Old Comics Shredder
 

I’ve just been rereading the original tmnt comic with the whole Shredder arc, and I kind of found myself feeling sorry for him. This section in particular struck me-

Meanwhile, in Japan...Nagi’s family, especially his younger brother Saki, were mourning his death. The seven-year old Saki vowed vengeance on Yoshi. The foot took hold of Saki’s anger and used it to bend him to their own purposes.

I find it interesting that the foot are mentioned like that. To me that sounds like Saki was essentially manipulated by the foot, who saw potential in his own talent as a ninja and guided him down a wrong path.
Let me point out, I’m not trying to defend Saki in his later years- as he grew older he should have learned to differentiate between what was right and wrong; and seeking out people to murder in cold vengeance was definitely wrong! But when I think that all this started with him as an impressionable seven year old boy, I can’t help but put some of the blame on the foot itself. They more or less helped him become the evil miscreant which was the Shredder.
Also I think he’s justifiable in his initial hate for Yoshi. I doubt he knew/really understood any of the complications between Nagi, Tang Shen and Yoshi as a seven year old. From his perspective, his elder brother (who he clearly looked up to) has just been murdered by another member of his own clan. That’s distressing for anyone, let alone a kid.
I know that ultimately he chose evil, but I feel like there’s something kind of tragic about his character. Does anyone else feel like this? Am I giving ole Shredhead too much of the sympathy vote here? :) Maybe I read to much into it! lol

PS: first post. please be gentle!
PPS: my crappy fanmade vid for old-school TMNT villains here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlkgnL14IUw

I got that feeling too. Nice video, BTW!

Edited out
 

In later TMNT versions, this was edited out.

Wow, really? I didn't know they edited the early comics :/ Was anything else changed? You think it was to stop people feeling sympathetic for Shredder? Haha, many questions! The version I read was online btw.

I think he might be referring to something else. The fact that the Foot used Saki's anger to their own ends is still word for word in Peter's special edition of Vol.1 #1...

You might want to double check or be more specific J...

I think they meant that they used his anger to make him a better ninja. In that, of course, he would be a better assasin as well (that was the goal of the Foot Clan, perchance including Yoshi). Still, I doubt at any point they said "Go create a criminal empire and kill everyone that stand in your way."

In City At War Karai even says that Saki's criminal empire had gotten out of control and that for the last few years his ties to the Foot in Japan were nonexistant.

And no matter how you slice it, having your brother die does not excuse burning down innocent people's apartments. It's just rude.

That may be true where you're from, but here in Melbourne it's a rite of passage!

1987 cartoon
 

I mean other TMNT stuff, like the 1987 cartoon.

"As everyone knows, Australia is entirely populated with criminals and criminals are used to having people not trust them...."
-Vicini:lol:

That's the great thing about us Aussies: we charm the pants off you... then steal them!

Well... can't exactly say it was "edited out", as that implies it was to be used in it. But the Classic TMNT toon is another continuity, with different occurances; etc.