Which turtle is the most dispensable?

[Davetello]

Some interesting posts, thanks for the contributions.

Perhaps my point wasn't clear, however. Yes, the team works best with all four of them present, as they're a cohesive unit and the total is greater than the sum of the parts. What I was asking is which would make the smallest dent if they were absent, either temporarily or permanently. They'd be weaker if reduced to three, but the removal of which boy would cause the least problems?

Think of it as a damage limitation exercise.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Leo656

If any of them are expendable - and I'd argue that none of them are - but I'd say even though he's the "Heart" of the team and the most popular, Mikey doesn't add anything except jokes. Like, maybe his goofy good-nature helps keep the team together during the tough times, but as far as being an actual physical asset, nah. He exists for Marketing Potential, the jokes and the catch-phrases and to keep little kids watching, and that's it. The other three could conceivably handle just about any situation without him.

That said, it probably IS his good nature that would keep them all from eventually drifting apart due to their vastly different personalities, but strictly in the sense of, "Assuming they're still a team, could the other three handle any given situation they'd face without him?" Yes, they could. He actually has made things worse in the short-term a bunch of times by being such a bungler.

I hate how he is so often portrayed as a bungler, when the simple fact is that more often than not, he's merely unfocused or distracted. He's NOT clumsy (Bay movie and Nick be d@mned) not is he stupid. One of my favorite eps from 2K3 was The Christmas Aliens, which showed just how GOOD he really is when he id determined to do something. And we're all aware of the fact that he has more NATURAL TALENT then any of the others. When he's good, he D@MN good.

The rest of the time, he's just not taking things seriously- but that approach seems to work for him- and all too well, at times. He's often at his best when he's treating the bad guys like opponents in a game, where he can taunt, harass, and even torment them mercilessly with his own brand of humor. And what's really scary about him is that this tactic WORKS. He plays it as a game, and when it comes to games, Mikey is the MASTER. I'd rather deal with Raph in a full-on rage than have to fight Mikey in his most wicked and mischievous mood. Because he would kick your @$$ while grinning evilly and driving you mad with his incessant taunts and jokes. His tactic of distraction and annoyance is just plain EVIL!!

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

But a good character always has flaws. Each of the guys has their own flaw.

Mikey's is that he doesn't take things seriously most of the time - the world is a joke to him. He lacks focus and doesn't always direct his potential; his energies are scattered.

So yeah - back to my original point: Raph has a lot of traits which make him an asset to the team. As much as he fights with his brothers, he's still depicted as being very close with them (particularly in the 2k3 series). He is the most emotional Turtle; while that means that he is prone to outbursts, it also means he has a great deal of compassion - he's always very distressed in any incarnation when his brothers are hurt, he goes out of his way to help others (see: Lone Raph & Cub, Touch & Go from the 2k3 series, as well as the fact that he commits to preventing crime by taking on the Nightwatcher gig in the 2k7 flick).

Actually, I think Mikey's lack of seriousness can be a big asset. Since he treats fights as a game, he knows how to "win" by PLAYING his opponents as much as by FIGHTING them. That's how he beat Raph in the 2K3 "Meet Casey Jones" ep, and again in their fight in the Battle Nexus. He knew how to use his opponent's own weaknesses to the greatest advantage. He uses basically the same skill-set as Spider-Man, actually. Taunt and joke them to death, and annoy them until they get flustered and make a fatal error. And it works.

Also, I'd like to point out that the Touch and Go eps were Mikey's, not Raph's. One was Mikey and Nobody, the other was Mikey and Splinter. Raph had nothing to do with those two. He was actually off helping the little old lady in the one where Mikey and Splinter were fighting that pair!

Originally Posted by Leo656

I guess people who prefer Mikey probably tend to be more laid back and upbeat in general, I'unno. It's not a blanket analysis.

I will say that this is certainly true in my case. I relate to him as being laid-back, unruffled, and upbeat, which is something I've always been. I also tend to gravitate to those types in general- which may also explain why I also married one, LOL!

Originally Posted by Gunpowder

That leaves Mikey and Raph as the two contenders for most "dispensable." I could list pros and cons for each; but all in all, I couldn't imagine the TMNT with only 3 members. So I can't decide. But if I had a gun to my head, I'd say Mikey. True that Raph's anger issues are basically at the root of every problem between the four of them...but he's also a better fighter. Mikey's funny, sure, but that doesn't really "help" them much. And his fighting style is the most inferior in almost every incarnation, so losing him would be the least detrimental. And I personally think Raph's drama makes things seem more realistic, in that it makes them actually seem like brothers with the way they argue. Open to objection, but that's my input.

His fighting style is hardly inferior- it's so chaotic and unpredictable that he's actually MORE of a challenge, because one would never know what he's going to do, or how/where he will move/strike/block. His fighting style is all about keeping the enemy guessing, and with a weapon like the nunchaku, it's already difficult to gauge what the person using them will do, because they have NO katas. Meaning that he could make up moves as he goes, even create his own routines, and without knowing what his attack sequence will be, it would be next to impossible to counter that. And if he's fully focused? Might as well just get down on the ground and tap out....

And Raph's not a BETTER fighter (Splinter himself claims Mikey as the most "gifted" student) just the strongest and most persistent. He's the type to go charging after enemies even after they retreat, and end up getting himself cornered in the process when they regroup. This is one reason why Leo is always having to rein him in, because if he didn't Raph would get himself (and possibly one or more of his brothers) killed going overboard on the Foot, the Dragons, or whomever else they happen to be fighting.

[pennydreadful]

Ah, sorry Marvel - I was citing Raph helping Mrs Morrison in Touch & Go as an example of his compassion/how he helps others; maybe the way I said it came out weird. I definitely can't cite it as an episode where he's an asset to the team but I thought it was a good example of him actually displaying personality traits other than "the hothead".

Trying Dave's question the way he intended it... I honestly don't know. If I absolutely HAD to pick one, I'd say Mikey or Raph, I suppose. But it's awful to think about!

[Gunstar_Red]

I share the same conclusion many had said, you need all four because they are a team. They bring different opinions and characteristics that are needed for them to succeed together. They all make up for each other's shortcomings and weaknesses.

The problem with the topic's question is, what aspect of the team does a character need to be cut from? I think that's important because, to me, it all depends. A team doesn't have one function. It has many which each turtle fills in one way or another. So for my answer, I broke it up into three main sections.

Fighting: Donnie. Face it, he's a pacifist. He would rather avoid fighting if it's possible. Even his weapon reflects that as it's more defensive and with a longer reach.

Planning: Mikey. He's great at taking orders, but not so much at making them. Most of his plans has him backed up in a corner until someone helps him or gets a lucky break.

As a side note, Leo and Donnie had a few times of conflict on who's idea what was the best course of action. Most of the time, Donnie backs down and just let Leo lead. But in the current comic line,

Spoiler:

Donnie actually sets off on his own to stop the alien invasion with the help of Shredder. (Whether or not that was the right decision for him to make, it's yet to be known.)

Don't forget in the 2012 cartoon,

Spoiler:

his arguing with Leo in 'The Invasion' did risk them all getting killed.

So to everyone who says Raph is the only one who causes trouble, Donnie can also be a little headstrong at times that may put the whole team in danger or fracture it.

Support: Leo. He doesn't seem to be the touchy-feely type. Donnie and Mikey would probably try to understand another's point of view and feelings. While Raph tries to keep a tough guy facade, he's the type, after a round of teasing, who says "so, who are we going to beat up for making you feel this way?"

It's not that Leo's completely stoic, he might just find discussing such things as a weakness when it comes to decision making. You can't think of "did I do the right thing" or "what if I did it another way" when you are responsible for other's lives.


I tried to cover the basics, but what I want to say is you can't simply cut one of them out without having the whole team suffer in some way.

[Prowler]

Like it's been said by others already, each has something unique to them, which makes them all equal, so to speak. However, if I had to "kill" one, it'd be Michelangelo. I mean, Leonardo is the leader and Donatello is the scientist/engineer, so they're out of the question. Raphael is the strongest and most aggressive of the bunch, so he's useful as well. He's the "muscle" of the team, so to speak. But Michelangelo? He's... the laid back sensitive guy? How is that gonna help him out in battle? Again, I'm talking about versions such as the 4Kids series and the 2007 movie, so don't come here telling me about Mirage Mike. And I'm not saying he's useless, but of the group he does seem to be the less least important one in battle for me. Although you could argue that he's important for keeping everyone in high spirits. But hey, I had to pick a Turtle to sacrifice, as the thread asked.

On the other hand, the last Turtle I'd "kill" would be Donatello. Without Donatello, the Turtles would die quite early in the series. He's the most important Turtle, by far.

[neatoman]

Disposed.

[LS Animation]

Donnie is the smartest, Leo is the best leader, Raph is the strongest, Mikey is the funniest so I say essentially Mikey is least important in a way, but then again they are all brothers and there are certain things that connect them to each other and make the entire teamwork thing work. Without Mikey things would go too serious and dramatic without any comic relief whatsoever. So they are all important to keep TMNT as TMNT we all love.

[Donnie]

Raphael.
Not because I like him least, but because he is often the kink in the well-oiled machine.

[MikeandRaph87]

I think people will see each brings equal value to the team. It is easy to see Donatello's value perhaps above the others, but each one brings their own personality and skill set that makes them such an effective team. Not one of them is more dispensable than the other. That is a part of what makes Ninja Turtles so great.

[Chabrendeki]

I see them not as a team, where everybody needs a function. They are not running a business.

I see them as a team because they are a family. And in a family there is no one unimportant.

I don't think one of my sisters could be erased, because she is not important, and brings nothing to our team... that's absurd to me.

[TMNTInsighter]

Originally Posted by Chabrendeki

I see them not as a team, where everybody needs a function. They are not running a business.

I see them as a team because they are a family. And in a family there is no one unimportant.

I don't think one of my sisters could be erased, because she is not important, and brings nothing to our team... that's absurd to me.

I usually think of them as four different sides of one personality. They're all different traits inherent in every person only utilized to the max or near it. Without the other, they all fall apart. None of them are dispensable/expendable.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Donnie

Raphael.
Not because I like him least, but because he is often the kink in the well-oiled machine.

The correct answer.

[thundermaster612]

The most dispensable turtle is probably Kerma

What? you guys said dispensable turtle, he is a turtle

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Donnie

Raphael.
Not because I like him least, but because he is often the kink in the well-oiled machine.

Originally Posted by Powder

The correct answer.

Well then.

[Andrew NDB]

If we're removing the obvious go-tos like Venus or Jennika or something, then it'd be between Michelangelo and Donatello.

[triplexxx]

tsk tsk tsk, naughty thread

[Mad Dog McMutt]

I would probably say Michaelangelo. He contributes the least amount to the team even though he is a very likeable character.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Mad Dog McMutt

I would probably say Michaelangelo. He contributes the least amount to the team even though he is a very likeable character.

There could be a case for that, even in Mirage. Though while he's not a pacifist, Don seems the most pacifistic of the four. If push came to shove and a big battle was looming, would you want Michelangelo or Donatello having your back?

[IndigoErth]

I dunno, what's Mikey adding to the fight? Athleticism? They're all technically athletic though as far as being good fighters goes, even if he's the most "natural" athlete, or so people claim. Donnie has the skills to break through particular hurdles the rest of them couldn't make up for.

Have Donnie who can break through security in their way? They go kick some ass. Can't break through without him? Oh, well... I guess go home.

[Mad Dog McMutt]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

There could be a case for that, even in Mirage. Though while he's not a pacifist, Don seems the most pacifistic of the four. If push came to shove and a big battle was looming, would you want Michelangelo or Donatello having your back?

I would definitely prefer Donatello to have my back. He can more easily focus at the task at hand than Michaelangelo can. Donatello is basically a genius where as Michaelangelo gets easily distracted. I can't think of any moments where Donatello didn't wanna fight when the rest of the turtles did. I didn't read the comics though. I just watched the 87 and 2012 turtles along with all the movies.