Why is Raph so angry?

[Shark_Blade]

What drives/trigger his anger?

He's not beaten as a child by violent parent, he's not sexually abused, not physically or mentally traumatized.

He's got a loving family, and brothers that are always there for him. Why is he constantly pissed/PMS? What does he want? To be accepted and understand?

[Powder]

Some people are just angry, period. Blame it on the way brains are hardwired, chemical/hormonal balances & all that. Delve a bit deeper & you may find that Raph resents the fact they've had to live like freaks in isolation. He wants to do regular stuff but can't, and that bothers him more than it does his brothers.

The direct answer? Because E&L wrote him that way and childrens cartoons need varied personality types too.

[Wildcat]

Ive never read the original comic series so don't know if theres an actual explanation but I don't think theres supposed to be a reason.

He's meant to be the impatient one with a short temper just like Mikey is supposed to be the fun-loving relaxed one.

Its just to have a diverse set of characters to work with. He creates conflict within the group.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

A teenage guy who can't get laid and will never get laid? That would suck.


Seriously, the question is, why wouldn't he be angry?

Getting called a freak by the outside world, never having a normal life, never being able to go out like normal folks can/do without worrying about being found out/captured/dissected, never having the choice of not only 'sex' but a mate/loved one in that capacity, being forced into a life of "Nope, you can't have a girlfriend/wife so tough sh*t", being pretty much forced into living in disease-infested sewers (and who knows how they really make money/get food/etc.)

So really, why wouldn't someone be angry? One of the reasons why I like Raph. I think it's Perfectly Understandable why he's so Pissed.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Ramboraph4life aka Matt

A teenage guy who can't get laid and will never get laid? That would suck.

Actually, between the Archie & Mirage universe, Raph has banged at least 3 chicks. Two furry broads and a human. Maybe more.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

Originally Posted by Powder

Actually, between the Archie & Mirage universe, Raph has banged at least 3 chicks. Two furry broads and a human. Maybe more.

3? Hmm...I can guess one might have been Ninjara (haven't read too much of the Archie ones). Not sure what the other 2 could be. I know there was a character that I believe was called Lucindra but I thought it was just a friendship level.

I guess I was just thinking of the live action movies/2003/2k12/CGI movie continuity, lol.

[Leofan26]

In the 2003 series it seemed like he was mostly ticked off at Leo, he felt he should have been chosen as the leader instead and likes to do things his way. He has troubles following orders from Leo unless die hard emergency cases. That's why they'd clash the most, go watch the that CGI film, it explains a lot if you ask me.

[joefsas]

He's just got a short fuse...like me (the wifes nickname for me is 'HULK' hahaha)
i was never kicked around or bullied etc. Just not got alot of patience lol
I guess some people can just keep their cool longer than others

NOW MAKE ME SOME PIZZA! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!........

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Ramboraph4life aka Matt

3? Hmm...I can guess one might have been Ninjara (haven't read too much of the Archie ones). Not sure what the other 2 could be. I know there was a character that I believe was called Lucindra but I thought it was just a friendship level.

I guess I was just thinking of the live action movies/2003/2k12/CGI movie continuity, lol.

Ninjara, Mezcaal, & Pimiko.

[Ramboraph4life aka Matt]

Originally Posted by Powder

Ninjara, Mezcaal, & Pimiko.

That's weird. I don't ever remember any romance let alone 'getting laid' hints with Pimiko.

[Powder]

The Image finishers put 'em in there, and given those were put together alongside Frank & Gary, it's a pretty solid canon status, I think.

[ToTheNines]

They liked each other, but nothing happened.

Anyways, I always liked the Will Tupper short that roots it back to him never having a mother.

[909 Turtle Fan]

What? Raph got at Pimiko?! You learn something new everyday. In my experience, some ppl just stay pissed off all the time. You'll catch them in a cheerful mood once in a while, but it's like ppl like that are afraid to let there guard down. I know in a fight you want that anger but ppl with anger management issues usually drive others away.

[Warhorse]

I'm going with the theory that he's frustrated in not only being non normal, but also having to hide out of fear of persecution.

I doubt Leo is any root of the anger, they just clash because they are both dominant/aggressor type personalities, and those tend to clash. But they are sure fun to watch, they are the most exciting and dynamic duo to watch.

[blindturtle02]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

I'm going with the theory that he's frustrated in not only being non normal, but also having to hide out of fear of persecution.

I doubt Leo is any root of the anger, they just clash because they are both dominant/aggressor type personalities, and those tend to clash. But they are sure fun to watch, they are the most exciting and dynamic duo to watch.

Yeah, probably due to having to hide out and not being normal among other things. I always flash back to his reaction to Casey calling him freak in the first TMNT movie. Never thought about the why involved in Raph's anger. I've always believed that some people seem to be born hotheads which is fine because we need a few of those around to keep things interesting. There are probably triggers that set Raph off like having to hide out, being insulted verbally, etc. Leo def sets him off. I can get behind the whole clash for dominance thing. It makes allot of sense.

[BubblyShell22]

There are a lot of factors to Raph's anger as many have stated already: The isolation from society, the fact that he wanted to be leader and isn't, the fact that people view them as freaks of nature all have a thing to do with Raph's anger. I can relate to that and sympathize with him on that.

[kolaida]

I think everyone has pretty much covered it. I think he probably already had a short fuse, possibly some anger problems (some people just have them or deal with things differently than others) and they are further exacerbated by the fact he has to live in isolation with his family in fear of persecution. Granted, I'm sure that's also why they have such close bonds and would probably grow apart and move away from each other if they didn't rely on each other so much.

[blindturtle02]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

There are a lot of factors to Raph's anger as many have stated already: The isolation from society, the fact that he wanted to be leader and isn't, the fact that people view them as freaks of nature all have a thing to do with Raph's anger. I can relate to that and sympathize with him on that.

Yeah, I see where Raph is coming from at times. With the whole freak thing, I mean. Can't say I've gone off like Raph that often. I try to do the Mikey thing and bridge the gap if that makes sense. I think Raph deals with his situations the way a true warrior should most of the time. He meets it on his feet complete with go to hell attitude and all the trimmings. But ya can't be a warrior without a little forethought.

Raph's a doer: a turtle of action. He's the type of guy who says what everyone else is afraid to, and also throws the first physical blow more often than not. I can see why that has proven to be detrimental to himself and his brothers at times, but that type of behavior has also gotten the boys out of some tough scrapes, I'm sure. I wonder if Splinter sees Raph's anger as something to be honed and used for the benefit of the group, or if he intends to purge him of it. I choose to believe the former. I think there's a time and a place for a modicum of this quality. Raph just needs to learn not to supersize it all the time.

[billbot85]

I agree with that it's just the way Eastman/Laird wrote Raph. It's often that most teams of heroes have at least one hot-headed character.

I too believe that part of Raph's anger probably stems from the fact that the turtles have to hide away from society since people would see them as freaks of nature. His character has always been the least accepting of who they are and how they have to live. He's a character that always wants things to change.

I think also part of it is Raph's rivalry with Leo, which always comes out in most incarnations of the tmnt (except the OT). Most of the time he butts heads with Leo and criticizes his leadership skills and decisions, and always believes that his decisions are better. The struggle seems to go back and forth with Raph either wanting to lead the team himself, or just breaking off from the team and fighting crime/the Foot Clan on his own.

This is part of what makes Raph's character so interesting, because most of the anger comes from this ongoing struggle with himself, where he is a loner and part of him wishes to be his own team and make his own decisions, but also knows that he must remain loyal to Splinter and his brothers, and be a part of the turtles' team.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Ramboraph4life aka Matt

A teenage guy who can't get laid and will never get laid? That would suck.


Seriously, the question is, why wouldn't he be angry?

Getting called a freak by the outside world, never having a normal life, never being able to go out like normal folks can/do without worrying about being found out/captured/dissected, never having the choice of not only 'sex' but a mate/loved one in that capacity, being forced into a life of "Nope, you can't have a girlfriend/wife so tough sh*t", being pretty much forced into living in disease-infested sewers (and who knows how they really make money/get food/etc.)

So really, why wouldn't someone be angry? One of the reasons why I like Raph. I think it's Perfectly Understandable why he's so Pissed.

Yeah, I would go with this. Also playing second fiddle to Leo all the time probably doesn't help. He has issues with authority, even when it comes from Splinter in most versions. (That "Couldn't this wait til morning?" line in the first movie says it all. He hates being told what to do or how to act.)