Raphael's attitude

[JakeSully]

Is that what makes him the coolest member of the team? even with his Sais?

[IndigoErth]

I dunno, I suppose his attitude translates to some as "badass."

Although if you ask me, who the coolest is is a matter of opinion. And in my eyes it ain't him.

[Shark_Blade]

He's basically the "Hulk-mad-Hulk-smash" member of the team imo.

[TechnoJerome]

I've always been a huge Raphael fan so maybe its just me, but to me what makes him kool isnt just his attitude it's his outlook on life. He views the world as one he cant ever relate to or fit in with and it makes him angry, but it's a world fights for anyway. He throws the first punch and has no problems doing these things on his own. If anyone on this forum watches the show Walking Dead then I'd definitely consider him the Daryl Dixon of TMNT.

[Shark_Blade]

Funny I thought he's more of Merle Dixon.

[JakeSully]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

He's basically the "Hulk-mad-Hulk-smash" member of the team imo.

Now that's a good observation

[THGhost]

Unless you're talking about the 80s Raphael, then he's more like Michelangelo - cracking jokes and breaking the fourth wall. That's what makes him my favourite version of Raphael.

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

He's basically the "Hulk-mad-Hulk-smash" member of the team imo.

Yes and no. I think he's popular because people recognize the duality of his nature and relate to it. He's capable of great rage, but he's also capable of great kindness and loyalty (how he protects his brothers, that moment in 2k3 when he gave the old lady a briefcase full of money so she didn't have to move out).

Everybody has darkness and lightness inside of them - I think that draws people to Raph a lot more than simply having a sarcastic quip ever at the ready. His anger and aggression and "attitude" are part of his defense against feeling like a freak, alone and that he's stuck in a world where he'll never really fit in. I really think a lot of people connect with him because of that.

It's easy to dismiss Raph as the Wolverine or the Hulk of the team. There's really a melange of emotions beneath the surface; you just have to look past the anger and think about where it comes from - primarily, insecurity and loneliness. Those are fairly common traits for most people - as I said, I think people tend to be drawn to that.

I think it's less viewing him as "the coolest" and more the fact that he's probably the least optimistic of the team. In real life, optimism is very hard work. Raph generally deals with problems by getting angry at them, which is what a lot of people do (albeit then we have to bury it inside). We wish we could deal with life's irritations by punching them in the face and delivering a pithy one-liner. Because he does what we wish we could do, it ends up making him "the cool one", but it's because of the reasons behind why he does what he does, not simply just the fact that he's violent.

Or perhaps I'm completely full of twaddle - I'm sure Warhorse or someone else can definitely put forward a better analysis of this topic than me; I'm just spitballin' here.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Yes and no. I think he's popular because people recognize the duality of his nature and relate to it. He's capable of great rage, but he's also capable of great kindness and loyalty (how he protects his brothers, that moment in 2k3 when he gave the old lady a briefcase full of money so she didn't have to move out).

Everybody has darkness and lightness inside of them - I think that draws people to Raph a lot more than simply having a sarcastic quip ever at the ready. His anger and aggression and "attitude" are part of his defense against feeling like a freak, alone and that he's stuck in a world where he'll never really fit in. I really think a lot of people connect with him because of that.

It's easy to dismiss Raph as the Wolverine or the Hulk of the team. There's really a melange of emotions beneath the surface; you just have to look past the anger and think about where it comes from - primarily, insecurity and loneliness. Those are fairly common traits for most people - as I said, I think people tend to be drawn to that.

I think it's less viewing him as "the coolest" and more the fact that he's probably the least optimistic of the team. In real life, optimism is very hard work. Raph generally deals with problems by getting angry at them, which is what a lot of people do (albeit then we have to bury it inside). We wish we could deal with life's irritations by punching them in the face and delivering a pithy one-liner. Because he does what we wish we could do, it ends up making him "the cool one", but it's because of the reasons behind why he does what he does, not simply just the fact that he's violent.

Or perhaps I'm completely full of twaddle - I'm sure Warhorse or someone else can definitely put forward a better analysis of this topic than me; I'm just spitballin' here.

You just had to bring me in this one, didn't you!
Yeah, you pretty much nailed it on the head. The other three are too gooey sweet/goody two shoes for most people to relate to. Raph is that particular balance of good guy/bad guy that does fit most personalities. More than likely though, it's the bad boy image that has made him the cool one of the group! IMO of course!

This pretty much sums up Raph for me.





-

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

The other three are too gooey sweet/goody two shoes for most people to relate to.

Wait, was I just indirectly called a... Fine, I accept my role in life, after all, the world shouldn't be without the counter balance to the Raph sorts.

More on topic, good descriptions, and always nice to see the perspective of fans of characters that others, who are fans of one or another Turtle brother, might not identify with much and find a bit of a mystery.

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Raph generally deals with problems by getting angry at them, which is what a lot of people do (albeit then we have to bury it inside). We wish we could deal with life's irritations by punching them in the face and delivering a pithy one-liner. Because he does what we wish we could do...

There may be a lot of nonsense out there that has no valid truth, but "what your favorite TMNT says about you" surely has some truth in it. If that's how a lot of people feel, then I guess that helps me understand some people a bit more.

(Myself on the other hand, I'm more inclined to step back from a problem, think it over and have my plan of attack for how I'm going to deal with it. Suppose that sounds like one of Raph's brothers... heh KEEP CALM and BLUE MASK ON)

[TechnoJerome]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Yes and no. I think he's popular because people recognize the duality of his nature and relate to it. He's capable of great rage, but he's also capable of great kindness and loyalty (how he protects his brothers, that moment in 2k3 when he gave the old lady a briefcase full of money so she didn't have to move out).

Everybody has darkness and lightness inside of them - I think that draws people to Raph a lot more than simply having a sarcastic quip ever at the ready. His anger and aggression and "attitude" are part of his defense against feeling like a freak, alone and that he's stuck in a world where he'll never really fit in. I really think a lot of people connect with him because of that.

It's easy to dismiss Raph as the Wolverine or the Hulk of the team. There's really a melange of emotions beneath the surface; you just have to look past the anger and think about where it comes from - primarily, insecurity and loneliness. Those are fairly common traits for most people - as I said, I think people tend to be drawn to that.

I think it's less viewing him as "the coolest" and more the fact that he's probably the least optimistic of the team. In real life, optimism is very hard work. Raph generally deals with problems by getting angry at them, which is what a lot of people do (albeit then we have to bury it inside). We wish we could deal with life's irritations by punching them in the face and delivering a pithy one-liner. Because he does what we wish we could do, it ends up making him "the cool one", but it's because of the reasons behind why he does what he does, not simply just the fact that he's violent.

Or perhaps I'm completely full of twaddle - I'm sure Warhorse or someone else can definitely put forward a better analysis of this topic than me; I'm just spitballin' here.

Yup everything I wish I couldve said in my post, you just did.

[Jester]

I fell for Raph in the OT where he wasn't the one with anger issues...as much... He was just very sarcastic. I swear my sense of humor was shaped by FW Raph...so blame that guys.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Wait, was I just indirectly called a... Fine, I accept my role in life, after all, the world shouldn't be without the counter balance to the Raph sorts.

More on topic, good descriptions, and always nice to see the perspective of fans of characters that others, who are fans of one or another Turtle brother, might not identify with much and find a bit of a mystery.



There may be a lot of nonsense out there that has no valid truth, but "what your favorite TMNT says about you" surely has some truth in it. If that's how a lot of people feel, then I guess that helps me understand some people a bit more.

(Myself on the other hand, I'm more inclined to step back from a problem, think it over and have my plan of attack for how I'm going to deal with it. Suppose that sounds like one of Raph's brothers... heh KEEP CALM and BLUE MASK ON)

Sadly, with me and my friends/family that like the Turtles, our favorites are almost synonymous with our favorite colors. My favorite color is pink, next closest to it is red, so Raph started out as my favorite when I was kid because of the color red. My cousin is a big TMNT fan, and her favorite is Donnie, because of the purple. Her little one now, I'm not sure why Mikey is her favorite. She just told me because she thinks he's funny and cute and is always nice to everyone. But lately, since the finale, I think she's starting to like Leo a little bit more.

[IndigoErth]

Well to be fair I'm sure it was probably originally the same way for me when I was young. Liked blue and the original series Turtles didn't really have overly distinct personalities anyhow. Just serendipitous I guess that years later I find he's still my fave yet again and he's grown up, in terms of collective development after 30 years, into a kindred spirit in many ways.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Well to be fair I'm sure it was probably originally the same way for me when I was young. Liked blue and the original series Turtles didn't really have overly distinct personalities anyhow. Just serendipitous I guess that years later I find he's still my fave yet again and he's grown up, in terms of collective development after 30 years, into a kindred spirit in many ways.

Hilarious truth here. Pink, Red and green are my favorite colors, but if you were to look at the color schemes for my farms, vehicles and houses, you'd swore it was blue. It's not, it's just, blue is cheaper to insure than red is! But, the interior of my house is green walls with red furniture!

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

But, the interior of my house is green walls with red furniture!

Well if Raph ever showed up in our universe and needed a place to hide, he'd be camouflaged well at your place then.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Well if Raph ever showed up in our universe and needed a place to hide, he'd be camouflaged well at your place then.

Damn straight. I even have a really adorable Raphael dressed like Santa doll as a throw pillow on one of the love seats.

[Necrotique]

I personally love Raph from the new Nickelodeon series, as I was too young to remember the original cartoons. I just love how he's actually pretty sensitive but always plays out with the bluster and acting.

[Refractive Reflections]

I would say the maybe part of the "coolness" is the outspoken and rebellious aspect of his character, which superficially, can be alluring since it appears he's defending himself immediately against an idea/concept or threat, but its fruitfulness highly depends upon the circumstance (his impetuous response to a situation), and admiration of it, depends on where exactly that outspokenness and rebelliousness is coming from (what he's fighting for, or what's behind the rage).

For example, if there's a genuine heart to "do what's right" behind all the fury and rage then he'll be appreciated (as with Raph's character), but if any type of selfishness or malice slips into those deep-seated intentions, and since his emotions can easily rise to the surface, the character would then be perceived to be a self-centered, contemptible jerk.

Originally Posted by Jester

I fell for Raph in the OT where he wasn't the one with anger issues...as much... He was just very sarcastic. I swear my sense of humor was shaped by FW Raph...so blame that guys.

...So I'll assume you have a sharp sarcastic streak that can be just as brutal as Raph's fighting? ...right Jester?

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by JakeSully

Is that what makes him the coolest member of the team? even with his Sais?

well, it's not the sais that matter, but how he uses it.

Really? No one came up with this by now?