[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Primarily the reason I prefer Yoshi as Splinter.


Oh, but wait, it's not my only reason.

The martial arts may be one thing -- albeit not entirely easy to accept a rat in a cage would ever be capable of teaching it later -- BUT... Look at the Turtles, they aren't a bunch of dumb slobs (relatably messy lair aside, esp as teens), they're relatively decent young men who have clearly had at least some amount of home schooling in other subjects, and other non-fighting skills including some semblance manners (albeit that varies per Turtle), as best a rat dad can manage given their situation.

Maybe we can pretend a pet rat can mimic martial arts moves and somehow teach it later... but it's even harder to accept that a pet rat grasped literacy, math, etc and would be able to teach it later, let alone learn it himself or even be interested.

I suppose if they watched Sesame Street as little kids like a lot of us it would have taught them something, but it would only be scratching the surface and never anywhere near enough.

I kind of feel like without human Yoshi still wanting the basic amenities of a human life he used to live (a home more or less, refrigerator, tv, beds, an education for his kids, etc) they aught to be living a rather different life had Splinter always been a rat.

Who taught Mirage, New Line and 4 Kids Splinter reading, as he was left alone in the sewers after Oroku Saki killed Hamato Yoshi? No increased intelligence can teach you reading without interacting with someone else.