What is Rocksteady's nationality in the original cartoon?

[CyberCubed]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rh2CgQWMgBo/T75YIexArpI/AAAAAAAAFTc/0yMRzz8lq_I/s1600/TMNT+1987+-+Episode+2+-+Rocksteady+and+Bebop+(human+form).png

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/6/62/Rocksteady_(human).png/revision/latest?cb=20130301144319

The Nick cartoon made Rocksteady into a Russian general, and the movie Sheamus version said he was Irish (I think?).

IDW's Rocksteady just seems to be a standard white guy. But what about the OT's?

Do you think he also looks like Russian in the original cartoon? Or an American born Russian?

[Etsyturtle2]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rh2CgQWMgBo/T75YIexArpI/AAAAAAAAFTc/0yMRzz8lq_I/s1600/TMNT+1987+-+Episode+2+-+Rocksteady+and+Bebop+(human+form).png

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/6/62/Rocksteady_(human).png/revision/latest?cb=20130301144319

The Nick cartoon made Rocksteady into a Russian general, and the movie Sheamus version said he was Irish (I think?).

IDW's Rocksteady just seems to be a standard white guy. But what about the OT's?

Do you think he also looks like Russian in the original cartoon? Or an American born Russian?
the movie said he was finnish.
And the ot rocksteady just seems like a dumb white dude.

[thundermaster612]

I feel like he's either Swedish, American, or Canadian. Maybe someone could ask David Wise

[oldmanwinters]

Rocksteady was Murica!

[CyberCubed]

I always found it interesting Rocksteady has blonde hair. He could technically be of Russian or European descent in the original cartoon too.

[Candy Kappa]

I'd imagine his nationality is American.

[neatoman]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rh2CgQWMgBo/T75YIexArpI/AAAAAAAAFTc/0yMRzz8lq_I/s1600/TMNT+1987+-+Episode+2+-+Rocksteady+and+Bebop+(human+form).png

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/6/62/Rocksteady_(human).png/revision/latest?cb=20130301144319

The Nick cartoon made Rocksteady into a Russian general, and the movie Sheamus version said he was Irish (I think?).

IDW's Rocksteady just seems to be a standard white guy. But what about the OT's?

Do you think he also looks like Russian in the original cartoon? Or an American born Russian?

... American? Like, seriously, was there any reason to think he was anything other than a white American?

[VaughnMichael]

His hair also could be bleached.
Not a far stretch I think considering he's part of a punk gang that have members with pink and purple hair.

[Cryomancer]

New Yorker Street Person

[Powder]

the movie said he was finnish.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised how many people don't understand the difference between a joke & an actual statement.

I'm paraphrasing but "I'm Finnish, 'cause when I start something, I always finish it!" ...he said with an Irish accent.

[oldmanwinters]

I'm paraphrasing but "I'm Finnish, 'cause when I start something, I always finish it!" ...he said with an Irish accent.

Ah, so you actually did go see it!

:tlol:

[Powder]

Crush has been kind to me, what can I say? :tlol:

[oldmanwinters]

Crush has been kind to me, what can I say? :tlol:

Free movie ticket voucher with purchase of 3 12-paks is a decent deal. BTW, can the ticket voucher be used for other movies than TMNT within a certain time frame? Last time, I used a Crush voucher to go see Guardians of the Galaxy.

[ABrown]

I've always just assumed that he was American.

[Prowler]

American?

I think you mean his ethnic/ancestral background.

Who the heck knows? We don't even know his real name in the FW series. And I can't say I've ever thought about it. Cant' say I care either.

[CyberCubed]

Maybe Rocksteady and Bebop were their real names in the original cartoon.

[neatoman]

Maybe Rocksteady and Bebop were their real names in the original cartoon.

I would like to meet their cousins in that case, Grunge and Hip-Hop. After that their uncles, Techno and Dubstep.

[ABrown]

Maybe Rocksteady and Bebop were their real names in the original cartoon.

You think that's supposed to be what their parents named them? I really doubt that. "Rocksteady" and "Bebop" sound like nicknames to me.

[turtle1237]

The story of 80's Rocksteady was a sad and tragic tale.

Born in Russia, real name Ivan Drago. He made it big in boxing when he killed Apollo Creed in the 2nd round. He was on top of the world. Women wanted to be with Ivan Drago, and men wanted to be him. In Drago's prime, he had perhaps the most perfect body known to man. Than it went down hill Christmas 1987, He fought the heavyweight champ, Rocky Balboa and got knockout in the 15th and final round after leading on points.
Drago never recover from that. He went into drinking and over eating, and got a beer belly, He was no longer the idol he was. He decided to move to America, because his name was disgrace in mother Russia from the lost to Rocky, but after the lost to Balboa, what boxer promoter would take him under his wing? Forced to leave on the streets, he join a gang, got the nickname Rocksteady, and had a close pal in Bebop that up his sprites. Than one day, Rockysteady was sent to silent a reporter, and we all know the rest of the story.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I would like to meet their cousins in that case, Grunge and Hip-Hop. After that their uncles, Techno and Dubstep.

Line of the day. :tlol:

[Prowler]

Maybe Rocksteady and Bebop were their real names in the original cartoon.
As much as Oroku Saki's real name was Shredder. It is not uncommon fro gang members to go by aliases/nicknames. Their gang leader is not called by his real name either.

I would like to meet their cousins in that case, Grunge and Hip-Hop. After that their uncles, Techno and Dubstep.
Good one.

[Jephael]

There was a funny scene in season 2 where Shredder car-jacked a cab driver who looked and sounded a heck of a lot like human Rocksteady. Perhaps he had a twin brother just like Baxter Stockman did.

[CyberCubed]

There was nothing in the original cartoon history indicating Bebop and Rocksteady weren't their real names. All of a sudden all the later TMNT writers like the IDW and Nick crew realized those names sound like gang names and tried to give them new names.

[neatoman]

There was nothing in the original cartoon history indicating Bebop and Rocksteady weren't their real names. All of a sudden all the later TMNT writers like the IDW and Nick crew realized those names sound like gang names and tried to give them new names.

Just because isn't any indication Bebop and Rockstead weren't their real names doesn't mean you can take those as being their real names, this isn't a Toriyama production where most characters have joke names like Trunks.

In a world where characters typically have normal names like April, Irma, Vernon, Carter, Zach, etc, having two guys just named after music styles is just weird.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Just because isn't any indication Bebop and Rockstead weren't their real names doesn't mean you can take those as being their real names, this isn't a Toriyama production where most characters have joke names like Trunks.

In a world where characters typically have normal names like April, Irma, Vernon, Carter, Zach, etc, having two guys just named after music styles is just weird.

Its not that farfetched in a world with giant talking, pizza eating, silly joking, Ninja crime fighting mutated turtles trained by a Japanese rat in order to fight a ninja clan run by a crossover between darth vader and a cheese grater, as well as an alien brain from an alternate dimension who operates from a giant fortress with an eyeball on top, commanding entire armies of stone warriors and fighting alien hippies who take anime hairstyles to the extreme.

[neatoman]

Its not that farfetched in a world with giant talking, pizza eating, silly joking, Ninja crime fighting mutated turtles trained by a Japanese rat in order to fight a ninja clan run by a crossover between darth vader and a cheese grater, as well as an alien brain from an alternate dimension who operates from a giant fortress with an eyeball on top, commanding entire armies of stone warriors and fighting alien hippies who take anime hairstyles to the extreme.

Rick & Morty is that kind of show and it had a joke about how someone seemed out of place in a crowd where the people were named Rick, Morty, Jerry, Beth, Summer and Mr Poopybutthole.
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Even a weird show has norms.

[ssjup81]

I'd imagine his nationality is American.This was going to be my answer. lol

[WolvDragon]

The original Bebop and Rocksteady never had a proper background other then being street thugs and being part of a gang. One can safely assume Rocksteady is just an American with the American accent he has.

This is why I like their 2012 counterparts more, because they do have some background (Plus Rocksteady as a Russian is pretty sweet to me).

[Etsyturtle2]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised how many people don't understand the difference between a joke & an actual statement.

I'm paraphrasing but "I'm Finnish, 'cause when I start something, I always finish it!" ...he said with an Irish accent.

I know it was a joke. I was correcting CyberCubed when he said that Rocksteady said he was Irish.

[ToTheNines]

Except Rocksheamus is Irish as f**k. So you're dumb.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

He may be Irish in RL but in the movie he SAYS he's "Finnish". But yes, it WAS a joke. He was probably of Irish descent with THAT carrot-top. In the OT, he was probably your standard White-American average New Yorker. Even had what could be a Brooklyn accent. I'm more interested in the history of that gang they were in. Did they have a name? Home turf? Who was leader? (I'm guessing it was the guy from Gangs All Here who initiated April. I think his name was High-Five.)

[Etsyturtle2]

Except Rocksheamus is Irish as f**k. So you're dumb.

No I was telling cubed what he said, I know it was a joke, I'm not dumb.

[Commenter 42]

I think Rocksteady would be Estonian.
http://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.2368382.1443354429!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_620_330/image.jpg

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Nah- probably more like Swedish or Norweigan.

[ToTheNines]

White Rhinos are from Africa.

[Shiro Kame]

I'm pretty sure that Rocksteady was just a Caucasian New Yorker. There didn't seem to be much thought to him than being a run of the mill street thug who got his ass kicked by ninjas.