Splinter's origin story.
 

While I'm only familiar with the 2003 series, I have read a bit about the old show. It seems that both series contradic each other when it comes to Splinter. In the old series, Splinter started off as Hamato Yoshi, a Foot Clan member who was forced to live in the New York sewers where his only friends were the rats. But one day he found the broken TCRI canister and the four turtles. When he retrieved them it started a mutation, because Yoshi had been exposed to all the sewer rats, the ooze caused him to mutate into a giant rat. And as the turtles had been handled by Yoshi the ooze caused them to grow to human size.

Whereas in the new series, Splinter was just Hamato Yoshi's pet. He learned the ways of the ninja by copying his master. But when The Shredder came alone a murdered Yoshi, Splinter ran away. Eventually he found the turtles and the canister and retrieved them, but the ooze caused them all to grow, to mutate.


Hmmm, which origin story do you prefere?

Definately the old TMNT show. The fact that he was once human helps explain why he knows Shredder and why he knows ninjitsu. I like how Shredder was his student who resented his master.

i voted for splinter as a pet cuz i tought you were asking if that was the original, then i read your post and realized you were asking which one was my favorite :roll: , i preffer splinter as hamato yoshi cuz it makes more sense

In the context of the old cartoon, the mutated a lot of people into whatever animal was closest to them at the time. Bebop and Rocksteady were a mutant warthog and rhino respectively because that is what Shredder got to mutate them with. Baxter was mutated with a fly because that was what was in the chamber with him. April was mutated into a number of things (like a cat) because that's what was nearby. I always thought that was kind of cool to be mutated with whatever animal you had come in contact with at the time of the mutation. Of course, I never understood how all these people were mutated into animals because they were in contact with those animals, but the Turtles were never human. They were always Turtles that just became larger and smarter when mutated. It's like they had two forms of mutation in that show that just didn't seem to fit well together.

After reading the comics since the old show and watching the new toon, I think I like the comic/new show version of mutation better. It just makes more sense. Both Splinter and the Turtles underwent the same form of mutation meaning they went from an animal to a bigger, more intelligent animal, so that meshes a lot better. Also, you've not got mutants coming out of the woodwork in every single episode. In the old cartoon, there was always somebody accidentally getting mutated or Shredder experimenting on. It made the whole mutation thing a little silly. I like the way the comic and new cartoon handle mutation a lot more.

We've got mutants in the new show, Stonebiter, Riserfist and Quarry. I've also heard Leatherhead is returning in season 2.

Of course the original story is better. The only reason It was changed for the old cartoon, is the fact they couldn't show death in kiddies cartoon back then.

Yes, there are a couple cases of mutants in the new series. But they are few and far between. And I prefer the original mirage/movies/2003 toon origins for Splinter. The only reason the original toon went the way of having it be Hamato Yoshi, was because they couldn't have Yoshi being murdered by Shredder in the original toon. :)

:nod:

Heh, is there a echo here?

To be fair, I was typing at the same time you were posting. :P

holy $*it Jarrah this is like the 7th topic you made O.o

Yeah, new people tend to bring back these VS threads...

As a pet, since it's the original story, and screwing with origins is a no-no in my book.

I've liked both, but my art of Splinter makes him more humanish...

As a pet. Don't really know why.

The old cartoon origin I've always thought made more sense. This is yet another topic that has been brought up before. I say that rats may be smart but just because Splinter mimiced Yoshi in his cage undergoing a mutation of some sort wouldn't teach him how to use it or remember all of it.

thats just how i feel

Except that Splinter wasn't an ordinary rat to begin with. Besides the fact he was intelligent, he lived for over 15 years before he got mutated.

splinter's origin
 

I liked the story of Hamato Yoshi turning into the rat...I kinda liked it that Splinter was an actual human instead of just an intelligent rat. The fact that he was actually Shredder's old sensei I thought was cooler than just a rat that attacked him from a cage. The other story wasn't bad, it was cool too, I just prefer the cartoon one more.

The only thing that still kinda gets me is that the mutation makes you turn into the animal you were nearest to at the time of exposure right? (Thus, baxter, bebop, etc). So why didn't he turtles mutate in a hybrid with Splinter (a rat) and Splinter, in turn, mutate into a mix with the turtles. They themselves were the last animals they were in contact with after the exposure...in fact splinter had been livin under the sewers for some time prior to the ooze fallin into the drain...he should be even less likely to turn humanish than the turtles...(this of course goes for the pet rat story)