Quote:
Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo
For the last 2 episodes of season 4 in particular, it could be argued that the turtles invaded Shredder's compound as a pre-emptive strike rather than out of revenge.
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I would agree with this. While avenging Splinter was part of their motivation. Their main motive for taking out the Shredder was had made himself into a threat that wouldn't be stopped with anything but death. All throughout the series, the Shredder has been given opportunities and outs where he could realize that everything he does only destroys his honor further. But he is too blinded by his anger and his hubris to see what he was really doing. The only time he really does question himself was when Leo yells. "You've become a monster, a demon! Was this your destiny?"
As Shinigami said he would not be stopped until they were all dead.
The thing with vengeance it only hurts those around you. It eats away at you even once you have achieved what you believe is attribution for the wrongs in your life.
With the Shredder his family was a rival Ninja Clan, the Hamato Clan attacked them for unspecified reasons. During the conflict, Oroku Saki was found by Hamato Yuuta (Splinter's father) and was adopted by him.
He and Yoshi were raised as brothers and as brothers, they had a rivalry that was somewhat similar to Leo and Raph's.
For example, Leo takes it upon himself as the oldest to be the most dedicated of the four of them. Because he knows responsibility for his family would fall to him one day and also to be an example to his brothers of what he believes Splinter wants them to be.
Hamato Yoshi also knows the Hamato Clan and its teachings will become his responsibility so he feels he must prove himself worthy of it.
Raph, on the other hand, is rivals with Leo because all his life he's seen himself as second best. No matter what he does, Leo's done it better. So uses his aggression to prove he is more deserving of being the favorite student, which often bites him in the shell.
This would be similar to the Shredder growing up in the Hamato-Clan. While he had grown to see and love Hamato Yoshi as a brother, but for him, it always seemed that Yoshi was the favored son and that Yoshi always got the best of everything. Even the love of Tang Shen.
It was suggested that Tang Shen and Oroku Saki were in love once, but he did something that soured the relationship which leads to her choosing Yoshi as her husband. Because he had that point where he does ask her to take him back and states he is no longer the man he once was. Despite the fact Tang Shen is already married and has a child.
We don't know when Yuuta died, it was implied he was deathly ill in Tale of the Yokai. I think his last act was to tell Oroku Saki the Truth about his origins so he can enter the judgment of the underworld with one less sin upon his conscience. Only the Shredder heard it as "Bla Bla bla, you're not really my son. Bla bla bla" So in Oroku Saki's eyes, he believes that since he is not a Hamato by blood that means Yoshi is only favored because he is Yuuta's trueborn son. And that he was raised all this time by the man who killed his father.
Yuuta could have died of his illness after telling Oroku Saki the truth, or Saki could have killed him in rage. Or Yuuta could have died in the fire that burned down the Hamato Dojo, it's up to interpretation.
When he does finally succeed in killing Splinter for good, he does say he say he feels his honor being restored.
However, his goal was to destroy the Hamato Clan to avenge the Foot Clan. Hamato Yoshi was the core of the Hamato Clan. He was eliminated successfully.
But as long as Karai lives than the Hamato bloodline lives.
As long as the Turtles live the Hamato legacy lives.
and as long as allies and associations to the Turtles exist. Then the memory of the Hamato Clan lives.
So once he's killed Karai, and he has the heads of the Turtles, April, and Casey on pikes. He'll go after Shinigami, the Mutanimals, Dr. O'Neil, and anyone else who has seen or heard of the Turtles including the family dog just so anyone who would breathe the name of the Hamato Clan is dead.
Due to his mutation, he has shown he has no qualms about attempting to kill Karai. Particularly since she has shown where her allegiances stand. So it would only be a matter of time before he went after her again. And also when the Turtle's do confront him in their final battle he suggests that killing them was on his to-do list. Since he states he had expected them to run away as they did before as a futile delay of their deaths."