So what did we take away from this series?

[PApagreg]

Originally Posted by GoldMutant

Animation and fights are definitely stronger going forward (The Gauntlet and Showdown are still among the best, however.) There's also more variety in location.

Animation I can understand but I thought the fight choreography got a little worse in later seasons with the exception of a few stand out examples. When the show got more mutant heavy we got less Martial arts battles and more monster battles hell even when Bradford got a more sleeker design he still fought more like an animal than a man.

[Andrew NDB]

Making Bradford into Rahzar made no sense. He needed to mutate again why?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Making Bradford into Rahzar made no sense. He needed to mutate again why?

Because he said the sheer size of his first mutant form was preventing him from using his speed in combat.

[Papenbrook]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Making Bradford into Rahzar made no sense. He needed to mutate again why?

The showrunners originally wanted Bradford to be killed off during season two, but they ultimately decided against it/that.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Papenbrook

The showrunners originally wanted Bradford to be killed off during season two.

Wish that happened.

[CyberCubed]

Dogpound was an ugly design. I never liked it. He should have just been Rahzar from the start.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Making Bradford into Rahzar made no sense. He needed to mutate again why?

Toys, probably. That and I guess it prevented them from adding yet another character that wouldn't come back anyway, without having to deal with having two dog mutants running around.

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

Because he said the sheer size of his first mutant form was preventing him from using his speed in combat.

That's the in Universe explaination, it made no sense in the longrun but at least it was something.

Originally Posted by Papenbrook

The showrunners originally wanted Bradford to be killed off during season two, but they ultimately decided against it/that.

Can anyone link this? I really want to where it was said and who said it, because it sounds about as credible as a David Wise interview.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

Because he said the sheer size of his first mutant form was preventing him from using his speed in combat.

But that only happened in the episode he mutated to give an excuse. Any other episode before that he was alright with being a big brute.

[Metalwolf]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

But that only happened in the episode he mutated to give an excuse. Any other episode before that he was alright with being a big brute.

I think he just tolerated it mostly. He wouldn't hesitate to get himself demutated whenever a chance presented itself, even to the point of outright taking retromutagen off of someone if it was necessary.

Being a mutant might allow someone to fight better, but it ultimately likely sucks if you ever want to have a life outside of 'isolated, permanent recluse.' I doubt Bradford would want to spend the rest of his life being a mutant, especially since he would soon be approaching his sixties.

[Vundi]

Honestly, I don't think it really brought much to the TMNT universe but there's nothing wrong with that. It's pure fan service but it's well done and entertaining and I'm bummed to see it go.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Vundi

Honestly, I don't think it really brought much to the TMNT universe but there's nothing wrong with that.

-Ciro's designs were largely influential to fans & industry alike as they became points of reference for other iterations
-Helped to make Utroms & Mighty Mutanimals more commonly known entities
-Attached a bunch of stellar actors/voice actors names to the property which in a way validates TMNT as being something worthy of big names
-Pushed boundaries in terms of violence and censorship skirting, had character deaths despite being aimed at youth
-Proved you can recycle turtle talent (by bringing back Paulsen, Rist, etc.)
-Gave a certain demographic some acknowledgement for the first time (the sort of fangirls who crush on and/or ship the turtles with female characters) *
-Japanese language is used at times
-Original characters that have a lot of potential for future use
-First universe to make use of Tatsu since his debut (barring a brief boss fight in Hyperstone Heist)
-Montages with psychedelic visuals
-Visually distinct builds/head shapes/eye colors/etc.
-Alternate weapons for Mike & Don
-Leonardo has a geeky side
-An origin in which Saki/Yoshi's relationship begins as a close one
-The return of the Fred Wolf cast for the first time since that series ended
-Stories with different armors/costumes justified the necessary evil that is the variant toy

*Not really a fan of certain things that transpired as a result of this *cough* Mona/Raph stuff *cough* but I respect that they gave a very real portion of the fan-base some pie

I could go on...

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Great post Powder! I feel that the Nick series will be appreciated alot more within 5 years from now just as how the 4Kids series was criticized its fair share during its run but became much more appreciated years after it ended.

[Candy Kappa]

The Nick show took a better focus on martial arts and stealth then any other TMNT show, or even incarnation in the franchise, which I really enjoyed. I lit up with joy hearing the name and seeing my favorite shoulder throw Seoi Nage.

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by Powder

-Ciro's designs were largely influential to fans & industry alike as they became points of reference for other iterations
-Helped to make Utroms & Mighty Mutanimals more commonly known entities
-Attached a bunch of stellar actors/voice actors names to the property which in a way validates TMNT as being something worthy of big names
-Pushed boundaries in terms of violence and censorship skirting, had character deaths despite being aimed at youth
-Proved you can recycle turtle talent (by bringing back Paulsen, Rist, etc.)
-Gave a certain demographic some acknowledgement for the first time (the sort of fangirls who crush on and/or ship the turtles with female characters) *
-Japanese language is used at times
-Original characters that have a lot of potential for future use
-First universe to make use of Tatsu since his debut (barring a brief boss fight in Hyperstone Heist)
-Montages with psychedelic visuals
-Visually distinct builds/head shapes/eye colors/etc.
-Alternate weapons for Mike & Don
-Leonardo has a geeky side
-An origin in which Saki/Yoshi's relationship begins as a close one
-The return of the Fred Wolf cast for the first time since that series ended
-Stories with different armors/costumes justified the necessary evil that is the variant toy

*Not really a fan of certain things that transpired as a result of this *cough* Mona/Raph stuff *cough* but I respect that they gave a very real portion of the fan-base some pie

I could go on...

However some characters on the show I feel were just in name only, such as Rahzar, Tokka, Wingnut, Screwloose, Hun, Tatsu, and Mona Lisa, they felt like new characters then the originals, I hope the next series reboot will do these characters justice, by making them more like the originals.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Powder

-Alternate weapons for Mike & Don

That's something I want for future versions.

[Vegita-San]

that hardly got used at all..making it seem more like a gimmick.

I didn't mind that they got blades attached, just use them more than 4 times during the whole show.

-forgets the cult doesn't like disparaging things said, shrinks back in

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Vegita-San

that hardly got used at all..making it seem more like a gimmick.

I didn't mind that they got blades attached, just use them more than 4 times during the whole show.

-forgets the cult doesn't like disparaging things said, shrinks back in

I recall them being more common during seasons 1-3.

[Candy Kappa]

Don's pop-up naginata felt like an afterthought, but Mikey's kusarigama was used a bit more. I would not be opposed if next show ditched the nunchaku entirely and had Mikey have a kusarigama full-time.

[PApagreg]

Originally Posted by Powder

-Helped to make Utroms & Mighty Mutanimals more commonly known entitiesI could go on...

I agree with you with the latter but I would argue that the 2k3 incarnation largely helped made the Utroms more commonly known.

Originally Posted by Powder

-Montages with psychedelic visuals

Don't really see that as something future incarnations can "take away from" but okay.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

However some characters on the show I feel were just in name only, such as Rahzar, Tokka, Wingnut, Screwloose, Hun, Tatsu, and Mona Lisa, they felt like new characters then the originals, I hope the next series reboot will do these characters justice, by making them more like the originals.

For someone who blindly accepts just about everything ever I'm surprised that you would have such a nostalgia bias. Most of those characters were blank slates ripe for reinvention. Hell, some were better than their predecessors, to me. Far as I'm concerned, they were mostly done justice already.

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

I would not be opposed if next show ditched the nunchaku entirely and had Mikey have a kusarigama full-time.

I'd be down with that. His chucks are iconic but he already had a grappling hook in the OT & tonfa in Next Mutation, so there's a precedence.

Originally Posted by PApagreg

I agree with you with the latter but I would argue that the 2k3 incarnation largely helped made the Utroms more commonly known. Don't really see that as something future incarnations can "take away from" but okay.

I guess that's true, but the 4kids series is largely forgotten and/or disliked by the masses (not me, or this forum, just casuals & FW fanboys). Nick's demo was a lot broader. I feel like I've seen a lot more talk about them in comment sections nowadays, never used to be a household name with passive fans. I dunno, I'm just glad for any sizable Mirage nod like that.

& re: psychedelic visuals, I was listing things that were unique to this series, not necessarily aspects that will affect future iterations (though I would fully support that!).