April's Forgotten Martial Arts Skills
 

Has anybody else noticed that since this season began, April's fighting style has totally changed? She used to be the series' improving martial artist and had a fan for a weapon. This season, they slipped her into an obviously Fred Wolf-inspired jump suit, gave her a laser pistol, and upped her mind blasts. I don't mind the additional abilities, but it sometimes looks a little bit dumb when she she won't even kick an enemy that's literally next to her feet.

Discuss.

She's in space, fighting aliens. Using laser guns and her telekinesis makes sense. She'll probably go back to martial arts when they return to Earth.

You don't expect her to use her ray gun on Earth do you?

Those aliens are way too strong for her. The turtles can barely handle them, I do not expect her to use her martial arts skills, they won't do a thing. She will use them when she gets to fight some foot bots once they get back to earth.

I think it's refreshing to see April doing her own defensive style and not coming across as "little ninja in training." I've never found that believable, especially the rapid progress she makes through part-time training in her free time.

April should probably always have had a gun, in every version. She's obviously going to be in danger sometimes, and nothing else would level the playing field as quickly.

Playmates seemed to share that notion, at least two of her figures came with a standard hand-gun. Probably a sound idea, honestly. A single woman with no friends in 80's NYC would be wise to keep a .38 in her purse, at the least.

Heh, that certainly would have changed the tone of the show!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...psdspjjuay.jpg

I also agree with the rapid pace of her training. She's been doing this for about three years since she met the Turtles. This is on top of attending school and doing homework.

While she has put a lot of training in, the Turtles were 14 when they earned their title as ninja. And while they may have actually begun training as early as five, they were probably learning muscle memory exercises as early as two.

Huh... I will never fully understand the point of Reporter April when Programmer/Scientist April would have worked out just fine for that show, but I don't think I would have minded Gunslinger April.

I don't think the skill has been abandonded....the skill just isn't practical for the setting that they're currently in.

Don't the turtles still use their ninja skills and weapons still?

unless they also have guns...(I haven't watched anything from season 4 so I honestly don't know XD)

The turtles started ninja training since they were little. It is what they do, they're used to the fighting, they have the skills. Whereas April is not yet a kunoichi, she is just learning. There is no way she could have defended herself against Dregg's minions or the salamandrians. It's good that she keeps her distance and uses a gun.