon Tatsu looked just like Toshishiro Obata, he even had the same mustache and everything.

I honestly don't think 2K3 were intending to use Tatsu. Don't just assume because Hun happens to fill the same general role. Why would they use a character that was only in the 90s movies kids in 2K3 wouldn't know or care about.

Yes to new characters. They help the franchise grow.

Only if they're great, like Hun and Tigerclaw (Bebop and Rocksteady are great in the original seires). Dogpound, Fishface and Snake aren't.

Something's going on with Tatsu on the Nick cartoon. Bobby remarked ages ago that Tatsu was on their "no fly" list for the IDW comic, due to rights from Golden Harvest. Yet the actual Nick cartoon can use not only the character, but roughly the likeness? Something had to have happened.

I actually wouldn't mind Tatsu or a Tatsu-like character being Shredder's #1.

Yes, anything that's not "TMNT: Mutant Extravaganza" must = Boring. You sound like the boring one, sir.

I would appreciate a return to classic Rocksteady and Bebop for mutant henchmen but would be happy with a return of the nickelodeon henchmen. They did such a great job with Rockwell and Sever I would love to see them again.

I honestly think it would be funny if Viacom specifically sought out the the rights to use Tatsu of all the movie characters, and him only.

I mean nobody is begging for the return of Keno the pizza delivery boy, Prof. Jordan Perry, Danny the runnaway kid, Pennington, or Princess Mitsu, Walker, or Lord Norinaga, are there?

Maybe giving him a surname, making him blind and a swordsman was a enough to legally make him a different character?

I personally liked Perry, even if Professor Harold in IDW has pretty much filled his role.

Of all the movie characters, however, Norinaga is the one movie villain/character I want back. There was so much untapped potential with him. Couldn't they have tied him to the Foot as an ancestor? :ohwell: I'd kill for him to return in a time travel scenario for a few episodes/comic issues in a new incarnation.

Miles better than Walker or Eric Sachs for sure.

They did that? Then yeah, maybe.

I think overusing the whole thing about Shredder having mutant henchmen isn't good for creativity. I suppose if they created a new villain they could give that character some henchmen but still it wouldn't be good to overuse that villain or those mutant henchmen. Some people here have suggested using previous mutants like the mutants from TMNT II, again I don't see the point of using them when they've appeared so much already. At least they shouldn't be used as villains every episode.

Mirage used Charles Pennington. No physical resemblance though.

Fishface's name is actually Xever but like... Rockwell is the monkey on the Mutanimals.

I think having mutant henchmen Shredder might balance it out.

Bebop & Rocksteady are brawlers. So its time Shredder had mutants who are "ninjas" for once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu584pho8NY

But I don't wanna leave out Hun. Give him back his old incarnations. NOT the Bruce Lee one!

Why the heck did you post the Ronin Warriors song though?

Well... in the opening theme, picture the turtles fighting their own mutant rival. Bebop & Rocksteady can come later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu584pho8NY 0:44-0:58

Baxter Stokman is already working on my new henchmen that i will have from 2018 and beyond! They will be a mutant duck a spider and a elephant. All of them were foot ninajs working form e that i decided to mutate due to their skills and power be better than the other foot ninjas. You will see them soon enough. For now just wait!

What about the weird Mutant Shredder Clones?

Also, while I don't mind seeing Mutants when they fit the story, I don't think every version of TMNT needs to bring back every mutant from past versions. And, I don't think Shredder always needs hench-mutants either.

Well they're not really "mutants" as much as they're just botched experiments.