The Turtles' weapons

[Andrew NDB]

Where do you suppose they came from? Did Splinter run a mini-forge in the sewer where he forged Leo's katanas and Raphael's sai? Did they steal them from a pawn shop or martial arts store? Something else?

[oldmanwinters]

Where do you suppose they came from? Did Splinter run a mini-forge in the sewer where he forged Leo's katanas and Raphael's sai? Did they steal them from a pawn shop or martial arts store? Something else?

Well, Archie TMNT Adventures #71-72 touched upon this question, suggesting (Hamato Yoshi) Splinter brought some over from Japan (lots of bo staffs) but that their distinctive weapons (sais, nunchucks, katanas, and a boomerang) were acquired as a reward for helping out a martial arts school/store owner.

I think the human Splinter origin makes sense for hauling some weapons over but it gets more difficult if Splinter was just an orphaned house pet.

[Candy Kappa]

I always thought he got them from Hamato Yoshi's home.

[Ninjinister]

I like the human Splinter origin makes sense for hauling some weapons over but it gets more difficult if Splinter was just an orphaned house pet.

Considering the fact that Hamato Yoshi was murdered in NYC in the Mirage comics, I don't see how him bringing over weapons in that universe is any more of a stretch.

[plastroncafe]

I'm with Kiwamu, I'd just always assumed they were taken from the Hamato home post the slaughter.

Though...I suppose that would really depend on how much time had passed since Yoshi and Shen's murder, and the bit with the canister.

[ToTheNines]

I think the human Splinter origin makes sense for hauling some weapons over but it gets more difficult if Splinter was just an orphaned house pet.

Well it actually makes less sense in the OT (naturally), because he was a poor "pennyless" bastard living in sewers. Where would he buy weapons?

But Mirage... yeah, Yoshi's house. I'm sure they had to make some spares too, which is certainly believable.

[Lordmylar06]

I want to say I read an issue recently where Leo mentions making a sword. I could totally be wrong because I do think about practical stuff like that when I read a comic book.
Questions like "where did that shotgun come from?" when I read a zombie comic, or "why can't Cyclops ever run out of optic blasts?" are reasonable things to ask I think. I feel like this question about the TMNTs weapons is a very practical question that begs to be answered.
Maybe they swiped from the dead Foot Ninja they had defeated from time to time.

[DrSpengler]

Taking them from Hamato's home is the likliest scenerio, though Splinter moped around alleys for weeks as a regular rat following Yoshi's death before becoming mutated.

So I guess...all of Yoshi's possessions just stayed inside his apartment after the police collected his corpse (you'd think they'd immediately confiscate any weaponry or the landlord woud pawn all his junk off)?

Or did no one know Yoshi was dead for all that time, so when the mutated Splitner returned for some weapons he was greated by a decaying Yoshi corpse?

Yikes.


Of course, I always imagined that Splinter had tons of kickass solo ninja adventures while he was raising the Turtles. So maybe he simply encountered some ninja on one of them, killed them and decided to take their weapons as tools to help train his sons.


As for the option of the Turtles just making them themselves, that's entirely possible. I mean, jeez, Donny could build just about ANYTHING. Dude constructed a giant robot while living on a farm in "Men of Shadow". I think some pointy metal and sticks on strings is within his engineering capabilities.

And I'd also figure that teaching them how to construct their own weapons would be part of their training and discipline from Splinter, too.

[Candy Kappa]

I would suspect Splinter would have tested his own skills if he could defeat shredder himself, and then he could have looted his opponents for weaponry. or he broke into the police station to get back Yoshi's stuff

[Venom]

I tend to agree with the fallen foe theory. Not by the Turtles themselves since the fight against the Purple Dragons in number 1 is their first real fight against human, but rather by Splinter. He probably meditated on which weapon best suited his sons' personality and as he did recon on Shredder and the Foot over the years he amassed a weapons collection.

[CyberCubed]

Maybe someone from the Battle Nexus gave him the blades.

[Venom]

Oh, now that's an interesting notion to consider!

[ToTheNines]

I would suspect Splinter would have tested his own skills if he could defeat shredder himself, and then he could have looted his opponents for weaponry. or he broke into the police station to get back Yoshi's stuff

I don't think Splinter ever took on the Shredder, Saki acted like he had never come across mutants before in issue 1.

And the cops wouldn't take any of Yoshi's property, if they did it would have been illegally stolen and taken to their homes or sold.

Maybe someone from the Battle Nexus gave him the blades.

Good theory for the NT. May or may not work for Mirage, I guess we'll find out soon (soon = a few years from now or never).

[BoggleKng]

I suppose they could have started with no weapons and got them from the Foot.. I mean, all Splinter ever has is his wooden cane.. so thats a start..

[Sage Ninja]

meh, they live in New York City. What can't you get ahold of by one means or another in New York City. Even if you are a giant talking Rat.

[Candy Kappa]

I don't think Splinter ever took on the Shredder, Saki acted like he had never come across mutants before in issue 1.

And the cops wouldn't take any of Yoshi's property, if they did it would have been illegally stolen and taken to their homes or sold.

I was thinking more he was testing his skills on on others, keeping himself in the shadow, testing his limits and realising he's too old to take on the real deal. and police could take Yoshi's weaponry, if he had any for evidence. Splinter could raid the evidence locker/room for Yoshi's possessions.

[ToTheNines]

and police could take Yoshi's weaponry, if he had any for evidence. Splinter could raid the evidence locker/room for Yoshi's possessions.

Only if was evidence to the murder, and from what I've gathered they didn't even do battle... Shredder just killed his ass in a jiffy. So no, the police could not just raid Yoshi's personal belongings, weapons or not.

[Ulisses31]

Splinter found the weapons in the sewers... simple.:D
If this work for finding turtles, why not for weapons. :D

He was walking down a sewer looking for food and then puff there they were, a massive package of weapons, not just the turtle weapons, but many ninja weapons that some Foot Soldiers left behind, hidden from Cops, when they had to run.

They opened the sewer and trow them there and thought of getting back when possible, but Splinter found them first.

[Luzmagica]

I like this ideas :


I always thought he got them from Hamato Yoshi's home.



And I'd also figure that teaching them how to construct their own weapons would be part of their training and discipline from Splinter, too.

I would suspect Splinter would have tested his own skills if he could defeat shredder himself, and then he could have looted his opponents for weaponry. or he broke into the police station to get back Yoshi's stuff

Splinter found the weapons in the sewers... simple.:D
If this work for finding turtles, why not for weapons. :D

He was walking down a sewer looking for food and then puff there they were, a massive package of weapons, not just the turtle weapons, but many ninja weapons that some Foot Soldiers left behind, hidden from Cops, when they had to run.

They opened the sewer and trow them there and thought of getting back when possible, but Splinter found them first.

[Gyt Kaliba]

As for the option of the Turtles just making them themselves, that's entirely possible. I mean, jeez, Donny could build just about ANYTHING. Dude constructed a giant robot while living on a farm in "Men of Shadow". I think some pointy metal and sticks on strings is within his engineering capabilities.


I LOLd. :tlol:

Really never gave it a thought for some reason myself, but I think most of the suggestions here are possible - getting them from Yoshi's place, buying them somehow, taking them from other ninjas, etc. And if I'm not mistaken, Splinter had to have found more than just those four kinds of weapons too. I haven't read many of the comics, but I think I remember one where it showed the Turtles young, and one of them was using tonfa.

[Venom]

Not to mention the shurikens, the hand claws (though rarely used).